>> good morning. >> thank you for joining us for 11 news today. >> we will talk with sandra shaw who will tell us about whether any york. >> we have a very active weather pattern. you will need the umbrella for the afternoon during the next few days. this is a very tropical and moist air mass. instability will develop in the afternoon. scattered showers and storms today through saturday. 77 degrees downtown. partly cloudy and up to 90 before we see those scattered showers clear up. our weather pattern will change sunday morning. we will have more on that in her mccain bill in a short bit. -- hurricane bill in a short bit. >> let's check on traffic.

we have an accident near st. paul. the speed sensors are looking pretty good around the area. there is a truck fire we are hearing about. we will update you on that as we get more information about it. five minutes on southbound i-95. here is a look at another portion of 95 in howard county looking very good. 95 at white marsh is checking out fine. the area bridges are looking very good. that is the latest. back to you. >> our big story this morning, dozens of residents are looking for a new place to call home after a fire ripped through the apartment complex last night. >> our reporter is live in essex with that story. >> good morning.

the fire near here affected 16 units in all. people could not get back inside. heavy smoke and fire was coming from unit 24 and the adjacent apartment. this person says the whole thing is his fault. he followed his normal routine last night and fell asleep with a lit candle. the candle was knocked over in his bedroom went up in flames. >> you see it all the time of the news. men's has an apartment around the corner. they will put the people over there for one night. out ok. shelter for the evening. 21 adults and nine children were affected. wbal tv 11 news. >> thank you.

bail was denied for one man who was accused of attacking a 76 year-old man early tuesday morning. charging documents reveal that the suspect has ties to white supremacy groups and has a past of violence. these attacks have no place in the 21st century according to one person. >> he glorified in that. we cannot glorify in that. >> these guys are disrupted in our community all the time. >> police are pursuing what they describe as decent leads and the search for two other suspects in the attacks. the victim remains in their

condition this morning. >>baltimore city police are investigating two nighttime shootings. the victim was shot in the chest and taken to a local hospital. the condition is unknown. another man was shot on one street. >> and a glen burnie man was struck and killed on the road. he was lying on the road at 9:00 p.m. when he was run over by a band. police do not believe the driver was impaired by drugs or alcohol. the man was killed. >> police have yet to release the identity of the man who drowned on pleasure island. voters were pulling the body of the man out of the water. very few details have been released as to have the man drought. >> a hotel is -- >> there are

other identifying objects from victims in other states. >> of victims from virginia, georgia and florida, were recovered. four suspects, two of which have been released and the other two are in jail for identity that. >> mayor sheila dixon attorneys claim any subpoenas issued after her january indictment constitutes an abuse of the grand jury system. and it some more complaints are included in the current indictment against air.

>> clinical trials for the swine flu virus continue. trial. all maryland children will be advised to do the same later this fall. up to 1300 children will participate. all parents are being told to be vigilant. >> we know that in young make a satisfactory antibody assume that much for the swine flu strain. >> it was a shocking act of terrorism 21 years ago. the only man convicted of bringing down the flight is likely to be released from prison early. a formal announcement is expected this morning. we have the latest from washington and why some people in this country are opposed to

it. >> most of the passengers on board of pan am flight 103 or american headed to york. this mother had a daughter on the plane. >> i am breathing deeply now. i miss her every moment. she lost her whole life. >> just 30 minutes into the flight, a bomb flip -- blew up inside the cargo hold. victim's families are reacting to the prospect that the only person convicted in the attack may be set free early. >> horror and outrage because he is a mass murder. >> this former intelligence agent suffers from advanced prostate cancer. scottish authorities told families he will be released on compassionate grounds. >> he wants to go home to be around his family. my brother did not have that

opportunity. none of us did. >> secretary clinton says the obama team has fought hard against the release. >> i think is wrong. >> and seven u.s. senators sent a letter lobbying against it. some say the u.s. is caving to the leaders status. >> heavy people forgot what has taken place? >> the u.s. government -- if they did not want this man released, it would not take place. >> 21 years later, the wounds are still raw. some families believe that what the u.s. and britain want is access to the oil in libya. they feel that they may never resolve who else was behind the plot. wbal-tv. >> that brings us to our watercooler question of the day. do you think a scottish court

shouldrelease the man convicted of the 1988 pan-am bombing, so he can die surrounded by his family? email us your response to watercooler@wbaltv.com. >> coming up, the financial news in a bloomberg business report. >> and the tensions are high in afghanistan as citizens of that nation turned out to vote for their next leaders. >> we will take you behind the scenes of live with regis and sandra and she makes our national television debut. >> it was so fun. we have details on whether coming up. >> some early-morning problems to watch for on the j.f.x. we will update

>> in mall start. nothing is happening now over the central part of the state. we see showers to our north and south yesterday. the severe weather is still moving through. it was like it is approaching the ohio valley today. approaching weather will not make it through until sunday morning. we will remain unstable and volatile. we are looking at 77 degrees downtown. 81 degrees in ocean city. 90 degrees in central maryland. partly cloudy. if you are stuck in one of the thunderstorms, there may be some heavy downpours. a lot of rain in a sort amount of time. -- short amount of time.

by this weekend, the waves will increase. it will be an issue because hurricane bill will be in the atlantic but not approaching the u.s.. the record high for this date was set back in 1983 105 degrees. the record low was set back in 1998. the forecast will be in the 70's. mostly cloudy skies. a front is to our west. there is a bermuda high. we are dealing with very humid conditions. it will be like that for the next three days. hurricane bill has lost some strength as a category 3.

it is going to the north and northwest. it is about 690 malice from bermuda -- miles of bermuda. it will not impact anyone here. it may hit parts of canada by sunday. an unsettled afternoon for today through saturday. by sunday, less humid. we will have been nice trend of lower due points for the next few days after that. >> good morning. a problem spot on the northbound direction of j.f.x. the two let lanes are closed. the rest of the speed sensors

are checking out fine. drive times a looking good at this hour. here is a lot look at traffic. this is south of the beltway moving well. northbound, problems on the j.f.x., but southbound is looking good. that is the latest. over to you. >> we are taking a look at some of the top stories this morning. taliban is keeping the turnout down further people trying to build in afghanistan. the turnout in the north appears to be high. one leader is favored to win. a couple of people are dead

after a military helicopter crashed in -- colorado during a training exercise. military officials say a couple of people on board were killed. a fourth person is missing. the victims' names have not been released. the man considered a pioneer of journalism has died. he produced a ground breaking news magazine and created "60 minutes." he was 86 years old. >> the cash for clunkers program has been a huge hit with the consumer, but not so much so with some car dealers who are waiting to get paid for their participation. the national automobile association said dealers have cut thousands of applications

pending and millions of dollars hanging in the balance. until they get up, they will not write any more deals. there have been some delays, but they will be in first. a warning this morning, the next time you get a call offering help for foreclosure help or credit-card debt. there are more than 100,000a spokesperson said the calls are coming from that actors in the industry. using the information to extort money from relatives. and now we have the bloomberg business report. >> energy shares climbed on a rebound. with the real-estate bubble, the

next bubble may be soon. according to tv and advertising executives, the related to television programs are attracting record audiences as viewers turn away from home- improvement shows. the food network and the travel channel are emerging at the start of this current level. one reason is that food can take away the pain a deep recession. when stock is benefiting from all of this. discovery communications. the tlc network is dropping home-improvement shows and turning more towards food. >> hurricane bill may be a long off from hitting the u.s. but it is causing some preparation for certain people. they are hoping that the surf

will not be as flat. that could change over the next few days. one person had towed thousands of miles in the last few days before the storm approached. >> another check on weather and traffic straight ahead. >> get all of the behind-the- scenes third and details of what happened yesterday when sandra shawmut regis philbin. -- sandra shaw met regis philbin. >> do not forget to e-mail us your answer to the water cooler question of the day. do you think a scottish court shouldrelease the man convicted of the 1

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a $3500 government rebate and no down payment. go to chevy.com for details. >> good morning. let's check their morning commute. it is a busy right for motorists on the northbound of the j.f.x. all lanes are closed due to an accident and an oil spill. they are trying to clear the road for you. possible some delays southbound. another problem spot on route 7. there is some fire activity there. not much else is going on. the pretty easy ride on most of the other roadways. here is a live look of traffic building in volume. no official delays. that is the latest. let's get the latest on the

forecast. >> we are looking at a warm start today. we are in the upper 70's downtown. 81 degrees in ocean city right now. we will be up to 90 degrees before we see some potentially strong showers this afternoon. very unstable out there. a good chance of showers and storms tonight. for out tomorrow, more of the same. >> we are back together this morning. we are welcoming back sandra shot after her triumphant network debut. >> she was not the only one in the big apple. sarah went along and captured all the behind-the-scenes action. >> we are in new york city. we made it here. it is the big day.

sandra will be co-host thingwe will find out how she is doing. let's get a wake-up call. sandra? >> good morning. >> how are you feeling? >> fabulous. >> did to get a good sleep? >> yes. it was great. the producer called me yesterday and said we want you to give a national forecast. they are making my own special map. >> she got to sleep in until 5:00 a.m. then she got down to work preparing the forecast for a national audience. the day before with the delivery of notes to review for the show. >> 27 minutes long. >> it then a long list of question and information on the guests for the day. >> we have tim gunn.

>> we got to see her outfit for the big show. she did not disappoint. it is time for hair and makeup. the studio audience was arriving in baltimore represented. laura smith made the trip to give for some support. >> everybody is so excited for her. she is always so cheerful. >> with the clock ticking and showtime fast approaching, she was ready. where was regis philbin? finally come up with about five seconds to spare, he emerges with a relieved sandra shaw. >> i am honored. >> in that very much at home on the set with regis philbin. very friendly with chat time, and interviews, and an entertaining forecast.

>> everybody has a different personality. >> turnaround. could the wbal hire anybody as beautiful as you. >> wbal-tv. >> he is right. i feel like charlie and the angels with everybody here. >> what i thought was remarkable was how well he does with little preparation. he is at ease. >> he has been doing it for billions of years. >> that makes both of us nervous. >> he held my hand. he is so nice. he tell me it was going to be fine. he is such a professional. and he was in total control.

>> did they ever go buy a lot faster than you were expecting? >> it did. it will buy. it really did. >> what was your guests like? >> he is so friendly. just like on the show. he makes you feel like you are the most important person but looking you right in the eye. that show debuts tonight. >> use of the same people come up to her on the street after the show. >> i am shy. >> right. sure you are. come on. great job. >> thank you. >> there is much more to come this morning in the next half hour of 11 news today. >> a man says a fire at this apartment complex is all his

fault. we will explain straight ahead. >> we will take a ledger morning commute. we will tell you what is going on the j.f.x. next. >> the hd doppler is active it to our west. we will let you know when that is expected to hit us in your forecast. >> i am nikole killion in washington. we are keeping close tabs on the elections in afghanistan today. i will bring you the very latest coming up. >> here is a look at the winning lottery numbers last night.

>> good morning, everybody. welcome back to 11 news today. >> thank you so much for joining us. we have a quick look at the forecast today. >> as far as temperatures go, we are very mild. 74 degrees of the airport. the temperature feels worse than it is. up to 92 degrees today.

a chance of strong thunderstorms this evening. details coming up. >> our big story this morning. several people are looking for a new place to live after eight to alarm fire took place last night. >> our reporter is live with more on this story. >> good morning. the fire started in unit 24 which is behind me. that the whole thing was his fault. >> he cannot believe what happened late wednesday night. fire crews were called here to a fire call. they arrived and found a-- found an apartment in flames along with the adjoining units. >> and he lives in that unit and says he is to blame. -- i lit a candle. it got knocked over and that is

when the fire happened. i tried to put it out myself. i cannot. i tried to put it out. i came back in, and the bet was gone. >> 16 units were damaged by the fire. no one was injured. the red cross worked to make sure that everyone had housing. >> you see it all the time on the news. to happen to you. until it happens to you, you do not realize. >> no one was injured. everyone made it out ok. wbal tv 11 news. >> a u.s. soldier based out of maryland is one of the latest victims in afghanistan. he was shot on patrol in afghanistan last week. he died a few days later. he was assigned to the special

forces group of a baltimore county. motorists are turning out -- voters are turning out to the polls in afghanistan. but there is some violence in the air. our washington bureau reporter has more on this story. even though the turnout appears has been encouraging. >> this symbolized a vote cast amid more scattered violence throughout the country. the white house is keeping a close eye on what it calls the most important event in afghanistan this year. >> to president increased our troops to help the security situation which is very important. >> the u.s. military said six americans were killed in southern afghanistan. it is a crucial test for the obama administration would increase forces, 30,000 soldiers to counter the taliban and counter insurgents.

>> those who attacked america on 9/11 are planning to do so again. it let -- if left unchecked, the taliban will continue to plot to kill more americans. >> the taliban has threatened to suppress turnout. they turn out to cast votes for the candidates. one person is up for reelection. >> it is democracy in action. what matters is the result. >> one man has been in power since the 2001 invasion. exhaust -- results are expected saturday but could take longer. wbal. >> the balance continues to escalate in iraq as a bicycle bomb exploded near a baghdad restaurant killing two people.

this comes on the eve of seven deadly attacks over a year -- of some of deadly attacks from over a year ago. the government must reassess security measures since violence has ran up following the pullout of american forces from major cities in june. >> school starts in less than 10 weeks. baltimore county is taking more steps to make sure they are prepared to deal with of the concerns of parents. it is a call center. also be addressed. >> what is on the minds of>> everyone wants to know about transportation. parents who have kids with special needs want to know about special education. placement is a big one. what school are they going to. >> the call center will be open until september 4. you can find the number to call and other information on our

website at wbaltv.com. click on education. >> good morning. but we are checking on your morning commute. there are some problems on the northbound direction of j.f.x. it is close due to an accident and a fuel spill. it continues as you make your way number one 83. there are some problems and of the beltway. the closing points toward the north bound direction of the j.f.x. we will keep you updated on how that affects traffic. some fire activity in one area. a live view of traffic here. this is where we are hearing reports of an oil spill. it does not appear to be

affecting traffic as you approach the beltway. no other delays to mention. over to you. >> thanks. we will be up to near 90 degrees today. went out of the southeast. a good chance for some strong afternoon showers and thunderstorms. there is a lot of hot humidity with this air mass over head. by sunday, some lower due points -- dewpoints and 84 degrees. more on hurricane bill later. >> thank you. and identifying the event -- a

debt-defying event you have to see to believe. >> do you think a scottish court shouldrelease the man convicted of the 1988 pan-am bombing, so he can die surrounded by his family? email us your response to watercooler@wbaltv.com.

>> and eight year-old boy has flown into the record books over the sky. he is a daredevil strapped to the wing of a plane. his parents must be having a heart attack. they make sure every safety

measure was taken. some men and women were reverting to childhood in san francisco. they have turned one straight into a board game. it is a real life in the land. -- candy land. that looks like fun. >> a seesaw can't send somebody for a ride if the person on the other end with a lot more. that happened in jacksonville after one of the trees have your limbs fell unexpectedly and fell on the back end of a vehicle. it said the person inside high above the ground. the person got out safely and no one was hurt.

>> coming up, we will take a look at the headlines. >> we will tell you where the j.f.x. is shut down next. >> a strong severe weather line to our west. i will let you know how that plays into our extended forecast. 77 degrees right now down at the harbor.

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supremacy group. police arrested four people from florida st. -- staying at the best western hotel after a housekeeping crew loaded managers to some suspicious paperwork in the room. personal information from hundreds of victims from virginia, florida, and georgia were recovered as well as people from columbia and elkridge. officials in scotland will announce later today if a man sentenced to life in prison for the 1988 bombing of pan am flight 103 will be released from prison. he is terminally ill with cancer and is expected to be sent back on compassionate grounds to libya. many are lobbying hard for his release. but the obama administration and the parents of victims are curious about the decision. >> that brings us to your

watercooler question of the day. >> do you think a scottish court shouldrelease the man convicted of the 1988 pan-am bombing, so he can die surrounded by his family? email us your response to watercooler@wbaltv.com. >> one person says no, they should not release the bomber. the people on the flight that they were not surrounded by their families when they died. he should pay his debt by finishing out his sentence. >> one person says that his estimate of life expectancy has not been made known. if it is six weeks or less, let him go home to die. >> another person writes that he should not be released. i hope the court will uphold his sentence. we will have all of your responses on our front page at wbaltv.com. >> good morning. problems on the northbound j.f.x.. it is completely shut down due to a fuel spill.

problems further north up on 83. reports of the same problem. slick conditions. watch for that impact on traffic. everything else is good on the southbound j.f.x. here is a live view outside this morning south of the beltway near j.f.x.. we will keep you posted. here is a live view on traffic near white marsh which is looking good. that is the latest. over to you. >> you can almost see the moisture in the atmosphere. we are under a moist tropical air mass. a front will take a couple of days to get through. we will stay very unsettled with

a good chance of some strong showers and storms in the afternoon hours. it is really warmouth there. 77 degrees downtown. 81 degrees in ocean city right now. a high near 90 degrees. we had a very good chance of seeing scattered strong showers and storms. macy's and heavy downpours because of the marchers in the atmosphere. the chesapeake waters should be hit earlier rather than later. waves are at 1 foot or less. the record highest 105. we should be about 85, but we will be above that. it will feel worse because of the humidity out there.

63 degrees is where we will -- where we should be. but we will be in the 70's tonight. showers and storms are likely to night as well. we are seeing this bermuda high which means the moisture from the atlantic and the deep south will be coming in. hurricane bill is in the atlantic. it is to the south of bermuda. it will go to the west and be far enough off the east coast that it will not affect us other than rip tides and swells. it is an impressive a hurricane that category 3 now. we will remain in the 90's through friday. showers and storms in the afternoon.

that will occur through saturday. by sunday, amid a picky. -- made 80's. >> thank you. a fire in baltimore county. our reporter joins us live from essex with more details. >> good morning. it happened about 10:00 last night. the apartment complex caught fire. 16 units were damaged. units in all. some have a fire damage is here. people could not get back inside. heavy smoke and fire was coming from unit 24 and the adjacent this person says the whole thing is his fault. he followed his normal routine last night and fell asleep with a lit candle. the candle was knocked over in his bedroom went up in flames.

>> 21 adults were affected along with nine children. the red cross was working with all of them to make sure they had a place to stay. no one was injured. wbal tv 11 news. >> one question on "oprah" would you survive? find out information that could save your life today at 4:00. here is a look at what is coming up next on "the today show." >> more severe weather including reports of 18 tornados in the midwest. i will have the latest on that and hurricane bill as it comes closer to the east coast. the only man convicted in the pan am flight 103 that killed over 200 people including many americans is expected to be freed today. we will talk with some outraged

relatives of some of the victims. the boyfriend of a missing georgia mother will join as exclusively. he was talking with her on the phone when she was apparently abducted. he is speaking out for the first time this morning. those stories and much more when we get started this morning. >> we will take another look at weather and traffic together before you start your day when we come back.

>> what is going on the roads?

>> we have a problem northbound on j.f.x.. there is a closure due to an oil spill left over from an earlier accident. that is going to affect the ride in the northbound direction. we have some fire activity in another area. so far so good on the beltway. predicted otherwise. -- pretty good otherwise. >> what about the weather? >> it is going to be difficult to breathe out there. some one of the air quality along with some hot and humid weather. there will be some instability develop because of the moist air mass we are under. keep the umbrella handy. there may be some heavy

downpours in certain areas. it looks similar tomorrow. the front clears the area late on saturday. the humidity will drop for sunday and monday. we have something to look forward to. >> would you like to do that show on a regular basis? >> it was so much fun. i would never leave you guys. we all would have to go up there. >> in that case, i guess i could leave. >> this is an editorial by the general manager of wbal. >> for all of these years, a

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