Derek Valcourt has more on three victims hurt when the tornado hit.

As Friday’s strong storms spawned tornadoes from Howard County to Harford County, some grabbed their cameras to capture the funnels. Others ran for cover.

“I said, ‘That is a tornado!’ and that’s when we all headed to the basement,” Mary Ann Corun said.

In Fallston, one of the strongest tornadoes left many with little warning.

“It’s like you’re standing there one minute with your friends laughing and joking and the next minute, devastation,” Tony Salder said.

Sadler and his friend Keith Matthews were inside what used to be a small auto shop with concrete walls.

“And Keith said, ‘Get down!’ And I went to go in the corner, and that’s when I saw the wall literally twist and I saw the roof go over, gone!” Salder said. “And Keith was back about the middle of the building there and I saw him go down and I went down.”

Salder’s concussion, scrapes and bruises minor compared to Matthews’ broken bones– he was crushed by the falling concrete wall.

“And all I could see was about that much of Keith’s arm hanging out,” he said.

Friends pulled Matthews from the rubble. He’s now in the hospital as his neighbors assess their own damage.

There are a lot of automobile businesses in one particular section of Fallston and in some parking lots, there’s damage to almost every vehicle from broken side view mirrors, dents, scratches and shattered glass.

“This was my office trailer. It was about 150 to 200 feet down there,” John Dennis said.

Dennis among those lucky to be alive. He missed the storm by a matter of minutes.

“I had to run an errand or else I’d have been in here,” he said.

Nearby is damage to trees, poles, fences, vehicles, even entire walls.

Matthews’ business may be in ruins but friends are taking up a collection for his medical bills.

His fiance is just thankful he survived.

“Oh, he’s definitely lucky to be alive. I’m so lucky I’m not planning a funeral,” Jackie Young said.

Tornadoes also touched down in Howard, Anne Arundel, Carroll, Prince George’s County, and three in Montgomery County.

The tall oak trees in Nancy Feltman’s backyard used to provide a beautiful canopy of cover. That was before the Friday storm.

“The majority of the tree landed here. It took out this fence,” said Feltman.

Now the power of wind power could be seen in the damage to Feltman’s house. The wind twists her neighbor’s tree and smashed it into her roof. Her family escaped the storm unscathed– even the horses in the backyard were spared.

“A lot of money, a lot of cleanup, a lot of work, but we’re alive,” she said.

Her cleanup is just beginning. But now, after this weekend’s storm, she’s thinking about letting a little more sunlight into her backyard.

“I love the area, I love the shade that it gives. But maybe I don’t want those trees there anymore,” said Feltman.

The damage from neighbor to neighbor is very random. While some of them have extensive damage and a major cleanup project, others only have small tasks ahead, like simple limb removal.

“The neighbor out back, Pat and Johnny, they had a really big piece of tree come down. Luckily, it missed everything. Just got their fence,” Kevin James, Feltman’s neighbor, said.

As for Feltman, those oak trees that once lined her backyard will have another purpose.

We are in a very unsettled weather pattern for the next few days. The parent low that drove the stormy weather through the Mid-Atlantic Friday is sitting and spinning over New England/eastern Canada. That low is in the upper levels of the atmosphere, and when you have this set up with a low that strong, it lends to upward motion, showers, and thunderstorms. We will see daily variances, but the chance for a shower or thunderstorm to develop each and every day (mainly afternoon/evening) through Wednesday or Thursday.

This evening’s thunderstorms are coming with a little extra punch, as a weak cold front swings down from the north. So the thunderstorms that have bubbled up have grown to severe level. That means that they could produce winds 58 mph +, hail 1″ +, or a tornado. Our biggest threat today would be gusty winds or hail. Since these are borderline severe, they will weaken when the sun sets and they lose that energy.

In addition to the daily showers and thunderstorms popping, it will remain cool. We only topped out at 78 degrees this afternoon. That is below the average of 79 degrees. We will stay below that average for the rest of the week, with highs in the low 70s Tuesday and Wednesday.

If any warnings are issued through the evening, we will be updating you on the top of the home page of our website and on the TV side.

As for the Friday storms, the National Weather Service is still assessing and reviewing everything. We will continue to see updates to the damage reports and numbers the next few afternoons, but as of today, we are up to 10 confirmed tornadoes. Here’s a list of what we know:

EF1 – Pleasant Hills, Harford
EF1 – Watersville, Howard
EF0 – Springdale, PG
EF0 – Centerville, QA (out of the Philly NWS, not the Sterling one)
EF0 – Mt. Airy, Carroll
EF0 – **2** right near each other in Damascus, Montgomery
not rated yet…
Countryside, Montgomery
Ft. Meade/BWI-Marshall, AA
Gamber, Carroll

***You can follow us on Facebook and Twitter at WJZ Weather.

Two strong EF1 tornadoes were confirmed in Harford and Howard counties with estimated wind speeds of 86 mph to 110 mph. Five tornadoes — two in Montgomery County, one in Prince George’s County, one in Queen Anne’s County and one in Carroll County– were classified as EF0 with estimated wind speeds of 65 mph to 85 mph.

Three tornadoes were confirmed in Anne Arundel, Montgomery and Carroll counties but they have not been classified yet.

The NWS has not completed its assessments of Friday’s weather and said it would update this information as more surveys are done.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

Now, days after the storm, the cleanup continues throughout Baltimore County.

The sites and sounds are familiar and frequent as tree crews try to keep up with demands and damages from Friday’s outbreak of storms.

Williams: “What happened here?”
Mark Bostic, Davey Tree Service: “The storm. The storm took care of it. There’s the stump, completely uprooted. The whole entire tree.”

And not just any tree landed on the Tien’s Towson home. The one that fell through the right side of their property was more than 100-feet-tall.

Williams: “What was it like when that tree came crashing through your garage?”
H. Yuan Tien: “That’s the strangest thing. You know, when a tree falls down it makes no noise? I didn’t hear a thing. Just the wind, the thundering, the rain.”

Towson was one of the hardest hit areas of Baltimore County. Tree crews succeeded in clearing out the damage. Still, homeowners are left with getting back to normal as best they can.

The Tien’s two-car garage took the brunt of the damage although one of their cars was inside at the time. They pulled it out with little more than a few scratches and the passenger side mirror being ripped off the side of the car. The garage was not so fortunate, however. It was pulled away from the side of the house.

A writer, Tien says his latest book “You Never Know” sums up this experience.

“You never know I’m OK,” Tien said.

He is not unlike other residents with damage. He expects his garage to be rebuilt within two months.

Damage estimates are expected to be in the millions.

Upton gave the Rays a 4-2 lead with a two-out hit off Jake Arrieta (2-7) in the fifth. Arrieta walked three during the inning.

Moore (2-5) allowed two runs and seven hits over six innings. The left-hander had four losses in five starts since beating Seattle on May 1.

Matt Wieters and Mark Reynolds homered for the Orioles, who have lost seven of eight. Arrieta, 0-5 over his last six starts, gave up four runs, two hits and four walks in 4 2-3 innings.

The Rays extended the lead to 8-2 during a four-run sixth, aided by a pair of Baltimore errors.

Wieters made an errant throw from behind the plate attempting to pick off Ben Zobrist at third. After Elliot Johnson hit an RBI single, another run scored when third baseman Steve Tolleson misplayed Jose Molina’s grounder. Carlos Pena added a sacrifice fly.

Tampa Bay took a 2-1 lead in the fourth when Matt Joyce drove in Pena with a sacrifice fly. Upton also scored from second on the play when Baltimore center fielder Adam Jones made a bad throw attempting to get Upton out at third.

Reynolds tied it at 2 on an RBI single in the fifth. He also had an eighth-inning solo shot.

Wieters put the Orioles up 1-0 on a second-inning leadoff homer. Baltimore then failed to score any additional runs despite having two on with no outs. Steve Pearce hit a fly ball and both Tolleson and Robert Andino struck out.

Wieters also had a run-scoring hit in the ninth.

NOTES: Orioles INF Wilson Betemit was out of the lineup because of a fever. Tampa Bay RHP James Shields (6-3) will pitch against New York LHP Andy Pettitte (2-2) in the opener of a three-game series Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium. Shields is 0-4 with a 4.18 ERA in his last five road games against the Yankees.
Baltimore RHP Jason Hammel (6-2) and Boston LHP Jon Lester (3-4) are scheduled starters for Tuesday night’s game at Fenway Park. The Orioles purchased the contract of RHP Steve Johnson and optioned him to Triple-A Norfolk. To make room for Johnson on the 40-man roster, LHP Zach Britton (left shoulder) was transferred from the 15-day disabled list to the 60-day one.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

The car crashed through the window of the woman’s bedroom in the apartment building on Riverdale Road around 3:30 a.m. Sunday.

Police spokeswoman Sgt. Sonya Rorls says the woman was hospitalized with head and other injuries but released later in the morning.

Rorls says the 29-year-old woman who was driving lives in the same building and told investigators she was pulling into a parking spot when her “brakes gave out.” She was also hospitalized after she complained of chest pains.

Rorls says the driver has not been charged, but investigators are still looking at whether drugs or alcohol might have played a role in the crash.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Police say Dabney was walking along the 4600 block of Pimlico Avenue at 4 a.m. Sunday when a man approached them and asked them for money. They began arguing when the man pulled out a gun and fired one shot in the air and another at Dabney. Dabney was shot in his head. The suspect then fled on foot.

Dabney was taken to Sinai Hospital when he died after 6 a.m.

Twenty-four-year-old Johnson is a 2.62 ERA in eight games for the Norfolk Tides. Johnson came to the Orioles from the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2009 in exchange for left-handed pitcher George Sherrill.

The Orioles transferred left-handed pitcher Zach Britton from a 15-day disabled list to a 60-day disabled list to make room for Johnson. Britton has been on the disabled list since March with a left shoulder impingement.

The jet stream pattern across North America and the adjacent north Atlantic will become contorted as a “block” or impediment to the normal west-to-east flow of the jet stream, sets up over interior Canada. The block, called an “Omega block” due to it’s shape in the form of the Greek letter Omega, has the characteristic of “what you see is what you get” such that if a region is in a part of the jet stream prone to having “bad” weather (an upper level low pressure gyre), that region tends to stay in that pattern for an extended period.

Another characteristic of the upcoming week’s weather pattern is that daytimes (especially afternoons and early evenings) will tend to be wetter (more showery) than late overnights and mornings. This will be the case this week, as there is a high likelihood that it will shower each and every afternoon from today through friday.

In addition, the pool of chilly air aloft combined with the limited amount of solar heating received will render the atmosphere “unstable” and prone to producing stray thundershowers…. this will be especially true over the interior (away from the cooling effect of the ATL ocean). This “blocky” pattern will break down next weekend as the upper-level low pressure gyre shifts to the east and a large ridge of high pressure builds over the Northeast, yielding noticeably brighter and warmer conditions!

TODAY: Morning sun yields to clouds and scattered showers and probably a t-storm this afternoon. Temps will rise rapidly through the 70s this morning, peaking in the upper 70s before the showers arrive and cool the air back down to near 70.

TONIGHT: Lingering early evening showers/t-showers dissipate, then drier by later tonight.

Alex DeMetrick spent the day surveying the damage.

Violent weather dropped down in Baltimore County, seemed to hit and skip in Carroll, and rolled through hardest in Harford County. The wind was massive enough to turn trees into missiles.

“It was black, raining sideways. A large oak tree had just fallen,” Auburn Bell, a storm victim, said.

“We were outside and we ran for cover. Before I could get the garage door closed, the power went out, the trees all snapped,” Dan Johnson said.

“I was actually looking out the back window and the tree in the backyard started to twist, and that’s when I ran to the basement,” Susan Bryan said.

The aftermath was a long day of clearing trees, many of them weighing tons. Roads throughout the state were blocked.

In one Towson neighborhood, at least half a dozen homes were hit. At a house, the tree was so large, it took a crane to clear it away in sections. But people knew it could have been worse.

“We have one room that was severely damaged, but the main house didn’t sustain any damage at all,” Craig Wietscher said.

In Fallston in Harford County, two businesses were destroyed, a dozen homes damaged. But there was some good news.

“Fortunately, there were no fatalities. Our injuries were very minor injuries, except for one gentleman who was transported to Shock Trauma,” Chief Eddie Hopkins Bel Air Fire Department said.

The National Weather Service (NWS) is confirming a tornado briefly touched down near BWI Airport and as many as five more may have hit the state. Meanwhile, field surveys continue.

“It’s definitely been a very strong wind, probably 80, 90 miles per hour– still kind of piecing that together, but a good strong wind’s come through here,” Chris Strong of the NWS said.

And where it blew hardest.

“It’s been a nightmare,” Bryan said.

We could see more tornadoes confirmed as field reviews are checked for accuracy and intensity.

In Harford County, preliminary damage estimates stand at $1 million.

BALTIMORE (AP) — Two Maryland companies are proposing to bring a carousel back to the Inner Harbor.

Charm City Carousel Entertainment LLC of Stevensville and TC Amusements in partnership with Crown Foods Inc. of Severn submitted proposals to the city for a new ride to go on the site of the city’s former merry-go-round attraction, between Rash Field and the Maryland Science Center.

The financial difficulties of Richard H. Knight, the former owner of the Inner Harbor’s carousel, forced the city to pull the plug on his attraction in January. Knight had operated the carousel for three decades.

After Knight’s departure, the Baltimore Development Corp. and the Department of Recreation and Parks issued a request for proposals to bring another family attraction to the space.

Though that didn’t have to be a carousel, those were the two proposals it received, the BDC said Friday.

“We’re analyzing them, particularly the proposed lease terms,” said M.J. “Jay” Brodie, president of the BDC. Those terms include the length of the lease and cost of rent.

“They both seem very experienced and avid,” he said, adding that both companies have operated carousels in other cities.

Charm City Carousel Entertainment is run by Chief Executive Officer Manuel Gonzalez and Chief Operating Officer Ed Hiller. The two have proposed a classic carousel ride, 34 feet in diameter with 30 animal figures and two chariots.

TC Amusements, owned by Ted Shaw and Chris Chamberlin, is pitching an attraction with local flair. Thirty feet in diameter, the carousel would feature figures that represent the Baltimore area, such as the blue crab, Baltimore Raven, Baltimore Oriole, rockfish and a train engine.

The city “invested a few dollars” to clean up the site, which is owned by the Department of Recreation and Parks, but no additional city money will need to go into making either of the proposed carousels come to fruition, Brodie said.

While Knight’s carousel came to an end after a 30-year ride, Brodie said he thinks another carousel could survive in the same space, as long as it was properly operated and well-designed.

Knight had failed to make payments to the city and had “operation problems,” such as erratic hours and equipment that was not in good shape, Brodie said.

Brodie said he hopes to be able to make a recommendation to Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake’s office within the next two months as to which proposed ride would be “most attractive to the future clients — the families and children,” he said.

Nearly 15 million visitors come to the Inner Harbor annually, according to previous BDC estimates.

But having interest doesn’t necessarily mean a merry-go-round will get another shot in Charm City. The BDC could choose not to go forward with either proposal, as it has done after previous solicitations.

In February 2011, the BDC issued a request for proposals for new attractions that would get tourists and visitors to be physically active around the harbor or involve travel opportunities.

Though it received nine proposals, from volleyball courts to observation towers to zip lines and kayak tours, none was selected.

“We spent a considerable time reviewing them and discussing them. There didn’t seem to be one that was attractive enough to proceed, so we didn’t,” Brodie said.
Information from: The Daily Record of Baltimore

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

The suspect reportedly shot Desean Bowman, 18, in the head, while he was pumping gas at the Exxon on the corner of E. Fayette and N. Caroline St.

Bowman was transported to Johns Hopkins Hospital, where he died a short time later.

Investigators say the suspect identified himself as “Tay” just before the shooting, and that he may frequent the Douglas Homes.

Anyone with information is urged to call police at 410-396-2100.

Mike Schuh goes inside some of the worst damage in Harford County.

When people started arriving back at their businesses along the commercial corridor in Bel Air Road, the twisted trees were the least of their troubles.

At a dentist’s office, the roof was blown off, the ceiling fell in, but they say, they had just locked their doors and treated the last patient of the day.

“It was a feeling of shock at first but I was quickly comforted by the fact that no one got hurt,” Alan Scharf, a dentist, said.

A couple of dozen commercial signs on the Bel Air corridor blew out and when the plexiglass shattered, it was very sharp. And the winds were such that it drove part of the sign straight into the side of the nearby car dealership.

A roof now lying near an auto repair shop used to belong to a building a few blocks away. Also in the same lot, the pickup bed lying on the ground belonged to a truck parked there.

The auto dealership got enough water inside that they’ve had to bring special dehumidifying equipment in to help dry the business out.

The winds were so strong there that it took one of their SUVs and threw it through the fence.

Tim Williams has more.

Downed trees are just one example of the damage left behind in Baltimore County. Dick Davidson is one of many Towson residents who came out to see the damage done to his neighbor’s home.

“You wonder why the wind couldn’t have blown it the other way and land in the yard instead of blowing it onto the house. Good grief,” said Davidson.

Storm damage is becoming big business for tree removal services in the area.

“We were here late last night, back again today and we’ll likely be here tomorrow morning and through the week,” said Dustin Gallimore of Gallimore Tree Service.

Some trees sheered off at the base, and others snapped right across the top. Now, crews are working to clear debris around the region.

“First of all, ‘Is anybody hurt?’ went through my brain. Secondly, I don’t know how they’re going to repair something like that,” Davidson said.

Damage assessments are being made around the county. It will likely be next week before they are complete.

Gigi Barnett reports.

Earl Hanson has some words to describe the storm damage to his Finksburg home.

“Lucky it didn’t hit the house,” he said.

Hanson says he received an early morning phone call telling him to rush home. He rode out this weekend’s storm at a family farm. He arrived to trees blocking his driveway and downed telephone lines. And that was just the damage to the front yard.

“See, that’s what’s in the back. It laid it down, didn’t it?” Hanson said.

His cleanup will take time. But not as long as Doug Swinton’s. During the storm, a 90-foot tree smashed through his bedroom. His family was inside.

“It was panic. It was just panic. My wife screaming, trying to find the cats,” said Swinton.

For Hanson, his trees took the brunt of the storm.

Barnett: “It went everywhere but your house.”
Hanson: “Saved me there. I was lucky.”

The next step for homeowners like Hanson is getting in contact with their insurance companies. But here’s the problem: It’s a weekend and some offices are not open. Plus, all of this damage may not be covered in their policies.

Fortunately, the stormy weather from Friday is gone but not before leaving a lot of destruction behind. At this writing (6:30 p.m.), the National Weather Service office out of Sterling is still assessing the data from what they are referring to as “hypothesized that between 5 and 10 tornadoes occurred Friday around the region.” The areas they are visiting Saturday are:

1. Damascus (Montgomery County)
2. Accokeek (Prince George’s County)
3. Ft. Meade and BWI-Marshall (Anne Arundel County)
4. Simpsonville (Howard County)
5. Mt. Airy (Carroll County)

The Philadelphia NWS office governs part of the Eastern Shore and they confirmed that an EF-0 touched down in Centreville, Queen Anne’s County. Here is a link to their assessment.

http://forecast.weather.gov/product.php?site=NWS&issuedby=PHI&product=PNS&format=CI&version=1&glossary=0

Another major part of the storm was flooding rain. Officially, we received 1.55″ of rain at BWI-Marshall, but many other places got between 2-5″. Click here for a link to rainfall totals.

What a difference Saturday. That parent low pressure driving Friday’s storm is spinning over New England/Eastern Canada. It is pulling much cooler air our way and will keep us unsettled for the next few days. Our average high is now 79 degrees, but we will be below that this week with temperatures maybe not getting out of the 60s on Tuesday. At the same time, expect scattered rounds of showers and maybe even thunderstorms to pop up each afternoon/evening. This will be nothing like what we just experienced Friday.

Game 4 is Sunday night in Boston.

LeBron James scored 34 points but the NBA MVP and the rest of the Heat went cold during a 7-minute stretch at the end of the first quarter and the beginning of the second, when Boston outscored them 15-0 to turn a six-point deficit into a nine-point lead.

Paul Pierce scored 23 points for Boston.

(© 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

Harford County government spokesman Robert Thomas Jr. says more than a dozen homes were damaged Friday evening. Thomas said two businesses were destroyed and several vehicles overturned.

The National Weather Service received a report of a possible tornado touching down at 7:19 p.m. Friday near the Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport. Crews will be investigating other reports of funnel clouds. A spokesman said it would take several days to get confirmation of any tornadoes.

About 1,100 Baltimore Gas and Electric customers were without power Saturday evening as a result of storm damage.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Matusz (5-5) didn’t give up a hit until the fifth inning. He struck out seven and walked three.

Reliever Pedro Strop got Ben Zobrist to ground into a bases-loaded double play in the eighth. Jim Johnson pitched the ninth for his 17th save, completing the combined two-hitter.

Baltimore broke a 1-all tie in the seventh. Mark Reynolds, who had doubled, scored with two outs when third baseman Drew Sutton made a wild throw to first on Robert Andino’s grounder. Zobrist tracked down Sutton’s bad throw in right field and threw out Ryan Flaherty, who also tried to score on the play.

Endy Chavez, mired in a 3-for-35 slide, put the Orioles ahead 1-0 in the third with a home run off Jeremy Hellickson (4-2). It was Chavez’s first homer since last Aug. 9 against Seattle.

Elliot Johnson reached with one out in the Rays eighth when Reynolds misplayed a grounder for an error. After Matusz walked Carlos Pena, Strop relieved.

Strop’s wild pitch moved up the runners and B.J. Upton walked to load the bases. But Strop worked out of the jam by getting a double-play grounder from Zobrist.

Hellickson gave up four hits in 6 2/3 innings. The right-hander struck out eight and walked one.

Sean Rodriguez got the Rays’ first hit, a double to start the fifth. He later scored the tying run on Sutton’s grounder.

Zobrist also made a couple nice catches, including a diving effort to take away a leadoff hit from Flaherty in the fifth.

NOTES: Matusz is 5-2 in eight overall starts against Tampa Bay. Hellickson has allowed two earned runs or less in eight of 11 starts this season. Baltimore acquired OF-1B Steve Pearce from the New York Yankees for cash and designated INF-OF Bill Hall for assignment. Rays manager Joe Maddon said RF Matt Joyce was out of the lineup because he is under the weather. Orioles LHP Tsuyoshi Wada, who underwent elbow ligament replacement surgery on May 11, is set to start shoulder exercises.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Police at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, say Andrew Kelechi Irechukwu of Timonium is accused of having a dangerous weapon on school property, carrying a handgun in a vehicle and other charges.

Police had said Thursday that a student had displayed a handgun to a female acquaintance while on campus. Authorities searched residence halls and the surrounding area and told students to stay inside or delay arriving to campus.

Attempts to reach Irechukwu by telephone Saturday were unsuccessful.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Fire officials say they were alerted at about 4:30 p.m. Saturday to a possible water rescue involving a paddle boat at the National Harbor in Oxon Hill. Officials said the family of four, including children aged 1 and 4, was using the boat when a strong wind pushed them into a shallow and rocky area near the shore. The boat does not appear to have overturned, but all four occupants ended up in the water.

They were assisted out of the water by boaters, bystanders and firefighters and paramedics. All appeared in good condition but were transported to a hospital for evaluation.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Police say the boys were playing in the woods in Pylesville, when it happened. The victim died just a short time later.

At first, police suspected a random shooter. But investigators found a handgun hidden near the scene, and later determined that the shooting was an accident.

So far, no charges have been filed. But police are looking for the owner of the gun.

FREDERICK, Md. (AP) — Willie, a peacock that lived in Lake Linganore for as many as 14 years, was hit by a car and died Thursday evening.

Susan Bowman, a resident who fed Willie every day, said the community is devastated.

“He was a constant,” she said. “Even when we had that huge snow, he emerged perfectly fine.”

Bowman said people would come from all over Frederick County to see the animal, a testament to his friendliness.

Willie was hit by a resident of the community who wishes to remain anonymous, said Jordyn Dowd, communications specialist for the Lake Linganore Association.

She said the resident was devastated and called the homeowners association emergency line right after the accident. The peacock died immediately and nothing could be done, she said.

The homeowners association buried him in common land off Eaglehead Drive, between North Shore Way and Whistling Swan Way. Fresh flowers serve as a temporary memorial.

“He was nobody’s pet, so he was everybody’s pet,” she said. “He was a misplaced traveler that became a fixture in the neighborhood.”

She said Willie was so beloved that homeowners had talked about getting him a female.

Now that he’s gone, she expects the Audubon neighborhood where he lived to commemorate him with a plaque or bench.

“No peacock will be left behind,” she said.

It is unclear how the peacock ended up in Lake Linganore.

Bowman said when he showed up, he had an ankle bracelet that indicated he was probably from a local farm. Community members contacted the Humane Society as well as Frederick County Animal Control, which sent bulletins about the animal.

No one claimed Willie and so the neighborhood took him in, Bowman said.

“I was probably his biggest fan,” she said.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Firefighters report that three teenagers were seen Friday evening during a break in a storm rolling through the area. The teens were seen walking along the shore of the Northwest Branch of the Anacostia River. A witness later saw the three struggling in the water and called 911.

All three teens were able to grab on to a bridge support of the 38th Street Bridge. The teens were rescued using a system of ropes and pulleys set up by firefighters. They were treated for hypothermia by medics and taken to a hospital in good condition.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

BGE expects to have the vast majority of power restored to its customers by Saturday night, though some outages could extend into Sunday in the most heavily damaged areas.

The areas that were hit hardest include Baltimore County, Carroll County, Harford County and Howard County. While there is no need for customers to report an outage more than once, customers who experience new outages should report them by calling 1-877-778-2222.

Obviously the warm front being to the south with easterly stable flow and timing played a large role in keeping the severe weather reports far to the south and west of Philadelphia and New York City late Friday evening, but there have been localized flood warnings in these areas (in addition to areas farther south and west Friday).

As we move forward to Saturday the storm center itself that has resulted in the unsettled and wet weather is now centered up near Georgian Bay, but its cold front is sweeping eastward and westerly flow will kick in with dry weather and some sunshine is expected. With the westerly flow and returning sunshine, temperatures will be comfortable and dew points will be dropping down for a comfortable feel, and the breeze will be noticeable with the 8-16 mph range with a few gusts to 20-25 mph. With no more than patchy clouds, low dew points and lighter winds Saturday, we will have a cooler night.

“Move forward and not back,” said O’Malley, chairman of the Democratic Governors’ Association. O’Malley came to New Hampshire from Wisconsin, where he was campaigning for the recall of Republican Gov. Scott Walker. He was scheduled to speak to the state Democratic convention in neighboring Maine following his New Hampshire appearance.

Delegates from all of New Hampshire’s 10 counties braved pelting rain to fill the auditorium at Manchester Memorial High School for their biennial convention. Four-term New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch and U.S. Sen. and former Gov. Jeanne Shaheen were on hand to cite past Democratic accomplishments in the state and enlist support in November’s elections. O’Malley led the charge.

“We must move forward, out of the eight years of the disastrous presidency of George W. Bush,” said O’Malley. “The truth can defend herself, but she needs to be stated.”

He referred to the Republican presidential primary race as a “wonderful reality show” in which “everyone was voted off the island except Mitt Romney, who managed to fend off the competition armed with his trusty Etch-a-Sketch.”

O’Malley repeatedly defended Obama’s record on jobs, saying there have been 27 consecutive months of job creation. When asked about last month’s weak job growth numbers, he said, “We’d all like a perfect and predictable story,” and blamed the “constipation Congress,” tea party and lack of cooperation across the aisle for a less-than-robust recovery.

“The recovery could be faster, but that would require compromise pragmatism, and laser focus on common goals,” he said.

“Facts can be stubborn, but they can also be hopeful. Job creation is up. Unemployment is down. General Motors is alive. Osama bin Laden is dead,” said O’Malley, who promised that Democrats will be campaigning hard in New Hampshire.

“Elections have consequences,” O’Malley said. “A better future is not inevitable; it is a choice.”

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Achievement Academy is an alternative school that provides over-aged, under-credited students with an accelerated program and work-based learning curriculum.

There will be about 125 graduates who will receive a high school diploma and career technology education certification through the Career Research Development Program.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

“It’s very similar to last year,” Spurrier said. “We’re trying to get extra money for living expense, academic expense, game related expense to our players because of the tremendous amount of money…billions…they’re bringing (in).

The NCAA is debating over whether to give athletes $2,000, but Spurrier believes the figure believes the amount should be “approximately $3,500 to $4,000″ a year to cover college expenses.

That idea would present several problems. Problem number one is that all universities aren’t able to pay that amount. If you can’t pay that to all of the student-athletes, you present problems. All schools aren’t in the black. Some schools aren’t making money, so how can you pay students.

Another problem is, if you can only pay football players, you are presenting other problems. While Title IX says that no one shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation…

Although paying some and not all student-athletes doesn’t violate the letter of Title IX, it may violate the spirit. If the argument is that football generates more revenue than any other sport, the rebuttal to that would be that football, in some cases, may be the only sport that actually generates revenue. Football, in rare cases, is the tail wagging the dog. What next, do you take away meal money from other sports because they aren’t generating revenue?

I’m not saying that I know the solution. What I do know as someone who deals with student-athletes is if you pay some or one sport and not pay the others, you’re creating problems that the people who are in favor of such a notion won’t have to deal with. Everyone has great ideas when they do not have to deal with the aftermath. The includes “The Ole Ball Coach.”

Also, how many schools are there that can afford to pay athletes up $3,500? You have up to 85 kids on scholarship for a college football team. That’s nearly $300,000. What do you do for the walk-ons? Do they get anything or do you shun them because they’re “just” walk-ons? This needs to be thoroughly examined before we change the landscape of college athletics forever.

Rob Long

Meghan McCorkell reports.

Driving rain and frightening winds snapped trees like twigs in Carroll County.

“I saw the wind pick up. Trees in front of the house were bending over,” Doug Swinton said.

Swinton and his wife were inside the bedroom of their Finksburg home when a 90-foot tree smashed through the roof, nearly hitting them.

“It was panic, just panic. My wife screaming trying to find the cats, water seeping down into the family room,” Swinton said.

The tree tore through the roof making the home unlivable. Workers used a crane to remove it.

And the Swinton family wasn’t alone.

One local tree service company says within just two hours after the storm they’d already received 50 phone calls.

“There was traffic lights out, limbs down. I was like, ‘Oh, my golly!’” Pat Stansbury of Stansbury’s Tree Service said.

Some Carroll County students found themselves in the middle of the storm.

“One bus driver did turn around. He was caught in a hail storm. He turned around and took those kids back to their school,” Steve Guthrie, superintendent of Carroll County Schools, said.

“Everybody was scared and some were crying,” Brianna Dewan, a student in Carroll County, said.

Schools that hadn’t yet dismissed held students late to shelter them from the storm.

“All the lights just shut off and it was dark and then we all went into the room and put our heads down in a corner,” Colin Dewan, a student, explained.

“I was just shocked and I was really scared because I haven’t done this before,” student Kayla Dewan said.

Shocked, like many, at the power of the storms as they came through.

Now, the hardest part– the cleanup– begins. The owner of one tree service company tells WJZ it will take several days for them to get to all the calls they had.

The good news is there are no reports of injuries in the county.

Meghan McCorkell reports.

But first they have to cut up the tree to make that process easier. And that’s something many people who have downed trees on their properties are dealing with right now.

And in Northeast Baltimore, heavy flooding is slowing drivers down. Several tried to forge through rising waters while others took the safe way out and turned around.

You are still being urged to stay off the roads and only venture out on Friday night if necessary.

The National Weather Service has confirmed that a tornado touched down at BWI-Marshall Airport at 7:19 p.m. on Friday, where an employee at the airport’s tower first spotted it.

Emergency officials in Queen Anne’s County also confirm that a tornado touched down along Route 301 in Centreville. Kevin Aftung, chief of the county’s Department of Emergency Services, said two police officers spotted the funnel cloud Friday evening.

He talks more with Denise Koch about the damage it caused.

Emergency officials say it is possible that twisters also came through the Fallston area in Harford County. Four people are being treated for injuries after damage in the area.

Harford County Executive David Craig talked about damage in his area.

Rich Gardner, of Harford County Fire Department, confirms a building collapse and downed trees on Bel Air and Mountain Roads off Route 152.  Roads between Bel Air and Mountain Roads are completely blocked off.

Radar indicates a storm that has the potential of causing problems.

Flooding has been reported in Montgomery and Carroll Counties. There have been reports of downed trees in Carroll County. A viewer from Mt. Airy reported strong winds and downed trees, blocking roadways in her neighborhood.

More than 19,000 BGE customers are without power, with most of the outages in Howard, Harford and Baltimore Counties.

Two to three inches of rain have been reported in Damascus, Montgomery County in a two-hour time frame.

Bob Turk continues to track the storms:

BWI-Marshall is open for operation but is experiencing several delays and cancellations.

A Tornado Watch went into effect Friday afternoon and will last until 2 a.m. into Saturday.

A Tornado Watch means conditions are favorable for tornadoes and severe thunderstorms. The counties under Tornado Watch are Anne Arundel, Calvert, Caroline, Carroll, Cecil, Central and Eastern Allegany, Charles, Dorchester, Extreme Western Allegany, Frederick, Garrett, Harford, Howard, Kent, Montgomery, Northern Baltimore, Prince Georges, Queen Anne’s, Somerset, Southern Baltimore, St. Mary’s, Talbot, Washington and Wicomico.

The areas under Severe Thunderstorm Warning will last until 9:30 p.m. for parts of Baltimore City, Anne Arundel County, Harford County, Howard County, Frederick County, Montgomery County, Carroll County and Baltimore County.

A Flash Flood Warning is in effect until 3:45 a.m. Saturday for parts of Montgomery, Carroll, Howard and Baltimore Counties.

A Flash Flood Watch is in effect for Carroll, Central and Eastern Allegany, Extreme Western Allegany, Frederick, Harford, Howard, Montgomery, Northern Baltimore, Prince George’s, Southern Baltimore and Washington Counties until midnight.

The Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) said the right entrance ramp to US 1AL/Caton Avenue (Exit 50) has been closed due to flooding. MD-355 at Big Woods Road/Doctor Perry Road has been closed in both directions. For more information on road closures, visit the MDOT website.

People in this area should be on the lookout for threatening weather conditions and listen for weather statements and possible warnings. For your safety, get out of mobile homes,  go to a basement or interior room,  protect your head and body and avoid windows and glass.

For current conditions, click here.

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