brian kuebler, abc 2 news. >>> and now for a look at tonight's top stories. a baltimore county family is suing for $40 million after their son nearly drowned at a pool. three years ago mary becker and her son james were in the pool at woodcroft swim club when he went under. paramedics used a defibrillator to restart his heart, but the 18-year-old suffered brain damage. the family is suing the swim club and brd pool management for better safety measures. brd plans to fight that lawsuit. the beckers are also planning to fight for tougher legislation in annapolis. >>> the senate's top democrats says a veto on the health care plan won't happen until after the august recess. majority leader harry reed says it's a matter of seeking quality and thoughtfulness instead of trying to jam something through. the president had been pushing congress to pass a bill before its august recess. >>> tonight the towson catholic high school alumni association is hosting a fundraising at fredonia station. the baltimore archdiocese is closing the high school because of financial prob

abc 2 news brian kuebler joins us now to explain. brian? >> it's all about timing. the mayor's original trial was set this september, nine months after her first indictment. add nine months from yesterday's reindictment, and it could be spring 2010 before the mayor actually stands trial. some political science experts say that could not be worst timing for a mayor who may want to run for another term. the election cycle will start warming up, and the longer dixon's legal troubles are in the public eye, the more the public and possible challengers will take notice. >> this could ecke send the her vulnerability into a time period when it becomes really dangerous for her. >> in the meantime, the mayor's office says what it has been saying all along. dixon will continue to conduct the business of the city. live in studio, brian kuebler, abc 2 news. >> so question for you tonight. do you think mayor dixon's legal problems are hurting her ability to run the city? log on to our website at abc2news.com. check out the right side of our home page, and there you can vote in ou

abc 2 news brian kuebler as the details and reaction from the boys' family. >> reporter: gary peterson lost more than a son and a soon to be step-son. he lost his best friend. >> what goes through your mind? i lost two boys. i have nothing to say. nothing. >> reporter: peterson still has so many questions. connor peterson and kyle wankmiller were found lying on the light rail tracks sunday afternoon, both critically wounded. both boys would later die. >> it's not fair. not fair. take two of my boys. in 24 hours, i hope they find the problem. >> reporter: mta says it is starting to get an idea. based on video surveillance, officials now say both teens were struck while walking the center of the trucks, but that the conductor didn't see them and kept going. mta says that part of the rails are dark, and the teens were wearing black. according to its preliminary investigation, mta say the boys laid there while a second train ran over them. it was that train that stopped, and the crew discovered the bodies. >> at least two trains show that they may have come in contact with the individuals.

brian kuebler, abc 2 news. >>> just because times are tough doesn't mean you can't save for anything you really want. coming up, the only piggy bank that helps you stash the funds away and even gets your friends to help den nate a few bucks too. >>> and the emmy nominees are. still ahead, we'll tell you. fios guy! where ya headed? ah, just installed fios in the whole building. now everyone has the fastest upload speeds. and we're giving them a mini netbook. well, i'm sticking with cable. so's ted. (voice) no i'm not! he's just goofing. (voice) no i'm not! (sighing) ted has betrayed me. (announcer) unlike cable, fios brings 100% fiber optics straight to your home and when you switch now, you can get a free compaq mini netbook. just pay shipping, handling and taxes. with fios, you'll get razor-sharp tv, blazing fast internet and crystal-clear phone service all for just... sign up today. call the verizon center for customers with disabilities at 800.974.6006 tty/v, and for a limited time, get an incredible compaq mini, to get the most out of your fios internet. get it all together with

in baltimore, brian kuebler. >> and brian says the city didn't have much of a response except to sayare aware of these citizens' concerns. >>> a ban on salvia is on the work in ocean city. the hallucinogenic herb can be bought in many shops. earlier the town council voted to ban the herb. an emergency bill will be voted on monday. if passed, enforcement begins tuesday. the herb is already banned in ten states. >>> an employee at the department of motor vehicles is under investigation tonight in connection with the scheme to provide fake driver's licenses to illegal immigrants. an nba spokesman says nearly 200 licenses were revoked in june after the employee who issued them was fired. that employee worked at the glen burnie office, but the person's nape has not been released. applicants for driver's licenses are now required to prove they are in the country legally. >>> tonight police in anne arundel county are investigating a possible road rage incident. authorities have arrested 80 or 66-year-old lawrence beauregard. he faces assault and handgun charges. >> city and anne arundel cou

brian kuebler, abc 2 news. >>> and now for a look at tonight's top stories. the political pundits are weighing in on mayor sheila dixon's latest indictments. experts say yesterday's indictments will likely push dixon's trial into an election year. and that could be bad news for a mayor who may want to run again. meanwhile, the mayor's office says dixon will continue to conduct the business of the city. >>> memorial services were held today for two of the four victims killed in a helicopter crash last week. advanced helicopter concepts employees jeff nordaas, george tutor, and niall booth were killed, along with kim felix. their chopper went down on interstate 70. a service was held for felix this afternoon in damascus, and a service for george tutsier is being held in about a half hour in manchester. >>> the white house says president barack obama does not expect his beer summit will be a mediation session for black harvard scholar henry gates and the white police officer who arrested him. the president invited both gates and sergeant crowley to join him for

abc 2 news brian kuebler asked that question to mta's top official. >> reporter: gary peterson has to endure the unbelievable pain of burying his son and soon to be step-son this weekend. more heartache than any one parent should bear. >> it is devastating. to lose two children in 24 hours, and have to go through this in three days. >> reporter: with still no answers as to how this could even conceivably happen, mta said yesterday that a camera mounted on the front of the train shows the teens were hit from the back as they walked along the track. according to mta, that train kept moving only for a second train to hit the teens again. it was this crew on the second light rail that stopped and found the bodies. but peterson can't understand why the first train never stopped, why nobody never checked. >> there is no excuse for this happening. you got to know you hit somebody. you got to know. >> the cameras on the top of the cars, and they show the individuals walking up the track right away. >> understand from the family's point of view, they want to know how the driver didn't see that

brian kuebler, abc 2 news. >> the u.s. attorney's office had no comment regarding the commissioner's concerns about the federal investigation. city police say they will stay out in that neighborhood in those numbers for as long as it takes. >>> and as baltimore city officers flood the streets, the police department was given a nice chunk of change to get even more officers throughout to keep you safe. >> reporter: kelly, the baltimore police department is looking forward to more than $10 million in federal stimulus money, and that's not all. eight other maryland departments will get a cut, a total of $23 million now coming to maryland. that money is part of the cops' hiring recovery program. that stands for community- oriented policing services program. about 7,000 state and local police agencies applied for $7 billion in cops funding, but only one billion was handed out. baltimore police commissioner fred bealefeld says the money will be used to hire 50 new officers who will be on foot patrols around the city. >> all of u

brian kuebler, abc 2 news. >>> maryland's comptroller is holding millions in cash, and it belongs to. comptroller peter franchot is taking his unclaimed property program to the web. the ad is designed to let marylanders know about the millions of dollars in unclaimed property his department is holding. the cash and property comes from banks, insurance company, and safe deposit boxes and is handed over to the state when the owners simply can't be found. then the comptroller's office is tasked with tracking down the people it belongs, to and there are tens of thousands of marylanders in the database. >> you can put in a dozen names. i guarantee you you put a dozen names in, you're going to find a match. >> the agency has more than 780,000 people in its database, with nearly $800 million in assets. to see if your name is on the list, log onto our website at abc2news.com. you click on links on the right side of the home page. >>> now the forecast certified baltimore's most accurate. here is chief meteorologist norm lewis and maryland's most powerful doppler radar. >> take a look at that,

brian kuebler has more. >> reporter: friends and family have been gathering at frederick-based advanced helicopter concepts all afternoon. some coming to console the families. others to get the victims' personal belongings and vehicles. dead are kim felix and niall both, george tutor of westminster and jeffrey nordaas of columbia. families nor the helicopter company did not want to speak about what drivers saw on i-70 late last night. >> witnesses reported that the aircraft was flying very low, that they saw sparks flying before the aircraft hit the ground. and then there was a post crash fire that substantially damaged the aircraft. >> reporter: the ntsb says the robins r-44 chopper was on the way back when it crashed. the company has been running flights all day to help raise money for a youth program set up by the company owner to help troubled teens. the pilot, two other instructor, and a friend were on their way back to the frederick airfield. the ntsb says the pilot did not have to file a flight plan for this route. it was performed by visual flight rules, which could have been ch

tonight brian kuebler tells us how the family says it happened, and who police are now investigating. >> reporter: 18-month-old briana knows something is wrong as she stairs at her hands and knee covered in bandages. underneath is what is most painful, second-degree burns, the family says, suffered at a local park. >> briana was climbing up the slide, and i heard her screaming. so i went over to her and picked her up, and her skin was melted off of her hands. >> reporter: here are the pictures of briana's wounds. briana is set to go to johns hopkins burn center later this week. but it is how this all happened that concerns her mother and grandmother. >> i think there was something on the slide, to be honest, because the five years that i've lived here, i've never heard of a kid getting second- degree burns from playing on a sliding board. >> reporter: it wouldn't be the first time either. organizers of a little league told us this happened once before two years ago. more than enough time for briana's family to urge an investigation by police. >> i would like to see justice served. i w

brian kuebler joins us live with an update on the investigation and how the teens' family is coping. brian? >> reporter: marybeth, it has been nearly two weeks since the teens were struck and killed. the police and their families are still searching for answers. this is the last photo taken of 17-year-old kyle wankmiller and connor peterson. it's still so hard for their parents to believe they're not coming home. >> and i'm waiting for them. i'm still waiting for them. and i know they're not coming back. >> reporter: amy wankmiller and gary peterson buried their boys on consecutive days this past weekend. an unbelievable pain only deepened by the not knowing. despite video from the camera mounted on the front of the train, late last week the mta asked baltimore county police to figure out how this accident happened. how did two of its trains run over two teens twice. how did the first driver not stop. today the department released this photo of a man investigators believe could help them. they stress he is not a suspect, nor did he do anything wrong. just a man investigators hope coul

abc 2 news' brian kuebler reports that as their families prepare for their funerals, there is still so many painful questions. >> reporter: there has been movement in this investigation this week. the maryland transit administration has asked baltimore county to take the lead. the mta has reached out to the ntsb and the federal transit administration for help, and it has also strengthed its no texting policy for train conductors. all of it progress, but none of it consoling. >> i do want an answer from the mta. i want an answer, and as soon as possible. these are my babies. >> reporter: gary peterson is the father of connor and would have been the stepfather of kyle. it has been a dizzying week for this family. the mta released several different versions of what may have happened, only to settle on one it gleamed from the front end camera. they say the teens were struck from the back once by one train. it kept going only for the two young men to be struck again by a second train before they were found. both would later die, but the mta only races more question for a grieving family. >>

in carroll county, brian kuebler. >> once the planning commission finalizes its plan, it will be sent to the county board of commissioners who can then sign off on the deal. >>> tonight councilmembers in d.c. are reeling over the loss of a councilman's aid who died tragically in baltimore. 30-year-old desi deschaine's body was found this morning at the marine center at lighthouse point near canton. sheer video of yesterday's search in the water. deschaine was last seen on sunday. his boss, councilman jack evans, was in baltimore to go boating, and police say deschaine was drinking and last seen late sunday night. police say there are no sign services of foul play. d.c. councilmembers held a moment of silence this morning in deschaine's memory. >>> a two-alarm fire ripped through a west baltimore row house and spread next door. crews were called to dinmore avenue around 8 p.m., and when they arrived, the fire was so intense, they had to fight it from the outside. no one in either home was injured and the cause is still being investigated. >>> in ocean city tonight, an 18 is-year-old an

brian kuebler was on the scene all day, and has more on the still active search for a man wanted for murder. >> reporter: after a four-hour barricade situation that shut down this block of the alameda in east baltimore, police were not able to find their suspect they say killed a young man in a nearby alley. the murder victim has not been identified. but police say he was shot several times. this alley where he was found was just the beginning of this crime scene. police got a tip that the suspect ran down the block and into a house on east 29th street. >> we pretty much surrounded that one particular house, and then we evacuated neighbors who lived around that house, took them to a safe location, and we proceeded to have swat go in and do their thing. >> reporter: the scene was busy as the police armored vehicle went in and out of that block. officers guarded the intersection and neighbors looked on all evening. it was at times hectic and confusing. even for the murder victim's family, who rushed down to the scene, trying to get information he can. >> he was a good guy, stayed to hi

reporting live in east baltimore, brian kuebler, abc 2 news. >> brian, thank you. >>> yet another sign of the tough times when baltimore city firefighters are appealing for basic items to make their firehouses more livable. after a tour of several stations, city council president stephanie rawlings- blake decided to launch a collection drive called genie in july, giving people a chance to donate to firefighters to live in their historic living quarters. >> right now times are lean so, we don't have as much funding to replace items in the station like the items that the firefighters are asking for. >> the so-called wish list includes items like plates, dishes, window air conditioning units, and hand towels. if you would like to see a full list of the desired items go, to abc2news.com. we've posted a link to the genie in july website. >>> tonight police in annapolis are warning you to watch out for atm skimmers and hidden cameras. skimmers are the devices attached to the machines by criminals so they can steal your card information. police say to look out for things like mirrors or pamph

abc 2 news brian kuebler reports this is hardly davis' first run-in with the law. >> reporter: this is the young man police say nearly killed 5- year-old raven wyatt last week as she got caught in lamont davis' crossfire. today at central booking, davis' public defender accepted the teen will be held without bond for last week's shootings. davis faa

live in the studio, brian kuebler, abc 2 news. >> thanks, brian. that brings us to our poll question. do you think mayor dixon's legal problems are hurting her ability to run the city? log onto our website at abc2news.com. look on the right side of our home page, and there you can vote in our online poll. >>> memorial services today for two of the four people killed in that helicopter crash last week. advanced helicopter concepts employees jeff nordaas, george tutor, niall booth and a friend of theirs, kim felix were all killed when the helicopter went down on interstate 70. the crash is still under investigation. a service for 48-year-old kim felix was held this afternoon in damascus. a service for 39-year-old george tutor is scheduled for 6 to 8 tonight in manchester. >>> metro officials say that a bus driver has been charged with kidnapping. he is accused with refusing to allow a passenger to leave the bus after an accident. it happened over the weekend on the d line in prince george's county. the driver is identified as 41- year-old michael rob

abc 2 news brian kuebler is live with details on what happened. brian?porter: well, marybeth, mta says that woman was hit here at the mount washington stop just at the beginning of the rush hour. they say it all happened around 4:15 this afternoon. mta officials tell us the woman was hit on the southbound side and suffered noncritical injuries. she was taken to sinai hospital. a passenger we spoke to says the train operator tried to brake, but that they all felt the train hit something. now of course this all come dons

brian kuebler, abc 2 news. >> and again, police continue to look for a third suspect in that case. anyone with information asked to call the baltimore city homicide department. >>> police are investigating an early morning accident involving a medic unit in northwest baltimore. the crash happened at the intersection of sillburn and greenspring avenue. the medic unit had picked up victim from another crash and was headed to sinai hospital when the vehicle hit a tree. the hospital sent another medic unit to pick up that patient. >>> a baltimore county family has filed a $40 million lawsuit against a pool and its management company after their son nearly drowned. james becker was 15 years old when the incident happened. three years later, his parents are suing woodcroft swimming club and drd pool management for negligence. james suffered massive brain damage and needs constant care. his parent says the $40 million will help pay for medical expenses, but more importantly, they want to make sure that what happened to their son never happens again. >> essentially, we lost our son as we k

in baltimore, brian kuebler, abc 2 news. >> as davis sits in jail, a prayer vigil is about to begin for the young victim. abc 2 news christian schaffer joins us live from south pulaski street where she was shot last week. chris? >> reporter: yeah, marybeth. the main point of this villagele is to simply pray for that little girl, raven wyatt, and for their family. take a look around there is quite a crowd that is gathering here in the 300 block of south pulaski street, which has been blocked off now by baltimore city police. a number of interested observers and organizations are here. state delegate melvin stoopes is here. the frank connelly is here. we're expecting a number of city and possibly police officials to be here as well. we're also i'm told by organizers, they were hoping that family members of raven wyatt might be able to make it here. as of five minutes ago, they had not gotten confirmation that the family members would be able to be here. there is no confirmation that they're going to be here. but again, the point of this vigil is to simply pray for the little girl and for

reporting live in mount washington, brian kuebler, abc 2 news. >>> meanwhile, baltimore county police want you to take a good look at the man in the picture we're about to put on your screen. he is someone they think could help them in their investigation into that light rail incident that killed two teens. police say the man is not in any trouble. but they think he may have seen something that could help them. he was a passenger on the light rail train that struck and killed jared connor peterson and kyle wankmiller. both were 17. police athe teens were walking on the tracks near the lutherville station when they were hit by the train from behind. liss think the man in the photo may have vital information. >> some things that the detectives have garnered during their investigation. they really believed that this man saw quite a bit, and he may even have experienced quite a bit while being a passenger on that train. >> once again, we want to make it clear that this man is not in any trouble. but police think his information could be vital to their investigation. if you think you know

in baltimore, brian kuebler, abc 2 news. >> the officers are doing well tonight. officer curtis mcmillan has been treated and released while jerome sharrett has suffered three gunshot wounds. he remains in stable condition at shock trauma after undergoing another surgery today. >>> city police continue to search for a gunman who shot two 16-year-olds last night, killing one of them. it happened just after 9:30 after the corner of east madison street and north kingwood avenue. police say the teens were standing on the corner when an unknown person walked upped to them and started shooting. jerod reed died on the scene. the second unidentified teen is recovering at johns hopkins hospital. police say they have no motive for the attack. >>> a 16-year-old is charged as an adult in the violent escape of 14 offenders from a state run juvenile facility last may. six staff members were hurt during the escape. george is charged with escape, assault, burglary, theft, and destruction of property. all of the escapees were recaptured within an hour, but now a state investigatio

in fullerton, brian kuebler, abc 2 news. >> and we tried to contact the owner of the plaza, but kim co realty corporation has yet to return our calls. >>> throughout the afternoon, we have been tracking some shower and thunderstorm activity making its way northward into pennsylvania. right now we're not seeing any showers down to the south of the baltimore area. however, because of the heat and humidity, we could see a pop-up shower anywhere, any time. it's just the way the air mass is working. take a look at the difference between what the real temperature is and what it feels like in sykesville, mount airy, laurel, and westminster. all because of the heat and humidity. the heat and humidity is going to continue to build over the next couple days, and that's going to mean a change in our forecast into something a little bit more summer-like. we'll tell you all about it, coming up. >> thanks, norm. >>> the missing mental health records for virginia tech gunman seung-hui cho have been found. cho killed 27 people on the campus in 2007 and then killed himself. the records were discovered

brian kuebler, abc 2 news. >>> tonight city police are investigating an attempted rape. the baltimore sun reports it happened saturday morning in front of the baltimore convention center. according to the newspaper, the woman was walking in the 300 block of sharp street near pratt around 6:30 a.m. when she was approached by a man who grabbed her from behind and began choking her. she says the man pulled her underwear off and then called for someone to pick them up. she didn't see anyone else, but the suspect took off when a vehicle approached. police are investigating several church burglaries in baltimore county. the latest happened between monday night and tuesday morning. someone broke into st. thomas episcopal church on providence road an stole coins. st. stephens episcopal church was also hit. someone hit there and made off with five bottleles of wine. last weekend three cockeysville churches were burglarize. anyone with information is asked to call 410-887-1820. >>> efforts to keep towson catholic high school open have been shot down. a judge today rejected a motio

abc 2 news reporter brian kuebler joins us now from along the alameda. >> reporter: the 3000 block ofe continue the try and contact the suspect they believe is still in one of these homes. let's show you videotape we shot earlier today. police say this all started with a murder. a man in his late teens, early 20s was shot several times in a nearby alley. police then believe the suspect ran into a home on this block. they have spent the better part of this late afternoon trying to reach those suspects or suspect. the s.w.a.t. team is here as well as homicide and the k-9 unit. now police say they did take at least one suspect into custody already, but is still trying to reach another one. again, they believe may be held up in one of these homes. back out here live now, you can tell this is still a very busy and very active scene as this block continues to be roped off with crime tape. this is still a very much continuing and developing story. we of course will be on top of it and give you the latest details right here on abc 2 news. live in east

brian kuebler is working the story. >>> a pair of police chiefs in hot water. what they're accused of doing to two of hollywood's biggest stars. >>> and a record deal for the pope? that's right, the pope. we'll explain. >>> emily is working on baltimore's most accurate forecast, and it's all ahead at 5:30. >> all right, thanks, terry. >>> a look at news around the nation in bryan, texas. that's where residents are being let back into their houses after a chemical fire forced evacuations. the hundreds of folks are still displaced. flames ripped through the el dorado chemical warehouse yesterday, sending a plume of smoke more than 60 miles from the plant. emergency officials tested for airborne toxins. just one home away, police watched in horror. the 89-year-old was trapped without transportation and without power. >> it didn't bother me. >> it started bothering you, the smoke? >> because i didn't know what was going on. i was just there. >> authorities suspect the warehouse fire started from a spark from a welder. at least 34 people required medical treatment,

in baltimore, brian kuebler, abc 2 news. >> and we will bring you mayor dixon's comments on the story later on this evening. in the meantime, police say there will be no charges filed against the boys. >>> maryland elementary and middle school test scores jumped up this year. and some of the biggest changes are right here in baltimore. city elementary students are no longer the lowest performing students in the state. that distinction now belongs to prince george's county. christian schaffer joins us from abbottson elementary. >> reporter: big improvements on the assessment test. let's take a look at why the public officials who gathered here are all celebrating this afternoon. in reading 74.2% of students scored proficient or advanced on their msats. that's up from 67.6% last year. in math, 63.5% of students in grades 3 through 8 scored proficient or advance, up from just 55.6% last year. also, all the leaders who gathered here today were quick to point out that all ethnic groups improved in their percentages as did a high percentage of students who receive free lunches and breakfast

in baltimore county, brian kuebler, abc 2 news. >> if you have any information about the burglaries, you're urged to call the baltimore county police department. the number is 410-887-2210. >>> well, some tough times for the university of maryland at college park. the university will freeze hiring and reduce staff through retirements and possible layoffs. the university's president says the school needs to cut $14.6 million from its 2010 budget. state university system has been ordered to make $37.8 million in cuts to help account for massive state budget shortfall. the university will add some new course options, including masters levels courses for aspiring professionals in an effort to kind of generate some more revenue. >>> and some good news to tell you about for ocean city. the natural resource defense council gives the beach a five- star rating. the council rates beach pollution and water quality on a scale of zero to 5 with 5 being the highest. based on good water quality, how often it is monitored, and how quickly the public is told if there is a problem. some of the worst b

but as brian kuebler reports, the latest victim isn't concerned about the monetary costs of what was taken. >> i would really like to get the disc. >> reporter: maureen nolan lost her mother to a sudden illness this past winter. but after a burglar raided nolan's glen arm home last weekend, she even lost her mother's precious last months. >> that is priceless. and like i said, of all the material stuff that was taken, those are the two things that i would really like to get back. >> reporter: nolan's house was burglarized last friday. the crooks took material stuff -- jewelry, a computer, a camera. but it's what was on that camera that matters. digital video and still pictures of her son's first baby. and the final pictures of her mother, kathleen, in the waning months of her life. >> you know, as parent gets older, you always wonder whether it's going to be the last time, you know, for the holidays. >> reporter: maureen isn't the only one who has lost precious memories. baltimore county police say they have seen a string of burglaries in the glen arm area, all with the same m.o. in