Latest news with #WJZ
CBS News
17 hours ago
- Climate
- CBS News
Damaging Maryland storms knock out power, take down trees and power lines
Severe storm threat persists through the evening in Maryland Severe storm threat persists through the evening in Maryland Severe storm threat persists through the evening in Maryland Stormy weather knocked down trees, power lines, and took out power for tens of thousands of Marylanders on Thursday These strong to severe storms swept through the state with damaging winds, torrential downpours, and flooding in some areas. According to the National Weather Service, some parts of Maryland had hail and wind gusts of up to 70 mph. Maryland storm damage WJZ received photos of damage across the state. A large tree was knocked over along Gillis Falls Road at Watersville Road near Mount Airy. A video by Timothy Butz showed relentless rain pouring on Glen Burnie. @SteveSosnaWX Videos of the vicious storm that hammered Glen Burnie, Md. a bit ago. — TIMOTHY BUTZ (@timbutz70) June 19, 2025
CBS News
2 days ago
- Climate
- CBS News
Alert Days severe storms across Maryland Wednesday & Thursday
After powerful overnight storms impacted Maryland overnight, more strong to severe thunderstorms are possible this afternoon and evening along with Thursday afternoon and evening. Alert Days Wednesday and Thursday for possible powerful storms The WJZ First Alert Weather Team has issued First Alert Weather Days Wednesday and Thursday for the potential for severe storms and heavy rainfall. The best chance for these nasty storms both days will be between 2 pm and 8 pm. Damaging winds, torrential downpours, and intense lightning are possible with any storms. Please stay weather aware and have the CBS News App downloaded to your phone so you can receive any severe weather watches and warnings issued. In addition to damaging winds, which may snap tree limbs, knock down trees, and cause power outages, especially on Thursday, there is the potential of localized flash flooding in spots. This will be especially true in areas that received heavy storms overnight. Any additional 1 to locally 3 inches of rain are possible with storms. Summer Heat and Humidity We'll see two rounds of heat and humidity over the next seven days. The first round of heat and humidity will be felt today and Thursday. Today's high temperatures will reach the upper 80s to near 90°. Factor in the high humidity and heat index values will reach between 95° and 100° today and heat index values may reach the lower 100s by Thursday afternoon. Friday will see a break for the tough heat and humidity with highs in the upper 80s and a noticeable drop in the mugginess. This will be the best weather day over the next seven days. Hot and sunny summer weekend Heat will return over the weekend with typical Maryland summertime temperatures on Saturday with highs in the lower 90s. Humidity on Saturday will be tolerable, but it's still a day you'll want to stay hydrated and take breaks from the heat. Even hotter weather builds into the area Sunday with highs in the middle 90s and humidity values on the rise. This means the heat index values will top out around 100°. If you're headed to AFRAM this weekend the weather will be dry, but hot! Please take all of the heat precautions including staying hydrated, wearing sun protection along with light weight and light colored clothing. The beaches this weekend will have perfect weather with a daily sea breeze keeping high temperatures in the lower 80s with plenty of sunshine. It's a perfect weekend to head down to the Atlantic beaches in Delaware and Maryland. Dangerous Heat Begins Monday An extended stretch of dangerous heat and humidity will begin Monday. A large area of high pressure will serve as a heat dome across our area. This means we'll see temperatures climbing into the upper 90s to lower 100s. In addition to the oppressive heat, humidity levels will be running high as well. This means heat index values of 100° to 110° will be possible. The worst stretch of heat looks to last Monday through Thursday. It's very important that you prepare you, your family, friends and neighbors for this type of heat. The body needs at least a few hours a day to cool off or it can become stressed leading to health ailments. Also please make sure that your pets stay cool and hydrated. Storms later Thursday may break the most intense part of the heat wave, but that could change, so please check back for updates. Stay with the WJZ First Alert Weather Team for further information about cooling center locations, other places to beat the heat, and new updates as this dangerous heat approaches.
CBS News
6 days ago
- Climate
- CBS News
Afternoon Storms to Develop in Maryland Saturday
A few light showers started the day in western Maryland on Saturday. It's a quiet start to the day that doesn't look to end in the same way. Saturday is a possible WJZ Alert Day. The First Alert Weather team will be watching the risk for showers and storms to develop this afternoon, continuing into the evening. Similar to Friday, heavy rain is possible. Last night's storms produced multiple flash flood alerts in Maryland and with the ground still saturated, we could see more of the same on Saturday. Forecast models are calling for 1 inch to possibly 3 inches of rainfall here in Maryland (isolated areas could see up to 5 inches if heavy rain is slow to move out or tracks over a certain area multiple times). A few storms could be on the stronger side, producing gusty winds and possible small hail. Highs on Saturday will be cooler - around 80°. It'll be even cooler on Father's Day. Prepare for highs only in the upper 60s to low 70s Sunday afternoon. Sunday also brings its own rain chance. The upcoming work week doesn't look to completely dry out until maybe closer to AFRAM weekend.
CBS News
11-06-2025
- General
- CBS News
WJZ staff takes part in Volunteer Day in South Baltimore community
Volunteers from WJZ stepped inside Curtis Bay Elementary School and picked up gardening tools right next door at the Filbert Street Garden on Wednesday. WJZ partnered with United Way of Central Maryland for Volunteer Day. "They're putting together summer STEM kits for the kids to take home," said Beth Littrell, the associate vice president of Community engagement and volunteerism with United Way of Central Maryland. "Helping to advance their mathematics and science skills," said Tanya Black, WJZ's Vice President of News. Giving back to the students The team helped students get ready for the summer. "It's our 100th anniversary," Littrell said. "So, they are packing up 100 items, and kids are going to use those 100 items to make something that can help the community in the next 100 years." Volunteers filled each backpack with pipe cleaners, rubber bands, and other items that will be given to roughly 450 students. Beautifying a Baltimore community garden As some volunteers worked inside, another group worked to beautify the Filbert Street Community Garden. The garden holds chickens, turkeys, and goats. It's a space that's meant to educate the community while also feeding residents living in a food desert. Volunteers removed hay, spread manure, and fed chickens. Jen Huie, an animal caretaker with the community garden, said this work lightened the load for those who work at the garden that serves about 1,000 people each month. "The labor you're providing would take our stewards and our animal husbandry coordinator many, many hours to accomplish," Huie said. Work and some play When the work was done, volunteers had some fun with students and participated in a soccer game with 4th and 5th graders. They connected with students and staff, hoping to give them a different meaning to being 'on your corner.' "We have to cover these communities every single day," Black said. "That's our job, right. That's our responsibility to this community. But then showing up and doing this, that's not a part of it, but for us it is, and it's from the heart."
CBS News
05-06-2025
- Health
- CBS News
Transgender military members heartbroken, fighting to serve despite Trump ban
Thousands of transgender U.S. military members have until Friday, June 6, to identify themselves and begin a voluntary separation from the armed forces under a ban implemented by the Trump administration. WJZ Investigator Mike Hellgren spoke to three decorated service members about the uncertain future ahead. Thousands of transgender U.S. military members have until Friday, June 6, to identify themselves and begin a voluntary separation from the armed forces under a ban implemented by the Trump administration. CBS News Baltimore Transgender military members share heartbreak Colonel Bree Fram joined the military after 9/11 and was determined to give back. She never thought her distinguished career of more than two decades in the Air Force – and now the Space Force – would end with an executive order from the president to purge the military of its transgender members. "I'm absolutely heartbroken because we have given everything of ourselves," Col. Fram said. "We have met every standard, every demand the military in this country has asked of us. We have risen to the challenge and in most cases exceeded that. You can look at our performance reports and see that, year after year, meets or exceeds standards despite what we're being told by this administration that we somehow don't. The evidence is not there to support any of the claims that are being made about who we are, and that hurts." Fram said many of her colleagues have expressed their support. "For me, every day walking through the hallways of the Pentagon, wearing my uniform, is such a gift, and I have people who walk up to me and say, 'You don't know me, but I know you! I support you,'" Fram said. Thousands of transgender U.S. military members have until Friday, June 6, to identify themselves and begin a voluntary separation from the armed forces under a ban implemented by the Trump administration. Courtesy of Col. Bree Fram Uncertainty after Trump's ban on transgender troops Fram's friend and colleague, Navy Chief Petty Officer Ryan Goodell, already made the difficult decision to voluntarily separate from the military. For Goodell, leaving is anything but voluntary, with the fear of having to pay back thousands of dollars in bonuses. "To me, it was a threat that I just couldn't risk, as well as trying to take a little bit of control over what feels to me like an uncontrollable situation," Goodell said. Goodell described it as painful. "To have that ripped away is devastating to me," Goodell said. "I'm supposed to be going to sea next. I'm supposed to be leading our sailors out to sea, and I feel like that has now been taken from me." Thousands of transgender U.S. military members have until Friday, June 6, to identify themselves and begin a voluntary separation from the armed forces under a ban implemented by the Trump administration. Courtesy of DVIDS Sabrina Bruce, a decorated Master Sergeant in the Space Force, also feels the uncertainty. "I've served authentically, and it has not been an issue," Bruce said. "I've been promoted multiple times, multiple medals, awards, everything. It's never been an issue that's come up. I've never been good at anything in my life except the military. I found a community and a home in the military, and so the very real thought that I may lose that, it hurts because all I want to do is serve, and I want to continue giving back and continue standing up for this nation that we all believe in." Thousands of transgender U.S. military members have until Friday, June 6, to identify themselves and begin a voluntary separation from the armed forces under a ban implemented by the Trump administration. Courtesy of Space Force Master Sergeant Sabrina Bruce Trump's position on transgender troops The president has made no secret of his plans to oust transgender service members. "Our warriors should be focused on defeating America's enemies, not figuring out their genders," Mr. Trump said on the campaign trail in North Carolina in August 2024. While in Michigan in April, he promised to get "woke lunacy and transgender insanity the hell out of our government." His administration reportedly wants commanders to "out" transgender troops or force them to get medical check-ups, where they would be identified and forced out of the military. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in April, "Expressing a false gender identity divergent from an individual's sex cannot satisfy the rigorous standards necessary for military service." Directives given to U.S. military Although Hegseth had made formal assurances in a February memo that transgender service members would be treated with dignity, the Army's new internal directives to units instruct personnel to intentionally address transgender troops – even superior officers - in accordance with an individual's medical assignment at birth, rather than by their preferred pronoun. Hegseth also told a Special Operations Force military conference in May, "No more dudes in dresses, we're done with that s***." CBS News previously reported that under Army guidance, transgender officers will receive what's known as a "Code JDK" upon separation. The code is for the Military Personnel Security Program. It's typically applied to discharge paperwork where a service member is being separated from the U.S. military for a security reason. "You say they are the problem, but you can't identify them, and the government's response was we have to go through their medical records to figure it out," Col. Fram said. "And I think that's a pretty good indicator that we're not a problem. If you have to look for something in a file to identify someone who is a problem, they aren't the problem." Goodell said, "I'm not a weak link…I'm an addition. I'm not a subtraction." Bruce expressed hope to continue serving in some capacity, "Whether that's in uniform, outside of uniform, whatever that may mean." Maryland Attorney General fights against ban Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown said he joined 20 other attorneys general in filing a brief before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals arguing that Mr. Trump's ban on transgender troops is discriminatory and harms national security. "These are courageous, skilled individuals who are willing to risk everything for their country. President Trump's unlawful ban sacrifices military readiness and basic human dignity for political gain. We must stand with all those who are ready to serve, not push them aside because of who they are," Brown said in a statement. Court battles over ban on transgender troops In the short term, hope is dimming for Bruce and other transgender troops. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the government can oust transgender military service members while multiple legal challenges wind their way through lower courts. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt cheered the Supreme Court's order as a "massive victory" and said in a social media post that Mr. Trump and Hegseth "are restoring a military that is focused on readiness and lethality – not DEI or woke gender ideology." Troops react to transgender ban Col. Fram said bluntly, "What's likely going to happen is that by the time we get a ruling from the court that puts a final stamp on this, people's lives will have been disrupted. We will almost all—if not all of us—be gone from the military." Goodell said the fear is tangible. "There are times at night where I have to fend off panic attacks because I don't know what my future is going to be…like am I going to be able to learn a job outside of the military," Goodell questioned. An analysis in 2017 found that discharging transgender troops would cost $1 billion, far more than the $52 million spent on gender-affirming care. "In fact, we're taking some of them directly off the battlefield today," Fram said. "These are people who are deployed, doing their wartime mission, who are being told, 'You're not deployable. You need to come home.'" Despite the directive, Fram stressed that her colleagues have her back. "It really does make you stop and think about who you are and what you believe in," Fram said. "And what I think is so amazing about transgender service members is that they have done that look inside. They have said, 'This is who I am. This is what I believe in. I am here to fulfill my oath.' We don't swear that oath just to live by it in the easy times. We do it when it's hard, and right now is one of those hard times, but we're doing it. We are accomplishing the mission, and we will continue to do so until the last day we possibly can." Thousands of transgender U.S. military members have until Friday, June 6, to identify themselves and begin a voluntary separation from the armed forces under a ban implemented by the Trump administration. Courtesy of Colonel Bree Fram
