. >>> i'm alex demetrick. coming up, recycling one of maryland's favorite appetizers. that story as eyewitness news continues. >>> fewer days in the hospital. and no scars after female- related surgery. >> i'm gigi barnett, at gbmc. that story is coming up in tonight's wjz healthwatch report. >>> and more rain moving this way. stick around for the updated first warning forecast. ,,,,,, heel pressure. high arches. (announcer) people everywhere are discovering what's going on with their feet. dr. scholl's custom fit orthotic center. backed by foot care scientists, its foot mapping technology identifies the areas you put pressure on then recommends the right orthotic. for locations see drscholls.com. to "doctor up" their food so it tastes... just the way they like it. oooh... but there's no doctoring needed with mcdonald's... hmmm... new mcbistro chicken sandwich. juicy grilled or crispy chicken breast -- perfectly seasoned and hooked up... with deluxe toppings plus white cheddar. mmm... but leave the sauce bottles at home, 'cause you've got options like creamy ranch. hon

. >>> i'm alex demetrick. robbers get their horses back but getting back to business is still a work in progress. that story as eyewitness ,,,,,,, at the first sign of a cold... ( sneezing ) i didn't take zicam cold remedy... but i did. zicam reduces the duration of a cold. ( sneezing ) no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no... can you do it by 3:00 ? yes, i can. how about 2:00 ? hmm... ( sneezing ) ( moaning ) get over your cold faster. now try new throat-soothing liqui-loz and great-tasting zavors. >> welcome back to eyewitness news sunday morning. we continue to follow the breaking news out of southeast baltimore where two police officers have been shot. and a suspect killed. wjz is live. sharon gibala is back at shock trauma with the latest. >> good morning, gigi. both officers are still here at shock trauma being treated after an early morning shoot- out. it happened just before 1:00 a.m. on the 2600 block of mcelderry street. the officers were pulling over a car when at some point, the driver opened fire. one of

. >>> i'm alex demetrick. coming up, the long journey home for the arabbers' horses. that story when eyewitness news continues. >>> and st. patrick's day celebrations are in full swing. we'll take you to the world's largest st. patrick's day party. >>> it is 66 degrees and a beautiful clear evening. good evening, everybody. here are some of the stories people are talking about tonight. boarding your flight and get caught up. kelly lawless reports for wjz, on the virgin america flight that took more than a half a day to reach its destination. >> reporter: passenger david martin was documenting virgin america flight 404 on his iphone. the flight from los angeles to new york on saturday, scheduled to last 5 and a half hours, ultimately took 16. >> reporter: heavy winds diverted the plane to stewart, new york. passengers say it sat for at least 6 1/2 hours. >> thanks for your patience again. >> reporter: but things weren't great. passengers said there was little food available and that flight attendants snapped at them. jet blue ultimately came to the rescue. taking passe

alex demetrick reports, one area due for a closer look is safety barriers. >> reporter: yesterday's crash at cockeysville didn't happen at an intersection. it happened where light rail tracks run parallel to the entrance. >> very preliminarily right now, investigators have determined that the truck driver pulled out in front of this light rail. there was active signals. that should have prevented him from driving onto those rails. >> the stopped signal could still be seen flashing. and no turn signals were lit. about the only safety measures missing were the warning bells and guard gates found at street intersections. something not all drivers have, following traffic studies and input from local businesses when the light rail was extended into hunt valley. >> with that stretch, where you have crossings at driveway, the determination was made for signals. for flashing light signals. >> but no arms that come down? >> that decision was not made for that at that time. >> reporter: but this accident is bringing a second look at that decision. especially given the power of the impact. 51-year-o

. >>> i'm alex demetrick. coming up, the long journey home for the arabbers horses. that story as eyewitness news continues. >>> a gorgeous st. patrick's day. what can we expect for the rest of the week? the updated first warning forecast coming up with bob. >>> arabbers are street vendors with a long history in baltimore are getting their horses back. alex demetrick reports, it's taken the better part of three years to win them back. >>> spring will see the horse- drawn vending carts back on the street. >> they'll provide for hopefully the satisfactory care and safety of the horses. they'll be in a facility. they'll become once again the responsibility of the arabber owners. >> when the horses were seized out of concern for their welfare. >> happy? no. the reason why i said no, because we were originally supposed to go to a permanent site. they were taking us from one to another. why would you be happy about that? >> reporter: they moved them to days end farm, a horse rescue operation in howard county. they'll now now be going back to baltimore but not to the makesh

alex demetrick, wjz eyewitness news. >> now, police have identified the driver of the truck as 53- year-old mark zurec. as of yet, no charges have been filed in the accident. >>> republicans and democrats are wrapped nup round -- wrapped up in round 2 of the reform debate. senators are working on a companion bill. joel brown reports for wjz that a top gop leader is determined to force house lawmakers to start all over again. >> republicans flooded the senate floor, with proposals to change healthcare reform. >> mr. president, i rise in support of the amendment that i'll timing today. -- filing today. >> it's a last-ditch effort to fight the new law. >> this is undoubtedly the greatest assault on liberty this country has ever had. >> reporter: the battle over healthcare now centers on the so-called fix-it bill. pass the bite house on -- by the house on sunday. republicans are fighting to delay or change it by offering a full slate of amendments. gop senators propose reversing some of the cuts to medicare. another amendment bans coverage for viagra, for sex offenders. democrats vow to strike

. >>> i'm alex demetrick. coming up, the mess from last week's crash is gone.he repair work and the investigation goes on. that story as eyewitness news continues. >>> check in for these stories and all the day's breaking news. >> eyewitness news at 5:00 starts now. >> reporter: this is wjz tv. wjz hd, and wjz.com. baltimore. >>> devastating. and unacceptable. that's how the mayor describes her own budget cuts that eliminates firefighters and police officers. >> what can be done to save those jobs? >> i'm denise koch. and i'm vic carter. mary and kai have the night off. >>> more than 600 will be laid off.

alex demetrick, wjz eyewitness news. >> great idea.ring native oysters means more than a runo -- run on cocktail sauce. the healthy oyster population could help clean water on the bay. >>> let's go back to sharon gibala, with an update on the traffic. hello, sharon. >> hi, denise. it's busy out there. 83, northbound. we still center -- have that wreck. 16-minute delay behind it. crash in edgewater, involving a plane off the runway at lee airport. southbound, route 2. watch for an accident in middle river. wilson point road. another in randalls town. liberty at old court. and one in the city. that one on east fayette. and a new one in severna park. richie highway at arundel beach road. and watch for debris. just past broken land beltway. a large shovel there. it will one of cost you about five minutes. cost you 16 minutes again. belfast to mount caramel. there's a look at beltway delays. this traffic report is brought to you by the all-new ringling brothers and barnum and bailey circus. playing at the first mariner arena. family ticket

. >>> and still to come on eyewitness news saturday morning -- >>> i'm alex demetrick and coming up, hospital ship comfort returns to baltimore, ,,,,,,,,,,,,,, >>> we dot the first patients on the boat. >> as much as we missed them here, they need them out there. >> they were gone after two months and 843 of the procedures were surgeries. >> for him and the crew, it has changed their lives. >> now, i don't see them. >> reporter: the weight that began last january ended with a springtime walk down the gang plank. thank you for helping haiti. >> reporter: there's not only joy with the homecoming, but memories and the suffering eased by this ship's crew. >> you would see the people coming off of the boat and it was a spiritual experience. >> we provided a sense of hope for a lot of the individuals who survived the earthquake and for their families, they were happy. >> i missed you guys. >>> this is the first time that the comfort used all of the operating rooms and beds since 1987. >> good bunch of people! >> just doing it and knowing you'll be away from your family weans on end. >>> do