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tv   Eyewitness News at 5  CBS  March 19, 2012 5:00pm-6:00pm EDT

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new details on the confrontation and how it all started. >> reporter: good evening. this was all coordinated through social media. the mayor is blaming in part the nice weather we have been having. violations ranging from curfew violations to serious assault. >> reporter: calm in and around the inner harbor was shattered saturday night, when hundreds of teenagers converged downtown. in a large area. the gathering, like others over the past year, turned violent. and police believed it was all organized online, primarily from facebook. amin tyler watched it all unfold. >> this is a lot of commotion. a lot of people running around. not the normal inner harbor that we used to have. >> police confirmed they used a taser to break up one fight. and a teen was taken to the hospital in another altercation. >> she was stabbed in the arm as a result of another petty dispute. they exchanged words. it turned physical. >> reporter: and this is not the first time something like
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this has happened downtown. including fights after the fourth of july fireworks last year. a little boy injured by a stray bullet. and a father murdered. the harbor is a major tourist draw and a money maker. and the mayor says keeping it private remains a priority. >> they were being disruptive. and we moved in to take control of the situation. >> it's disappointing. any negative incident, whether it's -- you know, it happens at the harbor, or any of our tourist attractions, it has an impact. and tourism, i think, is our fourth largest city. we have to protect it. >> reporter: that includes monitoring future watch cameras. >> and there was a remarkably similar gathering last april that also ended with a teenager stabbed. reporting live at city police headquarters, mike hellgren, wjz eyewitness news. >> mike, thank you. police say they made more than 10 arrests before the crowd dispersed. attorneys are asking for a new trial for george huguely, the man accused of convicting
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baltimore county native yeardley love. >> well, mary, we have been expecting this. and huguely appeared in a prison jump suit and handcuffs. his lawyer is asking to set aside time for a hearing on a motion for retrial. a judge found the former lacrosse player guilty in the beating death of yeardley love. huguely is also fighting requests for media outlets to have several pieces of evidence made public. the defense argues that the release of that evidence would make it difficult to seat a trial if they are retried. >> he was sentenced to 24 years, but he's still waiting to formally be sentenced by a judge. right now, police are looking for a man who ran off the eastern shore. jessica kartalija is monitoring this manhunt. >> reporter: good evening, kai. goodgood evening, to everyone. police believe that man is in came bridge or somewhere on the eastern shore. shortly after midnight sunday, police pull
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approximated over this man. 39-year-old demetrius denbe on leonard lane in cambridge. >> cambridge police officers stopped the suspect in his truck for traffic violation. their investigation on the scene led them to request a k-9 to respond to a drug scan of the vehicle for possible drug violations. >> reporter: police say denbe hit the gas, slamming right into an officer. that's when police opened fire, shooting a denbe's truck as he took off. >> the chief of police called and asked our homicide unit to investigate the case. >> came bridge residents say they are shocked by the violence. >> i came out the back door and saw some police lights flashing. >> reporter: i wanted to move to cambridge to get away from that type of thing. >> reporter: the officer was taken to an area hospital with a broken ankle. denbe's truck was found abandoned a few blocks away. >> reporter: once arrested,
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denbe faces assault and murder charges. attempted murder, back to you. >> jess, thank you. if you have any information, you're urged to call state police. a terror alert is in effect in southern france after a gunman on a motorcycle kills four people outside of a jewish school. a rabbi died, along with his two young sons and an 8-year- old girl. french police are increasing security at schools and synagogues in the wake of the attack. we'll have more on this case, and why it's sparking fears of a serial killer, coming up all new at 5:30. right now, an intense search continues for a maryland officer, murdered inside a highly secure building in afghanistan. today, major robert marchanti is laid to rest. as alex demetrick reports from lutherville, family, friends and each complete strangers gather to say goodbye. >> reporter: major robert marchanti died a long way from home. and today, the people who made it a home said goodbye. >> reporter: the respect shown major robert marchanti
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proceeded him to the trinity assembly of god church. a full-time soldier in maryland's army national guard, marchanti was murdered last month in afghanistan, leaving a wife and four children behind. >> he went there to provide for our family and to serve this country. and he did it until the very end. >> his job was a mentor. he actually worked alongside of and with the afghans to help them improve their operations. >> reporter: but it was one of those afghan police officers that gunned down major marchanti. in the wake of the furor, over the military's inadvertent burning of copies of the koran. there were attacks on nato troops. marchanti was one of two u.s. soldiers assassinated by the cops. >> i hope if the military is watching this, and whoever it is that goes out and is looking for the man that did this to my father. i hope they find that coward. and take care of it. >> reporter: but that hunger for justice was an undercurrent today. first and foremost, there was a life to remember and
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appreciate. >> reporter: my dad, he was a perfect image of love. >> the way he showed the boys in the family how to treat a woman and how to be a good husband. undeniably, that is what i will remember most about my father. >> reporter: major marchanti will be buried with full military honors alt arlington national cemetery tomorrow. major marchanti was killed during his favorite tour in afghanistan. we have breaking news to report to you in harford county. sky eye chopper 13 is over the scene of a shooting. let's go to captain mike perry with more. captain mike? >> we're in the edgewood area of harford county. this is in the 1700 block of fountain rock court in harford county. we were told that a 22-year-old male suffered a gunshot wound to his rear lower torso. he was medivacced to shock trauma. his condition is not known at this time. as you can see, they do have this whole area of the 1700 block of fountain rock completely roped off. harford county sheriff's department is the primary
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investigating agency. there's no word on suspects. and police have dill gently been searching for thesomes. back to you on tv hill. >> thank you, captain mike perry, reporting live. potentially good news. the mayor is formally introducing legislation to reduce the rate by 20%. mayor stephanie rawlings-blake says the new homeowner's tax credit program will be fund with projected revenue from slot machines to be installed in the city. the unusually mild weather is not showing any signs of letting up. temperatures in the 70s. the benches are packed with people today in the east harbor area. and people are taking their lunch breaks outside. in baltimore county, meadow week park is crowded and joined the swing sets while others went for a stroll. outside right now, it's a bit humid outside there. and -- out there. and there are a couple in the area. meteorologist bernadette woods and bob turk are updating our conditions. bob? >> unbelievable. more like may the last couple of weeks in march.
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take a look. we have one or two thunderstorms that popped up. mainly to the west. a couple of brief showers around now, around hancock. berkeley springs to the northwest of martinsburg, west virginia. and one pretty good cell, moving through the westminster area. and across southern pennsylvania there. and southern adams and york county, that's moving up toward the northwest. probably just clipping northwest baltimore county. and a few more showers popping up. and kind of a funny line there, from easton, up east of 50, up toward east of rock hall, across portions of talbert county, caroline county. that's all moving to the east very slowly. so some areas this evening will see a few showers and thundershowers. otherwise, maybe a little fog. take a look at temperatures out there. another mild afternoon. we just jumped up to 74. still 71 in oakland. d.c. at 73. the cool spot, by the ocean, which you might expect, ocean city at 61. bernadette woods in the beautiful outback with a look at the lack of snow numbers
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this year. bernadette? >> that's right. we haven't talked about this as much because it hasn't happened much this year. but since it's the last day of winter, we wanted to bring up this graphic for you here. officially, for the season so far, we've had 1.8 inches of snow. and that is measured at bwi marshall. and i can barely remember that here in the city. and the thing is, as far as all- time, and these record goes back to the 1800s, that's the third lowest amount of snow ever in a season. now, we really don't expect any in this forecast. so looks like that's going to hold up. in fact, our temperatures are going up later this week. we'll have that forecast coming up. back inside. >> sounds good, bernadette. thank you. college basketball's march madness continues with women's night, as the maryland women continue their quest for a national championship. sports director mark viviano has the latest on the terps and their challengers. some schools are happy to get invited to the tournament. the maryland women not only expect to get in, they expect to contend for the title.
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and they look to that goal, when they take on their home court in college park tonight. >> reporter: home court is an advantage for the terps. and they use it in navy. in round 2, the opponent is louisville. and though maryland will be favored to win again, they know all about the unpredictable nature of march madness. >> i know our team understands at this time of year, you can just watch the men's bracket and what is taking place. you can't take anything for granted, any team. >> reporter: nothing taken for granted with these terps. they learned a tough lesson when they lost on their home court to georgetown in the tournament a year ago. and it is an especially critical time for the seniors who know that a loss will mean the end of their college careers. and that's a rallying point for the terps. >> the girls play hard for the three seniors. and i know they're going to continue to play hard for us throughout this tournament. we're going to go hard as long as everybody is able to go.
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i know me. definitely excited for this last run. >> reporter: from the seniors on down, including star sophomore, alyssa thomas. this is a special time for the terps. and they embrace the opportunity, without feeling too much pressure. >> i don't think we'll have any problem relaxing. i think everyone is ready to play and excited to play. but i think when the time comes, and we step on the court, we'll all be ready and focused on play. >> reporter: maryland takes on a louisville team played by assistant coach jeff walls. his cardinals knocked maryland out of the tournament. in some ways, the terms are going for revenge. if maryland wins tonight, they will advance to the sweet 16 and regional play in raleigh, north carolina. we wish them luck. >> yes, we do. >> lots of it. still ahead at 5:00. a rough start to a disney vacation. why the tsa administers a patdown to a toddler in a wheelchair. face to face with the
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american soldier accused of killing afghan civilians. details of his emotional meeting in prison today. out with the old and in with the new. bge is said to kick off its new smart grid program. i'm monique griego. coming up. how it could affect your bill. the final day of winter. what can we expect for winter? bob will have the answer in his forecast. ♪
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a baltimore city police officer shot on duty more than two decades ago. now faces a new battle to survive. officer gene cassidy finds his fellow cops are still by his side. >> 25 years ago, officer gene cassidy was shot, fighting crime on the streets of the western district. he survived and thrived as a teacher at the police academy. even though a bullet to the
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face took has eyesight. now, so many years later, gene cassidy finds his life on is on the line again. >> just pray and everything is fine. >> reporter: gene cassidy needs a liver transplant. he unknowingly contracted hepatitis c from all of those liver transplants. rank and file are donating blood and offering support to gene. sergeant keith gladstone stopped by before heading to work. >> 20 years ago, he taught my class. and his legacy, just would like him to continue on. >> reporter: officers, they are a family. and everybody here wants to help gene out. and for some, it is deeply personal. >> on the night in which he was shot, he was working at 7:15, and i would have relieved him within an hour or two. >> reporter: lieutenant richard peel is a close friend of gene's, and that could make him a candidate for a living organ donation. >> for me, it's an honor and
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privilege. >> i'm overwhelmed and deeply, deeply touched. >> reporter: so far, more than 80 people have come by f.o.p. headquarters to donate blood and offer support to gene. if you would like to contribute, the drive continues until 7:00 tonight at f.o.p. headquarters. there's been an accident at pull putty hill parkway. tell appears one vehicle crossed over the center line and collided with other cars. it's unclear how many people were hurt. police closed down westbound putty hill avenue in the area as they continue their investigation. let's get an update now with kristy breslin at wjz traffic control. >> hi, kai. hi, everyone. well, westbound putty hill does remain closed. we have tow trucks on the scene. best way to avoid that would still be to take taylor avenue or joppa road. west side inner loop, traffic continues there from baltimore national pike, around to security boulevard. expect at least 15 minutes to get through. on the south side outer loop, a
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small delay there, from route 10 to the curtis creek draw bridge. northbound 95, brake lights past the beltway. that's on the northeast side. as far as accidents go, fallston, 1 52 at old fallston road. harford at markley. and also, west mosher at north carey. things have thinned out on the beltway west of new york road. this traffic report is brought to you by bill's carpet, hard wood and laminate, too. you can call them at 1-877, 75- bills. back to you. bge is getting ready to put its smart grid program into action. monique griego has more on how this utility hopes modernizing will help end up saving its customers money. >> reporter: conserving energy cost is a big concern for most homeowners. >> i think it's important with this economy that we have today. we have to do everything. >> reporter: bge hopes to help customers like linda thompson
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save money, by installing new smart meters. >> we're going to be able to help our customers do what they have asked us to do for ray long time. >> starting in may, crews will go house to house. installing new digital ones. they'll also be upgrading gas meters. >> this is for the first time, going to give us a two-way connectivity to the meter. >> reporter: bge says the process of switching out the old meters meters with the new ones, only takes a few minutes. so there won't be a lengthy interruption. >> unlike the old ones, smart ones will allow users to track their usage over time. >> this will allow us to pinpoint, with great accuracy, which customers are in service, which are out. >> the smart grid transformation is expected to take three years and cost $482 million. 200 of which was paid for
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through a federal grant. thompson said she is just hoping for a smooth transition. >> i don't like changes myself at all. i like the way it is right now. and it's fine. it's digi stal. but -- digital. but you have to keep up with the times. >> reporter: monique griego. wjz eyewitness news. bge crews will begin installing smart meters in may. then work their way through howard county and baltimore county. baltimore won't start until next year. bob is here. we are a day away from the official start of spring. right? >> just really not that many hours. this is the last few hours of winter. and you're saying, what winter? 74 degrees now. that's may temperatures, by the way. winds south/southeast at 9. humidity is up a little bit. barometer holding steady. come back and take a look at a few thundershowers and a few showers, spring showers in the region right after this. i was shocked to find out how many couples don't sleep in the same bedroom.
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some spring showers popping up for a few isolated showers. might see a brief shower. take a look at carroll county right now.
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all around the westminster area. shower activity to pennsylvania. that cell in the western segment. pinch valley. hassing up toward northern portions. finksberg to the west. looks like it's going to click western, northwestern, baltimore county. really, not expecting much in the city, but it's possible it might extend a little further south. right now, it's quiet. the rest of the state, a little batch over the eastern shore. and a very light batch over the extreme northern sections. that's the one in carroll county and some stuff around hancock. and on the eastern shore, kind of a skinny little line, west of denton. one little thundershower, just southeast of easton now. just popped up. that will be with us for the next 30 to 40 minutes. it will be an hour or two before it begins to calm down. right now, 74 degrees. that is mid-may temperatures. 71, ocean city. with the breeze off the ocean
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there. d.c. at 73. and still 73 at cumberland. locally, temperatures, west westminster is going to drop. 69, rock hall. and still 71 at kent island, annapolis. which by the water, kind of interesting. 10-mile-an-hour winds down there. winds turn to the southeast out there. we have major storms from kansas into northern texas. there could be severe weather around here for the next day or so. out to the west, jet stream going all the way down to northern mexico and right back up here. see that cold air. look at that. snow in montana. snow in portions of the central rockies. they had quite a bit of snow. even phoenix, arizona. 48 this afternoon. but yesterday, had snow shower activity. very, very rare for phoenix in the end of march. yeah, the normal highs in the 80s there. for our part of the world here. brief light sprinkles and showers. in a couple of areas of thundershowers. very widely scattered. most of them to the north. but we may see another happening tomorrow afternoon. not a great chance.
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but all in all, it's going to stay on the warm side. temperatures by the middle or end of the week, could be in the upper 70s to maybe 80 degrees. by friday. so well above normal once again. east winds on the bay. 5 to 10 knots. bay temp, now up to 53. tonight, a brief shower or thundershower. mainly west to north. then fog again overnight. 53, 73 tomorrow. maybe 75, since we got to 74 today. maybe another brief chance of a shower or a brief little thundershower in the afternoon, very typical spring-type conditions. >> all right. thank you, bob. still ahead at 5:00. a big announcement from apple. why the company has decided what to do with $100 billion in cash. a school shooting in france, sparking fears of a serial killer. what police just discovered about the suspect weapon. how these painted lines on the side of 95, nearly cost one maryland man his life. i'm derek valcourt, i'll explain coming up on eyewitness news. mine was earned over the south pacific in 1943.
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it's oysternomics 101. you start with a u.s. senator named ben. by helping restore thousands of acres of oyster beds, he kept hundreds of oystermen on the job... which keeps wholesalers in business... and that means more delivery companies... making deliveries to more restaurants... which hire more workers. and that means more oystermen. it's like he's out here with us. he's my friend, ben. i hope he's your friend, too.
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it's 5:29. 74 degrees and partly cloudy.
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good evening. thank you for staying with wjz eyewitness news. here are some of the stories people are talking about tonight. right now, the search is on for a driver who nearly killed a construction worker on the side of i-95. wjz is live at shock trauma, where the victim is recovering. derek valcourt has more on what happened and the search for a suspect. >> that man had surgery here at shock trauma. he is expected to survive after a car hit him and kept on going. >> reporter: construction worker ricardo jobes, recovering from a shattered leg and a dislocated elbow, after a car slammed into him saturday morning. it happened just after midnight, along the southbound 95. prior to the catonville avenue exit. he began laying down a striping on the section of the highway. >> it could have been far worse. it was actually -- the equipment he was operating was himself and one other employee. just so happened that the other employee was facing traffic. mr. jones had his traffic --
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back to traffic. police say the accident happened so fast that the construction workers were not able to get a good description of the vehicle or a license plate number. the crash reconstruction expert believes it was a gm sedan, possibly gold or silver pontiac. it had damage to the right front left area. >> we just want to advise anyone traveling to any construction zone, to slow their speeds down. >> reporter: that's because work zones can be dangerous. in 2010, maryland registered 1700 crashes in highway work zones, injuring 833 people, killing six. part of the reason why lawmakers agreed to allow speed cameras in construction zones, hoping to slow down traffic. >> jobes is in stable condition here. he is engaged to be married later this summer. right now, it's unclear whether he'll be able to walk down the aisle. derek valcourt, wjz eyewitness
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news. >> anyone with information about the crash is urged to call maryland transportation authority police. that number is 410-537-1208. a father is livid, after his 3-year-old son, wearing a cast, and sitting in a wheelchair, is stopped by a tsa officer at an airport. vic is in the newsroom with more on what happened. >> it happened in the chicago area airport, as the boy traveled with his family to a disney vacation. the boy's father posted video on you tube. the tsa officer pulled him aside to give him a patdown and swab his cast. he also asked to lift his shirt. the father said he reassured his son through the whole thing to keep him from getting upset. tsa says it is aware of the video. >> t s's -- tsa's policy allows them to pat down a child while they remain in the wheelchair.
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afghans meets with the attorneys. this is as charges come against him. teresa garcia has the latest. >> reporter: staff sergeant robert bales met with his attorney, john henry brown, for the first time, behind the walls of fort leavenworth. brown is just now hearing his client's side of the story. >> you can't imagine a more difficult case, i don't think. i mean, every challenge. political ramifications. legal ramifications. social ramifications. >> reporter: bales could be formally charged this week for killing 16 afghan civilians. nine of them, children. people who know the 38-year-old father of two are shocked. captain chris alexander served with bales. >> no job too menial or dangerous. he would always get it done and get it done very well. >> reporter: the killings have sparked outrage in afghanistan. president hamid karzai says american and nato forces should pull out of the bases and return.
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but the mission has not changed. >> stabilizing afghanistan sufficiently so we can train up and transfer authority to afghan security forces. and withdraw our troops as we do that. >> reporter: bales joined the military after the 9/11 attacks and did four tours in the middle east. he was injured twice. his lawyers said bales lost part of a foot and suffered concussion. >> you know, anybody who has had three or four deployments to the most is probably going to have some sort of pt sd. >> teresa garcia, wjz eyewitness news. >> if bales stands trial, civilians from afghanistan could be flown to the united states to testify. an american teacher working in yemen is killed by gunmen, linked to al qaeda. the victim, 29-year-old joel schrum, was shot to death in his car. al qaeda accuses him of trying to convert muzz limits to christ-- muslims to christianity. but his family denies that.
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saying he went to learn arabic and became passionate about teaching business skills to the people there. a gunman opens fire in front of a jewish school in france today. the weapon to other recent shootings in the area. manuel gallegus reports for wjz, there are concerns the gunman is targeting french minorities. >> ross school, as news spread of the shooting. all the children from this school are like my children, this woman said. police said a gunman on a motor bike opened fire just before classes started in the southwest city of taluz. a rabbi, his two young sons and another child were all killed. the prosecutor says he shot at everybody who was nearby. children ask adults. the children were chased inside the school. >> reporter: investigators say the gun used in the attack is the same one used to kill three soldiers in two separate
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incidents in the same area last week. in both of those shootings, the gunman escaped on a scooter. french president nicholas nicolas sarkozy rushed to the school. he promised to find the killer. authorities are trying to determine if this latest shooting is a terrorist attack. so far, the motive is unknown. but one of israel's top diplomats in france says it is clear the shooter singled out the jewish community. >> the jewish school was a target. this is something that cannot be understood. how can you aim at children from a close range and kill them. innocent civilians. >> reporter: french media reports the soldiers in last week's attacks were of arab descent. security is now tighter at both jewish and muslim buildings around taluz. manuel gallegus, wjz eyewitness news. >> france has the largest jewish community in western europe. estimated at half a million people. it also has the largest muslim population in the region. two british journalists
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accused of spying in libya, are heading home tonight. both men boarded a plane in tripoli, after being cleared of all charges. they were working for iran's english language press tv when they were detained by a libyan militia last month. several international rights organizations fought for their release. yet another jump in gas prices. the national average for a gallon of regular will run you $3.84. that is up 4 cents from a week ago. the jump marks the tenth consecutive day of rising gas prices. and here's a look at gas prices in our area. last month, we paid about $3.59 right now, that is up almost 30 cents at $3.87. it's a head-to-head battle in illinois, with mitt romney and rick santorum. they are spending the day, trading barbs over each other's plans. randall pinkston reports from the white house. mitt romney took the podium in chicago. >> this election is going to be
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about principal. our economic froiment. freedom will be on the ballot. >> reporter: first, romney faces rick santorum in tuesday's tuesday's illinois primary. romney is fresh from a win in puerto rico. and new poll numbers say he is leading santorum by seven points in illinois. but he's not taking any chances. the former governor is quick to point out why he is the better choice for the republican party. >> i'm running for president in part because i have the experience and the vision to get us out of this mess. >> reporter: romney is linking santorrum to president obama, calling both men economic lightweights. santorum is pushing back. >> you hear him talk about i created jobs in the private sector. but he didn't do anything in massachusetts that created an environment of jobs. why? because he exploded the size and scale of government. >> reporter: santorum is brushing aside new calls hear him to step aside. romney's campaign says there is
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no way that he can pick up enough delegates. but santorum plans to take it all the way to the connection. >> if we happen to win illinois, that would be the 11th state i've won in this election. >> reporter: ron paul and newt gingrich chose to skip campaigning there. keeping their focus on contests in the weeks to come. at the white house, randall pinkston, wjz eyewitness news. >> mitt romney is scheduled to campaign here in maryland this week. on wednesday afternoon, he'll host a town hall in arbutte us. and later that night, he'll attend a rally in frederick. apple announces what it plans to do with $100 billion in cash. the company is sharing some of that money with some of its shareholders. apple will pay a dividend of $2.65. july 1st. it will also begin buying back up to $10 billion of its stock later this year. the announcement comes after the launch of the ipad 3 in 10
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countries. looking for work? each as the unemployment rate drops. thousands of marylanders are still struggling to find jobs. >> i'm stacy. >> i'm diane. >> some may call it schmoozing. others call it survival. >> it's very challenging. just due to you have to know someone that is already inside the business. >> reporter: william bolwear is one of many at the national careers fair. a recent mechanical engineering graduate, he spent the last six months looking for work. >> it's actually really tough to get the job in the field you studied in. it's really tough. >> reporter: but the bureau of labor statistics shows the job market is the best it's been in two years. maryland's unemployment rate is now at 6.5% approximate. almost 2% lower than the national average. >> reporter: and almost all of the growth was in the private sector, adding about 5,000 jobs in january. >> reporter: this employer says there are fewer candidates to pick from lately. >> each time we have been here, i've seen a little less each
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time. yeah. actually, today has been the least busy. >> reporter: but those still out of work aren't as positive. >> i don't have my bachelor's degree. i just have an associate's. that makes me really nervous. i think there is a lot of competition out there. >> reporter: in the meantimes, williams is working a side job, but still hoping he'll find has dream job. >> keep filling online applications out. and hopefully something will break through. >> reporter: andrea fujii, wjz eyewitness news. >> according to the bureau of labor statistics, salisbury has the highest unemployment rate in the state. from 68 now to 16. the first three rounds of the ncaa tournaments in the books. jessica is live with an update. and the asusbraise bracket -- asus bracket challenge. here is where we stand now. in a tie for first place. meteorologist bern dote woods -- bernadette woods and mary.
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adam may is in second place with 78. and bob turk rounds out the top with 76 points. as for me, i may not be in that bobblehead leader board. but i'm still there somewhere. somewhere. if you want to check the stands, go to wjz.com. i have to tell you, you and western look really good in those jerseys. >> thank you. with our heads bobbing. >> it's not my style. >> you stick with football. all right, jess, thank you. march madness continues with sweet 16. then it's battle of ohio buckeyes versus the bear cats at about 9:30. it's all live, all the action, right here on wjz 13. >> you and bern. i hadn't noticed. i think i was painting a wall or something. >> i'll get you to notice. all right am i'm a little jealous. still ahead on eyewitness news. distracted pedestrians beware. new proposal to punish people who text while walking in
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washington, d.c. a double whammy. where storm chasers caught tornado and hail the size of golf balls. dangerous stuff. i'm bob turk. first warning weather center. warm starts the spring tomorrow. i'll have the exclusive first warning five-day forecast. here's today's report from wall street. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
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all right. very spring-like afternoon. a few showers over howard county now. that's the closest thing to baltimore region. doesn't look like we're going to see much tonight. but we might see more widely scattered showers tomorrow. bernadette has a look at that tuesday forecast. bernadette? >> that's right. anything that is forming over the next couple of hours will die down. we'll see fog form. and that's how we'll start out the day tomorrow. we're going to have fog out there, eventually giving way to some sunshine. it will be a hazy day. and a chance again for a shower or thunderstorm as we head through the afternoon or evening hours. overall, though, the warmth continues. and that is the big story. for more on that, here's bob. looks like tomorrow, a day just like today. low to mid-70s. maybe a shower in the afternoon. very widely scattered. wednesday, chances of showers probably a lot less.
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73 at least. look at this thursday and friday. 79. 81 on friday. that's like early june. 69, a few showers here on saturday. yes, slightly cooler. but once again, our normal highs are in the mid-50s. mary? >> wow, bob. thank you. in today's energy saver, experts recommend installing a programmable thermostat. you can save on average, $200 a year, by using a programmable thermostat. for more information on how you can be an energy saver, go to wjz.com, scroll down the right- hand side of the page and click on our special section. oklahoma. storm chasers reported hail the size of tennis balls. the threat of severe weather lingers today. meteorologists expect the storms to move west and into texas. a winter storm across los angeles county is causing major problems. gusty winds, up to 45 miles an
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hour, flip a small plane at the compton airport. the plane was on the runway when the incident occurred. fire officials say the pilot wasn't hurt. the intense search for a missing hot air balloon pilot comes to a tragic end in georgia. search crews found the body in south georgia. he was taking five sky divers into the air friday when thunderstorms struck. high winds carried him height highinto the air before he crashed. he saved their lives by telling them to jump. if you're crossing the street in washington, d.c., you may want to stop talking about your mobile phone. the city council is issuing a distracted walking report to ban crossing on the street while listening to music. talking on the phone or texting will also be included. the report also calls on expanding the rules. last year, 11 pedestrians and two bikers were killed on d.c. streets. about 700 were hurt. time now for a quick look
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at some of the stories you'll find in the baltimore sun. upset residents in new windsor have started a petition drive to recall their elected officials. students, beware of what you're posting on facebook and twitter. scholarship providers are checking applicants' social media sites. and more on the women in louisville. for these and more, read the baltimore sun. remember to look for the updated first warning forecast from the wjz first warning weather team. check in for these stories and more coming up at 5:00. tow truck corruption scene. more than a dozen officers accused. new at 6:00, the sentence for one of the officers involved. unthinkable crime. a mother accused of killing her children. what she told prosecutors. check in for these stories and all the day's breaking news. still to come tonight on wjz's eyewitness news. a neighborhood confrontation leads to the death of a teenager. tonight, new demands for an arrest, as police release the
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911 calls in this racially- charged case. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
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st. patrick's day celebration. party quickly became a riot, when police started a brush fire. the mob grew to about 1,000 people and several were hurt. 11 people were arrested. police say the riot caused about $100,000 in damage. a freak accident claims the life of a preg nabilities woman -- pregnant woman on vacation. police say a car came crashing through a hotel pool cabana in fort lauderdale, crushing 26- year-old alanna of massachusetts. the driver of that car is expected to be okay. police are asking what caused the accident. more fallout over the death of an unarmed florida teenager, shot and killed by a neighborhood watch leader. supporters of trayvon martin, are calling for justice, as police released the 911 tapes from the night in question.
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mark strausman reports the latest for wjz. >> reporter: hundreds of trayvon martin supporters marched sunday, outraged that three weeks after the shooting death of the 17-year-old, police have not arrested the gunman. >> i would like to see an arrest. i would like to see this man brought to justice. >> reporter: martin was visiting relatives on february 26th, walking in their subdivision on his way home from a 711 store and was unarmed. it was 7:00 p.m. george zimmerman thought martin looks suspicious and called police. >> he's got his hand in his waistband. and he's a black male. >> are you following him? >> yeah. >> okay. we don't need you to do that. >> but zimmerman ignored the dispatcher. he caught up with martin. they fought. two minutes after zimmerman was told police would handle it, several neighbors began calling 911, about hearing screens --s,
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then gun -- screams, then gunfire. >> so you think he's yelling "help?" >> yes. gunshot. >> there's gshtzs. >> reporter: martin was dead, shot once in the chest. zimmerman has a lawful permit conseemed weapon. -- concealed weapon. but all martin was carrying was a cell phone, bag of skittles and a can of soda. >> my son is the victim they're treating him like the suspect. >> they say this is an example why florida's gun control laws need to be stricter. florida is among the first of the states to allow concealed weapons. still ahead on eyewitness news. disturbance downtown. i'm mike hellgren. why hundreds of young people converged on streets here over the weekend. the police response. and what the mayor is saying and what the mayor is saying needs to be done ,,
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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. i'm ben cardin, and i approved this message. and those well grounded. for what's around this corner... and the next. there's cash flow options from pnc. solutions to help businesses like yours accelerate receivables, manage payments,
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and help ensure access to credit. because we know how important cash flow is to reaching your goals. pnc bank. for the achiever in you.
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coming up on wjz eyewitness news. disturbance downtown. how the internet fueled a chaotic crowd in and around the harbor. how police say they want to make sure it doesn't happen again. search is on for the suspect. i'm jessica kartalija, coming up. i'm alex demetrick. coming up, a maryland soldier,
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murdered in afghanistan is remembered. that story as eyewitness news continues. what a way to start the week. stick around for the updated first warning weather forecast. check in for these stories and all the day's breaking news. >> wjz eyewitness news at 6:00 starts now. out of control. a massive gathering of unruly teenagers in downtown baltimore. >> tonight, why social media is blamed and what is being done to prevent it from happening again. >> i'm vic carter. >> i'm adam may. here's what people are talking about. >> chaos at baltimore's most popular tourist attraction. police try to calm an out-of- control crowd at the inner

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