diana avellar, abc news, los angeles. >>> big barks without the coupons. >> we have people from all walks of life coming here for the sole purpose of saving money. >> dented cans, crushed cereal boxes. the place some are shopping at in search for bargain prices. >>> also, hurricane isabel left its mark in 2003. the job one man has of protecting thousands of species at the national aquarium should the weather take over. >>> and a mixed day on wall street. both the dow and the s&p were down. the nasdaq was up a pointment as the economic has tanked, frugal customers have been flocking to so-called scratch and dent or salvage grocery stores there are hundreds spread across more than three dozen states. clayton sandell takes us to one near denver. >> reporter: it doesn't look like grocery stores you're used to. but inside, you won't find the prices you're used to. >> we have people from all walks of life come in here for the sole purpose of saving money. >> reporter: martin palumbo runs this salvage grocery store near denver. he takes in damaged, dented or discontinued products that grocery st

diana avellar, abc news, los angeles. [ closing bell ] >>> and your money now. the dow makes it eight straight, closing up more than 37 points. the nasdaq gained more than 3 points, and the s&p ended its day up just shy of 3 points. >>> a mixed day locally despite the gains on wall street. t. rowe price fell nearly 1%. under armour surged, gaining almost 2%. and marriott international fell nearly 3/4 of a percent on the day. the nation's retailers are bracing for a big hit before the jeer is out. a new report says some 10,000 stores will likely close across the country by the end of 2009. the silver lining in the report is that the rest of the year shouldn't be as bad as the end of last year. >>> and retail stores aren't the only things closing up in these times. banks are failing left and right. the fdic says the government's so-called problem banks list has topped 400, its highest level since june of 1994. crofton-based suburban federal savings bank is the only maryland bank to officially close. >>> and perhaps it's a sign of the times. price wars are breaking

diana avellar, abc news. >>> retiring to the sunshine state is what many people hope to do.t's exactly what one new jersey couple did, except their retirement community is more like a ghost town. take a look at this. this is the 32-story tower that victor bought for him and his wife so they could just relax after years of work. but as everything, private parking, a pool, but nobody else lives in the building. it was built when the housing market collapsed, and the fort myers area got hit pretty hard. most of the units never sold. others had sold and they moved into a sister tower where there are people. unfortunately, victor's lender won't agree to let him swap units. >> i called him up a couple times. i got their law department which told me don't leave your unit. they recommend that's abandonment. so i have to stay here. i tell people at home and they say it's your own building. it sounds great, but it can be eerie at night. it's almost like a horror movie. >> victor's biggest concern is safety. if someone got into the building about a month ago. now every night victor che

diana avellar, abc news, los angeles. >>> now the forecast certified baltimore's most accurate. here is chief meteorologist norm lewis and maryland's most powerful doppler radar. >> at some point here, we're going to get wet. >> exactly. and the majority of the rainfall is going to be coming in during the late afternoon tomorrow, tomorrow night into early saturday morning. that's when we're going to be getting the wetness. some of it is going to be from an area of low pressure that is not necessarily danny. but danny is going to be a player in our weather. it's really kind of a complicated situation. we'll explain it to you. we'll try to break it down. take a look at bwi. 84 degrees. wind currently from the east at 10. the pressure steady, 30.03. there are the tide. low tide 9:22 in the morning. high tide 1:22 in the afternoon. the winds from the east 8 to 14 miles per hour. the sun comes up at 6:31. we'll set at 7:43. down in the tropics, that's where danny is right now. danny has lost some power. the winds were originally this afternoon 60 miles an hour. they're now down to 50

diana avellar has the story. >> a tow truck in a pool. a car plowed into it in pieces. both drivers in the hospital. all because of an accident police say was caused by texting. >> and i watched the tow truck ram into the white car at full speed in my rear view mirror. >> reporter: accidents like these are the driving force behind a september summit announced tuesday by transportation secretary ray lahood. >> the public is sick and tired of people being distracted and causing accidents. >> i think they should stop. that's why i pulled over because i have a phone conversation right now. >> i almost hit a couple of people as a matter of fact. so i know what they mean. >> . >> when they are done, have i expect to have a list of concrete steps to announce. >> reporter: one may be to a federal ban on cell phone use and texting while driving. >> what gets drivers to change their behavior is a strong law, strongly enforced. >> reporter: the statistics are shocking enough. one study found texting behind the wheel is one of the most dangerous things a driver can do, making it 23

diana avellar, abc 2 news, chicago. >>> two window washers get the scare of their lives. left dangling from a high-rise after a platform tilts. we'll show you the dramatic rescue. >>> and a crime caught on tape. a thief runs off with a giant yellow m&m. >> watch abc 2 news any time on channel 1 with comcast on demand. when you first smell the incredible scent of gain laundry detergent, time stops. ( ♪ ) your heart races. ( ♪ ) your eyes close. ( ♪ ) and you realize you're in love... earl! stop your time-wasting. with a laundry detergent. ♪ take my breath away gain. to smell it is to love it. what are you waiting for? >>> here is a look at what is coming up for you all new at 5:30. i'm kelly swoope. the governor's mansion is going green, and we're going inside for a tour. we'll take you there. >>> and kids in baltimore county are protesting a police officer's reassignment. we'll tell you why. >>> plus, radio ads offering loans that you never have to pay back. could it be too good to be true? we'll let you know. >>> plus, how is that weekend looking? wyatt is back with balt

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diana avellar reports from los angeles. >> i have done all i could do. i told the truth, and i have faith the truth will prevail. >> reporter: dr. conrad murray claims he did nothing wrong. but his role as michael jackson's physician could lead to charges of involuntary manslaughter. the associated press is reporting that the los angeles coroner declared the pop star's death a homicide, based on preliminary toxicology results. they reveal jackson had a lethal cocktail of drugs in his system at the time of death. in particular, the powerful anesthetic propofol. investigators are working to determine where the drugs came from. a process that may lead to the implication of other physicians in the case. there are also questions surrounding murray's actions in jackson's last moments. cell phone records obtained exclusively by abc 2 news show the doctor was engaged in several lengthy phone calls, records that conflict with murray's claims he was performing cpr at that time. murray's attorney says his client did nothing negotiate. in fact, according to a newly

diana avellar, abc news, chicago. >>> new credit card rules take effect tomorrow.ing up, what you need to look for in the fine print on your next statement so you can avoid any unpleasant surprises. >>> and tough times are forcing many parents to cut back on school shopping this year. we've got some tips to help you save some money. >>> it was a positive day on wall street. the dow was up over 6 one. nasdaq up over 13. the s&p up almost 7. >>> well, swiss bank giant ubs has agreed to give the internal revenue service information on more than 4,000 accounts of american investors. the i.r.s. wants to see if the accounts held undeclared assets. i.r.s. commissioner douglas schulman says at one time the accounts were worth about $18 billion. >>> a new wave of credit card rules takes effect tomorrow. credit card companies will lose revenue because of them, and experts say the companies will try to make up for the loss in new fees. that means card holders need to keep an eye out for new revenue- raising practices that could cost you money. sheer what to look for. >> we ma

diana avellar explains. >> reporter: celebrated college basketball coach rick pitino is fighting foris reputation. >> when you have a problem, if you tell the truth, your problem becomes part of your past. if you lie, it becomes part of your future. >> reporter: police records reveal he admitted to having sex with karen cipher in 2003. he also told them saifer told them two weeks later to tell him she was pregnant and she wanted an abortion. pitino told police he gave her $3,000. sieffer's account confirms the fact and she claims it was rape, and that he raped her a second time. prosecutors have declined to charge him because of inconsistencies in her story. >> this isn't about me anymore. that's why i will fight to the bitter end, and the truth will come out. >> reporter: seiffer came forward with her accusations only after she was arrested on federal charges of lying to the fbi and extortion. so far university officials have come out in support of pitino. university president james rampy released a statement saying he had known about the alleged exstock, attempt for some time. i've