cheryl conner reports live from city hall. >> reporter: good morning. recent indictments include charges that were previously dismissed. it basically brings the case back to where it all began. dixon insists she will if on with running the city of baltimore. the state prosecutor says mayor dixon did not report expensive gifts from her ex-boyfriend ronald lipscomb, a prominent city developer and that led to the recent charges of perjury. earlier this year a judge dismissed perjury and misconduct in office charges against the mayor. the new indictment details several purchases the mayor made on a trip the couple took to chicago and it says lipscomb gave dixon over $10,000 in cash. prosecutors say dixon failed to include any of those gifts on her financial disclosure forms. lipscomb has pleaded guilty and is cooperating. >> he's probably going to note things that is admissible evidence that hurts her case and helps the state prosecutor's case. >> my reaction is, hey, you know, sheila, stay focused, continue to build on, you know, this and continue to serve

abc2 news cheryl conner is live with what is next for them. >> reporter: good morning. here's the scene in front of the suburban house restaurant. you can see that windows are boarded up and charred debris from inside now lines the front of the building. it's heart breaking for so many people in the community who consider the restaurant a home away from home. more than 30 people were inside the restaurant 5:00 yesterday evening when the fire was reported. firefighters say someone reported hearing a pop coming from the storage room and then seeing the flames. an employee called the fire department and helped evacuate her colleagues and customers. firefighters say the fire started in the storage room with kitchen supplies and canned goods. the restaurant has heavy smoke damage. here's a promise from the owner to his customers. >> i feel sorry for them. because they are removed from this. >> for a little while though, you said you will be back. >> we will be back. >> reporter: that is some good news this morning since the restaurant has been around since the 1950s. so many

let's go to ravens camp with abc 2 news cheryl conner. cheryl? >> reporter: good morning.he purple cars will be traveling to westminster where the full team will work out for the first time this season. training camp opened monday. the first practice was tuesday. veterans reported on monday. this morning, fans will see the full squad on the field. yesterday, the ravens announced first round draft pick offensive tackle michael orr signed a five-year deal. he gets a $13.8 million contract with a nearly $8 million guarantee. >> i'm the type of guy i don't want to let my teammates down. i want to go through everything they are going through. i want them to hurry up and get me a count. >> we traded him up to get him for a reason. nothing that we've seen thiness that day through the mini scamps and ota's and first day of practice have changed our mind. we even feel better about it. >> reporter: orr grew up homeless in mississippi. his life is the subject of a best-selling book which is made into a movie starring sandra bullock. he will be on the field with his teammates beginnin

cheryl conner, abc2 news. >> this is just the latest string of catholic schools to shut its doors. here is a list of the other five schools. as you can see st. michael's in frostburg also going to close. to learn more about the closing or this story, we've provided a link to abc2news.com. >>> federal prosecutors say a baltimore man pled guilty to embezzling $34,000 from a labor union. the man pled guilty on tuesday to taking the money between 2003 and 2004 from the waterfront guard association local. >>> and also this morning you might want to stay out of the chesapeake bay after hearing about this story. a new study by the chesapeake bay foundation reveals more people are getting sick from dangerous bacteria. researchers claim it's because of global warming and nutrient pollution. cases of bacterial infection in maryland are on the rise. >> to force the government agencies to enforce the law and that's still not being done to the level it needs to be done. chesapeake bay foundation, we continue to be optimistic that the bay can return to a healthy natural state but it needs some h

cheryl conner has reaction this morning. cheryl?: towson catholic high has a rich history. it was founded in 1922. nba player carmelo anthony and olympic gold medalist anita nahl are among the notables that graduated here. now the school is forced to shut down. a spokesman for the archdiocese says the economy is to plame as enrollment declined significantly and the debt climbed as well. the archdiocese had planned to tell the students and faculty members before they found out by rumors on facebook and e-mails yesterday afternoon. students, however, are still praying for a turnaround. >> if the student had lost 26 students from one year to the next. this year they lost 81. combine that with the $61,000 in tuition that didn't get paid last year, that they were waiting to have come in over the summer. parents just can't come up with it. >> if they can still change their minds. it would be nice. if they would save the school. >> reporter: for now we understand that will not happen. teachers will meet with human resources today about job

cheryl conner is live with what lawyers are saying this morning. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. mayor sheila dixon insists these new charges will not stop her with running the business of baltimore and she went on with her schedule yesterday evening saying she never intended on cancelling her appearance at the women's business forum in baltimore. that even after a grand jury handed down new indictments against her. earlier this year a judge dismissed perjury and misconduct in office charges against the mayor. the state prosecutor has re-filed the charges. arguing that the mayor failed to disclose expensive gifts given to her in 2004 by her boyfriend at the time developer ronald lipscomb. the new indictment details several purchases. the mayor made them on a trip to chicago. the prosecutor says dixon failed to include any of the gifts on her financial disclosure form. >> i'm going to stick to my schedule. i mean, that's a chiment that i make. >> i think it is very serious. she's got the best defense team out there but she's probably going

abc2 news cheryl conner is live with what is next for them. >> reporter: good morning. here's the scene in front of the suburban house restaurant. you can see that windows are boarded up and charred debris from inside now lines the front of the building. it's heart breaking for so many people in the community who consider the restaurant a home away from home. more than 30 people were inside the restaurant 5:00 yesterday evening when the fire was reported. firefighters say someone reported hearing a pop coming from the storage room and then seeing the flames.

i'm cheryl conner live in pikesville.t you know what is ahead for this restaurant that has been around for more than 50 years. sweet! sweet! if you love sweet things, you'll really love them when they're made... with splenda® no calorie sweetener. sweet! splenda® starts with sugar. it tastes like sugar. but it's not sugar. and that's... sweet! splenda®. imagine life sweeter®. look for splenda® sweetener with fiber. great sweet taste with one gram... of fiber per packet. sweet!

live in tows, cheryl conner -- live in tows, cheryl conner, abc2 news. >>> the latest schools closing -- there are five others. they are on the screen. to learn more we've provided a link to the archdiocese web site at abc2news.com. go to the web page. you can see it there. >>> also this morning, celebrating the life of the king of pop. carla wohl is in los angeles. she wraps it up. >> reporter: michael jackson's goodbye was both personal - >> ever since i was born, daddy has been the best father you can ever imagine. >> reporter: and it was professional. motown's berry gordy remembering the man he said was more than the king of pop. >> i think he was simply the greatest entertain they're ever lived. >> reporter: a pastor urged the audience to let the music help them heal. ♪ in love i'll be there♪ >> reporter: there were songs from mariah carey, lionel richie, stevie wonder. and usher. ♪ gone too soon ♪ >> reporter: emotional tributes from brooke shields and al sharpton who spoke about how jackson outsang his cynics. >> every time he got knocked down he got back up! every time you cou

cheryl conner, abc 2 news. >>> remember, abc 2 news is following these store areries. go to abc2news.com and get the latest on the ravens. you can go to the ravens fan page and check out what's going on with the team. you can also share your purple passion. we'd love to hear your stories and see your photos. we have a poll question for you. how many games will the ravens win this year? let us know how many. >>> we are just hours away from giving david ortiz the boo of his life as the red sox come to town because yesterday he, again, was implicated in 2003 testing positive for something. that will get our thoughts off of what happened yesterday. brad bergenson took one right off of his shin. watch him hobble down to the dugout. x-rays prove negative but doctors have to wait until the swelling goes down to make sure he doesn't have a hairline fracture. the orioles won yesterday's game. that was tough. brad bergenson, by the way, married a sales girl. did you know that? >> yes, indeedy. >> no. >>> a week from today, you'll be getting your nails done, your hair done. >> ho

cheryl conner is here to tell us what we need to know when we get there. hey, cheryl. >> reporter: good morning. you know the ravens came one game shy of the super bowl last year so hopes are certainly high for the team in the '09 season. quarterback joe flacco is no long are a rookie. he earned the nickname joe cool by being poised under pressure. a big question mark for the team remains with wide receiver derrick mason announcing his retirement. so who will step up? coach harbaugh doesn't believe in picking a number one. >> you've never heard us saying we need a number one guy, number two guy. we don't put our receivers in that. you guys do. we have an x, y and z and they are all interchangeable. >> i didn't know derrick mason. i didn't know what they looked like. i probably thought one was the other. last year, i had no idea who i was throwing to. this we're we're in much better shape. >>> let's hope he doesn't mix this guy up. first round pick michael lord signed. orr will be on the field with a full squad beginning at 8:45. it is the first time the ful

for many in pikesville, a place called suburban house is where we find cheryl conner telling us how owners there are vowing to rebuild after a fire. >> reporter: that's what the owner tells us. families are used to coming here to the suburban house for matza ball soup and its friendly atmosphere but now when they pass the restaurant on reisterstown road they will see this, the windows boarded up, charred rubble all caused by heavy fire. that fire was reported yesterday evening around 5:00. it was put out about 30 minutes later. still it left behind heavy damage. a longtime employee was inside the restaurant when firefighters say someone heard a pop coming from the storage room that contained restaurant equipment. she called the fire department, helped evacuate 34 customers and employees. many people here in pikesville consider this restaurant a home away from home. >> i hope and pray to god they can rebuild this and keep these people working because that's all this community has. >> i used to come here with my grandfather, a bunch of times. >> it's sad. sad. a lot of people depend on us. >

cheryl conner joins us after speaking to the chief flight instructor of advanced helicopter concepts. >> reporter: the company insists it met the standards and its pilot was both experienced and cautious. before the helicopter crashed down, witnesses say it caught fire and hit power lines. the company in charge of its upkeep advanced helicopter concepts based in frederick says it recently checked out fine for flying. >> the 100 hour inspection is done every 100 hours of knight. on top of that, we do a 50-hour inspection and every 25 hours the oil's changed. >> reporter: the pilot was 24- year-old jeffrey nordis of column ya the chief flight instructor says he had 630 flight hours but there was more to be said about his decisionmaking. >> the type of pilot he was, he was very cautious, very safe. always reminding his students about weather, about terrain. >> reporter: one of his last decisions came hours before that fatal crash. before returning to frederick from hagerstown thursday night, he decided to delay the trip two hours because of weather. but around 10:30, the robbins r44 chop

cheryl conner is following the story. she joins us live. good morning. >> reporter: good morning.word got out a day sooner than the archdiocese of baltimore had expected. rumors started flying on facebook and through various e-mails yesterday. now students and faculty are scrambling to find a new school. yesterday evening they gathered outside towson catholic high to talk about the school's permanent shutdown. a spokesman for the archdiocese says it simply couldn't recover from the sudden drop in enrollment. sean cane says the mounting debt stands at 650,000. some students said they saw it coming after several teachers were let go recently. >> i figured they would let us finish out the school year. like the people they already enrolled finish up their school experience here but i guess not. >> this late in the summer they are forced to find employment elsewhere. a lot of the positions for the fall have probably already been filled. >> reporter: again, the news got out before teachers and students could be informed officially. today we're told teachers will meet with human resource

we sent abc 2 news cheryl conner to see what fans have to say about the 2009 season. >> reporter: purple pride comes in all different forms. 1-year-old jason is sporting a spray painted mohawk. >> draw some attention the players? >> absolutely. >> reporter: kelsey hopes to get some attention too from quarterback joe flacco. sure she likes the game, but her eyes are set on number 5. >> sweet last name, kind of cute. >> reporter: no matter the motivation, fans know football is back in season. hopes are set high in '09 after a near super bowl run. the ravens fell in the afc championship game to the pittsburgh steelers last year. >> i think if we can get the steelers' number, we'll be all set. i think we've got every other team okay. >> reporter: the team was expecting 10,000 fans to show up to practice this morning. and that many people may have been here at 8:45. you can see people surround the team as the full squad takes to the field for the first time this season. joe cool is flacco's nickname. and he remains poised under pressure during his rookie season. veteran ray lewis is back on t

cheryl conner takes us to the company where the calls came during her interview. [ siren ] >> reportere call comes out around 9:30 on a wednesday morning. a child is locked in a car in timonium. in less than three minutes, firefighters from the lutherville volunteer fire company get dressed, grab their equipment, and get on the road with lights and sirens. >> it's hot outside. it could be dangerous. >> reporter: 1-year-old ceci watches as work goes on around her. the girl's father says he accidentally locked his keys in the car with her inside. a few minutes later, relief as firefighters pry open a door. ceci is checked out by paramedics on the scene. and we're back on the truck with the men who rescued her. their work is finished here, but they're always waiting on the next car. for so many of the men and women in the firehouse, firefighting is in their genes. without a second thought, they agree to rescue others while often putting their own lives in jeopardy. and here in lutherville, no one gets paid. >> everybody is 100% volunteer, 100% of the time. it's a dedication of a lot of in

we're live in downtown baltimore, cheryl conner, abc2 news. >>> the other big story we're watching --r summit in washington. >> plenty of bud lites, blue moons, red stripe for the president as the president and two others. sherrie johnson has more. >> reporter: a summit takes place at a picnic table behind the white house. the beer summit. the follow-up to the president injecting himself into the middle of an arrest in cambridge, massachusetts. president barack obama's friend, a black professor at harvard was arrested by a well regarded white police officer. the white house hopes a few cold beers calm what became a heated racial disagreement. dr. henry faith junior was arrested two weeks ago at his home. gates forced his way in when a lock jammed. a nearby woman called 911 concerned about a possible break-in. sergeant james crowley arrived at gates' home, arrested him for disorderly conduct. the charge was dropped but tensions escalated over whether crowley treated gates differently because he was black. after president obama weighed in and said the cambridge police acted stupidly he

cheryl conner is a firefighter for the day. we're going to find out about that. >>> and how important is it to have a volunteer company and support one. >>> when you and rob grow old you have to think about elder care. and you have to think about dementia. you have to think about - >> wandering away. i have a quick question. >> what is that? >> for the next 24 days are you going to tie everything into the wedding? >> that's right. when rob comes home and looks at the cell phone bill he will say megan, what have you you been doing? we'll find out about cell phone rates. >> when rob runs for president, becomes president and is invited to give out the first pitch he'll know how barack obama feels. >> obama's first pitch tonight on the hill in st. louis. >> justin, help me >> you're wearing something blue today. >> i am. something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue. i'm not doing that for the next 24 hours. >> not something old? >> something ancient. >> i did not say that. >>> by the way, talk about something ne

cheryl conner live with the latest. >> it's happy hour at the white house. three guys sit down for a man-to-man-to-man conversation. >>> and one day after he was not the fastest swimmer anymore he proves the world wrong. maybe it's the suit. >>> those stories and much more coming up. in the meantime, thank you for joining us. >> let's get some weather now. here's justin berk. >> good morning. pretty much the same old thing except for the fact this morning will be sunny. we've actually cleared out since storms moved through overnight. not much in the way of fog though there may be patches out there. but we have a clear sky over downtown, 73 degrees. notice the humidities sticking around

cheryl conner is outside, what is it looking like? >> reporter: the cleanup continues, multiple reports came to 9-1-1 around 6:30 this evening, countless trees anymore lines were knocked down all because of thunderstorm, but nothing more dramatic than two drivers being trapped in their cars. we talked to one woman as she was rescued. >> we arrived at juanita moore's nightmare ended. you barely see her car, covered by trees that toppled during a storm. she was stuck for about an hour. >> it was boom and it shut down my car. >> reporter: firefighters were able to check on her until bge arrived to shut off power. >> they it prioritize it. our permy in contact the whole time to reassure her. >> the damage spread out, trees snapsed in half on church road and lawns are littered. neighbors say the wiped was forceful, but the rape was heavier than a hurricane. >> it was literally a wall of water. >> reporter: this looks to be 10 feet tall and a power pole nearby is close to collapsing. baltimore county helicopter flew above to assess the dama

cheryl conner, abc 2 news. >> remember, abc2news.com is your place for all of the latest news on thehavens. you can also upload your pictures. right now we have a web poll question for you. how many games will the ravens win this year? that is the ravens fan page. you can find it on abc2news.com. >>> we have a california businessman that's come up with his own plan to help stimulate the economy, and it involves $2 bills. >> he's given $50 all in those unusual bills. to each of several hundred of their employees with one condition. they have to small it at -- spend it at small businesses where they live. he has plans to pass out much more. >> one of the principles of our bit is a great way. we have been tracking some of it. when i see the story go from one story to the next and the next. >> reporter: the owner doesn't think the modest effort will turn the economy around but believes it can change attitudes. >>> we want to change your attitude and latitude. take you back to the beach. we did this quick. we're expecting storms to come in later today. 82 in ocean city. tomorrow morning,

cheryl conner, abc 2 news. >>> tomorrow sarah palin gives up her job as governor of alaska. she burst on the national scene when john mccain announced she was his choice as a running mate in the 2008 presidential election. she created a stir of speculation when she announced on july 3rd she would not complete her term as governor. neil reports on what she's doing on her final weekend as governor. >> reporter: alaska governor sarah palin is spending her final 48 hours in office sharing hot dogs with her constituents over weekend picnics. earlier this month she announced she was leave in the middle of her first term. blaming the cost and distraction of investigations driving her from office. critics say this is even costing the state money. but supporters say transition costs are a fraction of the $2 million the state spent on the ethics probes against her. the investigation centered on whether she abused her power as governor in the latest salvo recently leaked documents allege she may have violated ethics laws by improperly raising money for her legal defense. according to a

cheryl conner, abc 2 news. >>> an autopsy will be performed on mcnair tomorrow. stay with abc 2 news and abc2news.com for the latest development on steve mcnair's death. >>> the latest now on a 5- year-old girl who was shot in the head in southwest baltimore. the child was caught this the crossfire of a neighborhood fight two days ago. tonight, police made an arrest. she was just 5 years old walking in her southwest baltimore neighborhood when all of a sudden shots rang out. when the smoke cheered, the child was shot in the head, rushed to the hospital clinging to life. police arrested 17-year-old lamont davis in the shooting today. >> it's just people being dumb. two young men being insanely stupid. >> reporter: davis is accused of using a semi automatic handgun to settling a fight. he he fired the gun, missed his target and bullet hit the 5- year-old girl. detectives went door to dhar and used footage from closed- circuit cameras in the area. during a news conference, baltimore city mees commissioner is focused on getting guns out of the wrong hands. >> this re