good morning, maryland. it's tuesday, july 7th. one area neighborhood says this is all too common. crashes in their area of the city. this morning they want something done. and after a child is shot in the head the community targets one specific group to help lead their community away from violence. he's accused of brutally stabbing his wife in front of a courthouse last fall. today the murder trial begins for cleveland williams. thank you for joining us. i'm megan pringle. we're just before 5:30. let's get to the weather now with justin berk. good morning. >> good morning. we start off once again pleasant conditions. in fact, a little warmer than it was yesterday but nice and comfortable and generally clear. check out our view now from umbc in catonsville. we had clouds overnight but they just got away. 67 degrees now on that southwest corner of the beltway. let's check it around the region. head to ellicott city, in the old valley section, 59 degrees. same story towson on the top side of the beltway, that location at cromwell valley

elementary school is milder. 64 eldersburg. by the water it's currently 70 edgemere. 72 rock hall. a wide range but average of 65 to 70. mostly sunny start to the day. we'll build in clouds and a small chance of showers or thunderstorm with our two-degree guarantee back up to 87. that is near normal and it will actually get cooler for the rest of the week. more on that coming up. 5:31. here's kim with a check of the roads. >> thank you. as we check the jfx southbound, things running smoothly between northern parkway and north avenue. no problems to report around the beltway on the east side between whitemarsh boulevard and loch raven. also smooth on the west side of the outer loop between liberty road and route 70. the fort mchenry tunnel is running without incident. that earlier disabled vehicle at northbound 895 at the harbor tunnel has been cleared. a little bit of residual delays there but not too much to worry about. also, new traffic patterns on the northeast side of the beltway, they've reopened a new southbound ramp to 95. it's going to be a new traffic pattern so keep an eye out for

that if you're traveling in that direction. 95 southbound through howard county down towards the capitol beltway. traffic is running smoothly and just light volume on the roads at this time. back to you. wrecked cars, side swipes and mislabeled signs. all too familiar in one baltimore city neighborhood. brittney gordon shows us the problems that are causing on maryland avenue and 24th streets in north baltimore. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. we are here at maryland avenue and 24th street. this is what neighbors say the problem is. you see on 24th street as you come eastbound it goes from two-way to one-way. that say it's causing a lot of confusion for drivers, especially because they say there needs to be more signage here. let's go to the accident that happened just a couple of hours ago. that accident brought city firefighters out in the middle of the night as they worked to rescue a man trapped in his van. they had to cut the glass out of the car in order to get him out. then rushed him to the

hospital. according to some neighbors this is not an unusual sight. they say that for years there has been missing signage over the intersection of maryland and 24th. they say that a "do not enter" sign is gone and it's causing lots of confusion. >> i called 311 many times a month for several months now. almost two years, about a missing "do not enter" sign. eight cars a day pass the wrong way on 24th street. >> reporter: neighbors hope this accident will finally lead the way for city leaders to do something about this problem. live in north baltimore, brittney gordon, abc2 news. today, the murder trial of cleveland williams is scheduled to begin 1 11:00 this morning at a downtown baltimore courthouse. last fall police say williams confronted his estranged wife and repeatedly stabbed her outside the east side courthouse where she appeared to apply for a protective order against him. police who heard the commotion

responded and tried to subdue williams. his wife veronica later died at hopkins from her stab wounds. a 5-year-old girl remains in the hospital. the 17-year-old charged with shooting her is now in custody. the community where this shooting happened is trying to figure out how to move forward this morning. people who live along pulaski street in southwest baltimore held a vigil last night for little raven wyatt. on thursday she was walking back from a convenience store when a bullet struck her in the head. at a vigil organizers called on volunteers, specifically african-american men, to take responsibility for the future of the city. >> very tough, very difficult community and they are going through a lot of trials and tribulations. i think the best thing is to let them know people do care about them. >> the 17-year-old lamont davis faces attempted murder charges. abc2 news learned that davis's record includes carjacking, assault and robbery charges. the department of you've any services -- juvenile as much

ass has been monitoring him with a gps bracelet but the djs confirmed it had been cut off. meantime, raven wyatt's family is not releasing specific information on how she's doing. police continue to say that she's in critical condition. this morning we're still waiting to learn about the name of a baltimore county drowning victim. authorities say a man in his early 20s drowned yesterday afternoon while trying to swim across a creek in dundalk. the man reportedly jumped from the pier but didn't surface. 5:35. july 7th. churches united for justice and the naacp plan to hold a news conference on a nationwide church kiosk scam. and chesapeake bay foundation releases a report on pollution and human health risks. plus, doctors at johns hopkins are set to announce a kidney swap today. they have eight patients getting a kidney from eight unrelated donors in four different states. that is all happening today.

maryland governor martin o'malley says that the state should probably "respect the rights granted by same-sex marriages in other states." speaking on a radio program on monday o'malley said it would be difficult to deny rights granted by a government. maryland attorney generalgantsler is looking into whether the state can recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states. his office plans to issue an opinion in the next couple weeks. the government's cash for clunkers program is in full swing and while dealerships are expecting it to be busy scammers are already hard at work taking advantage of the new program. we're going to tell you everything you need to know so you don't waste your money. let's check outside and look at the temperatures. 65 degrees. we'll see if it's going to be another pleasant summer day when we check in with justin. if you're wondersering about your morning commute here's kurt. >> good morning. we have a delay on the brunswick line train 870, 10-minute late. camden and penn on schedule. light rail and metro subway

looking good. diversions, 77 bus at washington boulevard and hammonds ferry. and 22 bus diverted at university and 41st due to watermain break repairs there. look at this- motor oil on my husband's favorite shirt. did you say mow óié?5/can ? i've tried these, without success. try this. spray 'n wash max has a new and improved formula with even more stain- fighting power, it has resolve power to break down tough stains right in front of your eyes better than the competition! on these dried-in stains! impressive! finally, this islor/sop

welcome back to "good morning maryland." let's go to justin berk with a look at the weather. >> good morning. 5:39. checking conditions around the state. as we look at basically clear to partly cloudy skies, we start off with 65 degrees in baltimore. crossing the bay to the eastern shore, up to 70 now in easton. 64 along ocean city shoreline. heading up towards the northwest we've got 65 degrees in hagerstown. and in the 50s back in oakland and even in through southern sections of pennsylvania near york county now at 56 degrees. overalthough, again, we've had clouds overnight that dispersed. a bright moonlit night, sun about to come up over the east sky, full moon to the west. we have a mixture of clouds that will try to filter back in over the morning and in the afternoon. a cold front passing through, not a lot of moisture, and any chance of a shower or thunderstorm will be basically confined to the north and will be a very small chance at that. warm day, back to near normal at 87.

that is our two-degree guarantee but we will be slipping back to below normal temperatures again for the rest of the week. 5:40. back to the roads with kim. >> thank you. as you make your way towards the beltway, 83 southbound is running clearly from the pennsylvania state line to about the beltway. coming in from harford county, 95 southbound is running smoothly to whitemarsh boulevard and to the 695/895 split. early incidents have been cleared. looking good at the tunnels, that earlier disabled at the harbor tunnel has been cleared out of the way, traffic is flowing smoothly at this time. also, they are expecting a brand new traffic pattern on the northeast part of the beltway, they've reopened a brand new ramp to southbound 95 so expect to see something a little different there but shouldn't be too confusing as you make your way around that side. this is 95 southbound as you make your way through howard county to the prince george's county/montgomery county and dc areas. things looking good at this hour. back to you. still ahead on "good morning maryland" -- the world prepares to say goodbye to the king of pop michael jackson with a star-studded

memorial service. i'm sherrie johnson, i'll have that story, coming up.

welcome back. on tuesday, june 25th the world was shocked to learn that pop star michael jackson had died and today the world will say goodbye this. is a live picture of the staples center in downtown los angeles. trucks starting to pull up when

we checked in earlier, about 45 minutes ago. it was empty so people will certainly be converging on that scene. it will be a mob scene today. we're going to send it over to abc2 news sherrie johnson, following this story today. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. today's memorial service for michael jackson will read like a who's who list, a star-studded tribute planned for the king of pop at the staples center in los angeles. the dancers from jackson's final tour will perform. musicians mariah carey, beyonce, smoky robinson, jennifer hudson, lionel richie, usher and stevie wonder will also perform. from the sports world, magic johnson and kobe bryant. diana ross is a maybe and former girlfriend brooke shields is a yes. all the jackson family is expected to attend including jackson's three children. but his ex-wife lisa marie presley and debbie rowe will not attend. many of michael jackson fans are excited after having won a ticket to the memorial service. >> i was just -- i couldn't believe it. i just couldn't believe it

that, you know, i was one of the people that out of all these millions of people that want to go and it's me. >> reporter: in the battle over michael jackson's estate a judge ruled his longtime attorney and family friend should take charge of the pop singer's assets for now rejecting a request from jackson's mother. interpret sites are taking down postings that attempt to sell tickets to the memorial service. some bids reached as high as $10,000. meanwhile, new information has surfaced in the investigation that both of jackson's arms were scarred with track marks consistent with the finding of a potent sedative. sherrie johnson, abc2 news. 5:46. let's look at some of the other stories we're working on. police say the gun found at the scene where former ravens quarterback steve mcnair died was bought by his girlfriend less than two days before they were both shot to death. nashville police say that 20-year-old sahel kazemi bought the semiautomatic handgun on thursday. an autopsy showed mcnair and sahel kazemi died early saturday.

police in south carolina say it appears the serial killer that has been terrorizing a community there is dead. investigators say that the man responsible for five murders in less than a week in and around gaffney was shot and killed. patrick burris was shot by police investigating a burglary complaint some 30 miles away yesterday on the north carolina/south carolina border. his gun matches the gun used in those murders. people living in one baltimore city neighborhood say that they have had enough of cars speeding and mislabel signs. this is why. car crashes. sources tell our overnight photographer pete "on the street" o'neal that these types of accidents are all too common on charles at 24th streets. this morning crews rescued two people after they apparently headed down a one way street that was mislabeled. those people suffered nonlife-threatening injuries. more video you'll only see here on abc2 news. a police chase in west baltimore ends in a crash, three people in the hospital.

police say it all unfolded in west baltimore around 11:00 last night and ended on the corner of pressman and north fulton streets. smashed up against a building, investigators say an officer tried to pull over a car but that car took off. the officer was taken to shock trauma. the two people in the suspect's car were also taken to the hospital. sources tell us all the injuries are nonlife-threatening. officials with the mta are looking over audio and visual recordings to try to determine what killed two teens in a light rail accident that happened earlier this week. the two 17-year-olds were found laying on the tracks near the lutherville station on sunday. one of the boys, kyle wenkmiller was pronounced dead at the scene. connor peterson died at shock trauma. mta officials say they are also trying to determine why the teens were on the tracks in the first place. also today, gm's alison transmission plant in whitemarsh is gearing up to return to full production. dozens of workers headed back to the plant today.

about 40 returned on yesterday. the plant was closed for about eight weeks because the plant it supplies in michigan as well as texas were shut down. and speaking of cars, do you remember that so-called cash for clunkers plan we told you about? it's getting into high gear about now. meaning that car dealerships are asking us to bring old clunkers, they will give you cash. unfortunately, scammers are already trying to cash in, too. john matarese tells us what you should do so you don't waste your money. >> reporter: the race to turn in old gas guzzlers is on. i do mean race. the new cash for clunkers program runs until only november 1st, not next march as first planned but don't move so fast. they end up getting burned. as car dealers put up signs telling to you bring in your junker now don't be in such a rush you make a mistake. already government-looking web sites are popping up telling to you preregister for the program

but beware, the government says there's no need to register or be preapproved. there's no need to submit your information to any web site. the only official web site is cars.gov. my advice? go to the cars.gov web site or visit any dealership to learn if you qualify. but from the "doesn't that stink "requesting file all the confusion over the clunker program. even the name is confusing which is how many people are ending up on nongovernment web sites. doesn't that stink? the cash for clunkers program is not really called that. it's the "car allowance rebate system" or c.a.r.s. which is why the web site is cars.gov. the government warns you not to give personal info like social security or credit card numbers to any cash for clunkers web site. go to cars.gov or just visit a dealer. that way you don't waste your money. i'm john matarese.

5:50. we have a little haze around. 61 degrees in stevenson, definitely warmer than the 50s we were dealing with yesterday morning at this time. 67 now at anne arundel community college, it's virtually clear and there will be a little sun glare around the beltway. let's check it out, across the region we had clouds overnight. that is dispersed. a little haze left over but basically a cold front up to the north, doesn't have a lot of moisture to work with. it is working around this area of low pressure, still spinning across south/central sections and eastern sections of canada. it's providing another source of some cooler air and that is why we do expect another cooldown as we head through the second part of the week. the frontal boundary itself not very active. central pennsylvania at lunchtime could get showers and we'll watch our computer model ignite the showers basically north of philadelphia through new york and new england which has had an extremely wet start to the summer. it's just going to continue. the tail end of the boundary,

we'll have the clouds but not a lots of moisture to work with. the threat of showers minimal and basically up to the north there could be showers off the coast tomorrow. and again as we head in through thursday to our south. today we turn partly cloudy to mostly cloudy, the chance of a shower or thunderstorm but a two-degree guarantee just near normal at 87, tonight back into the low 60s in many spots. and as we head in through tomorrow notice the pullback to about 80, chance of a shower or thunderstorm, overnight lows in the 50s. 80 thursday, 83 friday, mid-80s with a chance of showers this weekend. here's kim with a check of the roads. >> thank you. we have a quiet start to the morning commute. no major incidents to let you know about. as we check around both loops of the beltway, east side between whitemarsh and lock -- lock raven, running smoothly. as we check the harbor tunnel and fort mchenry toll plaza, incident-free at this time. new traffic pattern on the north side of the beltway, brand new ramp opened up headed

to southbound 95. shouldn't cause any problems and perhaps minor delays if you make your way around there. looking now at 95 southbound as you make your way through howard county, that is running smoothly. if you're taking the bw parkway southbound or routes 29 southbound to the capitol beltway and towards the dc area no problems to report at this time. back to you. still ahead -- a hop, skip and two pond jumps away. movie goers are waving their hands to welcome "harry potter and the half blood prince." new at 6:00 -- police chases seem fairly common these days but here's one with an ending you would not expect. pack back. -- we'll be right back. my doctor told me i had to start doing things for my heart, but i wasn't ready to give up taste. sometimes, sacrifice is the name of the game. well, i've heard eating whole grain oats... can help lower my cholesterol. it's going to be a challenge... sure we want to lower our cholesterol, but let's be real, being healthy is tough. yea.

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( crunch ) with the endless possibilities of kellogg's® pop-tarts, it's sure to be a picture perfect summer. pop-tarts®. made for fun™. welcome back. 5:56. muggles, goblins and wannabes in japan put on their hogwarts finest dressing robes, totally psyched for the premiere of "harry potter and the half blood prince." the film is set to premiere in three cities this week, tokyo was first up. you can see the excited movie goers with their wands lining up for the first glimpse. london gets its premiere today. then on to new york tomorrow. thanks for joining us. stay with us because the 6:00 news is just ahead. before we head to break let's

head outside and look at the temperatures. 68 degrees. at anne arundel community college in glen burnie. when we come back, justin will let you know how the rest of the week looks.

good morning, maryland. i'm megan pringle. tuesday, july 7th, just before 6:00. here are the top stories we're working on. los angeles braces for a huge crowd at today's public memorial for michael jackson. a wrong-way crash overnight in north baltimore. some say it really was an accident waiting to happen. a baltimore community comes together following the shooting of a 5-year-old girl. these stories and much more coming up. right now let's go to justin berk with a check of the percent forecast. >> good morning. after a beautiful day yesterday we show off this morning in pretty fine shape. we had clouds overnight that dispursed and virtual clear start as we check it