gone too soon. tragedy for one baltimore county community as two teens are killed and a police officer is injured in a car crash. >> my sister, my family, we're hurt. >> tonight a community gathers to mourn the victims. >> hello, i'm denise koch. >> and i'm vic carter. here's what people are talking about tonight. a baltimore city police officer is fighting for his life tonight after crashing on a highway in pennsylvania. the officer's son and son's girlfriend did not survive.

eyewitness news is live outside shock trauma tonight. kelly mcpherson attended an emotional vigil for the victims. >> reporter: it was very emotional. the officer is hear at shock trauma. his brother-in-law tells me the man is starting to talk now but is obviously traumatized by what has happened to his son and his son's girlfriend. >> she was like my sister, like my family is hurt, and i never knew how close she was until she was gone. >> reporter: few in the large crowd could hold back tears monday night as they mourned two 2009 graduates killed in a car crash. >> mikey, number 44 on that football field, touchdowns, offensive players, and now he's rocking the number 52 up in heaven. >> reporter: michael jones and his girlfriend shaniqua tucker

died. they were helding back from michael's football scrimmage. >> he wanted to surprise his mom, come to a birthday party, go back up to college the next day. that's just him. >> reporter: michael senior, a baltimore city cop, was driving and lost control of the car. he survived. >> i know that he's in a it lot of pain because he lost his son, too, and i know that, you know, my daughter and his son loved each other very much. >> reporter: mike junior and shaniqua have known each other through high school and started dating earlier this year. announced here at the vigil is that the young couple will be buried together. >> there's not enough words i can really expressed how wonderful a people that they were, their great potential. >> they may be gone, but the relationship that each and every one of us had with each one of them will never die, will stay with us. >> rest in peace, i love y'all.

>> reporter: overlake high school is taking up a collection for the families to help with the cost of the burial. live from downtown baltimore, kelly mcpherson, wjz. >> jones has not been charged in that fatal accident. well, a four-car crash in chase, baltimore county shut down traffic for about an hour. the collision happened just before 6:00 on eastern boulevard. one person was flown to shock trauma in serious condition. four others were taken to local hospitals. no word on what caused this accident. new at 11:00, a cold blooded homicide in baltimore county. police say a man was shot in the head in arbutus around he 7:30. police say they have no motive or suspects. tonight state prosecutors are defending themselves against claims they abused the grand jury process in the corruption probe surrounding mayor sheila dixon.

the claims come from lawyers for sheila dixon who say prosecutors improperly issued sups. the prosecutors say they deferring by the book. mayor dixon is accused of lying about gifts from her then boyfriend who did business with the city, as well as gift cards meant for the needy. the recession takes a bite out of baltimore restaurants. eyewitness news is live at powerpoint live where two restaurants are closing. weijia jiang explains. >> reporter: research shows 80% of all restaurants close within the first five years anyway, so you throw in a tight budget, and the times are just too tough for some. despite an ideal location tin heart of baltimore, the once thriving blue sea grill and another are shutting down. the latest to lose the battle against the recession leaving current survivors wondering who is next. >> we're always concerned.

it's like they have to be more vigilant about everything they do, looking at both expenses, on the bottom side and how to bring in more revenue on the top side. >> reporter: among others to close are jordan's steakhouse, and in baltimore lucy's pub, the bicycle, and the brass elephant. >> if you get laid off from your job the last place you are going to go to is a fine dining restaurant. >> reporter: sales dropped 1.6% compared to the same time last year. >> we just don't have it. we don't have as much to eat out. >> reporter: meantime fast-food restaurants like mcdonald's are thriving. >> they have a dollar menu. you know what i mean? people are trying to save their buck. you know what i mean? you could probably get about five or six things for $6. >> reporter: yet some see the

trail of failures as their chance for success. >> people know maryland is going to come back, and they want to be part of that. >> reporter: and for the first time in three months, current restaurant owners anticipate a turnaround in business. reporting live downtown in baltimore, weijia jiang, wjz eyewitness news. >> weijia, thank you very much. if you owe the state of maryland money, now is the time to pay up. starting tomorrow, people who are behind in paying their state income and other taxes can pay back with no penalties. and only half of the interest due. nearly 180,000 people are estimated to be delinquent on their taxes. tax amnesty lasts until the end of october. it is the first amnesty since 2001. it is down to the wire for southwest airlines. it has just hours to fix dozens of its jets. tomorrow is the deadline for southwest to have either replaced unapproved parts indozens of jets or face disruption of service. southwest admits the parts were installed on 82 boeing 737

planes. so far it has fixed more than 25 planes but says needs more time to find parts for the remaining jets. the faa says the unapproved parts designed to push hot engine exhaust away from the wings do not pose an immediate safety hazard, and a southwest spokeswoman calls the parts perfectly safe. a new repaving project on the bay bridge will impact traffic over the next few nights. at 8:00 p.m. tonight workers shut down the westbound span to start redecking. the lanes will reopen for the morning rush hour. the closures will happen again both tuesday and wednesday at 8:00 p.m. you should expect delays. new clothes, new notebooks and calculators and new challenges. the first day of school for many maryland children. here in baltimore the leaders in education were on hand and in the classrooms to welcome students back. mike hellgren was up bright and early when the first bell rang.

>> 3, 2, 1! >> reporter: dunbar high underwent the biggest transformation, a $28 million renovation that made it a show place for those interested in a medical career. >> you have greatness inside of you. [ music ] >> reporter: it was cause for celebration. >> that progress will be even greater the sooner we come out of this downturn. >> reporter: the head of the department said baltimore is benefiting from the renovations. >> doing reform with us, not to us, as opposed to what we see around the country. >> reporter: the school's ceo says his goals are getting students into the classroom and getting their test scores up. >> we want to engage, make sure that parents participate in decisions in schools even more than in the past.

>> reporter: the focus is on students, more than 80,000. >> this is your first day? >> this is my uniform. >> and you look so nice. >> reporter: who have optimism and high expectations for this new year. >> i think it's a new beginning, and i think it's going to be a better year than the last one. >> reporter: the governor says we can expect to see more projects like that dunbar renovation even in this budget crunch. in northwest baltimore, mike hellgren, wjz eyewitness news. >> make no mistake about it, it was her new uniform. also the first day of school in howard county. like school systems across the country, baltimore county school leaders acknowledge that the sagging economy is affecting schools. they pledge to give students the best education possible despite the money crunch. baltimore county is the 26th largest school district tin country with more than 104,000 students. >> wow. out of reach. tonight the raging california wildfires leave five people trapped. why police say they may not be

rescued. dangerous fall. a student in college park plunges four stories. what witnesses say led to the incident. two boats collide in a freak accident here on mulry creek leaving one man dead and an entire neighborhood here in glen burnie grieving. i'm derek valcourt. that story coming up on eyewitness news. great fall weather for the start of 70. i'm bob turk. i'll have the complete first warning forecast coming up next.

it is 58 degrees and clear in central maryland. the complete first warning

forecast is coming up. the wildfires in southern california pose new danger tonight. at this hour five people are trapped in a canyon after refusing to evacuate. and police say they may it not be able to rescue them. crews say the flames are simply too intense to help the four men and one woman. the fire killed two firefighters yesterday. meanwhile city officials now estimate the flames have destroyed 52 homes and scorched 164 square miles of ground. it was a gruesome scene. the bodies of eight people discovered in a mobile home in a town in georgia. a 9th victim survived but is in critical condition tonight. bodies were discovered by a 22- year-old family member who called 911. >> how many people are there? your dad, who else? moo my dad, my mom, my cousins. >> the man who made that call is under arrest on drug charges. police are not calling him a

suspect. local pleats and fbi are investigating. another kennedy may soon occupy the seat of edward kennedy. officials are expected to announce whether state law can be changed. kennedy himself requested the law be changed. the hearing will take place september 9th. kathleen kennedy townsend remarked on her uncle's successes. >> what we saw over the last few days is that people said ted kennedy, i don't know how you got to be senator, but when you were there, you did more than any other senator in american history. >> a special election to fill kennedy's seat will also take place january 19th. contenders now include his widow, vicki kennedy, nephew joseph kennedy, and attorney general martha cokely. vicki kennedy reportedly said she was not interested in being the interim replacement. tragedy as two boats coul

lined marley -- two boats collide in marley creek. >> reporter: the shores of marley creek calm today, a far cry from what happened here last night. >> one boat ran into another, fatally injuring the person in the other boat. >> reporter: a father of four, an avid fisherman, a friend to almost everyone in this glen burnie neighborhood. >> everyone was just shocked. you just don't expect something like that to happen. you go take a ride on your boat. he's been around on the water his whole life. he's known the creek like the back of his hand. it's just -- had to be a freak thing. >> reporter: neighbors say the two boats may have been coming from opposite directions around this corner and not have seen each other until the last possible minute. an accident even more heartbreaking because the driver of the other boat, 42- year-old john martin and his 13- year-old daughter lauren, were friends with henson and his

family. martins and his daughter survived the accident with only minor injuries. henson was killed instantly. >> it's just really ironic that that's how, you know, ricky came to pass, because he loved the creek, and he would often joke about how he owned the creek, and that was his creek. >> reporter: henson's many friends at the point pleasant beach bar may never come to grips with such a sudden and shocking loss. >> it's a tragic thing. i can't understand how something like that could happen. he's grown up here his whole life. >> reporter: maryland natural resources police say they're going to be looking into whether speed, drugs, and alcohol may have played a role in the crash. in glen burnie, i'm derek valcourt, eyewitness news. >> henson was in the middle of organizing the neighborhood's annual rockfish fishing tournament. a 20-year-old student at the university of maryland is recovering tonight after

falling four stories from a parking garage. the student suffered serious injuries early sunday morning. investigators say they're it not sure how he fell but several student witnesses say he appeared to be intoxicated. he is expected to fully recover. the incident is still under investigation. in tonight's healthwatch, if you take a daily low-dose aspirin and you don't have vascular problems, you may he be doing more harm than good. that was a neighborhooding from a study by british scientists. researchers say the daily use of aspirin increases the risk of bleeding. however, people with vascular problems should continue to take aspirin. many people take aspirin to prevent clots that can lead to a heart attack. but a 128 maryland maryland state fair is in full swing, and thousands have already come out. there are the classic games, the midway, the rides, and tonight there was bull riding. professional bull riders came out, not seen here, not quite

yet, for the battle of the beast. bull riding event, where, picture this, cowboys -- picture this, because you're not looking at it, cowboys faced off against the bulls. they get op their back and want to stay on. >> i want to see the bulls. >> use your imagination. >> this is no bull. >> we'll get it for you. wade beautiful start to school today for most students and a great day for the fair. this week looks like a really nice start to september. i mean, just really pleasant. take a look at temperatures now. boy, it is fall-like. 58 degrees now. the dew point is down to 52. humidity 80%. very light winds out of the northwest, barometer has risen now, 30.20 inches. just a great looking day. right now only 5 3 in oakland. they're going to get down to 41 or 42 by the morning. 61 hagerstown and cumberland, 58 here, 68 at ocean city and patuxent closer to the water.

baltimore metro upper 50s already. 56 in westminster. you folks out here may get to like 49 or 50 overnight. some spots in the morning, and with clear skies, light winds, that's how you get the cool temperatures. 75/58 today. our average is now 82 and 61. the records, 102 and 49. some suburban areas tomorrow morning could get to 49 degrees. very light winds. light winds, moonlight, clear skies. any heat that accumulates, that is away from the water bodies, can really drop temperatures. at the low levels of the atmosphere it can get quite chilly. down to the south and east of us some showers and thundershowers continue along this stalled front, but it's slowly moving into the ocean to the east, but this front is going to kind of remain in this general area over next couple days, and it's possible by late thursday or friday some of these clouds can come back to the region as high pressure that's building to our north

and northwest. this high is going to move off the east coast, eventually the winds go back to the southwest. we'll see a bit of a warm-up just slightly, but also some more clouds. this computer model showing a little bit of light rain activity, perhaps some southern virginia by late thursday. so it's possible friday briefly, some clouds, maybe some drizzle, then it moves off, actually right now the forecast for the weekend into next week looks very, very nice. 79 is your bay temperature. northeast winds on the bay at 10 to 15 knots. sunrise 6:35, sets at 7:37. tonight clear and cool. how about 54 by morning. downtown probably closer to sick. tomorrow lots of sun, just a few clouds here and there, very pleasant. a high in the upper 70s. just beautiful day. 80 on wednesday, 81 on thursday, 80 on friday, and 81 to start the weekend. maybe some clouds friday night into saturday, perhaps a little bit of rain. right now it's only about a 20%

chance. we're looking like a very nice start to september. >> boy, i should say. thank you, bob. check in with don scott and marty bass tomorrow morning on eyewitness news starting at 4:55 a.m. for the updated first warning forecast. and coming up, the hits were hard to come by for the o's as they take on the yankees. mark has more coming up next in sports. produce with a 100% guarantee...

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mark says a lot of yankees fans there. it's easy to be a yankees fan. it takes guts to be an orioles fans. >> first place yankees, the first of 18-straight games that the birds will play against teams in playoff contention. one way to prepare, the o's bring in a tough guy, chuck ladell, the famed ultimate fighter. ladell had had nothing compared to what andy pettitte

delivered. the yankees lefty retired the first 20 batters he faced. had had a perfect game until the o's finally got on base in the 7th. nick swisher was new york's big bat. three hits included a home run off jeremy guthrie in the 3rd inning. the o's lose the opener of the series. 5-1 the final tonight. they have dropped eight straight games that they've played against the yankees. football news, the ravens have designated samari rolle as physically unable to perform. that's a listing that puts him out at least six weeks into the regular season. roll continues to recover from a neck injury. mark clayton was dressed for practice but remains hobbled by a hamstring problem. he's unlikely to play in that final preseason game in atlanta this thursday. >> not beg a part of it, it's tough. but for me, it's just knowing that i have to continue to work, continue to get better

every day to keep up, stay up with the guys, man. i want to get back out there and mix it up. positive news regarding the return of terrell suggs to practice. he's been out with an injured left heel. he may play in atlanta in three days. preseason football for brett favre and the vikings. it's made known that favre has a cracked rib, but he plays despite it. all he had to do was hand-off. first play at houston, peterson goes 75 yards for a touchdown. minnesota off and running against the texans with a game opening score. favre did throw a td pass. he found former raven chester taylor, a 28-yard toss. taylor does most of the work here. minnesota beats houston 17-10 in a warm-up game in texas. in tennis, opening day at the u.s. open. defending men's champ roger federer continued his winning streak to 35 in a row.

he defeated devon britain. defending women's champ serena williams also had an easy opener. there were no major upsets on opening day in new york. two more weeks of play for those to happen. you can bet there will be some. >> thank you, mark. a touchy-feely new trend. >> they're

people all over the country

have found a new way to deal with stress. they're called cuddle parties. adults who don't know each other get together to hug, massage, and de-stress. the parties are non sexual, and no one has to touch anyone if they don't feel comfort tab. creators of the party say it helps adults rediscover touch and affection. during these tough economic times people have been forced to stop spending on nonessential items but does that include underwear? according to several retailers, yes, women are purchasing underwear right now. some say that indicates that the economy is getting better. the theory is that when men have money to spare, that's when they buy underwear. >> that came right after cuddle