here's what people are talking about tonight. >> high gas prices aren't stopping governor martin o'malley from pushing for an unpopular hike in the state's gas tax. today, he takes his pledge to lawmakers. why the governor says we need the tax. and why many drivers say we don't. >> the major obstacle, of course, are the soaring prices at the pump. after all, no one wants to pay more for their gas. but the governor says we need to if we want better and safer roads and bridges. >> reporter: governor o'malley makes his case to lawmakers, arguing an increase in the gas tax will create new jobs, by allowing counties in the city to get moving on long-delayed transportation projects, like the building of the redline, from woodlawn to johns hopkins to bayview. and o'malley says it will help ensure the safety of maryland's bridges and roads. >> look. none of us wants to pay more at the pump. we do not have to do this. but you here know that if we do

not, we will pay for that, too. because inaction, especially in this case, does have a cost. >> reporter: but with gas prices up 24 sends from where they were just one month ago, adding to the gas tax, infuriates many. >> definitely out of touch. >> reporter: including many protestors who brought their make to annapolis. >> if you're for jobs, you can't be for a big tax on people going to their jobs. >> reporter: and recent polls showed these folks aren't alone. >> reporter: a survey by triple a midatlantic, found a whopping 76% of marylanders oppose an increase in gas tax. under the president's plan, the 6% tax would be phased in. a 2% increase for the next three years. >> reporter: per gallon, per mile, per day, it adds up. just too much right now. the economy is too fragile. >> reporter: that appears to be the sendiment shared by many in annapolis, reluctant to support the increase. senate president mike miller says he thinks the bill is

unlikely topaz this session. though even gas tax opponent says road increases are important. >> we need to raise money. but i'm not sure this is the right way to do it. >> reporter: the senate president say fist gas taxes go back down later this year, he says the gas tax increase might likely have a better chance of passing during a special session. but governor o'malley is pushing ahead, asking lawmakers to get the tax increase through this session. derek valcourt, wjz eyewitness news. >> all right. thank you very much, derek. maryland's current gas tax of 23.5 cents per gallon was set in 1992. virginia tech will pay the price for a deadly massacre on campus. gigi barnett has more on the payout to some. >> reporter: a jury just decided this afternoon that virginia tech is negligent for the shooting rampage on campus. the school waited 2 1/2 hours to warn students about a gunman during a shooting back in 2007.

seung-hui cho killed people before taking his own life. the victims' families say more lives could have been saved if the school would have awarded students sooner. the family has been awarded $4 million. the state has already appealed. >> that shooting was the deadliest mass shooting in modern u.s. history. mary is here to tell us why tide laundry detergent is so valuable to thieves. >> reporter: police including here in maryland say it is a target of thieves who are looking for a quick buck. >> reporter: containers of tide detergent are flying off store shelves across the country. the problem is, some of it is being stolen. this is surveillance video of a major heist. patrick costanzo in st. paul, minnesota, pleaded guilty to stealing as much as $6,000 worth of detergent from wal- mart. why tide? at between $8 and $20 a bottle, a full cart like this is worth

hundreds. police say it can be easily resold on the black market for less than retail price. and in some cases, they're selling the stuff directly for drugs. >> drug dealers have finally realized, i can take this $10 and have you go out and try to steal something and get $10 for it. get my $10 from you. or i can tell you, i want five bottles of tide instead. once they go in here and steal the five bottles of tide, they can come here and give them to me. i take them down and give them $6 apiece. that is yielding me $30. >> tide thefts are a nationwide problem. including here in maryland. prince george's county have broken up at least one theft ring. >> reporter: this safeway in buoy was a favorite target of thieves, who stole several thousand dollars worth of tide in one month. most shoppers aren't even aware. >> if you're engaged in your own activities. if you're here with your children, oftentimes managing your kids. >> reporter: now, some

retailers like cvs are placing security devices on tide that trigger alarms. >> reporter: police say the thieves often sell the detergent to small mom and pop stores. >> reporter: with no serial numbers, it is virtually impossible to trace the stolen detergent. a pair of powerful earthquakes shake japan. jessica kartalija is in the newsroom with more. >> the earthquakes rattled japan overnight. this is the ground shaking oak tokyo. people ran for cover. a small tsunami was also reported. but the waves only reached about 8 inches high. people living along the coast evacuated their homes, but they were allowed back home a short time later. denise? >> complete coverage continues. meteorologist tim williams has ray look at how strong those were. >> the first quake that rathed -- rattled tokyo was a strong magnitude 6.8. caused no damage. it struck the southern coast of what kiteo island.

-- strong advisories were lifted after about 90 empties or so. within treure hoes, a weaker 6.1 shook buildings. and at 9 miles, this was considered rather shallow. it was located off the coast of chiba, which is the eastern realm of tokyo, we should say. and no injuries reported with that one either. this is the same region, we need to remind you, where a 9.0 quake triggered a massive tsunami and crisis. >> there have been no reports of any problems at nuclear plants after today's earthquakes. the race for the gop presidential nomination is heating up after rick santorum's sweep. santorum's surge is putting pressure on gingrich to drop out of the race. >> reporter: rick santorum is back on the campaign trail in puerto rico. he sat down with the governor, an old friend, who has already endorsed rival mitt romney and later held a town hall meeting.

the former senator is riding high off a pair of victories in alabama and mississippi. and sounds confident about the road ahead. >> conservative. >> reporter: romney is working to slow down santorum's surge and will visit puerto rico later this week. romney's campaign and supporters have already spent more than $3 million on tv ads in illinois, ahead of that state's primary next week. romney doesn't just have the money. he is way ahead in the delegate race. he's collected more than all of the other gop white house hopefuls combined. >> reporter: santorum supporters are pushing newt gingrich to drop his presidential bid, in hopes of cutting into that lead. gingrich finished second in tuesday's contest and showed no sign he's ready to quit. >> is that the elite media's effort to convince the nation that mitt romney is inevitable just collapsed. >> reporter: the former house speaker is campaigning in illinois.

he insists he's the best choice to challenge president obama in the fall. at the white house, danielle nottingham, wjz eyewitness news. >> the next contest for the gop candidates happen saturday, when voters in missouri head to their talk uss. -- caucuses. puerto rico's voting day is sunday. crews move the first 100 slot machines into the new maryland live casino in snrn arundel county. when the casino opens in june, it will be filled with 5,000 slot machines and electronic table games. we could certainly get used to weather like this in march. wjz. from a bench to a nice ice cream cone. you can't pass up the opportunity to soak up the sun. in howard county, people are taking advantage of the unusually warm weather. they spent the day sunbathing in the march heat. and this is the scene in historic ellicott city. couples enjoying these very warm temperatures and bright sunny skies. first warning weather team has a closer look at the fabulous

forecast. bob turk and meteorologist bernadette woods have a look here now at the conditions outside. this is the anniversary of the blizzard of 1993. yes, we had 12 to 20 inches of snow today in 1993. and temps were in the single digits. not like that today. look at the temperatures around the region now. with all of the sunshine, temperatures around the area, right now, here we are. we're back, i guess. i guess we're back. yes, i think we took some kind of power hit or something. take a look at temperatures here. 77, 78 in washington. 61, ocean city. by the ocean, it's a lot cooler. and 67 up in oakland. locally, 75, up in westminster. now, kent island, just up to 75. annapolis, one of the coolest spots in rock hall at 69 degrees. bernadette, in the outback, enjoying this beautiful weather. with more on these beautiful temperatures we have been experiencing. bernadette? >> this really is just a top 10

day for everybody. but we are still officially in winter. and we are taking you through some of those numbers sinlsz we are officially in winter. this is our coldest time of the year. and during the stretchul the -- all the way back to december. we have 35 into 50. that's incredibly mild for that same stretch. now, the other thing, i want to show you, we have had a winter of extremes, but not cold. zero days. that's none. where we only topped out in the 20s. in contrast with that we we've had four times where we topped out. looks like the trend is going to continue for the remainder of winter. we'll have that forecast coming up. back inside. >> thank you, bernadette. the way you pay your tolls on maryland highways and bridges could be undergoing a change. wjz is live at the tunnel. andrea fujii explains why traditional toll booths may soon be diss appearing. >> if the maryland transportation authority has its way, all of these would be history. but it is not a done deal yet.

>> reporter: whether it's stopping to pay cash or slowing down for an ez pass. there's always a delay, driving through booths. so the maryland transportation authority is studying what it will take to get rid of them. >> there's a customer convenience factor. and it's also environmentally a little more sensitive not to have cars stopping and idling in toll booths. >> reporter: it already uses all electronic tolls and to convert the other 7 would cost upwards of $180 million, money the mdta says they don't have yet. but the idea is already sparking concern from the american federation of state, county and municipal employees who represent the nearly 200 toll booth workers. >> we've had no discussions. and that's why we are demanding that the state sit down with the employees and the employee representative, to work through that. >> reporter: the changeover would mean no option to pay cash. >> reporter: ez pass holders get 10% off. and those who don't have one, will be billed by mail at 1 1/2

times the base rate. >> reporter: that leaves drivers with mixed feelings. >> i think it would certainly make it easier on the road and eliminate some of the trafnlgt. >> everybody don't have an easy pass. and if they go through the toll and you're taking their license, that's just like the flash cameras, then you're going to charge them another fee. >> reporter: the study should be done by the fall. and there's no set date on if or when the conversion would happen. now, the mdta says the state would eventually save money on the changeover. but it would take sometime. reporting live at the fort henry toll plaza, wjz eyewitness news. >> the mdta says the francis scott key bring would be likely the first booth to go all electronic. it's going to be two times the fun at the maryland zoo in baltimore. two of the zoo's chimpanzees are pregnant. just like women, they get ultrasounds to check on the babies. if all goes well, they should be delivered by spring and midsummer. these are the zoo's first baby

chimps in six years. >> woe no word on the dad? the proud papa? what's going on? >> maybe there's a little soap opera going on at the zoo. >> could be. fighting for phylicia. the changes her family hopes to make so no one else suffers like they did. mending fences in afghanistan. the tense strip for the defense secretary. and the security scare after has plane landed. i'm alex demetrick. coming up, taking the measurement of the washington monument, following last summer's earthquake. that story as eyewitness news continues. and keep your sunglasses handy. how much longer the unseasonably warm winter lasts in your first warning winter forecast.

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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 ♪ the family of murdered teenager phylicia barnes is working to ensure she didn't die in vain. they're pushing for a new law to improve searches. mike hellgren reports on how that law could end heart ache for hundreds of families. >> reporter: vic, we're talking about more than 1,000 open missing other persons case in maryland. hundreds in the city. this law, phylicia's law, would go far beyond an amber alert. >> reporter: the latest journey

for phylicia barnes' loved ones in their quest for justice in annapolis. >> may we never forget phylicia. >> it would create mandatory guidelines for missing children, focusing on the first few hours after they disappear. phylicia's family did not get the help they needed. authorities conducted exhaustist searches and exhaustive searches and months later, they found her floating in the susquehanna river. >> we are still living a nightmare. we want to make sure others don't don't go through what we've gone through. >> i believe if they would have searched, all of this could have been avoided. >> reporter: under this, there would be no mandatory. no police rules discouraging an immediate fighting report. and state police would get involved if it is not located within 48 hours.

opposition has training. let us do our job. >> we plan to permanently change the way the state searches for and protects children. >> reporter: this law will apply to far more children than the amber alert. >> reporter: as for phylicia, while the body has been found, the family says there are no new leads in tracking down her killer. they hope her legacy will be helping others avoid the same fate. >> we will continue to fight until justice is served for her. >> reporter: so phylicia's law, it's unclear how far it could get. but these families are pushing for it. and they say it is necessary. reporting live in city police headquarters, mike hellgren, wjz eyewitness news. vic? >> mike, thank you. the house judiciary committee held hearings on phylicia's law, throughout the afternoon, and advocates hope it passes during this legislation. and state legislators are also trying to get parents to stop smoking in front of their children. the state passed legislation, banning drivers from smoking in cars if a child under 8 is

inside that car. police will be able to pull smoking drivers over and fine them $50. the house of delegates still has to sign off on the bill. washington monument may be on the move. last year's earthquake may have caused even more problems than we realized. >> reporter: it's hard to imagine anything as big as the washington monument moving. but not if you were up top last august. >> it was absolutely terrifying. they were shaking so violently, to have the mortar falling on your head. the fear was so high, i was sure we were under attack. i didn't realize at first that it was an earthquake. >> a 5.8 earthquake. engineers found structural damage, while dangling from ropes. now, they are lining up these metalt survey disks on the ground. >> from what we're seeing, we've got differences in that area, roughly about 2 to 3 millimeters. and that's just a preliminary evaluation. but yes, it could potentially tilt, yeah.

absolutely. >> reporter: before there was a mall or a monument, there was a swamp. to build it up, it was dredged from the bottom of the potomac river. >> reporter: buildings on top of fill tend to shake more violently than those on top of rock. but the weight of buildings can cause settlement and major repairs. at 555 feet, the monument is not immune to a little sinking. >> since it was finished in 1884, it has settled, about 5.2 centimeters. or roughly about 2 inches. >> reporter: it will take more measurements to see if it sits lower now because of the quake. alex demetrick, wjz eyewitness news. >> reporter: it's estimated it will cost at least $15 million to repair the monument. the landmark will remain closed to the public until august 2013. well, you could tell me it was august today, and i'd believe you. >> believe me. in a lot of places -- >> so gorgeous. >> just like in the middle of summertime. let's take a look at temps now. boy, it's fantastic.

77. these are normal temperatures for the end of may. 23% humidity. very dry air. west winds at 5. barometer holding steady. come back and take a look at another warm day tomorrow. ,,,,,

great day to be out, flying around. there you go. the key bridge.

just unbelievable weather. remember the water is chilly. so if you add on a sailboat or anything, it is a lot cooler out on the bay. and in the water. so for the next several weeks, boy, they begin to warm up. right now, we're at 77. 68, down in pax river. by the patuxent river. and 61 in ocean city. by the ocean. and up in oakland, at 2,700 feet up, it's 67. everybody else, mid- to upper 70s. way, way -- 25 degrees above normal right now. 75, annapolis. and kept island, and a slightly cooler. 69, rock hall. also, martin city. winds off the east of the bay. they were about 5 or 6 degrees warmer. winds coming off the water. 78 now in washington. 79, 52 today. now, keep that in mind. our average high is 53. we haven't seen that in such a long time. the average low now, 33. and the records, 83. came very close. 2007. tomorrow, the records, 82. we might get to that tomorrow.

yes. 14. yeah, it can be that cold as well, back in 1888. west winds now, very light. beautiful, beautiful afternoon. here in the east, really, not much going on at all. a little snow in northern maine. that's the only cold spot. and out to the northwest, there's snow in the rockies. idaho, washington; and the sierra mountains, getting snow tonight. for us here in the east. beautiful weather continues. however, some moisture is beginning to feed into the central portions of the mississippi valley. we might see some scattered shower activity on friday into saturday. probably some cooler temps will move in that way as well. meantime, sunny and warm tomorrow. probably around 80, a little warmer and a slight chance by friday of scattered shower activity. southeast winds on the bay, anywhere from 5 to 10 knots. bay temp, just jumped up to 50 degrees with all of those warm temperatures. 49 for a low tonight. clear, mild, beautiful. beautiful clear skies. 80 degrees tomorrow.

maybe 81. 82. that would tie the record. sunshine, followed by increasing clouds, maybe a shower by early on friday morning. we need the rain. it's very, very dry out there. >> okay. >> thank you, bob. stir style to come on eyewitness news. a scathing sendoff. the harsh criticism a goldman sachs executive has for coworkers as he quits his cushy job. boosting dollars to the classroom. why city school leaders are spending more on students. i'm gigi barnett. that story is next. and the president's picks for march madness. the teams he thinks will make it into the final four at the white house office pool. coming,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

it is 6:29. 77 degrees and clear. central maryland right now. good evening, everyone. thanks for staying with wjz. here are some of the stories people are talking about tonight. we are following breaking news right now. a brush fire near the key bridge. captain mike perry is over the scene in sky eye chopper 13. mike, what can you tell us? >> well, vic, bob was just telling you about the fire hazard. this is just one example.

several examples. but this is in baltimore county, in dundalk. along the key bridge. near the maryland transportation. police headquarters. a fire burned out sometime ago. and we heard -- we could see the smoke and flames from some distance away. we got here. there was heavy smoke and flames. fire department has arrived. knocked down most of the frames -- flames. and their parking lot. there's no injuries here. but looks like a separate little blaze broke out a little bit farther down from this initial fire. and it is along the edge there. it is along the edge of the creek here. and like i say, it's just very, very dry conditions. these types of fires will break out. but fire officials will be busy with them for the next couple of days. back to you on tv hill. >> thank you very much, captain mike perry, live from sky eye chopper 13. defense secretary leon pineta heads to afghanistan.

he opens on civilians, killing 16 people. rita nissan reports for wjz, on pineta's trip. and the shooting investigation. >> reporter: secretary of defense, leon pineta arrives in afghanistan, for what is expected to be a difficult visit. even his landing was tense. the pentagon says an afghan man drove a stolen pickup truck onto the runway, then crashed into a ditch. officials say pineta was never in danger. his trip was planned two months ago, but now has new urgency, since a u.s. soldier allegedly went on a shooting spree sunday. >> tragic as has events of violence have been, they do not define the relationship between the coalition and afghan forces and the afghan people. >> reporter: the u.s. military says the 38-year-old staff sergeant accused of slaughtering 16 villagers has been flown out of afghanistan to a facility in another country. an afghan official says their surveillance video of the

suspect walking to his base, laying down his weapon, and surrendering. >> reporter: the taliban has promised revenge. wednesday, a bomb, hidden in a motorcycle, exploded not far from a delegation investigation -- investigating the shooting. the explosion destroyed a building and killed intelligence officials. tuesday, an afghan soldier was killed, when militants opened fire on government officials, attending a service for the villagers. pineta is set to meet with tribal leaders, as well as president hamid karzai, during his two-day visit. rita niss arn -- nissan, wjz eyewitness news. >> troops did not find any explosives or weapons on the runway. authorities are trying to determine if it was a failed attack or just a coons. -- coincidence. a school bus crash leaves more than a dozen dead or injured. >> a pennsylvania tv station has reported the driver of the

tractor-trailer is dead, and at least 15 others injured. but it's unclear how many are children. the accident happened just before 3:00 this afternoon, on route 381, near the maryland line, in upper turkey foot township. the bus was carrying an unknown amount of students when it struck the tractor-trailer. students were taken to a nearby hospital. the extent of the injuries, not known right now, vic. back to you. >> mary, thank you. the cause of the crash is under investigation. a college student, accused of spying on his roommate, wants to -- waits to learn his fate. his roommate ended up killing himself. randall pinkston reports for wjz, from new jersey on the jury's deliberations. >> daroon ravi showed no signs of being nervous as the judge put his fate in the hands of the jury. >> you and the jury will take this case, commit to deliberate without bias, passion, or prejudice to either side. >> reporter: ravi is charged with 15 criminal counts for using his web cam to spy on his

rutgers roommate, kissing another man, and then inviting others to watch. the roommate, tyler clemente, later commitmented suicide by jumping off the george washington bridge. judge glen berman has the instruction. >> the state has the burden of proving the defendant guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. >> reporter: in the end, ravi decided not to testify in his own defense. >> reporter: in addition to invasion of privacy, prosecutors accused him of a hate crime, bias intimidation. >> to intimidate means to put another person in fear. >> reporter: that charge could bring a prison term of up to 10 years. in closing arguments, the defense said ravi was just 18 and meant no harm. >> there's hate in his heart, where is there some information to support it? >> reporter: the prosecution pointed a different picture. >> the defendant's actions were mean-spirited. they were malicious. they were criminal. >> reporter: it's now up to the

jury to decide which of those pictures is right and if ravi is guilty. in new brunswick, new jersey, randall pinkston, wjz eyewitness news. >> if he is convict, ravi could be deported to india, because he is not an american citizen. gunshots ring out at a texas courthouse, killing one person and wounding several others. police say the family was in court. one person died at the scene, rat -- at least three others injured. took several hostages inside a nearby business. he eventually surrendered. officials say the gunman had been on trial at the courthouse. an outgoing goldman sachs executive, blasts his former employer and does it in a major newspaper. in a scathing letter, published in today's new york times, former public director, greg smith, calls the wall street firm, toxic and effective. he says they refer to his

clients as muppets. goldman sachs says it disagrees with smith's views. live crabs litter the highway in north carolina after a crab truck on its way to maryland, crashes. police say david coleman, who is from maryland, lost control of the truck early this morning. traffic was backed up for miles. coleman said he swerved to avoid hitting a deer. another overturned to avoid the wreck. officers say speed and alcohol were not factors in the crash. a partner in writing loses her battle with cancer. alice steinbalk. she became the first woman to win a pulitzer prize for writing. she was 78 years old. time now for a quick look at some of the stories you'll find in tomorrow morning's edition of the baltimore sun. the city school system has paid out tens of millions of dollars the past five years in a rare and controversial perk. micah is bringing fine art to the masses, via a vending

machine, which dispenses art. and johns hopkins professors check out mobile phone apps to tell you which ones work and which don't. for these stories and more, read the baltimore sun. well, money is getting moved around in baltimore city schools. and it's heading right to the students. wjz and gigi barnett are live to explain the new plan will likely mean more cuts at school headquarters. gigi. >> that's right, denise. the school leaders say they are funneling more money to the classroom, because that is exactly where it's needed the most. >> reporter: this is where city school leaders want to spend the bulk of their cash. in the classroom on every student. the district unveiled its plan this week. it's shifting more money to schools, even though the school system's bottom line is staying the same. >> we're going to get more of that slice of the pie to our schools to make sure they can maintain the staffing and programs. that's our first priority.

it's always been our first priority. >> reporter: michael frist is the school district's chief financial officer and in charge of all of the cash. last year, the district spent about $5,000 per student. next year, fritz says it will add about $550 more. that's an 11% boost. some parents are telling principals to spend it wisely. >> i don't know that that boost is going to let her do everything she wants to do. you know? i think they're still going to have to make very conscientious decisions. >> reporter: with more money headed directly to the classroom, cuts must come from somewhere, most likely central office. >> we've had to continue to do more with less. and we still think, though, that there's still room there that we can become more efficient. >> reporter: that efficiency could help. because the school district is facing a $35 million budget shortfall. and the state has already told school leaders not to expect more cash. it has money problems of its own, to the tune of a $1 billion budget shortfall. >> we always have to live

within our means. you have to live within your means. i have to live within mine. and the school system has to do the same thing. >> reporter: and school leaders say the budget proposal -- it's only a proposal, rather. and they hope to have it for a final vote by the end of next month. denise, back to you. >> thank you very much. altogether, the district plans to spend about $32 million more on students next year. people around the country are busy filling out their march madness brackets for office pools and the president is no exception. president obama made his ncaa predictions today. he picked north carolina to win the title. this time, over kentucky. missouri and ohio state round out his final four picks. we'll see how close he is. ncaa tournament starts tomorrow. we want you to try your hands at the wjz asussurprise bracket -- asusbracket challenge. plus, radio perjuryities from 105. -- personalities from 105.7,

the farn. just quick clique on wjz.com. >> i'd be going with the president. >> i know. >> don't cross the president. still to come on wjz eyewitness news. tough love. a mother sends a message after her daughter gets a message. >> i feel like if you're going to embarrass me by stealing, i'm going to show you what it's like to be an embarrassment. >> reporter: the humiliating way she's punishing her teenager for getting in trouble. the important issue george clooney is lending his star power to. amazing weather continues. i'll have the exclusive first warning five-day forecast. and wjz 13 is always on. and here are the top stories on wjz.com, at this hour. for updates on all the day's news, and the updated forecast any time, log onto wjz.com. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

a ski trip takes a tragic turn when a bus crashes in switzerland. the vehicle smashed into the wall of a tunnel, tearing the front of it apart. 22 people died, including 22 children. rescuers worked to pull children from the wreckage. swiss prosecutors say the bus was not speeding at the time of the accident. take a look at this high- speed police chase, captured in new jersey. you can see the driver of that mercedes loses control and swerves, crashing into the side of the road. police weren't far behind.

there's no word on the driver's condition or what started the chase. oscar winner george clooney testifies for congress on capitol hill today. the actor warned of a humanitarian crisis today. the two countries are battling over oil shipments. clooney filmed much of the suffering he witnessed, including rocket attacks and violence, against children, for an online documentary. the actor plans to meet with president obama and hillary clinton tomorrow evening. tough love for a teenager caught shoplifting in new orleans. the 7th grader's mother is humiliating here by making her wear a t-shirt that reads, hide your money, hide your clothes, hide everything because i'm a thief. even though it's the girl's first offense, her mother says she wants to make sure she never steals again. >> that will probably work. >> looks like it's working. scwot pele has i-- scott pelley has a preview of what's coming up tonight on the evening news. there are record high temperatures across the country. we'll tell you how cities are

reaping enormous financial rewards from the weather. and here's a look at tonight's closing numbers from wall street. we'll be right back. ,,,,,,,, turn left.

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delight, spectacular. you think of the words. those are just a few words to describe our recent weather. live outside, it's going to continue for at least a little longer. wjz is live with first warning weather coverage. meteorologist tim williams and bob turk are updating the forecast. let's go live to tim outside. >> it is gorgeous out here. and the spring-like weather continues, even though we are still now it's one week until calendar spring. we're going down to about the 50-degree range tomorrow night. start off tomorrow, about 50 degrees with a good bit of sunshine. clouds will increase tomorrow afternoon. but temperatures likely to go right through the 70s. topping out to near 80 degrees. we'll see more increased cloud cover tomorrow night. temperatures start to drop. but then we have a chance of rain, just a slight one, going into the end of the week. for the next five days, we send it in to bob. >> as we saw that fiber, we need that -- fire, we need the rain really. early friday. could extend into saturday. maybe a thundershower.

71, 66. 68, sunshine. and warming up again. mid-70s or low 70s, by early next week. denise? >> what a forecast. thank you, bob. stir still to come. ravens say goodbye to popular ♪ ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] virtual wallet can help you be that person who's good with money. see what's free to spend. move money with a slide. save with a shake. feel good about your decisions.

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.

as usual, mark is giving me a lesson in football. >> yes. free agency, it's a little complicated. but basically, guys are free for shopping around. and the nfl free agency game equal parts excitement over who might be coming. and there's excitement over who is departing. ravens lose long-time linebacker, jarret johnson. he's heading to san diego. johnson played all nine seasons of his career with san diego. he's the team's ironman. played in 130 straight games. johnson grew in versatility and popularity from the day the ravens drafted him out of alabama in 2003. now 30 years old, he signs a four-year deal with the chargers. johnson says it's with mixed emotions thatly heaves baltimore -- leaves baltimore and goes to san diego. and another starter on defense has left. it's tackle cory redding. he takes this to indianapolis. he joins former defensive

coordinator, chuck pagano. he signs a three haf year deal -- three-year deal with indie. colts have also been in contact with jameel mcclain. and the ravens are expected to lose, starting offensive lineman, ben grubbs. he's been meeting with the new orleans saints. grubs is likely to get a deal because of the salary cap. preparing to see grubs go, ravens are preparing to meet with free agent guard evan mathiss. to college basketball's march madness. the loyola greyhounds hit the practice court today, as they prepare for their first round matchup against big 10 power ohio state tomorrow night. it has been a dream run for loyola. winning their conference tournament to reach the ncaa's for the first time in years. the greyhounds set a team record with 24 victories this year. but that feel-good story runs into a serious road block when they face the buck buckeyes. >> you know what a great team ohio state is. it's an honor to play them.

four minutes at a time, we'll try to see what we can do. we're not going to do anything crazy, crazy. but we'll still run and press against them. >> we enter march. and you enter the tournament. they go out the door. it's not about what conference they're from. doesn't matter what's the record. everybody is fighting for their life. >> reporter: and that big guy, sulkinger, gives the buckeyes an advantage. tipoff, tomorrow night, around 10:00 p.m. in pittsburgh. news from pro hoops. mike dantoni, abruptly resigns from the new york knicks. this comes after they tuned them out during their six-game losing streak. it was all reported -- also reported that they wanted him fired. baseball news from oriole spring training. nick markakis, from the first time this season. coming back from abdominal surgery. 0-2 at the plate.

big day at the play for the orioles short stop. he had two hits against the pittsburgh pirates, including his first home run of the spring. solo shot in the first inning. but pittsburgh had plenty of offense of its own. they would go on to beat them 11-5, sarasota. counting down the big game tomorrow night. we'll see if they can slay the giants. >> going to be ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

be sure to watch cbs tonight at 10:00. stay tuned, of course, for eyewitness news at 11:00. a wealth of history is going digital after more than 200 years, the encyclopedia britanica is ending its print editions. now, it will only be available online. the 32-volume set sells for $1400. we never had the full set. >> you never did? >> not the full set. >> i never would have gotten through elementary school if we hadn't had our encyclopedia. for bob and mark, i'm vic carter. thanks for watching wjz, maryland's news station. much more ahead on the cbs >> pelley: tonight, summer in winter. in city after city, weather

records were broken today, but the warming comes with a warning: a threat of flooding. reports from dean reynolds and john blackstone. the secretary of defense is safe after a security breach during a visit to afghanistan. chip reid is with with secretary panetta. jim axelrod reports whitey bulger's girlfriend has explained how the former mob boss evaded capture. and mark strassmann on answering a call to arms with open arms. >> never again will we let our troops come back and not feel appreciated. captioning sponsored by cbs this is the "cbs evening news" with scott pelley. >> pelley: good evening. we're starting with weather and climate tonight because 300 temperature records have been matched or broken so far this week. take a look at the temperature map today.