dodge park elementary in landover. his mom, sylvia, who did not have custody, went to the school and claimed he had a doctor's appointment. she then left with the third grader. and there are serious questions about how someone without custody was able to walk out of a maryland elementary school with a child. >> in this case, we were not fully aware of the circumstances. >> reporter: about 15 hours later, police found wilbert unharmed, thousands of miles away from home in reno, nevada, where they took his mom into custody. it's unclear why she took him all the way to nevada. >> reporter: the case prompted an amber alert, with highway signs lit up across immediate -- across maryland. wilbert was not supposed to be in the custody of his mother. and his father was the person that was supposed to be picking wilbert up. >> reporter: wilbert will be reunited with his dad. child advocates say things like these happen nationwide every day. >> reporter: the justice department says there are about

400,000 kidnappings every day. -- year. 200,000 by dads and 200,000 by mothers thinking they can do anything they want. >> reporter: this one, thankfully, ended with the child safe. >> reporter: and it was seven hours before anyone even noticed he was missing. that's when his dad went to pick him up at the school. mike hellgren, wjz eyewitness news. >> all right, thank you very much, mike. it is unclear why sylvia garcia decided it take her son or what led to her losing custody of him. a baltimore county man, facing serious charges tonight, after police say he tried to solicit sex from a 14-year-old girl on facebook. now police are concerned there are other possible victims. jessica kartalija has more on the arrest. >> reporter: police say it all stard started when a parkton man spotted the teen's facebook page. he started messaging the girl. police continued to communicate with him, using the account. freeland allegedly asked to

meet for sex and officers arrested him when he arrived for the encounter. police say he used a facebook page named ron coralliony. and they believe he contacted other teen girls. >> anyone with information or concerns should call police. that's the number for crimes against children's unit. a-list actor arrested. george clooney and his father are taken into custody at a protest outside the sudanese embassy in washington. danielle nottingham reports from washington, with more on the high-profile arrest. >> reporter: agents caught george clooney and hauled him away in a secret service van, during a protest at the embassy of sedan. he, along with his father, nick clooney, and other activists, crossed the police line. >> you will be arrested. >> reporter: it was an act of civil disobedience. sending a message. >> and immediately, we need humanitarian aid to be allowed

into the sudan, before it becomes the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. immediately. the second thing we are here to ask is a very simple thing. is for the government in khartoum to stop randomly killing its own innocent men, women and children. >> reporter: demonstrators blocked the entrance to the embassy, to symbolize the country's blockage of humanitarian aid. this man escaped from the united states three years ago. >> do everything possible, keeping ourselves all the time here, in order to make the international community listen to the voice of those people, being killed by the government. >> he and fellow protestors they they are glad clooney is helping draw attention to their cause. together, they hope their calls for change will reach sudan, end the killing, and convince

sudan's president to let food and aid reach every corner of the country. >> reporter: danielle nottingham, wjz eyewitness news. >> now, clooney says he paid a small fine before he was released from custody this afternoon. same-sex marriage is law in maryland. but the fight over the controversy continues. the governor is trying to gain support for the issue among voters. that's as opponents of the new law conduct a new petition drive, trying to put it to retch rendum in november. referendum in november. wjz first brought you the story of christopher lyles, who received a revolutionary transplant in his rare fight against cancer. wjz is live at morgan state where a memorial was held. >> reporter: well, christopher lyles' groundbreaking trachea transplant was groundbreaking, indeed, as you mentioned. however, his friends and family said they always thought he

would pull through. [ singing ] >> reporter: it's a song of gratitude for christopher lyles' life, after a hard battle with a rare and aggressive throat cancer, his family and friends gathered at morgan state university, for one final goodbye today. >> i miss him, every minute of every day. >> reporter: wjz first featured lyles back in november. he was headed to sweden for a groundbreaking trachea transplant. doctors there used lyles'on stem cells to grow celos plastic -- celos plastic and then perform a synthetic windpipe transplant. he was only the second person in the world and the first from the u.s. to have the procedure. but earlier this month, doctors quickly admitted him to the hospital again. days later, he died. >> he made a sacrifice of his life to save [ inaudible ] [ indiscernible ] >> reporter: lyles was a 2004

graduate of morgan state. now the university has a science scholarship in his honor. >> it is time for us. [ indiscernible ] but let there be no doubt that his imprint on this university and our culture is, indeed, indelible. >> reporter: and lyles' transplant was considered his only hope of survival by doctors. his family and friends today said that they thought he would pull through. but he remained optimistic and hopeful throughout the entire time. denise, back to you. >> thank you, gigi. christopher lyles was 30 years old. just in time for the weekend. cooler temperatures move in. a live look outside right now. after some clouds. the sun has come back. what about the weekend? bob is in the first warning weather center, with the updated forecast? bob? >> don't be afraid. later tonight, might see a little fog forming in some areas. by the way, the space station goes overhead tomorrow morning,

at 6:30. just before the sun comes up. if it's clear, might see the international space station. tonight, a few things to the south. take a look at radar. not a whole lot to deal with. but we'll take a look at activity. most of it is well south of the area. one little thundershower over hancock and berkeley springs, west virginia. and a little light rain developing between easton and cambridge down to salisbury. that's where the bulk of the activity is. around the baltimore area, there is absolutely no precipitation. looks like we'll probably stay dry, at least that's the way radar is shaping up. temperature-wise, yes, it is cooler today. in fact, we're 10 degrees cooler than yesterday. but still 10 degrees above normal. we're at 63. it was a lot warmer south and west of us. and cumberland now at 73. the wind off the water. that kept us cool at only 52 degrees. looks like tomorrow, a bit warmer than today. looks like a pretty nice weekend shaping up for the last days of winter. >> oh, boy. the archdiocese of baltimore

says st. ambrose will close. the reasons, low enrollment and financial difficulty. about 120 students and kindergarteners through 8th grade are enrolled now. only 65 are registered for next year. the archdiocese is encouraging students from st. ambroas to -- ambrose to attend holy angels school in south baltimore. two maryland teams are going to the ncaa women's tournament for the first time. weijia jiang has a look at the teams. >> hold on to win the acc championship. >> reporter: earlier this month, the university of maryland's women's basketball team won the acc championship for the tenth time. >> six, 7, 8. >> yao, they're going after -- now they're going after their second ncaa tournament title. ask they're a threat to all. >> i know our girls are excited to go make a strong run in the

tournament. >> reporter: on the eve of round 1, which will be played on home turf, the lady terrapins made contact with the navy midshipmen. >> so many emotions, obviously, in a game like this for us. you know? and i think just being on the court today will allow some of that to come out. >> reporter: despite the schools being less than 30 miles apart, the two teams have never played each other. approximate we've try -- >> we've tried to schedule navy. for whatever reason, it ha't worked out. but we are thrilled, being so close, that we now have that opportunity. >> reporter: the midshipmen don't mind being the underdog. this season, they beat another favorite. >> we have a bad record against lehigh at lehigh. >> reporter: but storing up for even more excitement. >> it's really great to have one team that is really like winningenc. and makes everything really exciting on campus. >> reporter: the big game is scheduled for saturday morning, at 11:15.

reporting at the university of maryland, college park, weijia jiang, wjz eyewitness news. >> now, going into the game, maryland is the number 2 seed. navy is ranked 15th. >> hard to know who to root for. i've got my druthers. still ahead. grand prix woes. deadlines are missed. what the race organizers in the city are still trying to figure out. i'm alex demetrick. coming up, hold your nose. the worst air in maryland is just ahead. that story as eyewitness news continues. it's the biggest craze, well, since the ipad 2. apple released its ipad 3 today. i'm monique griego. coming up, we'll show you why people wait in line for hours just to get one. a cloudy and cooler end to the week. don't miss the cooler end-of- the-week forecast. ,,

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.

tracking bad air by zip code has brought worrisome numbers. some of the most polluted air is in the commutes of kirkland bay and brooklyn. >> reporter: the zip code that covers curtis bay and brooklyn

has two big features. lots of big trucks rumbling through. >> every day. all day long. constantly going up and down this road. and. >> reporter: and some very bad pollution. >> in 2008 was the first in the country in terms of toxic air emissions released in that code. >> reporter: they analyzed air monitoring and found improvements when a nearby coal- fired power plant spent millions to reduce pollution. >> it's number 74 in the country now. but it's still first in the state. >> it's terrible. sometimes, there's a certain odor that comes through here. >> reporter: and a steady exhaust from trucks and cars is believed to be a major cause. ground level ozone, or smog, and fine particles are heaviest in south baltimore. >> the particles are so small that they can lodge more deeply into the lungs and carry pollutants into the respiratory system. >> reporter: but if heavy truck traffic is a problem, there is also an understanding in this community about the need for trucks.

>> that the part of their job. and the tankers lines are down the street. >> reporter: but the group doing the study thinks it can be eased. keeping big rigs away from residential areas. alex demetrick, wjz eyewitness news. >> now, besides new truck routes, the environmental integrity project plan intends to push the state and feds in the monitoring for zip code. previous monitors have been removed. woes over the grand prix continues, as agreements continue to be worked on. according to our media partner, the baltimore sun, dow forced racing has missed three of the five benchmarks it agreed to have by now. the organizer and mayor stephanie rawlings-blake still working out the terms of the agreement. the original group that ran the baltimore grand prix baltimore racing development, still owes millions to the city. thousands of people wait in line for hours just to get their hands on apple's latest version of the ipad. monique griego has more on what all the hype is about. >> reporter: from excitement in

japan. to long lines in new york and across the country in california. die-hard apple fans flock to get the new ipads. here in baltimore, people waited for hours just to be one of the first to test one out. at the apple store in towson town center. >> i wanted the ipad 3. >> reporter: while the chaos had had cleared by midmorning, wendy soprano was in line at 6:30 a.m. >> it was all the way down to the door where you come in on. >> reporter: the latest version of apple's uber popular tablet boasts better resolution and camera, and of course, faster web browsing. >> i heard about the new camera and the nice screen. and it's kind of new stuff. very cool and trendy. >> reporter: while we weren't lucky enough to get our hands on an ipad 3 today, this was the ipad 2. >> i gave it away. to my daughter. >> i can actually give away my old ipad and sell it for half price and get a new one. >> reporter: so the real

question is, when and will ipad excitement end? according to these apple enthusiasts, never. >> what about when they come out with the ipad 4? are you going to get that one, too? >> i guess, if it's going to be better, yeah. >> they weren't lining up because they were free. the basic model of the ipad 3 runs about, hello, $500. what do you think of that, guys? fully loaded, it will set you back more than $800. >> we don't have to worry about bob getting one. >> i don't think so. >> i would wait a couple of months. it's going to get cheaper, i guarantee you. keep buying those apple products, okay? >> you have a personal reason for that. >> inside joke. south/southeast winds off the ocean and the bay, kept us much cooler than yesterday. 64% humidity. maybe a little fog overnight. the barometer holding steady. look at a face weekend after this. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

look at that. boy, that's a beautiful shot. >> look how calm that water is. a little chillo the water today. all in all, looks like a nice weekend. if you're heading out on your boat, looks like it will be pretty nice.

looks like we pretty much missed the shower activity. take a look at temps now. cooler than yesterday by far, by about 10 degrees. 63 now. 59 in washington. 82 yesterday. 72, the warm spot, cumberland. and south of that region, they were also in the low to mid- 80s. that's where the warm airs stay. we've got the winds off the ocean and the bay. and just kept us several degrees cooler than we had hoped for. but that front just got hung up south of washington from those easterly winds. just kept the cold air. and look at this. only in the mid-50s. 61, 65 up in westminster. and the rind winds right now, will start to turn, we think, a little more to the southeast. might bring a little warmer tomorrow. maybe 5 or 6 degrees warmer than today. winds are light. and this area of shower activity, most of it passes to the south of us today. you can see a lot of clear skies.

some clouds. and overnight tonight. moisture still over the area, from the ocean flow. maybe some fog can form in some areas. watch out for that. the warm air being pressed a little further to the south with showers. looks like the weekend will be generally dry. sunny to partly sunny. won't get warmer, you don't think, until early next week. we get back up into the 70 to low 70-degree range. looks lice ache nice weekend. -- like a nice weekend. today was 86 in columbia, south carolina, by the way. that was the nation's high. east winds, 5 to 10 knots. sunrise, 7:15. sets, 7:16. the bay temp, around 50 degrees. tonight, let's call it slight, slight chance of a shower between now and about 9:00. otherwise, patchy fog, upper 40s to low 50s. tomorrow, maybe some morning low clouds and fog. otherwise, becoming sunny to partly sunny. and a pleasant high of 70 degrees, which is still 17 degrees above normal. >> okay. >> which has been all month long. >> soon we're going to be

officially spring. but it's been unofficially -- >> for about three or four weeks. >> or more. thank you, bob. one of the prettiest sights to see in our nation's capital. whit johnson reports for wjz. it will soon be the time to see the famed cherry blossoms. >> cherishing the cherry blossoms, an event that brings millions of people every year. >> i'm a romantic man. so to me, that's an easy question. i love flowers and they are pretty. >> reporter: for those snapping pictures. >> i can just imagine what they will look like when they are full fully out. >> the pink buds burst on the trees. >> you've been on the job for 10 years and you've never seen it bloom this early? >> i've never seen it bloom this early. >> reporter: soon, it will take on the vivid cloud-like shapes that have dazzled crowds for a century. >> this is one of the original trees here, right? >> as far as we know, yes. and you can tell by looking at it. >> exactly.

>> ann mcclelan wrote the book on d.c.'s blossoms, literally. >> it's always been something that renews itself year after year. and yes, it's an important expression of international friendship. >> 2,000 were delivered in 1910. a gift from tokyo. but upon arrival, they had to be burned, infested with insects. just two years later, the japanese sent 3,000 more. an experience that has withstood the test of time, much like the friendship between the two countries that started it all. in washington, whit johnson, wjz eyewitness news. >> the annual national cherry blossom festival begins this tuesday, march 20th, which is the first day of spring. >> i've seen cherry blossoms around here already blooming. still to come tonight on wjz eyewitness news. massive twister. a tornado rips through. a jury hands down a decision on the college student accused of spying on his college roommate. details on what happened coming

up. and the plea to the pope. the family of a maryland man jailed in cuba is reaching out to the pope. what they're hoping for, when ,,

it is just before 6:30. partly sunny and 63 degrees. good evening. thanks for staying with wjz. here are some of the stories people are talking about tonight. more violent weather in the nation's heartland. this time, a tornado rips through parts of michigan, cutting a 10-mile path of destruction. wjz has first warning weather coverage, beginning with terrell brown and more on the storm's impact. >> reporter: destruction in dexter, michigan, after a tornado damaged at least 100 homes and destroyed 13. >> i think we all hoped we would wake up and it wouldn't be real. >> reporter: residents began cleaning up. they boarded up homes and covered roofs. >> i have a lot of decisions to make. and i'm a little weary of breaking down before i take care of business. i have to worry about my kids

and what we're going to do and what we do with the house. >> reporter: kathy crawford was rushing home to be with her children when the tornado hit. >> i really started having a panic attack. actually, passed my house because i didn't know where i was. >> reporter: the storm tore off crawford's roof, leaving plywood and insulation everywhere. her son and daughter stayed in the basement. >> it's just a miracle everybody is okay. >> reporter: a tornado left a 10-mile path of destruction through dexter, with 135-mile- an-hour winds. it hit earlier in the evening. >> i mean, it was a bad time. kids were getting out of school. families were just getting home. >> reporter: despite the destruction, no serious injuries were reported. >> it's amazing. i mean, you see these things all the time. and you do a death count. and we're not even doing an injury count. >> reporter: a second tornado companied down in ida, michigan. winds from that storm were estimated at 80 to 90 miles an hour. like dexter, homes were damaged, but people were safe.

terrell brown, wjz eyewitness news. >> now, a few showers here in maryland. tonight, first warning weather coverage continues with bob turk, who is tracking live doppler radar. bob is. >> by the way, that tornado, was the first-ever f-3 tornado in michigan in march. very, very rare occurrence. take a look around our region. a few showers around the baltimore area. light stuff moving through portions of the lower eastern shore. one little cell moved through hancock and berkeley springs. very light shower. nothing in the baltimore region. heavier showers. just a ban there. literally up towards salisbury. around the baltimore region, partly cloudy skies. looks like we probably will stay dry. looks like actually a very pleasant spring weekend. here is last weekend of winter. the winter that wasn't. vic? >> okay, bob. thank you. a guilty verdict in the case that made national headlines sparked discussions about injuries and privacy. a jury convicted dharun ravi

for all charges for using a web cam to spy on his roommate, who later committed suicide. randall pinkston reports for wjz. >> reporter: former rutgers university student, dharun ravi, showed no emotion as a jury convicted him on all 15 counts for using a web cam to spy on his gay roommate. >> on count 6, we find the defendant did attempt to cause the offense of invasion of privacy with the purpose to intimidate tc because of sexual orientation, guilty or not guilty? >> guilty. >> reporter: jurors found the 20-year-old guilty of invasion of privacy, as well as bias based on sexual orientation, which is a hate crime. the case started in 2010, when ravi spied on his roommate, tyler clementi, kissing another man. a few days later, clementi killed himself, by jumping off the george washington bridge. ravi's attorneys tried to argue that ravi was just an 18-year-

old, who meant no harm. but jurors sided with clementi and his family. >> i hope they can put everything behind them and move forward. >> reporter: ravi's defense team said they expected their client to be found guilty on some of the charges. but many courtroom observers were stunned that the jury agreed with all of the prosecution's case. >> reporter: the clemente family did not comment on the verdict but said they hope the trial will keep the issues on issues like privacy and cyber bullying. >> we believe this trial was important because it dealt with important issues for our society and for our young people today. >> reporter: ravi left the courthouse with his family. he faces prison time and possible deportation to his native india, when he is sentenced in may. in new brunswick, new jersey, randall pinkston, wjz eyewitness news. >> the most serious charges against ravi carry up to 10 years in prison each. but legal experts said the most he would probably get altogether would be 10 years. we have breaking news to tell you about right now. just a short time ago, the

american soldier, accused of killing civilians in afghanistan is identified as staff sergeant robert bales. right now, he is being transported back to the u.s. bales is being transferred to fort leavenworth in kansas, the military's only maximum security prison. he allegedly went on a shooting rampage near a base in afghanistan, killing 16 civilians, mostly women and children. it is not clear what charges he will face. the u.s. army private, accused of leaking classified documents of the website wikileaks is back in a maryland military court. bradley manning was at fort meade in anne arundel county for another round of motion hearings. a military judge is deciding whether attorneys will get access to certain people and information ahead of trial. the 24-year-old is facing several charges, including aiding the enemy. the family of a maryland man, jailed for spying, is pleading to the pope for help.

problems with no political solution. >> reporter: the family of alan gross is asking pope benedict xvi to help with alan. he was arrested and later convicted of spying. >> alan was in cuba on a humanitarian project. he is absolutely not a spy. >> reporter: gross's wife judy spoke with eyewitness news on friday. the pope will travel to cuba in two weeks. and judy gross says the vatican is aware of her husband's situation. >> we are urging pope benedict to talk to president castro and urge for alan's humanitarian release. >> reporter: gross, who is 62, has also appealed for release to cuban president raul castro. >> i have cancer in both lungs. >> reporter: gross's mother is suffering from inoperable lung cancer. gross wants an opportunity to see her. and his sister also has breast cancer. these pictures were taken of

alan gross in december 2011, when a maryland del gate went to check on him. >> alan is sitting in jail, kind of wasting away. his weight is now down to 154 pounds. he's suffering quite a bit from arthritis. >> reporter: kai jackson, wjz eyewitness news. >> secretary of state hillary clinton hillary clinton and other prominent officials have called for alan gross to be released. he and his family deny that he is a spy. struggling maryland schools are getting more help from the federal government. the u.s. department of education is giving the state nearly $7 million more to help turn around low-performing schools. that is in addition to the more than $60 million the state has already received. in past years, the bulk of the funds have gone to schools in baltimore city and prince george's county. time now for a quick look at the baltimore sun. a maryland company is becoming a favorite of designers for its concrete kitchen counters. a preview of saturday's first round, ncaa tournament --

turn report game. and coverage in the soccer championship series, between the blast and the milwaukee wave. for these stories and much more, read the baltimore sun. remember to look for the updated forecast. hunger alert. they're getting ready for a big celebration in greektown and beyond. preparations are under way for the second annual baltimore greek week. ron matz reports, it's all about food, fun and family. >> reporter: the view from the room in fells point is spectacular. it's just one of the places where you can celebrate greek week in baltimore. >> we are definitely part of greek week. and very honored to be part of greek week. >> reporter: it's a celebration of greek independence. of course there's food and greek wines. lemons and olive oil are just part of a mediterranean diet. >> what's not like to like about greek food. or greek-influence food.

you know, the mediterranean date is very healthy and -- diet is very healthy and delicious. >> reporter: 18 greek-owned establishments are offering discounts and specials. >> greece, an ethnic experience, is still next door to you. >> reporter: baltimore greek week is more than just food. and it's happening in more than one neighborhood. >> we're talking towson. you know, canton. rosedale. mount vernon. fells point. everywhere, as well as greektown. >> reporter: it's about food, fun and family. ending with the maryland greek independence day parade. [ speaking in foreign speak -- >> come on over. eat, drink. the wig parade is march-- big parade is march 25th. some dancing, too, maybe. >> i can guarantee you, if you

go, you're going to feel like you've been hugged. a lot. it is so much fun. still to come on wjz eyewitness news. searching for answers. a young boy is shot dead by a member of a neighborhood watch group. now that young boy's family wants investigators to step in. a campaign to get smokers to quit and keep children from picking up the habit. bob turk. nice weekend headed our way. i'll have the first warning five-day forecast. and wjz 13 is always on. here are the top stories on wjz.com alt this hour. for all of the updated news and forecast, log onto wjz.com. switching to progressive could mean hundreds more in your wallet year after year. feed me!

saving you money -- now, that's progressive. call or click today.

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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. the parents of an african american teenager, killed by a neighborhood watch volunteer want the fbi to take over the investigation. the family of 17-year-old trayvon martin say they no longer trust the local police department. the unarmed teenager was shot and killed while walking in a gated community near orlando. neighborhood watch captain, george zimmerman, called police to report martin as a suspicious person. but before misarrived, they say he shot martin in self-defense.

the republican running for president has spent weeks criticizing. president obama starts making more campaign stops. susan mcginniss reports for wjz. >> reporter: president obama's campaign team is enlisting the help of hollywood. >> you would see rewards from tough decisions he had made. >> reporter: oscar award winning actor tom hanksinariates this documentary that highlights president obama's first term. the video is just the latest sign the president's re- election campaign is in full swing. today, he flies to chicago and atlanta for fundraisers. and he is starting to attack the republicans running for the white house. >> we're starting to see a lot of politicians, talking a lot but not doing much. >> reporter: vice president joe biden is traveling to battleground states and going after the gop candidates even harder. >> if you give any of these guys the keys to the white house, they will bankrupt the

middle class again. >> reporter: as the president's re-election campaign kicks into high gear, the gop hopefuls continued their quest for delegates, getting ready for contests this weekend in missouri and puerto rico. >> reporter: rick santorum was in puerto rico on thursday, and may have hurt his choices with spanish-speaking voters. he told a newspaper that english would have to be the main language if the u.s. territory were to one day become a state. santorum claims his comments were misrepresented. >> we understand that the people of different cultures speak different languages. so we have a common language. and that's what i was saying yesterday. >> reporter: mitt romney will be in puerto rico today, after fundraising in illinois, which holds its primary on tuesday. in washington, susan mcginniss, wjz eyewitness news. >> presidential candidate ron paul was holding a caucus tomorrow. and newt gingrich was campaigning today in louisiana, where voters head to the polls in a week. a teenager is running for

office in alabama. 18-year-old cory eldrod is competing for a seat on the board of education in limestone county. the other candidate has held the office for five years. only 20 votes separate the two. and now they're headed into a runoff. the final tally is set for april 24th. >> that could be interesting. here's a look at the day's numbers from wall street. we'll be right back. ,,,,,,,,,,, turn left.

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taking another live look outside. here's bob in the weather center with more. bob? >> not too many complaints. take a look at tomorrow's forecast. maybe a little fog. temperatures in the upper 50s to maybe 70 finally tomorrow afternoon. as we head into the rest of the weekend, 69, partly sunny skies and sun again on sunday. a little warmup there. 72, 73. with partly cloudy skies. with maybe a shower monday. slightly cooler. but still way above average still. 69 next wednesday. vic. >> okay, bob. thank you. in tonight's wjz healthwatch, the centers for disease control

is rolling out a new campaign, to help smokers kick the habit and keep children from starting. we want to warn you, though, some of the images are disturbing. teresa garcia reports for wjz. >> getting ready in the morning. >> reporter: terri hall was not always toothless or bald. a lifetime of smoking left her with cancer of the larynx. and he -- she wants would-be smokers to know it. paul is part of the disease control and convention. the graphics will appear on media. >> my fingers started to go, piece by piece. >> reporter: the government wants to shock viewers about painful true stories that shows that smoking not only kills but cripples. >> smokers may commonly think they're just going to die a few years younger. and while it's true that smokers die younger, it's also true that they live sicker.

>> reporter: the three-month campaign cost $54 million. a small amount compared to the $27 million a day that tobacco companies spend promoting their products. the cdc says much of that promotion is aimed at children. >> for every person who dies from smoking, at least two new young smokers take their place. >> reporter: the cdc is hoping to persuade as many as 50,000 smokers to quit. but that is going to be a challenge. about 20% of american adults smoke. and in recent years, that number hasn't budged. >> reporter: smokers say the ads will make them think about smoking, even if they don't stop. >> the pictures and all the disgusting graphics, just turns me off. i change the channel immediately. i know it's coming. >> reporter: the campaign, which begins monday, will also give smokers advice on how to quit. in new york, teresa garcia, wjz eyewitness news. >> two of the largest tobacco companies have issued statements, neither addressing

the campaign. but both acknowledging the dangers of smoking. also healthwatch, tips for how to solve a problem millions of americans experience every day. it's called dry eye. the list of possible causes is long. including hormonal changes, medications. doctors suggest using a humidifier and not wearing contacts. they also say using artificial tears and taking oil flaxseed may help. ravens sign a free agent. ravens sign a free agent. but more players fly the coop. ,

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.

well, mark is going to dazzle with more really, really big numbers. he's here with the wjz the fan sports report. >> the nfl stuff. money is big and the movement is rapid. we're finding that out. nfl free agency is what we're talking about. the dealing has been fast and furious. a number of players were fast to leave the ravens. and that's made the fans furious. but today, news that one of them is staying. veteran center matt burke. he was considering retirement. he's decided to keep playing. burke's deal comes after news

of more departures, though. haruki nakamura was a backup here in baltimore. he played primarily on special teams, says his decision to go to carolina was so that he could get more playing time. nakamura was drafted by the ravens four years ago, out. university of cincinnati. >> also leaving is free agent tom zivikowski. he's agreed to the free agency by the colds. zivikowski uses a kickoff returner. he is the fifth ravens agent to leave in the last three days. and another to keep an eye on is linebacker jameel mcclain. he has met with the denver broncos. he could soon become the fixture next to leave. the ravens have already lost. defensive starters, jared johnson and cory redding. the one departure on offense is gard van grub. biggest free agent out there is quarterback peyton manning. he worked out for the denver

broncos today. and the san francisco 49ers are now in the bidding for manning as well. basketball homecoming at loyola university. the greyhounds rolled back the camp us, after their loss to ohio state in the first round of the ncaa tournament in pittsburgh last night. hopes are high for next year already. senior shane walker is the only starter that they'll lose. and despite the defeat, it was a great year for loyola, with a school record 24 wins. and their first tourney bid in 18 years. >> good start. i mean, this is our first year of making a tournament in a long time. we look forward to making it next year and the year after. >> we've done a lot of things that the school hasn't done in a while. and set a few records. so we're looking to do the same again next year. >> latham has an up side. we have guys coming in to help us. i'm nervous about shane walker. he was my coach on the court this year the really grateful for everything shane did. >> walker scored eight points in his final game as a

greyhound. he's a native of england. walker transferred to loyola, after first playing at the university of maryland. orioles spring training in baseball in maryland. taking on the twins in fort myer. starting pitcher chris tillman. good outing. pitching pretty well in this preseason. attempting to bounce back from a bad year. robert andino, swinging bat for the birds upon crushes this home run off the scoreboard in left field. the orioles beat the twins, 3- 1. it's minnesota who comes to baltimore for opening day, exactly three weeks from today. >> oh, my gosh. ♪

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our staten island man gets an unexpected surprise when he enters the bathroom. that's because this massive california king snake slithered out of the toilet, seconds before he was about to sit down. the man said he quickly grabbed a broom, called for help. a plumber was able to fish the snake out. >> what would he be doing there? >> well, there's any number of things. but we know that the company is called 1-800-clogged. that's it for tonight. we'll be back after basketball. i'm vic carter. >> and for bob an