now abc 2 news at 5:30. >> some federal money may mean more job security for workers at gm's power train plant in white marsh. good evening. i'm kelly swoope. general motors is receiving more than $100 million to develop an electrical system for a green car. abc 2 news roosevelt leftwich joins us now with the latest. rosy? >> reporter: kelly, the federal funds will go to developing cleaner, greener technology for a rear drive vehicle. gm says it will provide more details in the future. but analysts say this could be the start of something big at that plant. right now the plant is only one of a handful that makes critical transmission parts for gm cars and trucks in the u.s., including parts for the company's hybrid and the highly touted bolt electric car scheduled to roll out next year. no comment today from plant officials or from the union representing the workers at the white marsh facility.

but for folks who follow manufacturing in maryland, they're saying the allison plant already had a leg up. >> yeah, made an investment already. this local plant has been involved in everything from creating a product, the hybrid, which is sustainable and a green product, to being zero landfill free, and actually putting solar panels on the roof. >> reporter: any investment in the power train could trigger more investment in green technology in the state. he says right now manufacturers of all sorts of products want to be able to tap into cost- saving green tech, and a new investment in allison could lead to other new involvements. that could give maryland manufacturers a competitive advantage. in general. general motors moving toward their fuel cell car, the bolt, the electric car, those are all examples of proof that it's moving in that direction. >> reporter: now another gm facility in michigan will share in the $105 million grant. it's not known how the cash will be divided between the two facilities. roosevelt leftwich, abc 2 news.

>> thanks, rosy. 25,000 temporary foreign workers will be allowed into the united states, and that's good news for maryland's crab industry. the program was capped at 66,000 visas a year. and many crab processing facilities on the eastern shore had their applications for immigrant workers denied. the workers, all women, mostly from mexico, will spend months each year in eastern shore plants picking meat from local blue crabs. they work under a special visa program for seasonal industries call h2b. now for a look at tonight's top stories. a bicyclist killed in baltimore this week is raising concern cans about safety. the accident happened on tuesday at the corner of maryland avenue and west laugh yet. john yates was killed when police say he clipped the back wheel of a box truck. the city just released a resource guide with maps and bike trails and tips to keep cyclists safe. police are still looking for the driver of that truck that hit yates.

a $2 billion infusion into the cash for clunkers program could be ready for the president's signature by the end of the day. the senate is expected to give final passage to a house bill extending the popular new program, possibly until labor day. it pays car buyers to trade in their gas guzzlers for more fuel-efficient models. and it's official. the senate confirms sonia sotomayor as the nation's first hispanic supreme court justice. the vote was 68-31. she becomes the 111th justice and just the third woman to serve. sotomayor replaces retiring justice david souter. a philadelphia grand jury clears the police officers involved in the videotaped beating of three suspects after a car chase. the grand jury found that no excessive use of force was used. individual wrote taken from a helicopter last may shows police cars chasing the suspect's car for more than two miles before the driver pulls over. officers broke out a window and pulled the men from the car on

to the ground. the city police commissioner fired four officers. four others were disciplined, and the department was ordered to be retrained on the use of force. a quiet start to the atlantic hurricane season so far there have been no main storms in the first two months of the six-month period, which is prime time for the tropical storm development. the national oceanic and atmospheric administration is now predicting a near normal to below normal season due to the calming effects of the el niqo water pattern. but forecasters warn people to remain vigilant, because the peak periods for hurricanes run through october. the updated forecast calls for seven to 11 named tropical storm storms, and experts say three to six storms could become hurricanes. across the region right now, the only storms we have are on the lower eastern shore. but as you can see, temperature- wise from the storm center weather net, got a little bit of heat coming in after a cool day. harbor school in owings mills a 78 degrees.

but it feels like 80 because of all the humidity around. naval academy at 74. 78 at the gilman school and murray hill middle school. 76 degrees. everybody is feeling a little warmer than what the actual temperature is. the forecast for the next couple of hours, partly cloudy, mild, temperatures will hang in the 70s for most of the evening for the next couple of hours. and then tomorrow some sunshine is on tab. but will it stay on the mild side? we'll tell you all about it, coming up. >> thanks, norm. governor's mansion is going green. governor o'malley is having solar panels installed. the work will begin next week, and once installed, the panels will provide half of the hot water used in the exutive residents. other upgrades include more efficient lighting and temperature controls. the changes are part of a widespread effort to save energy at state buildings. a maryland man is biking across the country to raise awareness about arthritis. he is the former chairman of the maryland chapter arthritis foundation. and he is riding to honor his

late mother. 46million americans suffer from arthritis and he hopes this cross-country ride will raise awareness and much needed money for research. he tells us about his journey so far. >> the biggest experience is just meeting, encountering america on america's terms kind of. the people i've met have been unbelievable. other riders, other riders from other countries. and just the general public. it's been unbeliefbly friendly. >> he will complete his nearly 4,000 mile journey in cape may, new jersey this sunday. and this happens to be on his 60th birthday. it is the most common type of crash on the road. fender-benders. why even if the damage is small could cost you a pretty penny on repairs. plus, move over, michael phelps. instead of nation versus nation, in these games, it's hotel versus hotel. it is the housekeeping olympics.

and tonight temperature of 82. norm will have the forecast coming up if just a little bit. keep it right here.

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another down day on wall street. the dow jones down 24.

s&p 500 down a little over 5 1/2. and the nasdaq down almost 20. you know, if you have a fender-bender, the damage may not look that bad. but it could cost you more than you think. the insurance institute for highway safety tested six 2009 mid-sized sedans to see if there were bumper improvements, meaning a little less damage to your wallet. four of the cars scored better than the 2007 molds. the mazda 6 did the best, receiving a rating of acceptable. but none of the vehicles received the highest rating of good. in the low speed bumper crash test, the average repair bill for the nissan maxima was about $1,600. the ford fusion is more than 2200, and the chevrolet malibu is about 2300. >> you've got vehicles that get damaged in everyday little fender-benders at 3 to $5,000 worth of damage, ultimately you're going to be paying more for insurance for that car. >> 2009 nissan maxima's rating remained poor, the institute

says bumper improvements did lower the cost of damage, and this was an improvement from the 2007 model. merchants are worried about back to school shopping season. it comes after reports of sluggish retail sales in july. mall-based chains seem to be hit the hardest, and that's because shoppers are focusing more on the necessities than the wants. the latest numbers compare sales from this year to last year and is said to be key indicators of retailers' health. a newly bride wanted to get out of the marriage, but she wasn't thinking of divorce. the bride is accused of hiring a hitman to kill her husband. why her plan did not go off without a hitch. and if you can't decide what to do for dinner, how about heading to the sunshine grill? we're dining on a dime tonight with jamie.

the latest now on the man tied up and assaulted by hi wife and three others. he is in jail charged with child abuse. the man not being named, first made news this weekend when four women, including his wife, lured him into a hotel room, tied imhundred and glued his penis to his stomach. the allegations of sexual abuse involves one of his children. police in florida say a newlywed bride wanted to break the bonds of matrimony, but she wasn't thinking about divorce. she was allegedly about taking the wedding vows to death do us part seriously. diana avellar has the details. >> reporter: a distraught newlywed sobs after hearing her husband has been murdered. but mike was very much alive. >> come with me. i didn't know what was going on. but at any rate, your wife is trying to have you killed.

i am what? >> reporter: officers say an informant gave them a tip that dalhia was trying to hire a hit man to kill her husband of six months. they set her up with an undercover officer. they met at a gas station, where she allegedly agreed to pay $3,000 to carry out the crime. 1200 up-front for the handgun. >> she was very cool and confident. and when she makes up her mind, she doesn't change it, and she was 5,000 percent she wanted him killed. >> reporter: the morning the hit was to take place, mike was whisked away by police. and the crime scene was faked. [ crying ] >> reporter: then officers broke the news. >> it was hard to keep a straight face, quite honestly, amidst all of the tremors and shaking of her body, there wasn't any real tears coming out of her eyes. >> reporter: dalhia was taken to the police station, and reunited with a so-called hitman and her husband. >> when she saw her husband and realized he was alive, she gasped a very loud oh my god with her eyes very wide.

and it appeared she she was shocked at the moment that her plan obviously wasn't real. >> i didn't do anything. >> reporter: in court thursday, dalhia was charged with solicittation to commit murder. diana avellar, abc news. retiring to the sunshine state is what many people hope to do. and it's exactly what one new jersey couple did, except their retirement community is more like a ghost town. take a look at this. this is the 32-story tower that victor bought for him and his wife so they could just relax after years of work. but as everything, private parking, a pool, but nobody else lives in the building. it was built when the housing market collapsed, and the fort myers area got hit pretty hard. most of the units never sold. others had sold and they moved into a sister tower where there are people. unfortunately, victor's lender won't agree to let him swap units. >> i called him up a couple times. i got their law department

which told me don't leave your unit. they recommend that's abandonment. so i have to stay here. i tell people at home and they say it's your own building. it sounds great, but it can be eerie at night. it's almost like a horror movie. >> victor's biggest concern is safety. if someone got into the building about a month ago. now every night victor checks the building's locks. looks pretty lonely. now the forecast certified baltimore's most accurate. here is chief meteorologist norm lewis, and maryland's most powerful radar. >> too bad he can't rent it out. >> started out slow today, but getting progressively better as we go into the evening with cooler temperatures today. things are warming up a little bit now that we have gotten some sunshine out there. but the next day, again, below normal temperatures. but then we get some heat coming back in. first part of next week is going to feel like summer time here in the baltimore area. take a look outside right now. some of the breaks in the overcast that we're seeing. lots of sunshine come do you think in the downtown area

right now at bwi, still holding at 76 degrees. 56% humidity. currently from the southeast at 5. pressurizing 29.95. temperatures around the region right now. york, p.a. at 79. 68 out in oakland. up in philadelphia 77 degrees. 74 in atlantic city. easton at 72. 73 at pawtuxet river, maryland. light shower activity here. heavier rainfall cecil county, the northern portions of delaware, new jersey. that shower activity all making its way towards the north and east. we have a few light sprinkles about 1:00 in the afternoon. but that has all cleared out. and things are looking pretty good as far as our condition in the baltimore area is concerned. we're still looking at pretty hefty shower and even thunderstorm activity off of ocean city. heavy showers moving through region. but as they move out into the atlantic and lose the heat of the day over the top of the land, they're basically in the process of falling apart. right now there is no precipitation around the baltimore area. temperature-wise right now. fallston 77 degrees.

78 in towson. westminster 78. eldersburg at 80 degrees. in havre de grace 76. 78 in rock hall. and annapolis right now at 73 degrees. our forecast for tonight. clouds are gradually going to clear out of the region. and during the overnight period, pretty nice night. going to have the nice moon out there. during the day on friday, a few light clouds here and there. but for the most part, we're going to be precipitation-free. they could see a little pop-up shower on the eastern shore. but things are looking pretty good for us over the next 24 to 48 hours. overnight, gradual clearing, cooler temperatures. we'll see an overnight low of 62 degrees at this time of the year. wow. during the day tomorrow, lots of sunshine around, mostly sunny. mild temperatures. i'm going to call the 85 mild. because the normal temperature is 87 degrees. and of course we've been below normal for the past couple of weeks, and we're going to stay that way. however, once we get into saturday, the heat starts coming back in. the heat with more humidity giving rise to afternoon thunderstorm activity that will continue into sunday with a high of 90. same kind of a situation on monday a high of 92. 91 on tuesday.

and then wednesday and thursday, things cool off a tiny bit. but the heat is coming back for the end of the weekend and the first part of the week. we'll be back at 6 with more on the weather. >> thanks, norm. she a visionary. bill saw what others didn't see in the baltimore county town of fork. and tonight he shows off his prized sunshine grill restaurant to abc 2 news jamie costello there is also a mystery to tonight's dine on a dime. just watch. >> reporter: it's a one-traffic light town. >> one block long. >> reporter: it's an honest living. but bill is a college boy. they wanted life at a computer. well, finally he saw the sunshine. >> you know, if the atmosphere is right and the food is right, it can become its own destination. >> reporter: so now you come here for pulled pork, crab soup, for a movie on friday nights, and for car shows. >> as far as parkville, waverly, jacksonville, towards

towson that way, edgewood that way. we have a big radius. >> reporter: he plans on dressing up fork as athens, greece. and you know mr. john, one of the great greek cooks in baltimore history. bill learned a lot from his dads. the days working at the starlight lexington market. he met his wife who ran the sandwich. >> from that day forward we were friends. >> reporter: they came up with a motto to live by. >> good, cheap, and a whole lot of it. >> reporter: people come up to him all the time saying hey, you should raise your prices. >> i want to keep my hand in your pocket for many years. i don't want to empty your pocket in one swipe. that's my philosophy. and it works, because most of my customers, i see them three, four times a week. >> reporter: and he is still looking to the future. next year he wants to open up the moonlight lounge right next door. so you'll come in from the front thing, the first seat, going through a hallway. where there will be bathrooms, and come out, a bar there. and then the dining room will

start here and go forward. >> reporter: he just took us inside the moonlight lounge. on the outside, i hope you this right. if you have ever gone to a sky roof, it retracts when the weather is nice. they're going to peel back the doors and windows and we'll be able to eat outside. now, let's get back to the mystery. when bill was at lexington market, a postal worker rushed up to him one day. >> make it up. >> reporter: so i did. he paid for it and every time he game he was getting it, and people were looking at him saying i want one of those. so i decided to give ate name and put it on the menu. i thought identical it a cadillac because it's fully loaded. >> reporter: the cadillac is still on the menu. but we don't know the man who came up with this. so if it's you, bill would like to see you again. >> dad was right. my dad was right, yep. >> reporter: mount olympus is now mount marvelis, or

marvelous. >> that dine on a dime idea actually came from vince who e- mailed us about his great meal at the sunshine grill. if ju ju a great place you want everybody to know about, head to abc2news.com. this is the week to check out that one restaurant that you've been wanting to try but afraid it would break the bank. baltimore restaurant week starts tomorrow and runs through next friday you. have about 120 restaurants in our area to choose from. all are offering select three- course dinners for $30 per person. and if you can't make it to dinner, they're also offering a two-course lunch special for 20 bucks. not bad. >> not bad at all. i'm marybeth marsden. new at 6, prisoners commit crimes from prison with cell phones. but those phones may soon go silent. a maryland senator is battling for a plan that would stop inmates by jamming their cell phone. and you saw snoop dogg liven up ravens training cavern today. but wait until you see what happens when the real rookies show up the pros.

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on your mark, get set, clean! house keepers went mop to mop at the housekeeping olympics in las vegas. eat your heart out, michael phelps. the guest room gladiators battled it out this the bed- making competition. then they went for a sweep as master of the mop. all for the coveted dirty toilet prize. and so after a day of intense competition, it's back to work for these heros of the housekeeping olympics. coming up next, crimes committed on the streets from behind bars. all because of cell phones. but those phones may soon get

nothing but hang-ups. abc 2 news at 6 starts right now. >> now abc 2 news at 6. >> we begin tonight with breaking news in baltimore city where police try to stop a stolen car that sped away and caused a deadly crash. good evening. i'm marybeth marsden. it happened at lexington and calhoun streets after police spotted a stolen car. abc 2 news delia goncalves joins us live from the scene with the latest. delia? >> reporter: marybeth, this is just a remarkable scene. many neighbors have come out the witness the wreckage themselves. let's get right to video, right away so, you can see for yourself the crash, as you mentioned, happened at the intersection of lexington and calhoun. a woman who was driving this car was t-boned in that intersection. her car you can see destroyed, and thrown towards a tree. that woman sadly we're told has died from her injuries at shock trauma. the suspect's stolen car is mangled as well. he is in serious condition at an ea