humiliating. the teacher says it was a lesson. now it's causing a stir. we'll tell you more. >> and we're going to take a live look downtown. at our camera in the inner harbor. sun starting to rise. it's going to be a gorgeous day. on this thursday, march 8th. thank you so much for joining us. i'm megan pringle. >> i'm charley crowson. let's get right to the forecast. with meteorologist lynette charles. we're looking at an unusual start to march. >> you got that right. we are definitely dealing with the temperature in the 50s this morning. they are going to soar to the 70s as we go into the afternoon. so lisbon elementary school coming in around 53 degrees. we have a little bit of a caveat out there i say because it's breezy this morning with the winds out of the southwest at 7 miles an hour. we've been seeing gusts up to about 15, 20 miles an hour in spots. arnold's temperature around 52 degrees with the winds out of the south southwest at 9, 10 miles an hour. and that would be the scenario as we go throughout the day, but the gusts will get even higher, maybe up to 30 to 40

miles an hour. maryland's most powerful doppler radar is nice and try now. we have off five sweeps on but change of course is in the forecast. i'll have the change and i'll talk about that. let's check traffic with angela. >> good morning. we're dealing with a lot of things on the roads now. cleared the accident on i-95, but on the east side of the beltway, a couple of incidents through the brooklyn area, slowing things down tremendously. an accident on the outer loop blocking the left lane. that is going to be between i-97 and curtis creek drawbridge, we're blocking a left lane in brooklyn, this is thought to be between ritchie highway and i-97. a bit dicey for the moment. in the meantime not bad on the southeast side of 659 at the bw parkway -- 695. on the harrisburg expressway, south from the pennsylvania state line to the beltway, some stretches of slow traffic, middletown to belfast. also timonium road, to both loops of the beltway, increasing your drive time now. it's a little heavier traveling

from shawan road to the top side on 83. seven minutes now. the same for southbound 95, whitemarsh to the beltway. on the west side 10 minutes from 795 over to i-70. each day 1,000 people under age 18 pick up the daily habit of smoking. this morning youth smoking is the focus of a new surgeon general report. sherrie johnson with details of what we're learning about this. this is something we're clearly interested in. >> reporter: they want the states to focus on more prevention. this report from the surgeon general says tobacco companies advertising promotional campaigns may influence young adults and adolescents to start smoking. the report stopped short of saying tobacco companies definitely changed packaging in ways that increase appeal among young people. studies show the once steady decline in youth smoking slowed in recent years. 900-page report also highlights the world's state tobacco

control programs could play a role in youth smoking. only two states did the programs last year. the report also says states can play a pivotal role with prevention programs. this is only the second time the surgeon general issued a report specifically on youth smoking. sherrie johnson, abc2 news. montgomery county has agreed to install cameras on school buses. it's all to catch and fine drivers that illegally pass them. they are expected to cost anywhere between $a,000 and $8,000 a piece. the fine for drivers would be as high as $250. montgomery county police cite about 250 drivers each year for passing school buses. officials believe it's a small fraction of those breaking the law. news around the nation -- a florida passenger turning to his faith to cope with a tragedy. 20-year-old daughter shot at her father's church when a gun accidentally went off. she never regained consciousness, died six days later. >> i don't know why god allowed this to happen. i may not know this side of

eternity. but i do know some things. i know that god is good. and god doesn't waste pain. >> pastor kelly says the power of forgiveness is helping him and his family deal with the grief. a driver killed crossing the railroad tracks in bartow, florida. the fuel truck collided with a train. the accident happened there about 40 miles east of tampa. it took only four minutes for fire crews to arrive on that scene but those intense flames and heat and all the smoke prevented any attempt from rescuing the driver of the truck. no one else on the train was hurt. a florida teacher punished a student for missing the very important test. it was an assessment test. but the child's mother is furious over happened as a result. sleepy hill middle school eighth grader thomas can'to missed the writing test last week because he was sick at home. even had a doctor's note to prove it but says when he came back to school this week the

teacher put a humiliating note around his neck. >> said since i had decided that i wouldn't go to school today but i didn't come to school during the fcat. >> thomas says the principal took the note off his neck when she saw kids laughing at him in the lunchroom. >> i was very mad, ranting and raving in my house looking up laws of things, that what she had done was wrong. >> in the school's defense the mom says the principal told her that she had told the teacher what she had done was wrong and the fact the teacher gave thomas a letter of apology. talk about being flipping mad now. a michigan woman bought a new house and car with $1 million lottery win. but here's the part that might get to you. she's still getting food stamps at the grocery store. listen to her logic as to why she says it's ok. >> well, i thought that they would cut me off because since

they didn't i thought maybe it was ok because i'm not working. >> but you won more than $1 million. >> no, i won $1 million but after i took the lump sum it dropped down to $700,000. and then after taxes it was just a little bit over half. >> taxpayers are really struggling, that really need that money. do you really think you have a right to that money? >> i mean, i kind of do. >> the girl went on to say she had bills to pay and that's -- she didn't have a job so she deserved the food stamps. what do you think? should this woman be allowed to receive government assistance after being a lottery winner of $1 million? it's about $500,000 after taxes. go to our page and weigh in. talent and determination, no doubt about it, can get you far. >> josh is a college student who is working hard to pay for

tuition. and tapping his way to success. >> are you going to spend green on st. patrick's day? what retailers are doing to get you to spend more.

right now welcome back. looking for signs of the spring. retailers hoping you're going to rake in the green. >> a new report says people will spend anywhere more than $4.5 billion for st. patrick's day. >> billion? >> billion. it's a lot. st. patrick's day doesn't even rank though among top holidays when it comes to retail shopping. however, federation finds more than half of americans will celebrate this year spending about $35 per person. spts day is -- st. patrick's is march 17th. a penn state student is tap dancing for tuition every weekend. josh johnson travels five hours

to new york city to perform. >> he's raising money for the second semester of his sophomore year. josh has a scholarship and loans at penn state where he's studying business but needs to come up with about $6,000 a year. on top of that josh's mother lives in a shelter and he's not heard from his father in years. on a good day he can make about $250. taco bell launches its latest invention. the mexican-style chain rolling out a new taco shell made out of nacho cheese dorito chips. wow. they say they are planning to introduce the cool ranch taco shell coming up this fall. i am a sucker for a bag of doritos. >> dorito burrito now. >> the whole bag. >> you're a victim all right. scientists say there's an increase in solar flares in the past couple of days.

>> coming up, how the flares can cause problems for you in the daily life. gps can be affected and your cell phone service. >> a senate committee looks at adjustments to the governor's budget lemminglation as lawmakers try to balance the budget. >> you're going to want to enjoy this weather. i'm linda so live at the 7-eleven in loch raven. we're talking to people about how they are going to be taking advantage of this warm day. >> tempts are going to fly high this morning and afternoon. so are the winds. details coming up. >> on the roads, usual congestion, two accidents on the east side of the beltway. we'll let you know about that coming up next. kç

thursday march 8them i'm megan pringle. >> it's going to be dandy out there. here's lynette charles. >> i like the word "dandy." temperatures right now quite mild. looking at temperature in the 50s in a lot of spots. 52 sparrows point. rock hall 50 degrees. 52 chestertown.

also northeast. what we're also watching, the wind, yes, they are breezy this morning. check out barnesville around 13 mile-per-hour sustained wind. 5 rock hall. chestertown coming in around 9 and these winds will get even higher as we go into the afternoon. so speaking of the afternoon, we're looking at temperature-wise, eat lunch outdoors, 65 degrees. then we'll soar into the 70s by 4:00 p.m. back to you. it's going to be a warm one. can you believe 70 in early march? it's supposed to be 31 now. >> it's hard to believe. i'll take the 70 over the 30s. i think so will linda so. she's live this morning chatting with people outside of the self 11 finding out what they are going to do with all the great temperatures. even though she's in a jacket. good morning. >> reporter: it is still a little bit windy but what a great morning to chat with people. this is josh, and his little puppy boss only 11 weeks old. you were saying yesterday it was warm. you are taking him to the park. he's enjoying this weather?

>> absolutely. we go outside now, to the park, all the kids love him. >> reporter: today supposed to get up to 70. >> same deal. we told the kids, we want to meet them at the park after work. they are all waiting. >> reporter: do you think it makes a difference? >> yeah, he likes getting out and running. let it loose. >> reporter: what about this winter? we have not had one. is that all right with you? >> it was good for me. i do construction so we had more work than we would have had if it was a real cold weather. it worked for me. >> reporter: great, thank you for sharing your puppy with us. enjoy the wonderful day. you heard today's going to be great, talking to people all morning long that say they are going to take advantage of the warm weather. why stay inside when it's going to be beautiful out. one thing -- there but, take the dog for a walk. a great day. one thing about this weather, the mild winter, doctors say because of the mild weather that spring allergies are going

to be more fierce. it's driving the pollen count up. one thing you might notice, the bugs coming out a little sooner too because this warm weather fools them into thinking it's spring. so you might notice that, with the allergies and bugs this season. all that aside, today, 70 so get outside, take a long lunch break, a long walk. it will be beautiful. i know you will be taking advantage of it too. >> you if you have a convertible you can put the top down too. let's talk about the commute, the roads. the convertible. >> it's busy on the east side, a few accidents on the beltway, impacting traffic on ritchie highway because the accident on the outer loop is blocking a lane between richie and route 10. very heavy there. inner loop accident also causing problems between ritchie highway and i-97 even though it's been moved to the shoulder. on the west side of i-695, usual crowded commute on the

outer loop from 795 to baltimore national pike. going to take at least 13 minutes. this is a live look just south of the curtis creek drawbridge on the east side before you reach those delays. plan for extra travel time if you're on the east side of the beltway. busy day in annapolis today as lawmakers try and take care of a huge budget shortfall in the billions of dollars. >> abc2 news' sherrie johnson is here with what is expected today. >> reporter: it will be a busy day. lawmakers have a lot to tackle. a senate committee will begin to make decisions today about adjustments to governor martin o'malley's proposed budget legislation. one company decided to shave off $4 million more from the chesapeake trust fund. the governor already diverted half of the money already in the fund. a committee will also decide on the governor's proposal to raise taxes on cigars and smokeless tobacco. also today a state senate panel will hear testimony on a bill

to expand collective bargaining rights to certain state employees. the bill would extend negotiations options for the office of the comptroller, the maryland transportation authority, and maryland state department of education. lawmakers are trying to knock down a $1 billion deficit by half. 70 soldiers and veterans will gather in frederick to start their training for a spot in the army warrior games team. some soldiers wounded or ill came across the country with hopes of representing the army in the warrior games which starts next month in colorado. the athletes will compete in such events like archery, cycling, wheelchair basketball, shooting, swimming, track and field and sitting volleyball. team members will be announced later this month. the fda says they are considering waiving prescription requirements for a range of drugs, for ailments such as diabetes, asthma, even

migraines. regulators want them available over the counter. the fda would still require studies to prove you get diagnosed and take medication. a public meeting on the proposal is planned for later this month. today's international women's day. women across america plan to protest against big banks. in baltimore the organizers of the occupy movement are going to do the walk a mile in our shoes protest outside of bank of america. the branch downtown. in frederick the bomb squad was called in yesterday to the courthouse after a coconut was a cause for concern. officials say it was found near the building and looked like it had been sliced down the center and put back together. the building was evacuated while that coconut was investigate. it was determined to pose no danger. the incident remains under investigation. jerry sandusky will receive nearly 600 pages of secret grand jury testimony before the start of his pending trial for child sexual abuse charges. the former penn state assistant football coach remains on home confinement while awaiting trial. jury selection is scheduled for

may 14th. jerry sandusky denied the allegations. news time 6:51. five things you need to know on this thursday. a funeral will be held today for the final victim of the deadly chardon, ohio, high school jr. three students were killed when tj lane opened fire on february 27th. >> and hearings happening today regarding the use of food stamps. the group will address the growing issue of what it calls food stamp fraud as a business model. also looking at the usda's oversight of store owners who might be complicit with the fraud. the senate could pass a vote for more than $1 billion in a bill that would overhaul federal highway and transit programs. senate leaders say they agreed to limit the number of amendments to be voted upon. >> the american nuclear society is recommending each of the nation's 65 nuclear power plants have their own emergency plan. the panel of experts will release their recommendations in light of last year's

japanese nuclear disaster. one possible suggestion would be to expand the evacuation zones. >> sad story from kentucky, police believe a woman in that state, 74 years old, hid in her bedroom closet surviving last week's deadly storms, died after she became trapped when she broke the closet door knob trying to get out. the coroner says helen plaque probably died because she didn't have water. scientists say the largest solar flare in five years hurtling toward space and heading to the earth. what does this mean? they say that huge cloud containing charged particles may have grown and expanded over the last day, that could hit the earth's magnetic field. what it means, if it does, everything from power grids to your cell phone service, even your airline flight could be disrupted. >> it's prudent at a time like this to reroute aircraft. we know gps and satellites are vulnerable, they wind up skirting farther south trying

to stay away from where the major number of particles are. >> scientists say that storm could last until tomorrow. the flip side to all the worry, the storms could produce some gorgeous auroras like the northern lights seen last month. 6:54. lynette has the weather. >> if you have a bad day today you can blame it on the solar flares. but you shouldn't have a bad day, temperatures soaring already. 54 degrees already in baltimore, also dc. look at the 50s at the eastern shore as well. pick a spot and we're mild. we're going to get even warmer as we go into the afternoon. our winds, yes, we are a little breezy this morning, we could see winds out of the southwest at 5 to 10 miles an hour around baltimore now. 15 in dc. we will soar from there with the winds so i'm talking about gusts this afternoon up to about 35 to 40 miles per hour, definitely possible. satellite and radar picking up on the clouds now starting to stream in across the area. we look further back out towards the west, ohio, yes,

you're starting to see some of the greens on the map there. that is the rain that is pushing in. that is what is going to be moving into our area as we go later into the afternoon. mainly the evening time frame. and future trend picking up on that as this goes into motion. if you're still out around 11:00 this evening you are going to be getting wet weather in here. it will push through tomorrow morning, pretty much be gone by sunrise. that is what we like to see, the sunshine behind that, cooler temperatures as we head into your weekend. but for today we will not be cool at all. 70 degrees, it will be a little windy, don't forget that. then by tonight temperature drop off a little. we could see scattered showers in the forecast nor us. we will stay breezy but by tomorrow that temperature will be around 58 degrees and we will see that we need to spring forward as we head into your sunday. let's check the traffic with angela. >> good morning. they are recovering nicely on the east side, both accidents off to the side now and traffic

getting back up to speed but not the case on the west side. no accidents but still heavy flow of traffic. if you're on the drive on i-95 north of the beltway, pass this point where it begins to get a little heavy us a make your way up to 395, 395 heading into downtown, slow as you approach conway street, again, on that west side now looking at a drive time up to almost 15 minutes starting at 795, west side outer loop, live look at liberty road. organizers say you can think of this as a healthier version of willie wonka's chocolate factory. in seattle they are planning to create what is called an edible forest, the largest public food project in the heart of that city. a number of nut and fruit trees were planted as well as other trees. >> grapes and herbs will be there too. people can eat what they want as long as they respect others and the location. it will be called the beacon food forest. planting begins this spring. i love that idea.

>> it's neat. >> the weather there? >> rainy. [clucking].

everyone wants to be the cadbury bunny. cause only he brings delicious cadbury crème eggs, while others may keep trying. nobunny knows easter better than cadbury! ♪ abracadabra. new hershey's milk chocolate with almonds in pieces. your favorites, in pieces.