>> good friday morning. i'm mindy basara. >> and i'm jennifer franciotti. thanks for joining us for 11 news today. >> we'll get to our big story. first a check of the forecast. some severe storms woke a lot of folks up. >> a flood warning actually in baltimore county. two to 2.5-inches. >> wow. >> a tropical downpour. so with varied weather across the board yet, basically these storms rolled through about 10:00, 11:00. as you can see, those red cells that pushed through the baltimore area. the majority of the rain still in new england and to our northeast. that's where that tropical system is. but in our neck of the woods we still have a cold front that's very deliberate in its methods of moving through here so it's going to serve again today as the trigger potentially for some scattered afternoon showers and storms. nothing on the magnitude of what we saw yesterday. 84, our forecast high. we should be up to 88. if you're stressed out about that, don't worry. we're going to surge to the low 90's by tomorrow. more on that hot weekend coming

up. let's check out sarah in traffic. >> good morning. thankfully the rain got out of the way in time for the morning rush. we're not dealing with anything major. we had an accident at cold spring. that's now clear. just dealing with a water main break. if you're traveling in pikesville, speed sensors looking pretty good. we have a downed tree in union bridge at green valley and main street. watch for possible closures there. 11 minutes outer loop northeast side. five minutes from the 895 split to the ft. mchenry. here's a live view of traffic. checking what's happening at 95 and 395. we have a spider on our camera. thank you for joining us. we'll see if he exits the scene, too. everything looking good. no problems on 395 into town. j.f.x. checking out fine as is the west side at i-70. that's latest on traffic pulse 11. jennifer and mindy, back to you both. >> thank you. our big story, four people are killed when a commercial helicopter crashes down on a maryland highway. >> police were called to the scene just before 10:30.

interstate 720 was shut down while state police investigated the accident. melissa carlson is live in our newsroom with that story. good morning. >> good morning. and baltimore city fire officials or maryland state police started getting calls about 10:30 last night. people say they were reporting that they might have seen a car on fire. what they saw burning was a passenger corporate helicopter. maryland state police say the civilian helicopter took off from hagerstown regional airport. about 10 miles east of hagerstown, all four passengers died in the crash. their identities are still not known this morning. f.a.a. records show that the helicopter with the tail number matching that was registered to marsan aviation, inc out of wilmington, delaware. it's not clear what caused the crash, but americaal issues and -- mechanical issues and inclement weather are possible

factors. state police say the road has been re-opened. we hope to know more this morning. about 10:30 ntsb will be holding a press conference. we'll get those details for you tonight at 5:00 and 6:00. for now, live in the newsroom, melissa carlson, wbal-tv 11 news. >> thank you. baltimore city fire officials are investigating two accidents involving medics. the first one happened around 8:45 yesterday morning. authorities say the ambulance was carrying a patient to sinai hospital when it was involved in a crash at greenspring and cylburn avenues. another medic was called to transport the patient. fortunately there were no serious injuries. but about 30 minutes later another medic was involved in an accident in west baltimore. two people, including one of the emergency responders, were hurt. the fire department is investigating just who was at fault in both of those incidents. police are also look into a stabbing inside lex tongue market. a man was stabtd around 9:00 yesterday morning. he was taken to the hospital.

11 news learned the victim received a puncture wound. a person of interest was taken into custody. >> baltimore city police are searching for the men they say tried to rape a woman walking to work. the attack happened over the weekend on pratt and sharp streets near the convention center about 6:30 in the morning. investigators say the woman was walking alone. >> it seemed like a very populated and beautiful, clean street. i wouldn't expect this would be a dangerous place part of the city. >> this is not something that usually happens in this area. we do believe it to be a crime of opportunity, as most crimes are. we think that she was walking, by herself, and we think that they tried to capitalize on that. >> if you have any information on this case, you are earthed to call city police. a teacher and field hockey coach was indicted. 52-year-old john kovach jr. was arrested in march after chatting with someone he thought was a 13-year-old girl. that person was actually a retired los angeles police officer. kovach was a teacher in

montgomery county and an assistant field hockey coach at towson university. if convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison. >> police are sphompg one of three suspects -- searching for one of three suspects who they say tried to rob an off-duty police officer. police say he was approached by the suspects at a buses stop on cherry hill road. authorities say when one of the suspects showed a gun, the officer who was not in uniform shot him. that person was taken to the hospital. a second suspect was arrested. the third person remains on the loose. allegheny county police charged a 19-year-old female resident of a state-owned psychiatric hospital with attempted second degree murder after she allegedly choked another resident. the incident happened on wednesday in cumberland. the 49-year-old victim was given c.p.r. and then taken to the hospital. police say the 19-year-old put a belt around the victim's neck and then choked her to unconsciousness. she was revived before being taken to the hospital. >> baltimore county police are searching for the person or

persons who burglarized five churches in a week's time. three of the centers are in cockeysville. the other two are in timonium and towson. the burglaries are connected. they believe the suspect or suspects wanted quick cash. one of the places hit is st. stevens. father james johnson says the thief got away with money, wine and the lunch box. he says the burglary was unnecessary. >> of course our prayers do go out to those who felt desperate enough to do this. and, of course, we always stand ready to help and assist in any way we can. >> police have taken extra measures to secure the churches. if you have any information on the burglaries, call baltimore county police. >> this morning, state police have arrested a husband and wife in connection with multiple burglaries in carroll county. authorities say the pair stoll thousands of dollars in cash and property. jerome herron and his wife tina are accused of stealing everything from jewelry to power tools to ipods.

the burglaries happened between last october and july. the two face a number of charges, including burglary, theft and malicious destruction of property. state police say they are in the process of reuniting the stolen property wits rightful owners. >> deadly animal abuse allegations have the attention of the new anti-animal cruelty task force. two cats were found dead at the bottom of an outdoor cellular some. residents of the neighborhood believe local kids are responsible. 11 news reporter kerry cavanough has that story. >> neighborhood cats can always find food and a kind pat on the head as jack's house. in early july the resident said good night to a cat called squeaks. >> and then the next day my cat was missing. >> the hole is this cellular that sits behind a nearby vacant house. two weeks after squeaks disappeared another neighbor pulled back the makeshift cover and discovered squeaks and another cat dead in the hole.

>> these cats were put in the hole and then stoned to death. >> he says neighborhood kids catch the strays, throw them in the hole and batter them with broken concrete. >> it's children. but children being raised in a pretty bad way. >> animal control removed the cats and discovered they were too die composed to determine how they died. caroline griffin, head of the new anti-animal abuse task force is stunned by the allegations of cruelty. >> absolutely horrified. it's astonishing for us to think that there are that many juveniles committing these types of crimes. >> griffin says it will be impossible bring charges unless witnesses come forward. she shutters to think what the future holds for children who would torture animals to death. >> five years down the road, 10 years down the road, these people are going to be involved in acts of domestic violence or other types of violent crimes against individuals. >> don's concern is for other neighborhood cats who he fears

could wind up like squeaks. kerry cavanough, wbal-tv 11 news. >> very upsetting story. that brings us to our "watercooler question of the day." do you think parents should be held responsible for a child's actions in animal cruelty cases? email your response to watercooler@wbaltv.com. >> the fight to save towson catholic high school continues. parents, students and alumni held a fundraiser in timonium. they're hoping to raise enough money to keep the school open at least through this upcoming academic school year. the school which is the oldest co-ed in the baltimore archdiocese is at least $650,000 in debt. alumni say they just don't want to see it go. >> it would be a shame to not have the seniors graduate. they shouldn't be looking for a high school. they should be looking for a college to attend. >> sales from the fundraiser will be donated to the alumni association. governor o'malley wants your input on maryland's budget situation. he set up a website that allows

the public to comment on the latest round of budget cuts. the governor held this cabinet meeting to discuss the challenges the state is facing right now, trying to find up to $750 million in spending reductions by labor day. the board of public works approved about $280 million in cuts and fund transfers to make up for the shortfall. >> 6:10. 67 degrees. coming up, the morning as financial news in the "bloomberg business report." >> also ahead, minimum wage workers in almost half of the states will get a pay increase today. we'll have details in many thorng's "project economy" report. >> and there's some patchy fog. but none of those thank think torrential downpours. i'll let you know if there is more rain in the forecast. >> and we monitor our speed sensors. we have a new accident is in the city. cash in on style at the jcpenney bonus sale.

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a very good morning. kind of a cool skyline. we see clouds. there's also patchy fog around. still really tropical after we saw the downpours last night. you can very clearly see the little line, red cells that rolled through here. about 10:00, 11:00 we got our heaviest storms. one in northern baltimore county dumped two to 2.5-inches of rainfall in it about the space of 30 minutes. so impressive amounts. we're looking at the actual coastal storm that effected us yesterday. it's well to our north. but the front is actually draped right across the mid-atlantic so that's going to give us another trigger mechanism today for more showers potentially this afternoon, maybe a thunderstorm or two. 71 downtown. 66 westminster. 71 to the south in annapolis. we're dealing with upper 70's actually in ocean city. the dew point there is up to 69. really indicative of a very steamy, warm moist air mass. 67 the dew point in baltimore.

so the humidity, it's here to stay at least for the next few days. here's your forecast high today. 84 for central maryland. still below what is normal. 88 is our normal benchmark for this point of july. however, the deal is, it's going to feel worse than that when you factor in the humidity. 82 in southern pennsylvania. 76 on the mountains of western maryland. north-northeasterly flow at five to 10 knots. waves a foot. and water temperatures are hovering in the upper 70's. take a look at this. this has been something different. .43-inches of rainfall. that's what we accumulated yesterday. much needed rain, especially for this month. we're more than two inches below what is normal for july. we're still above normal, almost two inches above where we should be. 70 is where we began things at. we hit a high as well of 84. 97 is the record. in contrast, the record low of 55 was set back in 1985. nowhere near that range tonight. we'll be anywhere from 62 to 66. partly cloudy skies. typical july overnight forecast

with a slight chance of scattered showers and thunderstorms in the mix. here's what we're looking at this morning. on the surface this front draped over the mid-atlantic. slow and moving out of here. that means humid conditions. low pressure associated with that coastal storm to our north. an upper level low rotates through here it could generate more thunderstorms. but nothing on the magnitude, i don't believe, of yesterday. tomorrow, 91 degrees. the triple-h threat, hazy, hot, humid. 91. 89, still not much better, on sunday. we also bring in the chance of late-day showers and storms. next week looks ominous. but on tuesday and wednesday, just those hit and miss type showers and storms. it will remain hot. let's check out traffic now with sarah. >> good morning. let's see what's going on out there. we have a new accident in the city if you're heading out at madison. watch for possible lane closures and delays with the crash being cleared. we're still dealing with a water main break in pikesville. use caution there as well. another spot where you might

find delays, green valley at main street due to a downed tree. let's give you a live view of traffic. 95 at 395. and our spider friend still there. i don't think he's going anywhere. we'll just keep monitoring how he's doing. as far as the roads, they're look good, too. 95 north and southbound, checking out fine. 395 into town. moving very well. a pretty easy ride across the bay bridge if you're heading to the beach anytime soon. we'll be monitoring that shot in the toll plaids i can't as well. that's the lateet -- plaza as -- the latest. >> police have arrested henry greats jr. in his home, a principle police officer and family man being unfairly described as a racist. james crowley, who was handpicked to teach recruits about racial profiling is calm and reliable. michael jackson's personal doctor is the target of a manslaughter investigation into the singer's death.

investigators raided a houston clinic owned by dr. conrad murray. among the items seized are weight loss drugs, muscle relaxant, and two computer hard drives. an official cause of death won't be determined until the toxicology report is completed. and a highly charged storm system moved through washington, d.c. last night. take a look at these lightning strikes it produced numerous lightning strikes across the city. this video shows the strikes that occurred near the u.s. capitol building. no real damage has been reported from that storm. >> in this morning's "consumer alert," baltimore city police have formed a partnership with a u.s. army reserve. under the partnership, both organizations will recruit and train men and women who want to serve in both the army reserve and be a police officer. this partnership will allow the two to share employees' information. wal-mart plans to roll back prices on laptops. the company plans to sell a h.p.

computer that runs vista for $295. that's less than many of the tiny notebook computers. a downward trend of sales in electronics at office stores has wal-mart seeing laptops as an opportunity top grow in a different market for them. they are redesigning their sphors to appeal more to the electric-minded consumer. a slew of corporate earnings produces enough optimism for wall street. 11 news reporter steel steel has that story and more in the "bloomberg business report." >> major gains in the markets yesterday. ebay, at&t rising after posting better-than-expected quarterly results add to the increase in home resales. we saw the dow rise above 900 for the first time -- 9000 for first time since january. and your bloomberg maryland index climbing higher. will the good times last? microsoft taking a beating in late trading after failing to match numbers from intel and i.b.m. the world's largest software maker reporting an almost 30% drop in quarterly profit.

it failed missing estimates. amazon failing to impress investors as well. the world's largest internet retailer reporting a 10% decline in second quarter profit, posting less revenue than estimated. amazon's numbers coming in contrast to ebay's quarterly results. plus american express and capital one financial also reporting second quarter profit declines, around 50% as consumers pull back spend and made fewer purchases on credit cards. so in vestors getting mixed signals regarding recovery as we head into trading today. that's business news this morning at the new york stock exchange. i'm michelle steele, bloomberg news reporting for wbal-tv 11 news. >> thanks. 6:20. 68 degrees on tv hill. coming up, another check on the weather and traffic is straight ahead. >> don't forget to e-mail your answer to the "watercooler question of the day." do you think parents should be held responsible for a child's actions in animal cruelty cases?

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>> good morning. we have a new problem coming in. police activity right at thornton mill and hunt's bluff. use caution there. not seeing any delays on the harrisburg expressway or the j.f.x. you might find delays in the city. so far so good as far as our speed sensors go. let's check a live picture for you of 95 in the white marsh area. starting to see a bit more

volume as you make your way southbound just passed the white marsh area, towards the beltway northeast. starting to tap the breaks a little bit. here in the harford road vicinity on the northeast corner, both inner loop and outer loop traffic checking out fine. no problems on the west side, i-70 or 795. sandra, over to you. >> thanks. we're look at a very mild start this morning. we're in the low 70's across the board mainly. 66 out at b.w.i. marshall. warmest location, ocean city at 777 degrees. patchy fog you're likely to run into. it's very humid. the humidity resting with low level clouds around. 84 before it's all over today in central maryland. the forecast looking similar to what we've seen all week long. not as bad as yesterday but a good shot we could see pop-up thunderstorms this afternoon. that applies to ocean city today as well. then check out saturday and sunday. awesome beach weather. weather that makes you want to take a dive into the atlantic ocean as well.

inland it's even going to be hotter. in fact, we tomorrow are going to surge to 91 degrees. we follow it up with an 89-degree highway chance of showers and storms on sunday. more on the seven-day including next week in a little bit. back to you. >> in this morning's "project economy" report starting today minimum wage goes up 70 cents an hour from $6.55 to $7.25. >> so that will not only affect workers but it could impact a lot of things that we buy. 11 news reporter lee anne greg has the details. >> can i get you something? >> lisa richards and her family own this ice cream and burger shop in indianapolis. too small to be required to pay the 70 cents an hour more for minimum wage. but she expects an impact. >> when you have a 14, 15, 16-year-old girl or young man and it's their first-time job walking in the door and that's what their expectations are.

>> and higher wages affect the payroll. >> when your payroll goes up, it's all relevant. then unemployment goes up, payroll taxes go up, insurance, everything. >> for the owner of this pizza restaurant in lake charles, louisiana, the worry is over raising prices in a recession. >> can't absorb that type of wage increase so we have to take other means. we have to raise our menu prices, which you know, the public is very resistant to that. unfortunately we have to do that. >> the dean of business, dr. mitchell adrian. >> you have to come to a conclusion of either reducing the number of hours they work, reducing the number of employees, or raising your prices to cover the additional costs. >> speaking from experience, no, i don't feel sympathy for the employers. the employees make your business. >> employees say it's about time. >> this friday is a real good day for me. >> more money in the pocket for workers with customers possibly left with a bigger bill.

lee anne greg, nbc news. >> remember making $3.25 an hour? >> ry he be those days -- i remember those days. >> 6:26. 59 degrees. there's much more to come in the next half-hour of 11 news today. >> new information on a zedly helicopter crash. i'll have that story. >> and we're checking out some building volume around the area. >> impressive rains last night, but this morning we're still hard pressed to find anything on h.d. doppler. that may change this afternoon. we'll look at your forecast. >> and a look at last night's winning maryland lottery numbers.

>> good morning. welcome back to 11 news today. i'm jennifer franciotti. >> and i'm mindy basara. sandra shaw has a quick look at today's forecast. >> hope you're doing well this morning. we had some heavy downpours last

night. but this morning no major rainfall. nothing on h.d. doppler showing up currently. we're just really seeing a little patchy fog. 71 degrees downtown. 66 at b.w.i. marshall. 77, very steamy already in ocean city. so today up into the mid 80's for the most part. a slight chance of scattered showers and storms late this afternoon. most of the day probably should be dry. more on your weekend weather forecast coming up. >> thank you. >> our big story, four people are killed when a commercial helicopter crashes on a maryland highway. >> police were called to the scene just before 10:30 last night. interstate 70 was shut down while state police investigated the accident. >> 11 news reporter marl smarl live in our newsroom with that story. >> good morning. 70 as re-opened. a witness told police they saw the chopper flying low. what's not clear is if the power line caused the crash or if it was a symptom of a bigger issue.

highway 70 in smithsburg became a fiery and smoke-filled crash site last night. downed wires draped over roadways, forced the closure of both eastbound and westbound lanes of i-70. maryland state police say they first started getting calls about 10:30 last night when drivers reported what they thought was a car on fire. what was actually burning was a four-passenger commercial helicopter. maryland state police say the chopper took off thursday night from hagerstown but that the destination is still unclear. according to the "herald mail," f.a.a. records show the helicopter's tail number is registered to marsan aviation, inc, trustee from delaware. the cause of the crash is still unclear. doppler shows there were strong storms in the area around the time of the crash. maryland state police tell the newspaper mechanical issues and inclement weather are possible factors. still a lot of questions in this case. the ntsb is expected to hold a press conference about the crash at about 10:30 this morning.

we'll bring you the latest information at noon. live from the newsroom, melissa carlson, wbal-tv 11 news. >> thanks. on wall street today, are the bulls back? investors close out a big week so far for the dow after good news on the housing front and jobs and corporate earnings. president obama talked about the economy last night at a fundraiser in chicago which he says is tied to health care. 11 news reporter brook hart has more. >> the news broke the dow opened at the 9000 mark for first time since january, home sales are up for a third straight month, a string of earnings reports came in strong. even ford outdid expectations. is it a sign of a turnaround? >> i'm from chicago. [cheers and applause] i don't break. >> president obama last night sounded bullish. but he said a full recovery and health care reform go hand-in-hand. >> we have to lay a new foundation that will allow the

united states of america to thrive and compete in a global economy. it means finally controlling the health care costs that are driving this nation into debt. >> a tough republican says nonsense. >> the assumption that doing health care is going to help the economy, which the president has been selling, is utter nonsense. it's a whole separate issue. >> negotiators in the senate claim progress in winning over skeptical democrats. west virginia's rockefeller for one is against the insurance co-op idea that could win g.o.p. vote. >> it is the most honest, really down in the trenches trading abuse that we've had. >> but senate leaders now say no vote in august. that was the president's deadline. >> that's ok. i just want people to keep on working. >> and critics know timing affects the bill. >> postponing the health care legislation likely means a more limited program and a program that less changes the status

quo. >> not the big health care change president obama says families, businesses and the nation's economy needs. today the obama economic team testify here on regulatory reform. that's one initiative, along with climate change, that's on hold while lawmakers sort out where the health care reform debate will lead. in washington, brook hart, nbc news. >> a funeral service was held for one of america's most beloved and trusted journalists 5eu68 private ceremony was held yesterday in new york city. several recognizable faces from television news were among the colleagues, friends and loved ones in st. bartholomew's church. cronkite anchored the "cbs evening news" from 1962 to 1981. he died last friday at the age of 92. >> a once active teen now totally dependent on his parents for care after nearly drowning in a community pool three years ago. his family filed a $40 million lawsuit against the pool. james becker was 15 at the time.

he's now confined to a wheel chair, unable to communicate. he requires constant medical attention. 11 news reporter david collins has details. >> he was a very independent child who now totally, totally depend yentd on my husband and -- dependent on my husband and myself for all of his car. >> he used to be an active, athletic teenager. he was even a member of a swim team. james is now in a wheelchair, unable to communicate. trapped in his own body. he use a feeding tube and requires a tracheotomy to breathe. he needs constant medical attention. his parents filed a $40 million lawsuit blaming the woodcroft swim clu for his injuries. in the process of nearly drowning he was deprived of oxygen, resulting in severe brain dafnlg. >> the $40 million number is not a number we picked out of the hat. it is not a number for shock or awe. it is a number that is a

realistic estimate of what james is going to require in mechanic expenses throughout the remainder of his life. >> plaintiff attorneys declined to provide details on why such an active team struggled in the water. according to an incident report lifeguarders responded immediately after observing becker moving up and down and moving his arms by a ladder in the deep end of the pool. the police report indicates a registered nurse assisted lifeguards in performing c.p.r. police write mary becker advised them james had no known medical problems. paramedics transported james to franklin square hospital in cardiac arrest. >> we were stunned by the suit. we don't think we've done anything wrong. >> the representative contends james suffered a heart attack. >> we understand it was cardiac arrest. the guard observed that and observed the struggling, observed the boy try to reach

for the ladder. got down, pulled the boy out of the pool. >> when we were at the pool, you know, had things been in place, things would have been different. we're going to mandate the law to be changed. >> the family plans to lobby the maryland general assembly to require pools be equipped with defibrillators and more lifeguards on duty. in this case the baltimore county fire department gave the pool staff citizen accommodations for their action that day. in the newsroom, david collins, wbal-tv 11 news. >> good morning. let's see what's going on on the roads. starting to see some delays on i-95 in the southbound direction. a bit of yellow there. the rest of the major roadways continue to fair pretty well. we are dealing with a few problems. madison, an accident still clearing in the city. scott hill at painted post road.

watch for a water main break. no sign of delays on the harrisburg expressway. running smoothly this morning on the j.f.x. and 795. we'll give you a live view of traffic at 95 and white marsh where we are seeing a few bright lights. even a live view of the northeast side of the beltway where we continue to flow well. over to you. >> we pick up just under a half an inch of rainfall yesterday so good news as far as the precipitation amounts go. we needed it. unfortunately we actually got it in one fail swoop. some torrential downpours. today not the same type of situation but we can't rule out some isolated to scattered showers and storms this afternoon late. 83 to 86. partly sunny. we are maintaining the humidity with us in the forecast. seven-day looks like this. 91 for saturday. 89 in sunday. we stay in the upper 80's to near 90 all next week.

though it looks ominous in the forecast, tuesday and wednesday just a slight chance for an isolated storm. not as threatening as it looks. >> 6:38. 69 degrees on tv hill. coming up, a denver nurse is accused of infecting more than a dozen of her patients with hepatitis-c. >> i'm nikole killion in washington where a critical meeting takes place today at the white house between the president and senate leaders after they delay a vote on his health care plan. i'll bring you more details. >> and we're still taking your answer to our "watercooler question of the day." do you think parents should be held responsible for a child's action in animal cruelty indications? email your response to watercooler@wbaltv.com.

>> nearly four dozen people are lind bars. federal agents arrested 44 people yesterday including three mayors, two state lawmakers, and five rabbis. investigators say the suspects met with an undercover informant posing as a real estate developer looking for favors. authorities say some $650,000 in cash was paid to several top officials in new jersey and go-betweens. >> the complete show that for these defendants corruptions with a way of life. they existed in an ethics-free zone. >> they're unprecedented because of the combination of the number and prominence of the individuals involved. >> prosecutors say rabbis from new jersey and new york helped the informant launder over $3 million by sending it to contacts in israel who returned the cash. >> ben roethlisberger says sexual assault allegations against him are wreck lts and

false -- reckless and false. during a press conference yesterday the quarterback called the allegations of sexual assault outrageous though did he not answer questions. -- he did not answer questions. >> i'm going to fight to protect my family and my reputation. i'm not going to discuss my private life or this civil case in the media. i'll respond to outrageous allegations in the appropriate forum. >> roethlisberger is accused of sexually assaulting a woman last year at a lake tahoe hotel casino. roethlisberger said he intended to fight the lawsuit while being focused on the upcoming football season. >> coming up, a look at the morning headlines. >> and one delay starting to form. we also have a few problems. but overall a nice ride. we'll get you up to date on traffic pulse 11 next. >> and we're dealing with another steamy start after some heavy downpours. i'll let you know if there's more in the forecast and you can

see some fog out there. it's 66 at the airport. 71, downtown. light winds and because of the fog 100% humidity in some locations.

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>> welcome back. in the headlines, police are searching for two men who tried to rape a 24-year-old woman outside a baltimore convention center this all took place around 6:30 saturday morning. police say the suspects approached the woman who works downtown and tried to rape her on a piece of construction equipment. detectives say they believe it was a crime of opportunity because the woman was walk alone. anyone with information should call baltimore city police. police are also looking into a stabbing inside lexington market. we're told a man was stabbed around 9:00 yesterday morning. he was taken to the hospital. 11 news has learned the victim received a puncture wound.

a person of interest was taken into custody. less than 10 days after the start of the mayor's new animal abuse task force and workers have their hands full. two cats were found dead at the bottom of an outdoor cellular. residents of the neighborhood believe kids are to blame saying they corner the animals, then pelt them with chunks of brick and concrete. officials have found that cruelty towards animals at a young age could lead to more violence at a later life. >> we asked, do you think parents should be held responsible for a child's action in animal cruelty cases? #

>> thank you for everyone who wrote in. we'll post more of your answers on the front page to wbaltv.com. >> a setback for president obama's health care plan. senate leaders say they won't able to hold a vote before their august break. the president holds a meeting with some of them today. 11 news washington bureau reporter nikole killion has more. >> president obama says despite the delay he still wants to get health care done this year. >> let me tell you something. i'm from chicago. [cheers and applause] i don't break. >> at a fundraiser in chicago last night the president seemed undeterred by the latest setback to the health care plan after senate majority leader harry reid announced the senate won't meet a white house deadline for a vote in august.

>> it's better to have a product that is one that's based on quality and thoughtfulness rather than trying to jam something through. >> that's ok. i just want people to keep on working. >> the president also working from a town hall in cleveland to a meeting today at the white house with reid and senate finance chair max baucus. >> it's given me a good opportunity to learn from senators on the committee what they want, what they don't want, what their real concerns are. >> baucus has been negotiating with fellow democrats behind closed doors and republicans to reach a bipartisan deal. >> we believe it's time to throw this bill away. >> and in the house more disagreement between liberal and conservative democrats over the bill's cost. >> there are some differences. we'll work them out. >> the question is, when? speaker pelosi won't say when the house could vote on a health care bill and wouldn't allow keeping lawmakers passed their break, which is scheduled to start next week in washington, nikole killion, wbal-tv 11 news.

>> good morning. getting busier on the southbound b.p. parkway. we have an accident there. watch for delays. we have a problem on warren road at greenside. word that there are downed wires to watch for. use caution. thornton mill, some police activity happening in sparks. and also, painted post a water main break there in the pikesville area. delays this morning, the biggest ones are southbound i-95 coming out of white marsh. and actually that isn't even that bad. it's an intermittent delay we're seeing just passed white marsh to the beltway northeast. a little heavier as we view the north side. that's the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> the air is pretty saturated with moisture this morning. we're dealing with some patchy fog as a result. be aware on your morning commute. maybe allow a little extra time. as far as the water vapor imagery, it shows the position

yesterday rest offering central maryland. so we're still unsettled ahead of that front. the other thing today is you can see this counterclockwise spin to our west. that's an upper level low that will be skirting through here today and maybe triggering some more showers and storms. though they shouldn't be the type of torrential downpours that we saw yesterday. in fact, last night up to two to 2.5-inches in northern baltimore county at about 11:00. so impressive totals there. 71 downtown. across state line, 66 in york. we're looking at 77 to begin things. very balmy start in ocean city. across board today it looks like a slight chance for showers and storms. and as is typical for the summertime forecast, mainly in the late afternoon to early evening. 84, central maryland. 76, western mountains. pretty consistent across the board. as we take a look at the forecast on the bay, chesapeake waters, basically only a foot. winds out of the north-northeast at about five to 10 knots. as we look at what we got yesterday in precipitation, .43-inches. just under half an inch of

rainfall. that's something we haven't seen all month long. a welcomed number there. we hit a high yesterday of 84. that's still beneath the threshold which is our normal high. 97, set back in 1987. and a nice contrast. 55-degree record low back in 1985. nowhere near that tonight. 62 to 66. cloudy to partly cloudy with a slight chance for scattered showers and storms. we're watching the deliberate movement of the front. it will get through by midday. then that upper level low will come through. all in all another humid day. the humidity is not going to go away thanks to the strengthening of offshore bermuda high. so not only humid and hot but hazy as well. 91 degrees, the forecast high. we come back sunday with a high of 89. chance of scattered showers and storms. >> thank you. investigators are investigating a deadly chopper crash in washington county. the accident killed four people. 11 news reporter melissa carlson, joins with us an

update. >> maryland state police say they first started getting calls about 10:30 last night. reports of what they thought was a car on fire. what was burning was a passenger corporate helicopter. maryland state police say the civilian helicopter took off thursday night from hagerstown. all four passengers died. their identities are still not known this morning according to the "herald mail" f.a.a. records show a helicopter with the tail number matched by the one given by police is registered to marsan aviation, inc. police say a witness reported seeing the chopper flying low and then a large arc of electricity when the helicopter hit power lines. the ntsb is planning a 10:30 press conference. we hope to have more at that point. live from the newsroom, wbal-tv 11 news. >> one pound at a time. millions are rooting for ruby. meet the stars of "little people" just married. plus behind the scenes of "jon & kate plus 8".

but first matt lauer with what's coming up on "the today show." >> the police sergeant who arrested harvard scholar henry lewis gates jr. sits down for an interview for first time. we'll hear his side of the story and his response to the comments made by president obama. also ahead, why michael jackson's mother has asked a court to pay her an allowance for having temporary custody of jackson's three children. plus the newlyweds now internet sensations after taking a wild walk down the aisle. all of that plus katie perry live on the plaza when we get started on friday morning right here on "today." >> that couple had rhythm. >> that looked like a fun wedding. 6:53. 69 degrees. >> just ahead, another look at weather and traffic together before you head out to start your day. stay with us.

>> the new accident causing problems? >> just as we get close to the 7:00 hour. it's going to cause problems. southbound b.p. parkway on the ramp to waterview avenue. watch for delays there. also look at a couple of other problems further north. cockeysville, warren road at greenside, a downed pole. all lanes closed on warren because of it. thornton mill at hunt's bluff, police activity. 12 minutes on outer loop northeast side. about a five-minute ride on southbound 95 from the 895. delays starting to fall into place. the north side delay at harford extends over towards providence in the outer loop. >> and after some strong storms last night we could be in for more today. >> not as bad as last night. but certainly it is july. we have a front that is in our

vicinity. so 84 for today. throughout this morning there's patchy fog. a steamy start to things. humidity is unfortunately going to be with us all weekend long. tomorrow we're going to top out at 91 degrees. then come back on sunday with 89. as you look into the future, it looks ominous. those are slight chances every day. it's not like all of those days are going to be washouts. don't be threatened. >> thank you. we'll see you again in 25 minutes. >> have a great weekend, everybody.