live, not local, late breaking. this is wbal news tonight. [captioning made possible by constellation energy group] captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- an investigation is underway about what caused a military soldier to go on a shooting spree. 16 afghan civilians were killed in an incident that is pushing already strained relations to their breaking point. we have the story. >> 16 civilians, including six children and three women were killed during a nighttime shooting spree. the killings happened just

several hundred yards from an american base. and american servicemen based in fort lewis is in custody, accused of the slayings. the acting president called the incident, "a terrorist act." president obama phone the president to express his condolences. he insisted this does not represent the military. >> it was a senseless tragedy. a letter problem will be, landing on this tinderbox of afghanistan, following the koran burnings. >> those accidental burnings caused violent protests throughout the country. the demonstrations left dozens dead. american officials said despite these recent incidents, they are dedicated to a strong

relationship with afghanistan. >> to attain peace and security in the region, which is our interest. >> some say finding common ground is now out of the question. >> this will give motivation to the people to stand against the forces. >> after a decade of war and working to build a coalition, a senseless act of violence could unravel the already strained relationship between the united states and afghanistan. >> news about the shooting of afghanistan broke as the maryland governor appeared on meet the press. the governor and virginia governor were on the show to debate about economic issues. the coast asked about how enforcing policies affect the president. >> there are many things that happen in this world of ours.

no one president can control. what we all look for in the president of the united states is someone with steady, capable leadership. a calm hand at the helm. president obama has provided that leadership. this latest incident underscores how important it is to conclude our involvement in afghanistan. i agree with kevin mcdonald, so many young men and women are serving so honorably. incidents like this to happen in war zones. it is very have -- important we bring our troops home. >> the governor is the chair of the governors' association. more than two hundred soldiers with the maryland national guard are back at home after serving a year overseas. we caught up with some members of the 175th infantry this morning as they were greeted.

240 soldiers have been deployed to support the camp david accord. it is great being back. they say they are putt to serve. >> i love my country. i want people to have the freedoms we have. >> i was gone for 12 months. the lead to be home. it is great to be home. >> they still have soldiers in egypt. they are expected home at a later date. loyola does not have far to go for its first game. >> the campus came together after locking up a spot in march madness. they awaited their tenement fate. they heard their name. they were on their edges of the seats -- on the edges of the seats.

loyola is the 15 seed. they will face a high of state. much more on the matchup coming up later -- they will face ohio state. much more on the matchup coming up later. two companies plan to complete the deal as soon as tomorrow. what will this mean for customers? we are joined live with the details. >> since they are under the umbrella of this new merger, the customers can expect to see cash soon. the anticipated partnership between constellation of energy and excellent is expected to bring changes, it will simply a part of the new company. you'll get a $100 credit. even though they are based in chicago, it will still be headquartered in baltimore and operate as an independent entity. the new merger will also have

other impacts on the region. >> there will be funds for programs, promises to build alternative energy, solar, wind power. as well as provide funds for a waste powerplant. >> the doctor says the merger is also expected to generate 3000 jobs for the state. the new deal also means that will not be any fortune 500 companies left in baltimore. >> it strikes a blow to the pride of the state in the city. the corporate giving aspect of having a fortune 500 company will also be impacted. >> while most customers are excited for the credit, some feel torn about the new deal. >> i have some doubt. it is not great for the city.

those kind of mergers with bigger companies that are not local, they have not panned out. >> i would rather see a publicly owned utility. i think there would be more competition. >> the merger is expected to be finalized in the coming days. it is worth $7.90 billion. we are live tonight in downtown baltimore. wbal-tv 11 news. thank you. police are investigating the suspicious death of a woman. police responded amount to a clock 30 this afternoon and found a woman dead in a home. detectives were notified. an autopsy will be conducted to try to determine the cause of death. its suspension hearing after a woman was charged with attempted theft. the 41-year-old was undercharged on her groceries by $300.

the cashier is the woman's daughter. she joined the force in 1991. an internal affairs investigation is pending. this didn't has been arrested and charged with posting an internet threat claiming he planned to go on a shooting rampage, hoping to kill as many people as possible. the 19-year-old has been identified as the person who posted plans for a rampage that would "kill enough people to make it to nationalist." he was taken to a hospital for a psychiatric evaluation. he was not armed when he was arrested. still to come, a recall on powdered infant formula. we will take you which kind. a consumer alert. the challenger disaster, comte on tape. the home movie that has just

been discovered. a woman lands in the hospital chasing after herself on. >> a big storm out to the west, it will bring iran chance. the weather forecast is just ahead. -- bring a rain chance. the weather forecast is just ahead.

♪ ♪ in our consumer alert, the drop in gas prices will not last as we enter spring. analysts say prices could reach four $25 since a gallon in maryland. the national average is 3.86.

baltimore is in the middle. pants with infants might want to pay attention to the latest recall of baby formula. gerber is recalling one of their formulas. comes at a 23.2 ounce plastic package. it does not pose a health risk. it might have a foul odor. the expiration date is march 5, 2013. parents should contact gerber for a refund. with all that we rely on our cell phones, it is no wonder that many people would feel lost without them. one woman went to great lengths to get her phone back after she threw it out. she ended up in hospital. >> i did not believe i was in that. >> this 19-year-old wanted to see the garbage chute where she was trapped for an hour.

>> i thank god i am alive. >> she returned home to her apartment and accidentally threw herself on into the chute. she went inside and tried to fish it out. >> i saw it right there. i had flip-flops on. i was upside down like this. there was something on it. >> she was with a friend who called 91 after he could not get her out. firefighters responded. they found her stock in the shoot. >> you could see the top of her feet. unfortunately, there was some compacted trash that stop her from falling all the way into the compact. >> they had to remove the trash compactor to pull her out. she was taken to hospital. her doctor told her it could have been much worse.

>> i am lucky to be alive. >> i care very deeply about my fun. i really do. i would stop at the trash it. >> it is a long sheet. not strange, this weather, it is going to get better. >> cool yesterday. very nice today. tomorrow, at temperatures up a couple of degrees. there is a rain chance. a few clouds blowing out ahead of that storm. they are getting closer to us. in 24 hours, we might see some rain showers. let's see what happened today. 63 was the high at the airport. 52 is typical. as we have said, and above normal day once again today. morning lows were 28 and 37.

6 inches of snow, the record snowfall. it was back in the 1800's, a 1896. we a going to hit some warm temperatures. way above the average for the season. all the temperatures are in the 80's. we do not expect to get that far. still in the 50's, 52 at westminster. 50's and 30's in the south maryland. there is warmer air out there at some place. here is a satellite picture. a big storm. that is the big swirl ec over nebraska, a round kansas city. some pretty strong thunderstorms along the mississippi valley. the high pressure is keeping the stormy weather away. the strongest arms have moved into mississippi. the potential for some severe weather. the upper air part of the storm moves back. the leading edge, where all the

weather is occurring, it will be spread out. it will not be quite as strong as it gets to us by tomorrow night. we do stand to get a little bit of rain. here is that rush of warm air. the breezes will take the temperature up and up and up. not as chilly as last night. near 40. a few scattered clouds. the wins will be, overnight. here is the temperatures will be tracking. -- the winds will be calm overnight. here are the temperature is we will be tracking. most of the temperatures will be a round 60 or so. the breeze is bringing in warm air. we will be in the mid-70's to low-70's 4 highs. after dark tomorrow, some rain

shower activity. 66 degrees to 70 degrees for the highs. south winds, gusting to 20. the rain coming in in the evening tomorrow. not much rain. one must potential for some selectivity. then everything clears up. the seven-day forecast, close to 70 tomorrow. in the 70's tuesday, wednesday, thursday, friday, and even saturday. monday night we will have another chance for rain. 26 years after the accident that destroyed challenger, never before seen home movies have surfaced. we spoke with the man who filmed at the final flight. >> the anticipation was building. it was an incredible feeling. >> in january, 1986, this man was an employee with disneyland.

he took a trip to florida to what the space shuttle takeoff. 73 seconds, he witnessed a tragedy. all astronauts were killed on board. [screams] after 30 years, he recently uncovered the film. >> i saw it on nbc, the report that someone had uncovered an amateur video of the challenger explosion. >> he knew he also had flitted from that day. he took the film to be de igitized. he says it does not compare to witnessing what happened first hand. >> you realized these two trails

were going off. you saw the debris falling. you knew something was wrong. everybody was grasping for some sort of hope that somehow the astronauts had survived. that was not the case. >> that is incredible. >> really something. we all know where we were that day. it is one of those moments in time. we are talking the ncaa tournament. we will check in on that. look at the

now, 11 sports. >> one basketball team from the state of maryland in joined a trip to the postseason. loyola and the automatic bid.

not since 1994 has loyola celebrated in march. they put on a great show for its fans. 600 in attendance. they watched at center court. it comes in the eighth year for the coach at loyola. >> it is a long way from eight years ago when i figured i would be fired. it is a nice feeling. >> i have been a huge maryland fan my whole life. i was hoping there were going to get a good save. finally, on a team and getting selected. it is a dream come true. >> here is how the back it shapes up for loyola. they have a date against ohio

state. they were a top five seeds all season. should the greyhounds pull the upset, they get the winner of gonzaga-west virginia. kentucky stays at one. michigan, north carolina, the top four. they stayed on the top line. the tar heels, let's pick it up second half. he can pop it from anywhere. drops that 3. 74-65. within one at 83-82. hj harrison it's a good look. florida state was the first ever ncaa tournament.

-- gets there first ever ncaa tournament. boston had other ideas. struggled through two innings. top one, we pick it up. there is dany ny. one of those good starts, it never came. off the glove it went. it brings in the run. bottom line, adam jones, going the other way. he continues to develop. however, he got greedy. tis the game at one apiece. he tends to do well against the birds. well said. making it 3-1. he had three scoreless innings. a final of six-one.

with all the talk of the championships, our final story fits in. a look at the unheralded story of the women's dance team. just another club activity. no scholarship or extra credit. at the beginning, team members wanted no part of their new coach. >> half of them left because they did not want to have a guy coach. a couple weeks later, i said i'm getting rid of the name tigerettes. >> he turned the club activity into the power in team dan. they enjoy 13 straight national championships. everyone sees membership as a privilege. >> he has taught me to work as hard as i can to achieve a goal.

he has taught me to learn and grow, to accept my weaknesses. it is not just about being good at something. >> you cannot be afraid of a little coaching from the team choreographer. >> we have to win our first national title. it starts now. >> i did not know it was this intense. i realized, it is really intense. >> 10 hours of practice per week, all leading up to nationals, every april in florida. hard work has proven a catalyst to success. he uses an unusual mental approach. >> we do not go to nationals to win. when we went to win, we did not make the finals. let's not do what all of the other teams do. let's do what we want to do. >> 16 young women, all of the

same page, driving for the same goal. they did not -- the chip and chip is april 11 in daytona.

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we are still talking about what a great night it was at loyola. >> what a great week too? are you ready for it? 68 tomorrow. by tomorrow night, some rain chances. it does not look like a lot. then 72, 74, 75, so on and so forth. >> well done. thank you, thank you for joining us. we will see you tomorrow morning. have a great night.