mairmt all you can see brake lights at this point. we'll keep you posted. this represent the human cost of the budget in washington. thousands of marylanders await money to heat their homes as the temperatures dip below freezing. >> reporter: the state used federal moneys on heating bills. this year those dollars are on hold, referring many in the cold. >> you pay taxes for 70 years. >> reporter: as a merchants marine in world war ii, ben survived a pair of sinking ships. >> but now he risks freezing to death inside his own home. >> i started calling. >> reporter: he qualifies for assistance in the form of fuel oil. his delivery still hasn't arrived. >> only said that they ain't got

the money yet. every office i called said they ain't got the money. >> reporter: mary ellen said it maryland is one of those paying a terrible price. >> there are 300,000 families who are eligible for the program and about 125,000 were helped last year. now even when the budget is passed, we're expecting that the amount of money that is put in there will be about half as much has last year. >> reporter: von ni said the state will have to choose between turning some away or cutting back on how much it gives to each one. >> after paying my bills i have about $95 left. >> reporter: living on a fixed income, he has little else.

someone loaned him a small radio but resist being forced into a position where he has to beg his own country to help him out. >> what happens? are we supposed to fight each other or burn our houses down? what's wrong? the public is supposed to be taken care of first, especially the old people. >> reporter: the state helps people with fuel oil. the fund helps to pay electric and gas bills. its donations are down by $100,000. you can help by putting something in donation envelopes, including your bge bill. jeff hager, abc2 news. if you didn't want to get out of the covers, you probably had to go outside and scrape the ice off the cold. winter is here. we're working with tips to help you save. the better business bureau sales make sure that your furnace filter is clean. make sure the thermostat is

working properly and the pilot light works. before lighting a fire in the fireplace have the chimney inspected for debris or leaves. gutter should be cleared of clogs, and make sure you test those smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors and install fresh batteries. and inspect caulking around your windows and doors. >> air temps did get up into the 40s today with a little bit of sunshine. no precipitation, but looking at the current air temps, it is getting chilly, 29 york. 39 at bwi. another night where we could see some of the numbers eventually into the upper 20s and a few

teens -- teens. there's no wind. much more on that coming up. all right. thanks a lot, wyatt. a woman was hit and killed on the light rail tracks near seminary and railroad avenue. police are trying to figure out how she was hit. >> clearly the woman was on the tracks because she was struck by a train. why she was there is unclear. we're hoping investigation will give us much more information. in the meantime, baltimore county police have taken the lead in this matter. i'm sure they'll try to identify the woman, notifying next of kin. >> lightracks are open at this time. a woman was seriously burned after a house fire in anne

arundel county. it happened just after 106789 -- 10. a 65-year-old woman was taken to bayview burn center. >> it appears in this case the occupant was using a match to light a candle. >> at last check she is still at the burn center being treated there. >> baltimore police need your help identifying this man who robbed and stabbed a man. officers found a 27-year-old man with multiple stab wounds in the 2200 block of north charles street. he said he and a friend were at a gas station when two people ended up robbing and stabbing them. detectives are asking anyone who recognize this man to call 410-367-3105. five people have been

arrested in connection with a pizza delivery man. he was making a delivery in the 2200 block of con questions drive when he was a-- conquest drive. officers found items taken during the robbery. five people, including brandon dudley and dion tai cane were arrested. another person was also arrested but charged as a juvenile. the latest tonight on the penn state sex abuse scandal. jerry sandusky will face his accusers in court. they're expected to give details under oath about how sandusky molested them years ago. but the prosecutor's star witness may be changing his

tune. >> reporter: this started with what mike mcquery saw. did the assistant coach actually see jerry sandusky sodomize a 10-year-old boy in a penn state shower in 2002 or just hear what he thought was a sex act. according to an article in the patriot news, a friend of the mcquery family told the grand jury he spoke with him on the night of the alleged incident and that mcquery said he never saw sandusky having sex with a boy. >> mcquery is the only eyewitness. >> reporter: penn state students rioted when joe paterno was fired. he insists mcquery never saw it.

>> these allegation are false. i didn't do those things. >> reporter: that will be the big issue during the preliminary hearing, put it star witness is deemed too inconsistent, that could jeopardize the case against sandusky. >> it is significant. if it's true that hey's giving these different account -- he's giving these different accounts, that's a problem. >> reporter: eight of the victims are expected to they have tomorrow. sandusky's lawyer said no plea negotiations have been held and that his client is looking forward to facing his accusers in court. >> thanks a lot. family friends and members of the virginia tech community gathered for the funeral of

deriek crouse. he was shot by 22-year-old ross ashley who turned the gun on himself a short time later. officer crouse had been with the police force since 2007. president barack obama and iraqi prime minister nouri al maliki met to talk about the future. they took time to go to the arlington national cemetery. many americans are hoping to be home by christmas. an agreement couldn't be reached. well, the playoffs are that much closer for the baltimore ravens. a win this weekend against the chargers put ravens in the

playoffs. right now the ravens are up to the number two seed. that means -- means if it ended today we would get a first round bye. joe flacco makes some news for activity off the field because there is a baby flacco on the way. his wife is expecting. congratulations joe and his wife. coming up, a robbery at towson university's campus today. we'll tell you how the university responded and what students were told to do. 'tis the season for helping others. some students learn the most important lesson of all. and if statistics are any indication, you probably did some online shopping and shipping today.

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the holidays are fast approaching. students are pitching in to help those less fortunate. sherrie johnson shows us how the students are learning a lesson. >> reporter: at this academy this looks like a santa workshop. students at this all girls school are wrapping gifts for needy fame lill -- families. >> i think it's a lot of fun. the girls love it. >> i think it's a great experience. the least we can do is give back to the community to those or less fortunate than us. it's the least we can do, to give these people a christmas that they chan remember and

cherries. >> reporter: the academy has participated in the christmas basket program since the early 1990s. st. gregory's provide a list of those in nee.d they provide food, clothes and gifts for the family all in an effort to help. >> it's chaotic but very fun. it wasn't just -- being able to help other people, knowing that we are growing closer. >> reporter: the entire school par ties pavement the mission at mt. desales academy is to help others. >> i want them to feel good about giving. sometimes during the holiday season it's become very materialistic -- i want. i want.

this is where they're providing for those in need. >> reporter: once the wrapping was completed, the boxes were stacked and ready to go. sherrie johnson reporting. >> the students delivered the packages to the adopted families. the sun set awfully early. you vee little light at -- see a little light at dusk. we never got out of the 40s. tonight in the 30s and 20s in spots, so another frost anticipated. plenty of sunshine today. that was nice. take a look at bel air, our view downtown in the heart of harford county, just a few high thin clouds. mt. air right same scenario in

carroll county. we'll see less in the way of cloud cover, so perhaps a bit of a brighter day. that may allow temperatures to warm up a little more tomorrow, maybe the low 50s but a nice finish to the day. maryland's most powerful radar showing all clear. that should continue to hold up. the big story temperature, temperature forecast. look at these low the. 16 york. 19 at dulles. 22 at bwi. it was one chilly night overnight. tonight the numbers will drop perhaps into the mid to upper 20s, so not quite as frigid. 43 in patuxent river. across the region we've got passing cloud cover. again, i think we'll see the amount of cloud coverxd beginçóo diminish. by tomorrow a blue sky. we have a littleñr bit of unsettled weather, a little bit ofikz moisture tryingw3fá to snk

north. i don't think this gets in here. the huge pressure cell will hold the showers at bay. our chilly condition will condition to last overnight into tomorrow. the high pressure does contain some pretty cold air. our future trends showing some clearing overnight and widespread sun tomorrow. as we go tomorrow night into wednesday, looks like we may get another shot of cloud cover but it still looks like whether will continue to be dry. the next chance not likely to occur until we get into thursday. overnight temperatures will continue to fall off, upper 20s, clearing skies, quite cold by daybreak. the numbers will be a good four to five degrees warmer than last night. take a look last we go to tomorrow's forecast. 51 degrees, mostly sunny. yes, a little bit milder, maybe a few spots at 52. tomorrow night down to 30 with a

few clouds cold and dry. take a look at the extended forecast. there's that chance for a few showers as we go into thursday. right now looks like we'll probably see nothing more than an early morning shower friday morning. then conditions will dry out and actually get colder. we'll get a shot over the weekend -- weekend. >> so once you get inside it'st. >> once you're inside the mall and have the sun comingñiñi thr, it's okay. >> the forecast is only a click away. have that abc2 weather app. it's available for the iphone and ipad. head to our weather page at abc2news.com. there, you'll find the link to download the app. go ahead and get started. you'll never have to worry about

the weather. good news. looks like six baltimore rec centers could be in private hands. a deal will be presented to the city's spending board. according to the plan, the city would kick out $200,000 in seed money to help four groups. mayor stephanie rawlings-blake said the centers are up for grabs because the city does not have the funds to run them anymore. seems like governor martin o'malley got a lot plished during his trip to -- accomplished during his trip to india. two businesses plan investments in maryland. he said deals like these create more jobs and opportunities in maryland. consumers can get wine directly from the winery now. according to the maryland wine

association, 24 wineries have paid the $200 fee to get transactions up and running. coming up, for some breast cancer survivors, the battle is not over once the cancer is gone. some patients have to deal with the side e feblghts. why the form of treatment used may not play a role in long-term issues. the list of the healthiest states are out. how healthy is maryland? we'll fill you in.

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some new analysis being pub licked by the american cancer society said the side effects from the most common breast cancer treatments can affect women for years. researchers previously found women treated with chemotherapy were more likely to end up with memory concentration issues, but the new study shows those treated only with radiation had similar problems. maryland is a little less healthy than it was a year ago. we're ranked 22nd. that's down from 2010 according to the united health foundation and american health association. the list also shows more than 670,000 people in maryland don't smoke and more than a million are owe beessments the healthiest were vermont and connecticut. a study found drugs used to

treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder are safe for a person's heart. it found those on adhd drugs had the same amount of heart attacks, strokes and heart related deaths as adults who did not use those drugs. abc2 always working for you. just check out our website at abc2news.com. you'll fend all theñi health lis odayñiw3 -- health heads for today. today is being called the busiest day in the history of the country. how you're keeping fedex employees moving. you're getting closer and closer to those first primaries. where things stand after this weekend's very heated debate.

less than a week after the deadly shooting at virginia tech university, the students at towson were alerted of a bank robbery. another week, another debate and more uncertainty on who the republican presidential nomination will be and who's hoping for a comeback. a year for facebook and twitter. a man is behind bars after police say he tried to rob a pnc bank branch. the crime triggered a campus wide alert that let students know what they