>> in contrast to what we saw at the end of last week that would have been difficult to get up. the second half of this week will be similar so enjoy the next two days. today, though, mostly sunny skies. a high into the mid 80's. right now it's 68 downtown, 61 at the airport. looking at a 59-degree reading near st. michaels. and in easton. 55 in ocean city. nice clear skies allow the temperature to drop tonight, but the sun will warm us up this afternoon. 79 to 85 your forecast temperature range. sunrise at 6:47 it ought to be a good one. no problems at the bus stop this morning. >> we did not plan the whole red-black thing in case you're wondering. stan feels left out. >> so we can figure out what we're wearing. >> if you're heading out anytime soon, one note, howard county, eastbound 32 at clarksville pike. use caution there. that should be out of there

shortly. we're hoping at least westbound preston at cathedral. it is going to be blocked until noon today. 61 miles per hour according to our speed sensor on the outer loop. 67 just south of the beltway. your drive times not bad at all. 11 minutes on both the north and west side. and a five-minute ride on southbound 95 from the 895 split to ft. mchenry. here's a live view. north of child street, toward the harbor tunnel, problem-free. no problems at the ft. mchenry either. we'll switch over to a live view of the b.p. parkway. an easy ride so far this morning. not a whole lot to complain about. stan and mindy, back to you. >> thank you. could a new week mean a fresh start for baltimore city police in continually rising homicide rates? the question comes after a violent weekend. >> four shootings on sunday, three of them deadly. 11 news reporter kate amara joins us from baltimore city police head quarters with more. >> good morning.

unfortunately this day began with a brand new shooting for baltimore city police to investigate. a serious shooting incident that happened just after midnight at preftman -- prestman. this deadly shooting scene sunday afternoon marked a dismal milestone for baltimore city police. the last two years they've managed to knock down city's murder rate to its lowest level in 20 years. but after a man was shot to death near reisterstown road, the city marked six murders in one week. sunday's spade of shootings began just after 1:30 am wham 18-year-old israeli mason was shot several times on mcculloh street. he was pronounced dead at the hospital. the next killing came three hours later in south baltimore, a 35-year-old gunned down on west cross street just before 4:30 a.m. those murders make this past week the deadliest baltimore has seen in two months. even so, on "11 news sunday

morning" mayor sheila dixon says she is committed to her crime fighting plan. >> we've got to continue to go after illegal guns. i can't stress that any more. we're still working on a whole host of issues. i think we're making those strides. i do need trying times? it's a matter of saying, do we want to go backwards or continue to build on that even though we have less? it's are you committed to the plan in making a difference for the citizens of the city? >> despite those strong words and vote of confidence the crime fighting strategy, the shooting spree continued into sunday night with detectives on the case of another shooting in the 1300 block of west pratt street. this happened just after 6:00 p.m. mayor dixon said the police department is feeling the squeeze in the middle of the city's cash crunch, but contends economic problems have not cut into law enforcement efforts. >> bringing back and giving us equivalent to what other

employees are doing. but, of course, we've got to stay focused on the agenda. what does that mean? it still means all of us are going to have to do more with less that people have to make sacrifices. you can't lose the momentum of what's happening in this city with the crime. >> according to unofficial crime statistics kept by 11 news, this violent weekend we saw in baltimore city marks 162 murders so far in 2009. reporting live from city police headquarters, kate amara, wbal-tv 11 news. >> thank you, kate. prosecutors are beefing up their efforts to see some changes to the state's anti-gang law. several of the state's top law enforcement officials are expected to meet with the house judiciary committee this week to hopefully hammer out tougher legislation. prosecutors argue the existing laws are so watered down it's too difficult to legally define a gang or its members, making the laws useless. they cite a 2007 case in harford county that was thrown out by a judge as proof that the current laws are unworkable. >> the state of virginia is

moving forward with its plan to execute john allen mohammed, the man convicted of the 2002d.c. area snipers attacks. the prosecutor's office submitted a request for an execution date of november 9 to the prince william county circuit court. defense attorneys are expected to file an appeal to the u.s. supreme court as well as a petition for clemency. mohammed was sentenced to death for the sleighing of dean myers, one of 10 people shot to death during that week's long shooting rampage. a new audio message allegedly from al qaeda leader osama bin laden says premeditate people have powerless to -- president obama is powerless to stop the wars in iraq and afghanistan. in the message bin laden blames both wars on what you calls the pro israel lobby and corporate interests. speaking to the american people, bin laden says, quoting now, "the time has come for to you liberate yourselves from fear and ideological terrorism of the neoconservatives and the lobby." the tape comes two days after the anniversary of the 9/11

attacks. >> president barack obama heads to new york this morning to deliver a speech on the financial crisis it comes on the one-year anniversary of the collapse of lehman brothers which sent the u.s. economy into a tailstin. 11 news washington bureau reporter nikole killion has the details. >> a senior administration official says the president will use this speech to push for more financial reforms. >> we have pulled this economy back from the brink. >> after addressing congress president obama takes his meas yoj on the economy to a different audience today, wall street. mr. obama will help the administration's efforts to repair the u.s. economy. but he will also push for more work to be done. >> it's going to take a while to get through this. it's going to take longer to do it because we're going to do it right. >> treasury secretary tim geithner before a congressional panel last week. the administration wants to get reform back on the agenda. aides say the president will push for stricter oversight. their proposals have stalled in

congress as attention shifted to health care. now on the one-year answer versery of the bankruptcy the white house hopes to renew attention on the financial system. the collapse of the investment giant triggered the worst economic crisis since world war ii, leading to a slew of bailouts and other government interventions. >> the government really needs to communicate when you're in the middle of a crisis that you're in charge, you know what you're doing, and here are the rules. >> but with some concerned about the level of government involvement, the president will also detail how it plans to unwind its role in the financial sector. in washington, nikole killion, wbal-tv 11 news. >> the time now 5:37. 59 degrees on tv hill. coming up, a vaccine for the h1n1 flu could arrive sooner than initially thought. >> plus tips for getting fit in baltimore city are as simple as picking up the phone. >> and don't forget your answer to the "watercooler question of the day." do you plan to watch jay leno's debut tonight?

email your response to watercooler@wbaltv.com. >> we're still tracking one accident in howard countery and a -- county and a problem at the bay bridge. we'l ♪ they make little hearts happy... ...and big hearts happy too. because as part of a heart healthy diet,... ...those delicious oats in cheerios can help naturally lower cholesterol.

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>> 68 degrees downtown. clear skies. it's only in the lower 60's down around the airport. a nice school start for us today. the sun will be up officially at 6:47 so on your way to the bus stop, maybe a light jacket. 64 degrees or so. sunny skies. sunny when you get off the buses this afternoon, too. about 83 to 85. a gorgeous start to our workweek. the stars will be twinkling at 59 to 56, the temperature range. more on that seven-day forecast in a little bit. back to you.

>> baltimore mayor sheila dixon is urging you to use your cell phone as your fitness buddy. mayor dixon along with fitness experts throughout the city teamed up to launch the be fit initiative. the program gives area residents access to the tools they need to lead healthier lives. >> our recreation centers are going to be really stepping up to open its doors because a lot of people say i can't afford to go to a gym and train at a private club. but our rec centers are ideal for these kind of activities that go on in the city. >> to get information about fitness events around the city sent straight to your cell phone, log on to our website, wbaltv.com. click on the be fit link. >> well, officials have been urging you to get the h1n1 vaccine until it becomes available it looks like that date may be sooner than expected. americans could start getting shots for the h1n1 virus as

early as the first week of october. although the bulk of the vaccine is still scheduled for release nationwide by mid october, she says some early doses will be available much sooner. she also says she's confident the one shot for the swine flu will be available soon enough to effectively target the illness and help contain the spread of the flu. >> 5:42. 59 degrees on tv hill. coming up many hospitals have therapy dogs to visit and cheer up patients, but some lucky kids in ohio are getting special visits from a horse. >> and here's a live picture overlooking downtown baltimore. a nice looking morning out there. we're going to update weather and traffic pulse 11 for your morning commute. stay with us. you're watching 11 news today. the irresistible "cinnabon" aroma

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>> good morning. sarah caldwell checking on your morning commute. we have a problem southbound on the harrisburg expressway at

route 439. an accident involving a trailer that overturned there. use extra caution. once we find out what lanes are blocked, we will let you know. delays leading up to that. south of that, very good down to the beltway. a closure in the city, westbound preston at cathedral in effect until noon today. speed sensors not picking up any plays yet. eastbound 32 at route 108 in clarksville, watch for an accident clearing there. a live view of traffic heading out this morning in the area of 895 north of child street. so far so good toward the harbor tunnel. a live view at sandy point. we had a problem, some debris blocking a lane eastbound on the bay bridge. that is now clear. everything look going into the toll plaza. that's the latest on traffic pulse 11. now let's get the latest on the buses and the trains. we go to kurt kronke of the m.t.a. >> good morning. we do have a delay on the light rail about 10 to 15 minutes late both north and southbound. metro subway on schedule.

we have on the marc trains on-time service. the buses, two diversions, 17 at corporate and international due to construction. and 159 bus diverting at -- 15 bus diverting at saratoga and green. i'm kurt kronke. now back to sandra shaw. good morning. >> a very good morning to you. hope you're doing well. a nice, quiet start for us in contrast to the end of last week when we were inundated with that rainfall. today is looking high and dry. nice high pressure is dominating. it's going to hold up for the next 48 hours. so sunny skies today, clear tonight and yet more sun for tomorrow. our current temperatures, the clear skies last night allowing the temperatures to drop to almost seasonal levels. our normal low is 59. we're at 61 at the airport. 234 contrast a cooler 55 in york, pennsylvania. we're looking at 68 downtown. 59 in easton. and 65 this morning in ocean city. let's take that statewide tour.

the mountains look sunny today, high of 76. so above normal for the upper elevations. in baltimore it looks like we're going to hit a high today of about 84 degrees. our normal high is actually in the upper 70's. 79. so surging above normal today. a nice warm afternoon but a cooler night so a good contrast. 76 in ocean city. a few more thin clouds. a nice calm day in contrast to that blustery forecast that we had down there last week. on the chesapeake bay no problems for boaters. north, northwest winds at five to 10 knots. waves only a foot or less. the water temperatures are slowly starting to cool down. the normal high and lows. 94, the record high set back in 1931. the record low, a cool 42 degrees september 14, 1975. that was set and both are secure for yet another year. your forecast tonight, clear skies. stars will be twinkling. beautiful out there. west winds, five to 10 miles per

hour. 59 to eu6 the overnight temperature range. here's what's going on at the surface. nice high pressure. no problems for the next two days. what's going to happen wednesday through friday? there's going to be a high pressure area to our north. it's going to be close enough to the atlantic to pull in that easterly flow similar to what we saw last week. it means periods of rain. cloudy conditions wednesday through friday. cooler than normal temperatures. it looks like we'll go to 83 tomorrow. 70 on wednesday for a high. 71 on thursday. 76 on friday. still unsettled for the start of your weekend with a 40% chance of showers saturday. sunday, clearing out, 76 degrees. >> thank you. we have all heard about the healing power of horses, how they can help children in therapy or who were sick forget about their problems. >> but there is one horse who actually visits children in the hospital and comes right to their bed. bedside service.

>> taking a shower and combing his hair because he has a date. >> he's worth waking up for. >> a date with some kids at akron children's hospital. >> all he's doing is want you to pet him. >> thanks to the people at victory gallup, petey and richard miller have been walking through these resolving doors -- >> been so great at it. i love this little guy. >> and riding up the elevator for the past 12 years. they're here to visit children in their hospital rooms and bring them a little joy. >> your arms stretch out that way better. >> petey is the only pony in the country who visits kids right on their floor and right in their room. >> this is petey. >> it's a great experience. an experience to be able to watch him interact with the kids. you know, he's just brightening up their day, man. five minutes at a time. >> it makes their day and makes their stay a little more special. >> it's exciting to see a big smile. he was kind of down yesterday.

>> not a day goes by that we don't bring petey that you leave the hospital feeling like you've made a difference in somebody's life that day. >> the young patients get a photo of themselves with petey and also a little stuffed animal named after their now favorite horse. >> i think it just helps in their overall stay here it helps with their coping. >> whatever situation you put him in, he adapts to it. he's phenomenal. he's the greatest thing, the greatest horse ever. it's a fantastic privilege ever since we've been able to do it. >> what a great story. some fun-loving pooches in california are having a grand old-time raising money for an animal center. check out these canines catching wave after wave. no doggy paddle for these pups. they ride the waves on boards. it was the surf dog surf-a-on this. they look like they're having fun. >> very cool. the peace and calm of an 18th century park in paris erupted into the longest running

fireworks show in europe. thousands of people were onhand. they enjoyed a two and a half hour show that used three tons of explosives. a pianist played pieces by beethoven, chopin while they lit up the night sky for two and a half hours. that is long. >> 5:51. 59 degrees on tv hill. there's still much more ahead. >> and a look at one of our answers to the "watercooler question of the day." >> here's a welcome at the winning maryland lottery numbers. good luck.

>> good morning, everybody. keith mills with sports. a collective sigh of relief from ravens fans with five minutes left in the season opener against the chiefs the game was tied 24-24. but the ravens win 38-24 to kick off the season with the win despite a breakdown in special teams. here sam cook has his punt blocked by john mcgraw. 10-7. you talk about why the game was so close, that's one reason why. special teams breakdown. but then joe flacco to todd heap with the ravens down 14-10. that makes it 17-14. big day for todd heap as he re-emerges in the ravens offense. here's game winner. 24-24. joe flacco to mark clayton. a perfect pass. he beats brannon carr.

joe flacco said his teammates just came up big. >> so much fun. as a quarterback, that's what you want to do. you want to sit back there, let your o-line take care of you and give your ball to your receivers. it was a lot of fun for me and i think for our backs, too. they had a great game. both willis, ray and le'ron. it was a good team game. >> 500 yards of total offense -- >> by the ravens no less. >> we watched games where they couldn't store touchdowns for six weeks. now they get 500 yards in one game. >> they looked great. i got extremely nervous though. a little like, what's going on here? but they pulled it out. >> they answered every challenge. >> which was great. >> we won! >> thumbs up right there. >> next on tap? >> san diego. a big one. tough game no question. >> thank you. >> thank you, keith. >> let's get to one of your

answers to our "watercooler question of the day." >> do you plan to watch jay leno's new show tonight? >> well, kimberly writes -- >> there is a nice device that allows you to record shows and watch them at your convenience. >> tivo. i hear you, kimberly. >> keep e-mailing your responses to watercooler@wbaltv.com. we'll read more in the next hour and post all of them on the website. >> it's really the only way a lot of us get to watch tch tch tv at all. >> except for me. >> you'll stay up. here's what's happened. >> the king of pop will be take offering a big screen near you. >> how about those ravens? fans weigh in on the team's big win. >> and one couple is really putting meaning to the term "star trek lovers."

we've all heard that before. >> and a nice forecast. plenty of sun. details just ahead in your 11 insta plus forecast. >> and traveling on the harrisburg expressway? might want to take york road instead. we'll tell you why, next. need a lift? hey buddy, i appreciate the ride, you know.

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>> a deadly weekend in baltimore city. four murders in two days. we'll have reaction from the mayor next. >> i'm brook hart in washington. president obama today goes to new york to talk reform. not health care reform but regulatory reform. that s c