places holding really warm. some places sit on the higher elevations like westminster 68 degrees this morning and annapolis sitting at a mild 61. we start off with a few high clouds mixed in. we go from variable cloudiness this morning to a partly cloudy afternoon. and a high up to 86. now at 5:30, here's kim. >> thanks, justin. we have a disabled vehicle on the soak bound lanes of the bw parkway. that's off to the shoulder. one road closure because of an accident in the pasadena area. mountain road at mansion house crossing closed due to a crash this morning. as we take a peek at the big roads, traffic's very light and moving at a really, really good pace. moving at speed around the area. same here on the west side of the outer loop at i-70. no problems as you hit the i-70 interchange. no problems here on the southwest side.

it's checking in clean as you make your way down towards the tunnels. megan and jamie, back to you. financial reform has cleared the senate and must now clear the house version approved in december. it would enact the most sweeping changes in the rules of governing big banks since the great depression. t.j. winick reports from washington. >> on this vote the yeas are 59 and the nays are 39. the bill as amended is passed. >> reporter: they are the most far-reaching restraints on big banks since the great depression. two democrats voted no because it wasn't tough enough while four republicans crossed over and voted yes. the bill calls for liquidation of troubled financial institutions creating a bureau of consumer protection to oversee credit cards and mortgages and establish regulations for hedge funds and other complex financial products. >> our goal is not to punish the banks but to protect the larger economy and american economy from the kind of

upheavals we've seen in the past few years. today's actions with a major step forward in achieving that goal. >> reporter: the bill must be reconciled with a house version that passed in december. opponents claim it goes too far. >> i want to you understand how wide ranging this bill is. this is gonna get into everybody's pockets. i'm not talking about businesses. i'm talking about individuals. >> reporter: wall street's concern over financial reform coupled with an unexpected rise in new jobless claims sent the dow jones to its worst finish since february 2009. it ended the day down more than 376 points. >> when it comes to today's market drop, there is one word to answer the question. why? that is uncertainty. >> reporter: many analysts believe the stock market is in a correction phase and there are likely more big corrections ahead both up and down. t.j. winick, abc news, washington. at 5:32, it appears that

rumors of the tax demise were premature wednesday. a group of baltimore city council members said they had an alternative to the 4 cent tax on most beverages. now it turns out that the tax is not only still on the table it was never taken off the table. the problem with many of the alternatives to the beverage tax is that they don't raise a lot of money. the beverage tax is projected to bring in $11 million a year. you combine that to the replacement to prove it's much more difficult than council members thought. >> i am prepared to support just about everything before us right now because we need the money. >> all right. abc 2 news as learned that council members are now discussing a compromise that might reduce that number. for example, 2 cents per beverage which still bring in more than $5 million a year. that still would go a long way toward closing the city budget gap. it's 5:33 right now. a fight over proposed slots casinos at arundel mills mall

is heading to court. they are claiming it overlooked fraud in the petition drive against the proposed casino. it's claimed that a developer hired a woman to derail the successful petition drive against the casino. an attorney for the developer denies the claims. the trial is expected to begin on monday. soon, you will not be able to use your hand held cell phone while driving. there he is, the governor signing that bill into law yesterday. the law fines drivers 40 bucks for the first offense, $100 for future violations. it means no points on your record for a first offense unless you are the cause of an accident of course. it will go into effect coming up in october. okay. we have an important consumer alert to tell about you before you make that morning cup of joe. you'd better check out your coffee machine because the ge digital coffeemaker is being recalled after dozens of reports about the machine overheating and even causing fires.

they are sold exclusively at wal-mart. the consumer products safety commission is recalling thousands of the storage trunks sold at target. the commission says there are at least two reports of injuries involving young children. >> the hazard is that the lid can drop suddenly just like that when it's released. that is a danger to small children who are reaching into this trunk to get a toy or bending over. >> what are you supposed to do? you are supposed to stop using the trunks immediately and bring them back to target to get a full refund or replacement product. day two of the oil spill in the gulf. and a rare view of a twister caught on tape. first, let's head out the door to get our own weather. here's justin berk. >> that is cool stuff. nothing cool around here, just pleasant this morning. we start out with the live view looking at the hd cam. a little hint of orange over

the eastern sky. we've got 58 degrees in the thermometer, a warm friday and cool weekend with some wet weather but not a washout. we'll be right back after this. stay with us. discover new juvéderm® xc, s tantly smooth out those parentheses lines of! temporary side effects include redness, pain, firsselnik of infection. lose those lines! the way you look with new juvéderm® xc...

we want to show you incredible video of a tornado. >> justin, this is a tornado from missouri, and it's crazy. the pictures are actually a weak twister, which doesn't look very weak in the east part of kansas city. it passed near the state fairgrounds. it's incredible when you look at this. no injuries were reported, but there was some property damage. pretty incredible pictures this morning to show you. i know somebody like justin's eyes get wide. >> if you noticed, the jolly green giant was running away with a pile of broccoli or something. >> was that two? >> sometimes they spin around each other and come together. >> it's hard to believe that that's a weak twister. >> look on the right side of the tv screen.

looks like another one's popping up there, right? >> that's pretty cool. >> there, right there. see it? man, from the ground to the sky. >> linda so said justin, it's the smoke monster. >> somebody's head is stuck in "lost." >> a "lost" fan here. that would be white smoke and the grand finale is coming up at 7:00. some of us will be red eyed and teary on monday morning. we have a weekend to get forward to. linda, i'm so proud of you for mentioning that. that made my day. 58 in baltimore, 55 in easton. we watch the high clouds strolling in across the sky. we'll call it a partly cloudy morning. occasionally, we could get more clouds streaming in. the sun will win out today getting up to 86. that puts a big smile on kim brown's face. >> it certainly does. justin, we do have a problem. if you are headed north bound

headed to new jersey/new york area, new jersey turnpike is shut down northbound at exit 7. that will be at borne township. you might want to wait for a few hours because they hope to have that opened by 9:00 a.m. 95 southbound no problems from 695 to 895. and the fort mchenry toll plaza will take you an extra five minutes. we have one crash in our area in the green haven pasadena area at mountain road and mansion house crossing near catherine avenue. that has an accident and it's closed at this time so avoid that area. police are on the scene there. linda so is standing by with the latest details on one of our top stories this morning. a stranger is approaching schoolgirls in annapolis. it's happened twice so far and police want you to be on the lookout. are you ready for big time

soccer action? i'm sherrie john sunday and will have -- johnson and i'll have more information. i'm mary ellen smith. so i'm really excited to see if this really works. have just started to notice a slight difference in my digestion. take the activia challenge. i think i'll go with the preferred package. ( chuckling ) good choice. only meineke gives you options on complete car care, and we'll help you choose what's right for you, your car, and your budget. at meineke, you're always the driver.

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we asked real people to film themselves taking the activia 14-day challenge. i'm mary ellen smith. so i'm really excited to see if this really works. have just started to notice a slight difference in my digestion. take the activia challenge. new this morning, we are finishing out the school year, and we don't need this. we don't need this any time in

the school year, but right here, i want to show you where bates middle school in annapolis is, all right? somebody is doing something that they shouldn't. linda so is here to tell us what to look out for. linda? >> police say a man has been approaching girls near bates middle school. the school is located at 701 chase street in annapolis. police will be in the area patrolling school bus stops and neighborhoods where students walk to and from school. one girl reported on may 5, a man pulled up next to her as she was walking on boxwood road and asked if she wanted a ride. then may 18th, another student says a man grabbed her from behind as she was walking to her bus stop at forest drive. the girl was able to get away. the man drove off in his car, described as a small dark blue honda or sedan with tinted windows. anyone with information should call annapolis police at 410-

268-9000. in the studio, linda so, abc 2 news. more pink slips are being handed out. there is word this morning that jpmorgan chase will close its credit cards out in frederick by the end of the year. the facility deals mainly with delinquent accounts. a spokesperson says the operations will be moved to other locations. time now is 5:46. abc 2 news is working for you this morning. we want to give you a traffic heads up. heavy traffic is expected in the downtown area during the morning and evening commutes. that's because thousands of people are expected to attend commencement ceremonies at first mariner arena as well as the hippodrome theater. ceremonies are set for 8:30 and then 3:00. if you are getting ready for the memorial day weekend, you'd better leave now because it will be really crowded that weekend. aaa says 32 million people are

expected to take trips during the final weekend of may, and they will all be on the bay bridge, right? about 1.5 million more than last we're. most people will travel by car even though gas is 50 cents higher than it was a year ago. m & t bank stadium packed full with 70,000 enthusiastic fans ready to see their team win. they are wearing the jerseys, ready for a game. this is soccer once again coming to baltimore. sherrie johnson live to explain. sherrie? >> reporter: good morning, megan. yes, it looks like an international soccer match is coming back again. optioners will meet right here at m & t bank stadium for a news conference to discuss the details. last summer, more than 70,000 fans filled the stands here at m & t bank stadium to see that soccer match. fans from all over the world turned out for the soccer match. this type of event means big bucks for baltimore and could bring in between 14 to $20

million for the economy. it also means international exposure. this soccer game will shed a positive light on baltimore. the news conference starts at 10:00 this morning right here at m & t bank stadium. we'll hear all of the news and events they have to say. reporting live, sherrie johnson, 5 news. >> thank you. do you like oysters? >> i love oysters. >> that's good. the governor will announce details with oyster restoration plans for the bay. it's expected to include significant expansion of oyster sanctuaries and include incentives to boost aqua culture. that's growing them in trays instead of harvesting in the bay. the news conference is set for 1:00 at the maritime museum. today is the day to pedal your way to work. the baltimore metropolitan council is sponsoring bike to workday today. this is video from last year's event. it's to promote clean commutes.

all right. 5:48. we talk a look at yesterday's high temperature. it overshot our two degree guarantee but no complaints at 83 in baltimore. 83 is the temperature not the road or highway speed. we'll surpass that today. in fact, we're already starting out at 58 here in baltimore. widespread 50s were the exception of the big cities philly and new york. overall, we have a partly cloudy sky and more winds coming up from the southwest. most of the rain back towards ohio and wrapping around the low pressure system. the low pressure system itself will be passing itself into the ohio valley to our northwest. that keeps us on the east side of it. while the storm itself is losing its intensity it had earlier this week it is pumping up some bands of rainfall and generate a little more activity during the afternoon heating. we'll get some of that heating

without the rainfall today. we'll see how it stacks up because it's not going to be a washout. i know there's been talk about the wet weather. i've been one of the people saying it. it doesn't mean the whole weekend will be a washout or a mess. there will be spotty showers developing around the bay. they will be few and far between. a lot of the rainfall back into the mountains. watch what happens saturday night and sunday morning. we develop this conveyor belt of moisture with low pressure sitting about here. will it stay to the east side of baltimore? any shift of the storm could put this right on top of baltimore or push it farther away. plan for the better chance of rain occurring on sunday. and still don't see we'll have a complete washout here. it will be spotty showers and cooler temperatures. not today. we'll drop back to 59 to mid- 60s overnight. check out the weekend's forecast. 76 tomorrow, 71 on sunday. better chance of rain will be

on sunday. we're back in the 80s with dry weather by the middle of next week. i believe that's the university of baltimore having commencement ceremonies this morning at 8:30 at the first mariner arena. also with the national bike to workday, you can expect more traffic downtown as you approach for the morning commute. so keep that in mind. as we take a peek at our drive times, 95 northbound from route 100 up to 395, that will take you ten minutes. 29 southbound all clear with a nine-minute ride. on the southwest side of the i- 70 to 95. we take a peek at our cameras. no major problems on the roadways here. 95 looking good headed towards the split and towards the tunnel. still have one road closure at pasadena. stay with us because we have more news, weather and traffic when "good morning, maryland" comes back right after this.

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it's 5:54. a live video feed of this underwater gusher shows a large plume of oil and gas spewing into the gulf. bp now agrees with the experts what they've been saying all along that the daily flow is far more than the 5,000 barrels

per day. the oil has reached louisiana, the wetlands right near the mouth of the mississippi. talk a look at this spectacular fire as this lit up the sky over harrisburg, oregon. the fire was so intense that it took 40 firefighters from six different agencies to get this under control. thankfully no one was injured. the damage is estimated around about $1 million. >> they won't have to go far to cash in their winnings. 19 bank employees won the megamillions quarter of a million dollar jackpot. the co-workers here at the first community credit union in jamestown, north dakota. >> he's retiring. we're all here today but it's like something you weren't expecting to get. obviously, i'm happy for my family, but honestly, i'm happy for my co-workers because we all have thoughts and dreams. we've shared and talked about them. now some of them will come true. >> because he was the last on the list. bob, you want to join in?

each will take home just over $9,000. many small neighborhoods everyone knows everyone. >> it wasn't the case this weekend in a georgia community. >> they had guns out ready to shoot it if it started to charge after us. >> the frantic neighbors and unleched guest who decided to take a cool dip in the swimming pool. millions of us text every day. in tennessee, it came in handy for a ditch patcher and a man need -- dispatcher and a man needing help. the five ways to wake up refreshed, alert and focused. >> weather might help out. we hit the 80s today and you see rain on the graphic for the weekend. it will not be a washout. tomorrow, variable clouds, a few showers. more clouds on sunday at 71 with more showers. again, not a washout. i want to make that very clear. don't destroy the outdoor plans for the weekend. it will get much better as we're back into the 80 by next

week. let's get a look at the roads. >> reporter: traffic is moving nice to begin your friday morning commute. the earlier accident has been cleared. we have a new crash to tell about you in anne arundel county. "good morning, maryland" comes back at 6:00.

all right. you will notice police around annapolis near the bates middle school. they there are to protect your kids after what's been happening. we'll see what tess like to be an international city as baltimore plays host to another match. all right. your alarm just went off and you are sitting on the side of your bed with a smile. you are saying, i feel refreshed and ready to start the day. >> is that you every morning? >> yes. friday has nothing to do with it, though. man, we'll tell you how to wake up refreshed. >> not hit the snooze button over and over again. >> that's right.