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good friday morning to you. i'm jamie costello. >> i'm megan pringle. it's friday, july 24th. there's a lot going on. we'll get to that in a moment. first, here are the stories we're working on for you. on i hitch 70, four people killed in a helicopter crash. hold the lettuce. a recall to tell you about that could alter your salad tonight. we are hours away from the

biggest crowd to attend a sporting event here in baltimore. and your car's fully loaded? you can't stuff anybody else into the car, right? >> ready, set, go. >> absolutely. >> you have to use mass transit then to get to the game. let's check in with justin. >> you know david beckham's not playing tonight? >> what? never mind, i'm not going. >> hey, congratulate laptions, jamie & megan, baltimore's best morning team, friendliest morning team. we're honored to work with them seriously. a bunch of good people. >> thanks. >> you're buying lunch, right? >> the check's in the mail, justin. >> mail? big storm rolled through. i don't want to jump the shark on this but there was a storm that did blow lou the washington frederick county area around the time of that helicopter crash. and we had the storm push through carroll and baltimore county extending to the south

of d.c. six hours ago at 12:30 it rolled through the north part with the heaviest amount of rain. 1.85 north of towson and an inch and a half in baltimore city. very sticky this morning. after 2:00, another round of storms with a two degree guaranteed high. a quick update headed out 70 westbound, all of the lanes have been open and crash activity to the left and right shoulders. police and cleanup crews remain on the scene. you can expect slowing from frederick. as we check our area, no problems to report at either the harbor or the fort mchenry toll plaza at this time. the beltway is checking in clean, but we do have an incident going on here in the pikesville area. we're working on a water main break that will be at painters mill road and scotts hill road. taking a quick look at the camera, this is going to be 95

southbound through howard county. a little foggy as you make your way down through the capital beltway. jamie and megan, back to you. back to the deadly helicopter crash we have been covering since it happened on interstate 70 out in washington county. >> this happened late last night. four people dead, sherrie johnson joins us with the latest. sherrie? >> reporter: megan and jamie, yes, investigators are trying to figure out what caused a plane crash. interstate 70 has reopened to traffic in both directions since that crash. this all happened last night around 10:30 ten miles east of hagerstown in smithsburg. authorities say it was a robinson r44 helicopter. federal aviation administration records list the owner as morrison i've yaption out of wilmington, delaware. investigators are not sure if weather played a role but visibility was limited by the fog. witnesses say the helicopter

was flying low when a bright arc of electricity flashed in the air when the aircraft apparently hit a power line. the aircraft did not hit any cars when it smashed into the eastbound lanes of interstate 70. >> there had been some fuel spilled along the interstate and so forth. so initially, the fire department units basically affected -- effected fire suppression to the helicopter along with preventing exposures, fuel spread, or any other hazards associated with the crash. >> the national transportation safety board will hold a news conference later today. sherrie johnson, abc 2 news. the national mall is falling apart, and there is not enough money to fix it. lawmakers rejected millions of dollars for repairs. visitors say when they go to check it out, they are so surprised to see the site of one of the central areas of the nation's capital with grass turning brown, the pools full

of water and dirty. some of the monuments are in danger of sinking. cracked sidewalks are being patched as a temporary fix. >> i think it's a disgrace the quality and condition of the national mall right now. you know, dead fish in constitution gardens, dead ducks in the capital reflecting pool. that's not something we want to show our country. >> last year, the mall received more than $31 million in funding. that still wasn't enough for all of the repairs that are needed. a $55 million stimulus money infusion from the package will help make the repairs around the lincoln and jefferson moment mrl -- monument. a california company is recalling romaine lettuce after it tested positive for salmonella. this is made by antel fresh foods. keep that in mind.

the state needs to cut back to fix a massive budget deficit. >> this could mean shelling out more for college. a young girl gets a special wish. we'll have this touching story next. it's 6:37. after the rain that moved through last night, a very muggy start at 66 degrees right now. we'll have the two degree guaranteed forecast and a look at the monster coastal storm in new england coming up. here's kim now with a check of the roads. >> reporter: we're off to a fantastic start as we have traffic flowing freely through howard county. let's check the buses and trains with mark jones. >> reporter: good morning. the number 5 bus is working due to wires down. the 17 bus with a diversion at nursery and winterson. had an earlier delay on the m.a.r.c. train system but looking good for travel now. for the mta transit team, i'm mark jones.

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. welcome back. this story will bring tears to your eyes. a 6-year-old girl in florida with six months left to live got a very special wish granted. she got to be a princess for a day. she was granted the wish through the make-a-wish foundation. dressed in a princess dress, she was whisked away for a horse-drawn carriage for a wal- mart shopping spree. >> made her dreams come true. that's the only thing i'm trying to do. >> we feel great as wal-mart and as an individual. in our position, it gives you the satisfaction of being able to help. >> the 6-year-old bought barbies and a new television on her shopping spree. we'll be right back.

all right. good morning. i'm jamie costello. >> i'm megan pringle. by the way. happy friday. here's a look at the top stories we're working on for enthusiasm morning. >> we're continuing to follow this helicopter crash out in washington county in smithsburg right on 70.

we'll have the latest with sherrie johnson. also ahead, an emotional good-bye to america's anchorman. the cash for clunkers program begins today. are you ready to deal? those stories and much more coming up as we take you right up to "good morning, maryland" "good morning america." right now, we send it to justin to show you what the weekend's going to be like. >> we are watching temperatures being quite muggy this morning. a response to a storm pushing up the coast, we have a lot of moisture around and a lot of rainfall. ranging from an inch and a half up to 2 1/2 inches in baltimore to 5 inches around harrisburg. that storm system just on the edge of the center itself pushing through eastern new england. we have a flare up of moisture that will build up as we head through this afternoon. you can see the storm system wrapping through eastern new england where winds at last check 39 miles-per-hour in the boston area with heavy rain. that's a storm that should have a name but didn't gept the full

tropical development with it. we'll watch this cold front acting on the leftover moisture to build in the chance of storms firing up over central pa. we'll have a line of storms passing through that will linger around the bay this evening and as we headthrough tomorrow night, maybe another round of storms will build in some heat. tote, 84 is the two degree guarantee. we'll talk about the weekend forecast and beach outlook in a bit. here's kim now with a check of the roads. >> reporter: we are working a couple of incidents. in the cockeysville area, warn road at green side drive, a downed pole. also on the pikesville area, utility work still working on the water main that will be scottsville drive at painted post road and lake shore in anne arundel county area. that is lakeshore drive at tedston drive. we look at the maps around the beltway. 95 southbound is looking good

out of harford county as you make your way towards the white marsh area. both 895 and fort mchenry tunnel toll plaza are checking in incident free. as you make your way down from the pennsylvania area, 695 at liberty road traffic is flowing freely at this time. a little bit of light volume but no problems at this hour. jamie and megan, back to you. interstate 70 back open east of hagerstown in washington county. >> shut down for hours after four people were killed. sherpry johnson has the latest on this breaking news. sherrie? >> reporter: investigators with the national transportation safety board and faa will be back at the scene today after a helicopter crashed and killed four people. interstate 70 opened since that crash. it all happened last night around 10:30 near smithsburg about 10 miles east of

hagerstown. the helicopter burst into flames. it was a robinson r44 helicopter. the owner is listed as marsson aviation in wilmington, delaware. the helicopter did not hit any cars when it crashed. investigators are not sure if weather played a role in the crash but visibility was limited by the fog. witnesses say the helicopter was flying low when a bright arc of light flashed into the air when it apparently hit a power line. >> there were power lines that were down near the scene that were seen obviously right off, so there was concern about traffic going eastbound and westbound. so east and westbound 70 was closed immediately. >> once again, interstate 70 is now open to traffic in both directions. the national transportation safety board will hold a briefing on this crash this morning at the hagerstown regional airport. the victim's names have not been released pending family

notification. sherrie johnson, abc 2 news. nasty weather all across the region overnight. take a look up north. just a few miles up north, several severe storms started rumbling through the area early last night causing major flooding in pennsylvania. this is the harrisburg area. no injuries were reported. emergency crew $respond to a lot of watt other rescues. mees say a husband and wife team of burglars are behind bars this morning. jerome herron and his wife tina are charged with up to 20 burglaries in the carroll county area. tina's charged with six burglaries beginning in 2008. her husband is charged with 14. they say this happened while the wife would be on the lookout while the husband broke into homes through unlocked doors and garages that were opened. police have recovered some of the stolen property but would like to get people back with their items. if you were a victim, call the number on your screen.

an assistant field hockey coach in towson university faces child pornography charges. he was arrested after being caught sending sexually explicit messages to a retired police officer who he thought was a 13-year-old girl. a search of his home turned up child porn. new details coming in about a maryland boy who went missing in south carolina. just moments ago, the coast guard resumed its search for the child in south carolina with his family for a baseball tournament. owe fishes say the boy was part of a group of eight children who went out yestday afternoon and found themselves in trouble in the ocean. the boy went overboard and hasn't been found. the other seven children were rescued. a baltimore county couple is suing a local pool and its management company for $40 million three years after their son almost drowned. james beck wears 15 years old when this happened. now his parents are suing wood cross swim club and drd

management for negligence. they say the lifeguard $not come to their son quickly enough. james suffered massive brain damage and now needs constant care. his parents say the 40 million will help pay for the medical expenses. >> essentially, we lost our son as we knew him. he's trapped in a body that's not his body. >> i did not. >> reporter: an attorney for drd says the company did nothing wrong and plans to fight the lawsuit. a local voice among those remembering the legendary walter cronkite. he died one week ago at the age of 92. mourners packed a manhattan church yesterday saying good- bye to the most trusted man in america. among them is mike ashford, the owner of mcgarvey's in annapolis money. >> like everyone that knew walter, i was always asked, what's he really like? i would answer, he's just the

way you hope he is. >> ash had been friends with walter cronkite for more than 30 years, frequently sailing together on the chesapeake. focusing on walter cronkite's private side. mike ashford also recalled, we had the best seats in the house for the latest broadway shows. we did new york. let me tell you, with cronkite, that was quite a ride. if you have an old gas guzzler, you now have a new incentive to turn it in. the government's cash for clunkers programs starts today. you can get as much as $4500 towards a newer, more fuel efficient car. the program runs through november 1st or until the $1 billion in federal funding runs out. participating dealerships are posted online. here's the web site to go to. it's cars.gov. millions of workers will soon see a pumped up paycheck. minimum wage is going up from 6.55 per hour to $7.25 an hour. this is the third minimum wage

increase in three years. state officials are talking about tuition increases at public universities. the state's already cutting more than $40 million from the university of maryland's system and part of the $280 million in overall budget reductions as maryland leaders deal with this huge deficit. the state still needs to find $470 million more in savings. governor o'mally wants to hear your thoughts. he is asking for public comment on a new web site. two of the best soccer teams in the world will take the field tonight. they were supposed to practice at m & t bank stadium yesterday but the weather. they are trying to save the natural grass that's been brought in just for this match tonight. tickets are sold out for the event, being billed as the world football challenge. some of chelsea's players signed autographs at the stadium last night drawing a huge crowd including 10-year- old adrian. there he is from howard

kowntdy. >> i wanted to see john terry. my dad brought me here as a present for my good grades. >> the game is sold out. if you are going, city officials are recommending you use public transportation. the latest now on towson catholic high school and the decision by the baltimore archdiocese to close that school. a hearing is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. on a restraining order to block the school's closing. the high school announced that it would close earlier this month because of financial issues and low enrollment. alumni, students, and parents have been fighting to keep towson catholic open. before we go, "baltimore" magazine is out with its best of. and we want to thank you for putting us on the list. >> that was hundred bling and sweet. but this mommy to be, baltimore's best reporter, our very own delia goncalves. the magazine credits her with the ability to break down tough

stories so that everyone can understand them. the magazine also said jamie and i are the friendliest news team in town. voted the best morning team. very nice. so a big thank to you all of you who voted for us. very sweet. at 6:55, we all concur it it's true. for the makeup it's a different story. >> not so friendly then. >> no you guys are great and we're honored to be working with you because you truly are a good team and really do get along. at the beach, late day storms 82 degrees. tomorrow 84 with afternoon storms and plan after 2:00 or 3:00 p.m. for storms. tomorrow night showers will last on through sunday as we drop back in the 80s. kim? >> you can expect lane closures. cockeysville because of a downed poll because of an earlier accident at warren road. getting reports of a crash

southbound bw parkway at water view avenue on the exit to water view avenue. just use caution if you are approaching that there. looking at the maps quickly, no problems to let you know about at the tunnels. the beltway is running heavy on the east side. stay with us. after "good morning america" is "good morning, maryland" at 9:00. we have so much going on. if you have dinner plans, weekend plans are all set. we'll show you how to grill up summer dishes. >> if you don't have plans for the weekend, we have two events you might want to check out and support. and we're going to introduce you to a crane. not the construction type. candy crane from the zoo. >> oh, i thought frasier crane was coming. that'll do it for thus morning. "good morning america" is next at 7:00. thanks for choosing "good morning, maryland." for more news, watch "good morning, maryland" at 9:00 or

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