priorities intact. >> reporter: almost half of the cuts will come from aid to local governments. the rest will come from savings, restructuring, and it's feared laughs and furloughs. many of the cuts came from thousands of e-mails and letters from citizens. >> many state employees recommended that we do furloughs instead of doing massive layoffs. and again, we agreed, and we're going to be putting into place a flexible and a progressive furlough plan. >> reporter: the number of furlough days will be based on salary, from 3 to 5 days. the more money you make, the more time off required. in addition, state offices will be closed on the days before five holidays, creating an additional five unpaid days for all state workers. reaction to the governor's cuts was swift. no one likes them. the unions are saying by cutting state workers you're going to cut back on the services people need. the counties and the cities don't like it because they're afraid it's going to trickle down and they're going to have to make more cuts on their end. 205 state worklers be laid off

starting today, and 109 vacant jobs won't be filled. the state's largest employees union says there were other options. >> calls for a serious look at other revenue streams. if we're going to continuously have this problem, there is going to have to be something that fixes and corporate america should not get off the hook. >> reporter: a whopping 159 million in state highway funds. >> now with an additional hit on highway user revenues, that's going to have a very severe impact on our ability to provide traffic, much needed road improvements. >> reporter: the list of cuts goes before the board of public works tomorrow. in annapolis, roosevelt leftwich, abc 2 news. >> in an effort to raise revenues, starting september 1st, the state will have a tax amnesty, allowing people who haven't already to pay up without heavy penalties and fines. it will run through the end of october. the last time the state did this, they were able to collect more than $40 million. a robbery suspect is dead, shot by an anne arundel county police officer in the parking

lot of a brooklyn park store. it happened last night at murph's lickers on richie highway. brian kuebler is here with more on the shooting and why the investigation continues tonight. >> reporter: well, marybeth, police say 47-year-old brian doukas was implicated in four robberies throughout anne arundel county. when officers confronted doukas in a liquor store parking lot, police say the suspect tried to run over an officer twice. the officer fired and struck doukas, killing him. doukas was implicated in four county robberies, most recently the tnc bank in crofton. it was a surveillance video that led police to doukas, but said they had to use deadly force. >> suspect then slammed on the gas and went toward the officer. the officer had drawn his weapon and fired multiple rounds and struck the suspect, and he died onscene. >> reporter: police say they are still looking for the woman in the surveillance video. if you know anything about her or this case, they want you to call metro crimestoppers at 1-

866-7-lock-up. brian kuebler, abc 2 news. a pasadena man has pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the death of his 1-month-old daughter. as part of a plea deal, child abuse and murder charges against john weirick were dropped. the 32-year-old admitted he had shaken his daughter lilliana, supposedly as he tried to calm her in january. she died later in the hospital. weirick faces up to ten years in prison. he will be sentenced in november. a suspect wanted in connection with several burglaries in anne arundel county is behind bars. reed taylor weeks is accused of robbing four businesses in severna park, and one business in arnold. police say he smashed out the front window of the businesses and stole money. weeks is charged with burglary, theft and destruction of property. police arrested a man accused of robbing a westminster business owner and his family at knifepoint. 27-year-old ronald lee foy of westminster is behind charges, including armed robbery and theft. foy is accused of threatening

jose gomez, his wife and 5-year- old son as they were walking to their car late last night after gomez had closed his business, lilly's mexican mart on main street. the robbery happened nearby on locust lane. if you're lucky enough to be heading to the beach tonight, you might want to avoid the bay bridge. wow, what a mess! take a look at the backup on route 50 right now. police say a tractor-trailer crashed on the eastbound side of the bridge there is no word if anyone was hurt in the crash yet. i guess you'll have to through bel air. a police officer escapes injury in a crash 8:00 this morning in the southbound lane between route 197 and the powder mill road exit. a truck hit a patrol car from behind as the officer was standing nearby. >> the force cruiser was struck by a car that had veered off of the roadway into the right-hand shoulder area. the cruiser was struck, the

officer had been outside of his vehicle at that point and was somehow pulled underneath his cruise esch, and his cruiser and the car that he had stopped were pushed about 40 feet before the truck was -- before the cars were able to come the a stop. >> the officer has been released from the hospital. a woman was also taken to a hospital with injuries. southbound lanes of the parkway were closed for several hours this morn. five years after a deadly water taxi accident on the inner harbor, and the coast ard wants the pontoon boats inspected to make sure they're not at high risk of flipping over. five people died in 2004. the coast guard's final report finds several reasons the boat capsized, including a bad decision to leave the dock in front of an approaching storm. the report also recommends pontoon boat inspections to make sure they pass stability tests. an earlier report by the national transportation safety board said the coast guard underestimated the risk of capsizing because it relied on stability tests for similar,

but not identical vessels. the cash for clunkers program may be over, but the drama continues tonight. for dealers waiting to get their money from washington. car dealers still have until 8:00 this evening to submit their paperwork for the clunker deals. originally they had until last night, and then it was moved until noon today, and then 8 tonight because of problems with the transportation department's website. the vice president of lynn stoller automotive says his company made 500 clunker deals but, so far have only been reimbursed for 12 of them. still, he gives the program two thumbs-up. >> it got the economy going again. now we have to reorder a lot of cars. the factories will get going. the steel companies will get going, and hopefully it will have a big multiplier effect. >> we want to know if you think the cash for clunkers program has been good for our economy so far. head to abc2news.com there is always room for your two cents on the right-hand side of our

hem page. now to a developing story. michael jackson's personal physician, dr. conrad murray is now at the center of a homicide investigation based on a preliminary autopsy report. abc news has learned that police have reason to doubt some of what dr. murray told them about michael jackson's last hours. diana avellar reports from los angeles. >> i have done all i could do. i told the truth, and i have faith the truth will prevail. >> reporter: dr. conrad murray claims he did nothing wrong. but his role as michael jackson's physician could lead to charges of involuntary manslaughter. the associated press is reporting that the los angeles coroner declared the pop star's death a homicide, based on preliminary toxicology results. they reveal jackson had a lethal cocktail of drugs in his system at the time of death. in particular, the powerful anesthetic propofol. investigators are working to determine where the drugs came from. a process that may lead to the

implication of other physicians in the case. there are also questions surrounding murray's actions in jackson's last moments. cell phone records obtained exclusively by abc 2 news show the doctor was engaged in several lengthy phone calls, records that conflict with murray's claims he was performing cpr at that time. murray's attorney says his client did nothing negotiate. in fact, according to a newly unsealed affidavit, murray insisted he was trying to wean jackson off of propofol through lower doses, despite the singer's pleading for more. that. >> is sort of the hollywood way. we've seen it over and over with the deaths of a number of celebrities. but the fact of the matter is the doctor has to say no. you have to say no to these types of demands, no matter how famous the patient is. >> reporter: law enforcement officials tell abc news charges in this case are not expected just yet. they're still investigating and additional search warrants have to be served.

diana avellar, abc news, los angeles. another nice day today here in the baltimore area. lots of sunshine. a little bit more heat and humidity across the region. but it has not given rise to any shower activity. nice clear scan out there showing up right now on maryland's most powerful radar. here is your forecast or the the next couple hours. partly cloudy, mild. temperatures will hold in the low 80s for the next couple of hours. it's going to be on the cool side again tomorrow morning. but tomorrow even more heat moves back into the region. and the tropics are getting active again. we'll show you and tell you what it could mean, coming up. maryland students are doing well on standardized tests overall. but there is room for improvement. science scores on the maryland school assessment were down. fifth eighth graders took the test. now nancy grasmick says they'll be looking for ways to boost the scores. >> we want to boost our efforts in science because we know it's very important as students go through the school system and particularly if they're

interested in pathways to science, technology, engineering, and math as careers. >> meanwhile, maryland students continued to score well on the advanced placement and a.c.t. national assessments. tonight $252 million is at stake for folks in 12 states, including maryland who i guess hope can take an early retirement. why not, right? because tonight's mega millions is the largest jackpot in a year and a half. the last mega maryland jackpot winner maryland won $24 million last year. the cash option for tonight's jackpot is $159 million. we have a home appliance recall tonight. refrigerators that could spark a fire. more dire predicts from the federal government about h1n1. is it a health alert or hype? why y'all knocking on my door? hey, don't put that camera in my [ bleep ] face, get out! [ bleep ] >> add this to the list of reasons why you don't want to be a reporter.

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you're watching baltimore's station that works for you. now abc 2 news at 5. >> we've all been there, the first day of school jitters, butterflies in your stomach and all. and that can be really tough on your kid. that's why a school in texas is using therapy dogs to help calm those back-to-school nerves. their motto, release is just a pet away. officials at schools say they're seeing a big difference. in some cases even helping students to read. >> they'll pick out a book, and the dogs will sit and listen to the book. that's really good to motive students who might struggle a little bit with reading, or maybe not wanting to read outloud in class because they can come to talk to the dogs, read to the dogs and they won't be judgmental or say anything. >> in this area around dallas, there are 44 therapy dogs, which are taken to hospitals and assisted living homes as well.

now the forecast certified baltimore's most accurate, here is chief meteorologist norm lewis, and maryland's most powerful doppler radar. >> they could bring some therapy dogs in here, it would be a lot easier to come to work. >> they'll be soon doing the weather is what i'm thinking. >> whoops, don't want to go there. hey, we're match upped today. >> we are. >> very summery. >> not too long before you won't be able to wear the summer colors anymore. >> get out your white. >> get rid of the white belt and white shoes. >> i know you have them too. >> actually i don't. >> come on now. >> from the old ice cream days? >> we won't go there. >> have i pictures! >> how about disco day? yes, i remember disco. take a look outside. there is your shot from harbor cam overlooking the outer or the inner harbor i should say. our temperature at bwi right now 85 degrees. 46% humidity. the wind is variable, which means coming from, well, different directions at 3 miles an hour. the pressure 30.08. temperatures across the region

right now. it's 83 in york. 86 in hagerstown. cooler out in oakland, 75 degrees. on the boardwalk in ocean city, 85. 84 in easton. 84 in dover as well as atlantic city and pax river right now at 83. take a look at what is going on down in the tropics down re. there is an area of disturbed weather, right down here just north of the puerto rico area. we'll draw that circumstance al little bit better. there you go. the hurricane is going to be taking a look at. they're going to fly 234 and find out what is going on. a little area of low pressure that could get organized and could become tropical storm danny over the next 24 to 48 hours. we'll be keeping an eye on what is going on down here in the tropics. in the meantime, across our neck of the woods, absolutely gorgeous day, all courtesy of a big dome of high pressure that has slid right over the top of the region. that area of high pressure is going to continue to move on towards the east. and by tomorrow, those clockwise winds will come in out of the west, and that's going to really start warming us up.

a few clouds we've got around right now, they're going to be dissipating as the evening goes along. as far as our radar scan, baltimore's most powerful radar not indicating any precipitation out there. fairly dry. the humidity is up, but it's still fairly dry out there. no precipitation around. we are expecting some precip, however, to come in by the end of the weekend. some that could be from danny as it gets its act together. temperature-wise from the weather net, only available here on abc 2. did you just see columbia's temperature change? that's because it's live data. you can only get that here. reisteringtown at 83. 82 in westminster. fallston at 83. 83 in aberdeen. perry hall follows suit with 83. and northeast right now also 83 degrees. your forecast for tonight. a few clouds that we've got around right now are going to dissipate as the evening goes along. a very nice evening tonight. hopefully they'll be able to get the space shuttle launched. during the day tomorrow, a few clouds make their way into the region. not a big deal. showers will continue off the carolinas. but then on thursday, moisture starts making its way in. and that's going to set us up

the way things look right now for a wet end of the week and into the weekend. mostly cloudy -- excuse me, mostly clear, patchy morning fog possible. during the day tomorrow, very similar for today, but warmer with a high of 90 degrees. and the extended outlook 90 tomorrow there is the clouds coming in on thursday, 85 degrees. on friday a good chance for some scattered showers and thunderstorm activity likely on saturday. as well as sunday and again on monday, with cooler temperatures. partly cloudy tuesday with a high of 79 degrees. we'll be back in a while with a little bit more on the weather. >> thank you, norm. maytag is recalling about 46,000 refrigerators under four different brand names due the a fire hazard. the company said today there is a chance of overheating that can lead to fire. about 1.6 million similar refrigerators are recalled in march. the refrigerators in question are side by side and top freezer models made in black, bisque, white and stainless steel sold between september 2000 and may 2004.

more nor information go to abc2news.com and click on the product recalls. in 2 your health tonight, the food and drug administration is looking into claims alli causes liver damage. the fda says they have gotten more than 30 reports of liver damage in people who take over- the-counter weight loss pill and its prescription version xenical. but the agency has not determined a direct link between the drugs and liver injuries. glaxosmithkline, which markets the drug, says there is no evidence the medications can cause liver damage. does a tweet aday keep the doctor away? many use it as a simple way to stay in touch with family and friends. health experts say it could be a great method to keep patients informed about medical issue. here is melissa long. >> reporter: millions of people turn to twitter to communicate. now an article on the latest issue on telemedicine in e- health says twitter could be

convenient to those in the health field. it's a convenient way to keep in touch with a lot of patients at one time. it's an easy system to reach many people quickly. twitter messages can be used for tracking disease outbreaks, informing patients about medical trials, and sending out health alerts and drug safety warnings. however, the article warns that the use of social networking to communicate medical information must the bun carefully to preserve privacy. twit shore be looked at a quick way to distribute general information in real-time design for patients on the go. i'm melissa long. new method to protect your heart should you go into cardiac arrest. the technique some hospitals are using to reduce cost without the use of medication. plus, when police say stop, most drivers obey the law. the discovery one officer made and the reaction one driver had that could lead to some jail time. >> watch abc 2 news any time on

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diabetes and cancer. and they've heard that biomedical research offers hope, that it could control, ma. senator barbara mikulski understands the importance of innovative biomedical research, for patients, their families, and our economy here in maryland. call senator mikulski today. tell her, thanks for protecting the promise of biomedical research and the maryland jobs it provides. it's not just the future, it's life.

and now a look ahead to abc 2 news at 5:30. hello, everybody. i'm terry owens. is it worth getting all worked up about? why some local expert says chill out when it comes to the swine flu. they were supposed to help find jobs, but all they did was rip you off. details on an apparent job scam. and there really are angels on earth. the unlikely person giving a woman a second chance at life. we'll have the stories and norm's most accurate forecast straight ahead on abc 2 news at 5:30. >> thanks, terry. we'll see you then. our look at news around the nation takes us to georgia, where a dramatic police chase was caught on tape. an officer stopped the suspect for speeding and discovered the car was stolen and the suspect had a suspended license. the suspect then took off. during the chase, you can see the driver bump another car.

there goes the suspect taking off. the driver will bump another car, and then the suspect jumps out of the car while it's still moving. it was going about 30 miles per hour. the suspect was arrested. firefighters were battling a huge fire at an apartment complex in new jersey. it started just after midnight in east orange. the roof collapsed hours later. 40 people have been displaced and three people were hurt. arson investigators were called to the scene, but the cause of the fire is still under investigation. police in florida are investigating a strip club accused of hiring a 15-year- old dancer. and things really got heated when a tv news crew went to the teen's home. the woman who answered the door came after them with a hoe. >> i'm not rosemary. why y'all knock on my door? hey! don't put that camera in my [ bleep ] face, get out, [ bleep ], get out, [ bleep ]. get out! >> you know, those bleeps barely did the trick, huh?

the woman who neighbors say is the girl's grandmother hit the camera. police say the club owners could not provide ids for the teen, who had been working at the club for months. you must be 18 to dance in the club. so far no charges have been filed against the strip club. we don't know about the woman with the hoe. check out this mammoth find on a golf course in michigan. a groundskeeper discovered a ten-pound mammoth tooth. it's believed to be 10,000 years old. researchers visited the site and discovered other bones and a portion of a tusk. the golf club is keeping the fossil location under wraps, but it's safe to say there will not be any teeing off around there for at least a while. we'll be right back. explain. oh yea, well for 6 months, customers get all three:

fios tv, internet and phone for just $79.99 a month. oh, alright, see... you're just moving your fingers, aren't you? i gotta cut my nails. (announcer) now get three amazing fios services for the price of two. tv, internet, and phone for only $79.99 a month for 6 months. plus a free multi-room dvr for three months. record shows in one room--watch in another. call the verizon center for customers with disabilities at 800.974.6006 tty/v and get fios tv - ranked highest in overall customer satisfaction by j.d. power and associates. america's top rated internet--now even faster, and crystal clear phone service. all for just $79.99 a month for 6 months. plus, for a limited time, a free multi-room dvr for 3 months. that's an overall savings of $240 dollars over six months. don't miss this unbeatable value 3 great services, for the price of 2. call the verizon center for customers with disabilities at 800.974.6006 tty/v today.

now abc 2 news at 5:30. >> they're calling it the worst case scenario. but numbers released by a presidential panel looking into the swine flu are hard to hear. good evening, everybody. i'm terry owens. there are reports tonight that

nearly half the country could be affected by the h1n1 virus. abc 2 news joce sterman has local reaction to the report and why some are saying there is no need to panic. joce? >> reporter: terry, let's face it. when you hear the numbers, it's easy to get freaked out. the panel of course is predicting as many as 40% of us could actually get the swine flu, and that as many as 90,000 people could die from it. but some say those predictions are doing nothing more than causing a panic that is just not necessary. >> hopefully the school will be proactive too. >> reporter: will little mattie heading to preschool, her mom is worried about all the kids and their germs. >> the swine flu is definitely a concern. >> reporter: and for good reason. the presidential panel has predicted half the country could get infected with the swine flu, with a potential for as many as 90,000 deaths, many among children and young adults. those are scary numbers that have the centers for disease control and others calling for action. >> i think they're trying to be prep