>> wow. what a crash. >> 20-year-old aaron nathaniel jr. was fleeing police, after he committed two burglaries minutes before. he refused to pull over. collided with a pole and a truck. police say they fled the car moments before the crash. they caught him and charged him with grand theft auto. authorities believe mccoy was behind at least seven burglaries at homes in this picturesque park in northern baltimore county that put baltimore on edge. >> it seems poetic justice to me. you know, he created his own problems. and it's sad that he lost his life, rather than owning up to and being held accountable for what he did. >> reporter: the homeowner came here and saw one of the men leaving his house and recorded the license plate. >> reporter: court records reveal mccoy had several prior convictions, one for theft, another for eluding police, and

recently had a hearing for violating his probation. >> you don't want to say it's the price of breaking the law. because you don't want to see it happen to anyone. it's not a favorable outcome. much rather would have seen him caught and dealt with by the courts. >> reporter: wjz did speak to the driver of the jeep, caught up in the crash. he was traumatized by what happened, but declined to talk further about the tragic event. >> reporter: and two more people were also involved in that accident. none of them had life- threatening injuries. they are lucky to be alive tonight. and that car that mccoy was driving was stolen from howard county. kai, back to you. >> all right, mike. thank you. mike hellgren, reporting live. toliveer is being held at the baltimore county detention center, on half a million dollars bail. we are following the daring rescue of two aid workers held by somali pirates. denise is in the newsroom with details of the risky operation. >> reporter: well, the same

navy seal team that killed osama bin laden, carried the overnight raid. they saved american aid worker jessica buchanan and paul hagenfisted of denmark. both were kidnapped in october and held for ransom for the past three months. nine pirates were killed in the raid, but there are no casualties among u.s. troops. >> denise, thank you. buchanan and fisted are now on their way home. we'll have more on the reaction from the hostages all new at 5 5:30. gabrielle giffords steps down from congress. she is focusing on her recovery from a gunshot wound to the head a year ago. alexis christoforous reports for wjz, with the emotional farewell. [ applause ] >> reporter: lawmakers cried and cheered, putting politics aside as they said goodbye to representative gabrielle giffords. >> i am so proud of my friend. >> reporter: her friend,

congresswoman debbie wasserman schulz, broke down before reading giffords' resignation. >> i have more work to do on my recovery before i can again serve in elected office. >> reporter: the arizona democrat stepped down to focus on her recovery. one year after being shot in the head at a political event near tucson. her goodbyes to washington began last night at the state of the union address. the room erupted in cheers as she entered and president obama greeted her with a long embrace. this morning in the house, colleagues from both sides of the aisle had warm words, as giffords' husband, mark kelly, watched from the gallery. >> gabby's courage, her strength, and her downright fortitude, are an inspiration to all of us and all americans. >> reporter: she has brought the word "dignity "to new heights." >> reporter: once her letter had been read to the house, giffords herself herself walked it over to speaker john boehner, who was moved to tears

as members rose with a standing ovation. giffords' farewell may be just a temporary break from public life. "i will recover and return" she said in her resignation letter ," -- "and we will work together again ." giffords' final act in congress was voting on legislation she introduced, imposing tougher drug penalties on drug smugglers along the border. facing the death penalty. a man charged with killing a howard county man appears in court. steve mcdaniel watched as officials gave their notice that they seek capital punishment against him. he is accused of killing laura giddings. she had just graduated and planned to return to laurel before she was killed. a young man shocked by a taser dies. now there is a verdict for the frederick county sheriff's

deputy who fired that weapon. wjz is live downtown at the federal courthouse. adam may has the emotional reaction to today's decision. adam? >> deliberations only took a couple of hours. the jury quickly citing in favor of the deputy. >> tears flow outside the federal courthouse after the family of jurel gray loses their $145 million wrongful death lawsuit. >> where can i go? >> reporter: a judge accused rudy torres of wrongdoing. the deputy responded to a fight in this frederick neighborhood, firing a taser twice, killing the 20-year-olds. >> i think it has to be remembered that this is a tragedy. at the end of the day, no one wins and no one loses today. >> that man is free to go on and live his life the way he wants to. and i have to go to my son's burial plot and visit him. so i'd like to know how he sleeps at night with that. >> reporter: the jury's decision outraged gray's parents, who claimed their son was tazed without being given a chance to comply with police.

>> he's not the first person. and now he's not going to be the last person to die from the taser. >> her emotional attorney agrees. >> i love this country. sometimes. this country breaks my heart. >> reporter: the jurors say the evidence was clearly in favor of the deputy. >> it was not a malicious act. he did not have any intent on harming, injuring, killing this young man. >> i sleep with it every day. >> what's that like? >> i hope you never know. i hope you never know. >> reporter: and despite this incident, both the deputy and his boss, the sheriff of frederick county today told me they believe that tasers remain a good, effective tool for law enforcement. we're live at the federal courthouse downtown, adam may, wjz eyewitness news. >> adam, thank you.

almost a dozen marylanders have died in taser-related incidents. a johns hopkins student spends several hours trapped inside a cave in western maryland. the 20-year-old became stuck between rocks, about 200 feet into a cave in washington county. that accident happened last night, during a hopkins exploration class. rescue crews spent nearly five hours, freeing the student and pulling him to safety. week traveled to the scene in western maryland. we'll have much more on the story coming up new at 6:00. we're following breaking news. a major change in the ravens anxiety coaching staff. sports director mark viviano joins us to explain why defensive coordinator chuck pagano is leaving the team. >> reporter: kai, chuck pagano has a new job as the head coach of the indianapopis colts. -- indianapolis colts. he became a hot candidate after the baltimore ravens defense ranked third in the nfl after his third quarter.

he interviewed and today named the choice the colts. he'll take over for mike caldwell, after mike was fired for a 2-14, the worst in the league. he becomes the fourth ravens defensive coordinator to become an nfl head coach. and they'll be looking to hire their fourth different defensive coordinator in four years. rex ryan and greg madison had the position before pagano took over this season. >> pagano just released say disaiment saying -- statement, saying it is difficult to leave the ravens, but that he couldn't pass up this opportunity. taking on long-time rival, duke university. the big game brings worries about possible rioting on campus. wjz is live in college park. derek valcourt explains why concerns are so high this year. derek? >> reporter: last year, the student government was able to plan a number of post-game activities, in order to try to

prevent rion thing. -- rioting. but today is the first day of classes here on campus for the entire semester. and that does not leave the student government with a lot of time to plan alternatives for tonight. >> reporter: students started waiting in line at 5:00 tuesday to be among the first inside the comcast center tonight, as maryland takes on long-time rivals, the blue devils. >> you have to come in here and support. >> i think this is the base game of the year. win or lose, i still love my terps and i'll hate duke, no matter what. >> reporter: in past years, it has sparked post-game riots. this video of police manhandling one student during a 2010 riot, made national headlines. tonight, police are once again preparing for possible problems. >> if history repeats itself, then i would expect a celebration. >> reporter: campus police say thentire force will be on hand, during and after the game. dozens of officers from prince

george's county and other nearby jurisdictions will also be at the ready. >> starts to become unruly. people start committing crimes, we need to be able to respond. >> reporter: younger people, seemingly unconcerned about carnings -- warnings from the school about possible expulsion for those caught rioting. >> we win, we can't be held responsible for our actions. and i'm feeling pretty good for this game. >> reporter: but for older students, fallout from past riots is still fresh in their mind. >> in the end, it's not worth it. >> relax. it's just a game. >> reporter: school officials did send out an e-mail of the possible penalties if they fail to act with dignity and respect. we're live in college park, derek valcourt, wjz eyewitness news. >> the game gets under way at 9:00 tonight. but first, the school will hold a ceremony to name the basketball court after former coach gary williams. another mild winter day right now. the skies are calm. you can leave your heavy jacket

at home if you're headed outside. wjz is live with first warning weather coverage. meteorologist bernadette woods and bob turk are updating the conditions. bob? >> not that warm. but it's pretty nice this time of year. take a look at temperatures. we got up to 49 this afternoon. we're stillald 43 now. 47 in cumberland. and 45 in easton and d.c. the air is still pretty dry. but it will get back in the 30s. i would definitely take a coat of some kind. now, we do some weather headed our way. bernadette woods had a look at what is on tap for tomorrow and friday. bernadette? >> that's right. there's another storm moving in our direction. the clouds starting to take over in some places. they will really thicken up tonight. and the rain will start to arrive tonight. and pick up more so tomorrow into friday. this goes all the way to the deep south in louisiana, with pretty hefty thunderstorms on the southern fringe of it. now, for us, what we're expecting is maybe at the very, very beginning of this, that there could be a little ice mixed in. but in is really going to be a

rain storm for us. you can see more ice pushed to the north of us, where there is going to be cold air holding on longer. we're looking at rain heading your way. we'll have a look inside. still ahead, thousands line up to say goodbye to joe paterno. the emotional memorial service for the penn state football legend. president obama hits the road in the battle for the white house. the new political attacks from his republican rivals. soon, pain to cross over a maryland bridge that sparked controversy for months will never be the same. i'm weijia jiang, with what you need to know, coming up next. it is a pleasant wednesday night. bob will have more on the rain in the updated forecast. ,,,,,,,,,,

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a greek shipping company pleads guilty to polluting at sea and tries to cover it up.

it came at a plea agreement in federal court in baltimore. as alex alex demetrick explains, the case was heard here, because this is where the whistle-blower alerted the coast guard. >> reporter: when ships are in port, time is money. safely using unused oil. in federal court in baltimore, a greek company, which manages ships, pled guilty to dumping, after a crewman alerted coast guard inspectors. on ships ai whistle-- a whistle- blower can make the case. >> definitely helps the process, points us in the right directions and keeps us from just going around in circles sometimes. >> reporter: under the plea deal, the shipping company pled guilty to four counts, including obstruction of justice, and falsifying documents. it will pay a fine of $925,000, and another $275,000, to help clean the chesapeake. under the law, salvatore lopez could get up to half of that

$925,000 fine. his lawyer says the philippine resident desperately needs the money, after blowing the whistle and being black-listed. >> he has four small children, one severely disabled. he is without money because he did the right thing. >> reporter: the judge will ultimately decide just how much of that $925,000 salvatore will receive. until then, he remains a whistle-blower in limbo. >> he has no job. the steam ship company won't hire him. >> and without that, there would be no trip to court. >> today's plea agreement is only one of two expected in the agreement. the owner of the ship is also charged as well as the greek company that managed the ship. if you're waiting for someone to get home from work, let's check on the roads with kristy breslin at wjz traffic control. >> hi, kai. hi, everyone. definitely getting a lot busier out there. the harrisburg expressway in that northbound direction.

we're up to 20 minutes there from shawan to belfast. also, west side inner loop. that delay continues to stretch from wilkens to security boulevard. traffic only moving at 40 miles an hour. on the north side inner loop, you the slow down there, from harrisburg expressway to perring parkway. and sluggish as well, from 29. heavy from pulaski highway. we also have an accident, up in the harford county area. northbound 95 at the aberdeen exit. and another at cherry dale. also south broadway, at east lombard street in baltimore city. let's now take a live look. as you can see, things still a bit slow there on the west side at wilkens avenue. disney on ice is celebrating 100 years of magic. and they're coming to the first mariner arena, february 8th through 12th. you can get your tickets today. back to you. >> thank you. the leader of baltimore's archdiocese is now weeks away from becoming a cardinal.

today marks the first public appearance of edwin o'brien since the announcement of the pope. >> fresh in from rome, cardinal edwin o'brien held a news conference. and he was surrounded by portraits. >> it's nice to be in the hall of fame like this. >> reporter: on january 6th, o'brien was in rome, when the pope made the announcement. >> he went through a list of 22 names. and my name was number 8. it was exciting. >> reporter: o'brien's short tenure in baltimore was sometimes controversial. he closed catholic schools, lived low enrollment, and today, he addressed another controversial issue, same-sex marriage. >> 30 states, where legislators have passed this. the people's vote has voided it. and we have every reason to believe that we have a strong, grass-roots coalition here that

will uphold the sanctity of marriage. >> reporter: o'brien's successor should be named in the next two to three weeks. he says the next leader of the baltimore archdiocese, must focus on increasing the number of priests and nuns. and consolidate the difficult task of consolidating parishes. >> we're going to keep life vibrant life. we're going to make sure we're not struggling along with half churches till -- filled and wondering what's going to happen tomorrow. >> reporter: cardinal does admit o'brien leaves for a special mission in haiti. he will then go to rome, where february 15th, he will officially become a cardinal and get that red hat. >> what a ceremony it is, too. >> oh. it's amazing. all right. we have some rain headed our way. not that much tomorrow. but tomorrow night, friday morning, looks pretty wet. 43 now. did get up to 49 today.

east/southeast winds. barometer holding steady. come back and take a look at the rain chance after this. ,, -dad, why are you getting that? -that's my cereal. is there a prize in there? oh, there's a prize, all right. is it a robot? no. is it a jet plane? nope. is it a dinosaur? [ laughs ] [ male announcer ] inside every box of heart healthy cheerios are those great tasting little o's made from carefully selected oats that can help lower cholesterol. stickers? uh-uh. a superhero? ♪ kinda. [ male announcer ] and we think that's the best prize of all. ♪

shot with clouds out there coming in the region. thicker and getting lower overnight. perhaps by morning, drizzle or showers possible. most of that rain is not going to be heavy at all. it will keep us cloudy. temperatures generally in the mid- to upper 40s. but there's a pretty good slug of rain coming tomorrow night, into friday morning. so your friday morning drive may be impacted by some rain. take a look at temps and conditions. another mild afternoon, considering our high now. average is now 42. we're at 43. got up to 49 this afternoon. briefly. yesterday, remember, we were at 59 degrees. way above normal. 47 in cumberland. 45, d.c., and 41 down in ocean city. a bit of a breeze coming off the ocean. and ocean weather temperature is around 39, 40 degrees. so there's representative down there. the dew point is 29. still pretty low. dry air for the time being. but it will moisten up. the dew point will come up tonight. 41, kent island, annapolis down

by the bay. and 45 in washington. east winds now, off the atlantic ocean. generally today, they're going to start turning more to the south and southeast and bringing that moisture. but keep us in generally mild air. when we talk generally, normal lows in the 20s. tonight, about 34 by morning. now, to our north, as you mentioned, probably from harrisburg, maybe up by pittsburgh, a few spots, northern pennsylvania, might see a touch of sleet. maybe a freezing drizzle tonight. as this low passes to our west, it will bring warmer air, over top of this cooler air. clouds being created to the south. few clouds. will clear out for a while before more clouds roll in. across portions of indiana and ohio now. a little sleet coming down with temperatures there in the mid- 30s. it's going to warm up there as well. also, light flurry activity across northwest pennsylvania. and western new york. here's that low pressure. it's going to bring a lot of mild air ahead of it. be in the 60s down there.

it will clear our region by friday afternoon. we'll start seeing more sunshine, dry conditions. the weekend now looking pretty good. looks like low pressure will pass well to our south this weekend. so taking any chance of rain or snow away from us this weekend. temperatures generally in the 40s for highs this weekend. it will get chilly again, but not until monday. tomorrow night and friday, up to the north -- northern new england will see some snow. we'll just see some rain as that warmer air continues to filter in. tonight, southeast winds at 5 to 10 knots. and the small craft advisory on the bay tomorrow night. and friday, as that low gets a little stronger. so tonight, clouding up. maybe a little shower and drizzle, spotty stuff later on. 34 by morning. 46 tomorrow. still above normal. just a bit of rain. the steady rain, maybe even thunder, late tomorrow night and friday morning, as that front comes through. >> all right, bob. thank you. still ahead at 5:00. rescued in the middle of the night. new information about the hostages saved if so from -- from somali pirates.

cruise disaster in italy. an update from the man in charge of the recovery mission. dropping the number of suspensions. and keeping kids in class. i'm gigi barnett. coming up, the policy school leaders may have to change. that story is straight ahead. ,,

we know everyone's looking for ways to save. why not save on car insurance? [ coin drops ] [ high-pitched voice ] thanks. [ normal voice ] you're welcome. get a free quote at progressive.com. it's 5:29. 43 degrees and partly cloudy. good evening. thank you for staying with wjz eyewitness news.

here are some of the stories people are talking about tonight. maryland's zero tolerance policies at schools may be doing more harm than good. now, some school leaders are calling for sweeping changes. gigi barnett has details in tonight's school watch report. >> reporter: state school leaders say they're sorry their zero tolerance -- started their zero tolerance policy shortly after columbine in 1999. but now some school leaders say it's time to rethink it. >> reporter: from the outside, this could be an english or history class, at city springs elementary school in southeast baltimore. but a closer look shows students solving a different kind of problem. >> please also think about yourself. >> it's called a circle, a setting where students can openly discuss any behavior issue at school, like fighting or bullying. and the method could help

school leaders statewide, reduce the number of nonviolent suspensions. >> kids don't really want to fight with each other. they really don't. >> reporter: last year, school leaders statewide. half were for nonviolent suspensions. and some were handed out to those with special needs. and that is calling the state to overhaul. >> suspending a child and sending them home, doesn't resolve the problem. >> reporter: rhonda runs city springs and she started this five years ago. in just one year, it dropped from 86 to 9. >> there are some who think students should be suspended for fighting. i think the issue that caused the fighting needs to be addressed. >> reporter: the state says doing away with its zero- tolerance policy may lead to higher attendance rates. some parents agree. >> i would rather have the children here in excuse me than home. because they're not learning

anything. they're looking at tv or playing a game. >> reporter: each of the state's 24 school districts has one year to create a plan to reduce the number of suspensions. and then the next three years to act on it. kai, back to you. >> gigi, thank you. in addition to dropping its high-suspension rate. the state may also consider doing away with expulsions, except when a student bringas i firearm to school. a security guard at arundel mills mall is accused in an expensive jewelry heist inside the mall. police say john cook stole a safe, containing cash and merchandise from the gold rush kiosk. surveillance video led them to cook. charges are pending against another suspect. new charges against the man accused of being the east coast rapist. denise is in the newsroom with the developments from court. >> reporter: aaron thomas is charged in the rapes and sexual assaults of at least 17 women. now, his attorney has requested

a court-ordered mental evaluation of his client. he says thomas has engaged in self-destructive behavior and refuses to communicate about the cases. a preliminary hearing scheduled for today is postponed because of concerns over thomas's mental health. mary? >> thomas faces up to life in prison if convicted. the u.s. military forces have freed an american aide worker from her kidnappers in somalia. tina kraus reports for wjz. navy seals carried out the covert raid overnight. >> reporter: the same u.s. navy seals who killed osama bin laden rescued american jessica buchanan. seal team 6 parachuted into somalia in the dark. and ambushed pirates holding buchanan and her colleague captive. special forces killed nine pirates in a gunfight. then freed the aid workers who had been held hostage for three months. both will soon be reunited with their families. president obama didn't mention

the raid in his state of the union address tuesday night. but just before he spoke, he congratulated defense secretary leon pineta. >> good job tonight. good job tonight. >> reporter: the president later called buchanan's father, to report the good news. his daughter was free. intelligence reports suggested the 32-year-old's health was getting worse and made the mission more urgent. >> we followed as we always do, the advice of the special operators, when they should move. this was incredibly daring, as your man pointed out. these guys are absolutely mind- blowingly effective at what they do. >> reporter: u.s. officials say the kidnappers were heavily armed with explosives nearby. president obama says he could not be prouder of the troops who carried out the top secret operation. tina kraus, wjz eyewitness news. >> reporter: authorities say buchanan has been taken to a safe location for medical treatment before she returns to the united states. hope has just about run out at the cruise ship disaster

site in italy. the man in charge of the search says it would take a miracle to find any more survivors. he says recovery operations will still continue until the ship is searched as much as possible. today, crews set off more explosions on the submerged ships to allow easier access to divers. so far, 16 bodies have been recovered with 17 people still missing. the captain faces several charges, including manslaughter. a funeral is under way on the campus at penn state, for joe paterno. the legendary football coach died this past sunday. manuel gallegus reports for wjz, thousands are on hand to pay tribute to paterno. >> reporter: friends and colleagues of joe paterno arrive for a private funeral on the penn state campus. a hearse in blue will lead a procession for the man who gave his life for the university. paterno died 10 weeks after he was fired for not doing more after his former defense coordinator was accused of

sexually molesting a child on campus. >> since he lost his job, i've been grieving. >> reporter: kathy fletcher was one of thousands who spent hours in line for the public viewing. >> i grew up around here. so i felt like joe paterno was kind of like my virtual father. >> reporter: once inside, people saw a picture of what they called joe-paw. >> once you came here, it made you change the kind of person, that you wanted to do things the right way. >> reporter: there will be a final celebration here on campus tomorrow at the basketball arena. all 16,000 free tickets were gone within a few minutes. >> reporter: university officials considered using the football stadium, but couldn't get it ready in time. >> i didn't get tickets. it is on the big 10 network, though. i'll be tuning in with my roommate. >> reporter: the memorial service will conclude nearly a week of memorial and celebrations for the man who gave it all to penn state. manuel gallegus, wjz eyewitness news. >> paterno coached at penn state for 46 years.

his 4 very 9 wins is -- 409 wins is a record for college football. the fbi is calling them bullies with badges. four are under arrest, accused of discriminating against latinos. they face charges of conspiracy and obstruction of justice. a federal indictment say they routinely harass latinos with illegal searches. the mayor of east haven says he stands behind the officers, though. occupy d.c. protestors are being told for the last time to leave their 4-month-old encampment near the white house. this comes a week after demonstrators clashed with police. one of them was charged with assaulting an officer. now, national park police are warning protestors, they will receive civil citation if they continue camping in wash mcpherson square. president is now in iowa, selling his economic plans. as randall pinkston reports for wjz, his republican challengers are criticizing those proposals

while campaigning in florida. >> reporter: president obama took his state of the union proposals to this iowa plant, hoping to show how his plan to change tax laws would benefit business owners and create jobs. >> we've got to stop rewarding businesses that ship jobs overseas, reward companies like conveyor that are doing business here in the united states of america. >> reporter: the president is pushing his plans on a three- day trip to five key battleground states. he's fighting to convince skeptical voters, concerned about the economy, to give him a second term. >> our economy is getting stronger. and we've come way too far to turn back now. >> reporter: the republicans running for the white house insist the president's policies have failed. they're taking aim at his call to raise the tax rate on people earning more than a million dollars a year. >> reporter: this is a president who is turning america into a welfare-style state, like europe. >> i am for lower taxes and smaller government. obama is for higher taxes and

bigger government. >> reporter: the latest poll numbers from florida show newt gingrich's message is winning over voters. he is virtually tied with mitt romney, who once held a double- digit lead there. rick santorum is running a distant third. and ron paul, who is not campaigning in the state is just behind him. all four gop candidates lead in jacksonville for a debate thursday night. florida holds its primary on tuesday. at the white house, randall pinkston, wjz eyewitness news. >> the florida primary is shaping up to be the most expensive one yet for the gop candidates. super packs supporting gingrich and romney, have spent a combined total of $10.5 million in that state. apple releases its quarterly profits. and the numbers are above and beyond expectations. the company posted earnings of $13 billion in profits during the last three months of 2011. that's about $1 billion a week. now, the outcome was more than double what wall street

predicted. holiday sales of iphones and ipads, accounted for record- breaking profits. well, for decades, prepaid decal was enough to cross the hateem bridge. but as weijia jiang explains in just a few months, those stickers will be history. >> reporter: the hateem bridge, which connects cecil and harford counties is a necessity for locals who use it. >> sometimes three times a day. >> reporter: now, the maryland transportation authority is overhauling the way drivers pay for it. they buy an abi decal. but september 30th is the last day the stickers can ever be used. >> everyone is mad about it. you know. it's just not -- i don't know. they're not thinking about the people that live along the river. >> reporter: in fact, the community has been mad for months and waged a war against proposed fee hikes that would have tripled the cost. the state ultimate lead agreed

to give people two cheaper options. choice a gives them unlimited access to the bridge for $10 in 2012, a free easy pass transponder with no fees to their accounts. another is $10 to add unlimited bridge access, $9 for a transponder and keep at least $25 in their account. in 2013, the price for both plans will go up to $25. they expect a rush to sign up. >> for customer convenience, we're increasing the staff, adding equipment, extending hours. >> reporter: you can also join either plan on line. they are planning to hold two community open houses next month for people who might still have questions about how this all works. for more information, go to our website, wjz.com. in cecil county, weijia jiang, wjz eyewitness news. >> mdta will visit other

community locations, businesses and events, through september, to sign up customers for easy pass. time for a quick look at some of the stories that you'll find in tomorrow morning's edition of the baltimore sun. the way local chefs stay in health and healthy while surrounded by food. will one pharmacy be left out of the prescription program. and more on the dedication of gary williams' court. for these stories and more at the baltimore sun, remember to look at the updated forecast from wjz's first warning weather team. and still to come tonight on wjz's eyewitness news. not protected. how fast food and clothing can prevent vaccines from working. morgan state university students get the opportunity to show nasa how they're helping change the future. i'm monique griego. coming up, we'll have more on the university. bob turk. first warning weather center. rain headed our way. i'll have the exclusive first warning five-day forecast. here's today's report from

wall street. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

all right. so far, so good. some clouds in the area. that means something is on the way. bernadette woods in the outback with a look at that thursday forecast. bernadette? >> well, for tonight, those clouds are going to take over. and tomorrow morning, at the early dawn hours, there may be a little precipitation breaking out. look at that temperature. 33 degrees. we're concerned that briefly in the beginning, there may be a little ice. but it will quickly change over to rain. we're going up to 46 degrees. mainly concerned about rain. rain coming in tomorrow night and into friday. for the rest of the five-day, here's bob. >> after noon on friday, things should be clearing out. 53 again. 50 on saturday. partly sunny, partly sunny. a little cooler then for sunday and monday. stays dry. 43 and 42. that's just about normal by early next week. mary? >> bob, thank you. in today's energy saver, are phantom loads overloading your bge bill? standby power is a electronic

device while turned off. phantom loads can add about 10% a month to your utility bill. plug a power strip in and turn that off when you leave for the day. a fireworks display explodes in thailand. and it's all caught on tape. yeah, that is not planned, folks. the explosion came during the lunar new year's celebration. the resulting fire quickly spread to a densely-populated area. the government says four people were killed and at least 20 homes were destroyed. the investigation into the cause is ongoing. in tonight's healthwatch, a child's response to vaccines may be affected by certain chemical compounds found in everyday products. the chemicals known as pfcs, may lower the response to vaccinations. they're found in fast food

packaging and nonstick cook wear. that means the child could be vulnerable to the disease, even though they have been vaccinated against it. it saturday biggest solar storm since 2003. and it brought butty and inconvenience. -- beauty and inconvenience. the geomagnetic storm brought spectacular northern lights to sky watchers. but it also created satellite interference, prohibiting planes from flying over the north pole. also some gps devices may be affected over the next few days. well, nasa and morgan state university are teaming up to produce some of the best engineers and scientists. monique griego is there, as one of nasa's top leaders visited with students. >> reporter: and the final liftoff. >> reporter: shooting into outer space as an astronaut, or being the innovator behind high- tech experiments are just a few of the dream jobs morgan state university is preparing students for. >> i definitely am able to

reach my dreams here. >> helping renee is nasa and its partnership with morgan. today, they got a chance to meet with one of the agency's leaders. astronaut engineer, and administrator, charlie bolden. >> much of this is directly related to things that are critical to us and the nation right now. >> reporter: morgan is home now to nasa's university research centers. the agency helps fund projects like this that offers students valuable hands-on experience. >> every day, they're prepping us. just being around this lab and this equipment. >> it's something to them that you two can be those things. you can be the astronaut. you can be the engineer. and at the end of the day, you can be the administrator of nasa. >> reporter: the students also got the opportunity to show the administrator how they're putting nasa's funding to use. >> i knew i would see good stuff. >> reporter: bolden believes these students are key to bringing diversity to the

science field. >> it makes us great candidates to compete with anyone for those jobs. >> reporter: monique griego, wjz eyewitness news. >> nasa awarded morgan state university with $21 million to fund science and energy products. they are one of the top producers. coming up, denise is standing by with a live preview. hi, kai. taser trial. a young man killed after being shot by a sheriff's deputy. now, a jury rejects his family's multi-million-dollar lawsuit. tonight at 6:00, emotional reaction from the courthouse. plus -- i'm mike schuh, in anne arundel county. in the end, they had to use fire department equipment to clear a path. the story up next. check in for these stories and all the day's breaking news, coming up new at 6:00. but now, back to kai and mary. >> denise, thank you. still to come tonight on wjz eyewitness news.

honoring gary williams in college park. maryland player the talk about the-- players talk about the coaching legend. the coaching legend. mark h,,,,,,,,

in case you missed the breaking news earlier this hour. a major for the coaching staff. mark viviano has more. >> the ravens' off season is under way, as chuck pagano is leaving. he has been hired as the head coach of indianop willis -- indianapolis colts. the search is now on for his replacement. and the other big news. college basketball in college park, where new torch mark turnon will experience the maryland duke rivalry for the first time. gary williams will be honored. the court at comcast center will be named for the maryland coaching legend. players reflect on the impact of gary williams. >> that relationship that we always have, you know. coach williams is a great coach to me. and i really respect him and all of the things he did.

>> cope -- coach was a great coach. and a lot of people support him. for the universality of maryland, as well as the basketball program. everyone is going to be excited. >> reporter: coming up next hour, turnin talks about the -- turnin talks about this. more on chuck pagago's dt departure from the ravens. >> thanks, mark. still to come tonight on wjz eyewitness news. >> a sheriff's deputy, sued for millions of dollars, after firing a taser at a young man who dies. i'm adam may. the verdict is in. emotional reaction from federal court is ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

coming up right now on wjz eyewitness news at 6:00. taser trial. a jury reaches a decision on the taser trial. and a long look at the day on the hill for gabrielle giffords. tragic end. a burglary spree in baltimore county ends in death. i'll tell you how police cracked down the suspect. and wet weather headed this way. details in your forecast. >> check in for these stories and all the day's breaking news. >> wjz eyewitness news at 6:00 starts now.

heartbreaking decision. a jury rules against the maryland family, suing a sheriff's deputy, after a fatal taser incident. >> tonight, emotional reaction from both sides. >> hello, everyone. i'm denise koch. >> and i'm jessica kartalija. vic is on assignment. and here's what people are talking about tonight. >> the multimillion-dollar lawsuit, filed against a sheriff's deputy, after he shocked a man with a taser, leading to his death. adam may was there for the outpouring of emotion as the verdict was announced. adam? >> reporter: denise, law enforcement agencies across the area have been keeping a close eye on this case. and after hours of deliberation,