i'm gigi barnett, a live report >>> felon arrested.ssee man in custody, in connection with the killing of ravens quarterback steve mcnair. >>> man hunt. a robbery at a liquor store leaves the owner dead. police are searching for answers. >>> i'm mike helgrep at -- helgren at baltimore's city hall. wjz obtains the memo, asking for a 5% budget cut across the board. complete coverage, straight ahead. >>> and scattered showers, take over parts of maryland. we have complete first warning weather coverage, with live doppler radar. check in for these stories and all the day's breaking news. "eyewitness news at 5:00" starts now. >>> under arrest. a convicted murderer is now charged with the killing of former ravens quarterback steve mcnair. >> tonight, how he's connected to steve mcnair's girlfriend, in the high-profile murder- suicide. >> i'm sally thorner. >> and i'm kai jackson. >> just two weeks ago, the murder of steve mcnair by his girlfriend rocked the country. and tonight, investigators announced the first arrest in the case. kelly mcp

. >>> i'm gigi barnett in northeast baltimore. that story is coming up on eyewitness news. >>> as we have been reporting, two baltimore police officers were shot this mourning. -- morning. we are continuing to follow the story from shock trauma. >>> to recap, two officers were shot this morning. one, age 42. a three-year veteran of the force. another, age 44, a 17-year veteran of the force. mayor dixon is in shock trauma now, visiting with the families of the injured officers. one is injured more seriously. he has three gunshot wounds, but he is expected to survive. none of the injuries right now, considered life-threatening. >>> to go over what happened this morning, there were two separate domestic violence calls, involve other the -- involving the same suspect. the suspect shot first one officer in one location. and then in a second west baltimore location, opened fire on another officer as he sat in his patrol car. that officer was hit three times but still managed to get out of the car and return fire. the suspect was shot, a

. >>> i'm gigi barnett, in northeast baltimore.hat story is coming up on eyewitness news. >> a beautiful night. and a perfect end to the weekend. i'm bob turk. i'll have the complete first warning forecast coming up next. >>> a deadly shooting rampage crosses state lines, leaving six people dead in two states. one person was shot and killed in huntsville, alabama. meanwhile, in tennessee, five people were killed in two different homes there. according to investigators, the suspect they have in custody has confessed to all the murders. officials also believe several of the victims in tense tense may have been related. >>> another scene in huntsville, alabama is related to this. it has now been determined that there are six victims in this case. we have taken one person into custody, believed to be responsible for this horrendous crime scene. >> reporter: investigators maintain 30-year-old jacob shavord of huntsville is only a suspect and no charges have been filed. >>> a national jury hands down a conviction. earlier today, a nation

i'm gigi barnett. coming up, how even the economy isn't raining on this parade. that story is straight ahead. when i joined the national guard, i never thought i'd be saving lives. it's more than money for college. it's built my character and given me a sense of accomplishment. now i'm on a career path, and i'm the leader of my team. i put on the uniform and i have a whole new outlook on life. country, community, family-- that's what matters most to me. if that matters to you, go to 1-800-go-guard.com. >>> the death toll from a shooting rampage has risen as a south carolina teen has now died in the hospital, the victim of a suspect ised serial killer on the loose in south carolina. the search is still on. residents have have been canceling holliday plans, fearing that the killer is still on the loose. >>> a public memorial for michael jackson will be held on tuesday but the deadline for tickets ends at 9:00 tonight. so far more than half a million people have registered hoping to snatch up one of the 17,500 free ticket. the chosen few will get to attend the memor

i'm gigi barnett. what this means now for students. a live report is now straight ahead. >>> i'm ron matz at city hall, where the green gardens are blooming and the harvest will help the hungry. we'll have the story when eyewitness news continues. >>> it's 5:29. 82 degrees. and partly sunny right now. good evening. thank you for staying with eyewitness news. here are some of the stories people are talking about tonight. maryland college students and professors are getting a real- life lesson in economics. tonight, university leaders are scrambling to figure out how to deal with the $40 million budget cut. eyewitness news is live at the university of maryland college park. gigi barnett has more on who and what will be affected. gigi? >> reporter: students say the engage budget cut pinch will trickle down to them. and it's coming at a time when finding a part-time job to help pay for tuition and extra expenses is hard to do. >> reporter: a hard lesson in economics for maryland state universities and coll

as gigi barnett reports, it's part. summer program to get girls more interested in science. >> three, two, one. >> from the bleachers at rash field in the inner harbor, students from the program at the maryland science center watch their creations fly. one by one, hard work done in the classroom was a success as the rockets crash-landed on the field. >> i was like, wow. that's really cool. >> reporter: and that's the purpose of the week-long camp for girls girls to spark their interest in all types of science. >> we built buildings. and then we're going to shake them to see how well they were built and if they fall, they weren't built very well. >> reporter: and since this week is the 40th anniversary of the first lunar landing, each created their own. >> and learned how to make them fly. >> we sold the rocket -- filled the rockets about halfway full of water. then we put tubes through it. then pumped it through air pressure. and all of that air pressure is built up and released. so all of the water comes out and the ro

i'm gigi barnett.hy the school is fast tracking many people into the teaching profession. >>> humidity returns to the region. what's next in don't miss the updated forecast. eyewitness news at 6:00 starts right now. >>> hello, everybody. i'm denise koch. >> and i'm kai jackson, in for vic carter. here's what peerm are talking -- people are talking about tonight. >> we want to update the breaking news. a horrific accident in anne arundel county, as a car is split in half. captain mike perry has more now. >> reporter: lives i was looking for -- i was looking for a word to describe this, and i guess "horrific "would be a good word. this is anne arundel county, about 45

i'm gigi barnett coming up. >>> coming up next on eyewitness news at 6:00. five-year-old shot and should have been in home confinement. >>> at the start of a fiscal year, we're facing a $700 million budget shortfall. where will that money come from? i'm jessica kartalija. we'll tell you. the details coming up. >>> general emergency -- general motors emerms from bankruptcy. >>> fantastic changes are coming. don't miss the updated forecast. >>> eyewitness news at 6:00 starts now. have a great weekend. >> you, too. >>> unanswered questions. a teen accused of shooting a girl. he was supposed to be on home monitoring. >>> tonight, the situation. >>> the crime outraged a community and raised questions about the juvenile justice system. a 5-year-old girl shot in the head in southwest baltimore. the teen accused should not have been on the street. eyewitness news stays on the story. kelly mcpherson has new reaction from the governor. kelly? >> reporter: when a 5-year-old girl was shot in the head last week, the case received a lot of attention and today, governor o'

in downtown, i'm gigi barnett. now back out on tv hill. >> thank you. >>> katie couric will interview secretary kathleen sebelius about the swine flu on "cbs evening news" tonight. >>> a string of church burglaries in the towson/timonium/hunt valley area getting bigger. police now say in addition to the three churches we told you about earlier this month six other churches are also reporting break-ins. small amounts of cash are being taken along with artifacts. clergy members in the area are taking steps to imprivate security. police at this time have too few leads to go on. >>> drivers will soon notice big changes. suzanne collins is in the newsroom with more on the change of the traffic pattern on i-70. >> reporter: the state highway is channelling an area of i-70 down to one lane in some areas to prevent cars from being able to go side by side to drag race. two people were killed along a short stretch of i-70 from the park and ride to the beltway this june. a car involved in an illegal street race veered off the

. >>> good morning, i'm gigi barnett in for jessica kartalija. >> and i'm bernadette woods in for tim williams. >> good morning to you, it's comfortable and it will warm up this afternoon. we'll show you the temperatures across the region right now. there's a little bit of age in the air, it's 65 degrees and the humid is high and as we head into the afternoon, the humidity is high and the temperatures will be highier than they've been. we'll be close to 90 degrees and at this point, most of the area will be dry and the west is a different story. we'll have a one daybreak from the thunderstorms and they'll return. we'll have the forecast coming up. >> be careful getting into the car. >> yeah, that's when it hits you. >>> first, here's what people are talking about. it was a flight they hadn't planned on taking. eyewitness news is learning about the events that lead to a fatal crash in washington county. it crashed near interstate 70. as kelly mcpherson explains more. >> reporter: the group killed was returning from a charity event in hagerstown and everyone we spoke to about this group

i'm tim williams. >> i'm gigi barnett. we'll be back next saturday morning at 6:00. you and jessica will be back and i'll be out doing. >> stuff. >> stuff. take some of this stuff with you. >> one of these port-o-potty things. >> for all of the information on the items wjz.com.

gigi barnette, all the details straight ahead. >>> rare sight. millions of people get the view of a lifetime. a look at the solar eclipse that won't come around for another hundred years. >>> it is 5:28. 85 sticky degrees out there. mostly sunny. good evening, everybody, thank you for staying with eyewitness news. here are some of the stories people are talking about tonight. the old owner of the center theater is the new owner. the city had the highest bid for the theater. gigi barnette explains why the city wants to be sure the senator remains a big draw. >> reporter: over the years, the city spent thousands revitalizing the area and believe the senator is the main attraction. >> turned into a circus around here. >> we are going to start the bidding off. >> reporter: the bidding of the historic theater began this afternoon, and tears from theater supporters did, too. the auction was held outside without a microphone. some munched on popcorn, theater supporters complained. >> today, the auction should have been inside where everybody could hear

i'm gigi barnett.us, outstanding questions including a previous threat against mcnair and a lack of emergency from 911. >> check on these and more of the day's stories on eyewitness news. >>> mourned by millions. the king of pop, michael jackson, is remembered. >>> emotional tribute, his daughter paris, and the fans he never met. >>> and hello gain -- again, everybody. i'm sally thorner. >> and i'm kai jackson. here's what people are talking about. the jackson family put on a show fit for the king of pop. that's what you've been hearing all day. and it's true. eyewitness news is live with complete coverage of today's memorial from los angeles to baltimore. people from across the country, from across the world, in fact, have been looking at this emotional ceremony. gigi barnelt has been watching the tribute with hundreds of fans here in baltimore. wufirst, we go -- but first, we go to teri okita, who has a firsthand look at the star- studded center. >> he was larger than life and just as big in death. t

. >> in towson, i'm gigi barnett. that story coming up. >>> our string of incredible july days continues. stick around for the updated forecast. >>> parents and alumni are armed with a court injunction. gigi barnett explains, the move may not work. but alumni say it's worth a try. >> reporter: one week after towson catholic high school quickly closes, parents say a court injunction to block the closure may be their last hope. >> reporter: for days, they rallied, hoping the archdiocese of baltimore will hear their plea and reverse the decision to shut the school down. >> reporter: the biggest gathering yet came last night, when school supporters heard about the next step. >> we're excited when we heard the news about the injunction. >> reporter: sue davidson gerhart, who is a 1967 graduate, says she is still upset that the archdiocese didn't tell the alumni that the school is in deep debt sooner. the school is in debt by $600,000. >> i think it they were that far in debt, it should have been been maid known to not only

gigi barnett has more on this.in -- we begin with teri okita. >> those who knew michael jackson said he would have loved all of this. family and friends and millions of fans, giving him one last royal goodbye. ♪ [ music ] >> reporter: michael jackson's brothers, wearing a single, sequined glove, helped wheel his flower-draped golden casket to the front stage.

i'm gigi barnett, at the maryland science center.ing up, we'll introduce you to girls who are excited about science. i'll have details ahead. >>> and it's a great friday evening. get your forecast with meteorologist tim williams coming up. >>> wjz 13 is always on. for the top stories on wjz.com, instant updates and first warning weather all the time, click wjz.com. >>> that's a pretty friday night. it's going to be jumping downtown tonight. >> yeah, a lot going on here. we were just talking about the international soccer football in town. >>> and a lot of folks in this building going down there. a lot of things happening around -- and weather seems to be cooperating. >>> we had a lot of storms pop up today. we want to take you north of the state line. we have training storms. just think of a training storm. and these have just triggered within the last 20 seconds, actually, a severe thunderstorm warning in new york county, until 5:15. nowhere else really seeing these storms. they had a few showers out toward hagerstown. they have all

. >>> on our complete coverage continues now with gigi barnett, who is live downtown, with local tributeson. gigi? >> reporter: well, some people had to take their lunch hour and come and watch a simulcast here at the enoch pratt free library. it was a chance to say goodbye. and some people missed their lunch result of -- as a result of it. but they say they would do it again. ♪ [ music ] >> reporter: it was a part of history they couldn't miss. this simulcast was a chance to say goodbye to the king of pop, and dozens of enoch pratt library visitors. >> people don't have a chance to show their remorse. and i think this is one chance they get. >> reporter: they watch from the library atrium. and a three-hour time difference. some brought their children. >> reporter: others saw the simulcast as a chance to remember the past and jackson's music. >> it's his whole lifespan. it just intrigues me. he was more than just what everyone sees him on the screen and entertaining in the entertainment world. he was a human being. >> reporter: the library says part of the reason it decided to simulcast

i'm gigi barnett. that story coming up in a live report. >>> breaking news. fire ravages a landmark. baltimore county restaurant. we'll have a live report coming from the scene. >> check in for these stories and all the day's breaking news. >> eyewitness news at 6:00 starts now. >>> cold-blooded. police say steve mcnair's girlfriend executed him while he slept. >> tonight, the possible motive for the possible murder- suicide. >>> i'm denise koch. >>> chilling information released. police now confirm his girlfriend shot him to death and then killed herself. eyewitness news stays on the story with complete coverage. adam may has the late-breaking information. >> the girl said her life was out of control. she hinted at taking her own life, but never hinted at taking his life, too. >> the ruling, mcnair's life was taken by sahel kazemi. >> we believe she shot him and then positioned herself next to mcnair on the sofa and shot herself once in the right temple and expired.

gigi barnett explains, how police used text messages to capture the suspect. >> reporter: police say charles swedel was a popular coach. now they say anyone who may have had contact with fridel should ask their child very tough questions. >> reporter: on the soccer field is where police say a 14- year-old girl met charles friedel. since june, the two sent friendly text messages to each other. until earlier this week, when police say friedel's text messages became inappropriate. >> it became inappropriate. and to such a point that friedel was sending sexually explicit texts to the 14-year- old. >> so the girl showed the messages to her daughter, who turned them over to police. >> detectives posed as the girl and continued communication. >> he thought he was talking to the 14-year-old girl. and continued to dialogue. >> reporter: they say he asked the girl for sex several times and sent nude photos of himself. then on wednesday, investigators say he arranged to meet the girl at this convenience store in essex, so they could have sex. >> we had officers who were there, surveiling this a

eyewitness news and gigi barnett are live outside the high school. gigi. >> reporter: good afternoon, don. it is not the first school the archdiocese had to close but it is the first high school. they say they just don't have have the money and parents are scrambling to find a solution. >> reporter: three catholic schools are already set to close, the fourth, towson catholic. parents and students received the word in an e-mail last night. all morning long, they rallied in front of the school upset about its closing. >> we are very saddened by the way the school was closed. we certainly understand economic conditions and the way economy is and enrollment is low, but i believe there were other ways to proceed. >> reporter: archdiocese of baltimore says the problem is deep debt and low enrollment. last year 81 students didn't enroll and tuition is the school's only source of income. >> when you multiply those students by $9500, you realize what a financial burden on the parish and the school and they don't have the money to keep the school open? >> repor

i am gigi barnett.hority wants to you know before the monday morning rush hour. that story is straight ahead. >>> it is one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind. >> 40 years ago today. how the crew of apollo 11 will commemorate the anniversary. >>> i am sharon gibala here with wjz traffic control. coming up, we will talk about that new traffic patter than gigi mentioned and one issue in the stevenson area. that's coming up. >>> send it in for tim. >> in for marty bass in the first warning weather center looking for a pretty nice day start. rain is on your way. the complete updated first warning forecast coming up in just a moment. >>> walter cronkite was very important. >> important. >> that a concert in d.c. more when the wjz eyewitness news >>> welcome back, everybody. a gorgeous start. a shot of spaghetti junction. looks like things are up to speed and then a little haze over the city this morning. still a great start. eyewitness news hat weather and traffic together. we will start with tim

. >> on saturday, gigi barnett, vic, kellye and kelly. suzanne and mark and weija. all part of our continuing commitment. >>> a new warning about the silver fillings that many of virus. it may be harmful to our health. >>> some of the stories we are following at this hour. for constant updates of today's news and the first warning weather forecast, go to >>> the next time you go to your dentist, your procedure may come with a warning label? kellye lynn will explain in health watch. >> hi, you might get a little note from your doctor or at least a talk from your doctor in eyewitness news health watch, the fda places tighter restrictions, regulations on the use mercury dental fillings, the agency now says that the silver color fillings are indeed safe for patients, but they add that they are considered moderate risk devices since some people are allergic to them. the fillings will now have to carry new product labels warning a dentist to use adequate ventilation and avoid using them in patients who have mercury allergies. >>> speed limit changes have led to a jump in

in baltimore, i'm gigi barnett, wjz eyewitness news. >> the transportation authority is urging drivers to be careful and pay attention to the new signs while they become acquainted with the new lane change. >>> what a way to end a lovely july weekend. outside right now it's mild and partly cloudy. meteorologist bernadette woods is live with the updated conditions from first warning weather. wow, bernadette. >> it has to be pretty incredible. we keep saying it, but it is hard to believe it is july outside. nothing going on in our area. 68 very comfortable degrees outside. winds are starting to calm down, and there's another storm just off to the south. not much to the, but it will be moving our way during the day tomorrow, starting to change things up. we'll have that forecast shortly. >> thank you, bernadette. even with all of our recent rain some local residents will soon be under mandatory water restriction. tim williams reports water lines in need of repair are largely the problem. >> reporter: rain so far this year has been abundant. more than two inches above normal and counting.

gigi barnett has more on the rankings. and certainly, they're not talking about you. >> well, if you think that baltimore has some bad drivers, baltimore is not actually the worst. there is one city that outranks baltimore when it comes to bad driving. >> reporter: out of 200 cities, baltimore drivers are second to the worst. that's what a new report released this week by allstate insurance company discovered. >> it's kind of crazy out there. >>> we tried to raise awareness of drivers of what they need to do. why they need to be more aware and drive safer. >> reporter: the insurance company used a number of collision planes planes to rank the top cities with the most accidents. the only city baltimore outranks is the nation's capital. >> d.c. has been at that level for the past five years. we don't know why. police say it's because it's a crowded metropolitan area. >> reporter: they also found baltimore drivers have an 80% chance of getting into an accident. and the frequency of those crashes are going up every year. in --

we're live at camden yards with gigi barnett.t do you have now for us. >> reporter: look at this, they're collecting all of them. we have derek valcourt and adam may and bobby huff, one of the oriole's wifes. >> she's collecting a will the of money. we yell and the guys look at me and then the wives. they put the money in their buckets. >> and ron matz, don scott, of course. >> and it's been -- >> from carroll county, thank you, bernie. >> thank you, from ficks burg. >> and we have a gentlemen here, he's bringing us canned goods. fortune where are you from? >> baltimore highlands. >> thank you! >>> well, let's get this in quickly, why do you do is this? >> well, it's a problem across america and i want to help out the state my husband plays in and it's a good thing we're doing to help maryland. now to this guy, putting him on the hot seat, he's from boston. who are the better givers. >> well, i challenge the o's fans to come out. gigi, the boston fans are really pulling out their wallets. >> bring cash or cans. bring the can, we

gigi barnett is live in the newsroom with news that the fight has been taken to court. hi, gigi. >>> the towson catholic high alumni association is filing suit against the school's parish. they want to file an injunction to keep the school open for at least one more year. the suit claims the parish broke the contract with students whose parents have already paid tuition and deposits for the upcoming school year. the school's pastor says declining enrollment and budget deficit of more than $600,000 are the main reasons for closing the school. >> reporter: last night, parents met with representatives from 15 area schools. hoping to find place for their children. >>> it's now the 6th attempt. you're looking live. the shuttle is fueled up and poised for takeoff for the international space station, along with seven astronauts. nasa forecasters say odds, good weather at launch, in just under two hours is 60%. >>> beautiful day continues. slightly more humid today. eyewitness news has weather and traffic together. meteorologist bernadette woods is here with the updated numbers

i'm gigi barnett. that story is coming up in a live report. >>> i'm mike hellgren in southwest baltimore. where 5-year-old raven wyatt was shot in the head last week. now, her family is speaking to wjz about her condition and about violence in this neighborhood. >>> check in for more on these stories and all the day's breaking news. >> "eyewitness news at 5:00" starts now. >>> mcnair murder-suicide. >> new details about how the former ravens quarterback died and why his girlfriend did it. >> hi, everybody. i'm sally thorner. >> i'm kai jackson. here's what people are talking about. >> updating the breaking news. just a short time ago, we learn more about the death of ravens quarterback steve mcnair. this comes as tennessee police release new information about his death. eyewitness news continue toss monitor this story. >> reporter: just a little more than an hour ago, police did confirm, they believe this is a murder-suicide. it is based on pretty overwhelming physical evidence and now a pretty strong

gigi barnett explains, a number of factsdors forced -- factors forced the school to close. but parents and students are upset. >>> the biggest factor is the economy. this is the first high school the archdiocese has had to close. now, students are trying to find a new school. especially the graduating seniors before this summer ends. >> reporter: a slumping economy forced the archdiocese to have three of the four schools close this fall. now it has a fourth list. towson academy high. >> meet new people. this is like my home. i love it here. i was so happy here. >>> students and parents who receive the word by e-mail last night, protested at the school this morning. they say the warning to close didn't come fast enough. but now they're scrambling to find a replacement. >> this is a hardship. the children have had no opportunity to shadow it at another school. we're just kind of left hanging. >> reporter: towson catholic has no money. because tuition is the only source of income. and it's in deep debt to the tune of $810,000. and last school year, it lost 81 students, the dir

gigi barnett has more. >> reporter: police won't say much about this particular murder because it is still under investigation. but they say one thing is certain that they are searching for two men for their suspects. >> reporter: trout the -- throughout the morning and into the afternoon, customers and workers at putty hill liquor in fullerton stopped by with flowers and disbelief. >> the person that did this needs to come forward. >> reporter: baltimore cownltsesy police say the store's owner, june -- joan ann kang is dead. his shop is closed for now. >> hopefully we'll get information about who these people are. >> reporter: and to do that, police are using plenty of surveillance video. investigators say that's around the time two men walked inside kang's liquor store. at some point, police say the men shot kang. once in the chest. and ran away. they left without any cash. and kang died on the spot. >> everybody out there. everybody. it's just a devastating loss. >> reporter: police wouldn't say if kang put up a struggle with the robbers. but his workers say he had one policy when

gigi barnett has more on how detectives captured the suspect. >> reporter: police say charles friedel was a popular soccer coach and had contact with many children. now they're asking parents, especially whose kid his contact with him, with a cell phone, to ask tough questions. >> on the soccer field is where police say a 14-year-old girl met 32-year-old charles louis friedel. he was her 11-year-old sister's soccer coach. the two sent friendly messages to each other. until early this week, when his messages took on a different tone. >> it became inappropriate. and to such a point where friedel was sending sexualitily explicit texts to the 14-year- old. >> reporter: so the girl showed the messages to her father, who turned them over to police. detectives posed as the little girl and continued communication. >> reporter: friedel thought he was talking to this 14-year- old. and our conversation continued to dialogue. >> reporter: he asked the girl for sex several times and sent nude photos of himself. then wednesday, investigators say he arranged to meet the girl at this convenience stor

as gigi barnett explains, a tuition hike could be coming. >> students say the budget cut pinch will trickle down to them. and it's coming at a time when students say they cannot find part-time jobs to pay for a higher tuition or extra expenses. >> a hard lesson in economics for maryland state universities and colleges. deep budget cuts to the tune of nearly $40 million. plus low tuition means something has got to give. universities are considering a tuition increase soon. it's something students haven't seen in years. >> we haven't raised tuition for four years. so tuition has been flat. >> reporter: university system chancellor rick kirwin says colleges were able to plan ahead. but he believed another round of cutbacks are on the way, possibly in the spring. as students could see a higher tuition bill, fewer services and a drop in part-time professors. >> when people leave, retire, take another job, we won't fill positions. so we'll be short-handed. >> i'm hurting. >> in-state students say the tuition hike will hurt colleges in the long run, especially large ones like university of college

have fun, that's our report, i'm gigi barnett, thank you for joining us, bye bye, everybody. > >>>. ♪me back. that is the voca people. it is an "the early show" exclusive like you could see live from tel aviv, israel, right to your home. >> great stuff. >> right to your homes. we'll hear their out of the world music for the next 90 minutes on "the early show." i'm chris wragge. >> i'm erica hill, also of cnn's "ac 360." make you have a sticky lock, that door that won't open, before you waste any money waiting for the handy man to fix it, how about fixing it yourself. we'll show you how easy it can be. jake tyson is here with quick fixes you can do yourself and save yourself big bucks. >> jake tyson and the voca people, same show? and this is free. when it comes to fighting pain, mother nature may know -- the surprising healing power of herbal remedies. >> i love this one, i'm fascinated by it. right now we want to get you caught up on some of the other morning's headlines. priya david is standing by. >> good morning, everyone. the h1n1 flu pandemic has prompted u.s. health officials t

i'm gigi barnett.baltimore county police are reviewing surveillance video trying to find suspects who shot and killed a liquor store owner. it happened thursday night at putty hill liquors in fullerton. two men were proud lie lytrying to rob the store and ended up killing the owner. the robbers ran away without cash, according to police. >>> new details in the steve mcnair murder case. police say the semi automatic pistol used to kill the former ravens quarterback previously belonged to a convicted murderer. investigators say 33-year-old adrian gilliam admitted to selling the gun to mcnair's girlfriend for $100. he was convicted of murder in 1993 in florida. he's now charged with possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. >>> there is a water restrict for parts of northwest baltimore city and some areas of baltimore county. the restriction bans people from watering lawns or washing cars, even restaurants are blocked from serving water unless requested. the city and county leaders say repair work along

gigi barnett has more on one local program putting students on a fast track to teaching. >> reporter: towson university says in addition to seeing an increase in its apcands, it's -- applicants, it's also seeing more people calling them. asking how they can earn a degree, get more skills and beat the recession. >> reporter: experts say when the economy cools down, college campuses heat up, especially public ones like towson university, where people are going back to school, looking for more skills and another degree. >> last time i checked, no child left behind, it meant no child would be left behind. >> reporter: this is part of a fast-track degree program that many students are choosing. in 12 months, they'll have a master's degree in teaching. students say in a slow economy, getting a degree fast is crucial. >> i can focus on it. i'm not being distracted by my other jobs. i have this. >> i'm not getting any sleep. >> reporter: they are both in a program. mccann decided to keep his night job as a bartender, while earning his degree. he said the more he noticed the number of customer

gigi barnett has more. >> reporter: they found a soap of encrested severed bird's head from the luggage of a passenger. the head is contained in homemade black soap and confiscated tuesday. the traveler was fined $200. they say this poses a significant threat to the poultry industry. and in april of this year, customs agents confiscated another soapy bird head from another traveler, coming from nigeria. he was also fined $900. >> as for agriculture specialists on staff, along with travelers, checking for prohibited items. >>> the grilling is nearly over for supreme court justice sonia sotomayor. >> among them, a connecticut firefighter who lost his job as a result of a sotomayor ruling. >> reporter: a white, new haven firefighter who judge sonia sotomayor ruled against in a reverse discrimination case was among the first to testify. >> achievement is neither limited nor determined by one's race. but by one's skills, dedication, commitment, and character. >> reporter: but on the judge's side are new york mayor michael bloomberg and a former boss in the new york d.a.'s office, robert morg

saturday, gigi barnett, vic, mike hellgren and pat will be collecting donations. sunday afternoon, suzanne, denise, both of our kellies, mark and weija all part of wjz's continuing community commitment. >> i want to show you something. still the biggest souvenir at the ballpark. reimold t-shirt. rojer from earl park. caught a foul ball. still the most treasured souvenir of all of sports if you think about it. >> i have been next to a son when he caught one? >> i remember -- i remember when i was a little kid i had my hand in one and had it pop out of my grasp because i have in a scrum and i was grabbing it so hard. >> how many people will fight over a said foul ball in the region. >> yeah, last night reimold t- shirt night because i am big on this kid. i am telling you, you will be seeing jerseys with that 14 on it. this guy is the best left fielder since loewenstein. >> mays old number. >> you know what we used to say about the old number 14, lee may. thank you. let's take a look at the forecast -- >> the jersey is also my wife's birthday, may 14. >> there you go

i'm gigi barnett. coming up, why principals around the state are boosting their leadership skills. that story is coming up tonight. >>> will your area be affected by thunderstorms tonight? the updated first warning weather with bernadette. >>> for the first time in four years, michael phelps loses a major race. >> paul beaterman of germany. 1:42 flat. >> reporter: with that, phelps is beaten. but it's being asked, was it the swimmer or the suit? a garment which helps him float. this swimmer explains what the buoyant suits do. >> as you swim, you get tired. these suits keep you up even when you're tired. 130 records have been broken in the past year. >> when you put one of these suits on it, it acts like an exo skeleton. >> now, he is threatening to keep michael fep -- phelps out of tournaments. >> he says i don't want to put him in the situation again. the move to do it in april is unacceptable. it needs to happen. they're going to lose their guy who fills these seats. he might do some local meets. in the end, one of the purest out there is struggling with technology. >> i think th

this morning his family talks to gigi barnett about their loss and the continued search for answers in of tariq alston. they have one question for police, who killed tariq. >> you are riding down the highway, and tears just -- stream down your face. it's rough. >> reporter: robert and daphne alston say their son attended a private birthday party at a rented fire hall in joppa harford county on july 13 last year. police say as the gathering ended, someone shot tariq once in the head. his mother remembers the late- night phone call from a friend tran particular about tariq's murder. >> i got a call by his friend saying tariq has been shot. i thought somebody was playing so i ran in and threw phone to my husband, you know, in disbelief. >> reporter: today the family says it is still teaching for the shooter. police are too. but the alstons say the investigation is slow. in the meantime, tariq's family plans to host gatherings like this one in done dal tock remember him and reunite with families of other murder victims. >> this message is for the young people who know what happened to tari

i'm gigi barnett, in fullerton, a live report is straight ahead. >> on the chopping block.ns an internal document, showing cuts to the city budget. eyewitness news investigates what could be in jeopardy. >>> finally, seeing some changes in the weather. bob is updating the first warning forecast. check in for these stories and all the day's breaking news. "eyewitness news at 6:00" starts now. >>> tough cuts. a day after the stadium announces a massive budget shortfall, baltimore city takes action. >> wjz has obtained the internal memo, ordering serious and painful cuts. >> hello, everybody. i'm denise koch. >> i'm kai jackson, in for vic carter. here's what everybody is talking about tonight. >>> no one will be spared. all city agencies will be prepared for 5%. eyewitness news is live at city hall. mike hellgren has reaction from city and state leaders.

i'm gigi barnett. >> it's a nice morning. >> look at that shot.e seen some beautiful shots as the sun is coming up and it's nice. especially after the humidity and a little bit of rain we had yesterday around here. today things are starting to change. 65 degrees outside. the winds around to the west. that's going to bring in some dryer air. we're going to warm up into the mid-80s. more sunshine around and we'll have the rest of the forecast coming up. >>> here's what people are talking about this morning, the death of an american legend, walter cronkite has died at the age of 92. he defined what it means to be a news anchor. here's katie couric with more. >> that's the way it is. >> that's the way it is. >> reporter: for half a century, walter cronkite told us the way it was, delivering the news straight an untarnished. among the pioneers, he forged a special bond with audiences. truth-worthy, plain-spoken. >> you were there. >> reporter: walter was there, he lived the history of the century and reported it. born in st. joseph, missouri, as a youn