sherrie johnson, "abc 2 news." >>> tonight is about you the taxpayer.he baltimore common council wants to know what city residents think about the 2013 fiscal year budget. it's a time for you to get out and tell them what you think about the proposals. taxpayers night begins at 5:00 tonight at city hall. >>> democracy 2012 news to tell you about. newt gingrich is officially ending his campaign for the white house today. the former house speaker has indicated that he will leave the race after he finished forly in four primaries last week. he won only two contests in south carolina and grnl good morning which he represented -- and georgia which he represented for 20 years. his campaign is reportedly $4 million in debt. >>> mitt romney said is meeting on friday. >>> there will be ethics training for secret service agents. about a hundred agents will be taking part in that training. classes will take place in laurel today and tomorrow. this is in response to the widening prostitution scandal that began in colombia. >>> deself-defense hours away from present

sherrie johnson, abc2 news. >>> it's 6:47. and happening this morning maryland state troopers who died while on duty will be honored a ceremony starts at 11 at state police headquarters in pikesville. relatives of some of the 43 troopers who died in the line of duty are expected to take part. >>> also happening today, a little bit later, leaders of the maryland state senate and house of delegates are holding a news conference about next week's special session. governor o'malley has agreed to call the session after the legislature failed to agree on a fiscal year 2013 budget. the house and senate are expected to use the session to push through an income tax increase that would eliminate the need for the cuts which would largely affect education and overall school services. this story is still far from over. >>> and we are getting voters in north carolina passing amendment 1 putting a ban on the antisame sex marriage law in the state's charter. that's the constitution. it means the state will not recognize any type of legal unio

. >> sherrie johnson has the latest on this investigation. she joins us here in the studio with more. what can you tell us? >> reporter: well, authorities are still trying to piece together more information but we have new information for you this morning. we've learned that 21-year-old alexander kinyua has been charged with first degree murder. this is in connection with body parts found in a home in the 500 block of terrapin terrace in joppa. sheriff's connects have a -- detectives have a strong belief and while they cannot positively identify the body they have a strong suspicion it's kujoe bonsafo agyei-kodie. he's been missing since friday and was last seen at his home on terrapin terrace. deputies found body parking lots in the home once they -- parts in the home once they entered it with a search warrant. we should have more information later today when charging documents are expected to be made available to the public. sherrie johnson, abc2 news. >>> police in howard county are looking for burglars who struck almost a dozen businesses

sherrie johnson is out live. >> reporter: i am sherrie johnson live in downtown baltimore with more on closures on jfx and what that means for the commute straight ahead. >>> >> reporter: and obesity rates are rising as an alarming rate. what a report shows about americans being overweight. >> and if you are tired of the cloud and want the rain or maybe just a sunshine, i think you will like my forecast. the details coming up. >> reporter: and an accident is causing heavy delays on the west side of the beltway at liberty road. more on the delays and show you where there's congestion coming up in the abc timesaver traffic report. you are watching "good morning maryland." i'm gonna make you breakfast. what? with magic. you are? see the egg? uh huh. so, look at the orange. now close your eyes. ♪ alakazaam! [ sighs ] you're good. and now i'm gonna make this flower bloom. presto. "love you lots." do you want to see it again? yes, i want to see it again! [ female announcer ] hallmark blooming expressions delivers your love again and again. >>> thanks for joining us on this tuesday this is yo

sherrie johnson, abc2 news. >>> news time right now 6:33. a new jersey couple is upset and confused after they were pulled off of a jet blue flight because their toddler was on the no-fly list. now the couple believes that they were taken off that plane because they are middle eastern. now they say that the -- they stood in the terminal while the tsa then met with jet blue. nobody could explain to them what was going on. >> the whole -- situation was bizarre. it was completely bizarre. it made absolutely no sense. >> we were put on display like -- a circus act because my wife wears is hi jab. >> they offered no explanation as to why this happened. both are investigating the incident. >>> the new jersey mom may no longer be able to place or go somewhere to get her tan. it was her favorite spot too. planet suntanning salons now banned krentcil from the facility. they are posting her pictures all branches so employees will recognize her and these days that probably wouldn't be that hard. now krentcil was arrested last month for allegedly taking

i'm sherrie johnson, live at fort mc henry. i will have the details coming up. >>> big hats, crowds and race, through record numbers to pimlico. a live picture of the inner harbor, downtown baltimore, we'll be right back. >>> good morning maryland. >> the job market is very tough these days, especially if you are an older worker. 54-year-old win has been out of work for two years and recently found a job paying her $13 an hour. she said i'm going to take it. she works for a nonprofit company, a job she thought the training program was geared towards people over 50, who were looking for work. >> we are all if the same boat. we are all 50 and over. we are not going to get the big high salaries. we would be happy to be working. >> the program which is privately funded puts people in six weeks of subsidized employment at an organization or company with a job opening, 59 out of 91 participants have gotten jobs. >>> adults and kids can enjoy the next program to get up q%ya look at the 1812 war in the act of congress itself. >> are yo

sherrie johnson has been work the phones gathering new information. she joins us now live. what have you learn. >> reporter: that's right. as abouty morning. we have been on -- busy morning. we have been on the phones and the threat to one of the planes is nod credible. two southwest airlines flights with ties to phoenix and orange county, california, were grounded after what they thought was a threatening phone call but once again the threat was not credible. both planes were cleared tuesday night. we have learned that the southwest airlines plane that was grounded in phoenix has landed in tulsa oklahoma this morning which was its original destination. now originally, that incident made against one the planes in orange county california southwest flight 1184 arrived in phoenix after leaving orange county. the plane was actually headed for tulsa and although there was one threat alleged threat, authorities checked out three planes just to make sure everyone was safe. and an fbi spokesperson says the southwest plane was taken to an isolation pad away from the terminal. dozen

sherrie johnson. >> reporter: well, two women shot in the church. another man found dead near the scene. latest on the website on the story and find out how police say it's connected coming up. that i actually taught you something. [ heartbeat ] tell me i'm ready. that you look up to me. tell me you like spending time with me. ♪ that i'm doing this right. even if i'm doing it alone. tell me you are proud of who we are. just -- tell me. [ female announcer ] for everything moms need to hear, there's a hallmark card. ♪ there's a hallmark card. i'll have blueberry pancakes. uh huh. actually, make that glazed pecans... ok. with chocolate... no... caramel sauce. whipped cream? uhhhhhhh, yeah... but on the side. introducing build your own pancakes. only at denny's. >>> we begin your abc2 news to go with breaks new out of north baltimore county a traffic accident we have all new information now in the abc2 newsroom. lauren cook has details. >> reporter: well, the crash happened just after 6:00 this morning right at the intersection of jaredsville park and p

right here at fort mchenry. >> sherrie von johnson. abc two -- sherrie johnson. >> they have a lot of energy together. >> ranger events always great. and p sherrie was perfect for the spot. >> we will not have the prettiest weather. >> we need the rain and we will look at it from that perspective. it is coming down now. off into the atlantic. few showers streaming into the area. >> few breaks as we go throughout the day. the winds, it is breezy out there. and sustained at 15 miles an hour. and six in eastern and 13 in d.c. and take you outside. you can see the winds trapping and -- flapping. and that will be the scenario. and we will bring you back in. and in terms of visibility. it is reduced this morning. now, it is three. three in york. two in winchester and two in culpepper. it has have alberto down to the south and it is going offshore. we like that track. all the model resist in agreement. wind sustained at 40 miles an hour. it as weak tropical storm and going to keep the showers and thunderstorms in the forecast as we head throu

sherrieionson joins us with what -- -- sherrie johnson joins with us what more is change. >> reporter: the governor will sign 300 bills. he will sign the budget and tax bills approved in special session. those bills include an income tax increase for people earning more than $100,000 and households earning more than $150,000 a year. governor o'malley is expected to sign a bill that would make maryland the first state to ban an arsenic additive in chicken feed. they passed the bil banning the use of a chemical used to help the birds grow and fight parasites. it would go into effect january 1st. the governor will sign a bill requiring public schools to keep ep friend on hand in case of a life-threatening allergic reaction. the complete list of bills is about 93 pages long. for more information, head to abc2news.com to read over the list of bills. the story is on the home page. sherrie johnson, abc2 news. >>> a possible date for a special session to consider the expang of gambling is announced. if a work group reaches a consensus a special session will be the week of july 9th. the group

sherrie johnson is here with what is happening. >> reporter: more information unfolding. senate homeland senate committee will hold a public hearing on the prostitution scandal involving u.s. military and secret service agents in columbia. -- colum yeah. agencies will be expected to testify today. they -- cocoa colombia. agencies will be expected totestify today. other agencies are under investigation for hiring prostitutes in he colombiam one of the three dea agents under investigation may have had a long-term relationship with a colombian prostitute. government investigators are trying to contact the woman to learn more about the relationship. maine senator susan collin says if true shall it could have created a big risk. >> we don't know if they are associated with drug cartels, whether they have been sent in to entrap the agents or compromise them in some way. which could endanger their mission. >> reporter: the scandal involved 20 alleged prostitutes so far 9 secret service members were dismissed. three other agents were cleared of serious misconduct. four agents hav

sherrie johnson, abc2 news. >>> news time 6:46.makers headed to today's session may want to do -- run into a group protesting outside the statehouse. americans for prosperity maryland have gathered signatures calling on the governor to stop spending and raising taxes. they don't want law makers to hold a special session because they say it will hurt maryland's economy. the protest is slated to begin at noon. >>> meantime, hundreds of parents, teachers and students will join together tonight in baltimore making the demands of lawmakers at state and city level. they want the 22 million dollars in cuts to the schools restored from the doomsday budget and they want the baltimore city council to pass the bible tax for school construction and the mayor to double funding for after school practices. it's going to be a rocky start on wall street after the biggest bank had a $2 billion tradingblunder. >> linda so is here with what's expected to happen today. >> reporter: jp morgan will accept the resignations of three high ranking executives

i'm sherrie johnson, coming up. >>> thank you for joining us. thank you for starting your tuesday off with us. >> as always, you want to know what the traffic is weather is going to be like. people are saying make it more comfortable than yesterday. >> i wish i could do that. ist going to be another steamer. we are very warm and humid to start. dry and mainly clear, a light southwesterly breeze this morning, and that will continue as we go in to the afternoon. that southwesterly breeze, all that does is warm the temperatures up. we are also going to get a chance for showers and thunderstorms to work in here as we go in to the afternoon. speaking of that, we look at maryland's most powerful radar, it's dry, do outdoor activities this morning and earlier afternoon, by the late afternoon in to the evening time frame, we will deal with scattered showers and thunderstorms. some could be on the frisky side dropping hail and winds. now, 73 degrees in catonsville. good morning to you. more in davidsonville and emmittsburg, 70. temperatures will soar in

. >> she sherrie johnson is live with reaction of a man hi hit and killed in ocean city.gist lynette charles. >>> good morning, everyone. yes, we have beautiful sunshine out this, i'm going to let you look in a second. maryland's most powerful radar is dry. we have off fife sweeps on. change is coming as we go in to the afternoon. a chance for thunderstorms to pop up in the forecast. be prepared for that. some of those on the gusty side. 75 now in easton. it's warm this morning. close to 70 middletown and ellicott city 72 degrees. the winds southwest food at 5- 10 miles per hour. be prepared for that. as we look at the hour by hour folks we are looking at temperatures soaring in to the low 90s. feeling more like we are in the triple digits in to the afternoon time frame. now a check of the time saver traffic with loren. good morning, we continue to follow a police involved accident in harford, bel air, continuing the shutdown route 1, between hickory and route 543. if you are traveling in the area, you will want to use conowingo road. we will bring you updates as they bec

sherrie johnson, website wib -- abc2. >> great program.educated over 25,000 students since 2003. this year the goal was to educate 4500 students. >>> studies show more than 50,000 americans were diagnosed with parkinson's disease each year. strides could help improve treatment. >>> plus, not all sun screens are created equal. what you should know before going shopping for sun screen lotions. >>> doctors may soon be able to predisict how fast parkinson's disease progresses. research found that patients with two different variances of the disease had a faster dedplien motor skills. doctors can get a faster read on how different drugs will help the patient. >>> you soon be able to test yourself for hiv. a panel from the fda unanimously approved the recommendations yesterday. the panel said the test should be available over the counter. it sales the test is safe and effective and the benefits far outweigh risks. if approved, it would be the first over-the-counter test marketed for hiv or any infectious desease. >>> researchers at ucla say too

sherrie johnson is here to explain why. >> new information this morning, some current and former u.s. navy seals are criticizing president barack obama for taking credit for killing osama bin laden. they accuse him of using special forces operators as ammunition for reelection campaign. they poe out the british website, mail on line. today is the first anniversary of the killing of bin laden. security stepped up across the country and overseas. terrorists could be ready to use a bombs one that is inside they bodies. the plot is not that farfetched. medical experts say that a terrorist could have explosives surgically implanted in his body, maybe inside the stomach. al-qaeda bomb makers had been designing bombs with metal pats to get past airport secure. >> the surgeon opens the abdominal cavity and implant the device in and amongst the internal organs. >> the american people rightly remember what we as a country accomplished in bringing to justice member who killed over be thousand of our -- 3000 of your citizens. >> thoughts made adjustments to security suchs as turning up the radiat

sherrie johnson has more. >> reporter: these young ladies are learning what it takes to be a leader.the goal is to engage them in discussions and conversations and several forums on a variety of topics. >> we believe in order for them to develop fully as human beings, leaders in a global economy, we want our girls to be ready to compete. >> reporter: leadership makes other academies stand out. the girls set goals, learn a value system and focus on ac dem mikes it prepared me for life. not only can adult women be very confident in what they do, but also it reflects on young women and shows you don't always have to be an adult to make a difference. the classroom is filled with pictures of leaders from condoleezza rice, the first female african-american secretary of state and the first african-american astronaut, female leaders to inspire and show that leadership is about overcoming adversity. >> i think this program has helped to empower me and helped me feel more confident and independent. >> reporter: some students have already put what they've learned to the test. >> more recently,

education reporter sherrie johnson shows us how this promotes reading in our local schools. >> reporter: here in mrs. ward's third grade class in woodlawn all is quiet pass students move themselves into a book. thanks to the book bank program students can develop a love for reading. >> i like this because they always wonder what happened next. >> reporter: the baltimore reads book bank is tucked away in downtown baltimore this. collects new and hiewsmsed books and gives them to schools, teachers, head start centers and families who can't afford home libraries. >> the average child from a lower income home will spend about 100 hours up until the third grade being read to. so the vocabulary is hin derred because of the lack of resources, so we trito build them up. >> reporter: she has 22 students in her class. she visits the book bank often to stock her room. she has books from fiction, nonfiction to sports and she encourages students to take a book home. >> the nice thing about donations, they have lots of choices, different topics, different characters and it fits the needs of the class

abc2 news education reporter sherrie johnson has more. >> reporter: it's an exciting day for the greenof baltimore. today a work boat called the snow goose with the chesapeake bay foundation is their classroom. it's part of the program to educate students on the environment and the bay. >> it's fun and going to be interesting because this is -- on this trip we're going to be putting our oysters in. >> reporter: students have been growing baby oysters in the harbor. today they're taking them out on the patapsco river. >> oysters aren't doing good in the bay. we can hopefully turn it around. >> reporter: teachers love the partnership with the chesapeake bay foundation giving them a chance to reverse the bay's decline. >> they need to see what we're talking about and we find that these shared experiences -- they grow a sense of community between the kids and this attachment to the environment that upcan't learn through books. >> reporter: this type of hands-on learning has a big impact with students and helps giving them the tools to succeed and help the environment. sherrie johnson, abc2

sherrie johnson, "abc 2 news." >>> it's taxpayer night no baltimore city. and tonight you have the opportunity to advice your thoughts and concern about the mayor's 2013 budget. the meeting is at city hall and it will take place on the forth floor. it was another taxpayers night and that was last month. >>> democracy 2012 news, newt gingrich is expected to make it official today. he will be leaving the presidential race. in a video message on his website yesterday, he said that he would bring his presidential tboid an end today. he -- bid to an end today. >>> we have learned that the boys charged with the killing of a 13-year-old boy has claimed they were involved in the girl's death. they made the equivalent of a guilty plea of involuntary manslaughter and accessory to a crime. they were playing with a gun when it went off. >>> get ready for the traffic to get worse out there on the jfx. this morning, we got "abc 2 news" out there letting you know how this will affect your commute. >> reporter: you may want to avoid the jfx all together in the next several

sherrie johnson. >>> to gary giordano the man jailed in aruba and suspected in the disappearance of a woman charged with indecent exposure and he and a tennessee woman were engaged in a sexual encounter inside a parking garage in annapolis friday night. two people saw something going on in the back of a black escalade and they immediately called police. >> you know, i think from late night people, but for the most part i felt pretty safe in and out of here. >> inside the suv they found her and carol ann bock. this was a single mattress in the back of the suv. >>> today maryland senator barbara mikulski will join other senators to discuss the pay tax fairness act in washington, d.c. and they are expected to convene at 2:30. the act is being considered to expand the scope of equal pay act to address the disparity between male and female incomes. >>> bge is trying a new way to save consumers money but customers are not buying it. they want to take out old meters that require meter reader visits and replace them with new automated digital smart meters. the replacements could be dangerous

sherrie johnson, abc2 news. >>> health news this morning. we are coming off a special session where taxs are going up and now law makers are considering adding another tax for your weight. a study says 20% of fat tax would improve public health by taxing food as well as beverages. this is not just maryland. there is discussion worldwide. the study publish in the british medical journal says that unhealthy food and drinks need to be taxed and that we should get breaks on healthy food. researchers out of missouri say a study found you can tell if someone is depressed by watching what they are looking at on the internet. those who show signs of depression browns the web more randomly and they say that happens between several applications. now, the study followed 216 students and followed their patterns as well. >>> this is the place where you hope you never have to take your child. it's the baltimore child abuse center. a safe haven for kids of sexual abuse. this center provides all reported victims of sexual child abuse support. medical treatm

sherrie johnson, abc2 news. >>> check this out, folks in minnesota looking for a way to demolish their house and brought in a tank. there is a company that let's you rent tanks. they drove it through the building four times. it took 25 minutes. new owners bought the property and plan to build a new home there. that seems like the cheapest and fastest way to bring down the house. >>> pyrotechnics imploded in a parking lot in o sage's casino. the parent company is making way for a new $500 million project, which will include shopping, dining and a giant observation wheel. >>> grandparents are facing charges for towing a toy car behind their suv with their grandchild riding in the car. the grandmother and grandfather had been drinking. the 7-year-old gill was in a bathing suit. the grandmother said they were quote, having a good time. >>> there are things you have to keep in mind when you are planning your summer vacation. your identity is not one that you think about. they are taking advantage of it. the price of original piece of art work, we know this painting, we will tell you the dol

sherrie johnson now standing by with more on the closures happening along the jfx. what's going on out there. >> reporter: that's right. well, right now charley look behind me at the jfx, not too bad. we are seeing a little traffic but not too bad. but of course you know it will pick up. but be prepared for more delays if you are headed this way. you can see the sign over there that is telling you about alternate routes and overnight closures at the 29th street will continue for two more weeks. crews are working to repair collapsed drainage pipes and work on erosion that could damage the road. now during the closures, traffic will be routed on to the 28th street exit ramp. drivers can continue left on simson and then go to 29th sleet. once the lowsures are lifted the left lane will be off limits until the $2 million project is completed. this means tuesday through friday the northbound lanes will be closed from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. on saturday, through may 18th, the southbound lanes will be closed from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. now these closures will cause delays. so for more

abc2 news sherrie johnson is live in downtown baltimore with more on the story. sherrie. >> reporter: yeah, good morning. we are live here along the jfx. not much traffic here this morning. a lot of folks use this roadway and new this morning, a study shows that a teenage driver has a higher risk of dying in an accident when there are other teens in the car. the study also shows a numberdrops when an adult is in the car. this study was released by aaa safety foundation. research has shown that other teens in the car is distracting to ginner drivers. but most previous studies on the issue are more than a decade old and don't reflect changes in state driving laws. the study found that teens driving with their friend in the car continue to be far riskier than driving alone or with an adult. the study was based on an examination of government data on teen crashes from 2007 to 2010. compared to driving with no passengers, a 16 or 17-year-old driver risk of death increases44% when carrying a passenger younger than 21. it quadruples when carrying 3 or more passengers tha

sherrie johnson,. >>> the controversial issue is time magazine is what sherie was talking about not as bad as the breast feeding cover. this has people talking. the photo of president obama with the rainbow hailo over a his head and headline the first gay president. the article accompanying the headline was written by andrew sullivant openly gay blogger saying the announcement brought him to tears. we want to know what you think about the cover we posted on the facebook fan page. look at it and give us your opinion. >>> 5:32. democracy 2012 newt gingrich heading back on the campaign trail but it's not for himself but he is going out stomping formitt romney. gingrich will campaign at georgia state gop convention. the former house speaker and presidential candidate will appear on friday. announced he was ending his white house bid a a little more than a week ago. >>> a republican republican super committee wants to woo supporters of president obama four years ago. they will spend 50,000 dollars on online ads aimed at under 30 americans facing crippling deck and bleak unemployment outlook

sherrie johnson is here with a preview of what is expectededed. it's -- expect. it's new information about the agents. >> reporter: yes. today the senate homeland security committee will hold a public hearing on the prostitution scandal involving u.s. military and secret service agents in columbia. we have learned 4 agents have decided to fight the dismissals and this could unravel a swift and tiedy resolution to an embarrassing scandal. they are expected to testify. the hearing comes as three drug enforcement administration agents are also under investigation for hiring prostitutes in colombia. we learned one of the three dea agents under investigation in that scandal may have had a long-term relationship with the colombian prostitutes. government investigators are trying to contact the woman to learn more about the relationship. maine senator susan collins says if true, it could have created abig risk. >> suffice it to say one of the dea agents it appears this is not the first encounter with the woman who came back to the apartment. the reason that this is trou

sherrie johnson, abc2 news. >>> for the latest news on the special session head to abc2news.com. you can find this story and anyupdates on the home page. >>> a demonstration is planned today in annapolis. executive director of the maryland republican party says taxpayers from across the state plan to protest the governor's tax hikes. the group posted an eviction notice on the governor he's house on thursday. the sign read marylanders are take back its state it's time for you and your democratic pal to leave annapolis. >>> hundreds of parents, teachers and students will unite with the baltimore education coalition calling for education to be a priority in the budget. they are calling for three specific things. they want the general assembly to restore cuts to the schools. they are calling for the city council to pass the bottle tax to fund school construction and they want the mayor to keep the commitment to doubling fundingfor after school programs and increase 5 million dollars. the protest at 6 will take place outside baltimore city hall. >>> protesters will be outside police h

sherrie johnson, abc2 news. >>> news time 6:32. concerns this morning about closing rec centers in baltimore. there was a protest last night at city hall where demonstrators say they are not happy about the city's 19 million dollar plan to restructure recreation centers and use sponsors to keep some of them open. organizers do say the city is taking centers away from neighborhoods that need them the most and it's important to kid in the communities to have input. >>> federal investigators are looking into whether engine trouble caused a small plane to crash in southern california. the cessna 210 went down in the neighborhood in glendale downing power lines and avoiding homes. the pilot was able to free himself from the twisted wreckage and was taken to the hospital without injuries that are not considered life- threatening. >>> 6:33. and disturbing video caught on camera a potential parental prank could have ended up tragically. a dad picks up his kid and toss him into a washer headfirst and slams the door. shock turned into horror

. >> this morning sherrie johnson spent the morning look through the 93 pages of documents and has a live report on what is expected. >> reporter: today the governor will sign another 300 bills that were approved in this year's legislative session. he will sign the budget and tax bills approved last week in a special session. those bills include an income tax increase for people earning more than 100,000 dollars and households earning more than 150,000 dollars a year. governor o'malley is expected to sign a bill that would make maryland the first state to ban an arson adjective in chicken feed. state lawmakers banned the use of it a chemical used to help the birds grow and fight parasites. itth law would go -- the law would go into effect on january 1st. top bills to be signed, the budget and tax increases for people earning more than $100,000 and households earning more than $150,000 a year. and a bill to ban an arsenic in chicken feed. the bills cover 93 pages. a lot to sort through and for more information head to abc2news.com. we have the story listed in the home page. also with

sherrie johnson, abc2 news. >>> well, if you are looking for an economic mobility, living in marylandight help. that's according to a new study. that's released by the pew charitable trust. take a look at this. it found that 21% of maryland residents saw their earnings rise in their mid 30s to late 40s. more marylanders are in the bottom half of the earnings and they saw their incomes rise relative to others, a few in the top half saw a downward slide on the earnings ladder. researchers believe education is key to economic mobility. >>> it's going to be a game seven for the washington capitals in the stanley cup playoffs, this is going to be saturday at verizon center though last night the caps beat the top-seeded new york rangers 2-1 in regulation. no overtime needed in this one. alex ovechkin and jason chimera gave the home team a 2-0 lead. and the caps held on behind braden holtby. yeah. game seven saturday night it's going to be at the garden in new york. >>> rain canceled o's game last night. so if you have time you think head to the yard for a doubleheader. it is single admissio

sherrie johnson, abc2 news. >>> president obama's announcement that he now supports same sex marriage brought swift reaction from marylanders for marriage equality. the group of the center of the push to pass same sex marriage in annapolis brought something less than surprise from the maryland alliance. take a listen. >> many people are going to have to search deep within and try and figure out do they still support the president and vote for him, or do they not support him and not vote for him? it just showed the president is a real person. >> and you know he took his time to come out you know and take a stance because he went back and forth with it just a like a lot of voters are doing right now. >> opponents of the same sex marriage bill here in maryland say they have already gathered more than 30,000 signatures towards getting a referendum on the ballot in november. they need more than 55,000 signatures by june 19th. a lot of people are weighing in on president obama's announcement that he spottings same sex marriage. anita writes in for example -- larry weighs in saying -- and ch

abc2 news sherrie johnson joins us with the very latest on this investigation. >> reporter: well, megantion. we've learned that 21-year-old alexander kinyua has been charged with first degree murder. he will face the judge in court today at 1:15. this is in connection with body parts found in a home in the 500 block of terrapin terrace in joppa. the sheriff's deputies have a strong belief that they found the body of a man missing since last week. and while detectives have not positively identified that body; police say they have a strong suspicion that it's kujoe bonsafo agyei-kodie. he's been missing since friday and was last seen in his home on terrapin terrace. deputies found body parts in the home once they entered with a search warrant. >> we've got a suspect in custody being charged with first degree murder and it's up to the officer chief medical examiner to be able to confirm positively the identity of the body and investigators do believe that this is related to the missing person that was reported over the weekend. >> reporter: now we should learn more information later today

. >> the event is sponsored by the baltimore reads book bank and abc2's sherrie johnson has more on it. >> reporter: we are here at the baltimore reads book bank here. i am surrounded by hundreds of interesting books here. i mean, they have something for everyone. right now they are gearing up for the baltimore reads book event and this morning, i have mark fiery here with the book bank. he's nice enough to join me here to talk a little bit. well first of all, mark, tell me a little bit about the event that you have coming up on saturday. what's this all about? >> okay, every year, the first saturday in may we have books for kids day down at the polly western high school and it's where we collect thousands of books to distribute out to families and schools and children throughout the entire state at this point. because it's such a huge need within so many of the schools and there's a massive need with children in general having books in the home. what we found is that the average number of books in a middle income home is about 64 age-appropriate. the average number of bobs in a leer i

sherrie johnson, abc2 news. >>> a demonstration is planned in annapolis. executive trekor of the maryland republican party says taxpayers will protest the tax hike. they posted an eviction notice on the governeer house reading "marylanders are taking their state back and it is time for you and your democratic pals to leave and alleys. >>> pro-- and annapolis. >>> parents teachers and students will unite with the baltimore education co-- coalition to restore 22 hundredmillion doll dsh -- 2200 they are calling for the city council for the bottle tax to fund construction and they want the mayor to keep the commitment to double funding for after school programs. >>> a alert for parents especially if you have young children. >> the tiny button batteries found in everything from remote controls to watches, well, they could be injuring your kids. and linda so is here with the details on what this is is all about. what's the problem. >> reporter: yak the new report finds the number -- yeah, the new report find the number of er visits from those who swallowed the b

sherrie johnson is here with a breakdown of what it means. >> reporter: i sort of skilled through it. today the governor signs 300 billions approve in the legislative session. he will also sign the budget and tax bills approved in a special session. those bills include an income tax increase for people earning more than 100,000 dollars and households earning more than 150,000 dollars a year. governor o'malley is expected to sign a bill that would make maryland the first state to ban an arsenic additive in chicken feed. state lawmakers banned the use of the chemical used to help the birds grow and fight parasites. the governor is also expected to sign a bill requiring all maryland public schools to keep epifren on hand. so the budget will be signed and tax increases for people earning more than 100,000 dollars and households earning more than 150,000 dollars a year. and a bill to ban arsenic additive in chicken feed. the bills cover 93 pages and for more information head to our website at abc2news.com and we have the story located in our home page. and you can click on a link to read t

abc2 news' sherrie johnson is here with more on the developing story. >> reporter: president obama has been facing mounting pressure to clarify his position son same sex merge. he announced he had reversed his opposition on the politically charged issue. the president still believes that states should decide how to handle the issue but he's confident that americans will grow more and more comfortable with same sex marriage. right now 30 states have constitutional amendments or laws banning same sex marriages. americans have also evolved on the issue, support for it has risen sharply nationwide. more than 50% of americans now say same sex marriage should be legal. >> at a certain point i've just concluded that for me personally, it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that i think same sex couples should be able to get married. >> reporter: now coming up at 6:00 we'll hear from republican presidential candidate mitt romney has to say about this and also stay tuned for good morning america for the exclusive interslew with the president. sherrie johnson, abc2 news. >>> baltimore pro

reporting live in downtown baltimore, sherrie johnson, abc2 news. >>> four minutes after 6. democracy 2012 news this morning. in just about an hour voters in indiana north carolina and west virginia will begin heading to the polls for the gop primary. mit romney and ron paul are the two contnder. last night romney received an endorsement via e-mail from rick santorum. >>> and today voters in north carolina head to the polls casting ballots on the state's constitution regarding marriage. if amendment 1 passes the polls suggest it will, critics like reverend william barber say it would invalidate civil unions and domestic partnerships same sex or not. >> aid bad law because it -- it's a bad law because it will hurt heterosexual families because it doesn't recognize any other domestic union. >> north carolina house majority union says an amendment is needed so judges can't overturn it. >>> a new report will be released today on the rising obesity rates in the country. it's pretty surprising. linda so is here to tell us what the numbers show. >> reporter: the report find 42% of

sherrie johnson, abc2 news. they have been talking at it all week and an auction of the famous painting called the scream. >> it was going to go between $80 million and $200 million. it has gone to one wealthy bidder, coming up just how much that auction price was. >> also ahead this morning, a car crashing into a store in texas caught on camera but police don't think this was an accident. we'll plane. >> also 50 big rigs waterlogged in ohio. lynette? >> we have showers and thunderstorms diving in across the area this morning. i'm going to tell you if you're going to need the keep the rain gear around for the weekend. coming up. >> traffic is starting to pick up here on the west side of beltway at liberty road. also you are also congestion coming up in my timesaver traffic report. >> it is 6:09. that's a live look at new york. you got to believe me. it's down there somewhere. let's go up to the big apple now for the very latest in tech bites. >> reporter: in today's tech bites, samsung reveals its new flagship s

sherrie johnson has more on what mcdonough has to say and new reaction. this is upsetting a lot of people. >> reporter: people are fired up about this. and it started when delegate pat mcdonough put out a news release saying black youth mobs terrorize people on holidays. he sent a letter to the governor asking him to bring more police to control roving mobs of black youth and says a trip through downtown baltimore plus the videotaped attack on tourists on st. patrick's day made him think about the crime issue. use of black mobs has people angry and offended. mayor rawlings blake declined a on camera interview but a spokesperson says it was racially charged publicity stunt. >> we can say the black caucus and black ministers alliance and a black scientists achieved this or that, but we can't talk about black youth mobs who were creating black victims. >> if you know this delegate you know he's headline grabber and some call rush limbaugh junior. >> reporter: in response to the comments the mayor's off the office reported since 2007, juvenile homicides in ba

abc2 news sherrie johnson is here with all new details. what have you learned. >> reporter: we have been working with our sister station in phoenix gathering all new information and here's what we learned so far. southwest airlines tells us there was a threat made geeps one plane in orange county-- against one plane in orange county. two planes were held if in phoenix after landing and another in orange county before departing for phoenix. authorities checked out the planes to be safe. the last flight was not able to take off after it was clear because after hour noise restricts in orange county. passengers will be placed on other flights this morning. an fbi spokesperson confirms the southwest plane was taken to an isolation pad away from the terminal where dozens of passengers were removed from the plane one by one to be screened. southwest flight 1184 arrived in phoenix at about 7:30 last night after it left orange county. the plane was headed for tulsa oklahoma. the fbi's joint terrorism task force is leading the investigation. fbi age

sherrie johnson, abc2 news. >>> it is now 6:51. democracy 2012.gop presidential hopeful might be is expected the -- michele bachmann is expected to back norm today. she suspended her own campaign for president back in january. >>> have you ever had dreams of getting a college education but couldn't come up with the money? here's one way you can go about doing it. harvard and m. i. t. they're now offering online courses for free. it's a part of the new nonprofit edex. each school gave $30 million to fund the project. >>> when it's the best cities for women in terms overliving, washington, d.c. is out on top. the research was done by a project that's called the measure of america and the study compared the differences in women's education, earnings, mare it will status -- marital status and life expectancy. and listen to this. in 25 both of the most populated areas these are the top five -- >>> well, it appears that jake arrieta and the baltimore orioles may finally have the new york yankees' collective attention. arrieta through eight shut out winn

abc2's sherrie johnson is here this morning with what the father says this morning. >> reporter: abc2 news spoke exclusively to tom chase about the death of his son. he's saddened but proud of him serving his country so bravely. 22-year-old sergeant julian chase of edge washington nationalser was on a combat mission in afghanistan when he was killed on memorial day. sergeant chase joined the marines in 2008. it was something he always wanted to do. his four years would have been up in september and then he planned to attend george washington university. he was carrying a machine gun when she was killed -- he was killed. >> he was the -- one of the marines that the other marines want around because he could get them out of hot water with the firepower that was needed to save lives. it's my speculation that he was targeted on memorial day because he was the guy carrying the big gun that could reach out and hurt people. >> reporter: now some of sergeant chase's unit plan to visit the family this summer. sherrie johnson, abc2 news. >>> today friends and family will gather to remember a to

. >> the event is sponsored by the baltimore reeds book bank and abc2's sherrie johnson is here with>> reporter: we are live here in downtown baltimore at the baltimore reeds book bank. and i got to tell you i am surrounded by hundreds of books here and i have to tell you i used to love the book "ramona." there was this book that i used to love to reed. i'm going to look for it here but listen they are gearing up for the baltimore reads book event coming up on saturday and this morning, i have mark fiery joining me live here. and he's actually the director here for the book reads program. tell me a little bit what about athis event on -- about why this event on saturday is so important. >> this is where we collect as many books as possible to collect the he sources that are required for children to learn how to read. we've found within a lower income home, children will have only about 100 hours of reading time with their parents whereas in a middle income home they'll have over 1,000 hours. to build that vocabulary they need to have these resources and have the books at home. we put

sherrie johnson, abc2 news. >>> new details into the wrongful death lawsuit by the family of yeardley love on the two-year anniversary of the slain lacrosse player's death sharon love is suing the university. this is on the heels against the-- this is on the heels of alawsuit filed against the man who caused the death. more on this story as it develops. >>> later we will hear from the baltimore city police commissioner fred bealefeld about his decision to step down. he left an impact on crime city going after criminals and determined to catch the bad guy was guns according to city leaders. he says he wants to spend more time with his family. he will officially retire august 1st and coming up at 5:30, we will have more about his long career as a member of the police department. >>> today we will honor our fallen heros who died in the line of duty. linda so is live this morning at dulaney valley memorial gardens to tell us what will be happening. linda. >> reporter: charley, it's the 27th annual fallen heros day to honor those who died in the line of duty. jack mitchel is here who runs

sherrie johnson, abc2 news. >>> well, tomorrow a hearing will be held for the suspects white house shooterortega- hernandez. police say he aimed a rifle and opened fire in the direction of the white house hoping to shoot the president. >>> today hers can be known as -- toddlers can be known as terrors when they hit the terrible 2s but one parents say their 2-year-old was on the no- fly list. this happened tuesday night at the airport in fort lauderdale. she and her parents just boarded a jet blue flight heading home to new jersey when an employee told them they had to get off the plane. they believe this happened because they're both middle eastern descent. >> and i said for what? and he said well, it's not you or your husband. your daughter was flagged. as no fly. i said excuse me? >> it's absurd. >> it made no sense. >> why would -- why would an 18- month-old child be on a no-fly list? >> after being questioned, the family was told that they could reboard. they were too embarrassed to get back on that flight so the airline says it's investigating while the tsa says that they are not beca

sherrie johnson, abc2 news. >>> alinna margulies turned herself in. she is the third person involved in the ring. three people are running the health life medical group a pain clinic raid last week. they believe they were given patience unnecessary prescription in exchange for cash. >>> new this morning a police officer who was thrown off the side of i-83 as she was helping a stranded driver has filed a 15million dollar lawsuit n june of last year teresa rigby fell when robert crashed into her car which hit her. she is suing the driver and the owner of the car. she spent more than a month in the hospital and rehab recovering from the injuries. >>> members of maryland's child sex trafficking task force will continue their conference in baltimore county. federal, state and local authorities on the task force back in 2007 more than 100,000 children in the united states are victims of child sex trafficking and every year a survivor of the child sex trafficking max it an issue. she founded courtney house which helps children in maryland and washington, d.c

sherrie johnson, abc2 news. >>> one brother was found guilty and the other cleared of all charges. that's what happened in the case of two jewish neighborhood watch volunteers in connection with the beating of a black teen in 2010. sentencing hearing will be for eliyahu weared shim. weared shim. they say the teen was so broken up by the trial they didn't want to put him through it again. >>> new details about the wrongful death lawsuit of yeardley love. yesterday on the two-year anniversary of her death sharon love, yeardley's mom filed another suit this one against the university of virginia. according to the law shute, george huguely was never disciplineed by the school on lacrosse team after incidents involving alcohol and troubleed behavior. the suit comes on the heels of a 30 million dollar civil suit filed last week against huguely done once again by sharon love. >>> today we will hear from the baltimore city police commissioner fred bealefeld about his decision to step down. he has been the commissioner for five years and yesterday he announced his decision to retire. accord

sherrie johnson is standing by with the latest. what have you learned. >> reporter: i spoke with police this morning and officers say they are trying to figure out what led to the shootings of two women in an ellicott city church. police respond st. peters epis -- responded to st. peters episcopal church last night after a custodial called to report two women shot at inside a office at that church. one was pronounced det at the -- dead at the scene and one was taken to shock trauma. police found a man's body in the woods close to the church and was dead from what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound. a gun was located near the body. they say it's likely he shot the women before shooting himself. people who live nearby heard what was going on and they are worried about their safety. officers right now are trying to piece together exactly what happened. >> we were looking into the possibility there may have been someone who was at large. but at this point, you know we are looking into the possibility that the victims and thi

sherrie johnson, abc2 news. >>> an update on the deadly shooting in seattle.an who police suspected opened fire on a cafe and then killed a woman in an apparent carjacking has died. officers say that suspect shot himself. one of the two men they were wounded in that cafe shooting also died wednesday night. bringing the number of victims to five. one victim remains in the hospital this morning in critical condition at this point police have no motive for either attack. >>> all new this morning one of the baltimore county officers convictioned in the kickback scheme has been sentenced. officer rodney sentron will pay 42 month -- spend 42 months in prison and pay $40,000 in fines. in return for pushing customers their way. >>> today family and friends will gather to remember a student killed in ocean city. 22-year-old matthew cheswick was hit and killed by a suspected drunk driver on maryland in ocean city on memorial day. the viewing hours will be from 2:00 too 4:00 then from 6:00 to 8:00 today. a burial will be tomorrow at 1:00 p.m. at the st. michael's poplar