found him. mike hellgren is live in howard county, where that honor student grew up. mike? >> reporter: and police also searched his family's home here. in the end, it was a collaboration between university i.t. professionals, police and several social media websites that got to the bottom of these threats. >> reporter: time was critical. police at the university of maryland college park, believe someone was seriously planning a massacre at the heart of their campus. but the only evidence was anonymous threats on two social networking websites. within 13 hours, they were able to track down alexander song, the student accuse accused of making them. how did they do it? jim is an associate professor. he has decades in law enforcement and explains why no threat is truly anonymous. >> whenever you log onto the internet, you leave a digital footprint. with that i.p. address, the police are able to pinpoint a street address. it doesn't typically take the

police a whole lot of time to narrow something like that down. this is an everyday occurrence across america. >> reporter: police first made calls to redit's headquarters in california. >> we were met with unanswered calls and so forth. and we had to work throughout the night to actually make that contact. >> reporter: with the clock ticking, the race was on to trace it. saturday night, 9:25, they got their first report of an anonymous threat by a tipster. by sunday, 4:45 p.m., they identified the suspect's computer ip address. they took him into custed on -- custody by 10:30 in the morning. >> they will go back with a warrant and meticulously search for evidence. >> if you see something, say something, which was done in this case, and led us to the arrest of mr. song. >> reporter: and one of song's good friends said that she thought he was joking. but police were not laughing. they say they took all of these

threats very seriously. live in howard county, mike hellgren, wjz eyewitness news. >> mike, thank you. song faces a misdemeanor charge that carries a maximum of six months in jail. the other story everyone is talking about, this incredibly warm weather. it's still officially winter. but temperatures hit 80 degrees in parts of maryland. the perfect conditions for outdoor lunch breaks in baltimore county. in towson, others are accomplishing yard work in sunny skies or taking a trip to the park, where wjz found many people ditching their heavy clothes and wearing shorts instead. outside, there are clouds but still way above normal for this time of year. wjz is live with first warning weather coverage. meteorologist bernadette woods and bob turk are tracking and updating the conditions. bob? >> people have said to me, it's too hot. can we get some cool weather in here? normal for the end of may. that's how warm it is outside today. last hour, we were in the mid- to upper 70s. actually, at the airport, it just jumped to 80 degrees at

5:00. still only 66 in oakland. 65, ocean city. and upper 70s and some low 80s across virginia. and today's temps are really running, 7, 8, 9, 10, 15 degrees warmer than the warm dare we -- day we had yesterday. speaking of warm and how crazy it's been. bernadette, once again has a look at these numbers. >> reporter: it really is incredible. and we continue to tell you this. but the numbers continue to surprise us. take a look at this today. as bob said, 83 degrees so far. but we had seen 79. we are 25 degrees above average. not quite that record set back in 1990 of 85 degrees. and we're going to go back to december 1st here, taking a look at the entire winter. during that stretch. and this is normally our coldest time of the year. we've had 19 days with highs in the 60s. and now we're transferring over into the 70s category. today is our fourth day, with highs in the 70s. and we may even be able to add an 80 to that.

it is pretty incredible. and looks like it will continue. we'll have the forecast coming up. the anger is building in afghanistan, where citizens are protesting the murders of 16 villagers, allegedly at the hands of a u.s. soldier. danielle nottingham reports for wjz, president obama is promising a full investigation amid the increasing threat to american troops. >> reporter: chanting "death to america," protestors in afghanistan burned an effigy of president obama. they are demanding a public trial for the u.s. soldier accused of killing 16 people, including women and children. the soldier, a 38-year-old father of two, is in custody. president obama assured the afghan people, there will be justice in this case. >> reporter: the killing of innocent civilians is outrageous. and it's unacceptable. it's not who we are as a country. and it does not represent our military. >> the taliban has promised

revenge. tuesday, militants opened fire on a government delegation attending a memorial service for the victim. an afghan soldier was killed. >> reporter: the u.s. is pulling 23,000 soldiers out of afghanistan by september. it's part of the obama administration's plan to get most troops out by 2014. >> the new york times is reporting that the white house is considering spieding -- speeding up the withdrawal. >> i do not believe that there is any reason at this point to make any changes with regards to our strategy and for the process of drawing down. >> reporter: this is the third time this year the u.s. has infuriated the afghan people. last month, six americans were killed after the koran was burned at a u.s. military base. and in january, video surfaced of marines urinating on the bodies of taliban fighters. at the white house, danielle nottingham, wjz eyewitness

news. >> secretary of defense, leon pineta says the soldier could face the death penalty when he is brought to trial. police are releasing more information about a murder in baltimore county. 54-year-old james haywood is charged with killing his girlfriend's son. detectives say haywood used a sword-like weapon to stab andrew fisher to death inside a home on wind sor mill. haywood is being held without bail on a charge of first- degree murder. the motive is still unclear. desire. a man will spend decades in jail for shooting a 10-year-old boy. >> reporter: a judge sentenced defon cante into life in prison for injuring a child during an attack in east baltimore. cante was trying to shat another man in the 1100 block in north lakewood avenue in august 2010. but he missed his intended target and wounded 10-year-old tevian who was sitting northeastern. tevian was treated at johns hopkins and released. at trial, the jury convicted

him of attempted murder and assault. >> all but 55 years of his sentence are suspended. infamous westborough baptist church pickets outside of glen burnie high school. but the real for story is the counter protestors. mike schuh is there and has more on how it is affecting the area. >> traffic here was snarled for many hours. westboro baptist church had a busy day. the pentagon, articles ton nationalem-- arlington national cemetery and here. they did not receive a warm welcome. school had not even let out. and glen burnie high was surrounded. >> i think that everyone should have a right to be who they are. >> reporter: the streets are blocked off. you have to take the sides. westborough baptist and their intolerance for homosexuals. >> i would say they're misguided. >> reporter: or the people of glen burnie, separated by

dozens of officers. >> you cannot allow hate to come into your community without confronting it. >> reporter: and these machines, they're attempting to drown out the hate. >> up to 500 people were here, surrounding them, front and back. now, tonight at 6:00, we'll take a look at who was in this crowd. and the wife of the westborough founder, has a message for maryland. i'm mike schuh, live at glen burnie high. back to you on tv hill. >> glen burnie schools and police have been planning for this incident since they found out about it about a week ago. unemployment in our area is now at its lowest level in three years. a labor department study says maryland added 5,000 jobs last month, bringing the state's unemployment rate down 6 1/2%. that's the lowest rate since january 2009. almost all of the job growth was in the private sector. it's also a positive day on wall street as optimism about the u.s. economy fuels a rally.

here's a look at the closing numbers. dow was back over the 13,000 mark. s&p gains while the nasdaq was up 56 over the 3,000 mark for the first time. listen to this. since december of 2000. >> college basketball's march madness includes an all- maryland matchup. sports director mark viviano has the latest on the it terps and the navy. >> annapolis and college park are less than 30 miles apart. but navy and maryland have never faced one another in women's basketball. they will meet on the terps' home court in the comcast center saturday. >> reporter: the terps applaud their ncaa assignment, unveiled in the bracket announcement monday. powerhouse. number 2 seed in the region. a threat to win the championship and heavily favored to beat navy. >> this is an opportunity now

to be able to play a team so close to our home. they've had a tremendous year, just winning their championship as well. we're looking forward to being able to play navy. and i'm sure their fans will travel well, you know, being in the region. >> reporter: at the naval academy, the midshipmen begin preparations as the ultimate underdog, when they face the terps. navy is the two-time patriot league champ. but they know they're in for a whole new ball game when they face maryland. >> we were watching them. made it a little nervous and excited. and everything like that. but just -- i mean, just doing what we normally do. >> i think just our mindset is going to be super important, too. and our preparation and just going there, without this attitude. >> reporter: the terps' attitude is that they're in the tournament to win a national title, like they did six years ago. but maryland's focus is on navy first. >> i think you have to take it one game at a time.

but our maiden goal. we can't overlook our opponents. >> i know we're excited. that's why i'm going to start. get to a play in front of our crowd. should be pretty good. >> there's no place like home. [ laughter ] that home court in college park is an advantage for maryland. but the terps remember, the ncaa tournament a year ago, when they lost on the home floor to georgetown. we want to invite you to try your hand at the asuswjz bracket challenge. you can challenge marty, mark, stan, bob, bernadette, tim, don, and me. plus radio personalities. just find the link under quick links at wjz.com. still ahead at 5:00. a stolen school bus, involved in a high-speed chase. how police stopped this dangerous driver. this never should have happened. i did -- i committed no crimes. >> a maryland teacher, cleared of sex offense charges. why a legal loophole got him

off the hook. i'm alex demetrick. coming up, $4 million up for grabs. and no shortage of takers. that story as eyewitness news continues. will this warm weather continue through the week? bob is tracking the temperatures in our updated forecast. [ male announcer ] we asked real people if they'd help us with an experiment for febreze fabric refresher; they agreed. [ experimenter 1 ] relax, take some nice deep breaths. [ experimenter 2 ] what do you smell? lilac. clean. there's something that's really fresh. a little bit beach-y. like children's blankets. smells like home. [ experimenter 1 ] okay. take your blindfolds off. ♪ hello? [ male announcer ] and now new and improved

febreze fabric refresher with up to two times the odor elimination so you can breathe happy, guaranteed. girl: i want to tell you about my friend. his name is ben. ben learned about a homeless boy who had an infected tooth, and the boy died. that made ben really sad. he wrote a law so every kid can see a dentist. we have special dental van that goes from school to school. he even helps make sure we learn how to brush our teeth. he's my friend, ben. i hope he's your friend, too.

serious charges are dropped against a maryland schoolteacher and coach. 47-year-old scott seer was once accused with having sex with a student. but a snag in maryland law got him off the hook. >> reporter: the middle schoolteacher and high school coach in montgomery county no longer faces sex abuse charges. >> this never should have happened. i did -- i committed no crime. >> reporter: but police say scott spear had sex with a 16- year-old female student from

richardson, montgomery county, and charged him with a fourth- degree sex offense. but those charges are now dropped because of a loophole in maryland state law. spear was only a part-time employee at the high school, and under state law, school personnel can only be charged with having an inappropriate sexual relationship with a student if they are full-time. >> our daughter is now going to go to that school. so we are very concerned. >> reporter: parents fear spear will get a teaching job back at west middle school, where he was full time. >> but i won't be comfortable with having my daughters,im had -- him being a teacher. >> reporter: spears says he wants to get his life and his job back. >> i just want to get back and do what i've always done. and i hope i get that chance. >> reporter: now, prosecutors say they will try to get rid of the part-time employee loophole and are talking with lawmakers in annapolis about changing state law. >> if you're waiting for someone to get home from work, let's check on the roads with

kristy breslin, wjz traffic control. >> hi, everyone. looks like we're at the peak of the rush hour. 20 minutes away on the top side inner loop. stevens to the jones fall expressway. traveling 95 in the northbound direction, at least 15 minutes there from russell street to the fort mchenry tunnel. 72, an accident, blocking the two left-hand lanes. another accident at pedonia road. that one on the right-hand shoulder. but still attracting some attention. other accidents include emerton road at plum tree and harford county. also, in the columbia area. let's now take a live look. as you can see, everything is still getting a little heavier on the right-hand side of your screen. but moving along at spaghetti junction for the most part. this traffic report is brought to you by bill's carpet, hard wood and laminate, too. call them at 1-877-75-bills.

back over to you. >> kristy. thank you. finding money to clean the bay, continues to be an uphill struggle. the federal government is shaking some cash loose, which is setting off a scramble by local governments. >> reporter: beneath the lighthouse of havre de grace, represents signed in for a piece of $4 million. >> we have plenty of projects on the shelf that are just in need of funding. >> reporter: the catch is, the project must also help improve the bay. the epa is providing the $4 million in grants to be distributed by the national fish and wildlife foundation. >> reporter: each of the infrasphructure projects so they're meeting the needs was community but -- of the community but also helping the structure of the bay. >> reporter: some of the projects are big, like improving weaflt water treatment plants. others are small.

such as tying in a hard road surface, to absorb runoff from cement and asphalt. and extending buffer lines to slow erosion with new plant growth. there's only one problem. >> the $4 million would be spread over the entire bay watershed. that's five states and 118 government agencies. >> i think the competition will be fierce. we need money to do these kind of infrastructure projects. >> reporter: and $4 million will not be enough to go all around the bay. alex demetrick, wjz eyewitness news. >> the federal grants will range from a low of $20,000 to a cap of $750,000. >> what a day to be out on the bay today. >> you gotta remember, the water is cold. >> right. >> so even though it may be 80 here. out on the bay, it's probably really in the 50s and 60s. >> well, with that sunshine. >> 80 degrees now. southwest winds off the land at 12 at the airport. humidity, still very dry.

36%. did find one shower. i'll show you that in just a minute. barometer hold being steady. 29.96. what a great day to be outside. come back and take a look at [ female announcer ] with xfinity,

you can always expect more. like more on demand shows and movies than ever. and more ways to discover them too.

plus more speed from america's fastest internet provider. so you can run more devices at the same time. ♪ feel a firework [ female announcer ] and best of all, it keeps getting better. no wonder more people choose xfinity over any other provider. ♪ love can be so mystical ♪

all right. play golf. hole in one. >> here's the putt. >> get in the hole! >> did he get it? >> i don't know. >> i'm not sure we'll see this long enough. but what a day to be outside. i did find one shower, actually, two. take a quick look at radar. there's a quick little shower that just popped up between crofton, edgewater, just on route 50 and 97. heading south of annapolis. there's another little one to the southwest of that region in pg county. and that's about all i've seen. we had one earlier, as you saw up there near the susquehanna river. but these two little pop-up cells this afternoon, pretty typical of what we expected, very widely scattered. there you can see it. and they'll be gone very shortly. this is going to move toward annapolis and over the bay. maybe affecting you folks on canton island.

there at upper marlboro. take a look at temperatures. boy, is it conducive for spring. a little cool air is coming aloft. and it turns the atmosphere over. just like a pressure cooker, things rise up. forms some clouds. and getting a little shower down there by the d.c. area. 76 in hagerstown. 66 in oakland. still 78 in washington. 75, easton. ocean city down to 63 now. 59, much cooler by the bay. and annapolis with that shower, pretty close by, may drop a couple of degrees. 88, columbia. 75, westminster. 80, 55 today. the average is 53. yeah. that's the average high. 33, the average low. records, 85. not that far away. 1990. and 1888. boy, only a couple of people here remember that. 12 degrees in 1888. yeah, that was a joke, yes, sir. southwest winds anywhere. and west winds, really 10 to

15. a little breezy. brought that really warm air in. and the whole east coast is warm really. the only cold place in the east, extreme northern plain main, in the 20s and 30s. they saw a little snow today. showers along that boundary, popping up. can't even really see them. generally, looking for sunny and another warm day tomorrow, as high pressure builds in. beautiful on thursday. by the end of the week, friday and saturday, an increased chance of scattered shower activity looks like. temperatures friday and saturday period, could be anywhere from 80 to upper 50s and low 60s. all depends where that warm front sits. . not too sure for the exact temperature. middle of the week. we'll take the middle ground and talk maybe 70. bay temp, around 46. tonight, maybe a pop-up shower, as you saw, south of the city. otherwise, mainly clear and mild, most places. 50 tonight. 75 tomorrow, with a lot of

sunshine. >> wow. >> most of the day, just a few pop-up clouds in the afternoon. >> again, 15 to 20, 25 degrees above normal. >> all right, bob. fantastic. thank you. still ahead at 5:00. a new study may be hard to swallow for steak lovers, what you need to know if you eat red meat. maryland senator ben cardin, up for re-election. i'm adam may. we'll ask him why he thinks he deserves another term. and what has he accomplished here in washington. that's coming up. $1.6 million in scholarships up for grab. i'm ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

it is 5:29. 80 degrees right now. mostly sunny. unbelievable to say that at this moment. well, good evening, everybody. and thank you for staying with wjz eyewitness news. here are some of the stories

people are talking about tonight. maryland's primary election is just weeks away, on april 3rd. on top of republicans selecting their nominee for president, u.s. senator ben cardin is trying to hold on to his seat. tonight, adam may reports for washington, d.c. >> reporter: maryland senator ben cardin is facing a handful of challengers in the upcoming primaries. he's considered a heavy favorite to win and return here to washington for another return. >> do you look forward to another campaign? >> i do. >> i really do look forward to a campaign. >> reporter: speaking to wjz outside the u.s. capital between votes, maryland searntz ben-- senator ben cardin. >> he wants every kid to see a dentist. >> reporter: an emotional story on the air about a child who died from an infected tooth. >> what do you think your biggest accomplishment has been since you've been in the senate? >> a national program that guarantees every child access

to dental care. >> leader on preserving the chesapeake bay. >> i think senator cardin goes lock, stock and barrel. you just walk in step with the democratic party. >> reporter: state senator anthony muse is running against him. >> he is part of the scat us quo. people are looking for change. >> reporter: but cardin has a long list of endorsements, including the president, who will campaign for cardin thursday. >> i think it's important that we have unity in our state. >> and the president remains highly popular in maryland. >> he does. >> and that could help you. >> i hope i'm popular also. but yes, i think that will help each other. and come november, we'll both tend to be victorious. >> reporter: and republicans will also be select their senate candidate during the maryland primaries. it includes dan bongino, who lives in anne arundel county. and he is looking for a major upset. reporting from capitol hill, adam may, wjz eyewitness news. >> reporter: early voting in

maryland's primary begins march 24th. a maryland woman, missing for more than a year, today police add to the reward to find her body. denise is in the newsroom with more on the disappearance of kelly roth well. denise? >> reporter: well, kai, it has now been one year since the overleah woman disappeared and still no arrests are made. kelly roth well was living in florida and training to be a police officer when she vanished. they are now putting up $25,000 to add to the reward already being offered by the family. roth well's ex-boyfriend, david perry, is the last person so -- to see her alive. he is a prime suspect but has ignored requests to speak with investigators. >> perry was arrested today for grand larceny in a separate case. the trial of a former rutgers student is heading into the final stretch. closing arguments are under way

in the case against daroon ravi, accused of spying on his college roommate, who later committed suicide. >> reporter: daroon ravi's family listened carefully as his attorney said he acted like a kid, not a criminal when he spied on his roommate. >> an 18-year-old boy, a kid, a college freshman, had an encounter he wasn't ready for. >> reporter: steven altman claimed that ravi set up a web cam because he was worried tyler clemente's guest, identified only as m.b., might steal his ipad. >> that's what motivated the whole incident. not what they were doing sexually. who is this guy? and why is he in the room? and why am i being shut out of my room. >> reporter: he asked for a break, delaying the prosecution's closing. >> reporter: ravi is facing 15 criminal quownts. the -- counts. the most serious charge is bias intimidation, a hate crime that

could bring up to 10 years behind bars. >> reporter: but ravi's attorney says there is no evidence that ravi hated gays. >> nothing. nothing. >> reporter: even after finding ravi had spied on him, clemente had invited his guest, an older man, back to his room. ravi is accused of setting up his web cam to spy again, but it didn't work. >> he put it to sleep. he made sure it didn't happen. >> reporter: a day later, clemente decided to jump from the bridge. ravi decided not to take the stand in his own defense. >> you decided that you prefer not to testify. am i correct? >> yes. >> reporter: the jury will likely begin its deliberations on wednesday. in new brunswick, new jersey. >> clemente killed himself after the web cam incident. but ravi is not charged with the death. after four days of fighting, israel halted their strikes against palestinian militants in gaza, during talks talks with egyptian moderators. both sides said they had no

interest in seeing the fighting spiral out of control into war. the israeli military has stopped their strikes against gaza militants and rocket fire into southern israel has decreased. 24 palestinians have been killed in the fighting that began friday. that turmoil in the middle east is still contributing to soaring gas prices around the u.s. the national average for a gallon of regular has climbed to $3.80. and analysts say it could hit that dreaded $4 a gallon. the news is even worse for people in our area. the average price in maryland is actually higher than the national average, $3.81. that's up 28 cents from last month. and more than a quarter from this same time last year. two closely-fought primaries are under way in mississippi and alabama. susan mcginnis reports for wjz. republican voters in alabama could shake up or settle the race with a gop nomination. >> reporter: newt gingrich is making one final push for support in alabama. >> i'd love to have your votes.

if you haven't already voted, it's this afternoon. if you have voteed, e-mail your friends or tweet them. >> reporter: gingrich is focusing on the south and needs a good showing in alabama and mississippi to keep his campaign alive. he trails mitt romney and rick santorum. santorum says gingrich should pull out. >> no matter what. where does he go from here? next we go to illinois and he's sitting at 10% in illinois. >> reporter: gingrich says he has no intention of pulling out. >> reporter: there is no clear intention to today's primary. polls show a tight three-way race, between gingrich, romney and santorum. >> reporter: the majority of republican voters in alabama identify themselves as evangelicals. >> i'm looking for somebody with experience. i'm looking for somebody with some tenacity and honesty. and i'm looking for somebody who is a christian. >> reporter: rom three has had trouble make -- romney has had

trouble making end roads with christians. >> fibecome president, my job will be to make sure you get good jobs. >> reporter: he's already in missouri, where voters head to the polls on saturday. but he's hoping to pull off a victory today to show he can win in the south. in bermingham, susan mcginness, wjz eyewitness news. >> there's also a primary contest in hawaii today, where republicans are holding a caulk us. ron -- caucus. time now for a quick look at the stories you'll find in the baltimore sun. more on the dundalk dump, added to the super fund cleanup list. meet guard bobby olson. the quiet leader for loyola's basketball team. and just in time for st. patrick's day. recipes for irish stew. for all of these stories, look for the first warning weather team. students from all over maryland today put their chef skills to the test in downtown

baltimore. monique griego has more on millions at stake. >> reporter: precise plating is only part of what it takes to win this culinary competition for future top chefs. >> i couldn't think of anything. i went blank. i was so nervous. >> reporter: morgan and her team are from the national academy foundation high school here in baltimore. they're hoping the skills they learned in the pro start program will help them beat out 16 of the schools throughout maryland, competing in prostart's 8th annual invitational. >> everything you need to know to be a chef in ray rest -- a restaurant. >> reporter: the competition requires students to create their own menu. >> it is extremely intense. it is very competitive. the students won't talk about what they're preparing ahead of time. >> reporter: months of hard work all comes down to one hour and a three-course meal. >> one minute left. >> reporter: so everyone -- every moment counts, leading up to that final touch. . >> good job, everybody.

>> congratulations. >> reporter: what did you think ever your final with the judges there? >> that they look good. >> reporter: but bragging rights isn't all they'll get from cutting up this competition. >> we have $1.6 million in scholarship money. >> reporter: and that's what makes all of the hard work worth it. >> it's just basically something that could help me become something i want to become. >> reporter: monique griego, wjz eyewitness news. >> reporter: students also competed in a restaurant management. the winners will be announced later this evening, will go on to represent maryland in the national competition. >> i mean, that was gourmet, gourmet food. looked beautiful and very delicious. still to come tonight on wjz's eyewitness news. funding denied in the wake of a deadly tornado. why the federal government is not giving money to this devastated town in illinois. it looks like they're physically restraining a flight attendant. >> okay. they're physically restraining a flight attendant?

>> yeah. she's lost it. >> new insight into the rant by an american airlines flight attendant. hear the passengers' fears as they call 911. >> bob turk. first warning weather center. more warm temps headed our way. i'll have the exclusive first warning five-day forecast. but first, here's today's report from wall street. ,,,,,,,

if you were in fells point this morning, you had a chance to see a little history. the lady maryland. the flagship of classrooms was there. ron plats was -- matz was there as the famous scanner made wave -- schooner made waves again. >> reporter: the lady marylander, all 80 tons of her. the living classroom flagship was back, after four months of repairs. >> had pins and needles, waiting to see if the lift was going to run, whether the weather was going to cooperate. and things seemed to be going pretty well. >> the crew worked hard to get the ship ready for its return. people watched from office buildings, rooftops and the pier to get a good look at the

famous schooner. >> we made sure we get up early to watch it. with v to watch these. they're beautiful. >> good fitness here and done. i mean, i thought it was going to take longer. >> reporter: another $80,000 is still needed for repairs. >> so we're definitely still looking to raise funds. we have a couple more activities planned for this spring. but it's sort of a nonprofit. and it's an endless battle. >> reporter: the lady maryland will undergo tests. her launch is scheduled for next month. >> i think it does a lot for the state. and of course, also for baltimore. >> reporter: in fells point, ron matz, wjz eyewitness news. >> more than 25 years, the lady maryland has provided hands-on education for more than a quarter million students. for more information on how you can make a donation to the restoration fund, log onto wjz.com. >> it is mid-march. and we're already hitting temperatures normal for the end

of may. outside right now, still plenty of sunshine. it is still incredibly warm, at 5:30. said it was 80 degrees outside. meteorologist bernadette woods. she's out there in that beautiful weather. and bob turk, showing us what to expect over the next few days. we're going to start with bernadette. >> reporter: this is just incredible. look at this. short sleeves out here. here's the forecast for tomorrow. there's that slight chance for thunderstorm this evening. that gets out of here. tomorrow, we start out in the 50s. we top out once again in the mid-70s. by tomorrow evening, still nice and mild. so the warm air continues. for more on that, here's bob. >> all right. look at these temperatures. mid-70s. a lot of sunshine. actually, a little dry air the next couple of days. 75, 75. 70. chance of some showers. now, may be only in the 60s. all depends on that frontal boundary. but a chance of showers. and we need the rain, friday into early saturday. a little cooler, 69. sunshine and a few clouds. 66. still warm on sunday.

kai? >> bob. thank you. federal funding is denied to parts of illinois, where a tornado killed several people earlier this month. fema is denying the state's request to pay for the cleanup in one of the hardest-hit areas. the town of harrisburg. trees are now dressed in debris. and there are empty lots where houses once stood. fema surveyed the damage and believes the state and local governments can handle the cleanup. >> reporter: a high-speed chase, involving a stolen school bus is caught on camera. >> this is the scene in new mexico, where police officers from several jurisdictions chased a bus for 70 miles. police say alt one point, the bus was going more than 75 miles per hour. they eventually stopped about by throwing down spike strips. no one was hurt. in atlanta, a passenger jet went running off the runway. this was the scene at hartfield

jacksonville airport. they were testing the plane's engines when the brakes malfunctioned, sending it crashing down an embankment. the plane suffered serious damage. there is new insight into the recent rant by an american airlines flight attendant, at dallas-ft. worth international airport. susie soliz reports, the passenger fears are now being heard firsthand. >> 911, what's the location of your emergency? >> reporter: passengers on flight 2332, to chicago friday, called 911 immediately. after flight attendant teresa green ranlted on -- ranted on the p.a. system, before the plane took off from dfw airport to chicago. >> they're talking on the radio about crashing our plane. >> okay. who is talking about crashing your plane? >> the attendants over the p.a. >> okay. you're on board a flight? >> yes. >> you're aboard -- okay.

what flight? american airlines? >> yes. 2232. please help us. >> reporter: a just released report says that green stated over the p.a., that the plane was not going to take over before it crashes. concerned passengers called for help. >> a man just got up and went to the front. >> okay. don't be alarmed. he may be a sky marshal. >> when someone tried to take the phone from her, green became combative. [ screaming ] >> reporter: according to the police report, green kicked another flight attendant in the stomach as she and several passengers tried to subdue her. >> looks like they're physically restraining a flight attendant. >> okay. they're physically restraining a flight attendant? >> yeah. she's lost it. people are helping out. >> reporter: when police arrived on board, green was handcuffed. they say because she was, quote, combative and acting irrational. police say she continued to resist and made comments about a coworker being killed on 9/11. when paramedics tried to talk to her, she attempted to spit on them. she was put in leg restraints

after she tried to kick officers. in a statement, american airlines said they plan to, quote, ensure that the affected flight attendants get the proper care. american airlines declined to say whether green would still be employed after the incident. they did say, however, they commended the other crewmembers for assisting. check in with eyewitness news at 6:00 for all new stories coming up at 6:00. vic is standing by with a preview. gas prices soaring. we are paying for a gallon of gas while the governor is pushing a plan to raise the gas staks. -- tax. spring is already in the air. and unfortunately, there are a lot of other things floating around here as well that are probably making you sneeze. i'm jessica kartalija. next on wjz. how this affects our allergies. check in for these stories and all the day's breaking news, coming up all new at 6:00 now. back to you. still to come tonight on wjz eyewitness news. she helped conceal a man wanted for 19 murders. now, the girlfriend of

whitey bulger is catching a break. her deal with the government and why it ,,,,,,

vietnam, 1967. i got mine in iraq, 2003. usaa auto insurance is often handed down from generation to generation. because it offers a superior level of protection, and because usaa's commitment to serve the military, veterans and their families is without equal. begin your legacy, get an auto insurance quote. usaa. we know what it means to serve. girl: i want to tell you about my friend. his name is ben. ben learned about a homeless boy who had an infected tooth, and the boy died. that made ben really sad. he wrote a law so every kid can see a dentist. we have special dental van that goes from school to school. he even helps make sure we learn how to brush our teeth. he's my friend, ben. i hope he's your friend, too.

new details tonight in the search for those still missing after the costa concordia

cruise ship disaster. italian authorities say they're planning to use sophisticated robot-like equipment in the search. they're hoping it upon -- will help find the bodies still missing. officials say the machines can search areas divers cannot reach. 25 bodies have been recovered. the girlfriend of reputed boston mob boss, whitey bulger is changing her tune. and some of his victims aren't happy. jim axelrod reports for wjz. katherine grieg was on the run with bulger for years. and now she's striking a plea deal. >> reporter: some of whitey bulger's alleged victims, who met with prosecutors monday, are angry. >> she's pretty much, if you like me -- are like me, got a pretty sweet deal. >> reporter: she helped bulger avoid being captured for 16 years. but while each carries up to five years in prison, she could

get 223 months, total. -- 32 months total. >> we could have had questions answered 16 years ago. she helped him run. >> reporter: last summer, they were arrested where they had been listening under false identities for more than a decade. >> over $800,000 in cash. more than 30 firearms, to include pistols, shotguns and rifles, several types of knives, and several pieces of false identification. >> reporter: bulger, the head of the notorious winter hill gang in boston, was wanted for 19 murders, allegedly committed in the 1970s and 80s. he fled boston in 1994 after a corrupt fbi agent told him he was about to be indicted. >> reporter: in a signed statement, grieg admitted to a close relationship with bulger be helping him obtain fault social security numbers and identification. but coughed up little about the

money found in the apartment or any of bulger's crimes. >> i think that there's been so many deals made. and nobody is in jail. everybody is walking around. and nobody is taking any clrgz for the families. >> that was jim axelrod reporting. under the plea deal, grieg will not have to testify against bulger and the government will not seek forfeiture of her house. in tonight's wjz healthwatch, a new study about the risk of eating red meat and how it could lead to an early death. harford researchers found eating a small serving of unprocessed red meat daily, like hamburgers and roast beef, resulted in a 13% higher risk of dying from heart disease and cancer. if the meat was processed like a hot dog or bacon, the risk jumped to 20%. still ahead on eyewitness news. unraveling a threat. how police trace warning of a school massacre from a computer to a dorm room.

i'm mike hellgren with turn left. named a 2012 iihs top safety pick. not...that... we'd ever brag about it... turn right. come on, nine. turn left. hit the brakes. huh? how did that get there? [ male announcer ] we can't hide how proud we are to have nine 2012 iihs top safety picks. so we're celebrating with our "safety in numbers" event. that's the power of german engineering. right now lease the 2012 passat

coming up on wjz's eyewitness news at 6:00. tracking the threat. how investigators trace the online warning of a mass college shooting. and the latest on the suspect. as governor o'malley prepares to make a push for one of his top proposals of the year, he's facing an uphill battle. we'll show you which proposals and why. coming up on eyewitness news.

westborough rally. a controversial church group comes to anne arundel county and is greeted with a massive counterprotest. incredible spring-like weather. how long will it last? don't miss the updated first warning forecast. check in for these stories and all the day's breaking news. >> wjz eyewitness news at 6:00 starts now. pumped and up. the governor pushing for a sales tax on gas. >> toaptdz, why he's facing -- tonight, why he's facing an uphill battle and what drivers are saying. >> hello, everyone. i'm vic carter. >> and i'm denise koch. here's what people are talking about tonight. >> with time running out in the general assembly session, governor o'malley is making a last-minute push to get pp