on the community, criminals follow. >> there's nobody out here, pitch black, we had some people still copper wires. >> this week police state a man named donald price junior attempted to steal the ultimate prize, an industrial sized copper wire. what a potential payoff for would-be criminals. a single roll of the copper wire measuring some 1000 feet would run about $5000. police say price quoted the wire into a truck, drove it to edgewood, and stashed it in a basement. with the use of wireless technology, a global positioning system or gps, he wouldn't make a clean getaway. we were able to track down the school of copper and the individual who stole it. developers say they now use the same technology to protect their goods. >> they would be high dollar items like appliances, refrigerators. >> it's a high-tech way to track down thieves who would steal virtually anything from their site that is not nailed down. in hartford county, jeff hager, abc2 news. >> bge planning cap i began placing them on the wires after thefts few years ago. but the story you will only see here on abc2 news. new developments in the case of a little girl viciously attacked by 2 american bulldogs. we have learned the owner of the dogs will not face criminal charges that she is not off the hook yet. abc2 news with the latest on what we know tonight. >> tina baker who owns the dogs that attacked 7-year-old amanda michel will face more than $1800 in fines for violating baltimore county code. those dogs were put down monday morning two days after mitchell was attacked. she was seriously hurt and will need several surgeries to recovery. baker has been told she can either pay those fines outright or appeal them in the next five days. that's got a lot of you wondering whether this is the right punishment. there have been a ton of comments on her facebook page. we want to show you those. mary tells us, personally, i think the owner should pay all of the girls medical bills. kathy tells us, if a dog attack is the result of an irresponsible person allowing their dog to run loose or failing to secure the pet properly in the yard with a compromised friends or on a lead which is insufficient for the strength of the breed and breaks, criminal charges should apply. we want to know what you think. does the punishment fit in this case? lock on and give us your take. >> that are hot topic tonight. what do you think is a mark show the dog's owner be charged with criminal charges, or are the civil violations enough? is justice being served? we've us your thoughts on our facebook page at abc2news.com/facebook. a developing story from baltimore county. police are piecing together horrible crime. i will put you over near north. . a man set his own mother on fire. the woman was badly burned. she is in critical condition right now at hopkins. roosevelt was the very latest. >> it happened in the 7900 block of east baltimore street. a police -- police are trained to determine what prompted this terrible incident. it happened just before 11:00 this morning. they sailed woman was outside the home and was badly burned. police say she told them that her son who neighbors say in his in his late teens sat on if i sat her on fire in an upstairs bedroom. firefighters say the woman's injuries are severe. >> >> her face and arm, she had burns to her face and arm. the main thing we are worried about there is that if she breed in heat smoke to obstruct her airway. later on she could have problems with breathing. >> the woman was taken to hopkins bayview and was listed in critical condition. her son was arrested at the scene. police say charges are pending in this case. abc2 news. >> dozens of companies looking to hire hundreds of people in the area. today they were taking applications from you. about 80 companies were on hand to take reservations and interview people. this was all because of a massive military -- some say they are encouraged by what i saw today. >> two languages. i am trying to branch out more. there is a two -- there are a few companies offering the opportunities i look for. >> it will help local businesses. and we talked job openings here in baltimore as well. for police officers, the department looks to add to their ranks and they hope to see applications from women. officials say they want more female officers on the force because it will bring new perspectives on how things should be handled. we are looking for people in general, but women especially that want to serve in the spirit of service. this whole thing in the past where we hire people in the spirit of adventure, we are trying to move away from, but this whole thing of serving the community and the citizens that live in baltimore is really the type that we are looking for. >> women make up about 16 percent of the city police force. that's above the national average. >> it the day of changing weather here in maryland. we had some morning showers and then things start out. at times a little bit of sunshine, but not a lot. that changes for st. patrick's day. let's take a look first at maryland's most powerful radar. clear right now, but can't continue to drift in and out of the west. there are a few isolated showers up north of cumberland, north of foss berg in the deep southwestern pennsylvania. again, i think most of that will fizzle out. the chance of an isolated shower this evening. things will continue to clear out. 37 degrees overnight, clearing and a little cooler. then we checked out your forecasts of the day tomorrow. 60 degrees by noon and at 4:00 we are talking about 65 degrees. we will talk about an even warmer day friday and your weekend coming up. >> millions of dollars of cuts. the maryland public schools could soon be put back into the system. lawmakers are considering restoring about 58 million of the nearly $100 million cut from schools. the measure was in governor martin o'malley's budget. we will watch to find out if that money actually ends up right back in the classroom. lawmakers are also considering a move that would allow slot machines at bwi thurgood marshall airport. before you consider going to the airport to press your luck, you should know it is only for people who have tickets and have gone already through security. >> slots at the airport, i thought maybe we could get some revenue when peter were leaving our state. they would be behind the check- in points, therefore, people couldn't come in and out from the public, but it gives you something to do while you are waiting to be the airport. >> i can see a lot of people visiting. lawmakers were not just talking about slot machines, but another measure that allows people to have gaming tables. no word on which would be approved. st. patrick's day. it's about loving being irish, and for many, drinking. before you go bar hopping tomorrow night, aaa has already hit all of the hotspots in an effort to keep the streets safe. free rides home for people who go out drinking at a baltimore city bar or restaurant from 4:00 tomorrow night from 4:00 in the morning the next day. you can get a free ride home. >> we encourage you to celebrate responsibly. designate a sober driver. if you are at a baltimore city establishment, definitely call for a free cab ride home. >> the number to call for the free ride service, here it is. 877963 taxi. i will say it again slower. 877-963-8290. who has been dipping into the porridge? we will go to deep creek lake to see a proud mama bear and her cubs. you will see the whole story next. and the white house says u.s. citizens in japan should listen to the u.s. and not japan when it comes to evacuation plans. we are going to have up to the second information for you next. >> weatherwise today in maryland we hit 58th street. we are already above average today. warmer weather on the way tomorrow. we were within 2 degrees. susie out about them, you are our winner. we are back with your winning forecast right after this. this week, make pasta night more exciting for your family with a little help from the italian sausage experts: try... since 1945, this delicious italian sausage has been made with only the most premium cuts of pork and unique blends of quality herbs and spices you can actually see. and the taste? why not let the empty plates speak for themselves. make pasta night a weekly dinner your family looks forward to. choose johnsonville, america's favorite italian sausage. brand power. helping you buy better. >> only on abc2 news, we have the morgan pears, smokey the bear, and look at all of these bears and cubs at deep creek lake. it's like most of us during march madness. it's called hibernation. the story of bear that buried under a porch for a long winter's nap. abc2 news with the bear well- known around the lake. >> here's a beautiful vacation home overlooking deep creek lake that anybody would love to live in. including a 327-pound mother black bear and her three cubs. the homeowners weren't here over the we -- over the winter, so this month decided to take advantage of the prime real estate and hibernate under this port. >> wench comes out of the den, she hangs real tight, but they will roam a little bit and hang real tight in one area for a while. we don't feel that this is a good place for them to run around. the mac personnel had to tranquilizer so they could move her and her cubs to a more appropriate location. she didn't take kindly to being guarded. she bolted out of her hideaway and probably received two more darts. after a short walk in the woods, the drugs took effect. while the bear was tranquilized, biologists had a chance to examine her. >> that couldn't hurt you right now. looks pretty good. not a broken nail. >> i have been monitoring her since 2001, and she is doing really well. the average mother bear will give birth to three cubs every other winter, and that is exactly what she has done. here is one of the three right now, and they look healthy and good. and noisy. this is the second time she took up residence under a house. when they first had her in 2001, none of these houses were here. now the homes have moved in but she didn't move out. there is a lot of good macro food sources for her here, not all of her diet is from the woods. >> birdfeeders, trash cans, things like that. we work hard to try to tell people to keep that stuff cleaned up so the bears don't become habituated and become a problem. >> underneath that big frame in large clause is a big motherly heart. mama bears will take in orphaned cubs. >> they don't count. they don't know how to come. they usually just take them on it and feed them. >> officials set up a den for mom and her three cubs in her territory, and they are invalid than doing fine. in deep creek lake, i am don harrison for abc2 news. >> is that the greatest story we have seen? with everything going on, we need more of those stories. don harrison, by the way, adopted that cub. the department of natural resources doing a population survey that they do every five years. it's expected to take place in may and june. now we go back to japan. we have learned there is nothing to stop a nuclear meltdown going on in japan. the chief of the u.s. nuclear regulatory commission says all of the water is gone from the pools. that is supposed to cool the radioactive fuel lots. without the cooling agent, the rods will continue getting hotter until they know. some encouraging news. a company working on a new power line that could ease the crisis says the line is i must finish. we are monitoring that situation closely for you. americans stuck in japan. the white house says, listen to the usa not the japanese when it comes to evacuating. the white house recommends u.s. citizens stay at least 50 miles away from the nuclear plant while japanese officials have that radio set at 20 miles. government leaders say this does not show a lack of confidence in japan. however, recommendations is what the u.s. government would use if a similar situation happened here. congresswoman spoke about the tragedy today. >> my concern is, first, the loss of lives. secondly, there is people that need help. third, we have an issue with a nuclear reactor. we as a country have a lot of resources, and japan has been a great ally of ours, and we are going to do whatever we can to help them. >> federal officials say they will be adding more radiation monitors here in the western u.s. and pacific territories just as a percussion. >> now, maryland's most powerful doppler radar and the forecast certified most accurate fire weather rate. >> a little murky out there in parts of the area tonight, but rain free. as we take a look at the current conditions right now, you see 5 6 degrees. humidity at 56% and wins out of the west northwest at 7 miles per hour. the barometric pressure, 30- point 0six. holding steady right now. it's actually on the rise. that's significant because at high pressure moves in out of the bus, we will look for improving weather around here. a couple of cameras across the area today. there is this go down and his bear cubs out there. a little murky out there right now. cold, but you see no so on the ground. mainly just rain in the last 24 hours. take a look at manchester. at times some fun trying to break through, but it didn't have a lot of sunshine out there today. maryland's most powerful radar is crystal clear right now. we expect to stay dry for your st. patrick's day. try again friday, and a warm day on friday, but friday night they be a few showers popping up for the big game. we will see how that shakes out late friday evening. temperatures in the mid-50s right now. 51 degrees in south maryland. 36 degrees out there in the west oakland. our winds are light and from the northwest. certainly, that puts a little bit of a chill in the air. it's going to be a little bit of a chilly night around here. look at these numbers. whiteford 62 on st. patrick's day. that west breeze off the chilly waters of the bay. maybe 60 degrees at best for stevensville and 61 degrees in saint michaels and then back out to the north and west. probably up to around 64 degrees or so. pretty murky out there. as we take a little bit of a wider view, there is just not much new whether to replace this exiting storm. again, it's good timing. quiet weather into the weekend. a new cold front they make its move friday. that could trigger a couple showers, but in the short-term, one at high pressures. that moves in. this is a warmer high. it will be a change certainly through the day tomorrow and definitely friday. clearing skies tonight. sunny and wonderful for st. patrick's day. as we go into thursday night, clear. friday, a few clouds blow in with warm weather early in the day and a passing cool friend friday night. maybe a few showers get start, but right now it doesn't look like much. 37 degrees. st. patrick's day we are talking 65. luck of the irish, he would have to say. again, that seven-day forecast showing a nice warm-up. this weekend is cooler but still generally dry saturday into sunday. >> i was waiting for my big introduction. >> sorry. >> a want to thank rachel. i love this one. it is called the yard sale. look at this. we love yard sales like we love these are all the yard sales going on. we have a yard sale. what we do is click on that little thing and then we go over and we see where it is going to beat at penn avenue. books, cassette tapes, a wool coat, household decorations, kids toys. all big yard sales are going on. i think you can go onto craigslist and it is put right here. isn't that great? kelly, how about that? oh, they also give you directions. they have the original ad. it goes on and on. look at this. kelli? >> coming up tonight on abc2 news at 11:00. the crisis in japan is causing repercussions all over the world, including right here in baltimore. why the earthquake and tsunami may make your search for a popular hybrid a little tougher. also, how scammers try to take advantage of the tragedy. surveillance video causing an uproar. a corrections officer caught on tape hitting a female suspect, and now that officer is in trouble with the law. those stories and more, plus why it's forecast. join us for abc2 news at 11:00. abc2 news at 6: 6:00 will be right after the break. the shrimpin' business probably a hundred years... i built my own boat, that's how i made my living... fed my family, sent my kids to school shrimpin'... when we heard about the oil spill, people were really scared, but uh, bp said they'd make this right. i showed them what i made shrimpin' and they wrote me a check... bp hired just about everyone in this community that wanted to work... bp's not perfect, but they kept this community working. it's good right now. people are starting to make a few dollars and get their families back on their feet. it's back you know, we catching good shrimp, we're catchin' pretty shrimp here... there's just nothing in the world that can compete with this right here. my name is mike blanchard, i'm a shrimper from chauvin, louisiana. bp asked me to share my story to keep you informed. shrimp runs through my veins, just like my blood... y'all come on down for some gulf shrimp, it's time to eat. symmetry in the meantime is here. that means it's bracket time even if you never what troops. jamie, you are working on yours. i am working on mine. believe it or not, kelly and the rest of the news team works on theirs. >> go to our website at abc2news.com. look under the spotlight area. on the right-hand side, all you have to do is click on the abc2 news bracket challenge. sign up, submit your brackets, and we will do the same over the next few hours. your pics have to be in by noon tomorrow. we will keep you updated throughout the tournament and see who is picking well and who is not. >> a tough couple tournaments for maryland. but it's all about picking the right teams. >> quickly, jamie, cloudy tonight, but we cleared out nicely for the leprechauns stuff tomorrow. sixtys, some sunshine. 65 degrees in the afternoon. >> thanks for watching us here at 6:00. world news from japan next at a 6:30. pñ