jessica kartalija has more on the trees in full bloom. jessica? >> reporter: that's exactly right, mary. a lot of people had plans to come down here next week. but because of these warm conditions, the cherry blossoms are in full bloom now through the end of the weekend. and people are coming from all over maryland and across the country to see them. >> magical. >> reporter: in washington, d.c., the perfect day for a picnic. >> it's all very, very pretty. >> reporter: or even a spot of tea. >> we call it tea on the tidal basin. it's so much fun to pull out the fine china and silverware and do it all right. >> reporter: the anniversary of the japanese giving 3,000 cherry blossom trees to the united states. a symbol of the blooming friendship between the two countries. >> reporter: why do you think it's important that people see something like this. >> this is also a good reminder that people can say thank you in many ways. >> we're here to come see the cherry blossoms, have lunch, and a couple of beverages. [ laughter ] >> reporter: the cherry blos

jessica kartalija is live to update the aces bracket. >> denise, you and i are nowhere in sight.bernadette woods is at the top, mary is next. if you want to see where you stand, go to wjz.com and click on the bracket challenge at the top of the home page. denise we're there some where. >> congratulations mary. >> you know the gauntlet is down. you have to get in next year. >> we'll see. >> still to come tonight on wjz's eyewitness news. >>> i'm ron max in canton where a new look mr. row is celebrating the 20th anniversary of camden yards. the story coming up here on wjz. >>> pink slime, the controversial ground beef filler, now the company that makes it makes a major decision. >>> i see it. it's full of [ bleep ]. come on man, what are you doing? >> santorum lashes out, what ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, >>> it is just before 6:30, 54 degrees and sunny. good evening everybody and thank you for staying with wjz here are some of the stories people are talking about tonight. hundreds of people joined a march through downtown baltimore in support of trayvon martin, the teenager killed by a neig

i am jessica kartalija. >> don scott. >> ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

. >> hello again i am jessica kartalija. >> i am don scott. >> here what is people are talking about. baltimore's archdiocese has a new leader, the pope appoints william laurie as the new bishop, alex has more on this major announcement. good afternoon. >> reporter: good afternoon, jessica, william laurie now becomes the archdiocese of baltimore's 16th archbishop. maryland's catholic's new spiritual leader was introduced by its outgoing bishop edwin o'brien. 62-year-old william laurie was serving as bish bishop of bridgeport when he was named, one reason has been his active role in representing the church on hot button issues like insurance coverage for contraceptions, he arrives as maryland's new same sex marriage law is headed for a refer referendum, a fight they will continue under him. >> not only teaching but working with all of the other bishops and other leaders as the referendum unfolds. >> reporter: william laurie eye installation will be held at the cathedral of mary or queen on our queen on may the 16th. >> we will have more at 4:00, 5:00 and 6:00. >> a local soldier murder

. >> and i am jessica kartalija. >> and here is what people are talking about today, it is the jet blue pilot who had a complete meltdown in midair and is now in police custody in texas. both passengers and the crew leaped into action when the captain started acting erratically, bigad shaban has the latest. >> reporter: the pilot who caused the chaos could be the first airline captain charged with interfering west his own flight. passengers say that veteran pilot clayton osbeen had a mental break down. running up the aisle rapting ranting about a bomb and screaming they are going to take us down. the became irate after the copilot locked him out of the cockpit. >> he was banging on the door, telling him to bring the throttle to idle, we are all going to down, pray to jesus. >> they took action. >> impulsively we jumped up and grabbed him and pulled him away from the cockpit door and he started ranting. >> we had no other option but to physically restrain this individual on the ground until the plane was safely landed. >> reporter: the crew brought an off-duty pilot on board into the coc

jessica kartalija is in the newsroom with more. jess? >> reporter: the woman tells detectives, the intruder broke into her north baltimore home late last night. it happened in the 3300 block of frisbee street. the victim said the man sexually assaulted her. she describes her attacker as 6 feet tall. he was wearing a black mask with gloves and a hooded sweatshirt. police are asking for help identifying that suspect. denise? >> thank you, jessica. if you think you have information, you're asked to call baltimore police. >>> today, the family of a man who killed trevon martin is speaking out in his defense. randall pinkston reports for wjz, from sanford, florida. >> reporter: george zim areman remains free and is not talking about the shooting death of trayvon martin. but with continuing calls for his arrest, zimmerman's family is going public. robert zimmerman, jr., told cnn, his brother acted in self- defense. and, quote, stop someone from disarming him and shooting him. you return force with force when someone assaults you. the 17-year-o

thank you. >>> first warning weather coverage continues now with jessica kartalija, live in washington, d.c. where the cherry blossoms are in full bloom, as are many of the people who are down there. jessica? >> reporter: yeah. to say the least. we were saying it was such a great time to check in here. and there are kids everywhere. but it is such a beautiful night to be down here. the weather is absolutely perfect. the sun is out shining. and people are absolutely loving it. from all over the country and all over the world. they're coming for the centennial celebration of the cherry blossoms. >> magical. >> reporter: in washington, d.c., the perfect day for a picnic. >> it's all very, very pretty. >> reporter: or even a spot of tea. >> we call it tea on the tidal basin. so much fun to pull out the fine china and silver and really do it up right. >> reporter: the 100th anniversary of the japanese giving 3,000 cherry blossom trees to the united states. a symbol of the blooming friendship between the two countries. >> why do you think it's important that people see something like this? >

i'm jessica kartalija. we're live in washington, d.c., where the cherry blossoms are in full bloom. today is the peak that came early because of all of these warm weather conditions we have been having. for the latest on the updates, here's bob. >> beautiful afternoon there. not hot. now, tomorrow is going to be pretty warm in d.c. probably mid- to upper 70s. might even get to 80. take a look at radar. i found one little thundershower there. just between salis salisbury and princess ann. you can see where it's going right now. let's take a quick zoom in here. see who is getting this shower. nobody. don't have the city listed. there you go. 53 hill, chinnity. polk road and weegz little places there. so you folks down there are getting a quick shower. everybody else pretty quiet as you can see, not much going on. 67 degrees, very pleasant. and of course, all month long, i don't think they had one warmer day all month. east winds continue to keep this ocean moisture in. that's why we had this heavy fog this mo

. >> i am jessica kartalija. >> here is what people are talking about today, the taliban fighters are vowing revenge after a u.s. soldier kills more than a dozen people in a shooting rampage in southern afghanistan. here is danielle nottingham with the latest for wjz. >> reporter: afghan security forces stood guard on the streets of kandahar, concerned about retaliation for a u.s. soldier's shooting rampage. u.s. officials took an army staff sergeant into custody after he reportedly left his base around 3:00 in the morning sunday and walked to two nearby villages then went house-to- house shooting civilians. afghan officials say 16 people died in all. three of them were women, nine were children. he dragged the boys by their hair and shot them in the mouth this woman said. other witnesses say after the killings the shooter set the bodies on fire. >> those family members will demand revenge. they have to have it for the sake of their honor, for the sake of their families, for the sake of themselves. >> afghan president karzai called the killings unforgivable. the president promised him

i'm jessica kartalija, wjz eyewitness news. >>> wjz is your place for complete opening day coverage friday april 6th as jessica mentioned. our coverage kicks off at 2:00 p.m. with a pregame scheduled, followed by the game. >>> let's take a look at temps, 57 now at north-northwest winds at 18. humidity is way way down. a chilly night on tap we'll talk about that right after this. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, >>> we're looking at federal hill. everything in bloom there. and the heat continues to bring very dry canadian air. tonight when the winds dry down, temperatures are going to plummet back in the 30s. even some upper 20s, so that's something we have to watch. if you have any tender plants, tropicals so what, get them in or cover them up because they probably won't survive. unless you live in the city, the city should stay above freezing. 47 in oakland, right now 56 in ocean city. locally 52 up in bell air, 523 westminster. we have a breeze still, 22, 18. still kind of breezy. later tonight the temperatures will drop. even though cool dry air continues to move in. really need the light winds clear

i'm jessica kartalija. here's what people are talking about. we are learning more about that officer this noon as wjz has reported sources say the weapon used to kill monae turnage was found inside his car. wjz is life with the investigation. spent afternoon, everybody. we can tell you that police have taken a dna sample from that officer and a major focus of homicide unit is figuring out just how deep his role may have been in all of this. >> reporter: city leaders and loved ones have expressed outrage, disgust, and sadness over the death of monae turnage. police say the eighth grader was shot while playing with two friends and a .22-caliber rifle over the weekend. investigators believe the boys dragged her across an alley and hid her body in the backyard where her brother eventually found her after a frantic search when she did not return home. shortly after, the police charge those 12 and 13-year-old boys with involuntary manslaughter, came the stunning news from sources close to the investigation that authorities on the rifle used in the ki

i'm jessica kartalija.oming up on wjz, how a maryland company is teaming up with the one love foundation to raise money for inner city children. that story next. >>> sharing their pain. how families touched by horrific crimes are using their tragedies to help others. i'm derek valcourt. i'll explain coming up on eyewitness news. >>> and are we in store for a delightful weekend? don't miss the updated first warning forecast. ,,,, girl: i want to tell you about my friend. his name is ben. ben learned about a homeless boy who had an infected tooth, and the boy died. that made ben really sad. he wrote a law so every kid can see a dentist. we have special dental van that goes from school to school. he even helps make sure we learn how to brush our teeth. he's my friend, ben. i hope he's your friend, too. >>> from baltimore city to harford county, hundreds of candles will light tomorrow night, to honor lives cut short by murder. the families of murder victims are hosting simultaneous candlelight vigils. >> my son

jessica kartalija has more on the alarming illness. >> reporter: galvert county is looking for samples of a microbe strong enough to kill three family members. died march 1st. her 58 year old son and daughter died tuesday. the maryland department of health and mental hygiene confirmed two died of influenza h 3 combined with a bacterial infection. medical examiner said at least one of the bodies was brought here to baltimore city for an autopsy. blake's other daughter is being treated at a washington area hospital. they were caring for miss blake when she contracted a pneumonia type of illness. >> we have no evidence that this is spread beyond this family group. >> reporter: health officials have contacted members of blake's extended family. >> i don't know a lot. i'm trying to take precautions for my family. >> reporter: school officials are notifying parents to watch for any sign of illness. >> it's upsetting to think there's something out there that we don't know what it's all about. >> reporter: flu season goes through may. if you haven't had a flu shot, it's not too late. jessica k

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. >> hello again, i'm jessica kartalija. here is what people are talking about today. more reaction from a baltimore city police officer suspended. this comes after detectives find the gun used in a fatal shooting inside his car. wjz is live and we stay on the story. more on what the mayor has to say about this controversy. that afternoon. >> like many elected leaders, she is troubled to hear about a police officer's possible connection to the shooting of a 13-year-old girl. >> reporter: the investigation into the accidental shooting of a 13-year-old, a top priority inside baltimore city leased departments homicide unit. they await the results into the investigation into why the rifle was found inside a police officer's car. >> the thought of it is quite frankly disgusting. >> two boys ages 12 and 13 have already been charged as juveniles with involuntary manslaughter after they accidentally shot their friend and then dragged her body into an alley in the neighborhood. sources tell wjz the off-duty police officer was dating a relative of one of the juvenile suspects. >

. >> hello again i'm jessica kartalija. and here's what people are talking about today. dozens are killed as tornadoes sweep through the midwest and west. susan has the very latest on the devastating storms from henriville, indiana. >> reporter: 15-year-old courtney walked with her parents passed the wrecked high school this morning. the 9th grader won't be back in school any time school. >> i want to be there and i want to be in my classes. i want to see my teachers and my friends. >> tornadoes killed at least 49 people and displaced thousands in five states. the latest victim was angel babcock. she was found alive after the rest of her family died. many hoped she would be the miracle survivor but the toddler died sunday night. >>> a new coning of snow that fell is complicating clean up. utility workers are trying to restore power as quickly as possible. >> they spray paint on the ground where we're going to put our polls and we can't see the paint. so we have to clear the snow. >> the winter weather is also making conditions hazardous for homeowners trying to survey da

i and jessica kartalija. reagan is after two juveniles are a rest it for what please call an accidental shooting. it's a city police officer has been suspended as a result of the investigation. wjz is live on the story and has more on what police are saying about the officer's involvement. >> that officer has been suspended but police are not releasing many details as to why. they will only say that they have raised questions about the officer's conduct after that shooting. this officer was off duty at the time and he apparently knows at least one of the children involved. >> reporter: detectives say money turned was inside the home with friends saturday night. they were playing with a gun when it went off. police say two boys dragged her into the alley and hid her body. her mother says when her dot her failed to come home, she personally questioned the two boys with her. >> i couldn't get a straight story out of it. >> the family says the story of what happened doesn't add up. >> we all know things have been

. >> and i am jessica kartalija. >> and here is what people are talking about today, the growing nationwide outcry over the killing of trayvon martin, the florida teenager whose death has raised concerns about racial profiling. we are live with complete coverage. mike hellgren is in west baltimore, where one of the rallies will be held today but we will start with mark strawsman from sanford, florida, the community that has been forced into the national spotlight with martin's death. [ singing ] >> reporter: last night dozens gathered outside a gated community where 17-year-old trayvon martin was shot and killed a month ago today. the shooter, george zimmerman, claims he fired in self defense and remains free. >>> sunday church services from florida to chicago turned into calls for justice. >> we can't do it by ourself, we need you god. >> reporter: in eatonville, florida, reverend jesse jackson implored the faithful to look at his killing as a new wake up call in a new battle for civil rights. martin's death and zimmerman's conditioned freedom has morphed from a criminal case to a national

i'm jessica kartalija. >> and i'm don scott. >> the student who police say made threats at the shooting of the university of maryland remains hospitalized are you we are learning new information about the investigation this noon. >> reporter: the 19-year-old is getting a psychiatric evaluation after anonymous postings on the internet. alexander song, an honor student, placed threats of shooting rampage on campus anonymously online and they try to alert people on message boards with taking them seriously enough to report them leading to an arrest. >> he was very emotionally distraught to the point of shaking and crying. >> i actually found out from one of my good friends who saw the article firsthand and read it. >> he said that he immediately was scared. >> if you are joking, you better speak up, because you are scaring me and i'm going to alert some authorities are yet laugh out loud, go ahead, you don't even know what campus i'm talking about. >> between late saturday night and early sunday morning, police tracked the messages on his computer. >> we had to work throughout the night to

. >> and i am jessica kartalija. >> and we begin with today's breaking news, the mega millions jackpot is the topic, state lottery officials just telling wjz moments ago the jackpot has jumped 100 million dollars to 540 million to 640 million, the cash option is now $462 million. lottery officials say the demand is so high for tickets they had to deliver extra rolls of paper for tickets to retailers, that drawing is just after 11:00 tonight and could go higher. >>> in the day's other big news story testimony continuing in the second trial of two twin brother accused of setting a pit bull on fire. wjz and weijia jiang are live outside the courthouse. good afternoon. >> reporter: good afternoon. right now jurors are hearing from the police officer who put out the flames on the puppy with her sweater, she said the air smelled like burning meat. still the star witness in this case may be a city police camera. video taken from a city watch police camera is considered a key piece of evidence in the trial against travers and trumaine johnson, the 20-year- old twins accused over setting a pit

jessica kartalija. >> and others arrest underclude several u.s. congress men and the president of the naacp. >>> grand prix woes continue for the city. according to the president -- "baltimore sun," they missed three of the four benchmarks. they are still working out the terms of the agreement. the original group, baltimore racing development, still owes millions of dollars these the city. >>> remembering yardley love, the native was found dead back in 2010, murdered by her ex boyfriend, george huguely. now, maryland company is working to keep her memory alive. >> reporter: family and friends are saying that passion that yardley love had on the lacrosse field, carried over into all aspects of her life. in her memory, they work to teach children sportsmantium and kindness. two qualities that she was known for. >> reading about this and being from the area. it touched me personally as well. we wanted to get involved. >> reporter: now, peter beveridge, the president of eyeblack, is teaching up and selling decals with the logo. >> we're going to be do

. >>> hello again, i am jessica kartalija and here is what people are talking about today, we have breaking news this noon a tornado touches down in alabama. it hit this morning destroying homes there. no reports of injuries yet but forecasters say the system could bring strongered toes to the same region where 13 people were killed earlier this week. we have this report from kentucky. >> reporter: melissa clark and her family scrambled to salvage their belongings thursday while the skies are still clear. >> now there are storms rolling in again. >> i know that is awful. we have worked all day to get as much as possible out because we don't have any roof. >> a tornado tore through her home in kentucky wednesday, sucking up almost everything with it. the system was part of the same string of killer tornadoes that roared across the midwest and south. clark wasn't home at the time but she is pregnant and this ordeal is taking its toll. >> we have a baby in eight weeks. so you know to not have a home to bring him home to is pretty stressful. >> today's storm is threatening to unleash more devas

. >> and i am jessica kartalija. >> we begin with breaking news overseas, earthquakes rock japan no, sir once but several times, mary bubala has the latest on this. >> reporter: good afternoon. the earthquakes hit this morning in the very same area devastated by an earthquake and tsunami one year ago. the quake hit the southern coast of the country causing a small tsunami, several coastal communities were advised to evacuate as a precaution. less than three hours later another quake shook buildings near tokyo. there have been no reports of injuries or serious damage. this past sunday japan marked the first anniversary of the magsive magnitude 9 earthquake and tsunami that left some 19,000 people dead or missing. don. >> thank you very much, mary. >>> first warning weather coverage continues now with meteorologist tim williams and a closer look at the earthquakes, good afternoon. >> good afternoon, as you just heard this in the same region where the earthquake last year, that is of course, the one year anniversary was just this past sunday. this is a 6.8 magnitude quake that hit aroun

jessica kartalija wjz eyewitness news. >> thank you. the peak blooms are expected to last through saturday but there will be some for a month here. next. >>> i am manuel gallegos in new york, they rally in support of a teenager killed in florida. we have that story coming up. >> good morning, residents in danger of losing their homes and they blame the city. monique griego. those details coming up. >> breaking records, i am derek valcourt at the capitol where they are honoring one of maryland's two senators. i will tell you who and why coming up. >> sharon gibala here on wjz tv traffic control. in addition to the fog we have an accident at the ft. mchenry tunnel. we will tell you about that in a few. now over to tim. >> -- temperatures headed our way after the fog moves on out. we will have your complete first warning weather forecast in just a moment. >> it is march madness of course and terrell suggs is talking basketball for a change. coming up on coffee with, his >>> this is wjz tv, wjz hd, and wjz.com, baltimore. >> good morning, m

jessica kartalija is live to update the asus brackets challenge. >> it's tough to say, adam. say it eight times fast. the further we get into the tournament, the more points you can earn. in tie for fire first, tim and mary. and bob turk rounds out the top with 76 points. as for me, i am nowhere to be found, but i am still in there somewhere. so if you want to check the standings and see where we all stand, just come here to wjz.com, and click on the link at the top of the home page. way to go, adam. i'm impressed. >> i have to admit, i got help out. did you get help? >> no, clearly i did not. and i have somebody back in the newsroom that -- by the name of mitch freedman. >> oh. our executive producer. >> don't ask him for any advice. >> i'm not going to give up my helper here. very helpful with my bracket. >>> march madness continues. thursday night with the sweet 16 at 7. it is syracuse, versus wisconsin. that is the battle of ohio, the buckeyes versus the bear cats. all of it is live here on wjz 13. did you do a bracket this year? >> i didn't do a bracket at all. i can't t

and i'm jessica kartalija, in for mary. and here's what people are talking about. >> a 40-year-old man is handcuffed, after police say he attacked a teenager at long rich high. mike hellgren has the update to this fight scene seen all over the-- fight seen all over the internet. >> reporter: and kai, we're talking hundreds of thousands of people who have

i'm jessica kartalija, in baltimore city.'ll explain next. >>> check in for more on these stories and all the day's breaking news. "eyewitness news at 5:00" starts now. >>> deadly gunfire accidentally shot by friends. a young girl's body, then dumped in the trash. >> tonight, tears and questions. how was a police officer involved? >>> hi, everybody. i'm mary bubala. >> i'm vic carter. kai jackson is off tonight. here's what people are talking about. >> tonight, police

let's begin with jessica kartalija. >> adam, the extent of that damage is still being assessed. but it appears it could have been much worse. there is moderate to severe damage, including this bridge, that has a huge crack down the middle. more than 60 homes are damaged in nearby epicenter in the southern guerrero state. but the quake was felt 200 miles away in the capital of mexico city. at this point, no reports of death or any serious injuries. president obama's daughter, malia, is in southern mexico for a school trip. she did feel the quake, we're told, but is fine tonight. adam? >> all right, jessica. complete coverage continues now with bob turk, he has more on the strength of this earthquake. >> as you mentioned, the earthquake struck in the southern state of guerrera, near acapulco and oaxaca. it actually struck this afternoon, 2:00 in the afternoon, eastern daylight time. the initial quake measured at 7.4. aftershock at 5.1. it was about 11 to 12 miles underground. mexico city, as you mentioned, about 200 miles away. and they really felt the effects in midcity. and the

. >>> still to come, on wjz -- >> i'm jessica kartalija on campus. to play ohio state. we'll have complete coverage we'll have complete coverage from loyola straight ahead. ,,,, hey, what are you drinkin'? i'm drinkin' dunkin'. i'm drinkin' dunkin'. i'm drinkin' dunkin'. extra cream, three sugars. just straight black. i like four sugars and two creams. kind of tastes like a little ice-cream cone. it's perfect. large iced coffee with milk and sugar, please. i see the steam rising off the cup because you know it's a fresh pot. man: one cup a day for sure. every single day. two if need be. and it's usually need be. i'm drinkin' dunkin'. man: i'm drinkin' dunkin'. woman: i'm drinkin' dunkin'. i love it. i run on dunkin'. america runs on dunkin' coffee. >>> 6:26 and march madness has begun and for the first time in 18 years, loyola university of maryland is in the big dance. here's jessica kartalija with more on the excitement mounting on that campus. >> reporter: loyola greyhounds are headed to the big dance. the talk around campus is all about thursday's game. >> everybody

jessica kartalija is live with more on where ron paul supporters can find him tonight. jessica? >> mary, texas representative and gop candidate ron paul is said to attend tonight. it's 7:00 at the campus of the university of maryland. paul was in last place. the 12-term congressman filed to appear on the ballot in new jersey last night, which gives him the status of first candidate to have nationwide ballot access. mitt romney is expected to file in new jersey soon, making his 50-state ballot access likely. romney received another key endorsement. former president george h.w. bush is throwing his support behind mitt romney. florida governor jeb bush is also endorsing the former massachusetts governor. >>> maryland's primary election is tuesday, april 3rd. did you get that mary? >> i got it all, jess. it was a lot, though. thank you. stay with wjz for complete coverage of 2012. we'll bring you the latest on the results during the maryland primary. >>> dangerous silicone injections. 45-year-old kimberly insteadly of atlanta admits to giving illegal shots to people in hotel rooms u

. >> i'm jessica kartalija. >> here is what did you what people are talking about. hundreds of young people deciding to meet up downtown, then police making several arrests. mike hellgren is live outside of city police headquarters with new reaction rom the mayor. good afternoon, mike. >> reporter: good afternoon, don, good afternoon everybody, the mayor is disappointed and blames in part the warm weather but says she is committed to keeping downtown safe. during a beautiful weekend at the inner harbor, police had to work to disperse a crowd of hundreds, young people gathering downtown. likely an event organized on social media and runted in ten arrests, mostly for curfew violations. it's not the first time. last april a similar sprik break meet up ended with a teenager stabbed and officers tried to get crowds under on control. some were unruly and media partner, the ballet nor sun reports an officer used a taser saturday, unclear if it's related. the sun reports streets were blocked off and arrests for assault and disorderly conduct. the inner harbor drawn focus af

. >> um, nice start to our friday, jessica kartalija in for don today. good morning, everyone. we have weather and traffic together, sharon we will get to you up just a sec. let's start with marty. >> clear skies now, 12 hours we will have rain. let's take a look at temperatures, the stunning 24 hours difference in temperatures. 22 degrees cooler than yesterday. those are your predicted temperatures. jess, take it away. >> thanks, now over to sharon at traffic control. good morning. >> not a bad morning. no delays but a few other issues, including police activity in the city on green mount avenue. also we have a water main break on southbound york road at stevenson lane blocking the left lane and one accident left on 100 eastbound at arundel mills boulevard. no delays on the outer loop. the top and the west side speeds high 50s and low 60s. there is a look at your speeds on 95 between white marsh boulevard and the beltway. the top side looking good there at york road. remember wjz is always on so for traffic information anytime you can log on. >> here is what team will be talki

jessica kartalija, wjz eyewitness news. >> all right. thank you, jessica. health officials also urge anyone who believes they may have contracted the flu, wash your hands often and keep sick children at home. >>> he pulled off of one of the most historic heists. now, they believe barry landau may have sold some of his things. investigators already found thousands of stolen documents. now they're counting on other collectors who have worked with landau to come forward if they have received stolen items. >>> calls to repeal the death penalty in maryland are met with opposition again. political reporter pat warren explains, the death penalty focuses on victims' families. >> reporter: the movie, "dead man walking "is based on the personal relationship with sister helen regime, whose relationship with a death row inmate brings her to lobby. >> reporter: the death penalty -- >> the death penalty doesn't help victims' families. first of all, there's so few of them. then you never do it. so what it does then is release that money into healing help for victims agenc

here is jessica kartalija to explain the patient has had the most complex face transplant ever. >> reporter: an accident in 1997 left richard lee noris looking like this. >>> a gunshot to the face took his nose, lips and chin. now after a groundbreaking 72 hour procedure surgeons used a done other skin from the scalp to the neck, including his jaw,, tongue, teeth and facial tissue. >> the team used tactics to precisely and amazingly transplant the entire face. >> over a 5 day period it is estimated 110 experts ranging from anesthesiologists facial plastic surgeons and transplant surgeons all touched the patient. >> it started with me admitting the donor, that is about 20 people that touched that patient. >> this is the most remarkable thing i have ever seen. >> since 2005 norris has undergone several procedures but until now hasn't been able to function outside his home. >> putting the muscle back together, putting the nerve, redraping the face, ensuring that the hairline matched as ideal as possible and rekicking the toping. >> now came the final tailoring, which is the connection of the n

jessica kartalija is live at wjz.com, to update the asusbracket challenge. ssica. >>> into the tournament. the more points you can earn. here is where we stand. in tie for first place. meteorologist bernadette woods and mary bubala, the two basketball experts of the newsroom. they both have 82 points. adam is in second with -- and as for me, i may not be on the bobblehead leader board, but i'm still there somewhere. click on the top of the home page. i think i will stick to football, clearly. >> yes. you did very well in that. >> you are the hoop expert, though. i'm not even going to try to compete. >> i'm shocked, actually, because i picked missouri to win it all. so at some point, my head will roll off that bobble, i'm sure. >>> thursday night, sweet 16, already there. syracuse, versus wisconsin. then it's the battle of ohio. the buckeyes, versus the bear cats. at about 9:30. all live, all the action here on wjz 13. >>> lots more ahead at 4:30. arrested with george clooney. today, what a massachusetts congressman is saying about the incident. >>> a new tria

jessica kartalija has the latest on the investigation. this is so sad, jessica. >> reporter: it's really unbelievable. one family member still fighting for their life. and three others died. and health officials say it may be a bizarre strain of the flu. >> reporter: calvert county's hazmat team on full respirators enter this home, looking for samples of a microbe, deadly enough to kill three of four family members. >> you got a large family. everybody is concerned. >> reporter: 81-year-old ruth blake died march 1st. her 58-year-old son and 51-year- old daughter died tuesday. the maryland department of health and mental hygiene has confirmed, two family members died of complications of influenza h3, circulating this season, combined with a bacterial infection. >> i'm just concerned. it's a really big loss to the family. >> reporter: maryland medical examiner david fowler says at least one of the bodies was brought here to baltimore city for an autopsy. >> reporter: blake's other daughter is being treated at a washington area hospital. the

jessica kartalija is live with details, coming into the

here is jessica kartalija with the coroner's report. >> reporter: -- death at age 48 shocked the music world and many speculated about the cause. just released autopsy results reveal that houston died from drowning in a los angeles hotel bathtub. but heart disease and chronic cocaine use were also contributing factors. marijuana, zanex, muscle relaxers and benadryl were also found in her system. houston's family released a statement saying, we are saddened to learn of the toxicology results, although we are glad to now have closure. the grammy winning singer died february 11th on the eve of the grammy awards. jessica kartalija, wjz, eyewitness news. >> beverly hills police and the coroner find no signs of foul play in her death. >>> here crews uncover new damage at the basilica of the assumption downtown and it is going to take significant repairs to fix. the damage to the dome was discovered just after last august's earthquake. the building will now be closed on weekdays, starting in june. but it should still be open for sunday mass. the eight month long project could cost as much as

jessica kartalija with the story. >> reporter: today, the pinellas county sheriff's office is second adding $25,000 to the reward. roth welgrew up in florida march 12th, 2011. friends say he was on her way to break up with her boyfriend. roth wel's family says they believe that kelly is dead, but they want to bring her body home. perry moved to new york abruptly, after roth weldisappeared. kai? >> roth welwas training as a police cadet when she disappeared. >>> some good news on the jobs front in maryland. in january, the state added 5,000 jobs, lowering the unemployment rate to 6 1/2%. the figure is the state's lowest since january of 2009. the national unemployment figure is at 8.3%. nearly all of the job growth, 82%, was created in the private sector. >>> looks like winter is over, despite what the calendar says. wjz is in towson today and found people outside enjoying the above-average temperatures. some at the park, others in the garden, whatever. look at that. we all need to get in our gardens, don't we? here's a look at a pleasant afternoon, with clouds and sunshine. wjz has w

jessica kartalija has the latest. >> this cowardly crime is unconscionable to me. >> an angry princerge's county fire chief vows to find the person or persons responsible for sending seven firefighters to the hospital. >> engine 6334, 57th avenue. evacuate the zoning. >> six have been released, including 21-year-old ethan serle, who sustained severe burns to his airways. he sat front and center wednesday. but 33-year-old kevin o'toole is still in critical but stable condition, with second- and third-degree burns over half of his body. >> o'toole will likely stay in therapy for many weeks. >> his injuries aren't an accident. they were caused by a person or perhaps a group of people, maybe even a serial arsonist. fire officials are already investigating these two arsons. but they're also looking into the possibility that the same party could be responsible for starting other fires in the riverdale neighborhood. >> we have found that if somebody does it once, there's a very high likelihood that it will be done again. >> reporter: it's worrisome for people like felipey, who lives on this

. >> i'm jessica kartalija. >> here is what people are talking about today. the crash killed two teenagers and left a police officer injured. mike hellgren is live with how it unfolded. good afternoon, mike. >> reporter: the chase lasted for a little more than two miles and the identities have not been released. this is what remains of a toyota that crashed in to a tree at the washington dc line after a police pursuit for several miles through maryland. it started just after 1:00 in the morning when police spotted the car with four people inside and noticed it was reported stolen. the officer fouled it down connecticut where the car crashed in to a tree. the boys were trapped in the backseat. the driver and front passenger will survive. >> the driver, driver, i would describe as serious. he was in surgery earlier. the front seat passenger was injured but able to speak to us. >> reporter: one officer was hurt with burns and a shoulder injury but has been released from the hospital. police used fire ex-tipping extinguishers and broke the glass but the flames fl

i'm jessica kartalija, coming up. >>> i'm alex demetrick.ryland soldier, murdered in afghanistan is remembered. that story as eyewitness news continues. >>> what a way to start the week. stick around for the updated first warning weather forecast. >>> check in for these stories and all the day's breaking news. >> wjz eyewitness news at 6:00 starts now. >>> out of control. a massive gathering of unruly teenagers in downtown baltimore. >> tonight, why social media is blamed and what is being done to prevent it from happening again. >> i'm vic carter. >> i'm adam may. here's what people are talking about. >> chaos at baltimore's most popular tourist attraction. police try to calm an out-of- control crowd at the inner

jessica kartalija. >>> in a statement visa says its checking each affected account number and it will offer customers independ fraud monitoring and if necessary a new card. >>> the government's new end graphic anti smoking ads are bringing results. the public service announcement shows how smoking can result in a number of health problems. the $54 million campaign by the centers for disease control and prevention will run for 12 weeks. >>> is it art or is it trash? that debate is going on in charles village. it's because of this interesting display at 32nd street and guilford. it's called an art install- asian. get it. the artist himself sat down with mike schuh and said he just did it for the people. that's him because he wanted to be disguised. he felt, i assume his work would be so popular he would be inundated by people. >> did you see the mouth. >> maybe that's part of the art. >> maybe that is part of the it. for us today a cool end. the showers came in a little earlier than i thought and that knocked down our high. take a look right now, first doppler radar, that ahead of a lin

here's jessica kartalija to insplay the big changes underway to -- explain the big changes underway tomake the stadium even more fan friendly. >> reporter: the countdown is on to the start of the new baseball season and camden yards is getting a facelift. >> less than two weeks to go until opening day. the 20th anniversary of oriole park at camden yards. we want the make sure the park looks beautiful and the amenities are complete. >> reporter: this is what the knew and improved camden yards will like like. 7 and 8-foot tall bronze sculptures stand in a bullpen picnic grove. a new roof deck in center field on top of the wall will show off the view of downtown baltimore and utah street. and the flag court has been modified to improve the view for fans. >> we believe that the areas that we're adding are going to create a social environment where fans can see their friends to come visit. that not as you're trapped if your seat watching the game. >> reporter: fans like jake are ready for the first pitch. >> it's a mess right now but it's going to look much better come opening day. >> repor

. >> hello again, i am jessica kartalija. >> i am don scott. >> here is what people are talking about today, an islamic extremist accused of killing 7 people in france is now dead after a fierce battle. we have the latest. >> reporter: french commandos stood down after a deadly 32 hour stand off in toulouse, the siege ended with gunfire and explosion at the apartment of the suspected killer mohamed merah. he was hiding in the bathroom when police stormed his home. he had several guns and opened fire, officers shot back hitting him in the head as he threw himself out the window, police negotiators say in the hours before his death he admitted to killing a teacher and three students at a jewish school this week and murdering three french soldiers earlier this month. detectives say he filmed the killings and was proud of them. he is seen in this amateur video and claimed to have links to al qaeda and called the killings pay backs. president sarkozy says an investigation is underway to see if he had any accomplices. he said he had traveled to afghanistan and pakistan for terrorist trainin

jessica kartalija, wjz eyewitness news. >> beverly hills police and the corner found no signs of foul play. >>> a scary scene when this baltimore gas station interrupts in flames. investigators are trying to figure out exactly what caused it. no one was hurt. >>> a new twist in john leopold's unfolding drama. he won't testify in the executive abuse of power case. mike hellgren explains while the chief refuses to answer questions. >> reporter: the council called a brief emergency meeting. after police chief james tier refused to testify before the new members. they wanted to dig up dirt on political enemies. >> maybe he didn't know about anything, but the fact he's not willing to come talk to us is concerning. >> his lawyer explained his testimony. he claimed the subpoena was invalid, that council members voted to issue it secretly. >> i think it snowballed into one big lack eye for the county. hopefully, we will be able to sort everything out and let people know that the council is stepping up. >> the chief also wrote this letter to the head of state police asking that agency to inves

>> hello i'm jessica kartalija. >> i'm don scott. >> here is what people are talking about today. continues to grow over the shooting death of trayvon mar tip. the teenager killed by neighborhood watch captain, george zimmerman, there are reports about what happened as martin's parents travel to washington dc. randal pinkston reports from sanford florida. >> reporter: police are once again on the defensive after new details were leaked about trayvon martin's death. george told officers he fired at martin in self defenses says the teen approached him from behind, punched him and bashed his head against a sidewalk. the report was consistent with their evidence and authorities are investigating the leak. the attorney for martin's parents says they are outraged. >> they can't have the leaks in the sanford police department. notice the leaks are beneficial to george zimmerman. >> reporter: trayvon's parents plan to attend a hearing on racial profiling and believe police are trying to smear their son's name as details emerged about the suspension from school. >> they've killed my son. n

. >>> good morning, i am jessica kartalija, in for don scott.will have the top headlines in just a minute but first let's head over to the first warning weather center. good morning, marty. >> good morning, jay cart, let's go ahead and take a look at how this first friday in march is going to square away. 54 at lunch, how about that? not bad for early march, on its way to a high of about 59. it is 37 right now. looks like by the evening showers in your forecast, temperatures still mild, mid- 55s, we will be talking about that shortly. jess, take it away. >> here what is we have got our eye on today. republican presidential hopefuls ramp up their campaigns ahead of super tuesday. a steep increase planned in one maryland community college and the archdiocese of baltimore announces s for the future of the cardinal givens property. >>> this governor signs the same sex marriage bill into law but opponents are planning their next move. classes resume at chardon high school and we are hearing from the man who may have kept it from getting worse and the

. >>> jessica kartalija is live in the newsroom with more on planned parenthood. >> executives are leaving. in january, komen cut off funding to planned parenthood. facing an outcry, komen reversed course. structural changes are now underway to give affiliates more influence. >>> the foundation is also reviews budgets in anticipation of revenue declines. >>> a car crash kills two teens and leaves an officer injured. more on how the crash unfolded. >> reporter: the chase lasts for a little more than 2 miles. the toyota crashed into a tree after police pursuit through several miles in maryland. police spotted the car with four people inside and noticed it had been reported stolen. the officer followed it down connecticut avenue where the car hit a tree and burst into flames. two boys died, ages 14 and 16. they were trapped in the backseat. the driver and front passenger will describe. >> the driver i would describe as serious. he was in surgery earlier. and the front seat passenger was injured but is able to speak with us. >> reporter: many police departments in the area have no chase polici

. >> and i'm jessica kartalija. >>> several roads are shut down in north baltimore.because