smooth ride. you can see the speed sensors show that things are all in the green. we are moving just fine on the major roads. we will give you a live look at the beltway on the top side at harford road, not much traffic yet. 95 in white marsh picking up a little bit but not seeing any delays on 95 in the white marsh ar area. there you go right there. picking up a little southbound but not bad yet. that is the latest on "traffic pulse 11." back to you. >> our big story, it was called beer diplomacy. a white house meeting between a black harvard scholar and police officer who arrested him and the president who drew attention to the case by saying the officer acted stupidly. >> as promised president obama had a beer in the rose garden with his friend harvard scholar henry louis gates. sarld crowley and vice president

biden. they agreed to disagree but the discussion was productive. >> professor gates and i bring different perspectives to the issues and we have agreed that both perspective should be addressed to provide a constructive outcome to the events of the past month. >> gates called the national attention on his arrest rowdy and unruly but added it evoked greater sympathy for the daily perils of policing and the genuine fears of racial profiling. >> the cambridge police -- >> the president backtracked after first saying crowley acted stupidly called this a friendly thoughtful conversation. some analysts say mr. obama has making up to do. >> played badly because it was the kind of obama he tried to avoid showing during his campaign that of taking sides. that of being perceived as taking sides especially with black americans. >> thank you very much. >> up next, crowley says he will have more public discussions with gates. as for the arrest gates says it is time to move on. that is what the white house is

hoping, too, that this meeting will close the door on the president's commence and allow him to move on to more pressing issues like health reform. i'm tracy paths, wbal tv 11 news. >> that popular cash for clunkers program was geared to get rid of gas guzzlers off the road and replace them with more fuel efficient vehicles. it was a big boom but it is running into problems. >> now the government has put the brakes on the program saying funds are running out. melissa carlson has more on the government's decision. >> it only took a week and there are rumblings that the program has run through its $1 billion budget. the benefits were slated to stay in place until november but it may have ended last night at midnight at this nissen lot in catonsville. as of wednesday there was an estimated 23,000 new cars sold

and nearly $96 million spent. the program allowed people to bring their gas guzzlers in and trade them for a credit up to $4,500 for a fuel efficient car. the general manager here said he had no idea how much the cars would be in demand and it has been a win-win situation for all involved. >> it is good for the green, it is good for the economy. naturally it is good for the automobile business and it is good for the customer. >> some dealerships had expressed concerns that maybe they were selling cars faster than the government could keep up with. but last night the white house responded saying they are going to honor all of the sales. it shouldn't be a problem but they are assessing the situation. back to you. >> that brings us to our water cooler question of the day. should the federal government increase the funding of the cash for clunkers program? e-mail your response to

watercooler@wbaltv.com. the new case against baltimore mayor sheila dixon could be based on information from her former boyfriend ronald lipscomb. new indictments claim she asked him for money then used it to pay off a bill from a large shopping spree. the mayor allegedly asked for gift cards to be donated to needy freshmen then used -- families then used some for herself. jayne miller breaks down how dixon allegedly paid for the expensive trip. >> the harford county middle school teacher arrested for sending text mention to a boy is indicted on new charges. 43-year-old jonathan dick was indicted on 18 counts. authorities say the new charges involve a 14-year-old boy and allegedly offenses were between march of 2007 and april of 2008. dick was a physical education teacher at fallston middle school. he remains in jail. we know the identities of the

three people killed in monday's accident with a street sweeper. police say darlene caldwell, electrical len caldwell and katarina morrison were heading home to media, pennsylvania, from a trip to kentucky. the accident happened as the car turned on to honeygo boulevard. if you live in baltimore county and own a motorcycle or minivan police urge you to protect your property. in the last two weeks six motorcycles were stolen and 12 minivans stolen or attempted. there is an explanation as to how the two are connected police say. >> criminals, with go cruising in the minivan and see a street bike. if they can't defeat the security right now they will put it in the minivan and go. >> police warn if you have to park your bike outside try to lock it to some other large object. consider a tracking device or alarm and leave title in your

home. if you have any information on the bike and minute think van thefts you are urged to call police. >> an anti-abortion amendment to a health overhaul bill was rejected by a house committee. that was late last night. it said the bill may not impose requirements for coverage of abortion except in limited cases. the bill was initially approved by the energy and commerce committee but when brought back up for a second vote denied by a one-vote a margin. dozens of local pro-life demonstrators display posters showing what a fetus looks like when aborted. they were speaking out about the arrest of protesters along route 124 in belair. today they say their signs will be with them and they return. demonstrators claim they serve as a deterrent. >> people are disgusted by the images. they should be more disgusted by the act of abortion which is the killing of innocent young children and moved to end this injustice in our country. >> yesterday the group was out

in force on northern parkway. they say with their trip back to belair they will make a stop in white marsh. 74 degrees on tv hill at 5:07. a meeting to discuss potential off-leash dog hours. >> stringy looking slimy thing was coming out of the can. and it was attached to whatever was inside the can. >> a florida family makes an unusual discovery inside a soda can. >> here is a live look at traffic on i-95 north of maryland route 543. things are moving smoothly. that will change in a matter of a half hour or so. we will check the weather and traffic when we come back. you are watching "11 news today".

>> 5:10, warm and humid out there. not hot yet but it will get hot. downtown 77 degrees and i wonder why they have lights on at the stadium? probably working on the field. awfully early. today will be an interesting day weatherwise. we have had warm and humid weather and we are short of rain on the month and looks like on the last day of the month we may get more rain. some passed south of us this morning. they have moved offshore and that is thunderstorm activity off the jersey shore. but if i pull the radar back a little bit we will see a new area of rain coming into western maryland. it reaches all the way back into the ohio river valley. it has had a history of producing severe weather. there is a cold front moving in and looks like it is a healthy storm. so we stand a fairly decent chance of having thunderstorm activity this afternoon. could be strong storms in there. that is going to be in the

insta-weather forecast coming up. >> a hearing is scheduled later today for the man accused of killing a washington, d.c. intern and leaving her body in a park. he is charged with the murder of shandra levy and sexual assault. levy disappeared in 2001. her body was found a year later in rock creek park. >> when you think florida and mouse the first thing that colonecomes to mind is disney. one family came across a mouse in a soda can. her fred said it had a funny taste. further discovery revealed this tail-like object coming out of the can. what appeared to be a mouse. pepsi officials confirm it was packed in an orlando plant but in a statement said it was impossible for it to happen in a production environment. the can and what is left inside are being examined. >> you can bet their home wasn't the happiest place on earth after opening that.

5:12. 74 degrees on tv hill. why some mortgage companies are having trouble renegotiating loans. >> choblcolate that is healthie for you? it could be on store shelves within the next few months. >> we have one accident to deal with in carroll county. finksburg. we will have the latest next.

>> kim is back with a look at traffic. problem in finksburg? >> that is the only place we are seeing a problem. carroll county we have route 140 and sandy mount road. the fire department is there. watch out for that as you are heading out this morning. otherwise, we are looking ok on

the major roads. speed sensors show that things are moving just fine. we are all in the green, so that is good. we will give you look at liberty road and the beltway. we are looking ok on the inner and outer loops so far. 95 at fort mchenry toll plaza moving fine north and southbound. 83's are check being out ok as we well. now for a look at buses and trains we go to kurt considerate with the m.t.a. good morning. kurt. >> good morning, kim. looking good this morning. no delays on penn, camden or brunswick lines. light rail on time. and metro subway on time east and west. businesses m-1 bus has a 15-minute delay and diverting on 17 at nursery and winterston. back to john collins. good morning, john. >> good morning. remember to bring an umbrella because you may, if you are out

walking around, get off the bus and walk home, because thunderstorm activity is out to the west. there were storms that passed to the south early this morning. we have mostly cloudy right now. mostly cloudy will rule today as the next cold front approaches. there are no thunderstorms, just generous rains. but as the day heats up we could trigger something. let's look at the current readings. i will give you the highs and lows. b.w.i.-marshall 87 yesterday. 90 at inner harbor and humid. morning lows in the upper 60's and low 70's. no rain yesterday. all south of us. that was overnight. annapolis 77, 75 allegatieaston. 72 at frederick and york 72. of thin clouds over us this morning. heavier clouds to the west with the storm. shower and thunderstorm activity. here is the front that will come our way. it has produced strong storms. it is bumping into humid air

that we have had since before the beginning of the week. drier air behind it so at least saturday is this nice weather back in missouri and iowa and illinois. today clouds and thunderstorms likely, south-southwest winds 10 to 15. 83 to 90 the high and muggy. all the ingredients for thunderstorms. south winds 14 gussing to 23 on the bay -- gussing to 23 on the bay. the future cast shows storms out west moving into the area this afternoon and early this evening then it clears out. by friday evening things quiet down with drier air. saturday looks good but into sunday another weather system coming our way and another rain chance. so, the best day of the weekend looks like it will be during the day saturday. the seven-day forecast, 88 today, 87 tomorrow. nice thing about saturday is the humidity will be down a little

bit. sunday another weather maker comes in with a fairly decent chance of showers and thunderstorms again. so, today and sunday. take a break monday then a small chance for pop-up storms tuesday and wednesday, then the chances go way up by thursday and it will be hot and humid by then again. >> in our consumer alert mortgage companies may not be fiending much incentive to alter troubled loans. analysts say it is because they are finding delinquent loan fees lucrative even when borrowers stop paying the companies collect fees out of the foreclosure proceedings. that means more money for the companies. the longer the loan is unpaid that is. banks say not renegotiating loans works against their best interest. a dubai company is making the first brand of chocolate with camel's milk. they plan to expand into europe, japan and u.s. and says the chocolate could be in the u.s. stores in the next few months.

the milk has five times more vitamin c than cow's milk and it is an alternative for diabetics and those that are lactose intolerant. >> time for a look at wall street with michelle steele with a look at the business news. happy friday to you, michelle. >> hey, stan. tgif. an economic report helped drive stocks higher yesterday. we will see if a report today will do the same. yesterday it was weekly jobless claims holding below june levels. today it is the government report on u.s. economic growth last quarter. economists expect it to show the worst recession in a half century is winding down. it is out at 8:30. baltimore based constellation energy a stock to watch today. the utility owner expected to come out with quarterly results within the hour and right now futures indicating a quiet open on wall street.

here is a look at the higher close yesterday after the weekly jobless report and better than expected earnings. investors are watching the auto makers and impact of the headlines you have been reporting on with the cash for clunkers program coming to a screeching halt. july auto sales numbers are out monday. they probably rose to the best level yet this year thanks to the cash for clunkers program. but now there is word the program is being suspended because it is so successful that it is running out of money to give people that $4,500 credit for trading in the old car. with chrysler saying 70% of weekend sales came from people using the program, the $4,500 question is what will happen to auto sales if the program is not extended. something investors will keep on their minds this week and next. that is business news at the new york stock exchange. i'm michelle steele, bloomberg news reporting for wbal tv 11 news. you guys, have a great weekend.

>> you do the same. we will see you back at 6:15 for the next report. many baltimore city dog owners fed up with lack of facilities for pets are dpandzing change -- demanding change. they attended a meeting for off-leash hours. the first prospective spot is patterson park. >> at patterson park blue was on the tennis court his owners having nowhere else to rub but change is coming. >> i think it is amazing this community is so full of animal lovers. it will be a great addition. >> not far away at general wolf middle school more than 100 supporters of the containing came out. >> there's a need to have something done about dogs in the patterson park area. it is a big enough park to accommodate users so we are trying to provide a solution to the dog issue. >> the city council changed a key law to allow dogs off the

leash in special fenced in areas. >> there's a place for everyone in our parks, dogs, children. we want to make sure they are safe so we want to make sure we establish areas that are not close to playgrounds and courts so that everyone can have a good time in the park and. safe. but we want to invite the entire family and the entire family in a lot of cases includes dogs. >> since we have such a big dog people get nervous so we are in the enclosed area to make do in what we can. >> dogs going to the areas will need special tags and every park will have its own system and hours. >> five to midnight and new york city it is like 9:00 p.m. to 9:00 a.m. wilmington, delaware it is daylight hours. it depends on the needs of the city and what the community decides on. >> the off-leash permits will cost $20 a year and proceeds

will benefit the animal shelter. >> now the ravens first-round pick michael oher has his signature on his first nfl contract what he turns his attention to next. that is next right here. >> don't forget to e-mail your answer to the water cooler question of the day. should the federal government increase the funding of the cash for clunkers program? e-mail us at hi, may i help you? we're shopping for car insurance, and our friends said we should start here. good friends -- we compare our progressive direct rates, apples to apples, against other top companies, to help you get the best price. how do you do that? with a touch of this button. can i try that? [ chuckles ]

wow! good luck getting your remote back. it's all right -- i love this channel. shopping less and saving more. now, that's progressive. call or click today.

>> ravens return to the practice field today mcdaniel college for the first team practice of training camp. that full team roster includes

first-round pick michael oher. big number 74. first-round pick tack many out of mississippi signed yesterday. $8 million guaranteed. grew up in some of the worst neighborhoods of memphis, adopted by a white family, became a national figure when michael lewis wrote about him. now oher wants to move forward and he has the talent to move it way forward in the nfl. >> it is very special, but you got to forget where you came from and move forward and continue to work hard and just put all your trust in the right people and come to practice and play every day. >> we try to do a te-- do a rav deal and we feel like we got a raven deal. >> they took willis mcgee and

ben grubbs off the physically unable to perform which means they will be in full pads today in westminster. first practice is 8:45. i'm gerry sandusky, hope your day is off to a fantastic start. >> we can hardly wait for the season. don't forget about the ravens special tomorrow 7:00 p.m. >> 5:27, 74 degrees on tv hill. in the next half hour of "11 news today" -- >> the cash for clunkers program may be running out of gas. have that story. >> feels very tropical outside. cold front coming into the air will probably trigger some thunderstorms this afternoon and this evening. the

>> good morning, everybody. welcome back to news. i'm stan stovall. >>