democratic lawmakers have slowed down legislation, in part because of concern over proposed tax increases. still, the speaker says democrats will deliver. >> i have no question that we have the vote on the floor of the house to pass this legislation. >> reporter: and to turn up the pressure on wavering democrats, a cancer survivor who almost lost her home because of the cost of treatment, accompanied the speaker and pleaded for reform. >> but it shouldn't take an act of congress for someone who has cancer to keep their house. >> reporter: republicans are pouncing on democrats' divisions. g.o.p. lawmakers keep criticizing the price of reform. >> i don't know how you can spend $1.6 trillion over the next ten years and say we're going to spend less on health care. >> reporter: in his opening remarks, the president is expected to make an opening argument for health reform saying family, businesses and the government can't afford the current system. abc news, washington.

>> you can watch president obama's news conference on health care tonight at 8:00 right here on abc 2. we will also stream it live on abc2news.com. and either before or after the president's push for health care change, head to our website and answer our poll question. do you feel like you understand the plan enough to feel like you're for or against it? there is room for your two cents on the right-hand side of the home page. many students will be returning to school next month. and the race is on to produce a vaccine for the h1n1 virus before the seasonal flu season starts. federal health officials have selected the university school of medicine to put one of two new experimental vaccines to the test. in a few weeks, researchers will begin trials on healthy adults and seniors in baltimore to test the vaccine's immunity. if those trials are successful, children will test the vaccine in frederick and annapolis. researchers say the tests are safe and carry few side effects. >> the most common reactions

are a flu-like illness, where you can get some fever and aches, not feel very well. that usually goes away in a couple of days. >> university one of 8 institutions to conduct the test in the nation while researchers in australia are testing another experimental vaccine. at 6:00, how you can participate in the trial. a thousand volunteers will be needed in our area. in the moon time, the world's first human trials of the vaccine have already begun in australia. two biotech companies started injecting adult volunteers with the vaccine. the trial should take about seven months to complete. the worldwide death toll from the swine flu is more than 700, according to the world health organization. big cuts in the state budget. the board of public works put its stamp on more than $280 million in reductions. it includes cuts to higher

education, medicaid, and stem cell research. but as roosevelt leftwich tells us, this is only the first round of some deeper cuts to come. >> take the actions necessary. >> reporter: it was more of a matter ofs ting the t's and crossing the i's. looking at what could get the ax, the list touches every state department, some a little harder than others. >> however difficult, our choices that will also allow us to come through the other side of this recession sooner than most other states in the union. >> reporter: the cuts are a mix of reducing the budgets of many programs and state agencies. the chesapeake bay 2010 trust fund loses 2 million. stem cell research loses 3 million. the maryland lottery loses $5.5 million from its advertising budget. medicaid payments to nursing homes and hospitals are dropping $34 million. and the university of maryland system is losing a whopping $40 million. >> and as today's list of proposed cuts will confirm,

there are no sacred cows left. and everyone will be affected to some extent by these decisions. >> reporter: there is limited job loss in this round of cuts. the state will lay off only 39 people. 18 of those will come from the department of natural resources. in addition, 18 vacant jobs throughout state government will now not be filled. you have to remember here that this is only the first round of cuts. another $420 million has to be cut by labor day. and next time around, state employees won't be so lucky. in annapolis, roosevelt leftwich, abc 2 news. >> and coming up at 6, we'll have reaction to the state budget cuts, and what the next round of cuts could bring. all prince george's county workers will have to take a ten- day furlough for a second year. the county council approved the plan with an amendment requiring a minimum of three furlough days in the first three quarters. the county will revisit the issue to see if the ten days are necessary. the furloughs were included in this year's county budget to

help close a $113 million budget gap. the d.c. metro has found at least six spots where equipment designed to sense the presence of the trains on the tracks just doesn't work. the tests follow last month's deadly train crash. metro says anomalies were found in six circuits other than the one at the crash site. however, metro insists that these circuit problems are not as serious as the problem at the crash site. signaling equipment in the crash area failed periodically in the days leading up to crash. as you recall, nine people were killed. federal officials continue to investigate the crash. and medical examiners say they are not sure yet how four girls found decomposing in a d.c. row house died. benita jacks is on trial for allegedly killing her daughters. medical examiners have testified that the girls' bodies were so badly decomposed, they couldn't determine the cause of death. but marks on the three youngest girls' necks suggest they were strangled. u.s. marshals found the dead girls' decomposing bodies when

they evicted jacks from her d.c. home in january of 2008. mayor sheila dixon has spoken out in support of baltimore city police department after three children were handcuffed an taken to jail. it all started with a call to police friday night in the metro neighborhood off falls road. three boys, ages 7, 8, and 11 were caught trying to steal from a neighbor's yard, so police officers arrested them. now the boys' parents were angry that their children were locked up. mayor dixon says the kids should apologize for trying to steal from a neighbor. >> i hope as a result of what took place, that they have learned from that as well as that they will go back to the victim and not only apologize, but have them maybe even engage in community efforts in that neighborhood to make some changes. i think that's what it's going to take. >> no charges will be filed against the boys in this case. well tonight the historic senator theatre belongs to the city of baltimore.

abc 2 news cameras were rolling at the auction block this morning. terry owens is here to give us a look. terry? >> reporter: this public auction was quick. in fact, many would call it quick and dirty. and today's drama started even before the auction did. >> sit down and let everyone chill out a little bit and let the auctioneers do what they agreed to do and what the city agreed to do prior to changing at the last minute for -- >> reporter: the reaction started when the former owner tried to move the auction indoors. but the officials running the auction refused to budge, leaving kiefaber and his supporters stewing outside the building on york road. >> i wish we were not sweating out here. we have a beautiful theater. i do not get this. has anybody in the city told you why we had to good outside? >> $800,000. >> reporter: the auction followed years of financial turmoil for the historic theatre. the city intervening several months ago to take control of

the cash-strapped business when lenders threatened to foreclose. but the hoped for white knight failed to appear. with the opening bid far short of the mortgage, the city stepped in to regain control of the problem. >> $810,000 once. are there any other bids? $810,000 twice. third and final call. >> reporter: a grand finale that for some is far from a fairy tale ending. >> clearly this is rigged. this is bull! >> yesterday we told you loyola college was planning on putting in a bid, but they did not. in a statement school officials said we decided against entering a bid at auction, and depending on the outcome, to explore submitting a proposal at a later date if the city decides to launch an rfp process for the senator property. terry owens, abc 2 news. then a very warm and humid day across the region, which

has given rise to pop-up shower and thunderstorm activity, some right here in the baltimore area where we haven't had rain in quite a while that shower making its way up into portions of pennsylvania. we're also seeing showers in frederick county. but for the most part, it still remains very dre over most of the area. here is your forecast or the the next couple hours. scattered showers, humid. temperatures holding in the mid- to upper 70s. but it sure feels a lot warmer than that because of the heat and humidity. summer time is going to be rolling into the region. we're going to tell you all about it, coming up can. >> all right, thanks, norm. the baltimore archdiocese's decision to close the school for good. a hearing is scheduled for 2:00 friday for a restraining order to block the school's closing. weeks ago, we learned the high school would close because of financial issues and low enrollment. that is not settling well with many students, alumni and parents. tomorrow night, the alumni association will hold a fundraiser and a rally for the

school with a silent auction from 5 to 9 p.m. nathan's, hebrew national, oscar mayer, there is nothing more american than the hot dog. why one group is calling it hazardous, even saying they need warning labels. the investigation into michael jackson's death has spread to two other states and the office of dr. murray is raided. and get a good look. we may never see something like this again. more on today's spectacular solar eclipse. looking outside right now. 85 degrees is what it feels like in davidsonville. norm's got a complete look at your forecast, coming up in a little bit. a dull metal clanking sound.

bear groans. ♪ ominous music ferocious growling. roaaaaaarrrrrrr!!!! ♪ whistling bluegrass tune

you're watching baltimore's station that works for you. now abc 2 news at 5. >> it was darkness at the break of dawn. that strange sight had millions

staring at the skies over asia today. they saw one of nature's most spectacular displays. a full solar eclipse and the longest anyone alive will ever see. abc's gloria riviera gives us a look. >> reporter: in india, a frenzied crowd of thousands waited the first glimpse. in the heavens above, the moon moved into a position as old as time. and then the diamond ring. the nearly perfect circumference seen only when the moon is blocking the sun's path to earth. in some parts of asia, the solar eclipse lasted as long as 6:39. a delight to those far below, despite some cloudy skies. >> when you look up, there was a star, a bright star in the sky. it was as dark as night. you could see the stars in the sky. >> reporter: in china and japan as well, amateur scar gazers and scientists alike took in the majestic view. it was the longest solar eclipse of the century, a longer one will not occur until

the year 2132. a lucky few aboard a solar eclipse flight had a special vantage point far above the cloud cover. >> it was miraculous. unbelievable. i mean, i've seen photographs of eclipses. it's not the same thing. that is the real thing. that's the real thing. >> reporter: scientists are hoping the lengthy eclipse will help them understand more about the sun. but for now, most are simply remembering the once-in-a- lifetime event that they witnessed. gloria riviera, abc news. >> and i know this is right up your alley. i bet you wish you could have seen that. >> oh, yeah. a lot of people want to know why people are so intrigued by eclipses and especially the total eclipses. it gives us a chance to study the sun's corona, which is that glow you see around the sun when the moon covers it. because we can't see the corona here on earth. when the moon covers it, we can then see the corona, and the

scientists do a lot of study during that short period of time. and this the longest one that we have ever seen. >> so more than just cool pictures? >> exactly. things are going to really start heating up. you wanted summer time in the baltimore area? you're going to get it over the next couple of days. i'll show you what is going on with the harbor cam. looking west on pratt street, our temperature right now at bwi thurgood marshall 85 degrees. 57% humidity. wind currently from the southeast at 7 around the pressure falling, 30.05. there are the tide tomorrow, a high tide at 8:13 in the morning. low tide 3:16 in the afternoon. tomorrow's winds from the south at 6 to 12. sun comes up one minute before 6:00, and we'll set at 8:26 well. still have the coastal flood advisory along the eastern seaboard, and when we show you the satellite picture, that will become very evident why they have the coastal flood advisory in effect. 87 in hagerstown. 85 in downtown. 90 in easton, and down, yeah, down in ocean city on the

boards, 83 degrees right now. satellite picture throughout the day. we had sunshine this morning. as the day went along, a few clouds moved into the region. we also had a few scattered showers pop up and move through area. but the heaviest rain remains back to the west. the larger picture, understand this now. remember, we've been talking about these areas of low pressure forming. well, there is an area of low pressure forming off the georgia-carolina coastline. it's going to pull northward. this one is pulling on towards the east. yes, baltimore and the maryland area, all midatlantic, right in the middle of a squeeze play as the system makes its way in our direction. the heaviest rainfall will occur to the northwest and also along the eastern seaboard. we'll see a better chance for general rainfall, a better chance here in the baltimore area during the day tomorrow as these two systems move rapidly up toward the north. this is a very intense area of low pressure making its way towards the north and east along the eastern seaboard. that's the reason they have the coastal flood advisory. they could extend it into maryland because of high surf

and riptides and things of that nature. the shower activity came through the region about 1:30, 2:00, made its way northward into pennsylvania. we're seeing the heaviest rainfall out to the west. also scattered showers on the eastern shore, just south of dover, delaware. but as we go through the evening, very much like last night, pop-up showers could occur any place, just about any time. last night between damascus, mount airy, taylorsville and up through the westminster area, they got hammered with very heavy thunderstorm. even produced hail. temperature-wise 80 degrees. 83 in owings mills. moncton 77. 83 in hanover. down at bwi. churchville at 73. rock hall right now at a very humid 88 degrees. watch what is going on. here is the showers. rain pulls to the north of us. here is that coastal system. during day tomorrow, a good chance for scattered showers on and off, mostly to the west of us. and then as we get into friday, things are looking better. a chance for a scattered shower. but the best chance of rain is going to be during the day tomorrow. here is the forecast for the overnight period. 68 for the overnight low.

cloudy, fog, showers and storms. you saw them on the radar. but they're going to be popping up here tomorrow. high tomorrow 82 degrees. the extended outlook. the heat is on for friday. it's really on for saturday and sunday. monday we see a chance for scattered showers and thunderstorms. things cool off a tiny bit. but you're going to get the humid, hot weather over the weekend as we talk about some very heavy shower and thunderstorm activity making its way into the region. again, we'll be watching the coastal storm as it makes its way up into new england. don't forget, you can always go to our website, to abc2news.com to check out maryland's most powerful radar there is what it's looking like right there. you can manipulate the radar itself. what we're going to do is grab ahold and slide it around. no precipitation to the north, but whole bunch back to the west in the ohio valley. that's a system that is heading in our direction, as well as the coastal storm. we'll have more on the weather coming up in a little while. in the meantime, let's throw it back to kelly. >> all right, thanks, norm. to your health tonight, hot dogs are as american as baseball and apple pie. but a national cancer awareness group says they are dangerous

to your health, and they should have warning lanes on them. they want hot dog makers to use the labels. so the group filed a lawsuit today. the defendants include nathan's famous, makers of oscar mayer, and the maker of hebrew national. the lawsuit sites a report by the institute for cancer research that says regular consumption of processed meat can increase colorectal cancer and other forms of cancer. president obama has talked about pay for performance as part of health care reform. a new research out of the u.k. has showed incentives have led to quick gains in many patient's health. >> reporter: in 2004, the u.k. introduced a pay for performance system to reward family physicians for achieving target health goals with their patients. when researchers analyzed the quality of care for patients before and after the system went into effect, they found that once in place, rapid gains were made in areas where there

were incentives. however, one health targets were reached, improvements in the quality of care for patients slowed. quality of care actually declined for conditions not linked to incentives. for instance, the ability for patients to see their own doctor wasn't linked to incentives. and this significantly declined immediately following of the pl doctors may have been focusing on achieving rapid access to any practitioner, while losing sight of the continuity of care. >> however, incentives seem to motive more doctors to help their patients achieve goals like controlling their high blood pressure or high cholesterol levels. some kids in texas are getting an easy way out not eating their veggies. their mom found a frog in a frozen bag of green beans. we'll tell you what happened next. and caught on tape, a man drags a six-foot shark down the street in miami. what he planned to do with it. >> watch abc 2 news any time on

channel 1 with comcast on demand.

and now a look ahead to abc 2 news at 5:30. hello, everybody. i'm terry owens. the search is on for the thugs who killed a liquor store owner in putty hill. why one employee is afraid to go to work, and why the neighborhood wants to help. why the senate shoots down a measure to allow people to carry guns over state lines. and you said it cost him bubs, then you get a $60 charge on your credit card. the discount clothing site that you need to be warmed about. norm is updating his forecast with the pop-up storms. it's all coming up on abc 2 news at 5:30. >> thanks a lot, terry. a look at news around the nation starts in miami where people could not believe their eyes. look at that. that is a 5 to 6-foot shark found lying in the middle of the street. it all started sunday, when some passengers in a train

spotted two men carrying the shark attached to a fishing line. police say the men were trying to sell the shark for $10 to the fish markets, but nobody was buying. the men could face charges. and some monkeying around in safari park in england. these baboons learn how'd to open rooftop luggage carriers. the park caught the animals on video, rifling through the luggage. the park manager explains the larger animal -- they got a system to this. the largest animal would bounce on the box until it breaks the lock, and the others would pry it open and take the stuff out. they then have a field day with all the clothing, as you can see. abc 2 news at 5:30 just two minutes away. look at this. they've taken over the car. ing. now everyone has the fastest upload speeds, and we're giving them a mini netbook. well, i'm sticking with cable. so is ted. (ted) no i'm not! he's just goofing. (ted) no i'm not. ted has betrayed me... okay...

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now abc 2 news at 5:30. >> it was the scene of a violent crime. and tonight that baltimore county business has reopened. good evening, everybody.

i'm terry owens. joon am kang was shot and killed at his liquor store last friday, and almost a week later, police have very few leads. as police work to find kang's killer, neighbors are working to make sure nothing like this ever happens again. >> reporter: putty hill liquorress opened for business late monday afternoon, after the owner, joon am kang was gunned down and killed the thursday before. business must go on. as much as it clearly hurts. >> it's been a real mind- bending. every time i look in a corner, i see him. i know it's never going to be the same. >> reporter: chris amos has worked for kang for eight years. he, like many others, say kang was an exceptional man who did anything for anybody. now amos believes he should return the favor. employees at putty hill liquors are starting this petition. they want security patrols through plaza like they used to have, and above all, better