that is the word from form mayoru sheila dixon. dixon didn't weigh in on hot topics, he questioned the mayor about the scandal. dixon said she wanted to take the stand to testify but her legal team advised her against it saying she is still at the mercy of judge sweeney. >> i would never do anything to hurt anyone or to take advantage of anyone. it really was about a relationship that i made a bad choice in. that's all i'm saying. >> dixon called talk of her joining the contractor's association preliminary saying she is exploring her options including possibly writing a book. you can see more sunday night at 6:30 and you can watch it online at abc 2 news.com. >>> is this just a scare tactic. from political science experts toes the former mayor herself everyone is squaring off on this budget battle. reaction from experts and sheila dixon. >> reporter: this week the mayor dropped a bomb to make budget nearly nothing is being spared including your safety. even with proposed deep cuts some say the mayor's announcement is nothing more t

. >>> new job for sheila dixon. what the former mayor is doing now. >> hello. >> i'm karen parks. baltimore doesn't man is dead after a fear at his home. broke out about 2:30 in the 7400 block of old adelboro road in dup dog. miranda has more on the breaking news. miranda. >>reporter: well care the fire trucks are all gone but investigators are still here at the home trying to determine what caused this deadly fire. firefighters say when they arrived to the home they found smoke and flames inside and the body of a man in his 50's dead in the living room. neighbors say the man who they only knew as buddy was battling cancer and had just returned home from the hospital a few months ago. they say at the use a pellet stove for cooking and noticed something was unusual about it earlier today. >> it was just a little heavier smoke than normal coming out of the exhaust vent open the pellet stove. and then the smell was a little stronger than normal. so that's the only thing i noticed. >>reporter: now firefighters have not determined the exact cause of this fire. it appears the man was le

. >> former baltimore mayor sheila dixon goes to the highest bidder, we will show you how much money her first race for charity. >> and exciting news for breast cancer research that could save thousands of lives. >> and let's call it vasectomy madness. why some urologists are preparing for overtime over the next couple of days. >> how about groceries with your library books? >> a beautiful late winter day as spring is rapidly approaching. there is a storm to our south that we will have to keep an eye on. >> there is a new option for city folks that don't have access to grocery stores. they're giving east baltimore the opportunity to order their groceries online and pick them up at local libraries. the program will make it easier for residents. >> the library provides a really opportune chance to offer healthy foods to persons in those communities. >> both the washington village and other library branches are participating in the program. >> in tonight's "medic alert," they have teamed up to announce a new clinical trial that could save millions of dollars of the cost of the new breas

. >> those fur coats from former mayor sheila dixon ad raised a lot of money. one sold for $1,700. bidding is still open for an xbox game console going for $3,000. the state wanted to help you out posting real time delays on overhead signs. gov. o'malley is skeptical about them. he says the signs should not be used if they are a distraction for drivers. he said it should only be used for traffic rerouting or safety information. that brings us to our area -- watercooler question of the day. do you think overhead signs providing real-time traffic updates is a distraction? email us your response to watercooler@wbaltv.com. >> we could learn more about what is in the final health care reform bill. democrats are preparing for a vote soon. our washington bureau reporter has the latest. >> today was supposed to be the day of the vote. democrats say it is likely to happen sunday. >> perfect climate for us to pass a wonderful bill. >> they have the details of the latest bill that could be posted as early as today. they want to make health care more affordable for the working and middle class

. >> forbidding is closed on the sheila dixon furs, and they did not go cheap. one jacket sold for $7,000, another sold for $2,426. bidding is still open on an x box game consul -- console. >> an mta bus packed with passengers crashed today. more than a dozen people had to be taken to the hospital. no word on what caused the bus and the car to collide. students in different parts of baltimore county had a rough time to school today. nine students and adults were taken to franklin square after two buses and car were an accident just after 7:00 this morning. the world transported as a precaution when the buses were on their way to work the middle and high schools. no word on who was at fault. a scary ride for students when the car slammed into the back of their school bus just before 9:00. the bus stops to pick up students in paramount avenue. the driver was taken to the hospital with minor injuries. no students or bus driver was injured. >> within an hour of fixing a gas leak, workers hit a 3 inch gas main shutting off the service and evacuating residents. it had

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today sheila dixon was here for an exclusive interview. abc 2 news joins us now with the details. >> reporter: from wanting to testify other own trial to basing her legal troubles not on the gift cards, speaking for the first time since leading her post as the leader of baltimore. former mayor facing the music and the host of square off for her first interview since stepping down from office. it has been nearly 2 months since dixon resigned as part of a plea deal. >> it is not something you drop and say ip don't miss it. >> reporter: dixon doesn't miss the trial that marred her trial as mayor. >> at the advice of my attorneys and the fact that one of the major persons who should have testified was not a part of it, they felt that i should not have. >> reporter: as for the now infamous gift cards she said he really can't talk about her case. >> i'm not getting into that because it wasn't about a card. it was about a relationship that i had. with a person. i'm not even parting my lips to say the name. >> reporter: when it comes to an apology

sheila dixon works for the maryland minority contractors association promoting minority contractors. she left office for february as part of a plea deal for lying about gift cards she received. she is still doing community service. >> and former congressman and naacp president also has a new gig. he is now the executive leader of the national medical association. it is a national group that represents more than 30,000 black doctors and patients. and he says he hopes to increase the number of minority health care workers and end racial disparity in disease, diagnosis, and treatment. >> four people accused of trying to tamper with phones at senator mary landrieu's office may cop a plea deal. prosecutors filed charges against them for lying to get into a federal building. that's a misdemeanor. face felonies charges when first arrested. james o'keefe is one of the people arrested. he was the person behind the acorn videos shot in baltimore. >> world two largest nuclear powers cutting the number of nuclear weapons on both sides. u.s. and russia expected to walk away with 1500 war heads ap

former mayor sheila dixon speaks out.he is saying about baltimore's crime problem. >>> and next, lots of movies coming out on dvd this week. and great-tasting zavors. >>> from a desaster-y t movie fr the films for the little ones. there's a wide variety of releases at the dvd store. >>> we begin with a movie that was a huge at the box office. in 2012 the end of the world is the beginning of an adventure. it's brought to you by the mastermind behind the movies the day after tomorrow and independence day. sheer a look at it. >>> director roland emrick is back with more destruction on a plantery scale, this time based on the mayan prediction that the world will end in 2012. solar flares begin to heat the earth's core and melt the polar packs. the movie required them to do dangerous stunt work. the movie is rated pg13. >>> a classic adventure is finding new life on video. when it was made almost 30 years ago, clash of the titans used photographic. movie is being remade for a release date on april. but you can the original on

sheila dixon sat down for her first one on one interview since resigning in february. she was a panelist on square off. she doesn't weigh in on the hot topics. she questioned the former mayor about the scandal that forced her from office. dixon says she wanted to take the stand to testify but her legal team advised against it saying she was at the mercy of the judge. she was tight lipped about other details of the scandal saying only it wasn't about gift cards. >> i would never do anything to hurt anyone or take advantage of anyone. you know, it really was about a relationship that i made a bad choice in. and that's it, and that's all i'm saying. >> now, this is's word that dixon made take a job with the minority contractors association but she says she's exploring other options including writing a book. >>> and this is definitely a hot topic on our facebook fan page. john writes in, sure she wants to blame the other parties involved but she is the one who got caught red handed spending the gift cards. sharon says, i think that she is still getting her pension. and tha

the mayor has gotten a lot of crticism for her plan, including crticism from the former mayor sheila dixon who called it a scare tactic. >> i certainly understand people's frustration and crist im. these are tough decisions but i don't do anything other than talk plainly and honestly about the budget that we face. i didn't create this problem but it's a problem that we have solve together. >> reporter: and perhaps prayinperhapspraying together ie start. >> god the father and god the holy spirit, amen. >> the massive cuts are part of the mayor's draft budget. he expectshe expects to announcn alternative plan on april 12th. >>> a catholic school staying open and the >>> homeowners get a new way to refinance their homes and ditch the inflated mor mortgages. stan case has more in today's business brief. >> reporter: a mixed day on wall street despite an agreement by european leaders to bail out greece, another plagued nation using the euro. the nasdaq ended little change. the obama administration announced new mortgage assistance plans. the new initiative will help homeowners refinance their h

. >>> the bidding is over for some items once used as evidence against former mayor sheila dixon. the state prosecutor's office, listed two fur coats on ebay, that was seized from dixon's home. the gifts were from former developer ronald lipscomb. the bids got a high bid of $2400. there's still time to purchase the x box that she bought with gift cards meant for the poor. that bid is now up to $3,000. proceed goes to charity. >>> and a live look outside right now. and an equally beautiful evening. wjz has your updated first warning forecast. bob is here now from the first warning weather center. >>> give it a 10 all the way around. and in the next 10 days, probably going to be even nicer. clear skies. temperatures get really up there. 66 here. still, 67 in d.c. 64 in westminster. cooler by the water, annapolis. and kept island, 59. and they'll be cooler tomorrow. but most places tomorrow will reach the upper 60s again. >> all right, bob. thank you so much. >>> members of the baltimore city council want to change the way grocery stores bag groceries. jessica kartalija is in highlan

sheila dixon gets new work.g for the minority contracts association promoting minority contractors. she left office back in january as part of a plea agreement for lying about gift cards she received meant for the needy. due in court mandated community service. >> a new addition to the maryland zoo in baltimore has patrons getting around faster. >> zoo train, jones fall zepher. laying track that spans a valley. runs from farm yard of the zoo behind the african journey section on 1 mile round trip. >> the train runs through africa and runs behind some of the exhibits. this gives all the train loving public, you know, another opportunity to come back to the zoo and go for a ride on the train. >> the bridge is 105 feet long and had to be shipped in two parts. >> when it comes to news occurring in your community see it, shoot it, send it, and you can upload photos and video to our website. foxbaltimore.com and click on the see it, shoot it, send it icon. >> temperatures are going to dip overnight. how low we will go

. >>> the bidding is over for some items once used as evidence against former mayor sheila dixon. the state prosecutor listed two fur coats on ebay that were seized from dixon's comb. the coats were gift from her former boyfriend, developer, ron lipscomb. a mink coat got a high bid of about $2400. there is still time to put a bid on an exbox -- x box. bidding is up to $3,000. the proceeds go to charity. you couldn't ask for a more beautiful st. patrick's day. live look outside right now. sunshine, clear skies. a great day to be outside. and spring is now just days away. bob turk is in the first warning weather center. with a look at what we can expect during these final days of winter. bob? >> it's getting green. almost like ire land out there. -- i- land out there. beautiful. the sunshine is really helping. take a look at temperatures. i mean, just perfect temperatures everywhere. the only cool spot fist you can call it are closer to the water. everybody else, mid- to upper 60s. and tomorrowing one or two degrees. maybe a few degrees warmer than today, with more sunshine. mary? >

. >>> former baltimore mayor sheila dixon lost her job in a very public way but she'll be working soondixon plans to work with minority business owners. she's been helping the maryland minority contractors association with marketing and will soon take over the job full-time. dixon has started the 500 hours of community service mandated as part of her plea deal on charges of perjury and embezzlement. >>> the obama administration is announcing a new plan to help homeowners. it groups homeowners into two groups. homeowners who owe more than their mortgages are worth will be given a chance to refinance. the homeowners receiving unemployment would receive their mortgage payments decrease to 30 per september of their income for six months. officials say the plan could help as much as 4 million people. >>> in maryland, a little disposable income can buy a favorite appetizer. you may not know buying a plate of oysters is also an investment in the bay. >> reporter: oyster shells may seem common enough until you need them. in the fight to restore native oyster stocks to the chesapeake, a lot of

. >> the evidence used against sheila dixon is going from the courtroom to the classroom. senior legal counselor used her own money to buy one of dixon's fur coats on ebay. she'll use the jackets during ethics training classes. >>> morgan state university wasn't able to duplicate the success of the terps. they jumped out to an unexpected lead over west virginia and it turned out to be short lived. the past break is part of a rally ending the season for morgan state. last year, they were knocked out by 28 points and this year, barely better. they still faired well. >> to be honest, they could have played a good game, they played a good game and we ain't played too well. >> and it was an emotional end to a brilliant career for reggie holmes. >>> and after another day of action, here's the standings here. i've lost my lead and mark and stan are tied for first. i'm now in second place with don, marty, mary and bernadette and jessica. everyone has 22 correct among those groups of kickers and among the viewers, the shark is next. many mark and stan, yeah, being top. >> yeah, the

if anything the money that sheila dixon gets needs to be put back in city government. >>> thank you for. >>> coming up on the fox 45 morning news. add a new recipe to your collection. the cleaver cleaver brothers show us how to make the spring time chicken mars ala. >>> but next there's a way to remove all of the >>> e human mouth is one of the dirtett dirtiest part of th. when you brush your teeth all of those germs a tash t tach attac. >> it's the first thing you do when you wake-up and the last thing you go before you go to sleep n every day you have the coat on your teeth, hopefully you're brushing that as much as you can. >> the amount of bacteria hiding out in your mouth is also hard to swallow. >> people's mouths are thiest arethedirtiest areas in the bod. >> brushing your teeth regularly gets rid of the germs. >> that transfers to the toothbrush. >> the studies in the 70s, it shows that when you flush the toilet there's arrow solz that flow around your toilet for up two hours. >> now the vio light claims to reduce the amount of bacteria on your toothbrush by 99.9%. >> what it's

former mayor sheila dixon says she will soon be promoting minority contractors. dixon says she's been helping the minority contractors with advertising. >>> job or no job, this recession has millions of the american struggling to pay their mortgages. and now the obama administration has a new plan to help give them some help. karen brown has more on who will benefit and how. >> reporter: genell and diane spadey are trying to hang on to their home for their sons and grandson. >> this is cory, the new generation. >> reporter: like hundreds of americans, genell lost his job. diane has a new one, but is not making enough to cover the costs. >> sleepless nights, anxiety attacks, depression at times. >> reporter: the obama administration has been criticized for not doing enough. so it's launching a new plan to prevent foreclosure. homeowners who are under water or currently owe the bank more their home is worth, can qualify for refinancing if they have not fallen behind on their existing payments. but the new program won't help everyone. >> there are going to be many h

. >>> former baltimore mayor sheila dixon lost her job in a very public way but she'll be working soon. dixon plans to work with minority business owners. she's been helping the maryland minority contractors association with marketing and will soon take over the job full-time. dixon has started the 500 hours of community service mandated as part of her plea deal on charges of perjury and embezzlement. >>> the recession has millions of americans struggling to pay their mortgages. the white house has a new plan to help them. karen brown reports for wjz on who will benefit. >> reporter: trying to hang onto their new jersey home, their two children and grand new grandson. >> this is cory, he is the next generation. >> reporter: like millions of americans, canal lost a good paying job, diane has a new one, but it is not enough to make mortgage payments. >> even though i lost a job and found another job, i am making $20,000 less. >> sleepless nights, anxiety attacks, depression at times. >> reporter: the obama administration has been criticized for not doing enough to help struggling america