the ripken family is safe tonight. but tonight, her kidnapper is on the loose. jessica kartalija explains why she means so much to maryland baseball fans. but first, mike hellgren is live at police headquarters in harford county, with the latest on the abduction. mike? >> denise, this is a tough and fiercely independent woman. and what happened to her here frightened so many in this community. police are not saying at this point whether the person who took her did so because of who she is. but we do know she went on a terrifying 24-hour ride. >> reporter: the matriarch of the ripken family, 74-year-old violet, was abducted at gunpoint by a man in aberdeen. driven in her lincoln town car, then dropped off around her block, about 24 hours later. a close friend and neighbor spoke to her after the ordeal. >> i think he followed her watched her. why would he do that? go in the garage and wait there

for her? tied her up, put a mask on her. he was going to do something else first. then told her to get in the car. he wanted her in her car. >> in her car? >> in her car, yeah. wanted her car and money and her to go with him. >> reporter: she was dropped off right down the street, just a short distance from her home. it was an anguishing ordeal for the family. police knew something was terribly wrong when they got a tip her car was seen in essex. investigators say no one made any ransom demands. >> he was last seen wearing a white colored shirt, camo pants. we believe he is armed and should be considered armed and dangerous. >> reporter: the 74-year-old was checked out by paramedics with no major injuries. she is now resting with her family. >> she's still really shook up, of course. i don't think it's really hit her yet. >> reporter: right now, we can't speak of what the motive is. like i said, we are still looking at this investigation. we are looking at every

witness. every clue. for us to say -- or speculate on a motive, would be unfair. >> reporter: one source says the abductor tried to put duct tape over vi ripken's eyes. but she told him he was claustrophobic. so he just put a blindfold on her. police have not said whether he used her atm or credit card. the family thanked police, saying they were grateful for the return of ms. ripken. but said they couldn't comment because this investigation is ongoing. >> our complete coverage continues now with jessica kartalija. she is live with more on why vi means so much to baseball fans in our state. >> to say the least. vi ripken has spent most of her life in the aberdeen area. and she has said many times, she has hoped never to leave. >> as a mother, i'd want him to play forever. >> reporter: vi ripken, affect affectately known as vi, is no stranger to the fot slight.

-- spotlight. the mother to fred, cal, billy. >> what can i say about my mom? she is an unbelievable person. she let my dad lead the way on the field. but she was dollar in every other way. >> reporter: seen here throwing out the first pitch. this 74-year-old is the matriarch of one of baseball's most well-known families. one of her proudest moments, when baltimore ironman cal jr. broke lou gehrig's streak. >> i loved him because he was my son. and being where he is has nothing to do with it. but -- doesn't sound very humble, but he really seems to capture the world that night. >> reporter: vi has lived in aberdeen since her husband, former orioles coach and manager cal sr., died in 1999. she has said that she hoped to never leave the area, becoming a familiar face around

aberdeen's ripken stadium, vi is often seen watching ripken's little league world series and minor league iron birds game. >> reporter: vi has also been an integral part of the cal ripken senior foundation, as well as a board member for the boys and girls club of harford county. jessica kartalija, wjz eyewitness news. >> once again, here's a description of the suspect. police are looking for. haz a white nan in -- he's a white man in his late 30s or early 40s. last seen wearing a light- colored shirt, camouflaged pants and eyeglasses. police say he should be considered armed and dangerous. we have breaking news to tell you about right now. a large sinkhole is causing big problems for people living in one east baltimore community. going to go to sky eye chopper 13. and captain jeff long with the latest. >> reporter: well, denise, this is on east monument. it's about four blocks east. and what we have here is a pretty big hole in the road. it's about 6 feet by about 3 feet.

it was discovered around 1:30. and they believe it's a storm drain culvert for a 120-inch pipe that was put in around 1930. there are concerns of a gas leak associated with this cave- in. so the road is closed between patterson park boulevard and mun ford. it's been closed since they discovered this at 1:30. reporting live from sky eye chopper 13, i'm captain jeff long. back to you. >> all right. thank you, jeff. dpw tells wjz, there is no timetable on how long repairs will take. tonight, the first funeral for one of those 12 victims of the colorado massacre, 51-year- old gordon cowden is remembered by family and friends as a loving father. he took his children to see the dark knight rises, midnight showing last friday. that's when police say 24-year- old james holmes burst into that theater and opened fire. in addition to the 12 killed, dozens of other people were injured. some of them still in the hospital tonight. and that tragedy in aurora, once again raising questions about gun control in america.

it comes as a federal judge here in baltimore finds part of a state gun law unconstitutional. that means it could soon be easier to carry a concealed weapon here in maryland. [ gunshot ] >> reporter: a victory for opponents of gun control in maryland. a judge issued a ruling that affects maryland's concealed carry permit law. until now, they had to have a substantial reason for a permit. but that has been struck down. >> even without this good and substantial showing, we still have one of the most restrictive regimes in america, in maryland here, for getting a permit for getting a gun. >> reporter: attorney hamsil reports a man who was denied. this new law does not require background checks or fingerprinting. >> this ruling would only affect law-abiding citizens, people who have been found and investigated to be found law abiding and has nothing to do with the real problems the country faces whether they are

mental health problems, which affected the colorado situation. whether they are crime problems, which we see unfortunately, rammant in some parts of -- rampant in some parts of maryland. >> reporter: this has renewed the gun control debate. this ruling make its easier to get a concealed carry permit. that concerns stephanie alston. her son was killed four years ago. >> we are teaching these people that it's okay to solve your problems and getting a gun and shooting and killing people. >> reporter: the brady campaign to stop gun violence calls the ruling reckless. and the state's attorney general says the ruling is under review and the state is considering options. >> now, this good and substantial element of the law expires in two weeks, unless the attorney general seeks a stay in the case. in fact, they have already appealed the entire ruling. new developments in the bizarre fight inside a baltimore county wal-mart that sent more than a dozen people to the hospital. a baltimore county judge ruled

that ebony odems acted in self- defense during that fight last fall. they say jefferson tossed bleach and other cleaning agents at odem. well, football. it's back. ravens veterans report to training camp as the team sets its sites on a super bowl run. wjz is live at the training facility in owings mills. sports director mark viviano has more on the ravens getting back to work. and the real work will begin tomorrow, when the ravens have their first full squad training camp workout. but yes, they gotta get here first. and today was check november in -- check-in day. as the ravens arrive, bringing with them the high hopes that come with the expectations of yet another play-off season. good morning. good morning. >> reporter: a good morning. and a good month for ray rice. arriving for camp after signing a new $40 million contract. a number of players showing up included the notable arrival of

veterans safety ed reed. reporting for duty after another off season in which he hinted at retirement. reed gets ready for his 11th nfl season. while the rockies -- rookies on the field get ready for their first. a light workout for them before the full squad joins in on thursday. rookie running back bernard pierce wants to make a good impression as he fights for a job alongside ray rice and others. >> i look forward to every practice being able to go on the field. and you know, do my best every day. so i'm definitely looking to turn heads every day on the practice field. >> reporter: pierce wants to be part of a one-two punch with star running back ray rice. his big payday secured, rice talks approximate preparing -- about preparing for his fifth season, retiring ravens. >> i want to retire ravens. that's what it boils down to. you get these -- second contract. you think about long term. that would be nine years of ply life that i have been in baltimore. needless to say, baltimore has

became home for me. my life is in baltimore. i'm no longer a new yorker. i just visit there now. >> reporter: ray rice is locked in. and coming up in sports, he talks about locking in the focus of finally getting to a super bowl as a member of the ravens. that's coming up. back to you for now. >> all right. thank you, mark. odds makers have the ravens as one of the leading picks to make the super bowl. >> let's hope that happens. well, a couple of days ago, it really felt like football weather out there. today, summer is back. let's take a live look outside now. lots of sunshine now. plus temperatures. even low humidity. like the perfect trifecta there. how long is it going to last? wjz is live with first warning weather coverage. meteorologist bernadette woods and bob turk are updating the first warning forecast. >> no complaints. nice break from the heat and humidity. today's temperatures got up to 87. but it was so dry. very, very comfortable. tomorrow, a big change. take a look at terms now. 85, but the dew point down at 55 degrees. very dry, very low.

78 in oakland. and 77, ocean city. now, tomorrow, the dew points are going to get back in the upper 60s to the loy 70s. -- low 70s. so predicted highs tomorrow in the upper 90s going to feel a lot warmer. probably maybe 100 to 105. and that's why tomorrow afternoon, from noon until 8:00, on thursday, we have a heat advisory that will be going into effect for the entire region there east of allegheny county. so it's going to be a hot, uncomfortable, kind of tough day tomorrow. bernadette in the outback. she has a look at some of these temperatures. bernadette? >> that's right. this has been a hot month, as we all know, even with saturday only being at 69 degrees. so our average high, 92.3 degrees. the average for that same stretch is 87.4 degrees am so we have been considerably above average for july. now, when we tally up our 90- degree days. we're now at 32. and among those, six of them have been at 100 degrees or

higher. so yes, after a cooler start to the season, it's really cranked up in july. looks like that will continue this week. we'll have that forecast coming up. >> oh, boy. should we start doing this now? >> not yet. but tomorrow. still to come on wjz eyewitness news. i'm mary bubala. the duratio storm knocked out power for days. now, the president of bge sits down with me to defend the company's response to the storm. that's coming up next. a life-and-death struggle. stunning video of a killer whale dragging a trainer underwater. see what happens next. i'm ron matz. a brighter day for the giraffes at the maryland zoo. we'll explain coming up right here on wjz. there you go, angel. you got more. >> fantastic july evening. stick around for the updated first warning forecast coming up. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

it is sunny, 85 degrees in central maryland right now. the complete first warning weather forecast is coming up. a former star basketball player, shot to death in west baltimore. and tonight, the gunman is still on the loose. wjz is live at city police headquarters. rochelle ritchie has more on the victim. >> the 23-year-old victim played basketball at walbrook high school.

tonight, his friends and family are trying to fathom why anyone would kill him. and baltimore city police are on the lookout for the shooter. >> baltimore city police are investigating the shooting death of 23-year-old brandon sproal, a former basketball player at walbrook high school. monday night, around 10:30, brandon was hanging out on the corner of baker and mcking, with two other people, when he was robbed of his belongings and his life. >> when they were approached by two black males, one armed with a gun. >> police say sproal was ordered to his knees and then told to pus his hands behind his head. that's when he was shot. the other two victims got away. >> they found a victim suffering from a gunshot wound to the back of the head. >> reporter: brandon died on the scene. the news hitting his former basketball coach like a ton of bricks. >> breaks my heart completely. >> reporter: brandon and his older brother rodney played and led the team to two championships back in 2005 and 2006. bridgers describes brandon as a tenacious player with a quiet

spirit. >> this kid has had a job since he was in high school. always earning his own keep. always making its own way. >> he said he not only robbed him of his whole life but of his family. >> there is a child that has been robbed of his father. there is a brother who has been robbed of his only brother. >> reporter: neighbors who heard the gunshots monday night are fed up with the violence. >> terrible. i don't want the kids to go outside. scared they might get shot. >> reporter: police say they do have a few leads but the need the community's help in getting justice for brandon. >> we need them to help us get him off the streets. >> and the shooting death for brandon is especially hard for his family. we're told has mother died a year ago. back to you. >> very sad. thank you, rochelle. if you have information, you are asked to call baltimore police. we are tracking a story now. a senior member of the house of delegates leadership says that

tonight, governor martin o'malley is likely to call a special session to deal with the issue of expanding gambling over the next several days. o'malley wants to add a sixth casino and also add table games statewide. a just-release the video is reigniting a debate over safety at san diego. the disturbing 15-minute tape shows a whale attacking its trainer. mary bubala has more on the fallout. >> reporter: when whale trainer ken peters dove into the water, he was ready for the finale of this 2006 sea world show in san diego. instead of the planned spectacle, where the trainer is launched into the air, capsacka, a 5,000-pound female whale, grabbed him by the ankles, thrashed him around, and pulled him to the bottom of the pool. >> it goes on and on and on. it must have been terrifying. >> reporter: david kirby wrote death at sea world. he believes capsacka was

agitated by cries of her nearby calf. >> imagine being a mother and your child is calling for you. and you are not allowed to go comfort your child. have you to go perform a show. it might make you angry. >> we see capsacka pull ken down to the bottom. then she brings him back up. and you think, thank god, she's not going to kill him. and she's trying to remain calm. and you don't know what is going to happen next. and then she decides to go back down. >> reporter: when peters finally managed to free his foot, he swam for safety. capsacka turned and came after him. peters, now with a broken foot, barely managed to get away. a california workplace safety investigator stated, if someone hasn't been killeddard, it is only a matter of time before it does happen. >> reporter: and it did happen. four years later, when trainer dawn brancheau was drowned by a killer whale. this past may, a judge ruled sea world trainers have to stay out of the water unless sea world can adequately protect them. the park appealed but lost last week.

>> reporter: the judge called the video chilling as he upheld a government panel's recommendation for trainers to stay out of the water. mary bubala, wjz eyewitness news. >> and that particular trainer still works at sea world. >> all right. back here. beautiful day today. >> blue skies. dry. comfortable tomorrow. uncomfortable. hot and humid. >> get ready for that. >> shut the windows. >> get ready for the pool. 85 now. no winds, though. humidity is down. dew point is only 53. tomorrow probably close to 70. going to be very sticky. barometer holding steady. come back and take a look at those two hot days after this. ,

perfect summer day. dry. prepare yourself. it's going to be hot and humid again. take a look at temps now around the area. ocean city, coming in at 77. 78 in oakland. very comfortable. 87 in washington. we're at 85 now. to the north of us, a lot of low 80s. in fact, early this morning, we had some low 60s. very comfortable. very dry. 83 annapolis and over on kent island, rock hall as well. 82 in bel air. once again, the dew points low. it's in the low 50s. that's comfortable air. tomorrow, the dew point, upper 60s to low 70s. you are going to feel the heat and humidity tomorrow. and that's why we have a heat advisory for the entire region.

all afternoon, into the evening hours. right now, very little wind anywhere. tomorrow, more of a southwest wind. and this is where the heat has been sitting all summer long. right now, it's 98 in chicago. some of that heat will be here tomorrow. probably about 88, 99. some places getting to 100. some places, cold front. that will be close to the region friday. pretty good risk we'll see thunderstorm activity. tomorrow, i think the bulk of the activity will be across new england and new york. could be severe weather from central p.a. up to new england. for us, we'll be just up to the southern edge. maybe a thundershower later in the afternoon tomorrow night. but better chance will come friday, with the front very close to the region but will be in the heat and humidity. so the front coming through that moist air mass. chance of thunderstorms friday. as some could be strong to severe. but with more cloud cover. it will begin to cool down. particularly for the weekend. and eventually, we'll start drying out for saturday and sunday. south winds on the bay. maybe gusting to 20 knots.

small craft advisory tomorrow. bay temp, nice and warm. still at 80 degrees. tonight, beautiful night. mid- to upper 60s. some low 70s in the city with clear skies. tomorrow, sunny, hot. yeah. and humid. upper 90s. could get to 100 easily. maybe an evening thundershower in some spots. mainly north of the region. and then the better chance coming on friday. but still hot and humid on friday. >> you're going to have to refund all of that money people gave you for today's beautiful weather. >> it's true. >> going to be broke. yeah. still to come tonight on wjz's eyewitness news. price gouging for critical drugs in short supply. an investigation led by representative elijah cummings is front and center on capitol hill. i'm andrea fujii. i'll explain what they found just ahead. midnight massacre in colorado. the first victim is laid to rest, as investigators release new information about the suspect. chaos on the streets. more violent protests after two deadly police-involved shootings in one single

california city. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

it is just before 6:30. 85 degrees and sunny. good evening. thanks for staying with wjz. here are some of the stories people are talking about

tonight. the first memorial is held for a victim of the colorado mass murderer. it is the first of 12. as investigators continue to collect evidence against the alleged shooter, 24-year-old james holmes. teresa garcia reports for wjz from aurora with the latest on the tragedy. >> reporter: family members and friends of gordon cowden, attended a church service in denver today. the 51-year-old father of four was one of 12 people killed during the midnight showing of the new batman movie. he was at the theater with his two teenaged daughters who were not hurt. >> i'm really sad about what everyone is going through. >> his family was seen crying at the makeshift memorial at the theater. one of his daughters wrote on a cross, it was a surreal night, dad. what was certain was your calling to us. >> he was a great dad. and they were great kids. and an absolute tragedy. >> reporter: before the attack

happened, suspected gunman james holmes reportedly mailed a notebook, full of details about how he was going to kill people. a law enforcement source was quoted as saying holmes sent it to a psychiatrist at the university of colorado but it sat unopened in a mailroom until monday. >> reporter: former fbi assistant director and cbs news correspondent john miller says investigators are digitally recreating the rampage. >> they can take ballistics evidence that will actually show them the travect -- trajectory of the bullet. >> reporter: police are expected to give back control of the theater to its owners on wednesday. >> holmes'holmes' neighbors were hoping to return to their apartment today. but investigators are still processing evidence in his apartment. another violent protest on the streets of anaheim, california. growing outrage over two deadly police-involved shootings. monique griego has the latest

on these. >> reporter: police want to know why they used deadly force in two shootings. and police officers fired pepper spray balls at hundreds of demonstrators in anaheim. the crowd threw rocks and molotov cocktails at police. lit trash cans on fire and smashed store windows. 24 people were arrested. two young men were fatally shot by police in separate incidents over the weekend. and the family of one of those men said he was unarmed and shot in the back. his mother is now suing the city for $50 million. adam? >> monique, thanks. internal investigations are under way in both of those shootings. after a two-year study, state school leaders are one step closer to banning zero tolerance policies in all maryland schools. wjz is live. gigi barnett has the latest to keep them in class. >> reporter: state school leaders started their zero tolerance policy back in 1999, shortly after the columbine

shooting. but today, they say it's time to wipe that code out. >> last year, 15-year-old mick stubing committed suicide. it happened shortly after he was suspended from wt woods high school in fairfax, virginia. he purchased the legal pill on campus and school leaders sent him home. his parents blame the school for his death. and they want to rethink the zero tolerance policies. >> reporter: maryland school leaders here reworked their discipline code. and last night, school leaders approved the new code. >> it's gotten too punitive, too criminal in its orientation. >> reporter: nick's case was not the only one parents thought was unfair. last year, talbot county suspended two lacrosse players for packing pen lights in their bag, items needed to fix their sticks. the boys had never been in trouble before. but soon after, they faced

weapons. >> charging them for a deadly weapon for a two-inch pocketknife is such a waste of people's time. >> reporter: now, it will allow school leaders to review each case on a case by case basis. plus, if a student is suspended, it's the school's responsibility to make sure that student can complete assignments. school leaders wrote, no student comes to school perfect, academically or behaviorally. we do not throw away the imperfect or difficult students. thus our school keeps philosophies. it is that important. >> reporter: state leaders are also concerned about minority and special needs students. those students receive a disproportionate amount of suspensionspensions and expulsions every year. so the state is requiring districts to track those numbers and reduce those suspensions among minority and

special needs students. back to you, denise. >> the final vote on the new changes to the discipline code comes next month. a call to anne arundel county police about a payment dispute, ends in a drug bust. a pool company representative says that lott refused to pay his his company. while there, officers saw marijuana plants growing at the home. after the search, officers recovered more than $3,000 worth of pot. now lott is facing a number of charges. charging too much for life- saving drugs. maryland congressman elijah cummings wants to make sure that doesn't happen. and today, me talked -- he talked about it on capitol hill. he said that brenda frese alerted him to the problem. >> reporter: 4-year-old tyler frese is alive today, thanks to chemotherapy drugs. he's the son of university of maryland women's basketball coach, brenda frese. after his treatment for leukemia, frese realized his

miracle drug was in short supply and its skyrocketing price may be too expensive for other patients. >> these people are wanting to gain a profit. what would their life look like if their son or daughter was someone that needed this drug? >> reporter: in a recent investigation, pharmacists and doctors say drug shortages more than tripled in the last six years. so frese took her concerns to representative elijah cummings. >> reporter: cummings then helped lead an investigation into drug companies that sell medications into supply. at exorbitant prices. >> i initiated this after receiving a heartfelt letter from brenda frese. >> reporter: he found one company was selling a cancer drug for more than $500 a vial, when it typically sells for $65. wednesday afternoon, cummings testified in front of a senate congress committee, pushing a bill to deter price gouging. as the frese family and now lawmakers argue, life-saving medications should never be out of reach. >> i can't imagine them telling us, yeah, there's a drug there

that is going to help save your kid's life, but it's not available. >> reporter: doctors say drug shortages often happen because the medications become generic, and profits plummet, so there is less incentive to make them. drug makers deny that claim, saying they can't keep up with increased demand. >> the companies investigated in representative cummings' report declined an invitation today to speak on capitol hill. time for a look at the baltimore sun. more on the 87th annual chincoteague island pony swim. and the towson tigers football team heads into the season with big expectations. for more, you can read tomorrow's baltimore sun. and remember to look for the updated forecast from wjz's first warning weather team. well, the holes in the lobby of the hilton are in the process of being repaired tonight. the holes were caused by the powerful storm that blew through the region last night. the heavy rain caused an internal storm pipe system to fail, causing the lobby to

flood. no one was injured in that flooding. we have been hit by a series of powerful storms this summer, including that duratio storm that knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of people. tonight's first warning weather report continues with mary bubala. she speaks exclusively with the man at the center of the storm. bge's president and ceo. >> reporter: the duratio storm roars into maryland with a crushing blow. rivaling even the fiercest of herns. -- hurricanes. stripping power from three- quarters of a billion bge customers in a mere 30 minutes. >> the numbers were climbing fast. and it was clear this was a storm of historic preparations. unlike anything i'd ever seen. >> reporter: friday night, bge president and ceo ken defontis is hunkered down at home, glued to the radar. >> it was a scaled equivalent to a hurricane but without the

warning. >> reporter: immediately, defontis directed bge to deploy some 1200 linemen across the state and called in reinforcements. as the temperatures soar to 100 degrees, for some, the hours without power turn to days. >> was there a moment, though, that you began to have some panic when it was so intensely hot, you knew you still had customers out and vulnerable customers? were you scared? >> i feel the pressure, personally. because i understand how important this is. >> reporter: important enough that lawmakers, including governor o'malley, senator cardin, and congressman van hollins, called for investigations and possible fines. >> pop public-- top public officials have criticized bge's response to this storm. what do you say to them? >> i understand they're reacting to the feedback they're hearing from their constituents. i do understand the need for us to be evaluated. i do believe, though, that it is inappropriate to simply say a knee jerk reaction, let's

punish the utilities. we're working hard to do the best job we can to restore service quickly. and we are continuing to make very significant investments and in improving liability. >> is it time to take a serious look at burying power lines? >> at this time, bge has almost 65% of its lines are underground. we have been putting lines underground since 1969. but we still have 9500 miles of overhead lines. if we replace 200 miles of them a year, that's a 50-year project. i'm willing to do that. but we also need to have an honest conversation about if we do that, what's going to be the impact on customers' costs? >> reporter: do you think that bge's response to the storm was adequate or inadequate? >> we're in the process of evaluating our performance. >> reporter: but just your gut reaction to it? >> i think given the circumstance, that with no warning and given the magnitude of the problem, this performance compares actually better than what we did even in

hurricane irene. this storm was everywhere. and that's what makes it different. that's what makes it difficult. >> reporter: mary bubala, wjz eyewitness news. >> now, defonte says bge is aggressively hiring linemen. but that no utility can hire enough staff to handle a storm of this magnitude. >> let's hope it doesn't happen again this summer. that was painful. still to come on eyewitness news tonight. fatal fall. how a man ended up off road and into this gorge near niagara falls. i'm bob turk in the first warning weather center. a hot end to our week. and uncomfortably humid. i'll have the exclusive ,,,,,,,,

a police chase ends at the bottom of the niagara gorm. an officer was reportedly fleeing from an officer. when they both fell over. the officer was air-lifted to the hospital with only a broken leg. meanwhile, the wanted man was pronounced dead at the scene. it is still not clear why that officer was pursuing the driver in the first place. a small plane makes a crash- landing in the corn field near aurora, illinois. authorities say the plane went down shortly after takeoff. apparently the aircraft lost control and failed to gain altitude. no one was hurt.

but the plain did suffer pretty hefty damage. an investigation is now being conducted. it is a big day at the maryland zoo in baltimore. thanks to cbs media, eco ecoinsurances. some new ecofriendly lighting has been installed. >> everyone loves giraffes at the maryland zoo. they're 16 feet tallful but their home is nearly 50 years old. zoo's ceo don hutchinson told me and an appreciative crowd, a makeover is under way. >> we put about $150,000 in the giraffe house about a year ago. but we didn't have enough money to address some of the lighting issues that we've had. >> reporter: that changes with the cutting of a green ribbon. celebrating the new energy- efficient l.e.d. lighting. >> this is providing better illumination. providing a better living situation for the giraffe.

and it's saving the zoo money. >> reporter: the public-private partnership includes wjz, elephant insurance and cbs ecomedia. >> we're investing all the time. and we can take a piece of that and give it back to the community. in this particular case, it's giving back to the maryland zoo. >> how are you doing, bud? >> reporter: with 18-inch tongues, they eat a lot. >> on a daily basis, he receives about 20 pounds of alfalfa hay. also 10 pounds of grains. >> they'll be able to see that food and their home a lot better now. a brighter day at the maryland zoo for everyone. >> we really need to continue to focus on making sure this park and specifically the zoo, are one of the main attractions of baltimore. >> reporter: ron matz, wjz eyewitness news. >> beautiful. the retrofit also includes updated lighting for the zookeeper service areas as well. >> my son freaked out when he saw that giraffe tongue for the first time. he had no idea that thing was going to be purple.

>> it's a staggering sight. it's an odd color. here's a look at tonight's closing numbers on wall street. we'll be right back. [ male announcer ] now at your neighborhood subway: the new santa fe steak melts. get extra grande flavor with the santa fe steak & bacon melt. juicy steak, crispy bacon, and melted cheese with creamy santa fe caesar.

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let's get a final update on the forecast. >> hello, denise and everybody out there. this is what we're looking at tomorrow. the heat returning. we start ought the day in the 60s. and as we head into the afternoon, close to 100 degrees. heat advisory in effect. and humidity will start to build. maybe some thunderstorms could be strong late in the day. for the rest of the five-day, here's bob. remember, heat advisory tomorrow afternoon, tomorrow night. 99, maybe 100. 98. thunderstorms, good chance friday. and again a chance on saturday. 87, 87. 90, drying out for the sunday, monday period. denise? >> thank you, bob. sports is next. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

all right. mark is live at the ravens facility at owings mills, with our wjz the fan sports report. how are you doing? >> we're doing just great. ravens arriving for the start of training camp. first full practice tomorrow. and already mention of the super bowl. no bowl predictions, just the sense of what needs to be accomplished after four straight trips to the play-offs that fell short of that championship game. now, that's definitely on the mind of running back ray rice, who did arrive today. he's getting set for his fifth season with the ravens. he's been a big part of the ravens' run of success.

and heef it's earned him a new $40 million contract. that's a subject he addressed when he met with the media today. >> it feels like i've been reward said for my previous work. and knowing that that's over and said and done -- done with, now we can chase this championship. and it's never been about playing for money and -- money and all that kind of thing, i've always been a team- oriented guy. but that was my first crack at the business side of it. because as a rookie, you just sign and play. >> we're going to hear from veterans linebacker ray lewis coming up. ravens are known for their hard hitting. well, the orioles need to get their hitting going. as they resume their series at home, against tampa bay. rays' right-hander jeremy heleson kept it open at camden yards. o's managed just one run. got three hits and struck out 10 times. very little support for orioles pitcher wei yen chen. but paid for one big mistake.

serving up to conrad. in a 3-1 defeat, they lost two in a row, scoring one run in each of those defeats. but overall, the pitching has been good here lately. rookie miguel gonzalez will get the start tonight. it's his first time facing tampa bay. orioles hitters are going to face lefty all star david price. he's good. you can see the game on masn. a reminder, it's masn on wjz this weekend. see the orioles and the oakland a's, saturday night and sunday morning. -- sunday afternoon, i should say. both games on wjz 13. you know, the orioles have been looking for a trade to improve their batting order. one of the guys they have been looking at has been traded, but not to baltimore. hanley ramirez, traded by miami to the l.a. dodgers. he's one of the top slugging infielders in the game. speaking of slugging infielders, the first-placed yankees have lost one of their best. alex rodriguez goes on the disabled list. he suffered a fracture in his

left hand when he was hit by a pitch from seattle's felix hernandez last night. arod expected to be out of action for about eight weeks. there was afternoon action in the majors today. washington nationals pitcher steven strausberg, mowed down the mets in new york. 11 strikeouts for strausberg and seven innings of work. the nats sweep the mets in new york. winning all three of the series, a 5-2 final today. the nats now own a 4 1/2-game league, atop the national league east. i'll have orioles highlights coming up for you tonight at 11:00. and again, we will hear from ray rice, who is fit and trim. he's dropped about 20 pounds as he gets ready for his 17th season in the nfl. we'll hear from him tonight, back to you for now. >> he needs to write a diet book. thank you, mark. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

that's if for us tonight. we'll be back at 11:00. i'm adam may. >> thank you for watching maryland's news >> pelley: tonight, there was an early warning of the movie theater massacre. james holmes sent a letter

before the killings. reports from john miller and anna werner as the first victim is laid to rest. what grows in a drought? food prices. dean reynolds on how much more you'll be paying. rebels claim they now control half of syria's biggest city. clarissa ward is in syria. elizabeth palmer across the border in lebanon. and nasa's mission to mars. >> this mission is the coolest thing i think we've ever done. >> pelley: