the growing fear tonight. >> reporter: the low humidity, high temperatures and no recent rains has left our state vulnerable. and we saw more fires ignite again today. firefighters worked hard to extinguish the last fire to break out. the dry windy conditions are the perfect recipe for a disaster. >> since friday we've responded to six fires across the area. >> reporter: this is where the latest brush fire has been in anne arundel county. it burned nearly 5 acres here on saturday.. you can hear the brush crackle underneath your feet. this is one of many fires that have broke out in the area in six days. the brush fire has temporarily

forced people out of their homes. >> they had this entire road evacuated. >> the fuels are dry, the forest floor is dry, the leaves are dry, and with the warm temperatures and low relevant humidity. as soon as the wind comes up and you have any sort of ignition you're off the races to how fast the fire will spread. >> reporter: the danger will continue until we get a soaking rain. >> reporter: and the state forester tells us that his people are in a level three readiness. that means they're in their cars ready to go, wherever they are needed when they hear of another brush fire breaking out. reporting live in northwest baltimore, mike hellgren. >> our coverage continues with bernadette woods that's tracking the dangerous conditions and when they may let up. >> we're going to start with a red flag warning that's in effect for almost the entire state because we are so dry.

we have a 4-inch rainfall. for the month we're only about a week in. you can see that's through 8:00 tonight. but again tomorrow. there's a front coming through that has kicked up the winds even more. generally 25 to 30 miles per hour with winds gusts as high as 40 miles per hour. the other thing the sun is doing is bringing scattered showers with it. not everyone is going to see these, unfortunately it's not a good soaking rain. but the showers will continue with the front and yet another one on wednesday. >> stay with wjz for the latest, log on to wj z.com for the conditions any time. time is running out for lawmakers to strike a deal on the budget. the hang up how it will be funded in particular what new taxes you will pay for it. wjz is live in annapolis, political reporter pat warren breaks up the numbers and the

impact on you, pat. >> reporter: it's a state house stalemate, this does not happen often that we're this close to the end of the session and lawmakers still can't figure out who should pay more income taxes and how much they should pay. count down to a melt down. >> the clock is ticking. and it's going to be very, very difficult at this point to get any budget passed before midnight. >> reporter: the general assembly is hours away from its scheduled dismissal and knee deep in disagreement over an income tax plan. a senate version raises income taxes over $4,000. the r -- $40,000. >> let me suggest this. come the over 5%. >> lawmakers are saying, if you push it too far we're not going to go any further. >> reporter: negotiations are

complicated. >> we have an agreement by midnight tonight. but if we don't it's not the end of the world. it's not the end of the world. call a special session, try again. >> reporter: another tax issues are a sales tax to gasoline or a general increase on the sale taxes in maryland. the house needs at least five hours to get a bill printed. by 7:00 that could be do or die for this bill. i'm pat warren, now back to you on tv hill. >> we'll be in annapolis all night for the budget negotiations. we'll have an update coming up at 6:00. lawmakers did agree on one law including one named for murder victim felicia barnes. >> reporter: felicia's law is

supposed to bring together organizations to work together in finding missing children. >> this is the first bill named for a missing minority child. an anne arundel county man is arrested. eric castanova is believed to have hit a vehicle. within minutes they received four more calls reporting accidents involving the same vehicle. castranova is facing several charges including dui. renewed protest today over the death of trayvon martin. this all comes as a special prosecutor decides she will make the final decision on any charges not a jury. susan mcginnis reports from wjz from stanford florida with the very latest.

student protesters blocked the entrance of the sanford, florida police department. >> we want justice for trayvon martin which means an arrest of george zimmerman. >> reporter: the dream defenders are asking the lawmakers to hear their message. >> we want to use this as tragic as it is, as making our community a better community. >> reporter: special prosecutor angela cory has decided not to use the grand jury in the investigation. the dream defender say they have a list of demands and the arrest of george zimmerman is just the beginning. >> we think that trayvon martin is just the catalyst, we need a bigger change. a much bigger movement, a much big revolution. >> reporter: the group is

calling for a congressional hearing into racial profiling. >> in hopes to systematically continue to face the issues that america has swept under the rug because they are difficult conversations to have. >> reporter: demonstrators say the protest will not end until zimmerman stands trial for trayvon martin's death. susan mcginnis, wjz eyewitness news. >> in florida, only first degree murder cases require the use of grand juries. the fbi believes an indiana man sexually exploited more than 100 teenage boys including one here in maryland. federal prosecutors say richard sinbinder recorded sexually exclusive videos of the boys on chat website. the victim in maryland is 14 years old from prince george's county. the u.s. attorney's office is asking other potential victims to contact the fbi if they think they recognize sinbinder's mug shot. take a look at the accident

from our m/dot camera from the interlook. a tanker crashed just before 4:00 a.m. near an enbankment and began leaking asphalt. traffic was halted during the clean up but the road has since reopened. the teams start the season with three straight wins. wjz is live at camden yards, sports director mark viviano is there with the wins. >> reporter: they will use the analogy that the spring season is like a marathon not a sprint. using that anology the o's are yet to go a mile in the opening steps. that said so far, they've started off with some good steps. >> they start the season 3-0. >> reporter: three wins to

start the season make for a feel good beginning for the o's. they rolled out the red carpet to introduce a new year and rolled over the twins in three convincing wins. nice to get a jump start on a long season. >> we're definitely excited to start the season well. we do know that it's just three games and you know hopefully some of the nerves are settled down now and the guys can go out there and really compete. you know we're doing the things the right way, we're playing the game the right way. our starting pitching and the bullpen has been outstanding. >> we're really excited to get things started offer right. i think we announced that we're here. we're here to play good ball. >> reporter: the players tell me they feel and appreciate the positive vibes from the fans. we asked you with our wjz fan cam, do the o's have you excited? >> i am so excited. i love my orioles. >> this is a good start, we just need to keep it up.

keep up the good work. from there, we shouldn't have no problems. >> i love when the orioles start off with a bang like this. yeah, welcome back to orioles baseball. the orioles and their fans are well aware of one year ago when they also started off 3-0. in fact, they won six of their first seven games only to have it end in september. they're hoping to make something happen without it being ground hog day. >> thank you. after three games with the yankees the orioles will head out on a 10 day road trip. easter celebrations continue today with an easter celebration at the white house. it is the 134th annual easter egg roll. tens of thousands of children joined the first family for a

day of games, reading and crafts on the lawn. >> it is not easy to get tickets. >> no it isn't. important news for pregnant women. why some may be increasing their chances of having a child with autism. unloading sweet cargo in the inner harbor. why this is such a historic day for domino sugars. i'm andrea fujii. don't miss the updated first warning weather forecast with bernadette. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

a polluted inner harbor is becoming cleaner and safer thanks to teams of volunteers. it's an effort to draw not only tourists but fish and crabs to the inner harbor. killebrewer has lived in felts point his entire life. he remembers when the water in the harbor was clean. >> we about lost all the oysters. all the crabs and stuff. you don't see no nice big chesapeake blue crabs. you see smaller ones, but not big ones. >> reporter: now a renewed effort to change that. >> over the last couple of days, working with kids we've been building the basin for the

bay harbor. >> these refuge provide living conditions for the fish. >> reporter: waterfront partnership tells me they would like to see us take a swim in the inner harbor by 2020. some aren't so sure. >> definitely there's chemical polluted for years so it's pretty tough. >> reporter: what if they say in a couple of years you will be able to take a dip? >> i would be skeptical. >> reporter: it's a city and statewide effort that is working. >> cleaning up the city, creating lots of ways to create clean neighborhoods and a healthier stream and a healthier harbor. >> reporter: for those who know the area best. >> i think it's a good idea. we need the wetlands. >> the floating wetlands will be placed in on april 20th. if you're waiting for

someone to get home, let's check on the roads. >> traveling on that west side of the inner loop the delay up to 40 minutes around the 70. on the north side of the inner loop, stop and go to delaney valley road. average speed about 40 miles per hour. we still have that russell off ramp blocked. two new accidents out there. route24 at singer road in the harbor area. you see that part of 95 moving along just fine. this traffic report is brought to you by medieval times, stop into medieval times for a medieval spring break. bring your student idea and get your ticket. it is a sweet day in

baltimore as domino sugar received their biggest shipment of sugar ever. andrea fujii is there as the record shipment comes in. >> reporter: nearly 96 million pounds of sugar has arrived in baltimore. >> this is the largest vessel east of the mississippi for raw sugar of any refinery that we've had. >> reporter: it took the vessel 22 weeks to travel from guatemala. >> the main problem is wet is -- is whether or not she would fit with the water we have here. this is 99% pure sugar. the refining process takes out 1% of its impurities. the company plans to celebrate their 100th year next month.

and executives say getting this shipment is a sign that they're going strong. andrea fujii, eyewitness news. domino sugar employs about 500 people. >> that's a lot of sugar. >> we go through a lot of sugar. >> drug of mine for sure. sunshine out there, giving way to some clouds and those winds are kicking this afternoon. that's why we have such a high fire danger. 64degrees is where we sit right now. and we have the chance for some showers coming into the state. we'll have that forecast when we return. ,, ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

beautiful day but dry out there today. it has been dry. and gorgeous gorgeous stretch of weather that's the good side of it but it continues to dry us up. and we're not really continues to add to that rain bucket. a cold front moves in, now across parts of the eastern shore a few showers out there. you can see out west there are

more and all making their way into the state. the good news we have a chance if for showers. the bad news it's not going to be a really good soaking rain. there's a couple of days we have that chance. so let's switch it over and shoep you -- show you sunshine throughout the day. but the winds are kicking in. because of all of that and how dry it's been lately the red flag warning continues. almost the entire state. and then again so tomorrow, that's going to be issued for most counties. you do get a good shower that will help you out but most of us will stay dry with just a chance for a shower or two. these are sustained winds. showers with gusts over 40 miles per hour. as far as temperatures go it's been pretty comfortable. 64degrees is where we sit right now but notice out to the west. oakland is at 45-degree. they were in the 30s last hour because a shower came through and that's the sign of cool air coming our way with this front. we were above average today 67

degrees. the average is 62. as we come to the midwest they're going to bring cooler air with them. here's a small chance with a shower. that gets out of here but a second chance will come in wednesday. hopefully we can get something out of this. that gets out of here. all the while the winds spark up, it keeps the cool air coming in until we head into the weekend. we'll have that in a moment. small craft advisory in effect through 8:00 tonight and again so on wednesday. forecast for tonight, it'll be a breezy one out there. spotty showers, 44 for our low. as we head into the day tomorrow. not quite as high as it's been. below average, breezy, couple of showers possible. more clouds than we had most of today. more so like what we're seeing out there right now. and the chance for showers but

it's not going to be that soaking rain we really need. we're 4 inches down on here. and this month we're already nine days into the month and we're 4-inches down. >> how does that happen? >> we've had those beautiful afternoons. >> yeah, we can't complain about the weather. >> you get one, you don't get the other. >> still ahead, tragedy on the job. two firefighters killed on the line of duty in philadelphia, how a warehouse fire turns deadly. >> the man accused in an oklahoma shooting spree, why race may play a role in the attack. two men accused of setting a dog on fire. the ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

it is 5:28, 64 degrees and mostly cloudy. good evening thanks for staying with wjz eyewitness news. here are some of the stories people are talking about tonight. today the lead detective in the case trying to convince a jury he arrested the right suspects. wjz is live, adam may has the latest from court. >> reporter: after some unexpected set backs in the case, prosecutors are now

trying to salvage it. the story of phoenix the dog burned alive in the streets of baltimore outraged people across the country. >> her tongue, her eyes, her pads are scorched. unbelievable. >> reporter: despite all the efforts, phoenix did not survive. soon after in 2005, twin bowers were arrested, the first trial -- twin brothers ended up in a locked jury. two young men with the dog at the scene is seen in surveillance video. but the lead detective in the case could not properly identify them as a suspect. a handful of other people were spotted on that surveillance video. defense attorneys will grill the lead detective asking if he

could identify those individuals. the lead detective said no. advocates against animal abuse also sit in the courtroom. >> we hope that there's a good verdict in the case. but either way, this case has brought enormous attention to animal abuse here in our city. >> reporter: today prosecutors were successful getting some of the statements from that suspect unwilling to testify. entered into court by some crafty q & a. the defense will have their own witnesses. the testimony could go on at least for another week. reporting live tonight, adam may, wjz eyewitness news. the brothers are locked up in jail for unrelated crimes right now. baltimore county police are now helping in the search for a missing pennsylvania teenager. 19-year-old max jerord was last seen thursdays. liz say his atm card was used in cocky sville less than an hour after he disappeared. investigators are now looking at surveillance video to see

who used that card. two firefighters were killed on the job when a massive five alarm blaze ripped through a warehouse in philadelphia. firefighters were battling the blaze when a wall collapsed. both firefighters died on the scene, three others were hurt. the extent of their injuries is still unknown. this is the first time that multiple firefighters have been killed on the same call in philadelphia since 2004. the cause of the fire is still under investigation. $9 million, that is the bail set by a judge for two oklahoma men charged in a deadly shooting spree. as manuel galleus reports, police are still investigating if the shootings are racially motivated. >> reporter: a judge sets bail for two men who left several dead and wounded in oklahoma.

19-year-old jake england and 32- year-old roommate alvin watts will face three counts of firstdegree murder and other charges. they were arrested early sunday. two days after the shootings that all took place within a few miles of each other. all of the victims were black. prosecutors must decide if the case reaches the level of a hate crime. >> it's preliminary to determine what the motivation was behind this, if the evidence supports that and we believe that we can prove those elements of a hate crime, that will certainly be considered at the appropriate time. >> reporter: police say revenge could be a motive. england's father was shot and killed two years ago degrees an altercation with a black man. england's fiance and the mother of their baby also recently killed herself. the day before the shootings, england used a racial slur on his facebook page to describe his father's killer. the posting said today is two years that my dad has been gone shot. it's hard not to go off between that and sh era n. i'm gone in the head.

the suspects are scheduled to be back in court next monday. manuel gallegus. police say the suspects appear to have chosen their victims at random. the u.s. navy is providing some relief to those affected by a fiery crash. amazingly no one was killed. initial payments will start at more than $2,000. a possible link between obesity and diabetes during pregnancy and autism. >> reporter: pregnant women who are obese or diabetics may increase their chances of having a child with autism. a study looked at about 1,000 mothers in california and their

children. women who were obese during pregnancy were about 57% more likely to have autistic children. >> there's a general feeling that some of the origins of autism are probably in the prenatal period where the rain is developing at a very rapid rate. >> reporter: diabetic mothers were more than twice as likely to have children with developmental delays. doctors stress the study does not prove obesity and diabetes causes autism but it raises concern. >> there's actions people can take. that's the point, we're trying to find modifiable aspects. >> reporter: even if obesity and diabetes are linked to

autism it would be one of the factors in the disease. >> one in 88 children have autism in the u.s. london officials are taking new steps to stop diseases from setting. they're building a health map to figure out where people are coming from and where disease outbreaking are happening in the world. that may help avoid a pandemic when the olympics come around. mike wallace is being remembered by many today. wallace passed away this weekend at the age of 93. he believed no matter how powerful someone was, they must answer to the public for their

mistakes. >> time now for a quick look at some of the stories you will find tomorrow morning'sed edition of the baltimore son. more on the man dressed as b atman who jumped on the field of the oriole and the charges he faces. for all these stories and a whole lot more read tomorrow's baltimore sun and remember to look for the updated fore -- forecast from the wjz team. it started in the 1980s, magnolias and tulips. thanks to baltimore's balmy winter sugar garden is blooming earlier today. >> reporter: the beautiful cover of sherwood's garden is in full bloom. >> it is absolutely

breathtaking it's so beautiful. we love it. >> reporter: lisa merkadante is here with her three daughters, soaking up the sun and scenery. >> what do you notice this year? >> the tulips are definitely blooming early. because of the warm winter. >> looking at the flowers. >> yeah. >> what do you like so far? >> tulips. >> we're taking care of vivian and she really loves flowers. so my husband thought, what a great place. it's a staple, you have to do this. >> reporter: it's a family day with many students on spring break. >> the kids can run around here and enjoy the color and the freedom and all the colors and smells. it's great. fresh air it's a super spring. >> reporter: this super spring gives you an earlier chance to enjoy one of the wonders of baltimore, because the 80,000 tulips usually don't peak until late april. >> in our neighborhood flowers

are coming out at the end of february. >> wow. >> so, it's just gorgeous. >> reporter: ron max, wjz eyewitness news. >> as many of you know after the tulips finish blooming, you can dig up and purchase tulip bulbs. i'll have pout that on my calendar. >> gorgeous. >> still to come tonight on wjz evening news. nuclear concerns are heating up, is north korea preparing to launch a missile at the united states. form announces a recall. the problem with one of its vehicles and can it lead to accidents. there's a chance for a few showers in the forecast, and much needed rain. we'll have that in the five day forecast when we return. but first, today's report from wall street. [ female announcer ] with xfinity,

you can always expect more. like more on demand shows and movies than ever. and more ways to discover them too. plus more speed from america's fastest internet provider. so you can run more devices at the same time. ♪ feel a firework [ female announcer ] and best of all, it keeps getting better. no wonder more people choose xfinity over any other provider. ♪ love can be so mystical ♪ welcome back everybody. you can see the clouds have made their way into a lot of maryland. now out of some of those clouds we're getting a few showers. we need rain, we're going to get a few showers but we'll get

what we can get, right. they're starting to fill in some what. this area is now spreading north and you can see more so northern sides of the eastern shores getting a few showers. this ban just across the border in pennsylvania will move south as we move into the next couple of hours. switch it over and we show you a few showers for tomorrow. clouds, some peaks of sunshine and cooler than it has been but still very breezy. high of 60 degrees. still the hanns -- a chance for a few showers on wednesday. the winds will still be up. so we have a deep chance over the next couple of days of at least getting a few showers around here before these fronts get out of here. we'll be windy again on thursday and into friday. again on saturday. maybe a chance for a few showers, not exactly what we need but at this point we're so dry. so we will keep you up to date on that. today's energy saver focuses on getting ready for the summer heat. an attic ventilating system can

draw the cool air through the house and can feel like air- conditioning but at a lower cost. for more information on how you can become an energy saver, go to wjz.com and click on our special section. syrian troops fire at a refugee camp in turkey killing at least one person and injuring about half a dozen others. a un brokered stop fire is supposed to take tomorrow. assad said he will honor the truce if the rebels agree to disarm. officials in washington believe it's a cover for testing new technology that could be used to launch a missile aimed at the united states -- >> reporter: new satellite images show north korea may be preparing for what could be a

new nuclear test. a report from south korean intelligence agent says north korean officials are digging a new tunnel on a site that was the site of nuclear tests in 2006 and 2009. the report comes as north korea preparing for a missile launch. officials say this three stage rocket will head into iowa. marking 100 years since the north of north korea's founder. but the white house and americas allies are concerned the rocket launch is really a chance for north korea to test technology that could help his missells reach the united states. the u.s., britain and other nations are urging north korea to cancel this week's launch. they say it violates u.n.

resolution >> the best plan is to take the actions necessary to demonstrate that the country is willing to live up to its international obligations. >> reporter: leaders in japan are taking no chances. their positions military equipment along the coast. and the japanese prime minister gave the green light to shoot down the rocket if it poses a threat. some people think history is repeating itself. they want the country to walk away from nuclear negotiations with other nations. we have some breaking news to tell you about right now. the maryland lottery just confirmed to wjz that someone has come forward to claim the mega millions tickets. as you re call a winning ticket was sold at a 7/11. they plan to hold a press

conference tomorrow with more information. if it's you you know who you are. the search is on for the person behind a shooting at a day care center. the suspect fled the scene on a bicycle. there were no children in the day care at the time. but schools and business near the crime scene were locked down as a precaution. crews are working to protect families from a brush fire in new jersey. flames have already scorched about 1,000 acres in tabernacle. crews are now setting backfires to protect two dozen homes and business near by. so far no injuries have been reported, investigators are trying to determine just how this fire started. ford is recalling 230,000 of its focus cars to repair a problem with the windshield wiper system. the auto maker says some autos may be missing a seal. that could cause the water to

back up in the connector. so far no accidents or injuries have been reported. a rescue dog returns the favor when a rhode island family's home goes up in flames. most of the family was sleeping when the fire started. but this alaskan husky smelled smoke in the air. he knew something was wrong. they woke up to see twinkey staring out the window that's when they knew something was wrong. >> i told my husband, niece and her husband they needed to get out. check in at 6:00 for new stories coming up. fire danger, fires break out. we'll have the latest on conditions and when those conditions might change. and the clock is ticking, details on the deadline state lawmakers are taking. the latest on the tug of war over taxes. check in for these stories and of course we'll have all the

breaking news coming up all new at 6:00. hundreds of brave runners are making their way across the sahara desert tonight. the grueling race kicked off in morocco. part of the route takes the winners over difficult terrain of sand and rock. participates in the seven day race have to carry their own foods and supplies. but water and tents are supplied by the organizers. >> wow there's one for mark viviano. he would be up to it i'm sure. >> what kind of sneakers do you wear? >> it looks like they have something over it. >> maybe they cover it for the sand. >> i don't know. all i know is it would be hot. jury selection begins for the man accused ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,

the team gunman accuse ofd a deadly shooting at a high

school in ohio is back in court -- accused of a deadly shooting. three students were killed and five were injured. he has yet to enter a plea. four colorado state students are saying a group of football players attacked them. the freshman were walking down a sidewalk friday night when they say three men in an suv pulled up to them yelling profane slurs. one student yelled back, and the men allegedly got out and attacked. the school has not linked the athletes to the beating but have been expelled for violating school policy. in october 2008, singer actress jennifer hudson was told her mother darnell and brother jason were murdered and her 7-year-old nephew julian

was missing. hudson returned to chicago where a frantic search was on the way for julian and the gunman. three days later the little boy's body was found inside this abandoned suv. he died of a gunshot wound. and a police investigation led to the arrest of 27-year-old william balfore. the hudson family knew william balfore quite well. he grew up here in their neighborhood on the south side of chicago and ended up marrying jennifer hudson's older sister julia. balfore known as flex on the streets has a long criminal history and according to people who know the family the hudson's including jennifer didn't want julia to marry balfore. prosecutors say balfore killed his ex-wife's family members because he was jealous that she was seeing another man. there are no eyewitnesses or fingerprints linking him to the

shootings. which has family members concerned that balfore could walk. >> and a murder in the african american community is so easy to beat. >> reporter: jennifer hudson has said very little publicly about the murders but she recently talked to pierce morgan about her mother. >> my mother was a very wise and strong person. i feel that she raised us well and she prepared me well. and so that's what i live by. >> reporter: opening statements are expected to begin april 23rd. jennifer hudson who's on the witness list is expected to attend. >> it'll take seven days to make the pick over jurors. if balfore is convicted he faces life in prison. some taxpayers are not happy about flipping the bill for whitney houston's funeral

security. council member say police protection and barricades were necessary to keep crowds at bay during the funeral. officers were paid by the city for working overtime. a cruise ship is paying tribute to the titanic marking the 100th anniversary of the voyage. organizers are recreating the experience minus the disaster. the food and a live band playing music from the air. many on board are direct descendents of titanic passengers. >> it's a chance to remember what my grandfather did 100 years ago. also to remember those people who weren't as fortunate as him. >> reporter: more than 1,500 people died when the titanic collided with an iceburg and sank in 2012. >> it doesn't look like they're going in waters that could have iceburgs.

dry and dangerous. i'm mike hellgren and i'll explain why this weather is perfect for ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

coming up right now on wjz news at 6:00, we are breaking news the winnings mega millions winner has come forward. the first warning weather

team is tracking the fire danger. state house stalemate. i'm pat warren on house and senate lawmakers are stuck on who will pay how much more in income taxes. a little windy out there but other wise a nice day. could some changes be on the way? check in on all these stories and breaking news. wjz news at 6:00 starts right now. hello everybody i'm denise koch. >> and i'm adam may. here is what people are talking about right now and are going to be talking about for the next few hours. we're going to update that