the secret service prostitution scandal not coring one but two countries. the latest in the growing investigation. reporter: some baltimore county students are hitting the pavement to help those who served our country. how you can help servicemen and women wounded in action. reporter: are you looking for something one of a kind for maybe mother's day? we'll have a great place for you to get unique wonderful things at the sugar loaf craft festival. we'll have details ahead. a live look this morning, our live camera down at baltimore's inner harbor. we see a beautiful sunrise coming up on this friday, april 27th. news time 6:30. good morning, maryland, i'm

charley krauss. megan is on assignment. we'll check in with her in just a bit. thank you for starting your da day with us. we want to say hello to meteorologist lynette charles who let the puppy go. >> we'll have a fabulous friday, charley, windy and cool but we will get some sunshine out there. mostly clear. we're seeing a few clouds right now, but we are dry. don't let these clouds we're looking at on the satellite and radar fool you because we will be seeing plenty of sunshine as we go throughout the day. and we will have some wet weather trying to work its way in for the weekend. i'm smiling because we still need the rain, but the timing of it could actually be good. i'm going to talk more about that coming up. but right now let's talk about these temperatures as you're stepping out the door this morning. mild in annapolis. 47 in millersville and shadyside right around 49 degrees. we should be at 46 degrees now for this time of the year. the winds will be a big factor in the day out of the northwest and gusting up to about 30, 35 miles an hour. let's get a check now of the traffic with bill.

good morning. reporter: lighter than usual traffic all the way around heading in 95 southbound past white marsh mall and the beltway, not even seeing heavy stop and go around the top side of the beltway looking good. the harrisburg expressway, a great flow as you head down from the state line all the way down to the beltway and the jfx not seeing any slowing or backups due to that construction that's going on. on the 795 run and 70 all looking good. as you can see on the west side, light volume traffic, not the usual traffic and stop and go. and on the 95 run northbound and bw parkway approaching the city, everything looks good. now back to you. news time 6:32. students at mount sails academy in catensville are now doing their part to give back to the men and women serving in the military. education reporter sherree johnson is here with more on how these students are putting their best foot forward, serving those who helped our country. reporter: they sure are. the students are lacing up the sneakers, preparing to hit the pavement for the soldiers for

sailors 5k event. the money raised for this run/walk benefit, the wounded warrior project which helps injured servicemembers. students have been very busy this week organizing the event. not only will participants -- organizers participate in the run/walk. they gather sponsorships to help with the cost and they picked up gift cards to help raffle off at the race. some students have family members in the military and others just want to give back to those who sacrificed so much for our country. >> i'm participating to show my support for those who sacrificed so much for our freedom and our safety and i just really want to raise awareness for those who give so much to protect us and, yeah, they really sacrifice a lot. reporter: sailors for soldiers 5k run will be held on saturday at 8:00 a.m. at patasco state park. just head to the hilton area 1101 hilton avenue in cattensville. you can find more information on our website under the

education tab. this event is open to the public and should be a lot of fun and supports a good cause. sheree johnson, abc 2 news. tomorrow a sculpture of one of the greatest o's of all time, frank robinson will be making its debut at camden yards. five other orioles including brooks robinson, jim palmer, eddie weaver and cal ripken, jr will be getting a statue. >> we think fans will be excited and surprised but pleasantly surprised when they see the end result. >> what greg is talking about is the pose of each of the players has not been revealed. how do you expect them to all be always mortalized in bronze. each going to the game tomorrow and future dates will get miniature replicas of the sculptures on the day they're unveiled. a catholic high school student has been banned from attend tonight's prom. amanda dougherty had shelled out $1,000 for the dress, shoes

and ticket, but when her date suddenly backed out, she was told by school administrators she's not allowed to go alone. a rule by the archdiocese of philadelphia bans students from going to a dance like the prom without a date. >> for them to say that we're not good enough to go unless we have a guy standing next to us is just kind of sickening. >> the school has released a statement saying in part "our high school offers numerous dances and events throughout the year where dates are not required, but we viewed the prom as a special social event where a date is required to attend." we want to know what you think about this on this friday morning. is it fair for a school require students to bring a date. head to our facebook fan page abc2news.com/facebook. weigh in. we always want to know what you have to say. a teenager is in jail this morning, accused of attacking and robbing two old ladies. now his father is the one who turned him over to police. authorities say that adam bardeza stole the purse of a

woman in boca raton, florida and also knocked over her 96- year-old sister in the process. a few witnesses tried chasing them down, but the young man got away. dad is apparently the one who turned him in. it is a huge weekend coming up for crafts and arts enthusiasts. we've got details coming up in just a bit about the sugar loaf craft festival at the state fairgrounds. megan is out there live. reporter: charley beautiful paintings, amazing photography, even wearable art. there is something for everybody here. we're going to have a preview of sugar loaf just ahead. land o'lakes spreadable butter with canola oil

is made with sweet cream, canola oil and salt. just three natural ingredients. what's in your spread ? [ male announcer ] for our families... our neighbors... and our communities... america's beverage companies have created a wide range of new choices. developing smaller portion sizes and more low- & no-calorie beverages...

adding clear calorie labels so you know exactly what you're choosing... and in schools, replacing full-calorie soft drinks with lower-calorie options. with more choices and fewer calories, america's beverage companies are delivering.

. welcome back. the sugar loaf craft festival gets under way in timonium. you'll find pottery, jewry and furniture. you'll also find megan pringle with a look at all things festive coming into the weekend. hey, megan reporter: charley, good morning to you. this place is amazing.

when this festival started 36 years ago, it was basically operating out of one person's house. now we are standing in the cow palace at the maryland state fairgrounds, that's how big this place is and they need the space because 250 artists from around the country come here with a little bit of everything. i'm here with meredith. she's going to tell us more about it. this festival is incredible and it's just getting bigger and bigger >> it really is. there are 250 artists from across the country, many are local. as you can see there is some beautiful fine art behind us. a lot of the artists' work is is shown in galleries and fine art museums around the country. reporter: there is a little something for everybody. i know a lot of men would be, like, a craft festival, are you kidding me. but there's jewelry, there's clothes, there's woodworking. what would you say is one of the more unique things that you've seen? >> i would say this art, it's mixed media, it's beautiful colors. you can tell that she was really inspired by something beautiful. i've also seen great hand- crafted furniture.

we saw nick vincent before with his beautiful bottle opener. that's unique. reporter: one other thing i think is great about this event is a lot of people say i can't take my kids to a craft festival. that's not the case. >> definitely not. kids are welcome. this is a very family-friendly event. there is dressup puppet theater. kids are invited into the booths, they get to touch the work, they get to learn about it from the artist, they get to learn the history behind it and feel how great everything is. reporter: there is more information we're going to put up on the screen for you including the ticket information. kids go for free, right, meredith? >> yes, kids under 12 get in free. reporter: check it out, it's happening this weekend the 27th, 28th and 29th. charley, i'm telling you, this place is really amazing just walking around and the booths aren't open already and i'm already sold on a lot of stuff here. i'll come back to you maybe with some paintings, woodworking and bottle openers. >> the bottle opener was very cool. megan, thanks a lot. your ab 2 news to go is coming up next, including the

latest on the trayvon martin murder investigation. linda. reporter: in a few hours george zimmerman will be in court, the huge discovery made this week that could put zimmerman back in jail. reporter: more on the politics on the student loan issue that hits you in your wallet. it might be dryer today, but we still do need that rain. so mother nature is going to do her thing. i'll tell you when coming up.

good morning, maryland, time now for your abc 2 news to go. we begin with a check of your forecast. we say hello once again to meteorologist lynette charles. good morning, lynette. >> good morning, charley. we are going to be dealing with plenty of sunshine out there, mixing in with a few clouds trying to stream in across the area right now. we are also very windy out there this morning and that's going to continue even as we go into the afternoon. temperature wise 48 degrees in jessup, we're seeing more of the same in danielle danielle nottinghaming ham. with these winds gusting up to 40 miles per hour close to that in jessup. we have a little bit of a wind

chill. these gusts will continue as we head through the day. you don't necessarily need the biggest coat, but make sure you do take a jacket or sweater with you as you head out and about today. keep the rain gear at home, but keep it close by. i'll tell you why coming up. let's get a check of the traffic with bill. reporter: as you head towards baltimore from the south, everything looking good, a little heavy traffic around route 100, but nothing unexpected there. as you head around the beltway, the only slowing we really see is right around the route 40 area on the west side. 70 looking good. the 795 run all the way from the state line down on 83 as you can see right around warren road, things are traveling really well. on the jfx itself, no slowing, not even around the construction area. i think a lot of folks took off today to enjoy the weather. as you head down from 95 from hartford county, everything also looking good, a little slow around white marsh. other than that smooth sailing down to the tolls. now back to you. a hearing is set for later this morning involving george

zimmerman. his attorney now telling a judge about a huge discovery made earlier this week. and abc 2 news' linda stow standing by right now with the very latest details. linda, what have you learned? reporter: charley, it's about $200,000 in donations that zimmerman has received from supporters. his attorney mark o'meara says he found out about the money when they were shutting down sites. the money came in from donations raised online from zimmerman's website. that website has since been taken down. zimmerman was released from jail monday after his family put up 10% of his $150,000. omere a says the bail amount may have been higher if the judge had known that zimmerman had raised $200,000. trayvon martin family attorney says zimmerman should be put back in jail for misleading the court and failing to tell the judge about the money at a recent bond hearing. zimmerman's attorney says that's not true. >> i don't think judge lester is going to believe that i misled them. i told them what i knew at the time which is exactly what i was aware of. as soon as i became aware of

more money, we dealt with it affirmitively, put it into an account where it's protected so that it is now secure. reporter: that was zimmerman's attorney. this morning's hearing was originally scheduled to discuss issues about unsealing zimmerman's criminal file, but the money issue is now sure to be a focus. linda stow, abc 2 news. an indictment against michael johnson could be unsealed as soon as today. johnson is a suspect in the felicia barnes murder case. family members say johnson is no stranger to them at all. they say he dated barnes' older half sister for at least eight years. they say they suspected him from the time of barnes' disappearance, but they exercised patience, allowing investigators to do their jobs. the secret service prostitution scandal now spanning into two countries. the agency says it's now investigating allegations that employees received sexual favors while in elsalvador. there are also claims the employees brought prostitutes back to their hotel rooms ahead of president barack obama's visit to elsalvador last march. this comes on the heels of nine

secret service members being forced out following that prostitution scandal that took place in colombia. it is now 6:49. a health alert for you this morning, health advocates want a formula change for one of the largest brands of laundry detergent. the "new york times" now reporting that tide contains trace chemicals of dioane. the epa says that chemical can cause cancer in lab rats. proctor and gamble says the chemicals in tide are well below the safety risk levels. movies will now be played on the big screen at the center theater in baltimore for the next six to nine months. the theater is undergoing major renovations and the owner says the project is going to run about $3 million. he's also putting in three new screens, new seats and a new projection equipment. according to the baltimore business journal, the state and city awarded the owner a $700,000 loan for those renovations. there is now a deadline looming for any student with a need to take out a government subsidized loan for the upcoming college year.

the interest rate is set to double come july 1st and some say politics may be getting in the way of debt relief. sheree johnson is here with all- new information. this thing could go on for months ahead. reporter: that's right, charley. today the house is expected to vote on a gop bill that would prevent interest rates on federal student loans from doubling as of july 1st. president barack obama has appeared on three college campuses this week, calling to keep the rates down. the interest rates will impact more than 7 million undergraduates if congress does not act the current interest rate on federally-subsidized student loans will increase from 3.4% to 6.8%. now, for students borrowing the maximum $23,000, it'll cost them an extra $5,000 over a 10- year repayment period. the nonpartisan governmental congressional budget office says extending it will cost the government $5.8 million and that's just too high. senate democrats accuse republicans of playing politics with the interest rate for student loans.

>> when you look at 50% of the kids coming out of college today can't find a job or can't find a job which is consistent with their skills, how in the world can you be supporting a president that's led to that kind of an economy? >> let's be honest. republicans never cared to stop this interest rate hike on students. if this were a year ago, the house republican majority wouldn't have batted an eye about blocking our proposal to extend the lower rate. but it's an election year, president obama has done a great job bringing attention to this looming rate hike and now republicans are in damage control mode. reporter: now what happens on or before july 1st could determine which way students vote on november 6th. sheree johnson, abc 2 news. well, the ravens traded their 29th overall pick in the nfl draft to the minnesota vikings last night. in exchange baltimore will receive minnesota's second and fourth round choices and as expected andrew luck was taken first overall by the indianapolis colts. he'll be introduced by the team

later today and robert griffin, iii, he went to the washington redskins. the o's are riding high into this weekend's series with the oakland a's, coming off a three- game sweep of the toronto blue jays. adam jones and chris davis delivered home runs late, breaking a 2-2 tie in the 8th and providing the o's bullpen with showing up. brian matice gave up two unearned runs on six innings of work. first pitch from camden yards tonight set for 7:05. time now for five things you need to know and you can take the opportunity this weekend to clean out your medicine cabinet. many police departments around the state are taking part in the prescription drug takeback day tomorrow. you can drop off unused, unwanted or expired medications. the president and first lady are heading south today, visiting troops and veterans as well as military families. they're going to be touring fort stewart at hinesville, georgia. president obama is set to give a speech there later this afternoon. and a live picture this morning from dulles airport in

virginia, getting ready for another sign of the space shuttle. there you see it. that is enterprise high atop a 747 on its way to new york later this morning where it will then be displayed at the intrepid sea, air and space museum. a live recording of lee armstrong's playing of his trumpet is one of the last items being released to the public for the very first time. the recording is being played today at the national press club in d.c. where it was created in january, 1971. lee armstrong died five months after that. grab your favorite songs, it is now a national prime rib day. who knew? no one quite knows who started this day. apparently we didn't either. it's a day you can forget about your diet and dig in to your favorite prime rib. now, be warned, the prime rib can have an average of 450 calories, so you got to fast, you got to balance it out before you enjoy that prime rib. several of remembrance ceremonies are planned today marking the one-year anniversary of the tornado that

ripped through tuscaloosa, alabama. the tornado killed 47 people and a prayer service being held on the steps of the capitol in alabama later this morning. a memorial ceremony will take place later this evening at the university of alabama. the students came forward, and the crimson tide athletes there at the university of alabama. >> exactly. you know what? this tornado outbreak was ranked like one of the highest in the u.s. so it was a really bad outbreak. and also it has made the national weather service want to do severe preparedness week and that's what we're dealing with this whole week. also we had some tornadoes this time tomorrow in maryland as well. so, yes, it definitely was a devastating time. now, we do have some wind gusts out there this morning. we're dealing with windy conditions up to about 30 miles per hour in sparrow's point. joppa coming in at 27 mile per hour gusts now. we will see those gusts throughout the day. temperatures are a little on the cool side in tal sawp at 44

degrees, ellicott city at 45 degrees right now and millersville at 48. with those gusts we are feeling a little bit chillier out there. look how beautiful it is in mount airy. yes, we do see a few clouds, but we're also seeing plenty of sunshine and that will be the scenario even in bel aire this morning. you just pick a spot, we will be seeing plenty of sunshine as we go throughout the day, mixing with some clouds as well because high pressure is going to be building in, it's coming in behind this cold front. you can see this area of low pressure, the difference between the two and that's why we are getting those windy conditions this morning. once that starts to pull out of here and away, then that's when the winds will begin to relax. but for today we will stay dry for the most part. the wet weather will work its way in saturday afternoon, and then get out of here for sunday afternoon. so things will be dryer. 62 degrees and windy is what i'm going with for today. here's a check of that seven- day forecast for you as we will be much cooler tomorrow with that temperature at 56 degrees. let's get a check now of the traffic with bill. good morning. reporter: well, a nice morning brings nice traffic. everything is flowing pretty well on 95 and the bw parkway

towards baltimore from the south. as you head around the beltway only a little bit of slowing around route 40 west and as you continue around everything looks good, 70 looks good, 795, the 83 run, the harrisburg expressway, no real slowing even when you get to the beltway. the jfx only seeing just a little building traffic as you head through that new construction zone, but, really, only stop and go once you hit the bottom of the jfx. on the 95 run, as you can see through white marsh, everything is building just a little bit, but flowing freeley. so that's good news. now back to you. >> thank you so much for that. head out to sparrow's point a little later for the boys hope girls hope golf tournament. i probably need to tie myself down. >> you do need to tie yourself down. thank you for spending time with us. have a great weekend. if you have copd like i do,

you know how hard it can be to breathe and what that feels like. copd includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema. spiriva helps control my copd symptoms

by keeping my airways open a full 24 hours. plus, it reduces copd flare-ups. spiriva is the only once-daily inhaled copd maintenance treatment that does both. and it's steroid-free. spiriva does not replace fast-acting inhalers for sudden symptoms. tell your doctor if you have kidney problems, glaucoma, trouble urinating, or an enlarged prostate. these may worsen with spiriva. discuss all medicines you take, even eye drops. stop taking spiriva and seek immediate medical help if your breathing suddenly worsens, your throat or tongue swells, you get hives, vision changes or eye pain, or problems passing urine. other side effects include dry mouth and constipation. nothing can reverse copd. spiriva helps me breathe better. does breathing with copd weigh you down? ask your doctor if spiriva can help.

good morning, america.