the 7900 block of sea breeze drive near hilltop road. and as joce sterman tells us, it was the smell that tipped people off. >> reporter: you're right. it was a smell strong enough to just knock you off your feet, and it hit you long before you saw the house. and that smell was the sign of neglect going on inside that house, a situation animal control workers tell us is one of the worst they have ever seen. and this is the home we're talking about. animal control officers pulled 21 dogs from this home this afternoon. they're alive, all in bad shape after living in what some are calling deplorable conditions with feces piled up a couple- feet high. one neighbor says she repeatedly contacted the county to take action, but she never got anywhere until today when she contacted the county executive. >> the sound of the dogs howling, the smell. the smell is horrendous. i couldn't even have my windows open. and i've been complaining and complaining, and nothing was done. >> i've always said from the

outset of my administration, if anybody calls an agency or department, they don't get the prompt, courteous service they deserve, they should call me directly. when i heard about it, i came here directly. >> reporter: when it comes to the dogs, the county director says they were taken to the county animal shelter. they'll be evaluated. hopefully once they're stable they can be adopted out the loving homes. people are working on that as we speak. as we left the scene, the health department was preparing to put up notice declaring that that house was now unlivable. as for the owners, john leopold says it's not clear whether criminal charges will be filed against them. we'll have to wait and seattle. >> thank you, joce. whatever happens tonight weather-wise, it will be round 2. roosevelt leftwich has more on the violent storms that blew through our area last night. >> reporter: sandy mcelroy's house has been in her family for generations, and so has the big walnut tree in the center of the garden. the roots ran deep, but not

deep enough to fight off the high winds that ripped through this historic lutherville neighborhood. >> the wind was so strong blowing through the window, i couldn't even get to my bedroom windows to close them. the "wizard of oz." and then i heard the cracking. >> reporter: the winds cut a swath of damage about 500 feet long from bologna avenue right through the neighborhood. about a half dozen old trees, most well over 100 years old, were ripped apart. >> he looked outside and said there is a tree down in the backyard. and i thought he meant the little one. >> reporter: little if you consider a 200-foot tree little. the old oak fell across the entire backyard, into the garage and across two cars, but missed the lyle family's home by barely a foot or so. >> if there was another tree, this house would be gone. and if that tree was moved a couple of feet over, i seriously don't think my daughter would be alive. her head is right where that dormer window is. >> wow. >> reporter: so damage is widespread throughout baltimore county. from the high winds in

lutherville, all the way over here to chase, where lightning has heavily damaged a historic church. the methodist church took a direct hit from lightning right in the sanctuary. the roof collapsed destroying the 140-year-old church, the first church in chase. >> with every loss, there is a possibility for renewal. so we have some things we're going to try to work out amongst the church leadership and the congregation, and see what the next step is. >> reporter: pastor barnes says the church was originally built by the community here 140 years ago. and that same community has already reached out to help. in baltimore county, roosevelt leftwich, abc 2 news. >> the damage to the church is estimated at more than $150,000. and take a look at the mess one baltimore county family had to wake up to this morning. you can see the basement was completely flooded. and to make matters worse, the family told us they just bought this home ten days ago. and today is the homeowner's birthday. happy birthday, huh.

it happened on stone cliff drive off of greenspring avenue near pikesville. the outside drain got clogged with storm debris, causing all the mess. and when norm is not on tv, telling all of us what to expect, you can head to abc2news.com to track the storms from your own home. also safety tips for driving in heavy rain and how to prepare before the next storm hits. new at 5, a man convicted of kidnapping a pair of teenagers from the timonium light rail station and raping one of them over a two-year period received his sentence this afternoon. the judge sentenced 23-year-old kiheem taylor to two life sentences plus 100 years. prosecutors say taylor and his alleged accomplice locked the teenaged boy in the trunk and then sexual assaulted his girlfriend before abandoning them in cherry hill. >> it is one thing to come out to the county, and commit a robbery that is bad. maybe you carjacked somebody and take their car. but to then to torture them and put them through what they did

for two hours and commit sex offenses and take pictures, it really was sport for this defendant. >> a trial for the alleged accomplice, brian scott, is scheduled to begin next month. the internal investigation continues, but tonight we've gotten a breakdown of the police department's bill for state delegate jon cardin's elaborate marriage proposal. it happened august 7th at the inner harbor with the police health care reform hovering, -- hovering, they boarded a boat and continued to search for contraband until cardin popped the question. yesterday cardin reimbursed city police $300. but how did they come up with that number? we asked, and here is what we told. police say the entire episode lasted 13 minutes, but for billing minutes they rounded it up to 15 minutes. of that bard kin was build for two minutes of the helicopter hovering, gas for the marine unit boat, and the combined cost of less than five city

police officers. cardin, again, declined our request for an interview today. he has publicly apologized numerous times. the police department says the $300 is the, quote, fair market value for the incident, and this the invoice was reviewed by the police commissioner. in boston today, last respects. tonight the doors of the kennedy library are closed, but not before tens of thousands have filed by the casket of senator edward kennedy. he was lying in repose, which means at rest. a well-earned rest after a long- long labor as a public servant. that drew mourners together to offer condolences and thanks. t.j. winick was there. >> reporter: the turnout was greater than in could have predicted. the constant among the 50,000 or so mourners who came to pay tribute to the late senator ted kennedy was gratitude. >> obviously a great man. not only for the state of massachusetts, but for the

country. >> reporter: gratitude and hope. not just for all he accomplished during his 47 years in the u.s. senate. >> he raised so many people out of poverty. >> reporter: but for what his memory still may accomplish. >> i have hope that his inspiration is going to make this health care thing happen. >> reporter: until 2 a.m. this morning, and from 8 to 3 today, mourner, some of whom drove hours to be here made their way into the jfk presidential library and passed the flag-draped casket. the outpouring has hardly been lost on the members of the storied kennedy clan. >> it's beautiful. >> reporter: tonight from 7 to 9 at the library, a private service for family and close friends, all of it leading up to tomorrow's funeral in boston, and burial at arlington national cemetery. >> you know, he was an inspiration to so many people around the world. so it's -- it's just wonderful to be a part of that. >> reporter: among those who will speak at tonight's memorial service, vice president joe biden and senator john mccain. a tribute to ted kennedy's ability to work with those

across the aisle. t.j. winick, abc 2 news, boston. baltimore city police are asking for your help tonight finding a missing girl, the mother of 13-year-old michelle silas reported her missing wednesday. from the 3600 block of 9th street in brooklyn. michelle is 13 years old, approximately 5'5", 120 pounds. she has brown hair and brown eyes and was last seen wearing a white t-shirt and jeans. if you have any information about michelle or any information about her whereabouts, call 911. anne arundel county police have identified the officer involved in a deadly shooting earlier this week. police say when sergeant robert vang got out at the liquor store to investigate a suspicious truck, 47-year-old ryan doukas rammed the police car and drove at the veteran. vang was not injured. investigators allege doukas was a suspect in several robberies in the county over the last week. police in anne arundel county are investigating a homicide as well. police and paramedics responded

to a call last night for a sick or injured person inside a ford explorer, stopped on ordnance road in glen burnie. >> paramedics were dispatched as well. he was suffering from some sort of trauma to the chest area, and slumped over the vehicle. consequently, he was taken to harbor hospital. he was later pronounced dead from his injuries. >> the victim is identified as 48-year-old andrew joseph giancoli of pasadena. if you have any information, anne arundel county police ask you to give them a call. a 16-year-old boy is recovering after being found shot in essex. the boy told police he was walking in the area of sandalwood road and punjab drive just before 9:00 last night when he was shot in the leg. he is expected to recover. detectives say it appears the boy was the intended target, but there is no word on a possible motive, and no suspects have been identified as yet. and another investigation in essex, this one to determine what sparked the fire that destroyed a home. it happened just before 4:00

this morning in the 1700 block of hilltop avenue. fire officials say no one was home at the time, and no one was hurt. don't reserve that rolls- royce just yet. but if you do have the winning ticket for the lottery, let's say your life is about to change -- radically, in $333 million ways. that's the jackpot for tonight's drawing. the cash option is a mere $210 million. this is the second largest jackpot in mega millions history. tickets are sold in 12 states, including maryland, of course. charter schools are making a comeback in baltimore city. >> five, four, three, two, one! >> the mayor and the head of city schools were on hand for a ribbon cut asking at hamp stead hill academy. the newly renovated school has a library, and art section. >> five, four, three, two, one!

>> and then in park heights another ribbon cutting ceremony at kip harmony academy. congressman elijah cummings was there with students and parents as they look forward to a new school year and a new curriculum. >> i think that older schools in the school system have a lot of flexibility in order to have the kinds of programs that parents want. charter schools have been in the lead in nationally in terms of creating settling for kids that are shaded by a vision that comes for teachers and community. and that's what i want for all of my schools. >> reporter: the mayor and dr. alonso will be at city schools next week as well to greet students on their first day. talk about one tough assignment. how to help draw teachers to the city while taking salary out of the equation. cyberhoax targeting baltimore and mayor sheila dixon. and more on that unbelievable story of that kidnapped girl found safe 18

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you're watching baltimore's station that works for you. now abc 2 news at 5. >> teacher pay is always a hot button issue, especially in terms of attracting the best teachers to challenge school systems like baltimore's. which makes this story out of north baltimore especially interesting. it's an affordable housing complex designed specifically for teachers. and as abc 2 news sherrie johnson shows us, the community's benefits go beyond money. >> reporter: millers court is a new complex that opened in july. it's located in charles village in north baltimore. but one thing that makes it so special, it offers baltimore city teachers a discount on rent. >> miller court for me was like the safe way to know that it was cheaper, especially my first year trying to budget a

new salary, you know, just coming out of college, i never had a salary before. >> reporter: 80 teachers like jamie gwen, and nathan call millers court home. the old warehouse was originally a can factory. the 40-unit facility features high ceilings, original wooden beams, and large living room windows. not only is it a nice place to live, it offers teachers a hans to exchange ideas with other educators. >> it would be a great environment to live with nothing but teachers and to be in an area where everyone in every other door does is same thing you do, has the same kind of problems, has different areas of expertise. >> reporter: millers court is profitable because state and local tax credits offset the cost of development and operation. rent for one, two, and three- bedroom apartments range from $700 to $1,500 a month for teachers. normally, a one bedroom in the same neighborhood would go for $1,100 a month. >> the idea of the community that is established here can work for any field there is a

great energy there is a lot of young people there are a lot of people who are passionate about what they're doing. and that's obviously important for education, but for other fields also to get people who are invested. >> reporter: and this type of urban teacher housing is proving to be a success. in north baltimore, sherrie johnson, abc 2 news. >> other renters outside the teaching profession are allowed at millers court, but they would have to pay market rates. and they can only move in if units are available. and right now there is a waiting list. but a similar 54-unit complex is in the works for the hampden neighborhood by 2011. now the forecast certified baltimore's most accurate. here is chief meteorologist norm lewis and maryland's most powerful doppler radar. >> actually, last night's storm had me a little worried. >> i tell you what, we had some rainfall last night. when i talk about -- a lot of times i'll use a little country weatherrisms, it was raining ax a handles and barn doors, it was doing it last night. it was flat coming down. this afternoon was no slouch

either. some pretty heavy rainfall out there, and a chance for more showers making our way in our direction. we'll show you where they're coming from, and what this is all about coming up. your shot from harbor cam showing a pretty gray low overcast. but at least it's not raining. not here right now. but rain is on the way. right now at bwi 76 degrees. 88% humidity. wind current will i if the northeast at 10. and the pressure steady, 29.96. here are your tide tomorrow at fort mchenry. a low tide 10:20 in the morning. high tide 2:25 in the afternoon. sun comes up at 6:32. we'll set at 7:41. tomorrow's wind from the east at 8 to 14 miles per hour. we have a thunderstorm watch, or a flash flood watch in effect for a good portion of our area, and over on the eastern shore we've got a flood warning in effect. that's until 6:45. temperature-wise across the region right now, 73 in hagerstown. 72 in york. 6 in downtown. same in pax river. easton right now at 72 degrees. 72 in dover. and over in ocean city, they're to be get wet.

it's 87 degrees. as far as what is going on with danny, well, the news is no news. not much going on with danny. look at the past 12 hours. danny is just kind of sitting there not doing much of anything. just becoming very disorganized. now there is a couple things that you can see on this map that are players on our weather. danny is not really a player because it's going to stay off the coast. what is a player? remember yesterday i was talking about the trough of low pressure down in the northern gulf of mexico. it's feeding in a huge amount of tropical moisture. and there is a frontal system out to the west. s that front makes its way towards the east, it's kind of a squeeze play. it's taking the moisture and squeezing it in here to the midatlantic. that's what is causing the shower and thunderstorm activity. the front will gradually push it off the eastern seaboard. but there is an indication that that front may become stuck right off the eastern seaboard. so when we get to the seven-day forecast, that is a hopeful forecast that could change. this is what the national hurricane center thinks danny is doing right now.

40 miles per hour worth of wind. it is now started to move. throughout the afternoon it was just stationary. it's now moving north at 5 miles an hour. and as you can see, danny is going to be staying off the coast. and it is not going to become a hurricane. it's just going to be a batch of wind and rain. throughout the early morning hours, we have some shower and thunderstorm activity move through the region. a little bit of a break in the action. but then this afternoon more showers and thunderstorms making their way through region. but that tropical moisture extends all the way down to the south. and it continues to pump moisture in our direct, which will cause showers and thunderstorms. there it is right there on maryland's most powerful doppler radar. the shower activity making its way up into portions of pennsylvania. but on the eastern shore and down south of d.c. and southern portions of anne arundel county, getting some very heavy rainfall. and it's all moving towards the north and east. so it's not over yet. it won't be over until probably tomorrow afternoon. reisterstown right now at 72. 70 in westminster. fallston 71. 72 in perry hall. and millersville right now at 78 degrees. here is your forecast. the showers right here continue to move northeastward, and this is the hopeful thing.

as it makes its way on off the eastern seaboard, we'll still see some scattered showers. but by tomorrow afternoon, you could see some breaks in the overcast, and the same thing on sunday. however, that is if the front makessette off the eastern seaboard and keeps going. if it gets stuck, the rain is going to stick around for a while. here is the forecast for the overnight period. cloudy, a few showers and storms, 72. during the day tomorrow, a few showers and storms. but look gradual clearing. this is the hopeful thing. i think it's going to be partly cloudy on sunday and monday. but if the front gets stuck, those two days, forget it. they'll be overcast with showers. but we will see some nice weather on tuesday, wednesday, thursday and friday with cooler temperatures and lower humidity. we'll talk more about the weather coming up in a few minutes. >> thank you, norm. emotions ran high inside the courtroom. but outside the courtroom is where the real drama unfolded. yeah, the latest development in the story that made national headlines. plus, what is wrong with

this picture? the attention this broom is receiving. is no illusion. >> watch abc 2 news any time on channel 1 with comcast on demand.

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abc 2 news at 5:30 is coming up. hello, everybody. i'm terry owens. the economy is taking its toll on some popular restaurants. how the businesses are being affected. in these tough times, consumers are really shopping for the best deals. which stores are becoming even more popular. and we've also got a consumer warning tonight. it involves one of those teeth whitening products. we'll have those stories, and norm will tell us when the rain will get out of here. it's all coming up at 5:30. whoa, whoa! >> hey! >> a look at news around the

nation takes us to bucks county, pennsylvania and the court ah appearance for a woman who pleaded guilty to charges that she faked her own abduction. news cruise, as you can see got much more than they bargained for when the woman's father decided to attack, even knocking one of the photographers to the ground. authorities say his daughter called 911 in may, claiming she and her daughter were abducted by two african american men. you may remember the case, which made national headlines. the woman actually flew to disney world with her daughter to avoid arrest. >> could this be witchcraft? check this out. the broom that stands on its own. christy and her sister were getting their new consignment shop to open in alabama when they noticed the broom just standing there. >> ooh, no, i didn't have the ooh kind of feeling or spooky kind of feeling. it was more of how is it doing that? >> the sisters say visitors have been pouring in their store to check out the spooky

sweeper. hmm. we'll be right back with abc 2 news at 5:30. show and tell you weren't always my favorite day. with all the pet hair in the air, i'd spend class preoccupied, bothered by itchy eyes. but now i have new zyrtec® itchy eye drops. it works fast, with just one drop, to relieve my itchy eyes from allergies for up to 12 hours. no other allergy itchy eye drop works faster or longer. which is good, 'cause there's a lotta paws to shake. with new zyrtec® itchy eye drops i can love the air™. (announcer) find it in the allergy aisle next to other zyrtec® products.

now abc 2 news at 5:30. >> let's start with a live look out over the inner harbor, why don't we. the only bright thing out there this day, not much. it's dark. it's dreary. good evening, everybody. i'm terry owens. norm is in the storm center. things starting to brighten up a little bit. but it was nasty most of the day. what can we expect for the weekend? >> kind of a double punch. one punch is going about the a right cross that misses us, and that's danny. right now danny just sit do you think here, not doing much of anything. but it has now started to move north at 5 miles an hour. the winds are 40 miles per hour. and danny expected to stay off the coast. what it's going do is cause some heavy surf along the ocean city area, and maybe some riptides, things of that nature. but our major source of precipitation very much like we had overnight and during the