reporting live in hanover, mike hellgren, wjz eyewitness news. >> mike, thank you. complete first warning weather coverage continues. now live from north baltimore, where weijia jiang has more on how area counties are preparing. weijia? >> reporter: local governments are certainly not shy in admitting dealing with this storm is a tremendous task ahead. perhaps, especially for baltimore city, whose new mayor is leading the efforts just two days into her term. >> reporter: just 23 hours into her first term as the new mayor of baltimore, stephanie rawlings-blake holds her first scheduled news conference, leading the city in a major battle against a looming winter storm. >> when we have these tests and these challenges, there are two ways to look at it. we have no control over the weather. no control over what mother nature is going to do. what we do have control is over how we respond to it. and i know that we have a very integrated, cooperated system. >> baltimore joins the state in the grueling prep work. hundreds of pieces of equipment. and 15,000 tons of salt. what

winter sorm. >> i'm -- storm. >> i'm mike hellgren. with the latest updates from state leaders as they monitor the deteriorating conditions around maryland. >>> the storm is just beginning to make an impact. how much will we get and when will it end? travel trouble, flights canceled, trains delayed and slick roads. wjz has extensive first warning weather coverage of the storm. >>> wild shootout. a police detective shot. a suspect left dead. what a witness is saying tonight. check in for these stories and all the breaking news. eyewitness news at 6:00 starts now. >>> it's only just beginning. a monster snowstorm moves into maryland. >> tonight, a state of emergency is declared with the worst still coming. >> hello, everybody. i'm denise koch. >> and i'm vic carter. here's what people are talking about tonight. >>> a massive winter storm is just beginning to blast maryland. this is the scene at the falls road salt deem a short -- dome a short time ago. the snow is really starting to come down now. state crews are out in force, trying to

mike hellgren has the sentence for mayor, former mayor sheila dixon. but we began with mary bubala, with the swearing in of the new mayor. stephanie rawlings-blake. >> city hall saw a major change today. stephanie rawlings-blake is now fully in charge. much of mayor dixon's staff that wasn't staying on for the transition has gone. they are not here tonight. we even saw some locks on doors being changed. >> reporter: the mayor being dual sworn, may i be the first to congratulate you? [ applause ] >> reporter: at 12:15 this afternoon, stephanie rawlings- blake, officially became the 49th mayor of baltimore city. with her husband, daughter, mother and a roomful of supporters looking on, she signed her name under disgraced mayor sheila dixon's, and then took the reigns of city government. >> none of us asked for this moment. but all of us must accept the challenges and hard work that comes with it. >> reporter: moments after, the transfer of power could be felt and seen inside city hall. the official city seal with dixon's name, is taken down, replaced wit

first warning weather coverage continues now with mike hellgren in anne arundel county, with more on how the governor and state leaders are preparing for this main part of the storm. mike? >> reporter: it has gotten significantly colder and windier here outside the state command center. the governor just wrapped up another briefing. and he did mention a serious accident. an unfortunate accident, he called it in harford county. it was at 95 and 462, where a van with two adults and three children ran into the back of a snow plow. he didn't elaborate on the conditions of those who were injured. but he says he hopes and prays for their recovery. and he says this is an example of just how treacherous it is in some parts of maryland right now. we also have fresh video from here in anne arundel county. >>> this is fresh video from anne arundel county. the snow has gotten significantly worse in the past two hours. wet, heavy and sticking to the ground. the governor declared a state of emergency and gave wjz an update within the past hour. >> we will probably wake up tomorrow. and those of us

. >> mike hellgren joins us where the governor is preparing to address the state's plans for the storms. good afternoon, mike. >> reporter: good afternoon, we are waiting for him and several emergency management officials. we have had aped advanced warning. there are more than 266,000 tons of salt and more than 2000 people and employees. let's take a look at some of the preps around the state so far. >> salt trucking are loading up preparing for another major snowfall with many comparisons to the big storm in december. >> it ain't never been this big. everybody is going to run out of salt. >> it has cause add run on store for essentials. >> we had cued up the people. >> with me is richard muth the director of the emergency management agency and standing next to him in the everywhere's uniform is general atkins of national guard. and neil peterson. as the storm comes down on maryland we are prepared. we have had experience already this year and this looks like it will be a bigger event than the last one. right now as you probably know the latest forecast that we have seen indicates that

i'm mike hellgren, with the dramatic day in court. >> should same-sex couples be granted equal rightsomes to marriage in the state of maryland? the attorney general weighs in. i'm jessica kartalija, with the story in a live report. >>> and breaking news out of sea world in orlando. a trainer, killed in a in a killer whale attack. we'll have that story. >>> hi, everybody. i'm kai jackson. here's what people are talking about tonight. >>> snow and high winds are looking like. >>> mostly calm now. but when the winter weather arrive? how will it affect us all? wjz is live with first warning weather coverage. bob turk is tracking the storm. >> reporter: we've got a little