some heavy downpours in the forecast for us. with a strong batch of showers and storms to our west that is approaching our area. you can see there is more wet weather coming. was severe weather in the mississippi valley yesterday. it is headed our direction over the mid atlantic today. mostly cloudy skies. a good chance of showers and storms, some of which can be severe. the high will be 88 degrees. we are right in the bull's-eye for this storm. we could be dealing with high winds and torrential downpour. there will be lining and some hail possibly. -- lightning and some hail possibly. >> let's see what is going on. a pretty smooth ride up there

this morning. we are checking the speed sensors. problem free on the north side. no problems on the j.f.x. five minutes on southbound i-95. a 12 minute ride on the outer loop. here is a life of you outside of the white marsh area. some delays into howard county. if you are heading on the west side, there is a smooth ride. enjoyed it. the calm before the storm. that is the latest. back to you. >> other big story this morning, after being cleared of bribery charges just a few months ago, helen holton is in the spotlight again. there is an ongoing investigation at city hall. >> she has been indicted for a second time, this time by a prominent developer.

our reporter is live outside of city hall with the new details on the investigation. >> good morning, they dismissed bribery charges against her in may. now a developer causing charges to violate campaign finance law. the charges have to deal with a $12,500 payment that was made to her who was sitting -- seeking reelection. she met with the developer and someone from a bakery and request that they pay for the survey. according to the maryland law, the payment should of gone to her finance entities that it could have been properly reported. >> it appears that lipscomb had given them additional information. >> that was a political expert who says this time around, it

appears that prosecutors have a better case. the mayor's office is not commenting right now. we will have more of the story coming up for you at 5:30. reporting live for wbal tv 11 news. >> one count of men can oliver told a judge that he made a mistake and there was no criminal intent. he wrote checks from his company's checkbook for his campaign. he desperately needed the money at the time. he said he would never do it again. >> he took responsibility for its actions and did not blame anybody. i think it was appropriate. he did not make any excuses. >> i think it serves both ends of justice -- mercy and justice. >> he violated public trust. >> he will never do it again. >> he was given six months of

cigarettes -- of supervised probation. the provision will end when he pays the vines. >> baltimore city police are investigating a suspicious death in east baltimore. police responded to a call date -- at in a problem building where they found a woman's building inside. if you get any information, please call the baltimore city police. a retired u.s. naval academy professor is accused of doing something to a young girl in entered and offered -- accused of abusing a young girl and entered an alford plea. >> it 31 year-old man was convicted and sentenced on monday. he was arrested in may after his girlfriend said he punched in

shelter at their home. >> the baltimore city police department is trying to receive money from the stimulus fund. they are beefing up patrols after a rash of violence over the weekend. they want to hire 50 new police officers placed on foot patrol around the city. however they cannot fight crime alone. >> people need to speak up and stop this from happening. >> homicide hit a 20-year low last year. it is still one of the biggest violent cities in the united states. that brings us to our watercooler question of the day. do you think the city's plan to hire 50 new officers will help police curb crime in baltimore? email us your response to watercooler@wbaltv.com. >> president obama travels to north carolina and virginia today to promote his ideas about reforming the health-care system. some of the ideas are losing

ground in congress. >> senate negotiators say they are bridging differences by the day. >> in the next days, that that is going to close very significantly. >> the deal making on health care is aimed at bringing house and senate republicans on board who blasted the democratic proposals. >> the use words like reform and choice, but it is funding to government mandates. >> liberal democrats are angry. they expect the senate plan will not have a government-run insurance option but a privately-run co-op. >> it will probably not be in the finance bill. >> they could lose their debt and hurt the president's goal -- luzader votloese their vote ande

president's goal. >> that is my number one responsibility. there are times when i have to set aside my personal preferences for the good of the senate and the country. >> senate negotiators are aiming for a committee vote next week. one says the president will have to choose. something backed by liberals. some say it is too soon to say. >> in massachusetts bar is trying to help professor henry louis gates prepare for his meeting at the white house by delivering a case of beer on his front porch. the harvard scholar was arrested earlier this month after responding -- after officers responded to a break in at his home. the president, police officer, and the professor will meet over

a beer to discuss the issue. >> something tells me that professor gates will be moving soon now that the whole world knows where he lives. >> right. and coming up, the latest on the michael jackson's death investigation. >> here is a live look at traffic. this is the beltway at liberty road. will update you under wednesday morning commute when we come ba. when we come ba.

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>> profits but it is a very humid wednesday morning. it is 77 degrees downtown. an overnight low the heat will bring some relief. this morning, we are saying in an intensive batch of showers and storms will for the area.

there are pockets of heavy rain to our southwest moving in our direction. for more on your forecast, thunderstorms could be severe today. we will have more in a little bit. >> thank you. police are investigating the death of a young boy in missouri. they believe that alcohol may be to blame. they found the 11 year-old boy unconscious and not breathing. he was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead. the boy's uncle challenged him to drink as much alcohol as he did which police believe is what killed him. >> police spent nine hours combing through the las vegas home and offices of dr. conrad mariurray. that caring several materials. -- carrying several materials. he authorized investigators to

look for medical records related to michael jackson. >> coming up, we have some ways you could be saving money. a shopping application that could help you keep more money in your wallet. >> and our property values can help you save money on your taxes. >> not many problems on the roads. we will u

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>> hello. it is really smooth out there. >> [unintelligible] >> we are going to enjoy it while we can. if you're heading out during

this early hour, let's check the speeds for you. it is looking good. if you're heading out on the west side, everything is running smoothly. we are in the green. we are going to enjoy it. here is a live view of traffic out there. howard county is running smoothly. here is a live view of the north east corner which is also running smoothly. no incidents to report. that is the latest period as get the light is on the buses and trains. >> good morning. not very busy here. we have a delight on the train 5 03 with a 10 minute delay. everything else is on time. metro subway is on time. the 17 bus is being diverted due to construction.

mta commuter bus information is also about -- available. for the transit team, i will now headed -- give it back over to sandra shaw. >> an intense patch of showers to the southwest of this area. it is moving in the direction of baltimore city. you're likely to see some showers in the next 30 minutes scrolling through. carry an umbrella today. what is behind that is a mass of moisture. it cost a lot of storms yesterday in the deep south. it will continue to come in our direction because of the position of the jet stream. we are in store for a stormy afternoon. here is how the temperatures are looking. it is very humid out there. 77 degrees right now in downtown

areas. not a lot of over night relief. 75 degrees on the eastern shore. the dewpoint is not far behind. the humidity makes it very moist out there. it feels like a tropical place with some instability. we have the potential today to see some severe storms like we did a few days ago. it looks like a good chance of showers and storms in the mountains of western maryland today. the highest 73 degrees there. eight degrees of the high over here. -- 88 degrees is the high over here. some storms may have wind and hale again. 83 degrees in western -- over on

the eastern shore. on the bay today, not the best they to be out there. we have a small craft advisory. we will be 10 degrees of the record set in 1974. showers and storms throughout the area tonight. there is a front to our west. we have a trough right over us. this moisture will continue to stream in. we have to continue to keep our eye on that this afternoon. showers and storms throughout today. some relief on saturday as it will be a little less humid. >> if your home is declining in value, you could be able to reduce your tax bill. you need to file an appeal and get your property assessed. if you bought your home in the last 6-12 months, all you need

is a filing fee. you will need an appraisal if you purchase your home over a year ago. check around as some companies will take care of the entire process for you. saving money while shopping could be easier on you and your bank account with software for your cellphone. a new application helps consumers find the best prices. when you find an item, take a picture of the bar code on your cell phone. the program searches for the prices on -- at different stores and it sends all the information back to your phone. >> it finds all the best prices on the internet and at nearby stores. >> it can tell you if it is somewhere cheaper and we're it is in stock. >> this program is free. it offers directions to the store with the lowest price. >> time to get the latest on wall street where two technology giants are getting closer to an alliance. our reporter is live with a

bloomberg business report. >> it morning, everybody. thegoogle has to watch its back because there is a deal that involves sharing revenue for web-search and. under the deal, microsoft would beat the defaults in in a foreign yahoo!. the two companies have only about a 28% market share. google as double that. at&t could be prevented from competition because of a certain move with the iphone. u.s. stocks closing mixed after reporting heavier losses earlier

in the day. higher unemployment could be undermining consumer confidence. let mason capital said the s&p 500 may reach a certain amount by the end of 2010. it is up 979. and having a glass of draft beer from your refrigerator may sound good. couors is now doing testing to see if that can be possible. that is the business news. at the new york stock exchange, i am reporting for wbal-tv. >> i guess you are not supposed

to drink the whole box at once. >> i guess that is the idea. that is the theory behind it. you could physically do that sort of thing. >> moderation is the key. >> yes. at this hour especially. >> thank you, michelle. >> still ahead, another look at your morning commute with traffic and weather together. >> the orioles' season is teetering on rocky and rookie. find out hey smart, heard you're getting free nights from hotels.com. how? well, funny you should ask. you see, after i book 10 nights, i get a free one. say i spend 2 nights at a big name hotel,

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>> the orioles will put the third top pitching prospect from

the minor leagues on the mound. he is scheduled to make his big league debut tonight. they have no will positive momentum to offer him as they lose again last night in extra innings 4-3 to the kansas city royals. butler has just destroyed the orioles in this series. he opened tuesday with a big play. jones evened the score at the bottom of the third. this home run is very deep. tied at 3, but it went to extra innings. mark rounds 1/3. dick rose home. bounce off the mound. one player is safe at third. the damage is done. the orioles go down 4-3 in 11 innings.

2-9 since the all-star break. it is time to test out the ricky. day 2 of the ravens training camp. we will see you there tonight at 6. until then, have a fantastic day. >> imagine police officers arriving at your door carrying guns and responding to a 911 call they say you made, but you did not. >> [unintelligible] >> dozens of calls to 911 reporting gunshots, stabbing, and even a police officer down. >> your name? >> the caller claimed to be this person. her phone number showed up on the caller id 4911. she did not make the call. -- she d>> one of them was carrg

a gun. the police were ready to take me out of here. >> tonight at 11, how she became a victim of a dangerous prank that could happen to anybody. coming up, >> helen holton is indicted again. the details are straight ahead. >> more town hall meetings for the president on health care today. i will let you know where the president is. and the latest on the ongoing debate on capitol hill. >> we are in the mix for some strong

>> good morning, everybody. welcome back to 11 news today. >> thank you for joining us. we will get a check