worse than expected. a $700 million budget shortfall in maryland. >> all going to be painful. tonight as lawmakers search for solutions, state workers brace for possible job cuts. hello, everybody. >> here's what people are talking about tonight. >> a little over a week into the new fiscal year, and maryland is already sending out an sos. the state needs to fill a $700 million hole in the budget. eyewitness news is live at federal hill. and tonight we report the shortfall is twice as much as originally projected. kelly? >> reporter: denise, this certainly is not the first time the governor has had to trim the budget in the last year, but it is one of the more

significant numbers. $700 million. for the fourth time during the recession, maryland's governor needs to chop up the state budget. >> all going to be painful. none of it's going to be ease. >> reporter: hearing the news for the first time state workers are on edge. >> my god, right now i don't -- i don't think that that would be the correct thing to do due to the fact that lacking so many things we need. >> like at home when thing get tight, you have to cut back. and this -- no different in state government. >> hard on the families and people. i'm worried about myself. i don't know. i don't know what to say. jeez. >> reporter: $700 million must be cut to balance the $14 billion budget. that's 5% that needs to go. the governor aims to preserve state programs families are relying on more than ever during the tough economy. >> it: other thing that we do not want to do is add to the economic woe.

so tass why we have worked so hard not to engage in the sort of massive layoffs that you've seen in other states. >> reporter: the governor will not present his solution until later this month. until then, workers at the state center in baltimore are thinking about the sacrifices they've already made this year. >> had to take like three, four days of furloughs. >> we are worried. it's something to think about, you know, considering what we're already enduring. so right now we have to roll with the punches. >> the economy is tight. we felt it. so we're just hoping that it's not a real big drastic change for the next flare. >> reporter: but that fiscal year has already started. it began july 1. the governor says he's already looking at suggestion was his senior leadership team. we'll start reviewing and coming up with suggestions soon. reporting live, wjz eyewitness news. >> thank you very much. the governor will present his plan to the board on july 22. leaner, greener and ready to roll. that's the word from general

motors today as the american automaker emerge from bankruptcy. the government owns 60% of gm after lending $50 billion. today, g.m.'s ceo promised to pay it back saying gm is a new company, focused on the consumer and making better, more fuel-efficient cars. one of those new cars is the electric volt that's due out next year. gm is down to four brand after cutting saturn, pontiac, and hummer. cheverolet, cadillac, remain. and gm may auction new cars on ebay. so far it's not a done deal. baltimore county police are investigating after a child was hit and killed by a car near the eastpoint mall. happened around 7:30 tonight on northpoint boulevard. police say the car hit the child, lost control, and then hit two other cars. at least three other people were injured. police have not released the name or age of the child who was killed, and there is no word on charges. a baltimore city jackpot was shut down for a --

intersection was shut down for a while after a man hole cough blew off at sahr toga and utah street. a small electrical fire started underground, causing the cover to pop. the fire went out on its own. police are investigating after someone gets their hands on a fire department radio and uses it to harass and taunt firefighters. the cat-and-mouse game went on for 10 hours. tonight the culprit still is on the loose. [sirens ñ] for almost an entire day, the emergency workers in prince george's county had difficulty communicating. an agitator with a stolen fire department radio kept polluting the airwaves with his chatter, taunts, and music. [ indiscernible ] >> i'll pick you up here now -- [ indiscernible ] >> hay asked him to stop. >> police even tried to meet up with the rogue radio operator,

but addresses he gave only led to a left-winger wild goose chase. [ indiscernible ] >> they say despite the interference no one's safety was compromised and emergency crews were able to respond to each call for help. the county is implementing a new digital radio system next year which will allow the dispatchers to block rogue signals. a spokesperson for the baltimore city police has suspended -- denied sending a nude picture of a woman it a tv station. officer troy harris was reportedly trying to email a mug shot of a suspect but mistakenly attached a picture of a naked woman. that picture was saved to the hard drive of his city-issued computer. harris is a nine-year veteran of the department. the department declined to comment tonight. a documentary on lyme disease may be on the movie screen, but the disease is playing for real in a lot of maryland homes. eyewitness news is live where

the theater is showing, the film that's raising questions. alex? >> reporter: those questions are ones science are still trying to answer about a disease that may sound familiar and even relatively harmless. until you get it. under our skin -- "under our skin" is a documentary about disease and desoperation. >> if i hadn't had kids i might have killed myself. >> reporter: a battle against chronic blind disease. what happens in the months and years after an infected tick bites is more than a movie to some in maryland. >> having been video game, i can tell you that it has gone everywhere in my own body from my brain to my eyes to my gastrointestinal system to my joints. >> reporter: carol is a member of lyme maryland, an advocacy group for research for a disease that often shows early rashes and different long-term symptoms. >> each person it traveled differently. >> reporter: its source is the same -- the common deer tick. and it's most often passed by tiny, immature ticks found in

woods and tall grass throughout maryland. the disease itself is frequently misdiagnosed. >> i was given drugs for crohn's disease which made the lyme disease worse. >> reporter: for three years, lori got little relief. now the reisterstown mother of two hopes that she's found it in the needles and tubes she wears for a daily one-hour dose of antibiotics. >> i'm doing a lot better. >> reporter: the documentary helped, too. as it follows others who suffer and fight back. >> from the film i realized that i'm not alone. that there's somebody like me. and a lot of the people in the film, i'd -- i have read that they have gotten better with the iv antibiotics. that makes me home. >> reporter: the best way to avoid lyme disease is to avoid ticks. stay on clear trails and short grass this summer, and in the fall, watch out for piles of wet leaves or brush. >> okay. thank you very much. and according to the centers for disease control, 100,000 americans are exposed to lyme disease each year. a huge celebration in michael jackson's hometown of

gary, indiana, tonight caps off a week of mourning for the king of pop. leanne jackson report for wjz from gary where young and old gathered to remember the man and his music. >> reporter: fans mourn the latest michael jackson. gathering at a memorial in the town where it all began. >> we are giving this because we never want to say good-bye to michael jackson. he put gary on the global map. >> michael jackson! >> reporter: fans from gary and all over the country waited for hours outside the steelyard baseball park to hear performances of michael jackson's greatest hits by a variety of artists. the reverend jesse jackson and michael's father, joe jackson, were among those who came out to celebrate the icon's life. >> and we are focused on michael on the end. the a-b-c of michael jackson is gary, born in gary. >> reporter: the jacksons moved to gary when michael was 11 after the jackson five recorded their first album in 1969. the group became a singing sensation. and michael jackson's solo

career later shot him to superstardom. michael'sum signature was his bedazzled glove. everyone here was given a right one to wear on the right-hand to honor the king of pop. it was a chance for thousands to pay their respects to the entertainer who meant so much to the world and the to one small town. >> we honor michael. we love him. we wish he was buried out here. you know, it is what it is. >> reporter: a man who was larger than life and now a legend in death. >> a great humanitarian. a great man. and if you got love in your heart, you loved michael jackson. >> reporter: leanne jackson for cbs news. michael jackson only returned to gary once after he hit it big. that was in 2003. meanwhile, a guardianship hearing for his three children has been delayed until july 20 to give his mother and ex-wife time to come to agreement. president obama is now on the final leg of his overseas trip. the first family landed in ghana, africa, tonight. ghana is the last stop of the trip which earlier today took

president obama to the vatican to meet with the pope for the first time. they talked did b stem cell research on which -- talked about stem cell research on which they have opposing views. they also discussed immigration and middle east peace. a trip to the caribbean is expensive. don't worry number weekend the caribbean is coming to you. -- don't worry, this weekend the caribbean is coming to you. ♪ [ music ] >> it is the 28th annual caribbean carnival festival. the weekend-long party features caribbean dancers, music, booze, selling things, and of course -- i know there's food there. there's got to be food there. some yummy food there. >> yeah. and-- i was wondering what am i going to eat for dinner tonight. i could have gone to the park and probably gotten some chicken and -- >> nice spices. >> yes. the father of sarah palin's grandchild is speaking out saying he knows why the governor is resigning. hear the governor's response to his explanation. what was that, a bird or a

plane? why this beam of light spotted here in maryland is attracting people from all over the country. >> reporter: we're the nation's worst drivers. study released this week says they're in baltimore. coming up i'll explain how city drives received that ranking. some rain coming this weekend.

70 degrees. partly cloudy in central maryland. the first warning weather forecast is coming up. the scandal surrounding a historic black cemetery near chicago continues to grow. the casket of civil rights era lynching victim emit till was found resting in a shed with wild animals living in it. the body was exhumed four years ago and placed in a new casket. the original was supposed to be kept for a memorial. a group of former employees is under investigate for digging up old graves and reselling the plots. accusations of racial discrimination continue to make waves through a suburban philadelphia swim club. [chanting ñ] >> protesters surrounded the valley club in huntington valley. they were upset because a summer camp of minority children had their swimming privileges canceled after one visit. the children said they

overheard racist comments that made them feel unwelcome at the pool. >> i live down there. i didn't know people still felt like that. >> what are all these black kids doing here, and that she was atrade that we might try to do soming to her child. >> i never heard any comments. i think it's unfortunate that this had to be said by the children. it's very sad. it it not represent our position at the swim club. >> the club said it was overcrowding that caused the cancelation of the contract. another camp's contract was also revoked. both had their money refunded by the club. it's a palin family feud. the former fiance of the governor's daughter speaks out about sarah palin's abrupt resignation. levi johnston says she left the state house in order to pursue lucrative deals including books and a reality show. johnston said he overheard the former governor talk about that when he lived with the family. a spokesman for the governor called the remarks a piece of fiction. an amazing story of recovery for one lucky dog in

kentucky. smoky arrived at the animal hospital after a large fork was accidentally embedded in his head. the chihuahua then ran away for two days. however because the fork was in so tight, the wound was sealed. the surgery was quick and smoky is now looking and acting normal. he's able to go home the same day. you may not want to hear it but according to a recent study, baltimore has some of the worst drives in the country. as-- some of the worst drivers in the country. as we report that means we have a greater chance of getting into accidents. >> reporter: out of 200 cities, bawl drivers are second to the worst. that's what a new report released by all-state insurance company discovered. >> kind of crazy out there. >> we try to raise awarns among drivers of what they do in traffic. why there are accidents y. they need to be more aware and drive safer. >> reporter: the insurance company used a number of collision claims to rank the top cities with the most accidents. the only city baltimore outranked is the nation's capital. >> dc has been at that level

for the past five years. we don't know why. police say it's because it's called crowded metropolitan area. >> reporter: the company also found that baltimore drives have an 80% chance of getting into an accident. and the frequency of those crashes are going up every year. in 2005, baltimore drivers experienced an accident on average once every 6 1/2 years. but now according to all-state they can expect to crash an average of once every 5 1/2 years. >> that's shocking to me. i've driven in other places in the country. baltimore definitely doesn't seem to be the worst of the worst. >> reporter: while some drivers may be surprised with baltimore's ranking in a study, the state highway administration isn't. it says 93% of all accidents around the state are caused by driver error. and some drivers in the city have seen those errors. >> people cutting off, not using turn signals. and kind of weaving in and out of traffic. >> reporter: all-state says the

most common cause of city collisions are distractions. especially when drivers are in a rush. >> pretty basic, but, you know, conditions that many people don't take into consideration. they're in a hurry. >> reporter: all-state says that a study shows larger cities have more accidents. but then the insurance company admits that larger cities also have more people. more drivers means more accidents. now back to you on tv hill. >> okay. according to the all-state study, sue falls, south dakota -- sioux falls, south dakota, has the nation's best drivers. the hunt is on in york, pennsylvania, for remnants of a meteor. this is surveillance video from the york water company. notice the flash of light this. happened monday. once word got out, meteor hunters flocked to southern pennsylvania. that's because some mediyearites fell from more than the price of gold -- some meteorites sell for more than the price of gold. >> what do you use to hunt for a meteor? >> i don't know. geiger counter? i don't know. >> worth a lot of money. >> i know. >> it's been -- yeah, i think i

found it on radar. it's right there. just east of you. a little spot -- found it right there. see it right there? there it is right there. this is york. it came down -- right there. see, you've got to go and find it. eight miles north of red line. just kidding. no precipitation as you see. totally clear here. nothing-- yes. 15,000 images headed up 83. look at temperatures now. it's 70, dew point at 59. definitely higher. humidity up to 68%. south winds at three. the barometer at 30.24 right now, holding steady. this is kind of interesting. our high today, 83. low, 59. 87 and 56 is the normal. today marks the hottest day ever recorded in the mid- atlantic of the most of the eastern united states, back in mountain 36 with no air conditioning -- back in 1936 with no air conditioning, 107 degrees. you put at downtown at the customs house, a three-story building. at least used to be.

that's where the thermometer was. glanted they have a black-top surface. that thermometer may be higher than everybody else but that's what they recorded that day. 55 in 1961 is the low. around the state now, temperatures in the upper 60s to low 70s. comfortable. baltimore around 70. a little warmer than last night. we have high cloud, light winds now generally a southern direct. there you see cloud coming in. these clouds coming from shower activity that's way out to the west of us. but these showers will approach us tomorrow night. and we have a pretty good chance tomorrow of some thunderstorm activity. we could see some decent rain out of it. it's been so dry the last two weeks, this will certainly help. granted we have no problem with the rivers and the reservoyeurs. very high. we need rain in the low levels of the atmosphere here because the ground has been so dried up. the dry weather and the sunshine. that will be a welcome sight. now it's definitely going to get more humid tomorrow. and tomorrow night with the front approaching, showers and storms, and then by monday, less humid air will return to

the region. 15 to 20 knot seas. tonight, let's call it partly cloudy, comfortable, 62 tomorrow. clouds and sun by nighttime. some scattered thunderstorms. 85 for the high tomorrow. definitely more humid than it's been. the next five days, temperatures, not bad at all. in the mid-80s. generally after saturday night and sunday, partly to mostly sunny skies. temperatures still running slightly below average. >> thank you. we'll check in with jessica and marty tomorrow on eyewitness news starting at 6:00 a.m. for the updated first warning weather forecast. orioles return home to face the blue jays. which bird comes out on top.

you're downtown, you might have seen a spectacle in the sky. >> the baseball the result could have been better. wasn't much of a night for the fireworks. the manager had a sitout

serving a two-game suspect. the team failed to score against toronto's rookie pitcher. the o's also used one of their own rookies, jason burken. he didn't get run support. the jays scored twice in the fifth inning. that's raul chavez with the double to left field. alex rios scores 2-0 toronto. their rooky is bret cecil from dunn kirk, maryland. pitched for the university of maryland. he threw six shutout innings. strikes out luke scott here. in all, toronto would use five pitchers and allow a total of five hit and zero runs. no pop on this fireworks friday. 2-0 final. now six time this season the o's have been shut out. two more games against the jays. this reminder, sunday on wjz, the o's take on toronto in the series wrapup, sunday, 1:30. in golf, the u.s. women's open. round two, bethlehem, pa, this is kristi kerr's tee-shot. a dandy. a round of 1 under par, moved

her into the lead. paula creamer is one shot back after a round of three under par 68. rolls her trademark pink golf ball in on this putt. round three in bethlehem tomorrow. cycling's tour de france moved to the mountains today. how's this view? 140-mile run in the longest stage of the tour and its highest climb. lance land famous for the mountain climbs, but he slipped a bit. in the overall he goes from second to third. brice baloo of france won the stage. another 110 miles tomorrow, looking for a day of rest monday. back home charm city. in the pool, the north aquatic club at the meadow brook pool, four days of competition started today. alumni have expel ted u.s. nationals in indy. michael phelps scwp elisabeth pelton have done very well. and an unusual sporting event going on this weekend at the bawl convention center. the game that's put indoor football or mini soccer -- teams from across the u.s. have gathered for competition on the hard court without walls using

a smaller ball. the game has roots in uruguay and was popularized in the streets of brazil and the best in baltimore this weekend. check them out. >> street ball on a court? >> i'm -- i couldn't figure out what they were there for. thank you. living on the edge literally. >> how and why two men call the side of a building home sweet

a llama wrangler was needed in one kentucky neighborhood. 15 escaped from a farm in

louisville. they wandered through several yards before the farmer coaxed the animals home. the llamas escaped when a group partying on the farm left the gate open. people walking down one industry in rio de janeiro find them looking up because a couple of brother have set up residence on the side of a building. for 12 hours a day they use the chair, table, and hammocks suspended 30 feet in the air. they call the off-the-wall dwelling street art. just last week -- i didn't see these guys. then again there's nearly 12 million people there. >> maybe it was opposite 12 hours. >> maybe so. look at that.

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