six or eight or ten months ago since she was first indicted. we are back to that day with everything still sitting in front of her. >> reporter: bernie is an attorney and says this legal do- over sets the whole case back to square one. >> there can't be a trial date on an indictment that does not exist. the whole time frame and process will start over. >> reporter: but it is that time frame that some say could interfere with the 2011 elect cycle, essentially dragging out the mayor's legal issues right to the beginning of another run for mayor. >> i think this is going to be [ inaudible ] >> reporter: matthew crenson is a retired professor of political science from johns hopkins university. he says as it stood, dixon's trial would have been nine months after her first indictment. add another nine months on the new charges, and her trial could hit next spring as politicians begin campaigning for the mayoral primary and general election. >> this could extend her

vulnerability into a time period when it becomes really dangerous for her. >> reporter: and on two fronts, her legal troubles stay in the news longer for voters to assess, and it could weaken her. it also opens the door for other challengers, looking to take advantage. >> as the election grows closer, people who perhaps didn't think of challenging mayor dixon for the office may start to think that way. >> reporter: the mayor's office said what it has been saying all along, mayor dixon will continue to conduct the business of the city. live in the studio, brian kuebler, abc 2 news. >> thanks, brian. that brings us to our poll question. do you think mayor dixon's legal problems are hurting her ability to run the city? log onto our website at abc2news.com. look on the right side of our home page, and there you can vote in our online poll. memorial services today for two of the four people killed in that helicopter crash last week. advanced helicopter concepts

employees jeff nordaas, george tutor, niall booth and a friend of theirs, kim felix were all killed when the helicopter went down on interstate 70. the crash is still under investigation. a service for 48-year-old kim felix was held this afternoon in damascus. a service for 39-year-old george tutor is scheduled for 6 to 8 tonight in manchester. metro officials say that a bus driver has been charged with kidnapping. he is accused with refusing to allow a passenger to leave the bus after an accident. it happened over the weekend on the d line in prince george's county. the driver is identified as 41- year-old michael robertson. he has been placed on administrative leave. and a white supremacist from maryland accused of killing a security guard at the u.s. holocaust memorial museum in washington is scheduled to be arraigned september 2nd. a hearing today for was cancelled. yesterday james von brunn was indicted on federal counts,

including first-degree murder, and a bias-motivated crime. the charges make him eligible for receiving the death penalty. now to washington county where two men are accused of firing a shotgun from a rifle. police in williams port say the men fired from one moving vehicle into another. a boonsboro man and a williamsport man told troopers the suv that they were riding inned that man with fired on from a pickup truck that was heading southbound on u.s. 11. police stopped the pickup truck, found the loaded shotgun inside, and arrested 25-year- old derrek harshman of clear spring and 24-year-old derek hustle of williamsport. they are charged with first- degree assault and also reckless endangerment. new at 5, they haven't been face-to-face since early this month when cambridge police sergeant james crowley was hauling professor henry louis gates off to jail. but tonight the two men will sit down over a beer with the president of the united states. i want to show you a live

picture of the white house where the so-called beer summit will take place in the rose garden. abc 2 news terry owens is here now with what we might expect of the meeting. >> reporter: the president is hoping for a so-called teachable moment. white house spokesperson robert gibbs says the president won't be trying to mediate any apologies, but he is hoping to finally put this controversy to rest. mr. obama invited to the two men to the white house to diffuse the political fallout from comments he made after gates was arrested july 16th. during a white house press briefing, the president called the police department's actions stupid. gates was arrested at his home after arguing with police in what he called a case of racial profiling. the police officer says he was nearly responding to a possible burglary and locked gates up when his language became abusive. >> if i were the officer, i would tell president obama in the most respectful way possible, you can take your can of beer and shove it.

you are rewarding gates for his behavior and treating us as if we were both equally at fault. >> it's a good thing for the president to deal with it. it is a good thing for each of us to come out and sit down and talk. >> the men are expected to hold their beer summit around a picnic table at the white house. we told the president will be drinking bud. sergeant crowley likes blue moon and gates will be drinking red stripe. we're told the sergeant is taking his family along for the white house visit. terry owens, abc 2 news. >> all right, thanks. this has been a talker for weeks. we want your two cents. on our website, we're asking should taxpayers foot the bill for president obama's beer summit? to share your comments, log on to abc 2 news del mar and look on the right side of our home page. anne arundel county police need your help tonight identifying a burglary suspect. authorities say this man is

wanted in connection with the burglary at the odenton sunoco on annapolis road last night. we're told the suspect broke in through a garage door and caused extensive damage to the business. police say the suspect has a very long ponytail and a tattoo on his forearm. if you have any information, you're asked to call metro crimestoppers at 1-866-7-lock- up. we have an update tonight on the welcome center we were scheduled to close next month in washington county. officials say the visitor's center west of hancock will remain open at least until september 1. state officials announced plans last week to close the exhibit to cut costs. however, the bay country welcome center in queen anne's county will still close august 15th. the middle of summer usually generates a heatwave or two. but this year the heat is not occurring when it normally does, and neither is the rain. the east can't seem to dry out, while people in the pacific northwest are sweating it all during all-time record highs.

air conditioners are a hot commodity. >> i want to buy that last one. >> it's his. >> the fans are gone. >> it feels like a sauna. seriously. >> cooling centers are up and running and swimming pools have extended their hours. but the biggest relief is expected to come tomorrow from mother nature herself. and weather problems of another sort to the north of us. people living near pennsylvania's pocono mountains are sifting through debris after a powerful tornado swept through the region. the violent storm knocked down trees, tore the roofs off five homes and destroyed farm buildings that stretches about five miles. three people suffered minor injuries. around our region right now, maryland's most powerful radar not indicating any precipitation around the region. just not enough instability in the atmosphere to generate any showers. however, up in cecil county, we have a flash flood watch until 4:00 in the morning. what is that all about?

well, from all the heavy rain that fell up in pennsylvania and new jersey and delaware, running down through some of the estuaries that go down through cecil county. that's the reason they had the flash flood watch in effect, again, until 4:00 in the morning. here is our forecast for the next couple hours. partly cloudy, humid. our temperatures will hang right around 84, 85 degrees for the next couple of hours. we've got some showers moving in our direction. when will they move in, and how long will they last? the forecast coming up. >> thanks, norm. the ravens will hold their first full team practice tomorrow in westminster, and they'll have all of their rookies on the field. first round pick michael oher signed a contract last night and was introduced today. rob carlin is live at the team hotel. how is it looking? i'm ready for some football! >> reporter: today was supposed to be an administrative day, no one was going to be out here, sort of an off day, away from the facility for all of us and the media. but late last night the ravens struck a deal with their first round pick, michael oher. and that is tremendous, because oher, they're hoping will be

the starting right tackle when the season comes along. oher was picked 23rd overall out of old miss. it's a five-year contract, almost $8 million guaranteed. and the best thing about this is he knew just how important it was to get in the camp on time. yes, he has missed a couple of days, but that was really for the rookies, quarterbacks and selected veterans. the real work starts happening tomorrow morning when all the veterans report and the team starts working out in full pads and full contact. it was important that michael oher was here. it was important to the team to be here and the front office and staff got the deal done. he will be on the field when the ravens take the field tomorrow at mcdaniel college. it's 5:30. we'll have a press conference with oher and ozzie newsome. we'll find out more about that. we'll hear from them in sports at 5:00. live outside the team hotel in westminster, rob carlin, abc 2 sports. >> thanks, rob. some are calling it a dangerous stretch of highway.

coming up, what is being done to route 32 in sykesville to make it safer. plus, going fishing could be very profitable. what some tagged fish in the chesapeake bay are worth. and maamme be small, but they can cause some big health problems, and the harm may be more than just physical. and looking at moncton tonight, the hereford zone feels like 89. the temperature is 85. norm's got a complete look at our forecast, coming up.

you're watching baltimore's station that works for you. now abc 2 news at 5. >> you could call it fishing for dollars. there is one tagged striped bass swimming around in maryland waters that could net

you $25,000. but there are also dozens of impostors worth a measly $500. a man caught one earlier this month, but which one did he get? is the big one still out there? photojournalist don harrison has a look. >> reporter: we are out today, tagging at least 50, perhaps as many as 100 striped bass throughout the chesapeake bay bay, from the bay bridges down do solomons. and one of those fish could be worth up to $25,000. >> that's the number that was reported to us. and we will locate that envelope with the matching tag number. >> we ate 'em. he is still swimming. >> oh, it's our lifeblood. the fish that everyone wants to catch and take home and eat for dinner. >> hold it right there. there you go. >> oh, a double! oh my goodness, you look at

this. a double rockfish. >> commercially, they provide an opportunity to have folks in restaurants and at home be able to buy them and eat them. they're delicious to eat. and also it's the number 1 sport fishery we have here on the chesapeake bay. >> there you go, good job! good going. >> rockfish all around in general, it's the mainstay of our fishery here. and things aren't taken care of, we're going to be back where we were back in the 80s where they put the moratorium on them. >> guess what, you got a keeper here. >> somebody's got to carry it on, because the kids are too wrapped up in too many other things now days. and this is tradition. it's a mainstay, it's a way of life. >> and you still have time. the 2009 maryland fishing challenge runs through labor day. now the forecast certified baltimore's most accurate.

here is chief meteorologist norm lewis and maryland's most powerful doppler radar. >> good fishing weather. >> beautiful fishing weather. and nice fishing weather for the weekend. before we get to the weekend, we've got to get to tomorrow. that's going to be the fly in the ointment. right now a lot of heat, a lot of humidity. but just not enough bubbling going on in the atmosphere to kick off the shower activity. that's going to be coming on later tonight. tomorrow is going to be a rainy day. but things should start to clear up for weekend. right now things are -- i tell you what. we're going to squeeze in 36 hours of nice weather. we'll show you that in just a second. let's take a look outside right now. your shot from harbor cam, the pirate ship is making its way across the inner harbor. at thurgood marshall 85 degrees. 53% humidity. wind currently from the south at 3 miles an hour. and the pressure steady, 29.90, the high tide in tavern 2:53. low tide in the morning at 10:54. the sun comes up at 6 minutes after 6:00, and we'll set at

8:19. we've got a flash flood watch in effect for cecil county, northern delaware, southern portions of pennsylvania, as well as new jersey from all the rainfall that fell up in that region. just saw some of the storm damage that we had on the shore a little earlier. all the rain is run do you think some of the tributaries that come through cecil county on the way to the day, could get a little out of their banks. that's the reason the national weather service has posted the flash flood watch in effect until 4:00 in the morning. temperatures across the area right now. currently in york 83 degrees. 86 in hagerstown. 85 in downtown. over in ocean city, 90 degrees on the boards. down in ocean city. satellite pictures throughout the day. a few clouds this morning gave way to some sunshine throughout the day. actually, these are very thin clouds. but we do see some shower activity out to the west, making its way in our direction. what is that all about? remember, yesterday we were talking about the shower activity down in the ohio valley. it's making its way in our direction. but right now nothing is showing up on maryland's most powerful radar. a nice clear scan across the

region. don't forget, you can always go to our website, to abc2news.com. to check out our interactive radar. now what i've done is called up our tornado alley. and as you can see, we've got some shower and thunderstorm activity over portions of arkansas, down in this region right down in here. just a slight chance for some showers right there. here in the midatlantic not much, but all this moisture right here, that's what is headed in our direction. again, you can drive the radar outside at abc2news.com, 24/7, 365. as far as our forecast, for the overnight period, the showers out to the west pull in our direction. during the day tomorrow going to be a showery day. and they'll last into early, early saturday morning, then give way to some sunshine with a few clouds. and this should stay that way through sunday. but late sunday afternoon, the clouds start making their way boo the region. and that's when we can see some precipitation. so early saturday morning some showers. late sunday night some showers. but there is 36 hours in there over the weekend, looking good. here is your forecast for the overnight period.

increasing clouds. showers arriving after midnight. during the day tomorrow, a mostly cloudy day. showers and storms across the region with a high of 85 degrees. take a look at the extended outlook for the next seven days. what we're calling for is a pretty decent day on saturday. a chance for some evening showers on both saturday evening into sunday. and also tuesday into wednesday. so saturday looking pretty good. sunday looking pretty good. but then the showers come in again sunday night into monday, with showers basically moving out. so it's going to be an overnight showery situation. then wednesday we see some more showers moving in. but the humidity is going to be staying with us for the next couple of days. back in a while with more on the weather. >> all right, thanks, norm. to your health tonight, a controversial plan to curb the obesity rate in america. a new tax on fatty foods is being proposed by the urban institute. the group says by the year 2015, 40% of american adults will be obese, which is double the rate from 40 years ago. critics argue the proposed 10%

federal tax on fatty foods wouldn't be fair since people who are not overweight would also have to pay up. and also on health news tonight, some high-powered hearings are taking place in washington on one of the most controversial diseases in the country, lyme disease. it seems like more and more scientific evidence is showing it can rewire your brain, and in some cases even change your personality. >> reporter: they're tiny insects that can cause big problems, ticks, carriers of lyme disease. and there are more of them than ever this year. >> this has been a nice wet spring. bugs are going crazy. ticks are going crazy. >> reporter: 20,000 americans are infected every year. but countless others go undiagnosed, missing out on critical treatment. and some argue triggering a chronic crippling form of the disease where the fallout might be more than just physical. some believe lyme disease when left untreated can rewire our brains and change our

personalities. >> i'm convinced that lyme in the chronic form can affect psychiatric issues, can affect neurologic issues. >> reporter: but other experts say lyme disease has no permanent effects on the brain. >> it's not going to cause any specific changes in behavior. it not going to cause any radical change in your behavior. >> reporter: but lyme patient kelly says she saw herself change overnight. >> medications, doctors thought oh, maybe that's obsessive compulsive. but it's not. >> reporter: some lyme disease can even lead to episodes of aggression dubbed lyme rage. terry, the man accused of gunning down reverend fred winters in march has lyme disease. and lyme rage is part of his defense. critics consider that a modern- day twist on the so-called twinkie defense, used by the man who assassinated san francisco activist harvey milk.

>> if i happen to have lyme disease and get run over by a truck, the lyme disease didn't cause my broken leg. >> they'll listen to speakers and read piles of reports. the panel has three choices. do nothing, revise portions of the current guidelines that pertain to diagnosis and treatment, or just rewrite them all together. a decision is expected by the end of the year. an agreement is reached. coming up, who gets custody of michael jackson's children. and an apartment complex goes up in flames. the damage the fire caused. >> watch abc 2 news any time on channel 1 with comcast on demand. woptics straight to your homer it also brings first-class entertainment, with picture quality pc world calls "razor sharp," america's top-rated internet and crystal clear phone, all for just $79.99 a month for the first six months. you can also get channel variety cable can't match. plus, additional packages are available with over 115 hd channels and over 15,000 titles on demand per month.

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and now a look at what is coming up can on abc 2 news at 5:30. hello, everybody. i'm terry owens. we've got the latest on that disturbing story out of massachusetts where a child was cut from the mother's womb. we'll also take you to

howard county where residents are fed up with what they call a dangerous roadway. and it's thursday. so we are dining on a dime with jamie costello. we'll have the stories. norm is putting together baltimore's most accurate forecast, and it's all ahead at 5:30. >> thanks, terry. a look at news around the nation begins with the latest on michael jackson's death there is still much uncertainty about his estate. but perhaps one of the most important questions has apparently been settled. according to an agreement announced today, michael's children will be raised by his mother, katherine jackson, fulfilling michael's wishes. debbie rowe, the biological mother of the two oldest will retain her legal parental rights and get visitation. >> it gives stability to the children and helps recute their lives after the loss of their father and get on with their lives and try to normalize their lives as much as possible. >> a judge is expected to sign off on an agreement monday. the autopsy report is also expected next week. abc 2 news is reporting it will

list the anesthetic diprivan and demerol as contributing factors in mack's death. in-- michael jackson's death. check out this monstrous fire at an apartment complex in nevada. nearby residents from the mobile home park were evacuated. the good news no one was hurt. the cause of the fire is under investigation. it's a controversial plan to get homeless people off the streets. we'll have details on abc 2 news at 5:30, which is just two minutes away. it's what doct most for headaches.

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now abc 2 news at 5:30. >> it is a stretch of road that has seen its fair share of accidents, some of them deadly. good evening, everybody. i'm terry owens. now those who live along route 2 in sykesville are demanding something be done to make it safer. linda so talked to the folks