. >> reporter: i'm alex demetrick and coming up, hot weather, hot water. what the heat waves are doing to the bay. that story as eyewitness ,,,,,,, this is wjz-tv, wjz-hd and wjz.com, baltimore. from the city to the counties to your neighborhood, now is complete coverage. it's wjz, maryland's news station. >> it's 6:30. 76 degrees with some storms in the region. good evening, thank you for staying with wjz. here are some of the stories people are talking about tonight. a man wanted for murder in colorado is found dead in utah after police say he broke into an airport and tried to steal a jet. bigad shaban reports for wjz with more on the suspect in this bizarre man hunt for a murderer. >> reporter: work crews repair the fence at utah st. george airport tuesday hours after a murder suspect tried to make a high-flying getway a. a pilot for sky west airlines tried to breach airport security and steal a 50 passenger jet. he was wanted for the murder of his exgirlfriend whose body was found in colorado springs apartment friday that prompted sky west to revoke h

alex demetrick reports on whether police are really starting to enforce it. >> reporter: it's day one for the new patrol. half a dozen unmarked units, trying to find someone texting on their cell phone. it's something a lot of us do and probably all of us have seen. >> it's kids, teens, adults, everybody does it. it's unfortunate. >> there's one right there. find a good safe place to stop them. >> reporter: it's an effort to crack down on the driving but especially texting behind the wheel. it's a primary offense in maryland. >> you cannot at all when physically driving. they're taking their eyes off the roads for long periods of time. >> reporter: it's not like running a radar for speeders. >> i look down into the vehicle while they stop and wait to turn. >> it doesn't take much looking. it turned out to be a long light. >> still doing it. >> reporter: the fine is $80 plus one point on your record. the focus with police today. >> it's on the driver and the record on what they did. >> reporter: one stop at a time. alex demetrick, wjz eyewitness news. >> and this crackdown on texting w

. >> reporter: i'm alex demetrick and coming up, how 40 years of looking down is paying off. that story as ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, >>> it's 5:29, 73 degrees and raining. thank you for staying with wjz. here are some of the stories. we continue with colorado coverage. 12 people have died. 59 others hurt when a gunman opened fire in a midnight movie premiere of batman. there was a gas mask on the face. witnesses thought he was a stuntman until he started firing and hitting people. james holmes, 24-year-old suspect, did not put up a fight in the parking lot. the university of colorado released his photo saying he was dropping out of the graduate program in neuroscience. this shooting spree forced president obama and republican challenger mitt romney off the campaign trail today. danielle nottingham reports for wjz, both use their already scheduled events to express condolences with the victims. >> reporter: president obama took the stage in fort myers florida to talk about the spree in colorado instead of the campaign. there are going to be other days for politics. this is, i think,

. >>> i'm alex demetrick. coming up, heading off a potential catastrophe. that story, as eyewitness news continues. >>> the price at the pump has drivers stumped. i'm pat warren. coming up on eyewitness news. what's driving the price of gasoline? >>> a soccer shootout. a deadly gun battle at a sports tournament. we'll tell you where it happened. >>> and a delightful start to the new week. stick around for the updated first warning forecast coming up. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, >>> it is partly cloudy. and 84 degrees in central maryland right now. the complete first warning weather forecast is coming up. but first, on top of days of power outages, now comes an urgent request to conserve water. it is going out to the 1.8 million people who are tied into baltimore city's water system. alex demetrick reports, it's the first step in trying to stop a potential disaster. >> reporter: when big water mains break, like this one in hale thorpe, a few years ago, or this one in dundalk, big damage follows. and now a water main just as big is threatening to given way. >> we have g

. >> i'm alex demetrick, coming up, a dangerous place to cry wolf. eyewitness news continues. >>> his beard violates army regulations. what the military is threatening to do to the man suspected in the fort hood shooting massacre. >>> how many patients are infected? a lab tech who works in several maryland hospitals is accused of intentionally spreading hepatitis c. their rising investigation. eyewitness news at 4:00 continues with denise ,,,,,,,,,, >>> it's 4:30. mostly sunny and 96 degrees. hello, everyone. thanks for staying with eyewitness news. i'm vic carter. >> and i'm denise koch. here's what people are talking about. >> at least eight states, including maryland, are conducting investigations into whether a former hospital employee, infected patients with hepatitis c. now, thousands of people are being encouraged to get tested. >> authorities say this man is a serial infector. david quikowski was arrested last week, accused of infecting at least 30 people at a new hampshire hospital with hepatitis c, by stealing syringes and drugs for his own

alex demetrick, wjz eyewitness news. >> the chalk isn't just a winter boat. it works year round. doing jobs like law enforcement and search and rescue. >> where was that ice when we need it? >> cool us off, right? >> i like just looking at it and talking about it. >> just chalk full of foolishness in this building is where we are. >> always. you know that better than anyone now. >> i know we do. but we are appreciative of that ship. and when the time comes, we'll be wondering where all of this hot weather went. >> no. >> no? okay. >> i promise not to complain. >> thank you. >> i'm not complaining at all. i love the summer. >> and you can't complain about 87 degrees. not at all. bwi marshall, 9 miles per hour. just a delightful evening shaping up. we'll have your complete updated first warning forecast coming up in a few moments. hmm, it says here that cheerios helps lower cholesterol as part of a heart healthy diet. that's true. ...but you still have to go to the gym. ♪ the one and only, cheerios it's called passion. and it's not letting up anytime soon. at unitedhealthcare insur

. >> i'm alex demetrick. coming up, why storms are becoming more powerful in maryland, as eyewitness news continues. >>> frightening sexual assault. we have the latest from ocean city police. >> a warm afternoon for the last day of july. get your updated first warning forecast. >> wjz 13 is always on. for the top stories on wjz.com, for instant updates and stories all the time, click wjz.com. hmm, it says here that cheerios helps lower cholesterol as part of a heart healthy diet. that's true. ...but you still have to go to the gym. ♪ the one and only, cheerios >>> welcome back, everybody. you can see sunshine over the city right now. but that's the case for everybody. we'll go to first doppler radar and show you a couple of different areas with thunderstorms. and there's not a whole lot of movement to these. there's a lot of rain coming out of these storms. what we did already is showed you earlier, western maryland, warnings around us. but also want to show you on the eastern shore, some of these storms righ

wjz drought watch coverage begins with alex demetrick to report on the intense heat and lower than normal rainfall are doing to the chesapeake. >> reporter: when the sun comes up, it adds to heat to heat already trapped and another big number to wjz first warning weather. 80 degrees in the middle of the day. >> it's quite warm, even for summer. >> reporter: studies the bay for the university of maryland center for environmental science. >> the bad news is that the conditions in the shallow waters are stressful for bay grasses. >> reporter: there's been a decline in the crabs because they go deeper for relief. what the bay is not seeing are the huge algae blooms that form with warm weather this past screen to create dead zones. >> you get this algae glooming and it depletes the oxygen in the water. >> it's carried into the bay after the tropical storms. but now the nutrients were eaten up thanks to dry weather. >> the advantage this year is that we've had little runoff or rainfall so that there's not as much fresh water coming into the bay which would bring nutrients to cause this dead zon

. >>> i'm alex demetrick, coming up black bears roaring back in maryland. that story as eyewitness news continues. >> a 40 million project will soon be on the way to reduce noise and help the environment. i'll tell you what it is coming up. >> and a few clouds along the way, but will there be rain? bob turk has your weather coming up. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, >>> it is cloudy and 86 degrees in central maryland right now. the complete forewarning weather is coming up. out with the old and in with the new. the u.s. department of transportation is awarding the city of baltimore $40 million to build a new bus transit facility. wjz is live in east baltimore, michelle richie with more on how unemployment and the environment will be affected. michelle. >> reporter: in the next few years more than 700 jobs are expected to be created because of this project and it's also going to help the neighborhood. if busy bus transit building are still standing after 65 years never being renovated. but today that is all about to change. >> we're giving amdot $40 million. >> reporter: u

alex demetrick reports, police are starting to enforce it. >> it's day one for a new patrol in anne arundel county. in a half dozen marked and unmarked units. the new target? >> trying to find someone on the cell phone. >> reporter: it's something probably a lot of us do and all of us have seen. >> kids, teens, adults, everybody. everybody does it. it's unfortunate. >> there's one right there. >> trying to find a good place to stop them. >> reporter: it's an overall effort to crack down on all sorts of problem. >> you contact be on your phone while at a red light or physically driving. >> reporter: to enforce the new law, police are learning as they go. it's not like running a radar for speeders. >> whether i try to do is pull up to the lights and look into the building to stop. >> reporter: it doesn't take much looking. >> she's texting right now. >> reporter: it turned out to be a long light. >> still doing it. >> reporter: the fine for texting while driving is $80 plus one point on your record. but punishment isn't the focus for police today. >> i have issued some patience. and a lot of

. >>> i'm alex demetrick.g up, taking on a mayor who has taken a stand for immigrants in baltimore. that story as eyewitness news continues. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, >>> it is 6:29. 90 degrees and mostly sunny. good evening. thank you for staying with wjz. we continue to follow the developing story from anne arundel county, where a planned mass shooting is foiled by police. wjz is live. mike hellgren has an update on the suspect and investigation from crofton. mike? >> reporter: denise, this is really chilling. police say all of this happened while his supervisor was in the process of firing him. he said he made reference to the joker and the batman movies. this saturday man in question we're talking about, the multiple sources we're talking about identified as neil prescott. inside his home here in crofton, police found more than 25 weapons and now they're telling us, more than 2,000 rounds of ammunition. he was a subcontractor for pitney bowes. the company says he hadn't been on their property for more than four m

alex demetrick from the newsroom, with what is bringing about the change. alex. >> according to our media department, the baltimore sun, they are taking a second look at its rules on social media. fire department says they may soon change their rules on comments. this comes after some firefighters wrote inappropriate, insensitive, or inaccurate information on websites like twitter. some firefighters say policies could hinder their constitutional rights to free speech. the city's police force is also reportedly working on its policy as well. mary? >> sounds like complaints posted on twitter include the city's decision to close three fire companies for budgetary reasons. and the approval of a raise for baltimore's fire chief. >> nationwide outrage. a report finds that top school officials at penn state, including legendary coach joe paterno, covered up child sex abuse by jerry sandusky. joe paterno's family is file fighting back. >> we are here today because of a terrible tragedy was allowed to occur over many years at penn state university. >> reporter: fallo

this morning drought watch, alex demetrick explains that with the heat and lower than normal rainfall are being to the chez chez -- chesapeake. >> reporter: with the sun comes up, it adds to the heat in the bay's water. >> 83 degrees in the middle of the bay. >> the bay temperature is really quite warm. >> reporter: this doctor steadies the bay for the university of maryland centers for environmental science. >> the bad news, the conditions in the shallow water is stressful for grab and the grasses. >> reporter: the past summer with high heat have seen a decline in the number of crabs caught. beds ofes of grasses have died off. >> where you get this algae and it depletes the oxygen from the water. >> those blooms were fed by nitrogen sentiment carried into the bay last fall after heavy tropical storms. now the nutrients that fed the algae have been eaten up thanks to dry wealth. >> the advantage this year, we had little runoff and rainfall. so, not as much freshwater coming into the bay, that brings nutrients. >> reporter: conditions that have reduced dead zones by two 3 -- 2/3. alex

. >>> i'm alex demetrick. coming up, remembering sally ride and what lives on after her. that story as eyewitness news continues. >>> it is just before 6:30. 86 degrees and mostly sunny. hello, everyone. thanks for staying with wjz. here are some of the stories people are talking about tonight. sally ride, blazed trails in space and across headlines, as america's first woman astronaut. her death yesterday is now bringing memories to life. >> reporter: in 1983, a woman headed for the space shuttle was a news event all its own. and nasa wasn't shy about it. >> and america's first woman astronaut. >> reporter: sally ride's ride was the focus of enormous attention and pressure. >> somebody said that sometimes the best man for a job was a woman. >> reporter: for sally ride, there was -- that was a lot more than a folksy saying. if there had to be other behind her, she had to be perfect the first time. >> it was very important to me that i understood my role really well and that i was really well prepared for the mission. because the last thing that i wanted to do was get into

. >>> i'm alex demetrick, coming up, a dangerous place to cry wolf. that story as eyewitness news continues. >>> a race to the finish line. the baltimore grand prix is less than two months away. i'm jessica kartalija. we'll have more on the final preparations under way and on what michael ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, >>> it's 5:30. 97 degrees and sunny. good evening. niewmpg for staying with wjz eyewitness news. here are some of the stories people are talking about tonight. a potentially dangerous joke. the coast guard station in baltimore has received six fake distress calls for a boat in trouble. alex demetrick reports, it's a hoax that could put a real call in jeopardy for help. >>> boats out of the coast guard station in baltimore answer radio distress calls all the time. but earlier this summer, six of those calls were phony. >> it comes over vhf channel 16. and the caller says mayday, mayday. and all six calls have been determined to be the same male voice. all of these calls have been determined to be coming from the middle river area of baltimore. >> and

. >>> i'm alex demetrick. coming up. the great outdoors and a chance to work. that story as eyewitness news continues. >>> what can we expect for our weekend weather? don't miss the updated first warning forecast with meteorologist tim williams. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, >>> partly cloudy. and 85 degrees in central maryland right now. the complete first warning weather forecast is coming up. >>> charred rubber and burned beings is all that is -- remains of a neighborhood in cherry hill. >> some are scrambling to find another place to play. >> reporter: neighbors in south baltimore saw this smoke billowing for miles from the our house community center in cherry hill yesterday. just beyond those trees, firefighters battle the blaze, on the playground. >> i thought it was on fire. >> with the firefighters now gone. this is all that is left of the playground used by children in the community center's summer camp program. what was once a place for play is now a source for sadness. >> when i came to work this morning, i feel as though the young girls were just try -- cr

alex demetrick, wjz eyewitness news. >> now, the washington moniewments was completed in 1884 before the quake it brought in 600,000 visitors a year year. >>> air traffic delays around newark international airport, are expected to last well into the evening. earlier today, the air traffic tower was evacuated after workers smelled smoke in the elevator shaft. flights into and out of newark were halted for an hour until the smoke cleared. the problem caused a ripple of delays across the country. >>> ooh baltimore police officer is sentenced for his role in a towing company extortion scheme. mary is in the newsroom with more on a scandal that involves over a dozen officers. >> reporter: and jamie lugo of aberdeen was sentenced in baltimore court to two years in prison. he pleaded guilty to part of the scheme that referred accident victims to a particular repair shop. in exchange, the officer would seek payment from the owner. prosecutors say the majestic auto repair shop was not an authorized to company for the city. the u.s. attorney's office says 14 officers have pleaded guilty in fed

. >>> i'm alex demetrick. coming up, remembering sally ride, and what lives on after had her. that story as eyewitness news continues. stay it is 5:30. quoin degrees. storms in our region that we are tracking. good evening, everybody. thank you for staying with wjz eyewitness news. here are some of the stories people are talking about tonight. three people are shot and killed inside a northeast baltimore home. the house then burns to the ground. and one year later, police say they're at a dead end. wjz is live. monique griego has more on the efforts to keep the case alive. monique? >> mary, family members are working with police to keep attention on this case. but despite that, they still believe officers botched this investigation. >> reporter: it's a murder mystery that left a community shaken and two families devastated. >> we're really struggling to deal with the pain and the hurt that we have to deal with. >> reporter: one year agod today, bertina ricks' son was found murdered inside this now- abandoned home on nicholas avenue, along with his friend, tanyica gibbs and her

alex demetrick, wjz eyewitness news. >> as tests begin to reroute water, some outages are possible. baltimore's dpw says if they happen, outages should last only a few hours. >>> repairs to the washington monument may keep it closed longer than expected. the landmark was damaged during the earth's east coast earthquake last august. the new assessment shows massive scaffolding must be built around the monument in order to complete the repairs. the entire process may keep it closed to visitors until 2014. the national park service hopes to begin the project in september. >> remember that video from inside that we showed? >> it was amazing. >> right. >> and everybody trying to get out of there. >> running down. >> wow. >>> still ahead on wjz's eyewitness news at 5:00. gas prices going up. drivers see their first increase in months. what's behind the jump? >>> the beating of this tourist shocked baltimore. i'm adam may. now, the suspects plead guilty. what they said inecutor and their -- in court and their punishment. details coming up. >>> sixth graders being taught chinese and arabic

alex demetrick, wjz eyewitness news. >> the washington monument was completed in 1884. before the quake, it brought about 600,000 visitors a year. >>> still ahead at 5:00. high-speed chase at the airport. what's happening to the man who drove his suv on a runway at philadelphia. >>> i'm andrea fujii at the maryland food bank, where there's a big need for donations this summer. but it's not for food. i'll tell you what it is just ahead. >>> i'm mike schuh at the gm plant in whitemarsh. where they're celebrating an anniversary. five years with no trash going to a land fill. how they're doing it when eyewitness news continues. >>> and we're tracking some storms moving through the area. don't miss the updated first warning weather forecast with bernadette. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, >>> partly cloudy. and 85 degrees in central maryland right now. the complete first warning weather forecast is coming up. we're not even halfway through the summer. and the maryland food bank is already in dire need of a hot weather essential. it's not food. andrea fujii explains how you can help. >> rep

>>> i'm alex demetrick.kdown for people who text while driving. >>> extreme heat returning. and what about some much-needed rain. stick around for the updated first warning forecast. >>> check in for these stories and all the day's breaking news. >> wjz eyewitness news at 6:00 starts now. >>> arrest gone wrong. police kill a man inside a baltimore county home. >> why the officer opened fire. and the link to a shooting of a teen. >>> hello, everybody. i'm denise koch. >> here's what people are talking about tonight. >>> an attempt to serve a search warrant ends in death. an officer shoots a man after police say he came at

alex demetrick, wjz news. >> lanset will continue with the launch of the eighth satellite next year. >> and there's one satellite dedicated for bob's properties. >> growing and growing and growing. >> i was waving at the satellite. let's take a look at radar. we have a little bit of rain. not much flood watch has been discontinued as of 9:00 tonight. not dealing with any heavy rain. just a few light sprinkles and showers. to the west of us a few pockets we will see some rain overnight but nothing, nothing flood worthy and that's good news. all the heavy stuff continues way down to the south of the region. particularly with southeast virginia. we had quite a bit of rain to the norfolk area two to three inches in some spots but that is not affecting us. snow hill, ocean city i think you're going to see decent showers in the next hour before it begins to ware off. 59degrees now, it's actually pretty chilly out with east- west wind at 15. compared to two days ago it was 104 degrees at the airport down to 69. 87 the humidity, that front is pushed back to the east- northeast. we got into c

alex de -- demetrick. >> the washington monument was completed in 1884. before the quake. it brought about 600,000 visitors a year. at least that's how many people visited. >> and like the person was saying. maybe more people would come out. >> just see the scaffolding and whatnot. >>> still ahead on eyewitness news at 4:00. leap of faith. why this girl jumped from a ride 35 feet in the sky. >>> oh. yeah. the silence scares you more than anything else. the sound was like, boom. >> out of control. a bus slams into a movie set. but this was very real. [ bleep ] chaos outside the courtroom. a huge brawl in florida. what sparked the fight? >> terrific tuesday afternoon. stick around for the updated first warning forecast. [ dog growls, barks ] bring your dog to work day... not our best idea. [ barking ] george! stop it! stop. oh. it was a nice thought. [ male announcer ] some business decisions are better than others. the best decision is switching to verizon. you're good to go. that was fast! thank you. [ male announcer ] speed, reliability, and now with our worry free guaran

we begin with alex demetrick who shows us what went wrong, alex. >> reporter: when that gas line broke there was no second guessing what to do. people were ordered out as quickly as possible. you could hear it blocks away. a high pressure line carrying natural gas rupture bid a construction crew digging about 10:30 this morning. on the ground, firefighters and police rushed to the area. >> you could smell it from blocks away. 100yards. >> reporter: hundreds were evacuated. nearly all had to walk out of the area as gas continued to escape for more than an hour. >> it's a little too much but at least it's not 100 degrees today. >> we have our hazmat task force here in the scene. they are going to resident's home to determine if there are any odors of gas. none have been determined at the moment. >> reporter: part of that line is visible here why it was struck is now part of the investigation. three hours after the break happened people were allowed back in. bge repair crews have cleared the scene here. >> complete coverage continues, mike hellgren explains how the rupture happened. >> re

alex demetrick, wjz eyewitness news. >> the maryland agriculture department say they won't see a declineity produce but quantity could be impacted. the drought could continue on a lack of rain, bernadette? >> here's the drought watch with the state all involved. these numbers get updated weekly. we have an update coming thursday and abnormally dry for most of the day and the middle section with a lot of agriculture with a moderate drought and the numbers to go along with this for the year, we are over 8 inches down in the deficit and just over 14 inches of rain and normally, to this date, we have 22 inches. so that's quite a contrast and the thing is that not only is this lack of rain but the heat. during this dry stretch recently, temperatures have been well in the 90s for many days in a row and that evaporates anything pulling out moisture. we'll keep you updated as we head through the next few days. back inside. >> thank you, bernadette. to find forecast updates at any time, go to wjz.com. >>> police in iowa say they're now aggressing the search for two cousins. elizabeth collins and

. >> alex demetrick live for us tonight. mike hellgren has a closer look on the impact of people who live and work in that area. >> reporter: it was quite a scare and a remarkably large evacuation when you consider that more than 1,000 people work here at under armour headquarters alone. sky high chopper 13 was over it all as it unfolded. >> reporter: hundreds of businesses were kept out of their homes and businesses for hour. that included the evacuation of the under armour plant. >> it smelled like a gas leak. you could taste it in the air. so it was pretty bad. >> i heard about the gas leak and i rushed home because i was like freaking out. >> reporter: eyewitnesses say not only was the smell intense but also the sounds of the leak. >> it sounded like water actually if you know when you turn your bathtub on it sounded like whoosh, a really loud whooshing noise. you could heard it for several minutes and then it stopped. >> reporter: residents were told they could not turn their appliances or cars on. >> there were people

mike hellgren shows us the impact on near by businesses and homes but first alex demetrick is live onll unfolded, alex. >> reporter: it wasn't a potentially explosive situation where the first priority was to get hundreds of

alex demetrick is live in the newsroom with more on the controversial issue. alex? >> the requirement that required many to apply for permits is being struck down. a court order strikes down a requirement that applicants show a substantial reason to carry and conceal a firearm. gun proponents say they expect tens of thousands of marylanders to be granted a carry license. the brady center for gun violence calls the change reckless. attorney general doug gansler is appealing the change and may ask the court of appeals to delay it until such an appeal is decided. >> baltimore resident ray willard. hear from his attorney coming up all new at 5:00 and 6:00. >>> the first memorial service is held today for a victim of the colorado movie massacre. teresa garcia is there and reports for wjz from aurora, colorado. >> reporter: family members and friends of gordon cowell attended a church service in denver today. the 51-year-old father of four was one of 12 people killed during the midnight showing of batman. crowden was at the show with his two teenage daughters who were not

alex demetrick has the story on what is now a recovery mission. >> reporter: crews using sonar and dogs scout the river using for a man who slipped under the water. he was with sunny singh on a bass boat like this one at the tail end of a hot day. >> two guys were out on a boat, they decided to cool off. they jumped overboard. one of them got away from the boat. the other tried to help him. >> reporter: teresa dixon's husband rushed to help. their rescue calls brought two men out in boats. michelle park's husband made the rescue. >> a couple of people in the neighborhood called him a hero for rescuing that guy. he said but it feels so useful, empty because he could never find the other guy. >> reporter: authorities looked for the man. >> he did say he feared he was going to go under himself. and that's why he swam back, back to the boat. >> reporter: what began as a search and rescue became a recovery effort today. >> it's not an exact science with the tide and the wind. we pretty much are going with experience on how to look for him. >> reporter: all during that search agonizing what i

alex demetrick talks to though who saw this unfold. >> reporter: it appears like two friends who were boating in the bush river were trying to stay cool by jumping in the river, that swim turned deadly. crews using sonar and dogs searched the river looking for 35-year-old hanavar who slipped under the water. he was with 34-year-old sunny sing at the tail end of a hot day. >> two guys were out on a boat, they decided to cool off. they jumped overboard. one of them got away from the boat, the other tried to help him. >> he watched them then realized that the man was in distress and needed help. >> reporter: those calls for help brought two neighbors out in boats and they rescued the man still struggling to stay afloat. >> it was really hard to get the guy on the boat because he was just so panicky. >>> michelle's husband made the rescue and brought singh to his boat. >> a lot of people called him a hero but he says it felt empty because he was not able to save the other guy. >> he felt he was going to go under himself. and that's why he swam back to the boat. >> reporter: what began as

. >> reporter: alex demetrick, week eyewitness news. >> the environment, maryland studying global warming. group urges government action. >>> some showers are in the region tonight. a live look outside right now. a decent end to the mont of july. at least we are getting a break from the extreme heat. wjz is live with first warning weather coverage. meteorologist bernadette woods and bob turk are updating the forecast. we're start outside with bernadette. >> well, we do still have a couple of showers and showers showers and torm l -- thunderstorms around the state. that's going to be the case tonight into tomorrow. tomorrow morning, there could be a shower or thunderstorm around. and as we head through the day, temperatures the upper agents. pretty close to average, with a shower or thunderstorm really possible at any point during the day. then tomorrow evening, still that chance. over the next couple of days, we start to warm it up. here's bob with that. >>> going to be hot and humid by little end of the week. can temperatures in the low 90s and kind of sticky. thunderstorm chances tomorr

. >> alex demetrick reports on the impact when it comes to the eastern shore. >> reporter: normal than normal -- lower than normal rainfall hurts but heat is affecting corn. >> i've never seen it go downhill so fast. >> reporter: farmers say they will ebring in a third of the corn crop hoped for because of heat waves. >> even as late as june 25 we probably had as much potential as we've ever had for a big crop. and just in the last three weeks we've really took a turn for the worst. >> heat and lack of rain are not a good combination for agriculture. >> reporter: that means to keep quality produce like this on the shelf, farmers must spend money to water crops. irrigating hurts the bottom line but without it? >> well, we've -- we'd have nothing. we literally would have no crop at all. >> reporter: so watering keeps the sweet corn coming but vast amounts of commodity crops like field corn are baking in the field. >> when it's as hot as it's been, then you start affecting pollination and quality. >> reporter: and that's what's stunting corn on the shore. >> this is probably going to be t

alex demetrick reports, that kind could put a real call for help in jeopardy. >>> boats answer radio distress calls all the time. but earlier this summer, six of those calls were phony. >> it comes over vhf channel 16. and the caller says mayday, mayday. all six calls have been determined to be the same male voice. all of these calls have been determined to be coming from the middle river area of baltimore. >> reporter: and the coast guard responded. dispatching boats and helicopters on wild goose chases that have cost $70,000. because second guessing there isn't an emergency isn't an option. >> when we don't take those seriously, that will be the one time that it is an actual true distress call. >> reporter: two years ago, the coast guard unveiled its new communications center. this technology is why they know the hoax calls are coming from middle river. here's how. >> it registers in our computers a line of bearing. and it tells us that that boat is somewhere on the line of bearing. >> reporter: but to find the exact spot, the radio call needs to be picked up by a second tower. >>

alex demetrick, wjz eyewitness news. >> as tests begin to reroute water, some outages are possible. now, baltimore's dpw says if they happen, outages should last only a few hours. >> the man behind that brutal punch that knocked out a baltimore tourist is sentenced today. aaron parsons accepted a plea bargain in this humiliating video that went viral. the man is stripped naked and threatened. he threw the first punch. today, he publicly apologized. his attorney says parsons will serve one year in jail and three on probation. three other suspects also accepted plea bargains. >>> metro trains are running smoothly again after a derailment in prince george's county. temperatures caused it to kink on friday. that was friday. 60 passenger his to walk in the blistering heat to an emergency exit tunnel to get off the tracks. no one was hurt. as a safety measure, metro ordered all of its trains to stay below 35 miles an hour throughout the weekend. >>> let's check on the roads now with kristy breslin at wjz traffic control. >> hi, kai. hi, everyone. a couple of problems to start out this aft