now abc 2 news at 5:30. >> and we begin tonight with weather. good evening, everybody. i'm terry owens. a thunderstorm warning is in effect right now for st. mary's county. chief meteorologist norm lewis is here with your first forecast. norm? >> thanks a lot. earlier this afternoon they had a tornado warning for st. mary's county, way down here in southern maryland that was in effect until 5:15. they have now extended the warning as a severe thunderstorm warning until 6:00. there is what the radar is looking like right now. very heavy thunderstorms continue to move through the area. now yesterday, of course, we had the heavy storms here in the baltimoreer. this evening they looked like they were over southern maryland and heading for the eastern shore. we'll have the complete forecast coming up in just a couple minutes. >> thanks, norm. well, notebooks an pencils are on your back to school list. but what about a surgical mass income students are heading back class before the h1n1 vaccine is available, and that has some concerned.

cheryl conner as more on what you should know before the school bells ring. >> reporter: this may be last school year's news, but the image of students at milford mill academy wearing face masks is not a distant memory. >> i remember no one came to school. frightened. >> reporter: frightened after a classmate was diagnosed with the h1n1 virus. a number of schools with suspected cases shut down in may for fear of it spreading. >> hand gloves and everybody was washing their hands. >> reporter: francis phillips is the deputy secretary for health services in maryland. she says the centers for disease control has recommended a different approach for schools. >> this year schools will be doing everything possible to remain open. and to remain safe for students and for staff. >> reporter: phillips says good hygiene like frequent hand washing is crucial before the h1n1 vaccine is available this

fall. when schools open, the state health department is anticipating more cases of the h1n1 to pop up because right now half of those with the virus are under the age of 24. parents insist schools be proactive and make hand washing easy. >> i think that's the one thing they could really improve on the school year is to insure that there is enough hand soap and maybe not so much in the rest room, but throughout the hallways. >> reporter: a mask may not be necessary on the first day of school, but preparing your student with the facts is the best way to stay healthy. in randallstown, cheryl conner, abc 2 news. >> and sheryl says the centers for disease control is updating its guidelines for how schools and businesses should respond to the h1n1 virus. if you would like to read more, we've got a link on our website at abc2news.com. local health officials insist there will not be a shortage of h1n1 vaccines. it is being manufactured right now, separate from the seasonal flu vaccination.

the baltimore city school system will target students ages 5 to 11 first. >> we are going to be protecting call kids who are in school. that's what we want to do. but we want to zero in on the 5 to 11-year-olds as a first pass, because they are major in the transmission chain. >> the city is planning large clinics when the flu vaccine becomes available. also, students will have the option of getting the vaccine at school, but it will not be mandatory. and one quick school- related note to pass along. river view elementary in baltimore county will be closed tomorrow for electrical work. that means parents will not be able to register tomorrow. well, good news for single parents. maryland child support collections are up nearly 7%. maryland's child support enforcement agency collected and distributed $516 million in payments. the department of human resources says that money went to more than 110,000 children.

the agency credits its campaign to encourage new mothers to establish paternity for part of the increase. and now for a look at tonight's top stories. the hate crime suspect will be held without bail. calvin lockner faces a long list of charges after allegedly beating a 76-year-old black man at fort armistead park early yesterday morning. lockner told police the attack would not have happened if the victim had been white. lockner belongs to two white supremacist groups, and has a tattoo of adolf hitler on his stomach. authorities say he even uses hitler as a nickname. police are still searching for two other suspects. and baltimore police are looking for the driver of a car that was involved in a fiery crash on interstate 83. police say the car was traveling near the ruxton road exit around 2 this morning when it hit a guardrail, flipped, and burst into flames. no one was inside the car when rescue crews arrived. police are asking anyone who

saw the incident to give them a call. uncle sam wants american businesses to help fight the swine flu by getting vaccines to vulnerable workers and encouraging all employees with symptoms to stay home. employees are also being asked to help develop strategies to develop swine and seasonal flu, including common-sense things like telling workers to cover their mouths when coughing or sneezing, and washing their hands frequently on the job. well, it is not every night you see city workers firing a gun. in an otherwise quiet frederick county neighborhood. several frederick department of public works employee spent the eating shooting off aerial explosives trying to clear a neighborhood of birds. they're called starlings, and they roost in pear trees. the problem, the starlings are leaving their mark on leaves, streets, sidewalks, and cars all over downtown.

apparently, they've been eating well. >> this is hundreds of them, and they all sit there and leave their droppings on the sidewalks. you can't walk on the sidewalk. you have to walk around it. >> clean, black car was parked under there the other day, and i felt so bad. sure enough, by the end of the day, it was destroyed. >> the city of frederick has responded for years to citizen complaints, trying to shoo away the starlings, but they always come back. the battle is on for this sunday. michael phelps, who won eight gold medals at the beijing olympics has agreed to swim against nba star shaquille o'neal as part of a new reality tv show called "shaq vs." members of the swim club where phelps trains has been invited to watch the spectacle. and there is word tonight that olympic swimmer katie hoff is switching coaches and training locations. according to the baltimore sun, her coach says hoff has decided

to leave the north baltimore aquatic club where she has trained since 2003 for a california training center to prepare for the 2012 olympic games. many people are still talking the about it. brett favre coming out of retirement for the second time in two years. the move is sparking something of a controversy. as you can see from these t- shirts. coming up, a look at some other popular players who have been in the same boat. and no one would want to be stuck in this situation. a woman getting the scare of her life. what witnesses say happened. but first, we'll get a check on the current weather conditions. head out to lisbon and howard county, where the temperature is 84 degrees. a dull metal clanking sound. bear groans. ♪ ominous music ferocious growling.

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well, never say never. 39-year-old brett favre is back in the nfl with the minnesota vikings. this is the superstar's second comeback from retirement. but as abc's diana avellar tells us, he eis not the first future hall of famer to have trouble hanging up the cleats. >> i didn't want to say what if. >> reporter: 39-year-old brett favre is poised to attempt yet again to prove he has still got it. it's hard to believe this was favre last year, when he tearfully retired from the green bay packers. >> it's over.

as hard as that is for me to say, it's over. >> reporter: not exactly. last fall he played for the new york jets. he retired from that team earlier this year. >> brett favre is becoming the nfl version of sheri. he just doesn't seem to go away. >> physically, if you feel you can play, that passion to play is still there. >> he is a football player, a professional quarterback, and he know she's one of the best. >> reporter: and he is not the only superstar to rethink retirement. >> i'm here to announce my retirement. >> reporter: michael jordan played for the bulls and the wizards before hanging up his air jordans for good. after winning the tour de france seven times, lance armstrong retired in 2005. >> the body just doesn't keep going and going and going. >> reporter: apparently it does. armstrong placed third in this year's tour, and plans to compete next year as well. >> they miss that competition.

and there is simply no replacement for it. >> reporter: so favre will find out if the third time is the charm that is if injuries and plain old pain don't bench him permanently. >> what really gets them out for good is they realize their skills have deteriorated. there are people who are better players than they are. they don't want to embarrass themselves. >> as they say, all good things must come to -- come to an end. >> reporter: eventually, right, brett? diana avellar, abc news, chicago. new credit card rules take effect tomorrow. coming up, what you need to look for in the fine print on your next statement so you can avoid any unpleasant surprises. and tough times are forcing many parents to cut back on school shopping this year. we've got some tips to help you save some money.

it was a positive day on

wall street. the dow was up over 6 one. nasdaq up over 13. the s&p up almost 7. well, swiss bank giant ubs has agreed to give the internal revenue service information on more than 4,000 accounts of american investors. the i.r.s. wants to see if the accounts held undeclared assets. i.r.s. commissioner douglas schulman says at one time the accounts were worth about $18 billion. a new wave of credit card rules takes effect tomorrow. credit card companies will lose revenue because of them, and experts say the companies will try to make up for the loss in new fees. that means card holders need to keep an eye out for new revenue- raising practices that could cost you money. sheer what to look for. >> we may be seeing fees on cash advances that weren't there before. increased fees. we may be seeing fees on balance transfers. and those credit card holders say 55% of americans actually don't carry a balance on their

credit cards. they may be seeing fees. we'll see increased expenses added on to rewards. we may see some reduction in access to awards. >> okay. so those are what to watch for in the fine print. here are what the new credit card rights are that go into effect tomorrow. card holders now have the right to reject rate increases, but they have to close their account and promise to repave the balance at the current rate within five years. also companies will be required to give 45 days' notice before they can increase a rate. we are working to help you in these tough economic times. we've got some money-saving tips on abc2news.com. you can check out our financial survival guide. there you'll find tips to help you cut costs on meals, plus credit card debt. six warning signs to tell if you're getting in over your head, and six tips to save water and money. now the forecast certified baltimore's most accurate.

here is chief meteorologist norm lewis and maryland's most powerful doppler radar. >> not many people saved on the air conditioning today. >> well, it wasn't that hot today, but it was very humid. very humid conditions. and of course yesterday at this time we were rocking and rolling with very heavy thunderstorm activity that is taking place over southern maryland, where they're having some real problems down there. we'll show you that in just a second. in the meantime, take a look outside right now. our shot from harbor cam, live camera showing folks sailing into the inner heartbreak, a beautiful evening to do. so our temperature 5984 degrees. wind continues from the southwest at 6, and the pressure falling 29.94. a severe thunderstorm warning remains in effect for st. mary's county until 6:00, and the national weather service has just added york county up in pennsylvania as a severe thunderstorm warning. now i don't know what is going on up in york county, but there is a little thunderstorm just north of the harrisburg region. nothing going on in york county unless they expect that system to move on down there.

is the thunderstorm activity now moving out of st. mary's county, trying to cross the bay. but as it crosses the bay, as you can see, it's losing a lot of power as it goes over the cooler water of the bay. here in the baltimore area, right now we're precipitation- free. but as we go through the evening, pop-up showers and storms are possible across the baltimore area. but nothing like what we had last night. throughout the day today, quite a bit of sunshine across the area. a few little light clouds. the thunderstorms develop mostly south of the d.c. area, making their way in that direction there is the line of showers and thunderstorms up in southern pennsylvania. it's all being fed by moisture coming up from the south. a lot of moisture flow causing scattered showers and thunderstorms all the way from the florida panhandle, up through georgia, mississippi, alabama, into sections of the ohio valley, making their way in our direction. and those scattered showers again of the activity is down to south of our region. but we can still see one or two hours in our region. another look at the radar, again, here in baltimore no precipitation. but there is where the he storms have been, again throughout the afternoon, and

will continue throughout the evening. parkville at 87. 86 in fallston. edgemere 86. mount airy 88 degrees. walkersville 85. up in aberdeen 84. 83 in northeast. and chestertown right now reports in with 88 degrees. your forecast for this evening. the majority of the rainfall will be down over central and southern portions of virginia. as far as here in the baltimore area, it looks like we're going to go precipitation-free. but tomorrow afternoon, showers and thunderstorms bubble up again. and again on friday afternoon. because of all the heat and humidity and the moisture flow coming in from the gulf of mexico. overnight mostly cloudy. a few showers are possible. but most are going to be down to the south of us. 74 for the low. during the day tomorrow, it's going to be a very similar day. partly cloudy, showers and storms popping up because the heat and humidity with a high of 88 degrees. and your extended outlook for the next seven days. there it is right there. the scattered showers and thunderstorms will continue through tomorrow, friday, and saturday. sunday things start to clear up just a tiny bit. but as you can see, we've got cooler temperatures moving into the region by sunday, monday,

tuesday and wednesday. and don't forget you always go to our website to abc2news.com to check out our interactive radar. it's online 24/7, 365. the neat thing about the radar is basically you can grab hold of it and pull it around and see what is going on. yonker, new york getting a little shower activity. on the eastern shore getting some showers. showers even continue down into southern portions of virginia. but again, you can do it on your computer at home at abc2news.com. back at 6 with more on the weather. >> all right, thanks, norm. well, if you're like most families with kids, you've cut back on your school shopping this year. maybe you bought one less pair of gym shoes, or are sticking with last year's backpack. but consumer reporter john matarese has a great way to save even more so, you don't waste your money. >> reporter: this year's back to school season comes with something many families haven't dealt with before, a recession. as a result, most parents are looking to save even more money than usual. so we have some great tips to slash those school costs.

most parent have a favorite store, target or wal-mart or some place else, and tend to buy almost all their school supplies there. but the website organized home says that strategy could be costly in 2009. instead, it suggests you shop multiple stores to grab loss leaders. it says every store sells some items below cost just to get shoppers in the door. it may be pence. s for wasn't cent each, spiral notebooks for 15 cents, or dry erase marker packs for a dollar. however, be sure to check the quality of no-name notebooks and paper. some are very thin. but my advice, wait until mid- september for the best deals on lunch sacks, backpacks, and gym shoes. but from the doesn't that stink file, lists that don't allow you to shop around. this especially impacts college students who often have to purchase books that cost $100 or more. i say doesn't that stink?

the quests for new editions of expensive textbooks during a recession may be tough on many families this year. if your back to school list includes expensive books, speech with a teacher or professor if it's college before you buy. find out if a used copy will work, or if it's okay to share a book. that way you don't waste your money. i'm john matarese. >> and we are working to help you save money on your back to school shopping. on our website at abc2news.com, you'll find six tips for saving on those necessary items your kids will need for school this fall. plus, a look at which stores have the best selection and the lowest prices for back to school supplies. you'll find it all under our financial survival guide. and here is a look ahead to what is coming up on abc 2002 news at 6. baltimore county police need your help finding the driver who hit and killed a 68-year-old man. we'll hear from the victim's close friend. and moms across the country come to baltimore to help spread the truth they say about health care reform. now a preview of what is ahead on "world news" at 6:30. >> coming up on "world news," a

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well, it's video you have to see to believe. police in sturgeon bay, wisconsin are still looking for a woman who survived a frightening ordeal. authority says the operator opened this bridge to almost a 30-degree angle with the woman's car stuck on one of the lifts. >> she backed up relatively quickly and on to the lift area. she was in a safe area and backed on to the lift section and then realized where she was and then stopped. >> highway officials are not releasing the operator's name, but say he is a 17-year employee of the department. no word if he'll face any disciplinary action for this incident. a local birthing center celebrates a huge milestone. that's coming up on abc 2 news at 6, which starts right now. >> now abc 2 news at 6.

>> we begin tonight with breaking news out of baltimore county. good evening. i'm marybeth marsden. the department of natural resources is investigating a drowning near pleasure island in north point state park. crews pulled a body from the water. a call came out around 5:30 tonight for a rescue. we will continue to follow this breaking news on air, and on abc2news.com. baltimore county police are asking for your help tonight after a deadly hit-and-run accident in lansdowne. it happened on hammonds ferry road near elizabeth avenue. as abc 2 news jeff hager reports, it appears the elderly victim took a fatal misstep that placed him in the path of an suv. >> with police cars lining hammonds ferry road and paramedics rushing a severely injured pedestrian to a nearby hospital in vain, george corbett spotted something that told him his long-time tenant and close friend john fetters had been injured. >> when i went down there last night, i saw where he was laying in the round. >>