take a look. this store has been selling tickets all day. we were at the one-stop shop. excuse me. the soda pop shop, rather, in catonsville. and they're just selling fast. >> reporter: this saturday sound of a record-breaking jackpot up for grabs. atat the soda pop shop in catonsville, the line for mega millions ticket is nonstop. >> running through. >> it's the biggest jackpot on earth ever. $640 million. for some mega millions players. >> i'm going to make some money. >> a huge house. for my family so i can move away. >> i'll be in maryland, but i'll be hiding.

>> reporter: if she wins the record-breaking jackpot, he could buy 1,000 houses, worth half a million dollars each. >> i think it's fair when the jackpot reached $540 million yesterday, anyone who was remotely interested, bought a ticket. >> three weeks ago, i was like, i'm not going to play these numbers i dreamed about. today, i'm just going to try it. >> reporter: for some, it's all about the luck of the draw. >> i'm 83 years ole. i'm liable to have a heart attack. >> 83-year-olds can spend money, too, right? >> i'll have a heart attack and be in st. agnes hospital. >> reporter: you can spend all of that cash at any age. and here, lottery officials say you have until 15 minutes until the drawing to get your tickets. and of course, folks are

coming. if no one wins this time around, the mega millions will jump to a biion dollars -- billion dollars. >> if that man wins, he'll have enough to pay his bills and then some. >> absolutely. mega millions tickets are sold in 42 states, and washington, d.c. a massive security breach could affect 10 million credit card holders around the country. master card and visa are warning customers to watch their statements for signs of fraud. shrgts -- investigators are trying to find out who is responsible for the breach, which happened at an atlanta- based company, that handles payments for credit and debit cards. the stolen information could be used for counterfeit cards. four elementary school children are charged in connection with an attack at a local playground. mike hellgren has more on the young suspects and their controversial arrest. mike? >> reporter: kai, these arrests are drawing outrage in some quarters.

the aclu calls them troubling and says they violate state regulations. however, police are defending them. >> reporter: baltimore city police arrested, handcuffed, three 9-year-old girls and an 8- year-old boy at morrow park elementary school, after a vicious fight last week. they're charged as juveniles in an attack on a playground, where according to police, one victim's head was placed under water. and another victim was put on railroad tracks. kimkimberly regger has children who attend classes here. >> it's not right at all. they should have handled it a different way. >> reporter: the grandfather of one of those arrested, told our newspaper partner, the baltimore sun, he's upset because he was not notified of the arrests. >> reporter: he also told the sun it was retaliation, after his granddaughter and the others were beaten with sticks on a swing set. police defended handcuffing the children at school. >> certainly, it's our policy whenever someone is arrested, regardless of their age. we handcuff them. not just for their safety, but

also for officer safety. >> reporter: baltimore city school's representatives have not responded to repeated requests for comment. police say the children were not handcuffed in the classroom. that was done in an office. >> personally, i would actually think that it's the best thing to do in a neighborhood like this. sort of falling down a little bit. they should arrest him. i bought this place about 10 years ago here. and i have seen it all at that school. >> reporter: and after a long delay, we did just finally hear from city schools. but all they'll say is that this incident is under review. coming up at 6:00, we'll hear directly from the aclu, about why they find these arrests so troubling. reporting live, mike hellgren, wjz eyewitness news. kai? >> reporter: mike, thank you. police are not releasing the children's names because tay are charged as juveniles. baltimore police are searching for a sexual predator, after a woman says she was attacked in her bedroom. jessica kartalija is in the newsroom with more. jess? >> reporter: the woman tells

detectives, the intruder broke into her north baltimore home late last night. it happened in the 3300 block of frisbee street. the victim said the man sexually assaulted her. she describes her attacker as 6 feet tall. he was wearing a black mask with gloves and a hooded sweatshirt. police are asking for help identifying that suspect. denise? >> thank you, jessica. if you think you have information, you're asked to call baltimore police. today, the family of a man who killed trevon martin is speaking out in his defense. randall pinkston reports for wjz, from sanford, florida. >> reporter: george zim areman remains free and is not talking about the shooting death of trayvon martin. but with continuing calls for his arrest, zimmerman's family is going public. robert zimmerman, jr., told cnn, his brother acted in self- defense. and, quote, stop someone from disarming him and shooting him. you return force with force

when someone assaults you. the 17-year-old martin was not armed when the neighborhood watch volunteer started following him. zimmerman told police, he thought martin looked suspicious. >> he's got his hand in his waistband. and he's a black male. >> reporter: across the country, demonstrations over martin's death, showed no signs of letting up. >> reporter: here in sanford, another demonstration is scheduled for saturday, demanding that zimmerman be put on for trial. all of the protests have been peaceful. but local businesses are worried. >> what was your reaction when you first heard about the shooting? >> oh, i'm a mom. and this is -- i mean, i have a son. and that could have been my child. >> reporter: elizabeth reichert says business at her coffee shop is down 50% this year. >> when you get the media reports that say up to 25,000 and 45,000 people down here, like i said, any conscious person would say, maybe i don't want to go downtown tonight, i'll go get a cup of coffee

tomorrow. >> she fears her patrons won't be back, as long as the protests over trayvon martin continues. >> florida state authorities are handling the case but say their investigation could take weeks. an abused dog, discovered on the side of the road in anne arundel county, has a new home tonight. a kent island family adopted the pit bull, now known as rocky road. he was found with several injuries. police believe he was used as bait to train other dogs to fight. a senate committee is discussing legislation to increase the penalty for fighting. trial continues today for two brothers who are accused of lighting a pit bull on fire. weijia jiang reports. >> reporter: jurors heard from the baltimore police officer who put out the flames on the puppy with her swelter. but the-- sweater. but the star witness in this case seems to be a city police

camera. >> reporter: when this young pit bull was torched. >> we were so appalled anything like that could happen. >> reporter: it was baltimore detective cerita teal who put out the flames. >> there was people standing around. nobody was really doing anything. so i just got out the car and took my sweater off and i start hitting him and try to put the fire out. >> reporter: on friday, keel took the stand in the retrial against the twin brothers. she described the gruesome scene and said the little burning puppy was a puff of smoke. she said it was a bad smell at the time. and it smelled like burning meat. teal, the state's witness, may help the defense. attorneys tried to shatter her credibility as an investigator, pointing to her lawyer, take pictures or record names. but prosecutors are relying most on police surveillance video from the scene, claiming the johnsons are seen running away in the tape. defense lawyers say it is too grainy and of poor quality to

use as evidence. let alone to identify their clients. they told jurors, not a single person will say they saw that face. that face on video. >> reporter: prosecutors will continue to call witnesses next week. the trial is expected to last for several more days. report being in downtown -- reporting in downtown baltimore, weijia jiang, wjz eyewitness news. >> the johnsons face felony animal cruelty charges. the maximum penalty is three years in prison. maryland's job market continues to improve. a new federal report shows maryland added haiti,000 jobs -- 8,000 jobs. keeping unemployment at 8.65%. that's the lowest unemployment in years. temperatures are below normal. and there's lots of clouds as we take a look outside live. meteorologist bernadette woods has our look at first warning weather. we've had a few showers go along with those clouds. we'll show you first warning doppler radar. still a few out there. this is the batch that has made

its way over to the eastern shore. and it will be heading out to sea. notice, a batch of thunderstorms, trying to come out of west virginia, into western maryland and each farther west. this is the storm system that is producing everything. and we have until tomorrow for that to clear us. we'll switch it over and show you, here's the overall setup. upstate new york, we're talking about snow. whereas for us, a chance for a few showers, maybe a thunderstorm or two. we will have that forecast coming up. denise? >> thank you, bernadette. a super hero, stopped in his tracks. police released new video of their encounter with batman in montgomery county. >> a black lamborghini and a driver dressed as batman. you can sunday me send me-- send me robin if you wish. >> reporter: police stopped the dark knight because he did not have his license properly displayed. this is baltimore businessman

lenny robinson. his getup is for a good cause. he's been visiting local hospitals. >> he shows up at a lot of charity events. >> nice car. a school bus in the path of a powerful tornado. see how the children narrowly escaped the storm. mitt romney gains momentum. and why his opponents report backing down. opening day here at pimlico. i'm jessica kartalija. a preview of the season hed -- ahead. and the 137th running of the preakness stakes. is there a warmup in our weekend forecast? bernadette will woo -- will have the answer in our first warning weather. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

mittiom heney -- mitt romney's lead continues to grow. but his opponents are not backing down. and danielle nottingham is at the white house with tonight's campaign 2012 report. >> reporter: mitt romney took the stage in wis wiss, with -- wisconsin, with one of that state's best lawmakers. he picked up the endorsement of paul ryan, a conservative known for taking a tough line on government sphendzing. >> in -- spending. in this person, we have a man with a personal conviction. right kind of experience. . >> reporter: he joins a list of people who are lining up to support romney, including former president george h.w. bush. besides that, rick santorum says he will fight to the finish. campaigning in wisconsin, he said the obama administration keeps imposing rules that are killing jobs. >> i will eliminate every single one of those regulations

on day 1. >> reporter: santorum is trailing behind romney in the latest wisconsin poll. newt gingrich is barely registering on the same survey. he's got just 8% of the vote. >> reporter: despite scaling back his campaign, gingrich takes aim at wisconsin, taking aim at president obama's job performance. >> here is the worst job creation record since the great depression. >> reporter: the former speaker said in a radio interview, rom me is clearly the gop front runner and will probably earn the nomination. the two met and gingrich says he is staying in the race until romney earns those delegates. at the white house, danielle nottingham, wjz eyewitness news. and stay with wjz for complete coverage of campaign 2012. we'll bring you the latest during the primary tuesday. if you're waiting for someone to get home from work,

let's check the traffic with christy brez rin. -- breslin. >> northbound continues to be a problem. very heavy over to the fort mchenry tunnel. it does slow down again there, when you're traveling from pulaski to whitemarsh boulevard. as far as the west side inner loop goes, slow around to security boulevard. west side outer loop, also heavy in that direction, from 795 to baltimore national pike. and on the north side inner loop, stop-and-go there, from york road to dulaney valley. as far as the harrisburg expressway goes, we have an accident there at belfast road. with delays that stretch back to shawan road. and we're still watching that accident in the wi w -- owings mills area. let's take a live look. as you can see, another slowdown there. this traffic report is brought to you by pizza bolis. stop in and get a pair of medium one-topping pizzas for only $6.99 each.

back to you. it's the day maryland racing fans have been eagerly anticipating, opening day at pimlico. jessica kartalija is at the tracks and explains, expectations are high for the meet. >> the numbers. >> a day of firsts for tyler got. it's opening day at mim lick -- pimlico race course. the first race of the eight- week stand at old hilltop. >> before we come to the rices, we haven't been here before. >> reporter: racing fans, like the phillips family, place their bets. >> i try to look at performance. my wife goes for the name. [ laughter ] >> full moon. >> reporter: in an effort to draw even more clouds here at pimlico. the stakes this racing season are even higher. >> black eyed has gone to 300,000. the other ones that were $50,000 stakes are now 100.

>> absolutely. that the what you do. >> reporter: the headline event at pimlico, the middle jewel of the triple crown. the 137th running of the preakness stakes. and the return of... >> but i am pegasus, lord and protector of the preakness infield. >> reporter: a music fest with grammy award nominees, maroon 5. as for tyler's first day? >> it was fun. it's fun. i like it a lot. >> did you win? >> no. >> jessica kartalija. wjz eyewitness news. >> the 137th running of the preakness stakes. also the last day. what do you think of pegasus. >> i think we need to get him his shirt. it's chilly out there. and his buddy. although he had ray hat on -- a

hat on. how do you get a hat on if you have a horn. >> i don't know. i'm going to rationalize that one. today, we are dealing with march weather in march. go figure. couple of showers around. clouds also. and we'll have your forecast heading into the weekend when we return. ,,,, 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.

welcome back, everybody. the clouds trying to lift. sunshine in some parts of the state. others, not. we had a lot going on today. we'll start off with first doppler radar. this storm system is going to take through tomorrow to clear us. we thought it would get here toarnlts but it came out a little earlier than expected. showers streaming out. out to the north. also, western parts of the state, sunshine now. overall, though, the winds have turned around to the east. and that is the main culprit for why our temperatures just took a huge hit this afternoon. 47 degrees is where we topped out today. that is where we start out the day. way below average. the water temperatures are

still low. easterly winds off the water. knocks down the high for the day. inland, it was warmer. you can see farther inland. temperatures really high. whereas look at this contrast, it is much colder to the north. we're riding that way just in between the two. and that's also where the storm track is now. we had a few showers already. but here's that storm system that is still going to take through tomorrow to clear us. couple of showers, even a few thunderstorms with it. that's going to continue to move our way through the evening hours. then the chance for thunderstorms. maybe tonight and tomorrow. and this is not going to issue like last week's. but the chance for showers and thunderstorm scattered about as we head through the day tomorrow. as that moves through, keeps temperatures down, it gets out of here sunday, a little break. before that next front comes our way. this passes through later sunday into monday. >> the forecast comes together like this on the waters. northeast winds, picking up. small craft advisories go back through the evening.

they will continue through the day tomorrow. forecast tonight. chance for a few showers. going to about 40 degrees. temperatures go up tomorrow. we are forecasting a high of 59. if we get stuck in that northeasterly wind off the water, the city is not going much above the low 50s. it's more inland that would hit the upper 50s. close to our average. chance for a couple of showers and thunderstorms around. >> thank you, bernadette. it's a very special weekend for one of the longest-running shows on cbs. a short time ago, i spoke with bob schieffer, the host of face the nation, about the expansion of the show to one hour. >> reporter: our first one-hour broadcast will be coming up sunday. and our lead guest is going to be vice president joe biden. >> congratulations on the anniversary. what do you expect you'll hear from the vice president? and what do you plan to ask him? >> reporter: well, to tell you the truth, i've already interviewed him. so i can say -- >> fair enough. >> i tell you, we flew out

yesterday to milwaukee to interview the vice president. and basically, what he said was nothing good about mitt romney. [ laughter ] >> the white house has decided that the general election's campaign is already under way. that's what this is all about. they've made a judgment that mitt mitt romney is going to be the guy they're going to run against in the fall. and they want to get their licks in early while the republicans are still carving on each other. so pretty much what we talked about is how democrats see this campaign shaking up -- or shaping up. and how the republicans see it shaping up. i mean, basically what you have here, two very different ideas. that's what the election is about. >> you can watch bob schieffer and the new hour-long face the nation sunday at 10:30, here on wjz 13. still ahead on wjz eyewitness news at 5:00. furious homeowners in colorado. why many people never received

any warning about the wildfire. jet blue hero. new details about the copilot who took control when his captain had a meltdown in the skies. i'm alex demetrick. coming up, how today's technology might have saved lives during the sniper murder spree. that story as eyewitness news continues. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

it's 5:30. 46 degrees and cloudy on this friday. good evening. thanks for staying with wjz eyewitness news. here are some of the stories people are talking about tonight. 10 years ago, maryland and much of the mid-atlantic were terrorized by the sniper murder spree. a lot has changed since that time, including the way they might have been caught. alex demetrick reports, current technology could have saved lives. >> reporter: maybe you've seen the cop cars with the boxes on back. maybe the combination of laser and computer landed you with a ticket, or worse, arrest. >> they provide information on stolen cars. it could let you if a driver's

license could possibly be suspended. >> and it does it all by this. >> it keys in and lets me know is who could be happening. >> reporter: just the key police didn't have in 2002 when 10 people were murdered in the sniper shooting spree from maryland south. could they have caught nonmohammed and lee boyd-- john muhammad and lee boyd malvo earlier? >> absolutely. >> the plate reader would have remembered. >> how many times has the same tag come into contact with law enforcement? that would have given us a big clue. >> reporter: during this, they not only have seen and remembered, they would have also searched out patterns. >> it will check any reads i had that day. >> reporter: tech -- technology common today and too late for the past.

>> montmontgomery county vehicles have plate readers. each is capable of processing 8,000 tags during an eight-hour shift. sky eye chopper 13 is over the scene. captain mike, what's going on? >> reporter: eastbound on east crofton, kai. this is a two-vehicle collision. with three people being transported to the hospital. we know at least one of these persons is in critical condition. they were all taken to baltimore, washington medical center. this accident happened about 25 minutes ago. on eastbound route 3. as you can see, they're only one lane getting by. and the delay on route 3, heading into crofton, is rather significant. if you're coming from crofton, heading to 97, you can expect delays. back to you on tv hill. >> reporter: thank you, captain mike perry. reporting live. were the people in colorado properly notified when this weekend's fires broke out? 12% of those who signed up for

telephone alerts never received them. the sheriff's department says the couple who died in the fire did receive an alert. but it is not known when the calls came. the operator claims everything worked quickly. firefighters say about 45% of the blaze is now contained. two dozen homes were destroyed. and about 180 remain evacuated. >> dramatic video from michigan, as firefighters narrowly escape injury. watch as they work on the roof of a burning building when it starts starts to collapse. fortunately, they were able to scramble away from the area and get to a safe location. the firefighters were able to escape, no injuries were reported. federal investigators are still trying to piece together what caused a jet blue pilot to have a meltdown on board a flight. the copilot is now being called a hero for what he did to control the situation. >> reporter: the family of a jet blue copilot, credited with taking control during a midair

incident, says jason doud doesn't want to be called a hero. court documents reveal he dediffused the situation, -- he diffused the situation, when copilot clayton osbun took over. >> he's a great guy. i think he's probably one of the best son son-in-laws i could have. he'd give you the shirt off his back if you wanted it. >> reporter: investigators say doud locked him out of the cockpit, and took command. passengers say the pilot started yelling and running up and down the aisles. doud then reportedly called an off-duty pilot into the cockpit. together, the crew requested an emergency landing. >> crew 191. declaring emergency. >> we're going to have to go into houston declaring an emergency at this time. >> they will try to learn more about how events unfolded. investigators have also

interviewed doud. >> reporter: he hasn't been back to his ohio home. but he did let his family know he was safe after ever emergency landing in texas. >> he called shortly after it happened and said he was okay and there had been a problem on the plane. >> reporter: captain clayton osbun was charged with interfering with a crew and faces 20 years behind barbs if convict -- bars if convicted. in washington, susan mcginnis, wjz eyewitness news. >> captain osbun was taken to a health facility for an evaluation, once the plane landed tuesday. an indiana school bus outruns a tornado. angel perry was driving 11 students home after they were dismissed early. nearly three miles away from the school, perry decides the weather is bad and turns around. radio recordings shows she gets the students off, minutes before the bus is carried away. >> everybody, stay together. our group together, right now. go, go, go. >> go, go, go.

>> one, two, three, four, five, 6, seven. eight, nine. come on. 10, 11. go, go, go. >> just three minutes later; the bus is blown away and crashes through a restaurant. none of the children were hurt. people around the country, including those here in maryland, are waiting for transplants. a local group is rallying, to give them the gift of life. >> reporter: mondawmin mall is a setting for life-civing efforts. the group is trying to encourage more people to become organ donors. >> just to give a mother a chance to see her baby grow. a father a chance to see his child walk down the aisle. another person take another breath. it's important as a community. >> reporter: murray, who is a registered nurse by profession, says for jeers -- years, she was obese.

in 2009, she got a liver transplant. >> my donor, he signed up at the mva, when he renewed his license. i don't know who he is. i don't know much about his life. but i know what he's done for me, i'm going to do it for somebody else. >> reporter: nationwide, more than 12,000 people need transplants. of that number, 2,000 marylanders need them. recipients need organ, eye and tissue transplants. it affects women, men and children. >> this is national celebrate donate life month, which is the month of april. >> i believe that jesus died for me. so why should i not want to be like him and give a life? >> reporter: doctors say up to eight lives can be saved through organ donation. another 50 may be improved through tissue donation. two english soccer teams are hoping to score big in baltimore. football club in liverpool fc

will square off on july 28th at m&t bank stadium. it the third soccer match at the stadium. prices range from $26 to $125. the game is part of a three- city tour that will also take the north london clubs to new york and los angeles. time now for a quick look at the stories you'll find in the baltimore sun. more on that big upcoming soccer match at m&t bank stadium. farmers markets are becoming a year-round business for some vendors. and more on the city elementary school students handcuffed and arrested at school. remember to look for the updated forecast from wjz's first warning weather team. the last time a piece of public art in baltimore generated this much controversy, was when the man- woman sculpture was unveiled in front of penn station. mike schuh reports, penn state is talking about turning up the middle of their quiet neighborhood. it's an art installation. >> i love it.

>> definitely. >> i like it. i think it gives the neighborhood some character. >> reporter: 50 pounds of porcelain in the middle of the traffic circle. >> i work for the art museum in baltimore. >> if anybody could judge this as art, it might be you? >> yes. >> is it art? >> i think we're referencing dushon, ready made. >> what is it about this piece that speaks to you? >> i think what makes it is the champagne bottle. >> obviously the reference, the brandy left downtown. this circle is on love. is this a protest? >> when i pulled up barkley street and turned onto here. i cracked up. >> reporter: the neighborhood association sent two guys to remove it. this neighbor talked them out of it. >> i actually told them not to. not that i have any authority. but come on, it's not hurting anybody. >> reporter: but this neighbor disagrees. >> this to me is disrespectful. the city is full of enough garbage as it is. >> reporter: ib ma.

but it's an-- maybe. but it's an instant attraction. >> you could call that dumping. if you wanted to. >> what if the artist could tell us? >> why are you wearing a mask? >> because i don't want to be identified. >> reporter: he says a hefty fine for littering scares him. >> is this protest, art, or prank? >> it is all of the above, sir. i just did it for the people. >> reporter: installations may be temporary. but memories like this last forever. in charles village, mike schuh, wjz eyewitness news. >> the city considered the installation trash and stay says the city crew will remove it once they get a complaint. it's located at 32nd and gilford if you want to check it out. >> the unknown artist, not to be identified with this mask. >> did look a little more like mikey mouse. >> or bullwinkle. spilling secrets. osama bin laden's family reveals new details about his

years on the run and where he was hiding. controversial information found in baby bottles and canned foods. will the government put a ban on bpa? i'm bernadette woods. we have showers out there right now. we'll have your exclusive first warning five-day forecast. it takes us through the weekend when we return. and here is today's report from wall street. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

welcome back, everybody. some brightening of those skies. and some parts of the state have seen sunshine. in the immediate metro area, we have not seen a whole lot of that. forecast for tomorrow, that front is still going to be making its way through the mid- atlantic. the chance for a couple of showers or thunderstorm, on and off through the day. it's not necessarily just the morning or just the afternoon. this is going to be scattered about. and temperatures are holding up here. our forecast shows one front moving through. later sunday into monday. another front. that gets out of here and we're stuck in between a few different storms. temperatures get back into the

60s. we could see a couple of showers. we'll fine tune that. on another note. in today's energy saver, no matter the season, set your refrigerator between 30 and 40. for more information on how you can be an energy saver, go to wjz.com, scroll down the right- hand side of the beige and click on our special section. denise? >> former al qaeda leader osama bin laden had five safe houses on the run. one of his widows told investigators that he also fathered five children in that time. this raises fresh questions over how the terror leader was able to remain undetected in pakistan for so long. he was, of course, killed last year in a u.s. raid. the fda decides not to ban the potentially dangerous chemical, bpa, from food packaging. the government says there is is

-- is still not enough evidence. ines ferre, wjz eyewitness news. carrie jaffey has three young children. and she's careful about what they eat. that means only foods that are packaged without bpa. >> this is something that could affect our children now and for the rest of their lives. >> reporter: bpa is the industrial chemical, bisphenol a, it's used in all kinds of food containers, from baby bottles to tin cans. and it could be a health risk, particularly for children and pregnant women. >> she will take it through her body and pass it through to her baby, where it can cause terrible damage to the baby. >> reporter: our recent study looks specifically at the effect of bpa in children under 3. it found the chemical can change their behavior, making them anxious or hiern active. -- hyperactive. >> reporter: many companies, including campbell's soup, have already started changing it out. but they say the government needs to carefully vet the

alternative. >> the problem is, we don't know if those substitutes are safe or unsafe, for the simple reason that they haven't been properly tested. >> reporter: 49 years ago, when- - nine years ago, when her oldest child was a baby, carrie jaffey did not know about the possible risks from bpa. >> i feel concerned that i exposed her to a lot of issues, inadvertently. >> she hopes they will continue banning the chemical when it review its later this year. about 90% of americans have traces of bpa in their bodies. an ohio construction worker, hits a gas line. police say workers were planting bushes and trees, when one worker broke a gas line with a back hoe. the fire charred dozens of apartments and took firefighters hours to contain, but no one was hurt. a tractor-trailer crash sends silver and gold into the air between $3 million and $5

million worth of canadian coins spilled onto a highway in ontario, after a truck carrying rock. and then candy was spilled. police are working to clean up the mess. country music is gearing up for one of its biggest nights of the year. the academy of music awards is this sunday in las vegas. teresa garcia has more on when the stars hit the stage. ♪ [ music ] >> reporter: blake shelton is one of the big names rehearsing for the 47th annual of country music awards this sunday. it's a big night for shelton. he's performing. he's up for two awards, including entertainer of the year. and he's co-hosting the show, with country legend reba macentire. >> nobody is paying attention to what i have to say. >> blake is a hoot.

you never know what he's going to say, ever. but he's usually on his best behavior around me because i threaten him with his life. >> give him a little kick? >> a big kick. >> reporter: also up for entertainer of the year is kenny chesney. he leads the pack with nine nominations. brad paisley. taylor swift. ♪ [ music ] and jason aldean round out the category. and aldean says he can't believe the year he's having. >> to show up and actually be up for six is kind of crazy. but obviously very exciting. >> reporter: there's a lot more music this year. 24 acts will hit the stage sunday night. that is the most ever in the awards show history. ♪ [ music ] >> reporter: nominee dirks bentley says he can't wait to perform. >> really excited to be able to sing for all of the country fans. and what happens in vegas winds up on cbs. >> reporter: his number 1

billboard country song home is up for song of the year. teresa garcia, wjz eyewitness news. >> and remember, you can see the academy of country music awards here on wjz, sunday night at 8:00. check in with eyewitness news at 6:00. for these stories and more coming up. people across maryland are snapping up mega millions tickets as the jackpot keeps climbing. millions of credit card holders could be at risk. details on what you should look for. check in for these stories and all the day's breaking news, coming up all new at 6:00. and still to come tonight on wjz eyewitness news at 5:00. this is mark viviano, with the orioles in spring training. where the team has turned back the clock. former orioles, working with the present-day players, with a reminder of how good it used to be. i'll have that story when eyewitness news continues. ,,,,,

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.

orioles start a new season in one week. with opening day at camden yards. sports director mark viviano brings the team back from florida. he has more on their preparations for the new year. >> you know, it remains to be seen just how this year's

roster will perform in 2012. but we do know this. they're being guided by a coaching staff that includes a list of orioles hall-of-famer. macgregor has been a coach in the o's system for 11 years. former shortstop, mike bordick in his second season, working with infielders and instructing hitters and base runners. brady anderson is helping out, both on the field and in the front office. he's been hired to be a special assistant to the general manager. and former catcher chris hallways, in his first year, helping his coach. all of these former orioles were players who knew what it was like to win in baltimore. >> even though the times have changed a little bit, the game is still the same. and you know, as a player, we had success in the few years that i played. hopefully we can pass along some information and some things onto these guys and some experiences. and really try to change the

culture around here in these guys. and you know, winning breeds confidence. and you have to get to that point. and hopefully we can bring them to that point. mike bordick will be making his points in the masn broadcast booth. serving as game commentator, this year he'll be sharing duties with jim palmer. and you can see the orioles and twins in that first game. masn on wjz right here, our special live coverage, coming your way, friday, one week from now, 2:00. more on the o's coming. highlights of the game against the tigers. and the latest on the ravens' ed reed. what he's now saying about what is left of his football career. that's all that's left in sports. still to come on wjz eyewitness news. >> you've got to play to win. the mega millions is now a record-breaking $640 million. do you have your ticket? i'm gigi barnett in

catonsville. catonsville. that story is ,,,,,,

coming up on wjz eyewitness news at 6:00. mega mania. the lines soar to a record. wjz is live with all of the big dreamers. controversial arrest. i'm mike hellgren in morrow park. why four elementary students were handcuffed at school. gut-wrenching testimony continues in the retrial of

twin brothers accused of setting a pit bull on fire. i'm weijia jiang with the latest from inside the courthouse next. a cooler friday evening. what about the weekend? don't miss the updated first warning forecast. check in for these stories and all the day's breaking news. wjz eyewitness news at 6:00 starts now. arrest controversy. elementary school students, taken away in handcuffs. >> tonight, what the children are accused of doing. and why some are so upset. >> hello, everybody. i'm denise koch. >> and i'm jessica kartalija, in for vic carter.