you're watching the station that works for you, abc 2 news at 5:30. as many as 200,000 people are without water tonight in baltimore county after an electrical fire at a water pumping station. it has been a rough day. good evening. i'm kelly swoom. neighborhoods that had water earlier today are now finding themselves with low pressure or no water at all. the affected areas impact people living on lake avenue all the way to some parts of sparks and baltimore county. those folks without water, and falls road to the west to old harford road to the east. abc2 news roosevelt leftwich has been working like a one- armed paper hanger all day long. he joins us from the heart of the problem. rosy, what's it like out there? >> reporter: kelly, it's been a lot of stuff going on now.

we've been following the massive outage since early this morning, and the crews are still out here, both the city crews and bge crews. let's get an update to find out what is going on. start off with linda foy with bge. where are they right now? >> reporter: they've been working since very early this morning located and so damage was done to both of them. respect and you said there are

two different disciplines, the people that work high and the people that work low. >> yes. we have crews that specialize in overhead power lines as well as crews that specialize in underground power lines. we had a combination of both we had to address. so we had our overhead guys and our underground crews working as early as this morning. >> we'll check back in later. now move over to curt coker with the baltimore city department of public works, and your guys are -- even once we get the power back on, that doesn't mean water is going to flow immediately, right? >> no, it really doesn't. one of the key factors is to conserve, because once bge gets their work done -- we're grateful with the work they've done. they've been out full force doing what they can to get everybody out in water. so we're grateful. that said, we have to go through, test the equipment, give us an hour, two hours to make sure everything is safe and sound. then we can start pumping. once we start pumping, some areas will get water immediately. the interesting thing about that is people are going to

say, "i can do what i need to do, because my pressure is back," but the problem is the water needs to travel to other tanks that are far afield from this median area. so conserve is the order of the night. if everybody does that and bge stays on schedule, getting this done as quickly as possible, we're hopeful to have everybody back in water by the time they wake up tomorrow morning. . there could be a few outages, but we're talking an area of a few hundred thousands people. >> this is one of those cases where if the water comes back here and people start washing clothes, washing dogs and cars, their neighbor out in sparks may have some continued problems. >> that's exactly it. you have to think about your neighbors. every drop you save is another drop that gets to the tanks in touter regions. so think about your neighbor. we'll all get through this and go back to normal hopefully come morning. >> and say it again: conserve,

conserve, conserve. >> thanks a lot. fred coke we are the baltimore city department of public works. now, as kirk mentioned, like i said, the water outages, the lines have been just deenergized right now at this point. so things around this area, now the folks here don't have water. one of those areas that's acted is towson university. we're talking thousands of students all over there. they pretty much had a day off. we talked to some of the student and for some, this day off is no water -- these water issues they've had has been a mixed blessing. it's a gorgeous day. temperatures in the 80s, no humidity, and folks are out enjoying the subject. it might as well be a saturday instead of a wednesday morning, when one should have been in class now -- >> although they still had water in the early afternoon, towson university as well as other big water users in the area closed down for the day. other than tonight's big lacrosse game, all classes and other activities were closed.

for some, not having water was a blessing. >> i am pretty happy, since i yes have a lab due today, and it's not finished. >> [ laughter ] >> so that's basically a whole other week for me to work on it, which is a plus for me less than a mile from campus, crews worked to restore power to a pumping station. without power, the pressure in this part of the walter system that feeds thousands of homes and businesses will slowly go away. towson student have missed a lot of class over the past few months, first the blizzard and power outages and now this. >> i'm a music major, so we missed a lot of rehearsals, and in the end it can kind of affect news the long run. you know, right now i'm kind of like, "yeah," because we don't have class. you know, it's my joined i don't have to go to. i'm kind of enjoying that. but as far as my course studies go, i'm not really happy about

no school, but. >> reporter: now because of this water outage, it's caused problems with area hospitals. we have two large hospitals in the towson area that have been affected by this. let's go to gbmc. over at gbmc we have water supplies for 96 hours, so they'll still continue on with surgeries and stuff like. that but they had low water pressure until about 1:00 this afternoon.  st. joseph hospital had some of the same issues, but they also had a built-in emergency water supply good for about four days. so what they've been able to do is continue with surgeries and the er. both hospitals have brought in extra hand sanitizer in order to cut back on some of the water usage. also because of this water outage, 17 schools in our area are without power as well. that's baltimore county. so they're out of power for now. towson university didn't have power at that point. i'm sorry. not water. they didn't have power at the school.

so everything pretty much canceled. classes were supposed to be canceled until five, but then they decided to cancel the 5:00 -- classes that pass 5:00, so that way may make sure there are no water issues there. the only thing going on is the lacrosse game. you never want to cancel a lacrosse game. that will go off off at 7:30. this has impacted businesses throughout our area, caused a lot of problems with people as they've been trying to get, you know, any basic services, anything from, like, coffee or pizza. a lot of businesses have had to lose water pressure and have had to go out as well. one of the things we've done, you've taken a look at issues with businesses, but there are issues with some of the neighborhoods. people are starting to run without water. some had water until early this afternoon. our la month williams was out and about today. we'll have more from him coming up at 6:00. now we talked about hospitals. we also want to talk about conserving. one thing you heard circumstance coker talk about is the fact that even once the power comes back on and the pumps get going, the lines have

to be reenergized. ones those are reenergizeized you have to make sure it gives water a chance to move to the outer limits of the system. if you have problems or a water outage in your area and want to talk about this or have questions regarding this, give a number on your screen right now. this is the baltimore county. their public inquiry hotline. the number 41-887-5454. the number is 410-887-5454. coming up tonight at six we'll continue to follow this, have the latest on this. if you look behind me, looks like the crews are finally off the poles back there, as they are hopefully get this thing pretty much wrapped up, but we once again once the power is restored, still going to take a while for the water to get those pumps to get the water out to the furthest reachers. more on this coming up and see you then. >> once the water is back only, will it be safe to drink, or do you have to let it aerate a while, i would imagine, like other outages? >> reporter: you see works two

the water main break, the problem is you have the possibility of contaminants getting into the system. >> okay. >> with this, the water system is fine. there's no way to get it out of the tanks over there. >> okay. >> i'm going to check on. that we'll have an answer for you at six. >> thanks a lot, rosy. great job out there. >> stay with abc2 news and abc2 news.com for continuing coverage of this major water outage in the county. we'll continue to update the story online at abc2 news.com with the latest developments and water outage information for you. now let's take a look at tonight's top stories. former maryland governor robert ehrlich is trying to get his old job back. he made the announcement today in montgomery county where he's offering to do battle with governor martin o'malley to take back the state. from the looks of it this is going to be a tough fight as both candidates are very good at campaigning and don't care much for each other. rescue workers continue to search for four missing miernls after an explosion killed 25 others on monday. rescuers dug four holes to

release any of the methane so they can enter and search for the workers. the mine is equipped with extra oxygen along the escape route that can keep the missing men alive for up to four days. what a hot day. i'm just so amazed by some of these numbers, once again, 30 degrees above average. that's where we are. not quite to the old record. take a look at some of the temperatures out there. 90 for a high at bwi. we've also got 88 for washington, 90 for winchester. so again, just unbelievably warm numbers out there for early april. not quite to the record point, but a very, very close. southwest winds. a few fair weather clouds. otherwise it might have been even hotter. a look at the evening. passing clouds, very warm. staying in the 80s through much of the evening, sunset 7:36. you'll have daylight to get out

and enjoy the warm weather through 8:00 tonight. we'll talk about the huge change coming in our temperatures in a couple more minutes. kelly. >> thanks a lot, wyatt. listen up, parents. this is a hot topic. should children be allowed to keep their faith book activity private. one teenager thinks so. why he's suing his mother. plus all the buzz on dancing with the stars is about buzz aldron. what the famous astronaut had to say about his time on the dance floor. satisfying [ male announcer ] are you watching cable?

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sales rose in most categories. according to the latest numbers from mastercard advisors spending pulse. clothing, appliances and consumer electronics all went up. the march figures benefit from comparisons to march of last year, when consumers had cut back on spending, buying only the necessities. but shoppers are still cautious, with consumer confidence still below a reading that's considered healthy. tax day quickly approaching, april 15th just around the corner. so where do you turn when you have a beef with the irs? how about the taxpayer advocate service? it's an independent organization ceo designed to help taxpayers resolve their problems with the irs. now they can help you get the attention that you need and avoid some of the most

complained-about hassles. well not everyone loves apple's new ipad, but what made a teenager so angry that he went to extremes of destroying it with a bat? it's already a popular video on youtube. we'll tell you his reason for trashing it. an astronaut, buzz al daryl hannah was eliminated from dancing with the stars, but there's still nine couples left. we'll talk about his experience on the show coming up.

she's the florida mother accused of killing her two-year- old daughter caylee. abc2 news jeffrey collin has the details. >> reporter: at times, the almost 300 pages of jailhouse letters are the negligent ram brings of a woman behind bars.

in unbelievable of the handwritten letters did anthony confess to the murder of her two-year-old daughter caylee, the murder she is charged with; but in a newly released police report a fellow inmate claims anthony told her she used a type of tranquilizer to put her baby to sleep so select go on the town without hiring a babysitter. police write, casey anthony implied her mother, cindy anthony may have brought the chloroform home when she worked at a local clinic. and then a bombshell. anthony graphically writes she was sexually abused as a child by her father and brother: "i woke up so many times to a flashlight in my face, and he would be sitting in my bed staring at me." late last night the family issued a statement saying they deny there was any improper sexual behavior in their family. another inmate claims that anthony revealed little caylee's body was found in a baby blanket and black garbage bag, though police never

released those details. anthony yernls for freedom. "i need a vacation," she writes. "i'm thinking of costa rica. want to come with?" unfortunately we have to wait until we're released. if she's convicted of first- degree murder, casey anthony may never be released. jeffrey could haveman, abc news, miami. well, how far is too far when it comes to partnertral controls? one arkansas teen has had enough. she's suing her own mother for allegedly harassing her facebook. according to the teen, his mom handing into his account, change the password and posted insults regarding his personal life. his mother denise says she was only looking out for her son. >> you're within your rights to monitor your child and to have a conversation with your child on facebook. you know, whether it's his account or your account other whoever's account. >> despite the charges against her, there are new plans to fight the allegations. for now her son is living with

his grandmother. so just how far will some people go to get a few hits on youtube? the ipad, you know that. that's the latest must have from apple, but one pennsylvania teen decided to destroy it. he's doing it for fun of the internet. he demolished his $500 device with a baseball bat. the video has already gotten over 1 million hits. >> it was fun. i mean, it was my money. i wanted to do this, so i did it. i just wanted to see what people would say. there was a lot of people saying negative, but funny things, but most are pretty funny, i think. >> since he trashed his ipod, he said he went out and bought a new one. guess he's got a lot of spare time on his hands. now the certified most accurate by weather rate, and maryland's most powerful doppler radar. >> a lot of spare money for his age, too, right, kelly? check it out, 90 degrees.

that's where we're at. you can see old glory flaping a little bit. tiptop of the aquarium, and tropically warm the theme inside and outside of the tropical rain forest downtown. southwest 89 miles per hour. that's the end with. it's a warm wind, i'll tell you that. here are the highs from our exclusive weather net sites across central maryland. a little cooler in indianapolis. most of intoes the low 90s. falls church, 97, bethesda reporting 98 degrees today. awfully hot for early april. 89, if. you get the idea, way above average at hagerstown, 9 is degrees. southwest wind helping to warm things up out there. not a cool breeze out there. this is a cool wind keeping us mild overnight tonight into the early part of our day tomorrow. .

>> if we didn't have a little bit of cloud cover this afternoon, we probably would have gotten hotter. we might have gotten up to record of 93. as it was. we didn't quite get there. cooler air begins to make its move out of the up i midwest. giving us a temperature check realitiwise by the end of the week. in the meantime, warm weather, warm surge wrapping around high pressure offshore. one more time today. our frontal boundary still off to the west. as this finally tracks south and eastward, we won't get the cooler relief in here, a very warm pattern. but once again, cooler air in the midwest. but we're in the hottest part of the country today. across the entire u.s., good old baltimore, washington, richmond, the good atlantic hottest place in the u.s. today. the front lines up and begins to push in tomorrow. i think we'll be warm, dry, and a little bit of sunshine ahead of. this but then showers and storms tomorrow evening. that will cool us off big time as cooler air fiteners. for friday, opening day, i know, it will be cooler, but

most of the rain ends on friday. 68 tonight, a few clouds, stays mild. tomorrow, 83, still a warm day; but not quite as hot, and then tomorrow night, a good chance for showers and storms as we drop into the 50s. you can see the outlook here as we push toward the weekend, much cooler friday and saturday, right around 60, but does get warmer toward sunday. and we'll be right back. [ male announcer ] are you watching cable?

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this price will be history. get fios tv, internet and phone for just $69.99 a month for six months with a two-year agreement. call now. if you stick with cable, you'll be stuck with the bill. last chance to get three fios services for an amazing $69.99 a month for six months. call 1-888-884-fios. that's 1-888-884-fios. call the verizon center for customers with disabilities at 800-974-6006 tty/v. this is beyond cable. this is fios.

george panakio has the wrap up. >> buzz and ashley last night, buzz aldron,

the second man to walk on the moon walked grace fly away from dancing with the stars after three weeks of competition an standing ovations every time he danced. >> and this has been a very measurable endeavour, and i'm just happy to have been able to stay along as long as we did. >> in 1969, the apollo 11 strnlt made history and became an american hero, all before the age of 40. now at 80 he's ready for new challenges. >> this mission has been scrubbed. what did you learn from this mission? >> volunteer again. make the next one as equal satisfying to me for having put myself forward. >> he tried so, so hard, and he wanted to do the best hecht. he was so charming an adorable.

if they were giving point for adorable, come on. >> he's had the best time. i'm sure he's disappoint; but, you know, that's the way it goes. he had a good run, and now i have a dancing husband. >> reporter: buzz aldron, the presidential medal of freedom honoree will not get dancing mirror ball trophy. what he does get is renewed fame and a second win. >> i'm not somebody who's going to hang back in the weeds. fighter pilots are out there up front. >> so buzz and ashley are going, but nine other couples live on to dance another day. week four of "dancing with the stars" monday night here on abc. in los angeles, george panakio for abc news. >> he is good to watch any way. coming up next a recall from baltimore's own mccormick spice. we have details on abc2 news at 6:00, which