[captioning made possible by constellation energy group] captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- >> rain continues to fall at the inner harbor as storms streamed through the area. we are hearing them now. our big story tonight, prepare for more rain. the storm drenched the area last night and we could see a repeat. we have been tracking the storm and we have the latest. >> we saw the thunderstorms rolled in over the last few hours and have been expecting them all day. the humidity has to go somewhere and it is going in the form of some of these showers we are seeing right now. we're seeing the heaviest of storms over the chesapeake. some of the heavier rain showers are cross areas of northeast baltimore and surrounding portions of the inner harbor. you see the orange and yellow showing the heavy rainfall.

lightning strikes are just outside of annapolis, mainly over the open water, which is good news. the stronger storms continue to be to the south of us. we are still running the risk or heavy rain later tonight and the potential for flooding. take a quick look at the flood watches in effect. they are up and down the i-95 corridor. most of maryland is now underneath that flood watch, which will last until midnight tonight. we will watch the storm track closely for the potential of isolated flooding and heavy rain is the biggest concern with the storms. we will have more on what to expect with the storms and how long the pattern will last, plus, what hurricane bill has in store for maryland on your full instaweather plus forecast. >> recent activity has prompted officials to place sandbags in lower-lying areas. they are being placed around the city dock area and at the second street pumping station. officials say they are also

monitoring the status of hurricane bill, which is affecting the surf on the eastern shore and the chesapeake bay. hurricane bill passed bermuda with a glancing blow today. even though the storm is not expected to make u.s. landfall, the east coast is still feeling the effects. we have the latest. >> on the island of bermuda, hurricane bill whipped up wind dancer. -- wind and surf. dangerous waves were making their way to the u.s. mainland from massachusetts to florida. the swells are high this weekend and potentially deadly. >> this particular storm, we are worried about high speeds. we do not think the winds will exceed 35 miles per hour. >> parts of the coast could see tropical storm-force winds but the biggest issue is likely to be rip currents, which could

quickly pull swimmers away from shore. >> the more water coming to the beach, the strong recurrent going out from the beach into deeper water. >> many beaches are closed to swimmers today. >> if you see the red flags, do not swim there. we are advising people to stay out of the water until the weekend is over. >> like ours could not keep everyone out of the water. they tried hard to get the warning out. it is one of summer's last weekend, one that many are forced to spend out of the water. nbc news. >> there is continuing coverage of hurricane bill on our website. you can track the storm as it goes north. you can also follow our interactive radar and the storms moving for your area. new tonight, city police are investigating a deadly accident involving a pedestrian. we're told the woman was struck in the third 100 block of north calvert street last night and taken to john hopkins cost but

-- john hopkins hospital. police believe the weather might have been a factor. no charges have been filed. the longest stretch of time without a homicide in the city this year has now come to an end. there have been 143 homicides in the city this year compared to 141 last year. the numbers remain close. police are still trying to piece together suspects and motives in many cases. melissa carlson has more. >> there have been three shootings in three days. >> i looked outside and i saw a truck go by. i thought it was a truck. it was gunshots. >> along this stretch without a homicide was nine days. the death of donte gunther became baltimore's 141st

homicide. someone knocked on his door around 4:30 in the afternoon. when he looked outside, he was shot three times. the patterson park neighborhood is in shock. >> of but it was out there. his best friend was a next door to me -- everybody was out there. his best friend was next door to me. >> police say a 31-year-old who was trying to find shelter from the rain was shot in the head. a man approached them and without warning pulled the trigger. the victim is in critical condition. less than five hours later, another man was shot in southwest baltimore. police found the man in front of a home just after midnight. they say they believe the man with shot in a nearby park after a trail of blood led them there. the victor was pronounced dead a short time later. three shootings in three days has some fearing this violence is just the beginning of a trend in the wrong direction.

>> everything was good for a while. it is starting back up. that brings us to the start. i hope things do not get worse. >> the victim of friday's shooting is in critical condition at johns hopkins hospital. wbal-tv 11 news. >> a follow-up to that large drug bust on thursday. the crime impact division of the baltimore police department has one suspect in custody. the 38-year-old dizzily -- is now in custody. $9,800, cocaine, and guns were taken from a house. president obama says there are some "outrageous myths" about the health care reform plan. he will spend the evening at camp david tonight before he is scheduled to leave for martha's vineyard. the president reported his weekly address on the health care fight. we have the details now from washington. >> before leaving on vacation,

president obama fired a parting shot in the fight over health- care reform. >> it also should be an honest debate, not when dominated by willful misrepresentations and outright distortions. >> the president insists his plan includes no detath panels, no insurance for illegal immigrants. >> it sounds scary to me, too. here's the thing. it is not true. >> the counter message has been slow to take cold as skeptics continue to speak out at town hall meetings across the country. republicans say it is the president who is playing fast and loose with the facts. >> the president regularly tells americans that if you like your plan, you can keep your plan. if you read the bill, that just is not so. >> the latest polls show the fight has damaged the president's public approval and it could threaten it party's hold in congress next year. >> 40 democrats are sitting in

districts that john mccain took. you could see another bloodbath, the kind that republicans had in the last two elections. >> some believe the president can only win by cutting his losses. >> i think he has to knock the heads to the -- together to the degree he can to come up with a plan which has most of the features he wants. >> a lot to think about for a president trying to enjoy a little time away from the office. the white house is playing down the poll numbers and says he is not going to settle just to claim a political victory. wbal-tv 11 news. >> the top public defender has now been fired. a board terminated her, giving her no reason and offering no comment. in a statement released, she claimed she had been ordered to violate civil service laws by terminating a well-respected district public defender for no reason.

gov o'malley said he met with people to discuss the budget for the public defender and did not comment on her firing. olympic swimmer michael phelps is taking on an nba superstar. he will not be swimming as freely as usual. details are coming up. first, kids are looking forward to filling lockers at school.

>> some good news on the economic front. hundreds of athletes compete for the cal ripken world series. the local economy is feeling a big impact. the economic development director jim richardson says anywhere up to 50,000 visitors are expected at the tournament. that means lots of business for local restaurants and hotels. in 2006, when $20 million were brought in to aberdeen.

they expect more people to attend this year, which means more money for the local economy. the annapolis police department and a local business are helping kids get a fresh start. the annapolis police department and a shopkeeper away free school supplies. kids who visited the barbershop got pens, notebooks, and binders. they want to make sure kids are prepared for a new school year. >> the police department, along with the barber shop, decided to collaborate and help kids get back to school. in the time of this recession, we felt we should give back to the community. >> the police department also provided a free lunch to all participants. we are talking about the orioles. >> so goes roberts so goes the orioles. what he has done of late and why

it is coming up, later in sports. >> we're still watching scattered storms across maryland. we will talk about

fiber one. i'm looking for some fiber. this bar is an excellent source of fiber. there's no fiber in this. tastes too good. there is fiber. [ chuckle ] no. i can't taste the fiber in this chocolate. they have 35% of your daily value. hmm. oh, samples. hmm.

autobahn. wackenschdol. fiber one chewy bars. cardboard no. delicious yes. >> another wet night outside. we're looking at a few scattered rain showers from d.c. up through baltimore. get a quick look and a closer view. everywhere you see the orange and yellow, that is the heavier rain. we are not picking up like an strikes around the baltimore area. a lot of the rain will continue to slowly move to the north and east. we are looking for potential flash flooding in some of these locations. if you know when area is prone to that loving, expect to see it tonight. -- prone to that flooding, expect to see it tonight. further down to the south near annapolis and outside of lakeshore, we are seeing the

scattered storms. the heaviest rain and the strongest storms are still out over the open water. on the other machine, we can get a look at the storms. you can see a lot of storms going all the way down the coastline. it is a washout this evening in the shore communities. not much behind it. it looks like we will get a few hours of a break later this evening before another chance of storms again after midnight. flood watches are in effect all up and down the i-95 corridor. the darker greens are flash flood warnings. that means the potential for those areas to see some of that flooding. be careful lot there. if you see roadway with flooding, you really do not want to drive through it. you want to go round it. you never know how deep the water is. what is left of the thunderstorm watch is going to expire at 7:00. on the satellite picture, plenty

of cloud cover right now. this is hurricane bill as it is spinning closer to the shore. it will not be making landfall. the 79 downtown and 76 at the airport. we topped out at 84 degrees at the airport and in the inner harbor. tonight, rain showers. there is the stationary front. until bill gets out of the way, the weather pattern cannot change. bill will push its way into the north atlantic and the high pressure will move in by tomorrow. by late tomorrow into early monday, the high will start to come in and we will see the clear skies and nicer weather. category one hurricane bill will push its way toward the north atlantic and then it becomes ireland's problem. problems with a rip currents up and down the beaches tomorrow. 85 degrees at the shore with high recurrence. a chance for scattered storms. partly sunny.

across the state, temperatures will be reaching into the mid- 80's. we start with showers and it will get drier as we go through the day. dry and very pleasant weather monday, tuesday, wednesday, and thursday. low humidity. another storm chance as possible by next thursday. >> shaquille o'neal, super star swimmer? he will go head-to-head with michael phelps to answer that question. they will do a swimming relay race at loyola university. there is a small twist. shaq's team will be led by the longtime coach. he will have a gold medalist helping him out. michael will have to swim by himself with both legs tied together. >> whenever you are ready, let's go. that is all i have to say. >> if i beat him, you have to say, you could of been a great swimmer. i will be gracious and we will

never talk about it again. if i lose, i have to wear pink and do synchronized swimming. >> the event is open to the public, but only 600 seats are available. they will most likely be filled by loyal students. >> the ravens' wrap up the public viewing portion of training camp today. a stretch of almost four weeks saw them progress. there were a series of injuries that could derail the season before it begins. there are talented veterans outside and in. >> we are incredibly good. we have a lot of talented football players. having that player back is just as big. people not realize how important he is or what he does.

i could name them off. everybody has a lot of strength. there are not many weaknesses. >> and brian roberts will have a reintroduction. my colleague wrote a great column today hammered through the details why roberts is back in form. two home runs last night, giving him five in the last six games. he is playing the game with the energy level needed to set the table. they go for a third straight win tonight against the white sox. the ripken world series championship game. we pick it up in the bottom of the first. that is a memorable swing. three-run shot to right-center. that started things off. 3-0 usa. now it is 7-6.

a solo shot. florida makes a pitching change. diaz is the relief. florida wins the world series 7- 6. please stay with us. we continue right after this.

>> here is a look at the stories we're working on for tonight. housing sales provide new insight in hopes that the economy could be bouncing back. find out why the economy is to blame for overcrowded animal shelters and how you can help give these adorable pets a new home.

>> not a great day. >> the day was -- eh. with all of the rain we are getting tonight, it will be about 6 feet high. more thunderstorms again tonight. they will be heavy at times. tomorrow, storms and thunderstorms. things get a lot nicer. monday, partly cloudy, 86 degrees with low humidity. >> it will be good for the home game against the jets. >> it will be perfect weather for that. >> thank you for joining us. >> thank you for joining us.

>> this is a wbal-tv 11 news editorial. >> another shocking case of animal abuse has grabbed headlines and general discussion as to whether the penalties for animal abuse are strong enough. in this most recent incident, police report three men participated in the repeated use of a cat, eventually killing what had been a beloved family pet. prosecutors say the maximum penalty for this crime as a possible 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine. justice was not dispensed in this case, but activists warn that incidents of abuse might be a precursor to future violence. research shows the people who commit acts of cruelty to animals do not necessarily stop

there. a study conducted by northeastern university and the massachusetts chapter of the spca report that people who abuse animals are five times more likely to commit violent crimes against humans. violence against helpless animals can be an indicator of future behavior. as lawmakers continued to review our just assert -- justice system, we believe we must consider the link between animal cruelty and the potential for more issues. the penalties must be appropriately severe and memorable so it serves in the best interest of the victim, the convicted, and a future deterrent.