[captioning made possible by constellation energy] captioned by the national captioning institute -- www.ncicap.org -- >> good afternoon. i'm mindy basara. breaking news. the senate judiciary committee just approved judge sotomayor nomination to the supreme court. tracy potts has more. >> with twice as many democrats on the committee, judge sotomayor's nomination is almost sure to get a full senate vote. at least one republican is supporting her, saying he'll vote based on her record not her personal views. >> i can no more understand her heart than she can understand mine. i feel uncomfortable doing that. i really do. but the remaining republicans say they have deep concerns. >> her speeches and articles evidenced and described a troubling approach to judging that her hearing testimony did not resolve. >> i'm not convinced that judge sotomayor will be able to set

aside her personal biased and prejudices and decide cases in an impartial manner based upon the constitution. >> i am not able to support this nomination. >> sotomayor brings nearly 30 years of experience in law, more than the last three nominees. but it's her controversial statements off the bench, saying judges make law or a wise latina could reach a better decision than a white man that put her on the defensive. >> my play fell flat. it was bad. >> sotomayor supporters insist she's clearly qualified. >> her 17 years on the bench there's not one example, let alone a pattern of her ruling based on bias or prejudice or sympathy. >> i don't see any bias of any kind. >> i will vote for her with enormous pride. >> the full senate is expected to vote next week. tracy potts, wbal tv news. >> and, again, the senate judiciary committee just approved judge sotomayor's nomination to the u.s. supreme court. for more information, go to our

website, wbaltv.com. for more on her background, the senate confirmation hearings, and take part in our online survey, log on to wbaltv.com and click on politics. family and friends gathers into northeast baltimore to remember a mother who was shot and killed over the weekend. ellis was shot multiple times inside her car in the parking lot of the clubhouse lounge saturday night. family members say they don't know who would do this to the mother of two. >> a lot of hurt. it's a lot of pain. because we got two little ones that's lost their mother. and it's not right. it's not right. >> ellis is just one of nearly two dozen victims shot in baltimore city this weekend. the violence has prompted faith-based community leaders to expand their summer of peace safe streets initiative. the goal is to end the culture of violence in the city h city. archbishop o'brien is ending an operation safe streets. he, too, is looking to get more from the initiative. >> it's important to give people

encouragement and let them know that their security is largely in their own hands. it takes leadership. it takes organization. but where it's working, where we have operation safe streets, it's a great encouragement to the people. we hope to see it expand. >> the archbishop says he's as optimistic as he can be given the size of the city. he says baltimore's need is much greater than resources allow right now. help fighting violence could come from president obama's stimulus package. this morning vice president joe biden and attorney jenneric holder announced $1 billion to help fight crime. money provided under the cops programs should help keep more police officers on the beat. and baltimore stands to benefit. >> let us not forget that keeping brave and well-trained police officers employed is also good for our economy. these grants not only represent 4,700 men and women across our country fighting crime, but also 4,700 men and women who will be able to make house and car

payments, make ends meet, and save for their children's future. >> the plan should keep about 4,700 officers on the nation's streets. that's about 300 short of the president's announcement of 5,000. a guilty plea from councilman ken oliver. the 64-year-old admitted to stealing money donated to his campaign from private citizens. according to the state prosecutor's office in january of 2008 oliver used money from his campaign account to write himself a $2,000 check. the court sentenced oliver to probation before judgment. he must pay a $2,500 fine and perform 50 hours of community service. >> temperatures are on the rise as we are wrapping up this last week of july. we're going to be near 94 at least through friday. the weekend will be pretty hot as well but maybe not as humid. it's humid today, though. a lot of moisture over the area. no real precipitation at this point. we have a slight chance, only about 20%, of isolated thunderstorms later on this afternoon.

in the meantime, surging to between 87 and 92 degrees, partly cloudy skies for the most part with winds southerly at five to 10 miles an hour. heading into tonight, 67 to 72, mostly cloudy skies staying very mild. more coming up. >> thank you. it's ravens training camp day number two. yesterday the rookies reported. today the fans came out to cheer them on. 11 news reporter jennifer franciotti on the field at the ravens training facility in westminster with more. hi, jen. >> hey, good afternoon. that's right, the rookies reported yesterday, but today was the first day they were on the field. some veterans were here, too, including joe flacco and adam terry. let me tell you, the ravens fans had an impressive turnout as well. >> go, ravens! >> to hear those sweet words in july can only mean one thing. >> football's back. we wait the whole off-season for this. >> training camp at mcdaniel college is bringing out ravens fans from all over, providing the first opportunity of the

season to get decked out and show their colors, even on toenails. over next month fans will come because this is where it all begins. and at westminster, you can get a front row seat. >> i love the ravens. i don't get to go to the games. can't afford the tickets. but this is the close yeftd i can get. >> we get here free, none of the risk. they got pay to see their team in training camp. we still got this free. it's good. >> i watch the ravens on tv. this is my first time down here. i've been trying to get down here for the last two years. i finally got my license, so i could come down here. >> i like the ravens and always wanted to come. >> how far do you think they will go? >> i say 12-4. sit back, see the new guys out there, see if they can make the team. >> in the ravens town village parents and kids get to bond. >> it's a lot of fun. it's good for the kids. we like it. >> and kids find out kicking is harder than it looks. >> yeah. a lot better idea. >> and for fans, perhaps the best part, the one-on-one

contact you can't get anywhere else. >> these guys are great. as you can see, a bunch of people already out here today. you can hear the cheers. every time we throw a long pass i think they cheer. >> does that make your day? >> makes my day. great. >> and i don't know if you can see it, but only a new ravens logo and t-shirt would make me wear black on a hot day. "play like a raven." the veterans and rookies will be on the field together on friday. 10,000 plus people expected here that day. get here early. in westminster, jennifer franciotti, wbal-tv 11 news. >> jennifer will be sleeping in that t-shirt for months on end. won't be long, training day every day this week. gerry sandusky will have interviews with coach harbaugh and all your favorite ravens it airs this saturday night, 7:00, here on wbal tv 11. more insight into what may have

killed pop superstar michael jackson. the investigation into the role the live-in doctor may have played. and we're answering your plant and gardening questions. you can e-mail your questions to wbaltv.com. it hard to breathe. but now that i'm breathing better with advair... i can enjoy the zoo with my grandkids. (announcer) for people with copd including chronic bronchitis, emphysema, or both, great news.

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>> the partisan group is close to a compromise on the health care plan. it does not include a requirement that large businesses offer coverage to their workers or the government insurance option. meanwhile, the president will continue his push for health carat an arp town hall meeting later this afternoon. he'll also continue his reform pitch on the stump in north carolina and virginia today. developments this noon in the investigation of michael jackson's death. detectives in los angeles want to know whether jackson's in-home doctor gave him a drug that killed him. a source with nbc news says dr. conrad murray gave jackson the drug in the early morning hours on the day jackson died. it's a powerful anesthetic. and there are reports jackson use it had to sleep. attorneys for dr. murray had no comment. could job cuts now stand in bank of america's way? and using technology to shop savvy? no coupon clipping here. how the key to savings could be as easy as snapping a photo with your cell phone. >> partly cloudy skies.

nothing major or h.d. doppler but it is incredibly muggy swrowt side. i'll let you know more about the summer time forecast coming up. right now those temperatures are wrong. it is not 65. that should say 85 already.

>> in this afternoon's "consumer alert," more cuts are coming to one of the nation's largest banks. according to "the wall street journal" bank of america is planning to cut up to 10% of its branches. officials say an increase in online banking has reduced the need for traditional branch locations. the move would impact a little over 600 locations so far the bank has not said when the closures would started. it also hasn't named specific locations just yet. it seems everyone's trying to save money these days and it just got easier. all you need is a certain smart phone. more on the shop savvy application and how it works. >> i'm still ahead of them.

>> just nine months ago alexander and ryland launched shop savvy, an application. >> it's your shopping buddy. >> if you want to be more informed, shop savvy could be a great application for you. >> here's how it works. you use the camera on your phone to scan the bar code of whatever you're thinking about buying. >> when someone actually scans the bar code, we actually go search for the prices at that time. >> shop savvy finds the best prices on that item, then sends that information back to your phone so you know if you're getting a good deal. after scanning this book, we know it's available online for $4. and in local stores for $15. >> it finds all the best prices on the internet and at nearby stores. >> the newest version of shop savvy is faster and more accurate than the original. it can even tell you which store has the item. >> so we can tell that you wal-mart sold that for cheaper. but we can also tell you where they have it in stock. >> need directions? no problem.

>> see which one is nearest to you. >> the money saving ap sp free which may be one reason it's catching on fast. >> we have 20,000 retailers, 20 million products in the system. >> so when you hear that sound, it's savings calling. >> shop savvy is currently available for mobile phones. the version for apple's iphone should be available by mid-august. >> and it's a hot one. it is late july so no great mystery why that's the case. we have the bermuda high in place that's pulling all of this sornlgerly moisture. we are dealing with more muggy conditions. this could be one of our most humid days so far. nothing happening on h.d. doppler over us right now. there are very strong and severely strong storms in the deep south today, but nothing that's going to affect us. the best chance of our seeing more showers and storms will probably be throughout the afternoon tomorrow, with about a 50% coverage. so down to the basics. it looks like we are in the 80's

right now. mainly mid 80's across the board. the dew points are what are intriguing right now. they are in the 70's. this is indicative of the very moist, almost tropical type of air mass hovering over us. that front that pushed through yesterday is stalled out. that's allowing all the moisture to stay where it is. so it's going to be a bit uncomfortable. and it feels hotter than that temperature right now of 85 degrees at the airport. as far as the mountain forecast goes a little refreshment out there at 80 degrees in the higher elevations only. here in baltimore, probably 90 to 91 before it's all over. it looks like there's a slight chance, only about 20%, of pop-up afternoon showers and storms. just very isolated. it looks like on the shores of ocean city a little cooldown with a late-day sea breeze developing. 83 the forecast high. winds are generally from the south and will maintain that southwesterly flow all week long. about 10 knots today on the chesapeake. waves, a foot. but more interesting than that? the water temperatures which

right now are 80 degrees so it is really warm. 103 the record for this date set back in 1941. and in contrast, a very nice record low of 54 set back in 1962. as far as the forecast overnight, if you're hoping once the sun sets things will cool down, only minor. basically 67 to 72 tonight. it's still going to be really warm. we're still going to maintain that humidity level as well. maybe even bring in more showers and storms simply because of that front that's way to our west will be approaching us tomorrow. in the meantime, the frontal boundary that stalled out isn't doing much of anything. hazy, hot and humid is the trend today. here you see that line of severe weather down around the mid-mississippi valley. as far as your forecast goes into the future, it's looking pretty typical for the last week of july, early august. we're going to be up near 90 all week long. there's a good chance of some showers and storms tomorrow afternoon, just isolated chances thursday and friday. by saturday we're going to get a little more of a break from the

humidity. >> thank you, sandra. and we're here to answer your gardening questions. good to see you. >> you, too many. >> we've had some rain recently. >> we were getting pretty dry. >> first question. "my tomato plants are beautiful, large, deep green, producing tons of good-sized tomatoes. but as soon as they turn red, something eats them." i think it's john. kidding. >> probably about the only thing to do is use some type of pest repellent type of product. it's hard to say exactly what would be eating it. will it could be rabbits. it could be turtles. >> turtles eat tomatoes? >> turtles love tomatoes. if it's up on the plant, it could be birds. you may have to net the plants. it could be any number of problems. >> you just have to beat them to it. >> when they're ripe, take them in the house. let them ripen in the house. >> "i have cacti plants that don't bloom, only grow new

leaves. how do i get them to bloom?" >> cactus could be a couple of different things that would be keeping them from blooming. one, they would be too wet. another, they would be too dry. >> how do you know? >> it's hard to -- cactus don't like a lot of moisture. so they want to be kept dryer. if you really keep them super dry, try watering a little bit more. it might push them to bloom. make sure they're getting plenty of sun. they love full sun. lots of sun. >> put them in the window. >> let them go for a while. >> "i bought a lucky bamboo plant last year but i'd like to put it in a different pot. are there any tips i should know so i won't stop the growing process?" >> just a general transplanting tip. make sure that you put new soil in. put it in a larger container. keep it moist after you get the transplanting done. bamboo likes moisture so keep them moist. light fertilization. not a lot. >> how do you know when you need

to repot a plant? >> a lot of times if you can pop the plant a little bit out and you see just a massive roots growing around the outside, the root ball, it's time to put them into another container. also another tip, break those roots up a little bit when you put them into the next container. that will get the roots growing up and get them set. >> do you have to repot a plant? i've had the same plant in the same pot for years. it's still alive. >> most of the time plants like to go into a larger container. getting too much root growth will hold back their growth. they can also get too root bound to the point where they won't pick up the moisture out of the coin taken tore keep them aliv alive -- container to keep them alive. eventually everything needs to go in a bigger container. >> thank you. if you have a planting or gardening question, you can e-mail us as well as send pictures of your planted or garden. go to our website, wbaltv.com. click on family. you can also send your question and pictures to plante --

up next, your maryland lottery midday pick three and pick four numbers and another check of your insta-weather plus forecast. first we'll look at how wall street

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is it something you can handle? we'll sort through it tonight at 5:00. and now your midday pick 3 and pick 4 numbers. >> it's a green ball double draw. a new promotion from the maryland lottery now through august 16. >> hey, maryland. now you have a chance to win on two pick 3 drawings. if the green ball pops up, we'll draw a bonus. first, the pick 3 numbers today. what do we got, marty? that's a 7. followed by 1. the last number for your pick 3 is, zero. making your pick three numbers for today, 7-1-0. now it's time for the green ball doubledraw. today's drawing. remember, if the green ball pops up, we'll do a bonus pick 3 drawing giving you a chance to win on both sets of pick 3 numbers. here we go. it's a white ball.

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if you haven't voted yet -- >> we're so competitive. i get to cohost with regis for a day. i'm against other anchors in phoenix, miami. >> they have nothing on you. >> please get it in on the act. all you do is go to our website. flaiz big banner -- there's a big banner at the top of the page. you have until 9:45 tonight to vote. yes, i feel like i'm on "american idol," but it would be so awesome to be up there with regis. >> it would be so much fun. >> it would be a dream. i would love it. they always start out, regis and kelly, asking about the weather. i cannot wait for that opportunity to engage. anyway, 89 degrees. slight chance of an isolated thunderstorm. we're going to remain near 90. a little less humid by the weekend. >> it will be over his head. >> it will be fun. i love it. >> thanks for joining us. pa

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