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wjz.com, baltimore. >> from the city to the counties to your neighborhood, now it's complete coverage. it's wjz, maryland's news station. picking on the nfl. thousands of former pro football players in one megalawsuit. >> why they say the league is responsible for life-altering brain injuries. hello, everyone. >> here's what people are talking about tonight. >> professional football players team up against the nfl, claiming the league hid the dangers of brain injuries on the field. now some are paying with their lives. we are live and we have the major implicationsover this massive lawsuit. >> reporter: the combined lawsuits have more than 3000 plaintiffs including former players and their families. they call the response a

concerted effort of deception and denial. hard hits on the football field. >> i tackled a lot of big men, so i got knocked down. >> reporter: he played in the nfl for 14 years and says he never knew the dangers he faced -- memory loss, depression, depression, and dimensia. >> i had no idea i was having a mini concussion. >> reporter: the recent suicides of former players bring the issue to the forefront. he's now part of a master complaint against the nfl claiming it knew the dangers of concussions and never told players. the nfl says the claims are false, stating it stands in contrast to the league's many actions to protect players and advance the science and management of treatment of

concussions. the master complaint combines 80. >> we are talking about hundreds of millions, if not billions of dollars. >> the end of the day will be medical monitoring and health care for these players. >> reporter: he helped found the fourth and goal foundation to draw attention to brain injuries. laird says he lived his dream playing, now he wants to make sure his family doesn't have to live through a nightmare. reporting live for wjz, eyewitness news. >> thank you. in 2010, the nfl formed a new head, neck, and spine committee. a well-known lawyer is killed on vacation overseas. steven hughes and his two sons-in-law died in a car crash in england. the car swerved to avoid hitting

an animal and ended up slamming into two trees. hughes daughters were also injured in the accident. huge crowds turn out to the just-opened slots casino, the largest in maryland. on opening night alone, 10,000 people came through the door. we have more on the revenue rolling in. >> reporter: traffic through the front doors oh of maryland live casino. >> it feels like las vegas. >> reporter: in this much anticipated facility, there's plenty here for gamblers to love. >> blackjack. >> i like the eatries. >> a lot of selections. >> reporter: great for jobs -- 1500 new ones, and great for tax revenue. they anticipate paying $4 million to the state in its first year, a consolation to gamblers who didn't win. >> it brings extra money in for

fun, for schools. >> reporter: there are four restaurants in the casino and by the fall, they'll add a fifth. they're still growing. later this year, they'll add 1500 more machines. operators estimated more than 10,000 people walked through their doors. >> when i came today, it's still a mad house. >> people have come swarming in as a result of that excitement. >> reporter: for most of the crowd, it's the location that makes them feel like they hit the jackpot. >> it's right off the beltway. you're here in 15 minutes. >> at least we have a casino that's beautiful and first class that we can come to and not have to take our money to another state. >> reporter: officials and lottery officials could not tell us how much the casino's made since it's opened its doors, but

there are have been several $10,000 winners. >> next regular session on tuesday, january 3 at 7:30 p.m. this is the same procedure we have a.m.-2:00 a.m. several thousand drivers are off the hook after the city admits a big speed camera mistake. the camera caught drivers speeding on wabash avenue, but the camera's address is written incorrectly on the ticket making the $40 fine invalid. the mistake will cost the city more than $125,000 in lost revenue. zeroing in on distracted driving, an epidemic that needs to be stopped. it's not just texting, it's all cell phone use behind the wheel. we're live and we have more on this new nationwide crack down. >> reporter: that's right. federal officials say distracted driving is a big problem that's claiming lives, yet one that's

easily solved. american drivers are distracted behind the wheel and hand held phones are a big part of the problem. actions that run the gap met from talking to texting. >> americans have gotten into dangerous behaviors to think they can use them behind the wheel of a car. >> reporter: the feds now want states without distracted driving laws to pass them. they plan to work with the auto industry to reduce in-vehicle distractions. >> i'm trying to see what's going on. that's a distraction there. >> reporter: maryland has some of the toughest mobile phone laws in the country. it includes no hand held calling, no receiving calls, no sending text messages, and no reading text messages. distracted driving is more than just talking or texting. it also includes using your

radio, having conversations with passengers, even eating and drinking. >> i seen one guy had his laptop up on the steering wheel playing with that. >> reporter: there are 11 states with no distracted driving laws. if you are driving through the baltimore harbor tunnel this summer, expect major delays. crews have to fix the steel bridge. traffic will be backed up as workers close several lanes. your best bet -- to steer clear of the construction and take the fort mchenry tunnel. the road work should be finished by october. damage control. we're learning about the drastic steps the u.s. government took after an army private handed over information to wiki leaks. we talk with the maryland congressman who's calling for

change. >> bradley manning stands accused of providing thousands of documents to the whistle-blowing website wiki leaks. he should not have had access to sensitive information in the first place. there may be bigger fish to fry as intelligence committees try to plug what is not shaping up as a leak but a break in the dam. >> why do we have a serious problem? >> reporter: in a joint news conference, denounces leaks from within the cia and the department of justice related to drone strikes and computer virus attacks on iran. >> our allies would not want to work with us anymore if they see information gets out to the public. >> reporter: speculation that the obama administration leaked info to make the president look good is being dismissed. may general security interests

may be called to heal. >> we have to change the culture. we have to make sure everyone in the intelligence committee understands what the process is and is there a good process? if someone is aware of a leak, should they report it? who investigates? >> reporter: how to share information and keep it a secret at the same time. now back to you on tv hill. >> the white house calls any leaks for political gain grossly irresponsible. these are pictures of the suspect, police say he is responsible for a series of robberies, the most recent this past monday on reed street. the robber apparently works alone, displays a handgun, and demands prescription drugs. if you recognize this man, you are asked to call city police. beware of the black bear in baltimore county. someone snapped these pictures. several people have reported

seeing the bear over the last few days. nearby schools kept kids inside today just in case. coming up, a father gets in trouble for the unusual form of punishment he uses on his children. >> i realize now that it was the biggest mistake of my life. >> the lesson he tried to teach his sons and how it backfired. a clerk refuses to be victimized by robbers. relying on their face. how the loved ones are coping with the tragedy. a big warm up on the way just in time for the weekend. i'll have the complete forecast coming up next. ,, man: there's a cattle guard, take a right.

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it is mainly clear, 61 degrees in central maryland right now. the complete forecast is coming up. take a look at this amazing weather scene in colorado springs. cars submerged in hail. dozens of vehicles were abandoned as the combination of rain and ice rose to several feet in some parts. the severe storm spawned several tornadoes in colorado. a store owner stops would be

robbers using a unique weapon. two men demanding cash, watch as he uses a can of bear spray to stop them. the store owner was able to grab and restrain the other one. police arrested the 31-year-old man on armed robbery charge. local school and church communities are torn apart as they ask if a self-admitted cannibal could have been stopped. we talk to a man who knows the suspect and victim very well. >> reporter: charges that he dismembered and ate his roommate have rocked communities around the world from their native african villages to harford county to the university where they attended classes. the pastor who minnisterred to

both men is trying to make sense of it all. >> i don't think he was in his right mind on the sunday before he was arrested. he was in church and i embraced him. i said, god has a special plan for you. that day he asked me for a bible. i think he was trying to seek a way back. >> reporter: the church is not only raising money to help pay for the defense but also for a proper burial for his victim. the young men lived like brothers. >> the first thing was it was like losing two sons. >> reporter: while their families grieve, serious questions arise if they missed serious warning signs. he was accused of attacking another student just days before the murder. >> he was standing over me with a knife. >> the writing was on the wall. he should have been extracted from the community before he had the opportunity to senselessly attack josh. >> reporter: they are conducting a full review to see if anything

could have been done differently. the university president will not answer any questions about this saying council has advised him not to. >> he remains locked up in jail. the church wants to advise the victim's families from ghana to come here for a burial. 10 years after falsely being accused of rape, a former high school star is getting a second chance at the nfl. brian banks was exonerated last month after his accuser admitted she made the story up. he went through a try out with the seattle seahawks. now at the age of 26, he's hoping to fulfill his dream of playing pro football. a father in arizona is facing prison after he tries to teach his teenage sons about the

dangers of alcohol. he forced his sons to drink shots of hard liquor after he suspected them of drinking. >> it was the things i learned when i was a child. this is how you teach your children to do things. i realize now that it was the biggest mistake of my life. >> he's facing two felony counts of child abuse. his sons are now living with relatives in texas. a televised political debate in greece turns violent. watch the man sitting on the left side of the table. he becomes enraged after being called a neo-nazi. first he tosses a glass of water, then he confronts the woman next to him and starts punching her in the face. the station cut away from the incident. the debate was about the country's upcoming elections. graduating seniors have a typo to go along with their pop

and circumstance. the diplomas had the word program misspelled. the printer forgot about the second r. a student wrote about it on facebook. the county says they will replace all 800 misspelled diplomas. >> they needed to get that 6-year-old to proof their diplomas. she would have caught that error. >> spell check. it's called spell check. >> it happens. let's take a look at the weather around the region. some showers and pretty heavy wind. all that's gone. quiet right now. look at the temperatures right now. 61 right now, west southwest winds barely moving the barometer. time to check the barometer and set it, exactly 30 inches of mercury and holding steady. 58 up in cumberland.

locally, upper 50s in a few spots, otherwise low to mid-60s. the bay water temperatures is back in the low 70s. 80, 56 today. the record is 96 and 47 on this date. tomorrow the winds a little more of a northwest. that will bring in milder air. a lot of shower activity in florida, to the west of us some activity. today we have the showers popping up across new york, pennsylvania, finally moving into our region. that's all beginning to move out. it's dying down, drier air will move in. a really nice weekend. extreme southern portions of the bay, but tomorrow high pressure moves in. warmer conditions for saturday

and sunday. may get ahead of that front 90 or close to it. the bay temperature around 72. 56, pleasant sleeping again. tomorrow, a lot of sunshine. looks like a nice, warmer day. 84. that's above average by 4 degrees. the next 5 days -- saturday, 87. 89 on sunday. a little more humid. 87 monday. 85, probably shower activity again late in the day on tuesday. ♪

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report. >> the good news hepped there is what you're saying. the highs and lows of a long road trip. they started the journey with three straight losses in toronto. the birds bounced back. they had two wins in boston going for a sweep of the red sox to finish the trip. fenway park has been home away from home for the os. buck doesn't want to see how this finishes. not pretty. mattis, a rough night. he had control problems from the outset. gonzalez slapped it to right field. mattis pulled from the game in the third inning. he gave up four runs, just after he pitched so well in tampa. boston started clay buchholz. a complete game shut out.

the os finish the road trip with a 7-0 loss. they are tied with tampa bay for first place. saturday, masn at 4:00. football season never ends. the ravens were on the field wrapping up another week of voluntary off-season work outs. because they're voluntary, most veteran players don't bother. joe flacco has been on hand because he's supposed. the coach went out of his way to praise flacco's leadership and his development. >> it's been impressive fundamentally. throwing the ball very well. everything he's done hard work wise is really showing up in these practices. >> they'll reconvene for their

first mandatory sessions. counting down to a run at horse racing history. this is i'll have another working out at belmont park after winning the kentucky derby. his horse has a good appetite. no matter your betting interest, everyone would love to see history come saturday. coming up, it's the,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,

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scale. the prize money would also be mini, but everyone plays for the love of the game and those little pencils. well, if you want to be the coolest family on the block, this is the car you need to get. ferrari has produced a family-friendly model. the symbol of style and speed now comes with four seats. it also has a 7-speed transmission and the famous ferrari horsepower so you can get to that family,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

coming up next on the late show, bill murrry. that's it for tonight. >> thanks for watg