many chanting we are trayvon martin. the cries for justice in the trayvon martin case are being heard nationwide and loudly here in maryland with several passionate rallies one month after a neighborhood watch volunteer shot martin to death in florida. many believe he was targeted for the color of his skin. >> i hope our country not only feels good but the right to both the justice and social justice as a whole but that we also feel compassion. >> am i next? any of my friends or colleagues next. >> reporter: it has many reliving how they were victimized. >> i had to sit down with my son and talk to him about the code. the code being, how do you conduct yourself as an african american male in our society when you may be approached by authority figures. >> reporter: in annapolis the legislative black caucus drew attention to the cause. >> we're concerned because we believe justice has not been served this young man was

actually taken away in a body bag. his body was examined for drugs and so forth. yet the person who commited the crime was allowed to walk away. >> reporter: and in baltimore, senator ben carton pulled for passing a new law. >> from the federal government we want to know how race came into play. >> reporter: martin's death has become for these supporters a powerful exampleover injustice that can no longer be tolerated. >> i have a 17-year-old myself and if it was my child i would want for people to support us as well. >> get a chance, and next thing you know, you're dead. you're gone. >> reporter: and you're looking live at the growing crowd here as they chant, all agents and races and many people are wearing hoodies, still moved by what has happened in florida they now plan to march to

baltimore city hall. reporting live, mike hellgren, wjz eyewitness news. >> all right mike, we can hear members of the rally clearly. as a result of this case the maryland caucus is asking the department of justice to review stand your ground laws in 21 states to give room for people to use deadly force instead of retreat during a fight. well thousands of people including ravens star ray lewis are also turning out for a rally tonight in the city where trayvon martin died. complete coverage from sanford florida. >> reporter: the parents of trayvon martin gathered with supporters at a church outside sanford florida to defend their son. >> they've killed my son, and now they are trying to kill his reputation. >> reporter: the unarmed 17- year-old was gunned down last month in a gated neighborhood. the shooter claims he fired in self-defense.

zimmerman has not been charged. >> even in death they are still disrespecting my son. >> reporter: news that trayvon martin had been suspended from school because they found traces of marijuana in his notebook. >> whatever trayvon was suspended for, it doesn't matter. >> reporter: a friend of zimmerman says the incident was not racially motivated. >> there's a gap from the time that george got out of the vehicle and that the gun went off that we don't know what happened. >> reporter: a special prosecutor has been appointed to oversee the case. in sanford florida, randall

pinkston, wjz news. >> ray lewis will be joined by comedian sinbad in sanford florida. a critical piece of evidence is being debated during pretrial motions for trevor and tremayne johnson, the two brothers are accused of lighting a pit bull on fire. the dog known as phoenix later died. according to our media partner the baltimore sun, prosecutors want to use a video tape that shows parts of the crime. the first trial for the johnson's ended with a hung jury largely because that video

left the jury unsure. some drier weather following that week of rain. it is windy outside. temperatures are dropping it may cause some problems overnight. bernadette woods and bob terp are updating our weather. >> temperatures in the mid- to upper 50s. oakland only at 43. pax river is up to 61. but it'll get colder tonight. rain is still a factor -- winds are still a factor they will also be diminishing tonight. bernadette woods has the word on frost and freeze conditions expected overnight tonight, bernadette. >> reporter: that's right these winds are bringing in colder air. although we got up to 60 degrees this afternoon the temperatures are going to drop tonight under clear skies with those winds dying down. because of that freeze warnings in effect for most of the state. there is a freeze advisory. that's actually just been

upgraded to a freeze warning as we speak. so look at that, most of the state under a freeze warning. the thing is, we're predicting a low 32 degrees. that's at vwi marshall. saobs you get out of the -- as soon as you get out of the city temperatures dropping into the 20s. >> bernadette, thank you. new developments tonight involving leopold. he's accused of having his police detail drive him to sexual rendezvous. police chief tier will be at the trial but it's not known if he will testify. wjz is at tonight's meeting and we'll bring you the latest at 11:00. maryland takes the political spotlight in tonight's campaign report.

the gop candidates are stopping here. pat warren has more on where newt gingrich is expected to campaign tomorrow, pat. >> reporter: that's right, right time, right place for once maryland's primary stands out from the crowd and we are in the process of early voting. in baltimore county and around the state maryland voters cast their primary election ballots today. >> we still have major issues health wise, education, taxes. and spending just it's too much spending. >> reporter: early voting started saturday fresh off a visit last week by former massachusetts governor mitt romney who's campaign is headed by bob ehrlich. rick santorum's campaign is also penciled in for tuesday. and ron paul holds a meeting at university park on tuesday.

it's a lot more attention than republicans are hoping to receive, but they're paying close attention. >> whether it's romney or santorum or ron paul or newt gingrich. we have four people and that's a lot to choose from. and sometimes it's hard but you have to listen to it all. >> reporter: political analysts richard bats of romney supporters say there are some things to be gained by making a showing here. >> maryland is considered a very, very left wing state. but the republicans even if you won't know this from election rhetoric, the candidates are pretty moderate. >> reporter: but the message is appealing for conservatives as well. there are 37 delegates up for grabs and it will not be determined after the primary who gets how many. reports live from annapolis, i'm pat warren, now back to you. >> thank you. primary election day in maryland is april 3rd.

stay with wjz for complete coverage of campaign 2012. we'll continue to bring you the latest on air and online at wjz.com. it is march madness for the university of maryland's women's basketball team. a big come back win has the terps on the brink of the final four, sports director mark viviano has more on how far the team has come. i was on the edge of my seat on sunday. >> many were. it was one of those games, the terps are going to take on noter dame tomorrow night. some will say it was maryland that had the luck of the irish and how they were able to advance to the game against noder dame. it was a thrilling victory over texas a & m. >> two on one. carter to a rice thomas, got back. and how about that. >> reporter: that was impressive but not as impressive as maryland's come back effort down by 18 points they rallied in both the first and second halfs to eventually overcome the defending national champion texas a & m. the terps

have shown all season that they should never be counted out. >> just continue to fight for each other. we've always believed that. we believed we could come back and we did. >> we don't freak out if we are down because we've been there and done that. we stay focused on our possessions one at a time. >> reporter: the maryland women say they play like there's everything to gain. nobody expected them to come this far. so they are lose. >> i think in a second round when we play louisville we did have a little pressure that we didn't get past second round last year. but from now on we're just playing and we're going to play for 40 minutes. >> for us there's no pressure. it's a start of the season, no one expected us to be here. and you know we're going to go out as the two seed, and we're going to play our hearts out for 40 minutes we're going to be 12 strong fighting to be able to get a chance to go to denver. >> coach mentioned denver, that

is the site of the women's final four. with the win in raleigh north carolina the tomorrow night, the terps can then go in may. the men's final four is now set. saturday night it's kentucky versus louisville at 6:00. then it's kansas versus ohio state. you can watch those two games here on wjz. today the maryland jockey club is launching it's advertising campaign. it features the return of pegasus. officials are once again trying to draw a younger crowd to the event on may 19th. >> it is the highlight of my career when i get to interview pegasus. >> i imagine so. who knows what interesting body piercings pegasus will have this year. >> i'll bring it to you live. still to come on eyewitness news at 5:00, handcuffed and dragged out of an airport. the story behind this security

video and why police are now investigating. gas prices continue to rise. so is there an end in sight? i'm moniqui griego. i have the report from aaa and their findings may surprise you. i'm jessica kartalija, we'll take you behind the scenes of the new and improve ballpark. will our weather warm up again by the end of the week? bob has more on the updated forecast. ,,,,,,,,,,,,

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wow, you are looking at a live protest in downtown baltimore as hundreds of people march in solidarity with trayvon martin. he's the teenager killed by a volunteer watchman in sanford florida. it is a large crowd around light and pratt street. we'll have much more coming up tonight and of course at 6:00. the u.s. supreme court is hearing historic arguments over obama's health care law. danielle nottingham reports from washington. >> the heated debate over president obama's health care law reached the steps of the

supreme court monday. hundreds protested outside as the nine justices began hearing three days of arguments over whether the law that affects millions of americans is constitutional. monday's session focused on whether these legal challenges must wait until 2013 when the full law takes effect. >> if we look at the correct interpretation statute we not need to decide. >> there would be no reason to decide the jurisdiction. >> don't you want to know the answer? >> reporter: a ruling is expected in june right in the middle of presidential election battle. the decision could have a major impact on both president obama and his gop rivals who have pledged to repeal the law. rick santorum went to the supreme court and pledged to make it the central issue if he's the republican nominee. >> this is the most important issue in these elections. >> reporter: people lined up for days for a day to hear the

historic argument. >> i truly believe this law tramples our constitution. i think it's important to come out and support this law that has already helped so many americans. >> reporter: the justices consider the law so called individual mandate tuesday. it requires uninsured americans to buy health coverage by 2014 or pay a penalty. at the supreme court, danielle nottingham. a new cbs news new york times poll shows that americans can continue to be skeptical about the health care law, 47% disapprove of the law. including 30% who strongly disapprove. if you're waiting for someone to get home from work let's check on the roads with christine bresland. >> hi christie, hi kai, hi everyone. if you're traveling on the top of the beltway that's not the place to be at this hour. we have an accident that's blocking the street on the

right hand lane. the delay is solid. heavy from providence road to charles street. we're looking at 25 minutes now from fredrick road over to security boulevard. harrisburg expressway in the northbound direction, slow there from swan road to bell pass about 15 minutes to get through. as far as accidents go, a northbound 95 a crash there at white marsh boulevard. also pentington avenue at east petaskco. traveling northbound from the beltway over to white marsh. 36-miles-per-hour average and about six minutes to get through. let's now take a live look, that is the delay due to the accident at york road. so give yourself a little bit of extra time to get through. this traffic report is brought to you by the cockrin firm. call 1-800-the -firm or you can

visit them online to set your consultation. this year oriole park turns 20. jessica kartalija explains big changes are planned to make the stadium everyone more fan friendly. >> reporter: major changes in place for opening day at the ballpark. camden yards is getting a facelift. >>less than two weeks to go till opening day. the 20th anniversary of oriole park and we want to make sure that the ballpark looks beautiful and that a lot of the amen -- amenities we add this season will be made. >> reporter: seven and 8-foot tall bronze sculptured of the six of the orioles greatest players stand at the bullpen

picnic grove. and the flag has been modified to improve the view for fans. >> we believe that the areas that we're adding are going to create a social environment, where fans can see their friends, it's not like if you're trapped in your seats watching the game. >> reporter: fans are ready for the first pitch. >> it's a mess right now but it's going to look much better on opening day. >> reporter: opening day is on good friday april 6. i'm jessica kartalija, wjz eyewitness news. wjz is your place for complete opening day coverage friday april 6th as jessica mentioned. our coverage kicks off at 2:00 p.m. with a pregame scheduled, followed by the game. let's take a look at temps, 57 now at north-northwest winds at 18. humidity is way way down. a chilly night on tap we'll talk about that right after this. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

we're looking at federal hill. everything in bloom there. and the heat continues to bring very dry canadian air. tonight when the winds dry down, temperatures are going to plummet back in the 30s. even some upper 20s, so that's something we have to watch. if you have any tender plants, tropicals so what, get them in or cover them up because they probably won't survive. unless you live in the city,

the city should stay above freezing. 47 in oakland, right now 56 in ocean city. locally 52 up in bell air, 523 westminster. we have a breeze still, 22, 18. still kind of breezy. later tonight the temperatures will drop. even though cool dry air continues to move in. really need the light winds clear skies that's when you really get your coldest temperatures. 50, 47 so far. 57-37 the normals. the records 84, 1921, 21 degrees in 1978. off the east coast and rain you saw this weekend, generally a half to .3 of an inch. to the west that's where some

more weather is. warming over portions of the midwest will bring us a much warmer day on wednesday. then scattered shower and thundershower activity. to the east you see clear skies, just a few clouds left over here across portions of the northern maine. generally tonight the winds will dry down. tomorrow looks like a lot of sunshine, a little bit breezy. and wind conditions could be scattered. probably after dinner time some scattered thunderstorms activities and the front comes through. it cools down again toward the end of the week. small craft advisory on the bay tonight through tomorrow afternoon and winds gusting as high as 20 knots. the bay temp right now around 53 degrees. tonight look out we do have a freeze watch and freeze warning in effect. most areas down to 32, 35 or so in the city. tomorrow lots of sunshine, still a bit breezy but not as strong as today.

55, down in the 30s tomorrow night. low 70s on wednesday. >> all right. roller coaster thanks bob. a march in support of trayvon martin. wjz is live downtown with the latest on the protest. and doctors discover a possible cure for a disease. >> if i see it it's bloodstream -- [ bleep ]. come on man, what are you doing. why the gop candidate is cursing at a reporter. row is celebrating the 100t,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

it's 5:30, 57 degrees and sunny. good evening thank you for staying with wjz eyewitness news. here are some of the stories people are talking about

tonight. hundreds of people are marching through downtown baltimore at this moment in support of trayvon martin he's the florida teenager killed by a neighborhood watch volunteer. >> reporter: the rally is making its way to city hall. many people are chanting we are trayvon. we have it covered from several angle so we can take a look from sky 13. you said hundreds of people we mean hundreds of people. it really grew here, it grew fast. it struck a nerve in baltimore particularly when you're talking about the issue of race, injustice. we have a live look from city hall where people are just starting to arrive there from here at the interharbor. this is just one of three rallies. another in west baltimore with senator carden. looking at the massive crowd here rallying in support of

justice for trayvon martin. and senator carden today spoke of the need to make social profiling illegal nationwide. there's still valleys going on in sanford florida in conviction of this one month anniversary of trayvon martin's death. wjz eyewitness news. mike, thank you. wjz will stay with this story. we will bring you complete coverage of the events happening here and in florida tonight at 6:00. just when you thought it couldn't get any worse the cost of gas goes up again this week in tonight's pump watch report. monique griego reports we could see higher gas prices before we see any relief. >> reporter: gas stations continue to pump out the pain. >> it's outrageous. i just put $20 in, that's not even half a tank. >> reporter: this week gases

increased again. maryland's is even higher at $3.83. inching toward that dreaded $4 a gallon. >> when it will come down. when the happy days will come back, something like that. >> reporter: despite these outrageously high prices, aaa has only more bad news. they say the summer months mean more hikes. that's when the east coast switches from winter blend to the more expensive summer blend. and for drivers that means, topping off already abnormally high prices. >> what we're about to see the increases will make it worse but these are the typical increases we will see seasonal. >> reporter: experts expect prices to jump 10 to 20-cents over the next few weeks before spiking in mid-may at the report 4:25 a gallon. >> it's hurting everybody. no matter from a mercedes to

anybody, it hurts everybody. >> $4.50 to $4.70 i don't think would be wrong. >> i bet a lot of people hope you are wrong. >> i hope i'm wrong. >> go the wjz.com and click on links and numbers. police are hoping a bigger reward will help in the arrest of a vandalism. someone caused damage to 20 head stones earlier this month. donations have increased the reward in the case to more than $1,200. so far there are no suspects or a motive. an investigation is under way after a man is dragged out of the airport. denise koch has the story. >> reporter: the video comes from will rogers world airport. it shows the uniformed officer handcuffing a man on the ground and then dragging the man face down on the floor. the man was arrested because he was screaming he was waiting to

see republican presidential candidate newt gingrich and claiming he had documents to give to gingrich. oklahoma city police are reviewing the conduct of the officer involved. mary. >> reporter: denise, thank you. disorderly conduct and other complaints filed against the suspect have been dropped. right now rick santorum is defending his angry outburst at a new york times reporter. the heated confrontation. >> reporter: rick santorum got into a heated discussion. >> what speech did you listen to? >> right here, right here. >> stop lying. >> reporter: during a speech moments before, the former pennsylvania senator had told a crowd of supporters not to vote

for romney. >> pick any other republican in the country, he is the worse republican in the country to put up against barack obama. >> reporter: santorum clarified he meant romney couldn't take on president obama when it comes to health care. >> quit distorting our words. if i see it, it's [ bleep ]. come on man, what are you doing? >> reporter: jeff selany is the reporter santorum tussled with. >> he clearly knew the camera was rolling here. the pressure is on him and he's trying to appoint people toward health care. and if he wants to use the media in this foil that's up to him. but we're able to ask questions just like everybody else. >> reporter: santorum says the reporter was taking him out of context. susan mcginnis, wjz. >> santorum overwhelmingly won

this week. but he is still behind romney on delegates. the wife of the u.s. soldier accused of killing 17 afghan civilians is speaking up. robert bales wife carolyn says her husband showed no signs of post-traumatic disorder before he was deployed. army officials say he will stand trial in america and not in afghanistan. also from afghanistan three nato troops are gunned down by their afghan colleagues. two of victims were british soldiers. the number of these types of attacks have grown since the burning of qurans at an army base. in tonight's health watch, new research provides clear proof that weight loss surgery

can reverse and cure type ii diabetes. teresa garcia reports with reports from the doctors. >> reporter: for years tim spere had a heart time keeping off the pound and keeping his type ii diabetes on check. >> i would go on a diet and lose some weight and it would slowly sneak back on. >> reporter: doctors are looking into whether weight loss surgery would work. >> after a week or so i did not need the medication for diabetes at all. >> reporter: patients were given one of two types of weight loss surgery plus medication to treat the disease. a third group just got the medicine. the surgery patients lost more weight and achieved normal blood sugar levels better than the groups just on medication. >> the patients at the end of

one year they were on an average of less than one medication for their diabetes, in fact, about 40% of the patients were on no medication. their diabetes essentially went away. >> reporter: 26 million adults have dye -- diabetes in the u.s. for some surgery could make a big difference. but surgery comes with a risk, including digestion and gallstones. >> i feel like a million bucks today, i have enough energy to do what i have to do with two little kids returning around the house. >> reporter: he's dropped 60- pound and his diabetes is in remission. >> the cleveland clinic will continue to monitor the patients in the study for five years. also in health watch, a new

study shows popcorn has more antioxidants. and the study found that the pieces that get stuck in your teeth have the highest antioxidants. a dozen robbery suspects are apprehended by police as they're trying to crack down on crime. and a local drummer is the founder of his own tech start up, band happy. a way for music teachers to connect with students all over the world. read tomorrow's baltimore sun and don't forget to look for the latest forecast from the wjz team. baltimore will be marking

the 20th anniversary of camden yards opening. one of the city's best known symbols will play a big part of the celebration. new mr. bo is ready to swing for the fences. >> reporter: nothing says baltimore like national beer and mr. bo. >> that's like the domino sugar sign, welcome home. >> reporter: this season the oriole's home camden yards is marking it's 20th anniversary. >> now this celebrating the orioles is 20 years at camden yards is awesome. >> reporter: music to the ears of the founder of nacho mamas. >> the white marble steps and the domino neon, but noti bo is the most beloved icon in baltimore. >> reporter: many fans cannot believe the yards have been

around for two decades. >> it doesn't seem that long ago i was going to memorial state. >> reporter: already they're becoming collectors items. >> you know the crazy thing is i've already seen them on ebay. they're already selling these things on ebay. >> reporter: it was the beer that helped build the city. now a new mr. bo that forever changed baseball. a baltimore original. >> when i look out the window at night at my house i see mr. bo winking. >> reporter: ron max, wyz news. the commemorative cans will be sold at camden yards when the season begins. log on to wjz.com. i used to have one of those pins and its eyeballs go out. >> you have to find that. >> it has to be a collectors item. >> it's got to be for sure. accused of a cover up what's happening in court as a landmark church abuse case

begins in philadelphia. >> here in the weather center, a nice chill, we'll get warmer again. i'll have details on the five day forecast. here's today's report from wall street. we'll be right back. 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.

it is down to the final four jessica kartalija with wjz.com to update the bracket. >> the closer we get to the play offs the more you can win. mary, then scott, and tim williams score is so far is 144. i'm nowhere to be found thanks to our executive producer mitch friedmann who again told me to go with syracuse. if you want to see where you stand, log on to wjz.com and click on the bracket challenge on the top of the home page. let's check in now with the current leader mrs. bernadette woods. >> you have to go with uk.

i will advise you in the future. >> never again. >> hopefully they're going to continue to carry me that would be nice. great games this weekend. we did have the rain come in that has gotten out of here now. overnight temperatures are going to drop. tomorrow what's going to happen during the morning hours we start out close to freezing but during the afternoon, with sunshine around and less wind we top out in the mid-50s. tomorrow night we do start to drop once again but not quite to the same level as tonight. so for the rest of the five day here's bob. >> it's that luck of kentucky for her that's what it is. for our region we have a cold night tonight. sunny and chilly tomorrow at 55. down in the 30s, look at the huge warm up. evening thundershowers or this -- or thunderstorms likely on wednesday. a chance of a shower saturday, up to 63 degrees. mary. >> thank you. today's energy saver

focuses on getting ready for the summer heat and attic ventilating system draws cool air to the top and can feel like air-conditioning but at a lower cost. it also pumped in cool summer air on warm evening and can lower cost. for more information go to wjz.com. scroll down the home page and click on the special section. a church abuse case is now under way in philadelphia. monosenior bren pled not guilty. charged with allegedly knowing about abuse but conspiring to cover it up. an implosion since debris sends debris flying hurting a man nearly two blocks away. crews were demolishing the old amway arena when an 8-inch

piece of steel struck the man's leg. witnesses say he was alert and talking when paramedics arrive. the president of the demolition company stopped by the hospital and paid for the man's medical bills. >> he has already broken a number of box office records and now james cameron is taking history under the sea. he reached the deepest point of the pacific ocean yesterday in a custom made submarine. he spent nearly an hour exploring. >> there had to be a people when i stopped and took it in -- moment when i stopped and took it in. i'm at the deepest part of the world and what does that mean. >> reporter: he is the third person to reach the bottom, but the first to do it absolutely alone. >> wow, that's amazing. check in with eyewitness news at 6:00 for these stories

and more coming up. denise is standing by with the preview. >> calls for justice a massive rally in baltimore and around the nation for the 17-year-old florida boy killed in a confrontation. blond bandit busted is a plea deal in the works for a woman accused of crime spree throughout maryland, washington and virginia. check in with these stories and much more coming up at 6:00. now back to kai and mary. still to come. an historic visit for the ,,,,,,

crews off the coast of italy recovered five more bodies from the wrecked contra concordia. the costa concordia sank after hitting a reef in january. two people are still missing tonight, they are presumed dead. syrian president assad continued his crack down on an anti government protesters. homs was hit hard by heavy shelling again today.

the violence comes as members of the u.n. and the arab league prepared to meet to put measure on assad. pope benedict xvi continued his visit with a trip to cuba. >> reporter: the preparations began months ago to build a temporary altar in the city's main square where the hope will hold an open air mass. tuesday morning he will visit a shrine to the island's patron saint the virgin of chariot. organizers are expecting tens of thousands to attend including faithful from the united states. pope benedict tripped to the

communist country is drawing comparesons to pope john paul's visit. the pope arrived from mexico where he wore a sombrero and spoke out against drug related violence to hundreds. the pope is trying to win over the cuban people during this whirlwind trip. almost 800 journalists from 33 countries were granted visas for the pope ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

coming up on wjz, anger and action. an unarmed teenager shot to death. the protest here in maryland and across the nation. examining obama care, the supreme court to decide if the president's health care law is unconstitutional. what it could mean for the 2012 election. maryland preparing for a big show down with a national power house. a trip to the final four is on the line. and coolest start to the week, don't miss the updated

morning forecast. wjz eyewitness news at 6:00 starts now. demanding justice -- the protest in baltimore and across the nation for the unarmed teenager killed by a neighborhood watch volunteer. hello everybody i'm denise koch and i'm mary bubala. here is what people are talking about tonight. >> from maryland to florida, rallies for trayvon martin. let's go to mike hellgren with more on