we were on our way to the airport to drop my wife off. he went over to check and that is when he discovered the flame s and the house was in fire. he called 911. >> reporter: now, we heard from another guy at 5:00 that buddy, as you all knew him, the victim was living on his boat but you living next door, you saw otherwise. >> he decide today go ahead and move into the house. and so he has been there for quite a few months. >> reporter: was there electricity running? >> as far as i know. >> reporter: we have heard word about a pellet stove may be a cause doom you know if he used something like that notch. >> that is what he used as heat for the house but as far as

cause i couldn't say. >> reporter: police and fire investigators have remained here on the scene since 2:30 this afternoon. still no word on what caused that fire that killed one man. officials have not identified him but clark and other neighbors knew him as buddy. >> and you can stay on top of what is going on in your area. just log on to abc 2 news.com and there you can sign on to get breaking news e-mail alerts. and the latest on the train derail that happened this morning near the swinging bridge. csx says 8 train cars derailed. the 60 car freight train was hauling scrap, sheet rock. no one was hurt. still no word tonight on what

caused the accident. she is missing life as a leader of baltimore. that is the word from form mayoru sheila dixon. dixon didn't weigh in on hot topics, he questioned the mayor about the scandal. dixon said she wanted to take the stand to testify but her legal team advised her against it saying she is still at the mercy of judge sweeney. >> i would never do anything to hurt anyone or to take advantage of anyone. it really was about a relationship that i made a bad choice in. that's all i'm saying. >> dixon called talk of her joining the contractor's association preliminary saying she is exploring her options

including possibly writing a book. you can see more sunday night at 6:30 and you can watch it online at abc 2 news.com. is this just a scare tactic. from political science experts toes the former mayor herself everyone is squaring off on this budget battle. reaction from experts and sheila dixon. >> reporter: this week the mayor dropped a bomb to make budget nearly nothing is being spared including your safety. even with proposed deep cuts some say the mayor's announcement is nothing more than a civil version of shock and awe. he says the mayor is using a time honored move called fire

men first. to garnish support for finding more money elsewhere. >> this makes the budget hawks back off a little and it softens up the public for cuts in other areas or for increased taxes and fees. >> reporter: it is not a dishonest move, just a powerful reminder of what government provides, a move the former mayor of baltimore calls nothing more than a stunt. >> i'm ticked off because when i think when the budget was presented it should have been presented the way it was but also with alternatives and ways to address the issue, not just give people a scare tactic. >> reporter: in her first sit down interview former mayor sheila dixon told our richard there are ways to fund without the fire and bridge stone act. she commented on where the money would have to come from.

>> i'm looking at this budget there are going to be proposed revenue enhancements particularly taxes. that's going to be another burden on families. >> reporter: an opinion on a former mayor. >> mayor says he will announce ideas for revenue sources in the coming weeks which could help offset the deep cuts. this afternoon mayor met with officials from the city departments of health, recreation and parks and the library system to discuss the proposed budget. she talked about the options she prefers to offset the deficit. >> we can make cuts to government. we can do more with less and look for a comprehensive

solution to fund sources to protect public safety and education. >> the mayor says she will work with the baltimore city council with a plan to restore services. plans to close 13 area catholic schools are drying fire on the airways. he says he will keep running the ads until he agrees to a compromise. in his ad he says the archdiocese tapped out donors raising money to renovate the baltimore. >> we have to find enough money for these kids. >> he is calling on proficientners to cut back on donations to the church or quit putting money in the offertory plates until the archdiocese

comes to the table. armed robbers invaded a dorm monday afternoon at the glen complex in tower b. police say the suspect knocked on the door and forced their way inside. one of them wore a mask and carried a handgun. authorities say jerry young has been charged in the case. authorities say they have broken up a $20 million retail theft operation. this afternoon officials discussed indictments. we are told the results. >> search and seizure warrants in baltimore count and throughout the area and made 15 arrests in a major organized retail theft investigation. >> officials say the organized

crime and -- authorities shammos of the defendants will be tried in federal court. a day of changing weather all across maryland. big drop in temperatures throughout the day. still windy out there. let's take you right into the most powerful radar. we have dried out completely here. as you head south down toward the southern tip and the very southern edge still rain coming down in that direction. temperatures low 40s right now. that is about as warm as we can get today. i think tomorrow we won't be too much warmer than this. it will be 25 degrees tonight, window. and definitely a night to dress

warm as you head out for friday evening. a little improvement toward early sunday. we'll have that for you in just a couple. house speaker has sent president barack obama the final piece of legislation, it contains fixes to the bill signed into law on tuesday. among the changes, more benefits for seniors and low income families. >> we want equal coverage for equal premiums. second, when we went for coverage -- callathize health care overhaul a victory for women's equality. she talked about one recent cause that caught her attention. >> one of my hearings revealed that a woman was denied coverage because she had a

premature baby by a c section and dropped by one insurance company and when she went to another she was told she had to be sterilized to get health insurance. that will never happen again. >> president barack obama is expected to sign the second and final piece of legislation next week. many companies are tightening their belts. today 320 employees will be laid off. today governor omaly said he is urging employees to work closely to make sure they have access to all available resources. the news of more job losses couldn't come at a worst time. employers cut more than 14,000 jobs. the unemployment rate rose to

7.7% last month. none of us can live forever but you can help your own cause in terms of living longer. tonight we have dramatic new evidence. we have already told you to expect a price hike at the movie theater. now we can give you an idea of just how much. currently sitting at 41 degrees, chilly day in store for tomorrow. strawberry pop-tart,

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you're watching the station that works for you. abc 2 news at 6. want to live longer it is common sense that improving your health improves your

chances. >> stop smoking, eat better, exercise. a lot of us have heard these suggestions from our doctors. researchers out of harvard and university of washington found certain preventable health factors such as smoking, high blood pressure can shorten life span in americans. as much as 5 years in men and 4 years in women. investigators used 2005 data from 3 national health surveys estimating the number of deaths that would have been prevented if these risk factors had been reduced. they noted men lost 1 and a half years from their lives. people with high body mass got 1.3 years off their life while high blood sugar cut a man's life by half a year.

smoking was the biggest factor cutting 2 and a half years off a man's life and almost 2 years off a female smokers life span. this isn't the first study. doctors hope to use the data to help identify new public health policy alerting patients to these risk factors. now, the forecast certified most accurate by weather rate and maryland's most powerful doppler radar. >> breezy, chilly. the rain moved out quick this morning and tomorrow we are going to have the sunshine back even though we are going to be in the 40s again. even though you have the late sunshine it makes things warmer. let's take a look at where we are right now. 48 but it doesn't feel that

warm because of the wind out there. we have a gusty north wind all day. winds relenting just a little bit right now. we still have gusts. i want to take you to the harbor today. capturing some wild skies. a little blue sky late this afternoon. these aren't rain making clouds. they don't really produce much in the way of rain. we did have some rain out there throughout the last 24 hours. 2/3 of an inch from ellicot city. and the wind gusts were pretty potent today. weu it is going stay brisk out there in terms of the wind. temperatures in the upper 40s.

feeling colder than that with the wind still breezy, feeling like a 36 just north of the pennsylvania line and feeling only like 31 now at the river. it does feel chilly out there this evening. we have cleared it out across the western side of the chesapeake. still some rain coming across, a little bit of rain left in the tip of st. mary's county. for the most part this is really it. we are going to see much drier conditions. still high, thin cloud cover. we take you out and we see all dry weather behind this system but it is chilly dry weather. tonight is going to drop us into the upper 20s by day break

tomorrow. and into the day tomorrow beautiful blue skies but a slow climb. most of the day in the 40s tomorrow and then into sunday another storm approaching but ahead of it just partly cloudy most of the day sunday. sunday night this will be the weather maker. it will be dry tonight but will get cold fast. layer up as you head outlet for your friday night fun. tomorrow night not as cold, 32, clear and cold but less breezy. the outlook for the next 7 days. sunday a little warmer. 53, dry through the day. check out as we go through the middle of next week. we are going to get warm again out here.

down in sarasota the orioles take on the twins tonight. second baseman is going to check out his injured back. he says he is ready to play ball after spending much of spring training seeing doctors. we are just 11 days away from opening day. right around the corner. a live look at our camera. going to be back to help you plan your weekend in just a few. it is 44 degrees. we'll be right back after a short break. [ female announcer ] pillsbury cinnamon rolls with cinnabon cinnamon.

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this is not a happy story. coming soon to a theater near you price hikes. starting today regal entertainment, a m c and are boosting their prices. >> you look at avatar and alice coming into the market place generating the kind of box office results that there are there is an opportunity gain more by increasing the prices and they don't think the audience will vaporize because

of it. >> 3d showings accounted for last year's 10% jump. we checked with a m c. they tell us regular 3d movies are $5 extra. imax is 6-dollars extra. 3d imax shows are now $7 extra. we are told all other ticket prices will remain the same. not great news on wall street. the dow jones gained a 9 point. the nasdaq down 2 and the s and p500 up almost a point. here is what we are working on for you tonight. we are going to have more for on the fire tragedy in dundalk. and the latest federal plan to help millions of americans avoid foreclosure. looking for something to do

this weekend the national cherry blossom gets underway tomorrow. not only can visitors stroll through the trees during the day they can-can take a lantern walk in the evenings. >> we work in concert with the washington area bicycle association. you can bring your bike for free. >> the blossoms are expected to peak between april 1 and also april 4. for complete list of activities all you have to do is log on to our website at abc 2 news.com and look for the links mentioned on air. this year i'm going to do it. i think next weekend would be even nicer for it. this weekend a little chilly. we have a little bit of rain in deep south maryland. nothing left here in baltimore.

you see the outlook for the weekind. chance for rain sunday night. getting out towards 70 late next week. we'll see you tonight at 11.