it is 6:00 and a gorgeous start to the week's end and weekend. i marty in the weather center. >> how the day is squaring away. a pretty good amount of sunshine. early on mix of clouds and sun. sunny this afternoon. a tad bit more humid than the past couple of days. 76 at lunch going for high of 79 this day. what a great evening this is going to be. look that the. relatively clear skies. 7. degrees. 12 hours now at dinnertime. take it away. >> about to jump into the hurry-up, sharon with wjz traffic control. >> not much to slow you down this morning if you have to head to work. one issue which is a minor one and has been there since yesterday. a sinkhole that is actually

blocking the southbound inner loop ramp from camp meade road to the inner loop of the beltway. do watch for that. the speed on the southwest side of the beltway above the posted speed limit. same goes for speed limits all around the beltway. no issues as far as speed goes. a look at 83 at the beltway. no issues there. top side pretty empty at harford road and a look at the beltway at pulaski highway. looking good there also. remember wjz 13 is always on. for traffic information any time, you can always log on to wjz.com. don, back over to you. >> thank you very much. here is what people are talking about this morning. heavy hearts from mississippi to tennessee to maryland as people continue to mourn the death of former ravens quarterback steve mcnair. as kai jackson reports, loved ones remember mcnair during a memorial service in nashville. ♪ don't give up ♪ stay in the fight >> reporter: shed tears and shared love of a man credited with a fighting spirit and big

heart. an emotional memorial service for former nfl quarterback steve mcnair in nashville, tennessee. >> mechelle, hold on to god. be strong. be of good courage. steve was a beautiful person. >> reporter: many spoke of mcnair's off-the-field work. he donated countless dollars and hours to children in need. in one instance youngsters who didn't have christmas presents. >> within 30 minutes gift cards from wal-mart and target started flowing through our gym for those 70 kids, and you should have saw those fourth- quarter heroics come to life again thanks to steve. [ applause ] >> reporter: ravens receiver derrick mason traveled to nashville to honor his friend he played with in tennessee and baltimore. >> mechelle, trent and tyler, owner of the baltimore ravens organization, steve by shot tee and baltimore send their love and prayers to you. >> reporter: he was shot july 4

inside his nashville condo. his 20-year-old girlfriend, sahel kazimi, killed mcnair and shot and killed herself. she was pulled over two days earlier and given a sobriety test with mcnair in the car. those who spoke focus not on how mcnair died and the circumstances but how he lived and touched the lives of others. >> steve was an amazing friend to all of us. he cared. he knew what friendship was. and he -- he touched lives beyond our own imagination. >> reporter: steve mcnair was survived by his wife michelle and sons trenton and tyler. steve mcnair was 36 years old. i am kai jackson reporting. now back to you. >> thank you very much, kai. derrick mason and mcnair were extremely close and the two played together for 11 seasons, 9 in tennessee and it here. chicago police have arrested the people they say was behind the horrible scam inside a historic cemetery. three grave diggers and the

owner unearthed hundreds of bodies and dumped them in a mass grave so they can resell the plots. police in michigan continue to investigate the deaths of five young people killed when a train plowed into their vehicle. witnesses told police they watched as the car drove around the down warning gate and into the path of the oncoming train. the impact of the collision crushed the car and pushed it way down the tracks, the five dead in the car range in age from 14 to 21. one and you are done. the maryland transit administration makes a major change to its cell phone policy. any mta driver or operator caught driving or texting while manning the controls will be fired. eyewitness news and mary bubala live on the story. good morning once again, mary. >> good morning, again, don and good morning, everybody. the mta is concerned that its drivers and its train operators will be distracted, so it has adopted this new zero-tolerance policy and it actually needs

riders' help en forcing it report get behind the wheel and off the phone, the message from the maryland transit administration to all of its light rail train and bus operators, the change in policy comes as the mta investigate how two teens were struck by a light rail train walking on the tracks. the train operator never reported hitting them. >> why couldn't the conduct arer have seen them? >> reporter: on june 22, nine people were killed when a d.c. metro train crashed into the back of another near the maryland border. video captured on a cell phone show a d.c. metro driver sleeping or texting at the controls. even though the investigators have not linked any of these cases to distractions like texting, the mta has decided to take no chances. it is now taking a tough stance with what operators can and cannot do behind the wheel. >> everybody needs to know if they step on a public transit vehicle that they are safe at all times. we are doing our best. that our operators, mechanics

and fair inspect verse their safety first. >> reporter: the mta is not just cracking down on phones. under the new policy anybody caught with air buds will be fired. >> i think it is a good idea because they need to be safe when they are driving those things. >> i disagree with the cell phone but she should have been given a warning before they were fired. >> but the mta says no warning in the case if there is video evidence backing up a claim from a rider that an operator or a driver was using a cell, texting or had an ien pod or ear buds in. don, back to you. >> thank you. washington d.c.'s metro is adopting a zero-tolerance policy for its workers using cell phones. starting monday the transit agency will fire any operator on the phone operating a train and bus during a first offense it comes after a metro officer was videoed sleep organize texting on the job.

32-year-old charles friedel was exchanging text messages with the 14-year-old sister of one of his players. the girl's father went to police and an undercover officer texted for friedel and he sent nude photos and set up a meeting for them to have sex. he is out of jail and posted a quarter of a million bond. new information about a pennsylvania camp that said its campers were barred from swimming at a pool club because they are black. >> we were like -- they were, like, mad that black people were coming in here and how they didn't want these black people in here. >> they were very respectful. there was no problem whatsoever. this is not a crowded hour of the day. not crowded at all. they are use that as an excuse and backpedaling because they got caught. >> some other members are calling the decision racist. they said the camp was asked not to return because the facility can't handle that many children. it is bonus time for executives at aig again, but this time the insurer is asking

permission before doling out any cash. aig says it needs to hand out the bonuses to retain the top executives and they are asking for permission to head off the firestorm of criticism when it handed out bonuses when it received federal bailout funds. general motors is rolling out a new product, and not a car or truck but a brand-new company. susan roberts reports for wjz, today gm will emerge from bankruptcy protection. >> reporter: general motors is expected to emerge from bankruptcy leaner and greener. >> how that organization unfolds is going to be the demonstration as to whether or not there will be a new gm or just a smaller, same ol' gm. >> the automaker's fresh start means the end of the road for thousands of its employees. 6,000 white collar workers will lose their jobs by october and some 14,000 hourly employees will get pink slips by the end of next year, the new scaled down gm will focus on four core

brands, chevy, buick, gmc and cadillac, the company is considering a facelift changing its logo background from blue to green. the government will now own 6 to% of the company. president obama says he is not interested in running the new gm, but his administration is seeking the people who will. rich henderson will stay as gnm's interim ceo. former at&t chairman ed whitaker will be chairman. and product chief bob lutz who was going to retire has agreed  to stay on in a new role. >> i don't think they will come out of bankruptcy and all of a sudden sell a ton of cars but i think they needed to do this restructuring for a long time, and, you know, hopefully things will be okay going forward. >> reporter: turning a profit won't be easy. gm lost more than $80 billion in the last four years, and if it weren't for billions of dollars in government loans, the company would have hit a dead end by now. susan roberts, cbs news, washington. >> what gm and other automakers

need are customers. we will learn if americans are in a shopping mood when a consumer sentiment report is released. the department of natural resources are hoping to buy back thousands of crab licenses. they sent back letters to say if they wanted to sell them back. the department hopes to reacquire 3500. they hope fewer part-time crabber also make it easier to manage the overall crab industry in this state. not every day you get to meet the pope, but later today the first family will do just that and sit down with a private audience pope benedict at the vatican. the president will meet with several leaders from african countries wrapping up the g8 summit. during to ports, the orioles will take on the toronto blue jays downtown, but one bird may not make tonight's game. aubrey hoff is recovering from a strained groin muscle suffered during last wednesday's game in seattle. no word if he will play by game time this evening. the orioles are back in

town for the last series before the haul-star break. masn on wjz. the orioles taking on the toronto blue jays sunday afternoon at 1:30 right here at wjz 13. i just saw a stunning news story. one we got to talk about just real quick. >> okay. >> here is -- 60 cities in america have already kind of bellied up to the water bar. look at the web site. and have kind of endorsed this think outside the bottle. in other words, don't necessarily jump at the opportunity to grab a water when you are tap water for the most part is just fine. plus, you know, it is an environmental thing. those of how want to be green but not green with envy because of plastic bottles, et cetera, et cetera. check this out. the web site of the city called

vona noon in australia. they have banned bottled water. i am telling you, you are going to hear about this story today. a water bottling company in australia wanted to come and -- basically truck it to sydney and in essence sell it back to them. they said we don't want your business. check this out. bunda noon becomes the world's first environmentally water conscious town. just one of these things the politicians can jump on. a great 10-second sound bite. so just when you were wondering if you would ever hear about think outside the bottle again, a small town in australia became the mouse that roared. wait until you see this. just remember where you heard it first. we will talk. n two weeks. take a look outside. you have got essentially a beautiful, beautiful day start. just a few clouds hanging around. some weather overnight passed out to our west moving down to the south. take a look at this graphic. what we want to discuss is, it

is going to get pleasantly warm. in other words, today, 79. by tomorrow and through the five-day in the mid-80s. a little humid this day. a little more humid tomorrow. not quite humid tomorrow and through wednesday. a bit of a change. sunshine mixing with clouds leftover from that weather moving by the west down to the south overnight. 79 degrees will be the high i can see it maybe getting into the low 80s but 79 right now. now to the ronster, ron matz. beautiful morning outside. where exactly are you? >> reporter: at the beautiful bryn mawr school in roland spark. >> okay. >> reporter: and it is beautiful this morning. >> what's up? >> reporter: and it is friday. [ laughter ] we are back. the young vic theatre company. 39 years going strong. it all starts here at bryn mawr tomorrow night, the major general is here, ladies and gentlemen. >> hey, ronnie. >> reporter: yes. >> can he play manic monday. does he know manic monday?

>> reporter: i am going to ask him, okay. >> i think we should. >> reporter: all right. we will do that when the eyewitness news morning edition rolls on.

6:17. marty is over in the first warning weather center. >> calm winds, 80% humidity and barometer at 30.26 and that is where we begin. ocean city, maryland. 59, easton. 69, elkton. mid-60s in pax river, d.c. and hagerstown. 59 degrees in cumberland. annapolis, 63. same on kent island. 61, columbia. 60, westminster. 59, bel air. 60 degrees in rock hall. can i mention we had some weather pass out to our west and down to the south during overnight. so if you see any -- you know high clouds around this morning, it is because of, you know, what honestly was a pretty good upper-air disturbance. it is still not going to be a major player in our weather over the next couple of hours. the clouds will dissipate. what we are going to watch is a wind shift moving our way, and this indeed is going to knock a little bit of humidity out of the mid-atlantic once we get through the period saturday night into sunday.

this morning is a bit more humid than yesterday. tomorrow a bit more humid this day. a high of 79. if the morning clouds get out we could get into the low 80s. tonight, mainly clear, 62. tomorrow, morning and afternoon a mixture of clouds and sun and a high of 85 degrees. now this chance of thunderstorm will end sunday morning. sunday will be a pretty good afternoon. nice little breeze around. a little less humidity. monday, tuesday and wednesday, sunshine and 86 all three days. don, take it away. >> thank you. how would you characterize this morning's commute. sharon at wjz traffic control. >> well, it haven't been bad, but we do have problems to report. we are hearing of a bus fire. that is going to be on woodlawn drive at security boulevard. watch for that. also a few accidents that we picked up on 32 westbound at broken land parkway. the other one in the city at hamilton at fair oaks avenue. meantime if you were traveling on the southwest side of the beltway on southbound camp

meade road. the inner loop ramp -- ramp to the inner loop for the beltway i should say. that is blocked because of a sinkhole repair work going on there. 6 a miles per hour is the speed in that area, so not an issue as far as speeds go. same goes for all the speed sensors in and around the beltway. a live look at 83. just north of the beltway looking good. this traffic report brought to you by toyota. click on buyittoyota.com. toyota, moving forward. back over to you. >> david alan grier will join us in at that minutes. hey, ron, are you familiar with david alan grier? >> reporter: i know him with well. one of the funniest guys. >> he will be here live. in the generous five minutes we provide at 6:45. we ain't going to be doing a lot of humor but we will sit down -- there is the web site right there. with a guy who is irref landly good. >> reporter: he is a funny man. is he in the studio yet. >> he will be soon. >> reporter: tell him i said hey.

>> i will do that. what is going on this day? >> reporter: we are at the bryn mawr school. the young vic theatre company doing "pirates of penzance"starting tomorrow night running through the 19th. let's introduce everybody. jim hare . is the stage director. this is troy clark. >> good morning is the major general ladies and gentlemen joining us on the eyewitness news morning edition. and we have our friend brian goodman. brian, good to see you. >> good to see you. thanks for having us on. good morning, guys. >> reporter: local well-known attorney. give the name of your firm. >> katz. i have been there a long time. >> reporter: ticket sales are booming. >> "pirates of penzance" one of the most popular musicals ever written one of the top three of the gilbert repertoire. this is operetta but close to opera. >> reporter: can he cover the

story of the demise of the opera company. is opera returning. >> it is returning this weekend and next weekend. a 25-piece orchestra. great opera singers and a wonderful chorus. >> reporter: you have peabody musicianses. >> the pit is all professionals and they are terrific. >> reporter: let's do it. maestro, music if you please. [ singing ] ♪ ♪ vegetable, animal and mineral ♪ ♪ i know the king of england and i . ♪ oh, dear, lots of news, lots of news ♪ ♪ got it ♪ ♪ with many simple facts of the hypotenuse ♪ ♪ i am good at calculus ♪ i know the scientific names ♪ ♪ vegetable, minerals, i am

the model of a major general ♪ [ sing from "pirates of penzance ] ♪ 7 >> reporter: guys, we are running out of time. thank you very much. great job, and, yes, marty, you asked the question. >> about manic monday. >> we have the answer. ♪ [ music ] >> reporter: we got the accordion player. fabulous. that's great. we are forming -- we are forming our own orchestra here. >> if you were curious what we are talking about. last friday we were down in little italy and we had a fella play the accordion who ho could

play manic monday. now this guy who can play manic monday. we have potential. we have months to work this out. >> reporter: we need to find a drummer next. >> exactly what we need? >> reporter: give your web site out. >> www.ydtc.org. >> reporter: thank you very much. guys, thank you. young vic players 3 theth year starting tomorrow. >> ron, here is where we are going with this manic monday thing. labor day. the ravens roost, bobby nick and his crowd. this is where we are going with this. we will turn into a spectacular day. >> let's do it. have a great weekend, guys. >> all right. >> see you monday with the charm city roller girls. >> very good. >> taking a break and coming right back with more of the eyewitness news morning edition.

lots more still to come on our morning edition. >> reporter: i am sally thorner. a maryland man is in dire need of a bone marrow transplant. how you can help coming up next on eyewitness news. one strike and they are out. new rules for mta buses and trains. i am mary bubala. a live report just ahead. we have word of a vehicle fire that has the southbound

lanes of 95 blocked at the fort mchenry tunnel. we will talk about that in just a few. right now send it over to marty. >> bringing some comedy to baltimore. comedy you can believe in, hon. david alan grier. pretty much say it is all. one of the most ireverently funny men will join us on coffee with. he will plug some stuff, we will talk come stuff and hang out with a guy we truly enjoy watching. you stay tuned. the morning edition continues

tim, nobody ever asks me what i want to be when i grow up. maybe it's your name. richard? no, smucker. (laughs) (announcer) when your last name is smucker and you live in orrville, everyone knows what you'll do when you grow up. you're gonna make the world's best jam. i love jam. (announcer) for five generations, with a name like smucker's, it has to be good.

good morning, maryland. now don scott, marty bass, breaking news with mary bubala, your first warning weather and wjz traffic control with sharon gibala. it's wjz, maryland's news station. >> it's friday! >> it is 6:30, and the first double-digit day of the month of july, and another dynamite day start. sharon will have your traffic after marty's first warning weather. >> let's look at the day part. sunshine through the day. beautiful out there right now. just stepped outside. very pleasant. temps in the low 60s. 7 of at lunch going for a high of 79 today. we may not track 8 to even though i think many location will but where the official reporting stations bwi closer

to the water, we stay at 79. clear skies and 7., don. >> thank you. if you were about to step off to work, sharon with wjz traffic control. >> hi, don, good morning, everyone. getting busy. we are hearing of an accident 95 northbound at the baltimore county, howard county line. a vehicle into a guardrail there. traffic being held on 895 in the southbound lanes at the harbor tunnel because of a vehicle fire in the tunnel. hopefully they will get that clear and get traffic moving. meantime traffic starting to back up. 95 will be your alternate and the fort mchenry tunnel. a fire to report at security boulevard at woodlawn drive. a mta bus. an accident at broken land parkway and another one reisterstown maryland. one more in the city at hamilton at fair oaks. a live look at the west side. no delays just yet. 83 running smoothly north of the beltway. this traffic report is brought to you by toyota and your local toyota dealer where you can choose from 16 different fuel efficient models. toyota, moving forward.

don, back over to you. >> thank you very much. the top of the news this half hour. one and you are done. a major change to its cell phone policy. any mta driver or operator caught talking or texting while in control of a vehicle will be fired. eyewitness news and mary bubala live on this new policy. good morning once again, mary. >> reporter: good morning once again, don and everybody. the mta is concerned that its drivers and train operators will be distracted so it is enacting this new zero- tolerance policy but it does need input from riders. get behind the wheel and get off the phone. the message from the maryland transit administration to all of its light rail train and bus operators, the change in policy comes as the mta continues to investigate how two teens were struck by a light rail train while walking on the truck. the train operator never reported hitting them. >> why could the conductor have not seen him? >> reporter: that is not the only question being raised.

nine people were killed when a d.c. metro train crashed into the back of another near the maryland border. video captured on a cell phone a metro driver sleeping or texting at the controls. even though investigators have not linked any of these cases to distractions like texting, the mta has decided to take no chances. it is taking a tough stance what operators or cannot do behind the wheels. >> everybody needs to know if they step on a public transit vehicle they are safe at all times. our operators, inspectors and drivers have their safety first. >> reporter: they are not just cracking down on phones, but anybody using a ipod or ear buds will be fired. >> i think it is a great idea because they need to be safe when they are driving them things. >> i disagree with them using a cell phone, but i think they should have been given a warning before they are fired. >> the mta counting on riders as i said before. if a rider sees something

wrong, they should contact the mta with the time and the route number, and if there is video evidence backing up the claims, the driver or the operator will be fired. don, back to you. >> thank you very much, mary. this morning baltimore city police say they have got the man in custody that caused a panic at william paca elementary school. police stopped the man for questions when he suddenly ran inside the building. cameras captured him running into the elementary school as well. 200 students were attended summer school and camp. police quickly evacuated the building and a s.w.a.t. team found kion earl hiding within a cabinet. he was originally wanted on a parole violation. family, friends and teammates filled a nashville, tennessee church for steve mcnair. among the mourners the ravens derrick mason. >> i want to remember about you is every time you scored, every time you came out of that

huddle you gave two bumps to your chest and pointed to the guy. i will give two bumps for you and point to the sky. [ applause ] ism love you. >> that service was broadcast so the whole area could take part. mcnair's 20-year-old girlfriend killed him in a murder-suicide. mcnair leaves behind his wife michelle and four sons. he was 36 years old. police are taking a closer look at the drug history of michael jackson. the l.a. police chief say investigators have gathering information about jackson's prescription drug use and talking to several of his former doctors. officials are awaiting toxicology tests from the coroner's office. the united states senate wants to make it easier for people to get medications. a plan to order low-cost drugs from canada over the internet. the plan has to make it through the house of representatives. critics say it will expose consumers to unsafe medications and internet scams. in this morning's health watch, a plea for help from two young women who love the same guy.

as sally thorner reports, it is all about finding his perfect match. >> all right, snow bunnies. >> reporter: this is jonathan haupt earlier this year frolicking with his godson in vermont. >> baltimore has a special place in our hearts. and i am in the right place for my care. during my treatment, i had remission but the cancer came back and i need a bone marrow transfront that save my life. >> reporter: this is jonathan water ran teed at john hopkin the hospital. in a few short months, the otherwise healthy 32-year-old's life took a turn that no one could have predicted. >> it was out of the blue. totally unexpected. totally healthy, active, worked out, played sports. it was the winter and we were planning a trip to go snowboarding. >> reporter: the silver springs residents was diagnosed with

leukemia and needs a bone marrow transplant within the month, but finding a toner is not easy. enter team haupt, organized by courtney and john test that than's sister who is a half match. >> the best chances are finding someone else. so now all of my two years and frustrations is with team haupt, that is to try to get that perfect match for him. >> reporter: john hopkins hospital is one of the nation's leading research centers for acute mylogenus leukemia, the more potential bone marrow doe donors. >> this type of cancer is a possibility of a cure. >> more chances of finding a match than a -- jonathan is a minority and the eastern european population and chances for finding a match is slim. we urge all minorities to come out and those of jewish descent to find jonathan's match. >> thousands of patients out there right now, other families, other wives like me who are praying every day that

somebody comes through. >> there has been such an overwhelming amount of support tomorrow from strangers, friends and family that help me so much and get me through date. remember a simple swab can save a life. it could be mine for somebody like me. thank you from all my heart. >> reporter: sally thorner with wjz eyewitness news. >> there will be a bone marrow drive for jonathan here on july 19. for more information and a link to team haupt, go to wjz.com. more federal money is on its way to maryland. the department of housing and urban development is urging $20 million to combat homelessness in the state of maryland. a majority of ma hundred will be spent in baltimore city. also receiving federal stimulus grants, almost a dozen orchestras around the state, the national endowment for the arts is having one-time grants. the money will help summer concerts and education programs. the maryland organizations receiving the funds include the

baltimore symphony orchestra, the baltimore museum of art and center stage. each will receive $50,000. $25,000 will be awarded to the museum for contemporary art. and the greater baltimore youth orchestra association. the baltimore office prove motion and the arts will receive $250,000. are you a locovore. spend time talking on the phone your frenemies or spend your last vacation watching blogs online? merriam webster has released its new list of words. frenemy, a friend who is an enemy and an enemy who is also a friend. locovore who only eats locally grown food and staycation, a vacation spent at home. beautiful day start. take a look outside. relatively clear skies in the area. not a whole lot of shaking going on. a few high clouds around. a tad bit more humid than

yesterday. but it is very pleasant -- pleasantly on the cool side to be honest about the deal. forecast for the day, look at the lunch part, a high of 79. it may not even get to 80 this day. beautiful temp notice upper 60s. sharon gibala has wjz traffic control coming up. we are taking a break and we are coming right back .

. good morning. a very, very pleasant day start that is for sure. 63 degrees. 8 to% humidity. the barometer at 30. of it and holding steady. 65pax river. 65, d.c. 66, hagerstown. 59, cumberland. 56 degrees in oakland. westminster, 60. 59, bel air. 61, columbia. 60, rock hall. 63 in annapolis and kent island. 65 degrees in the district. okay so overnight we had some shower activity pass out to our west and down to the south. see a few high clouds around our area this morning, it is simply because of this upper- air disturbance. if we can -- look, not a lot of clouds out there right now. a high of 79. if we get sunnier earlier, that

79 could get into the very low 80s. we are still, though, watching a couple of things. someone a frontal system out to the west and the second is a bit of an influx of more humid air moving our way. a tad more humid tomorrow than it is today. saturday night if this weather passes through the region and starts to hit this pleasantly warmer air, if you will. it is not impossible we could see a passing thundershower saturday night into sunday morning. 79 degrees will be the high this day. maybe couple of degrees warmer. 62 overnight. mainly clear earlier and later on. tomorrow morning and afternoon, a mixture of clouds sun with a high of 85. very pleasant this time of year with a ton of sun. don, take it away. >> thank you. how is the rush running a the a quarter to 7. sharon with wjz traffic control. >> not so good. a bunch of problems coming into us. a vehicle fire that had the

harbor tunnel closed in the southbound direction. traffic in this shot is being detoured on to keith avenue. they are getting over on to 95. 95 and the fort mchenry tunnel. the best option. do expect delays. a bus fire. a mta bus fire on security at woodlawn drive. watch for a new accident 8 at fayette street. it a wreck on 322 westbound at broken land parkway. in reisterstown a crash at old hanover road and one in the city on hamilton avenue at fair oaks avenue. as far as delays go, we still don't have any on the west side. a look at liberty road. a look at 95 and 195. traffic starting to back down there. this traffic report brought to you by toyota and your participating toyota dealer where you will find a service department keeping your toyota running smoothly. y with been mentioning that david alan grier is here. he is tied up at another broadcast outlet but we have been stiffed but it is what it

is. a coffee with next week. something cool happening to towson university. here is the web site. you know towson has been sitting out on york road and slowly but surely growing and becoming a college of destination. some kid in long island. where are you going. i am going to towson. you would be surprised how many out-of-staters are coming to this state university. what has happened on york road is nothing short of amazing, and for the first time in its history, towson has rejected more than it is going to accept. it is a watershed moment for one of the great success stories in education in maryland. you will meet two guys, the president of the school and david nevins on the board of regents. this is mind-blowing. check it out. >> welcome to the eyewitness news morning edition. >> good morning. >> you know we are really getting into the graduation

season of high school and i was blown away when my daughter who was a senior then was telling me "a," how tough it is to get into this school. and now that it is considered a reach school. i have already explained that to the audience for a lot of students. but this year, you on the board, are looking at now turning away more -- almost more than half the people who apply. what is going on here? >> you know it is great for towson because it builds our reputation. better and better students want to come. not so good for maryland citizens who used to think they could just walk in the door. we will get 21,000 applicants this year and end up with 2600 freshman at the end of it all. we are trying to keep the doors open because only so much you can do. >> a lot of them from out of state. >> towson university is really on the move. i was in scandinavia last supplementer and walking through the airport, and coming at me was a gentleman wearing a towson tiger hat.

needless to say i stopped him and we chatted and he lived in philadelphia. he said towson university was the hottest school in the philadelphia region. >> see, it has become that way, the numbers back this up. we have been sitting here with the tiger behind us and whatnot. that is what is so interesting about this. don when he walks out the station goes we are going off to towson state university. old habits are hard to break. >> still hard for us to break. >> with the name changes, i slip every once in a while, but it is good for the citizens, because you want quality education. we are 2 is,000. not like we are not taking kids. we are growing by net 800 to 1,000 students a year. >> put it into perspective, the population the university of alabama. >> a huge campus, absolutely but feels small because of the way we are structured. 300-plus acres but most of the day you are living on one clover so seems real concentrated. very exciting. >> the faculty here really concentrate on teaching kids. even though towson has almost

as many freshmen -- almost as many undergraduate students as college park. the school also a really grown. >> and you are on the board of both schools. >> right. >> say that one time. towson has as many -- >> no, not freshman. a total undergraduate is almost as big as towson park. the state has been growing towson university and essentially keeping college park in its -- in its -- as a result towson university. >> what is happening to towson. because of what towson is doing or the state of higher education. >> both. we are real high quality. we have a strong peer group in the students. we are viewed as a campus -- [ inaudible ] -- small chances, 90% of our classes are 30 and under and a great location. we have a great reputation,

great location. it works. >> now i have a question because you made a statement, i mean, earlier, that this is no longer guaranteed school for kids from maryland to go to. once again i should mention it is a great school. what do you say to -- to a taxpayer in maryland -- like is this just the evolution of higher education? what do you say -- >> yeah, we maintain -- we maintain for years now 80% intake. we still are. so even with all of the demand from out of state, we take mostly instate students and will continue doing that. having a mix of out of state is good because different backgrounds and 80% will stay here at the end. 80% of our graduates stay in maryland. and that's -- we graduate 4,000 kids, 3200 new citizens every year coming out of our doors. i need to point out you have this beautiful campus and college setting. who knew york road was so noisy. [ laughter ] >> we are the harvard at york

road actually. that is what they used to call it when i went to school. >> the other term i use all the time is we are becoming that other state university. we have always been the other state university, but people are just starting to notice us i do the michigan state to michigan team. we are becoming a much more research intensive campus. solving problems, helping social needs. a good place to be. >> i heard the president of another school give the same speech. >> she is doing it over there. >> our time is running short. but i thought it would be interesting with all of the high school graduations. it is just something to think about when you hear about a women's lacrosse championship at towson or this at towson and that. that other state school. well-done. >> thanks for coming out. >> thanks for being with us. >> we are taking a break and coming back. sharon gibala may be talking about york road -- this is unbelievable. it is like being next to the jfx. first warning weather and more

as the eyewitness news morning

here comes updates from sharon and marty. >> going for a high of 79 degrees. mixture of clouds and sun. now over to sharon at wjz traffic control. >> hi, marty. we still have a big mess on 89 a. look at this shot 895 southbound being detoured on to keith avenue and over to 95 because of a vehicle fire in the harbor tunnel. watch for delays. 895 backed up at this point to

o'donnell street. a bus fire. amta bus fire at security at woodlawn drive. accident at 83 southbound at fayette. another one 95 northbound at 895 approximately that one with is a jam behind it. a crash at broken land parkway and one nor reisterstown on maryland 30. a live look at the west side of the beltway. looking good at liberty road, but looking at delays on northbound 95 at 195 because of that accident that i mentioned on 95. just in the area of 895. this traffic report brought to you by the pennsylvania dutch convention and visitors bureau. choose a great value for your next vacation and visit lancaster county. go to lancaster county.com to plan your stay. don, back over to you. >> thank you. one strike and you are out. the mta has adopted a new zero tolerance cell phone policy for any driver or operator caught talk organize texting while operating a vehicle. while they have not linked to any to texting they want people

to be focus on their duty. prosecutors are dropping three new subpoenas in the investigation of mayor dixon. prosecutors wanted to speak to two current city employees and one former one to give testimony about gift cards. the mayor is accused of using gift cards that were intended for the needy. general motors is said to announce it is coming out of bankruptcy as a new company, the courts have cleared its way to sell assets. it served 39 days in bankruptcy protection. record speed for a company this big. stay with wjz 13, maryland's news station. complete news, weather and traffic still ahead this morning. up next, more on general motors turn around. what the leaner, meaner car company will look like in the future. again, it is another dynamite day start.