jeff barnd is off tonight. we begin with breaking news out of west virginia tonight. whether it is in the deadly coal mine explosion. it happened in a mine located about 30 miles south of charleston. rescue and recovery efforts are underway. seven miners are confirmed dead. 19 others are missing. and the seven miners that were killed were reportedly trying to leave the mine in a vehicle at the time of the explosion. it happened at massey's energy performance coal company mine in raleigh county. >> coal mining community when you hear that many ambulances it has to be bad. >> as we can duly as a community is come together and pray. if you are from here, we are all comining families. my whole family, grandfathers. and father. and brother. >> seven dead in a coal mine in west virginia.

more on the story as it becomes available. >> the tea party movement in maryland s getting criticism tonight. it comes on the heels of a new poll showing that 57 percent of those in the tea party movement call themselves republicans. another 28 percent call themselves independents. and 13 percent call themselves democrats. michael buczyner is live with the group organizing the tea party rallies in maryland. michael? >> jennifer, baltimore city has played host to several tea party rallies already. tonight one man said that some of the groups, organizers need to register, as lobbyists. >> we are a grassroots free market advocacy group. >> for the past years ago dave schwartz and his group americans for prosperity has been an emerging voice in maryland's political landscape. >> we are a group that has been involved in organizing local tea parties. >> schwartz said his group's popularity shows in its membership. that tops 10,000. new gallop poll numbers show

28 percent of all adult americans support the tea party movement. and along with that growth comes criticism from across the aisle from a bloger, steve lee bow witnesses that now said schwartz and his group should register with the state as a lobbyist. >> gandhi had a famous quote. first ignore, then laugh then fight then you win. and we're in the fight stage. >> this is a very intense kind of conflict right now. and what the registration requirement is all about, this arguing about registration is really about the right of these people to, fully in the political process. >> state ethics law mandates grassroots groups register, if expenditures top $200,000 in a reporting period. >> we went through the expenditures and we found out that we do not meet the threshold that the state ethics board puts forth as somebody that should register as grassroots group.

>> this professor at johns hopkins university believes the movement should be registered as a lobbyist and the title of the impact should not carry any weight. >> i don't think it makes any difference whether they register or don't. i think, l their legitimacy will be judged by people. more, in the long run. >> now, tonight blog erley bow witnesses was unavailable for comment and schwartz said there have been no ethics complaints filed against his organization with the state ethics board as of today. live in federal hill, michael buczyner fox 45 news "late edition". >> thank you michael. >> baltimore city murder rate could end up at a 33 year low, if the current trend continues. it has been six days, since there was a murder in baltimore. as of april 1st, there have been 40 killings in baltimore this year compared to 58 this time last year. and now the police attribute the drop in homicides to the department's crime fighting strategy that takes aim at

repeat violent offenders. over the winter critics of the police suggesting it was not so much goodling but the snow that kept crime under control. >> snow storms, celestial movements, sun, we have heard it all to account for the reduction in crime n 2008, we had a 20 year low in the city's homicide late. 2009 we sustain it. and in 2010, further reductions and we're optimistic that we will continue this pace throughout the end of the year. and come up weigh record breaking year. >> with the possibility of sharp budget cuts ahead. the police department said the trend toward fewer murders could be in jeopardy. >> police make an arrest in the murder of a man in owings mills. 40-year-old brian edmonds arrested friday for shooting and killing 22-year-old moses baker. baker was found shot inside of the doorway of his apartment on straw hat road back on march 26. police say charging edmonds turned out to be simple.

>> he made the 911 call. the detectives talked to him at the scene. but as they talked to him, more over the next few days. they were able to establish that the fact that it was only him, and mr. baker there at the time. >> well police say somebody tried to rob baker, three days before he was killed. but they do not know if that incident was related to his killing. >> controversy over internet access in schools. is heating up. and now lawyers and lawmakers are getting involved. harford county schools have a filtering system that blocks inappropriate content like pornography. but the a.c.l.u. complained that it restricted access to websites promoting lesbian and transgender issues. so the school lifted the filter. now parents and 1 state delegate are calling on officials to resume restrictions. >> the school system rolled over and said we will unlock the sites.

that's wrong. and parents have a right to know what children are exposed to. >> now the a.c.l.u. said it got involved at the request of some students, that are members of the gay, straight alliance club. >> lawmakers are resuming debate this week on whether to impose more restriction on using cell phones. while driving. the senate has already passed a bill that would ban the use of hand-held cell phones while driving. but it would only be a secondary offense. and that's upset members of the house. >> having a secondary offense, right, wrong, indifferent, can people use it? if they use it, hopefully they do not do anything else. if a police officer does not see anything else going wrong, technically they can use it. >> a house committee is expected to vote tomorrow on its own bill to want use of hand-held cell phones while driving. >> well, we have even more warm weather headed our way. chief meteorologist vytas reid is here with a first look at the

sky watch forecast. vytas? >> yeah, jennifer, gorgeous today. warm temperatures around the area. mid to upper 80s in some spots. and warm air building in tomorrow. off to the west. there are showers and thunderstorms trying to get close to baltimore. but, i think, most of it breaks up over the mountains and won't make it here. maybe few western counties with a few sprinkles. but we should be dry overnight. and looking at 70 downtown baltimore right now. 68 degrees in d.c. 72 in hagerstown. we will see the warm air build in tomorrow. and next day planner, lunch time. 80 degrees w plenty of sunshine. and the temperature will continue to get into the mid 80s. we should see a high of right around 84 to 85. how long the heat wave will stick around, coming up in the seven-day forecast. >> a housing market looking up. penned inhome sales rose 8.2 percent in february. fueling the jump was the expiration of the home buyers tax credit.

the midwest and northeast had the best performance and the rest was the only region that saw a decline. strawberry lovers are in for a treat. prices unusually low thanks to the frigid winter weather that froze crops and delayed the harvest. so when the weather got warm, the plants sort of busted out. both florida and california flooded the market with cheap barry, all at the same time. shoppers in florida can buy a pound of strawberries for a little over a dollar. >> things back to normal tonight for people that use the light rail. full service is restored between timonium and hunt valley. bus bridges in place since the crash between a train and a truck. and the accident took almost two weeks to clean up. >> not about championships. >> tiger faces tough questions. what the golfing great told reporters as he gets ready to return to the game.

>> toyota has more to worry about tonight. we will tell what you the troubled auto make ser now facing. >> and the shuttle mssi [ female announcer ] playtime will never be the same again, thanks to new pampers cruisers with dry max. ♪ hey!! [ female announcer ] they're not just 20% thinner... ♪ they're also 2 times drier. ♪ ♪ hey!! [ female announcer ] it's next generation dryness.

♪ new cruisers with dry max. so playtime never ends. only from pampers. >> tiger woods makes his return to golf. getting ready to play at the masters. but facing the media beforehand. phil keating has the story of

what tiger told reporters today. >> tiger returns to the sport that made him famous. but first facing another media blitz before teing off at the masters. >> it is not about the championships. it is about how you live your life. and i had not done that the right way for awhile. i needed to change that. going forward, i need to be a better man going forward than i was before. >> tiger answering questions about his return to golf. and the sex scandal that led to his absence. woods was involved in a bizarre car crash after thanksgiving following a story in the tabloids claiming he was involved in a extramarital affair with a new york city club hostess. as time went on, more women came forward claiming to be lovers of the famous golfer. woods announceed in december he was taking time off from golf to focusing on fixing his family issues. >> i had not hit far enough on

the bottom, to make myself look at what i have done. and what i was engaged in. >> but now he is back, receiving a warm welcome. from fans, as he practiced with fellow golfer couples. tiger is glad to be back doing what he loves. >> i missed the competition. missed seeing the guys out here. a lot of my friends i have not seen in awhile. >> the news conference was not arc straighted by tiger but by augusta national. the golf club hoping the tiger woods news conference is out of the way on monday. and the rest of the week media can focus on the other pro golfers and revered tournament itself. >> that brings us to the question of the day. will today's press conference put the tiger scandal to rest? so far 48 percent say yes. and 62 percent say no. bill from baltimore writes on our website. no, the news media will not let

it go. >> pakistani tv network has video of two homicide boomer attaining the consult lat there. two men circled in red, raising their arms up, as an explosion goes off near the compound. police say the blast killed those two men. investigators say, at least, four bombers attacked the consult lat. four pakistanis were killed in the attack. no americans were reported killed or injured. >> more trouble for toyota. the transportation department said it is seeking the maximum penalty, more than $60 million against the car maker, for failing to promptly notify the government about the defective gas pedals in the vehicles. fine would be the largest civil penalty ever issued to an auto maker by the government. the transportation department said evidence shows toyota knew

of the problem with sticking gas pedals in late september and did not issue a recall until late january. >> liftoff of discovery. >> the space shuttle discovery headed for the international space station. liftoff from florida kennedy space center took place this morning with seven astronauts on board. they are bringing supplies to keep the international space station going long after the shuttle fleet is retired later this year. only three more shuttle missions are scheduled after this one. >> we have great weather here in baltimore. chief meteorologist vytas reid back with a look ahead at this steamy forecast. >> looking at warm temperatures heading our way. outside right now. inner harbour, temperatures good right now. and it looks like holding on to mainly clear conditions. few high thin clouds out there. temperatures right now at 66 degrees. mostly clear. winds calm. and humidity levels are at 68 percent. so it looks like we are seeing moisture work in from the west. but nonetheless mild. almanac shows a high of 84

today. record breaker from the 83 number back in 1942. but it looks like we will continue to see the temperatures get warmer into tomorrow and into wednesday. so hot days ahead. and sunglasses are a plus as we continue to see warmer temperatures building in and more sunshine for the next couple of days. highs in downtown baltimore. the number there was 87 degrees down in inner harbour. and 83 in d.c. and 84 hagerstown. look at fredericksberg, 89. and 88 in charlottesville. almost brushing 90. and in parts of central virginia. continues to ride up 95 giving us a chance of increasing temperatures. through the afternoon tomorrow. now currently roots state. pretty much upper 60s, lower 70s. we will continue to cool off on the mild side of things across the state. so it feels good through the overnight. one of the nights you could probably crack the windows open and allow fresh air to come in. off to the west. look at the clouds building in. we have showers and thunderstorms over central portions of west virginia. and for the most part, i think,

most of them breaking up over the next couple of hours as it moves over the mountains into the dryer air. slight chance of central maryland, west of frederick to get a drop or so. maybe here, but it looks like right now most of it will breakup through the overnight. and looking at nice conditions out there thanks to big blue h. high pressure keeping us dry for the most part. back to the west. along the front is where we will see the instability in the atmosphere, fire up the showers and thunderstorms. and high pressure associated with clockwise rotation of air. so as we continue to see that warm air, bringing up the warm air out of the southwest. and we do have a frontal boundary watching back west. marching in cooler temperatures. close to thursday night and friday. big drop in the temperatures probably to the weekend. between the two forces of high pressure, low pressure, warm and cooler air, it will be good thunderstorms firing up over parts of midwest tomorrow. and then it starts to move in to

our region by probably late thursday night. as far as the severe thunderstorms potentially. 69 degrees. mild conditions tonight. and for tomorrow, plenty of sunshine. 85 degrees. warm day out. >> the five-day forecast shows 87 wednesday. thursday showers and thunderstorms roll in. maybe strong winds thursday night friday morning to the afternoon, trailing showers. hopefully out of here for opening day for the orioles. and then on saturday looking at 58 with sunshine. >> thank you, vytas. >> big party on the lawn of the white house today included some of the biggest young stars from the hit fox show. >> that is the cast of glee. performing at the annual white house easter egg roll b 30000 guests got to meet olympian ono and author jk rawling. the tradition of the roll dates back to 1878 when president haze

was in office. xñ

>>well, while the rest of baseball is getting the season underway. orioles have to wait. they do not open up until tomorrow night. taking on the rays in saint pete. when they do take the field. new face on the mound. veteran millwood brought in over the winter. precisely to be the number one starter and de facto leader of the young rotation. a job he feels he is up to. and one that gives him pride. >> definitely an honor. you know, to no matter what organization you are in, to be named open day starter. you know, to be named that, it is definitely a big honor. >> elsewhere in the american league east. beckett is pitching for the red sox for awhile. right hander signed $68 million extension today. that will keep him in boston through the 2014 season. that's $17 million a year. if you are keeping score at home. he started opening night last night against the yankees and

allowed five runs and in 4 and 2/3rds innings. nationals and look who threw out the pitch. president is a lefty and throws to the plate. just a bit outside. brian zimmerman makes the grab, and season is off and ring. in the nation's capitol. and as for the game. it was all phillies. top of the fourth. nats up. howard with a two run shot to deep right field. gives the phillies the 2-1 lead. and roy holiday made his debut in phili red and dominant. holiday fans zimmerman and then adam done is swinging as well. holiday allowed a run in seven innings and struck out nine. top of the seven. 7-1, philadelphia. hammer that to deep left. grand slam for him. 6 rbi on the day. and the phillies beat up the nationals, 11-1 the final. >> now time to announce the

candidates in our subway high school game of the week contest where the viewers determine which highlights to show here on "sports unlimited" on friday nights. this weeks four choices for april 9 are. archbishop curly visiting st. paul in baseball. number four chesapeake and arundel taking on broadneck in softball. number seven gilman and number one boys' latin in boys lac gays forest visiting mcdonogh in girls lacrosse. log onto foxbaltimore.com and cast your vote. we will announce the the win -- winner on thursday night. jennifer, back to you. >> off and running. but what are they? an explanation coming up. editors of consumers digest

determine if a car is a best buy? first they drive it in the real world. and put it through its paces. they rate its fit and finish. and the amenities inside. they factor in purchase price and operating costs,

fuel economy and resale value. in short, they do what you do to test its quality. the consumers digest best buys from chevy. put them to your own test. and may the best car win.

put them to your own test. >>well, it has become a sign of spring in wisconsin. the official start to the ring of the sausages. the racing sausages have become a staple of the milwaukee brewers, major league baseball team in that city. and scene reminiscent of the torch run. sausages competeed in a relay race today. through the streets of the city. >> and right here at home in baltimore. elephants on parade. every year the pachyderms strut their stuff through the city letting everyone know the circus

is in town. the circus runs from april 7 through the 18th. at 1st mariner arena. >> here is a final look at the seven-day forecast tomorrow. warm out there. 85 degrees. plenty of sunshine. 87 o wednesday. more sunshine. and thursday front pushes in from the west. dropping the temperatures down through the day. 81 degrees w thunderstorms firing up. maybe few strong ones out there. overnight on thursday night to friday morning. and few trailing showers possibly friday morning. that's opening day. hopefully the rain gets out of here in time for the orioles. and saturday looking at 58 with sunshine. 64 on sunday. and monday 71 degrees w sunshine. jennifer? >> thank you, vytas. >> you can be in charge of your own personalized forecast. i-radar is available at foxbaltimore.com. use the interactive tools to track storms down to your street. go to foxbaltimore.com and click on i-radar. >> and that's all for the "late edition". thanks for joining us.

i am jennifer gilbert. see you tomorrow night. have a great night. real time closed captioning provided by u.s. captioning