transit, but now as abc 2 news jeff hager reports, the head of the maryland transit administration has a backed off on an initial report to record people's voices. >> reporter: behind the roar of the engine and the squeak of the brakes, many doubted the mta could electronically eavesdrop on conversations inside the buses anyway. the riders like mary allen didn't like it. >> i don't think it's a really good idea, because i feel like it would be an invasion of my privacy. >> reporter: eyeing future camera upgrades, transportation leaders wanted to see if adding audio capabilities to their existing video cameras would violate the state's anti- wiretapping laws. the mta asked for an machine on maryland's attorney general on whether people who ride the bus would have to be notified before their audio was recorded or whether a signposted inside

was sufficient. >> i think that is definitely big government gone too far. >> reporter: state senator nancy jacobs and others began voicing their concerns over the matter. acting transportation secretary beverly staley called off the inquiry, at least until the department can get legislators, community groups and customers all to weigh in on it in the future. >> one of the reasons you may consider it is for safety and security reasons. and only in an after accident, or incident type situation. >> reporter: but critics say there are other options for tightening security. >> i think what people really want to have is maybe not so much money being spent on fancy banners advertising ride on the mta, but spend that money to protect the people. maybe it's a safety officer on board some of the buses randomly. >> reporter: echoing the sentiment of some riders who they seay they want to see additional security, but not at the price of their personal freedoms. jeff hager, abc 2 news. >> critics say right now in

maryland, law enforcers must have proof of a crime before the courts will grant a wiretap. they say if the state records conversations before any wrongdoings, it would turn the existing law upside down. in anne arundel county, police are looking into a light rail assault and robbery there. they say it happened near the nursery road light rail station in brooklyn park. the 16-year-old girl says four other females assaulted her when she got off the light rail. they then took her purse. if you have any information, that could help police solve this crime, you're asked to call metro crime stoppers on the screen, 1-866-7-lock-up. pittsburgh steelers quarterback ben roethlisberger is being accused in a lawsuit of sexual assaulting a woman one year ago. tonight his lawyer says he is denying the claims. the lawsuit was filed last week. the football star is one of nine defendants listed in the online court docket report. an investigation has not begun but, roethlisberger's lawyer says his client will fully cooperate if one does get underway.

>> women would consider a nightmare. she was secretly videotaped while in her hotel room naked. that video was then posted on the internet. the video reached the top of google's most searched items, showing up on several websites, including youtube. tonight she -- her and her lawyer are working to get the person responsible behind bars. tonight the plot thickens in the murder of that florida couple. there are new details about billings and one of the suspects. the next question, was this a murder for hire? reportedly the suspects did a dry run at the house about a month before the killings. on the day of the crime, police say the suspects stole not only a safe, but a briefcase filled with personal papers. both items were found at the home of pamela wiggins can, who is charged now with accessory after the fact. mastermind leonard gonzalez allegedly spoke of, quote, knowing the victims.

police also think he once worked for billings at his car dealership. a possible contract hit is something the couple's grown daughter finds inconceivable. >> i play it over every second of every day. you think about was there pain, you know, were they scared, the children, it just plays in my mind constantly. >> ashley will now take care of her 17 brothers and sisters. the nine still living at home are all severely disabled with downs syndrome, autism, and some have fetal alcohol syndrome. in kentucky, a 3 day old baby is in critical condition after being attacked by the family pet. police say the dog, which is described as a native american indian dog, there it is, got the baby out of its crib and carried him into the woods. after a ten-minute search, the baby was found.

his little torso had been mauled. >> this is that jealous issue. they can surprise us all. >> the dog was taken to an animal shelter where it will remain until the owner decides what to do with her. now for a look at tonight's top stories. the parents of a 7-year-old, 8- year-old, and 11-year-old boys are demanding an apology from the baltimore police department and the city tonight. they say their boys were arrested last night in the medfield neighborhood for stealing from someone's backyard. they spent hours in jail with older boys who they say were rough with them. the police department says they hold everyone, no matter what age, accountable. aplus, elementary and middle school students in maryland have improved their scores on standardized tests for the 7th consecutive year. state officials today released the results of a maryland school assessment which measure weather schools are meeting federal standards. the true success story today,

baltimore city saw a significant growth in both reading and math. the great health care debate is raising the blood pressure of many tonight. republicans continue to attack president obama's efforts to push congress to come up with the legislation by the august break, and some democrats are growing wary too. steny hoyer says all types of democrats are voicing concerns, not just the more conservative ones. as lawmakers struggle with the price of the president's health care plan, a new report says financial bailout costs could make health care look like no big deal. the report says the government's maximum exposure could reach nearly $24 trillion. that's a worst case scenario. federal reserve chairman ben bernanke says things could be looking up for the economy, but we aren't out of the woods yet. in the meantime, republicans and democrats are demanding

answers. >> today we'll hear all we're not getting is transparency. >> the taxpayers now have a $700 billion spending program that is being run under the philosophy of don't ask don't tell. >> in a report obtained by abc news, tarp leaders predict total federal government support could reach a massive $23.7 trillion. things are starting to bubble with the atmosphere. let me show you what is going on right now with maryland's most powerful radar. right now we're seeing the majority of the rainfall out to the west of us, out in portions of west virginia, western maryland. but also we've had a little shower pop up right here, right between the baltimore- washington area. let's zoom into the region. see the shower right there, making its way up towards the north and east. a few scattered showers right there heading towards the glen burnie area, going over the top of fort meade. you see some shower and thunderstorm activities. the pop-up showers because of the heat and humidity will continue as we go through the evening. but or the the next couple of

hours, mostly cloudy, humid. temperatures hanging at 80 degrees. pop-up showers are going to be likely as we go lew the evening. we'll show them to you, coming up in just a couple of minutes. it could be the longest lasting lunar eclipse any of us will live to remember. still ahead, details on tomorrow's astrological event, and now people halfway across the globe have started building the excitement. surrounded by angels. off-duty firefighters spring into action, saving the life of a young boy. tonight the father expresses his gratitude.

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it's not just the future. it's life. and wall street ended on a positive note this tuesday. the dow jones ended up 67.79 points. the nasdaq 6.91 points, and the s&p 5003.25 points. more bad news, though, for the airlines. continental says it will cut 1700 jobs. the bad news for you, the airline is raising fees for checking bags at the airport instead of online. $20 for the first being on a u.s. flight. 30 for a second bag. the airline today posted a second quarter loss of $213 million. that's compared to a loss of $5 million in the same period a year ago. tonight experts put your karr to the test. straight ahead, we'll see how

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there is a baby in there! >> this is amazing. this rescue by quick-thinking citizens saved the lives of a mother and her two children. you can't believe this video. it is amazing. this is a rescue that happened in milwaukee. the suv, you can see flipped over. the mother and her 2-year-old daughter, 4-year-old son were trapped inside when it erupted into flames. two off-duty firefighters jumped into action, smashing the windows and pulling the family to safety. tonight dad wants to say thank you.

>> this is a wonderful place. they're in the best hospital that they have up here. and we -- i just want to thank the staff at the hospital and the citizens of milwaukee and everybody there is no -- there is no words really that can express how grateful i am. i'm sorry -- i'm trying to hold it together. it's my little boy. >> it says it all. the boy has burns to 30% of his body, but is still expected to be okay. the mother and her daughter have minor burns. it may be just the astronomical event of the century. and stargazers across asia are getting set form tomorrow's big day. they will witness a solar spectacular, the longest total eclipse of the sun anyone alive is ever likely to see. abc's gloria riviera has the story.

>> reporter: in india, locals and tourists alike gather to ward off evil spirits and pray for peace ahead of tomorrow's total solar eclipse. some believe the suns are harmful and it's best to stay inside. but amateur stargazers and scientists alike are traveling long distances to try to get as close as possible. the eclipse will begin at the crack of dawn in indian wednesday. most eclipses last just a couple minutes. but tomorrow's eclipse visible for 6:39 will be longest of the 21st century. a solar eclipse passes when the moon passes between the sun and the earth, blocking out the sun's rays. a total solar eclipse occurs just once or twice a year, or not at all. he is paying over $3,000 to take a special solar eclipse flight with her daughter. 11-year-old trea is an avid photographer. their plane will soar 41,000 feet above the earth's surface to get a once in a lifetime

view. >> when we were kids, the kids were not allowed to see because everyone say it will hurt you, you were all inside the house closed. >> reporter: it goes across bhutan before it casts shadow over some of china's largest cities. nasa's astro physicists will be watching from china hoping it will unlock some of the mysteries of the sun. back in india, locals adhere to old traditions in the twilight hours, preparing for a dawn that will be totally dark. gloria riviera, abc news, london. >> that's pretty amazing stuff. right up your alley too, norm. >> unfortunately we're not going to see it here in the united states. if you can get a jet to shanghai, shanghai is going to be a really cool place to be. but i don't think you can get from here to there in the amount of time i've got left. plus, can't afford to dow it. a beautiful day today. a few more breaks of sunshine than we saw yesterday. out right now at bwi thurgood

marshall 79 degrees. 62% humidity. wind continues from the east at 8. and the pressure steady there are the tides fort mchenry. tomorrow's winds, they'll start out from the northeast and shift to the south at 8 to 14 miles per hour. the sun comes up at 5:58. we'll set at 8:27. a coastal flood advisory remains in effect. as a matter of fact, the national weather service has extended it. yesterday it was just for the lower portions of delaware. now it includes all of delaware, all the jersey shore, including delaware bay because of areas of low pressure moving along the coast are going to cause some very rough surf, and some very heavy rainfall is expected in that region. temperature-wise across the area, hagerstown at 73. pax river right now at 82 degrees. 84 on the boards in ocean city. dover, delaware 79. and 75 right now in atlantic city. our satellite picture throughout the day, those areas of low pressure i was talking about have been moving along the eastern seaboard, giving them the heaviest amounts of rainfall right there. we've had a few scattered showers back to the west, and these areas of low pressure

basically forming down here and making their way northward. they're just going to continue to do that. it's kind of like a train going on. and then we've got another system out here to the mississippi valley that will head in our direction. so the next couple days, scattered showers are going to be on tap. right now maryland's most powerful radar. no precipitation in the baltimore area. but there is a little shower right there, just outside the washington beltway. right along the 95 corridor, or just to the east of the 95 corridor, making its way going up 295, heading towards the baltimore region. but there are heavier showers in western maryland that we'll be keeping our eye on as we go lew the next couple urs. right now, this is what our interactive radar at abc 2 news.com looks like. if you click on our website and click on the weather tab, you scroll on down and get to the radar right there. you kind of zoom out a tiny bit. it shows you what is going on there is that one little thunderstorm right there, right around the silver spring area, kind of heading towards the baltimore region. but as we go through the

region, pop-up showers are going to be around the region. our forecast for tonight, the majority of the rainfall is right now out to the west of us. over the neck couple hours, it will pass through our region. and then during the day tomorrow, we'll see some sunshine, some clouds. and then another area of low pressure comes along the coast, causes more shower and thunderstorm activity. but again, widely scattered stuff. on thursday, that's our best chance for a soaking rain. we sure do it need right now. overnight mostly cloudy, scattered showers. some people are going to see them. some people won't. 67 degrees for the overnight low. tomorrow is going to be warmer and more humid than today. and that's going to give rise again to the pop-up showers and thunderstorms with a high tomorrow of 86 degrees. now for the next seven days, that's what it looks like right there. the best chance for rain on thursday with a high of 83. mostly cloudy on friday, 84. scattered showers and thunderstorms and then saturday and sunday we'll see partly cloudy skies, but scattered showers and thunderstorms. we've continued below normal temperatures monday and tuesday things start to clear up tiny bit. we'll be back at 6 with more on

the weather. >> thanks, norm. the latest car crash tests are in, and you might say they have a bumper crop of information about auto safety. the new tests conducted by an insurance industry group looked at two-door models. let's find out who sped to the head of the class. don't let their size fool you. these cars may be small, but new test shows they have big benefits for car owners. in a report out today by the insurance institute for highway safety, these two-door cars are proving to hold up well in front end, side, and rear crash tests. the ford focus and volvo c-30 earned top honors. >> all of the cars in this group earned good or acceptable front and side. the performers are ford focus and volvo's c-30. >> reporter: the institute conducts the test on two-door vehicles to determine how well they'll hold up against their larger counter parts. also good are the chevrolet

cobalt and the honda civic, which both scored high on front end tests. all vehicles tested were equipped with side air bags that protect the driver from the houston serious head injuries. and recent studies indicate rear end crashes are the most common and side angle crashes often result in the most fatalities. now with a look ahead at abc 2 news at 6:00 tonight, i'm kelly swoope. an accused drunk driver who police say hit an killed a 15- year-old girl is free on bond. tonight we're learning more about the past. a safe hiv testing program. how project is helping those live with hiv. now a preview of "world news" at 6:30. >> coming up on "world news," president obama tries to put a positive spin on the health care debate. rising costs for dairy farmers mean much higher prices for milk and cheese. and residents of one texas town literally shaking in their boots. we'll explain.

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there was a mob scene in baltimore today for rock stars of another kind. astronauts returning from a mission to space stopped in to see scientists and their families at the hubbell space telescope. as abc 2 news joce therman explains, it was a chance to say thank you for a little security. >> reporter: armed with pictures and t-shirts, these hungry fans were ready to meet their idols. >> mike, mike, and john. >> reporter: seven names you

might not know, but at the hubbell space telescope, this crew has serious star power. these astronauts were swarmed by admirers, looking for autographs and photos. >> they're actually really excited. but they're wearing the atlantis mission t-shirts. >> reporter: and on that recent mission, it was the crew's job to repair the aging telescope in space and extend its life. their hard work resulting in a hero's welcome. >> well, it's a lot better than the alternative, we screwed up their telescope and they weren't happy with us. so i'm thrilled we had a successful mission and there is so much interest in the telescope. >> reporter: interest that today focused on the six men and one woman who made it possible for the hubbell telescope to keep sending back images for years to come. picture give these folks a chance to see into infinity and beyond. at the space telescope at johns hopkins, joce sterman, abc 2 news. >> and joce tells us this was the fifth repair mission for the hubbell. new images captured by the

telescope will be released in september. thousands of firefighters are getting hands-on training. the firehouse expo gets underway coming up at 6, which starts right now. >> now abc 2 news at 6. >> an accused drunk driver who police say struck and killed a 15-year-old girl is back on the streets tonight. good evening. i'm kelly swoope. the deadly accident happened sunday night in front of the girl's house on francis scott key highway. linda so reports, the accused has a troubled past. >> reporter: kevin smith is no stranger to the law. over the years, he's had a handful of traffic violations, the most serious just this past weekend resulted in the death of 15-year-old katlynn bossler. >> i can't imagine life without her. i just -- [ crying ] i can't imagine life without her. >> reporter: katlynn's mother spoke with abc 2 monday night, devastated that an accused drunk driver would