maybe even cure, their disease. senator ben cardin understands the importance of innovative biomedical research, for patients, their families, and our economy in maryland. call senator cardin today. ask him to protect the 90,000 maryland jobs biomedical research provides and the hopes of patients everywhere. it's not just the future, it's life. [captioning made possible by constellation energy group] captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- >> his battle with brain cancer has ended. senator kennedy has died. >> we now know the problem that caused the manhole covers to complain of in downtown baltimore. the details are next. >> an unusual undergarment for one woman detergent hot water with customs officials. find out what her padded braw has her behind bars. >> and a pleasant start to a new

day. the forecast is coming up next as 11 news continues right now. >> good morning. >> thanks for joining us for 11 news today. >> we will get to our big story in just a minute. let's check the weather with sandra shaw. >> is hot outside. we will up to 90 by this afternoon. it is really pretty. we are in the low 70's right now. nothing major going on this morning right now. a dry air mass is over us. 87-91 today. we are well above the normal of 84. we were at 85 yesterday. tonight, partly cloudy, 65-70. by the end of the week, we will cool back down and have a good chance for showers and storms.

huang that later. thus check on traffic. -- more on that later. let's check on traffic. >> take howard beshore alternate as their is a club -- take howard as your alternate as there is a closure in the mulberry area. the west side at liberty has volume building. bad a couple of other problems to mention, there is a water main break near saratoga. and the drive times are looking good for the accident. that is the latest. over to you. press and our big story this morning. the end of a political era is being felt around the country in

washington this morning. >> senator ted kennedy has been a force to be reckoned with. overnight, he lost his battle with brain cancer. we take a look back on the life of a man known as a liberal lion. >> the kennedy family is mourning the death of a patriarch. thrust into the limelight by replace his brother the newly elected president. he ran for president himself a decade later but lost to jimmy carter. many said the accidents, he drove a car and killed an political career. he never gave up. >> they cause endures, the hopes still live. >> the dreams shall never die. >> for nearly 50 years, he became a champion for the needy, fighting for the cause of his

life. health reform. >> we need an entirely new model treatment. >> his own health may despite personal. -- despite personal. -- this fight personal. last year he was diagnosed with inoperable brain cancer. it did not stop him. he gave the candidate barack obama a rousing endorsement. >> i have come here tonight to stand with you, to change america. >> he appeared on capitol hill and was a champion of health care. >> it keeps them going day after day. his determination before he goes on to the next life, this country is going to have national health care for everyone. >> his passion for politics is now silent. funeral arrangements are expected to be announced in the next day or so. nbc news, washington. >> there is much more of the

life and legacy of senator ted kennedy on our website at wbaltv.com. you can hear more reaction from around the country. there is a look better at the legacy of the kennedy family. that is all on our home page. >> if your commute to downtown this morning, you may want to add some more time to your travel after an underground explosion caused some manhole covers to blast off. >> the the news is so far at this hour, it is not causing any major traffic problems yet. we do have some updated information for you. we just got off the phone from bge. this is a medium pressure malfunction in a gas line. they are trying to get to this line and make repairs. we will tell you how long that should last this moment. the situation unfolded just

before 6:00 last night. for metal covers flow off. these are conduit covers over lines like electric and gas lines, not sewer lines. see if there is any buildup of methane gas from sewer lines has occurred. as of last night, they did not they have been testing the lines a natural gas explosion. officials say this is not normal for an everyday occurrence. >> people should not start fearing walking down the street that a man who is going to pop strike type of things. it is very unlikely. >> this has been determined to be a situation for bge as of a medium pressure of buildup. it is expected to take a day. expect closures on utah for the remainder of the day. reporting live, wbal-tv. >> thank you. baltimore county police are

investigating a stabbing in catonsville. when police arrived, they found an adult male suffering fromhe was taken to a local hospital. condition. three men accused of raping a woman is behind bars tonight after one of the victim's license plate helped police track them down. a 19 year-old, a 20 year-old, and another man were accused of raping a woman after giving her a ride downtown. it occurred at a parking lot of seton keough high school. a similar situation happened with another female. the third victim is credited with helping police track down the suspects. >> the victim in this case was able to provide critical details to the police investigators despite the viciousness of the attack and the violence that she endured. >> police say that critical information led them to one of the suspects who confessed and turned in his friends. all three are being held without bond.

>> baltimore county police are investigating a shooting death of a man who was shot outside of a walgreens. the gunman is still being searched for. details regarding the cuts that have to be made in the state budget. it includes 205 layoffs, furloughs, and million dollars of reduction in state aid. local health the permanence and -- local health departments andcommunity colleges will feel the institutions. >> these are difficult times. necessary in order to protect our priorities and continue to move forward to the other side of this recession. >> the governor will officially present those cuts to the board of public works later this morning. we will have more on how higher education will be affected by those cuts later on in the new cast. >> there is quite a story to

tell this morning after uncovering a woman trying to smuggle drugs in her part brbra. officials noted the something unusual about her bustline. she was trying to hide over two counts of cocaine inside of her undergarments. she was taken into custody. >> a new and powerful public- service message wants to drive home the danger of texting while driving. while driving. many parents are fearful of the habit especially behind the wheel. there is a new and powerful public service announcement to take a look at this. this video may be disturbing. >> [screams and crashing] >> this is not airing in the usa

but is on youtube. it is airing in britain. the producers hope it illustrates the true dangers of this type of driving. that brings us to our watercooler question of the day. do you think the psa on texting while driving is too graphic? email us your response to watercooler@wbaltv.com. >> it is 70 degrees on input tv hill. we have a bloomberg business report up next. >> and a wildfire in the hills of southern california. we will have the latest on the efforts to contain the flames. >> chris brown received his sentence in the domestic abuse involving his former girlfriend. hear what the judge has ordered for him as we continue with our news broadcasts. >> things are firing up in the tropics even though we have a quiet seen on hd doppler right now. >> we will update you on an

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>> top of this morning to you. it is 73 degrees downtown right now. a nice small start for us. we will be pretty hot said. a high of 90 degrees. we say showers and storms over the great lakes. a front is headed in our direction. more on that in a moment. we will be high and dry. we are in the low 70's on the eastern shore this morning.

here is the statewide tour. another gorda station the mountains of western maryland. plenty of blue skies and son. it is really comfortable up there. we will see an increase in the heat. that is today. a high of 90 degrees today. mostly sunny skies. in dewpoint are below where they should be this time of the year. a dry air mass is in place. if you want to take a dive in the atlantic, no problem. waves are only 1 foot. the record was 101. a record low of compounds 52 . -- a record low of 52. a few more cloud will roll in tonight. it will be partly cloudy

tomorrow. it is holding up today. in front will approach us from the west. maybe some isolated thunderstorms that will bring some clouds. it is a good thing the front is moving through. it is moving this tropical system out of the direction. we think that is going to happen. it is appearing to be going towards the east coast. it should get away from us according to our computer models. by friday with the front moving through, it looks like only 79 degrees. a good chance of scattered showers and storms. by next week, a nice breath of a

fall. only 78 degrees on monday. mostly sunny skies and low humidity. something to look forward to. >> thank you. let's check their morning commute. we had an early morning accident on i-95. that has cleared. we are watching for volume to pick up. west side is looking good. the harris fared expressway and the j.f.x. are looking flu at this time. -- are looking good at this time. south utah is closed over near saratoga due to the blond man who covers. we are watching for that -- to the blown manhole covers. >> thank you. the space shuttle is grounded for at least another day.

the launch of the shuttle has been scrapped after nasa engineers found a problem in the engineering department. whether issues kept it on the launch pad early today. firefighters are battling a massive blaze in southern california. this is the scene where flames have consumed 50 acres and there is small in the san gabriel valley. they are trying to contain the blaze. no homes are being threatened. and the latest violence in afghanistan has claimed more than 40 lots. five car bombs hit the city of cannes a hard -- khandar at the same time. many homes and buildings were damaged. several were injured. they expect the death toll to rise.

>> business is billing for maryland 8 clothiers. -- maryland based clothiers. they plan to double the number of stores that they will open. the company can expand the store based on a faster rate. the ability to access the internet quickly may depend on where you live. there is a wide gap between the high and low end of the average. in the northeast and mid- atlantic is generally faster while domino's in the south is slower. delaware has the -- walt downloads -- while downloads in the south is slower. delaware has the fastest in a connection.

a failed lender files for chapter 11. our reporter from the new york stock estrange has more on this report. >> the bank was taken over by fellow lender bb &t. assets of $45 million and debt the over a 3 million. -- over 83 million. this is the biggest bank to be seized by regulators since the collapse of another one last year. home prices are boosting optimism and there are thoughts that the recession may be ending. one drag maker may make an offer to buy another company -- one drugmaker, glaxoklinesmith may

make an offer to buy another company. i am reporting for wbal tv 11 news. >> a california judge has sentenced chris brown five years of probation and some volunteers service along with counseling for his views on former girlfriend rihanna. there were previously reported incidences between the couple. any violation of his agreement could send him to state prison. actress melanie griffith has checked into a rehab center. it is part of a routine plan devised by her and her doctors several years ago.

she released a statement in 2000 that she was seeking treatment for breast revocation addiction she was taken for a neck injury. >> another check on weather and traffic is straight ahead. >> americans consume a lot of sugar. a new report calls on some draft -- drastic reductions of a diet. find out when we come back. >> do not forget to e-mail us your answers to the water cooler question of the day. do you think the psa on texting while driving is too graphic? email us your response to watercooler@wbaltv.com.



>> but morning. we are checking on a morning commute. we are dealing with some closures in the city still. if you are heading out on utah, that remains closed. take haberdasher alternate. that is because of the man whole -- take howard as your alternate. that is because of the manhole covers that were blown off. we are looking good on the northeast corner of the beltway. 95 is back to normal. that is the latest. over to you, sandra. >> it has been dry. the dry air is hovering over us. there is a front to our west.

it will bring some clouds to mauer. 69 degrees at the airport. a 7-91 by this afternoon. the sun will set tonight at 7:46. we will deal with partly cloudy skies. in a little bit of change tomorrow. partly cloudy skies. and some hit and miss showers over the weekend. more on that coming up. >> we know that too much sugar is not a good thing. >> the american heart association is providing some recommendations for some specific levels on foods where sugar has been added. >> the nation's love affair with sugar is not very sweet when considering the potential dangerous impact on health. >> obesity is practically an epidemic.

it is because for a lot of the disease especially heart disease. >> americans consume 22 teaspoons of sugar a day. over 300 calories. that equals two cans of soda and a chocolate bar. the american heart association says that is too much. they say women need to have a 100 calories a day. 150 calories a day for men. >> there is a lot of excess sugar in our diet. it is going to be very difficult for us to eliminate. >> sugar and other sweeteners are added to treats like these but also to frozen dinners, energy drinks can and other foods that you think could be good for you. >> we should get sweets from for its, specials, and carbohydrates. we really do not need to contain extra sugar in our diet.

>> in version for it is increased with -- increased sugar in fruits also can cause increased blood pressure and other medical conditions. changing habits away from sugar will not be easy. but the payoff is a healthier life. >> soft drinks are the biggest culprits followed by candy, cookies, and pies. they did not recommend general limits for added sugar for children. >> interesting. >> sodas. coming up, there is much more ahead in the last hour of 11 news today. >> it is not a sweet situation on utah st. after a gas problem caused several manhole covers to fly off. i will have details next. >> the son is almost officially

up. we will deal with a warm one today. what about the weekend? i have your full forecast coming up. >> we will have much more on the passing of massachusetts senator ted kennedy as he loses his battle with brain cancer. >> here is a look at the winning lottery numbers last night. no 11 of the mega millions. it is now up to $325 million.

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>> good morning, everybody. welcome back to 11 news today. >> thanks for joining us. we have a look at the forecasts. >> we are going to be hot and dry today. we are starting out in the low 70's. the high will be 90. the sun set will be at 7:46. more on your seven-day at the

end of the newscast. >> other big story this morning. after a yearlong battle with brain cancer, said kennedy has passed away. >> is a passing came around 1:00 this morning. pauhe was 8 years champion of te causes of civil rights, immigration, -- he was 8 years champion of the causes of civil rights, immigration, and health care. >> and manhole covers were blown off this morning. our reporter has more. >> they have been working on this all last night. they are trying to resolve the problem. it has been determined that a medium pressure will function in a gas line is to blame. the situation unfolded just before 6:00 last night.

officials tried to determine a cause. it was believed that methane buildup was to blame. >> methane is a natural occurring gas, a sewer gas. in a situation like this where you have a lot of electric lines crisscrossing the street as well, you could have something to spark that methane gas and cause the situation where a manhole cover would lift up. >> the man will covers our conduit covers. they are testing to see if the problem is there's at the bge. a situation like this is unusual. >> people should not fear that a manhole is going to pop up when they are walking down the street. it is very unlikely. we are all working together, the fire department, the police, transportation, public works, bge.

everything is going to get back to normal. go downtown and enjoy it. places will be open. >> they have a crew out here trying to get to that gas line to make repairs. they expect the situation to be resolved sometime today. reporting live, wbal tv 11 news. >> thank you. we told you earlier how gov. o'malley will be reducing the budget and how it is going to affect state institutions. >> this is a difficult time. we have to make the decisions necessary in order to protect our priorities and to continue to move forward to the other side of this recession. >> the governor is laying it out on the line announcing a major state budget cut which will be felt by a majority. the cuts total $454 million which include 205 layoffs, thousands of furloughs, and a

$210 million in reduction of state aid. local road projects will lose 160 million, the health department 20 million, police funds will be cut by 21 million, and community colleges will lose $11 million. >> we are anticipating that it will be about 1.8 million that will hurt. >> this doctor is president of the community college of baltimore county. she says it is quite a stink for the 16 community colleges around the state. they knew it was coming. >> we knew that we also had to give up on certain items. >> one thing it has for -- it has going for it is record applications by students. the irresponsibility of personnel will double and triple. a hiring freeze remains in place. on the positive side, this

community college will not be laying off any employees. they hope to ride out the storm. >> this is one of those times when you just have to buckle down and do the job, because we have to many people who are depending on us. >> wbal-tv. >> back-to-school week continues across the state with students in one county returning to class as this point. in baltimore city, students are getting help preparing for their school. they are getting help from ray lewis and mayor sheila dixon. they added peptalk and got free backpacks, t-shirts, and other school supplies. it is provided by the ray lewis foundation. >> as far as a morning commute, we are tracking some closures in the city near saratoga.

it is on utah. take howard as your alternate. greene street has a closure due to a water main break repair. proper -- fort mchenry is looking good with no problems at the harbor tunnel this morning. no southbound delays on the bwi call away. -- parkway. christ will be near 90 downtown appeared mostly -- we will be nearer -- >> we will be neared 90 downtown. mostly sunny skies to partly cloudy tomorrow. a slight chance for isolated storms tomorrow. 85 is the forecast high. friday is unsettled. a chance of showers. keep your umbrella in the during the afternoon and during the

weekends as well. >> thank you. it could possibly be the most unusual sandwich you have ever seen. we will tell you what this is, where you can get it, when we come back. >> in washington, it is a sad day on capitol hill as tribute portion for senator edward kennedy. i will bring you the latest reaction to his death coming up. >> we are still taking your answers to the watercooler question of the day. do you think the psa on texting while driving is too graphic? email us your response to watercooler@wbaltv.com.

bill >> one person decided to do something she always wanted to try, skydiving. she is nicknamed granbo. she took to the skies for a solitary job. how did she like it? >> i wonder why it took this long to do this. i should have done it years ago. >> not every mother would go out and do it at her age. >> she enjoyed the experience so much, she said she would consider doing it again for her 91st birthday. joe taylor is celebrating 50 years of service at this point.

in all of those 50 years, he has never missed a day of work. he is 69 now. he has worked there since he was 19. he is the head of quality control. he has made many good friends. he figures he has a lot of good years left ahead of him on his job. >> he probably takes good care of himself. he would not try something like this. and a sandwich from kfc turns the whole concept of a sandwich upside-down. instead of a gun, they are using to pieces of chicken -- instead of a bun, they are using pieces of chicken to hold the sam which together. -- sandwiched together. -- san whidwich together.

>> which you really want to eat that? >> yes, in the sake of investigative reporting. we are going to take a look at the morning's headlines when we come back. >> i am ready to eat right now. as far as a morning commute, let's take a look at what is going on out there. that is next. >> a strong tropical wave is trying to develop and is headed to the northwest. may be the u.s. will be affected. the question is will we? we will find out. 69 degrees at the airport 73 dow.

>> welcome back to 11 news today. catonsville. when police arrived, they found stab wounds. he was taken to a localno wound -- no word on his condition. woman is behind bars tonighta 19 year-old, a 20 year-old, and another man were accused of raping a woman after giving her a ride downtown. it occurred at a parking lot of seton keough high school. they took turns raping the two women. with helping police track down the suspects. and a psa in britain is making its way over to the u.s.. it is regarding drivers texting while driving. the producers hope that it illustrates the true dangers of distracted driving. 17 states have banned texting

while driving and maryland is one of them beginning sen. >> that brings us to our watercooler question of the day. >> we ask if you thought this psa was too graphic or if it sends the right message. >> one person writes that i see people texting while driving every day. i do not think the message is graphic enough. i do not think people realize that texting while driving is as bad as drinking while driving. >> another person writes that i think it is an eye opener. i do not believe that this psa will be effective. as long as people have the it cannot happen to me mentality, they will continue to do what they feel compelled to do. >> wendy in baltimore rights the psa is too graphic. however, i think it is a good thing. teen-agers need that kind of reality check. the video shows how bloody and

dangerous the accident are. teen-agers need to see that. we will post all of your answers on the front page of our website at wbaltv.com. senator kennedy has passed away. he died last night at his home after more than a year of battling brain cancer. he was 77 years old. our washington bureau reporter has passing -- reaction to the passing of this great man. >>a battle brain cancer for more than one year. has more. >> in a statement from the white house, president obama said he and his wife michelle are heartbroken after learning of his passing and praised him as the greatest u.s. senator of ouredward moore kennedy was born in 1932. kennedys. in 1962, he arrived in washington for what would be a half century tenure. he held the senate seat held by his older brother john. >> i want to thank the people of massachusetts for the great trust they have bestowed upon me.

>> but his reputation was tarnished by personal sorrow. both of his brothers were assassinated. there was a tragic stain on his long legacy. he was acquitted of charges after one of his employees drowned in his car. [unintelligible] a failed presidential bid is career. he offered more than 500 bills in the senate. health care, immigration and public rights were among his passion. one of his biggest causes was one issue. it was the iraq war. >> there will be more serious violence if we continue. >> his first marriage ended in divorce. he married in 1992. serene.

>> it cannot be a more beautiful day. >>in his final years, he was the keeper of the kennedy flame. his appearances became more rare, but his words were always memorable. >> work begins anew. the hope rises again. the dream lives on. >> the kennedy family also put out a statement calling the senator the irreplaceable center of our family and the joyous light of our lives. they think everyone for their support. -- thank everyone for their support of him. wbal-tv. >> good morning. we are checking on the morning commute monitoring the votes for delays. there are still closures in the city on utah near saratoga. we have a gas main break that resulted in manhole covers flying off in that area.

11 minutes on the outer loop. boeing is building on the west side of the antelope -- volume is building on the west side of the outer loop. it is looking good on the harrisburg expressway. that is the latest. over to you. >> we are high and dry this morning. temperatures are in the low 70's except for the airport which is at 69 degrees this morning. 87-91 is the temperature range for today. it will remain dry. the humidity will not be bad. there is plenty of sunshine out there. the chesapeake waves are only at 1 foot.

the record high was 101. and a 52 at record low was set. we will have been nights around the mid 60's 270. here is what is going on. this sector is going to be moving offshore which will yield to a cold front. it may generate four as an isolated thunderstorm tomorrow. it will be cooler about 85 degrees. this tropical wave probably will not affect us. it is moving up to the north. it is not organized yet. it is trying to form. it will be named danny if it forms fully. i think we will be getting just

a little bit of an impact from it. slight chance for an isolated storm tomorrow. a few more cloud around. at 79 and unsettled on friday. the to% chance of showers. unsettled with the tropical system in the vicinity over the weekend. partly cloudy at this time in the afternoon on friday. 79 on monday. mostly sunny and low humidity. >> that sounds great. thank you. several baltimore city's st. barbe shutdown this morning after an explosion sent -- city streets are shut down this morning after an explosion sent manhole covers flying. before 6:00 last night.

these are conduit covers over lines like electric and gas lines, not sewer lines. >> they have been working on this all last night. they are trying to resolve the problem. it has been determined that a medium pressure will function in a gas line is to blame. they hope to have this finished by sometime today. this area of utah street is shut down to traffic. it is not causing much of a problem as of yet. it could get worse as the morning commute progresses. reporting live, wbal tv 11 news. >> thank you. coming up on "oprah" some families get a dazzling home makeover next to nothing. and how your mess could argue some cash. that is at 4:00. here's a look at what is coming up on the "today show." >> good morning, we will have much more on the death of massachusetts senator edward kennedy.

attributes are pouring in as you may expect for -- from many of the colleagues. we will look back on the triumph and tragedy of his life. we will have the rest of the morning's top stories and weather when we get started on a wednesday morning right here on today. >> it is 6:53. we will take another look at weather and traffic as you start your day when we come back.

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today. some accidents are gone. there is an accident now. watch for delays around york road. utah is closed near saratoga. it continued closures near westbound saratoga due to the water main break repair. some delays developing. the outer loop west side. volume is building in the west -- white marsh area. >> it is going to be nice today. we will be near 90 today. the humidity will not be a major factor. that will change by friday. a good chance of showers and storms. a front is going to be moving through which will protect as many tropical activity that develops. >> thanks for joining us for 11 news today. >> we will have a live update at 7:25.

we will have traffic and weather on 5's. ♪