search of the couple's home in southwest baltimore. they had mapped huge cartons of marijuana on every floor of the rock -- of the home. police say they found other illegal drugs inside which mccracken allegedly told investigators that they bought them on line from the philippines. >> the drugs would come and stuffed animals. the couple was taking these drugs and the woman overdosed. >> the community is saddened by the death and the rest, and confirmed both conducted research in laboratories. dr. mccracken has been released on bail but did not answer the door on tuesday afternoon. he is expected to be questioned by agents. >> under maryland law, the state's attorney office cannot

proceed with any criminal charges until the medical examiner has ruled the death homicide. >> and law enforcement agency was already tracking dr. mccracken before the sunday overdose death. find out which one and why at 6:00. >> a shooting at and east baltimore strip club has left two people in critical condition tonight. we are told a man was shot in the back and a woman was hit in the chest and rest. the gunman is still on the loose. a warning from baltimore county police. someone stole several guns and two grenades like this one you see here from a home. the owner reported the items stolen last week. police say the weapons may cause injury or death.

>> school has been in session for a little over a month and already parents are on edge. the school district has sent home safety notices about several incidents that could have harmed their children. >> this month alone, there have been a three troubling incidents involving students on their way to or from school. >> we have had three incidents near bus stops with students at different grade levels. it is unsettling to us and it to police. >> the first incident was a 19- year-old student walking along mount vernon avenue at 6:30 in the morning. >> he was reportedly walking to a bus stop she was taken into a nearby yard and was sexually assaulted. >> police made an arrest later that same day. last week, a sixth grader was

being followed by a man as she walked to her boss thought. -- walked to her bus stop. she found it an unsettling note scribbled in her notebook. later that same day, a woman allegedly tried to kidnap a 4- year-old boy playing at this playground which is also a school bus stop. an arrest was made that same day. >> we applaud their quick action. we work closely with them. i am sure we will see increased patrols. >> they should be a reminder to parents to arm their children with lifesaving information. >> make sure your children know their address. have emergency information. if you feel uneasy, contact law enforcement. >> police are also saying it is

important to travel in groups. the kids are good for adults as well. >> we are following breaking news on the other side of the world. a tsunami has struck in the american samoa and a tsunami warning has been issued for other islands in the pacific. one village was flattened by an earthquake. see water flooded in about 100 yards in pago pago. >> the senate finance committee has voted against creating a new government health insurance plan to compete with the private sector. the vote could forecast the fate

of the public option in the senate as a whole. proponents say it would give consumers a choice and competition. >> the h1n1 flu vaccine is on its way to a doctor or clinic near you. its first shipment went out today. the company that makes the nasal spray says 5 million doses were shipped in the last week. they now have to be redistributed all across the country. as tracy potts explains, there is growing concern about getting the vaccine. >> 14-year-old chloe lindsay died from the h1n1 virus. her mother is urging parents to get her children vaccinated. >> i cannot fathom that this can happen to me. i don't want it to happen to anybody else. >> the university of michigan

reports only four out of 10 parents plan to vaccinate their children. even health care workers are concerned. some hospitals are singling out employees who do not get the vaccine. >> i think you need to be able to step up to the plate. >> in new york, employees protested today. they are worried about 1976 when thousands were stricken with a paralyzing disease after taking the flu vaccine. >> there is concern about whether all of this is necessary. >> no corners have been cut in this process. >> we have safety data from decades of experience with seasonal vaccines that are made in the same manner. >> one school district in texas closed after 900 students got

sick. >> coughing, headaches, they are really tired. >> signs that this pandemic is now well underway. to prevent h1n1 from spreading, some hospitals will not be allowing any visitors under 18 years old during the flu season which officially starts on sunday. >> we have continuing coverage of the swine flu on our website. it lists symptoms, treatments, and prevention tips. >> breaking news in west baltimore where police are working a double shooting. >> this is clifton just west of montrose street. paramedics are on the scene of a shooting at this location. we don't know exactly how many people were involved but they do have a description of that least

one of the shooters. city police are in the process of canvassing by right now the neighborhood in this area is highly upset and police are having to deal with that. >> today, a large scale storm system in canada producing some rain. this far south, we have not seen any rain. a little breezy. wind gusts up to 25 miles per hour. up in michigan, there are a few little scattered showers showing up up there. that is another weather disturbance that will head our way in the next 24 hours. that stands a better chance to hold on to some of the cloudiness we have had. we will talk about that with the insta-weather plus forecast coming up in a few minutes. >> one year after the dow

dropped a record 777 points, wall street is still waiting for the housing market to recover even though some things are better in some areas. the new numbers out today show home sales are still slow. >> september 29, 2008, the dow plummets and historical 777 points after congress rejected a bank bailout plan. days later, an emergency bill would pass to try to head off economic disaster. one year later, mixed signs of recovery. home prices are more than 13% lower than a year ago. >> we feel pretty good about where we are. we have seen that some small bidding wars on homes where people and up paying more than the asking price which we have not seen in years. >> but not in cities like las

vegas where home prices are still down almost 55% from their peak. in seattle, one of the last areas to enter the downturn, prices have yet to hit bottom. overall, the newest market report is better than expected. >> there could be bumps along the road but it looks encouraging. >> projected higher unemployment rate, or is about jobs security and declining incomes helped push the confidence index down in september by more than a point. another index also declined close to three points. despite some positive housing numbers, confidence is raising concerns about the upcoming holiday shopping season and the duration of the downturn. >> still ahead, there is a new spin on energy drinks.

they help relax you but will they be used for the wrong reasons? >> it is for high blood pressure. >> lots of people need help remembering how to take the medication. >> friends and family remember a teenager who lost his life in a car accident. the reaction is new at 5:30. >> and anne arundel county school gets $50,000 for its

chevy silverado. more confidence than ford f-150. better backed than f-150. at a value f-150 can't touch. silverado. from the family of the most dependable, longest lasting full size pickups on the road. just announced, it's chevy truck month. get 0% apr for 60 months. or $6,000 total cash back on select 2009 silverado vehicles that have been in stock the longest.

>> the johns hopkins center for a livable future honored the school district for its healthy lunch menu. it is presented to organizations that promote healthy eating choices. baltimore city schools were praised for many of its programs. >> you know there are tons of so-called energy drinks on the market pact with caffeine. now, a new twist. an anti-energy drink. they cling to help you relax but there are concerned that kids

will use them to imitate alcohol. they use natural products like men a town in -- melatonin and other agreingredients. users can combined, syrup with codeine and soda. the recession may be bad for your wallet, but it might be better for your health. researchers looked at the health of people living before, during, and after the great depression. before the economic collapse in the 1920's, life expectancy decreased. during the height of the depression, life expectancy in the u.s. increased from 57 to 63. they are not sure why but the association for improving health

and economic slowdown was true for all ages and for every major cause of death except one, and that was suicide. should you take your pill once a day or twice? sometimes it is hard to remember what the pharmacist told you about your latest prescription by the bottle may be able to remind you. >> this medication is for high blood pressure. >> researchers are working with fred meyer's pharmacy to see if they talking pill bottle will lead to better follow through by patients. pharmacists recorded instructions on the bottle. so the patient can listen to it any time once they leave the pharmacy. the bottle reminds customers like this one how often to take

a prescription, what the medicine will do, and what side effects to expect. >> there is a lot of information we can put on a bottle. >> it could improve medication compliance by patients who are blind, have difficulty reading the label, or just can't remember what they are told at the pharmacy. >> sometimes the patient for debt. this is a good way to remind patients. >> the bottle would cost an extra $10 but this research could convince insurance plans to cover that cost primarily because taking prescriptions incorrectly can cost the health- care system millions of dollars. >> upwards to 40% to 50% do not take their medications as directed. it is sometimes because they misunderstood or the instructions are not clear. >> now that you don't have the

normal bottle, do you miss it? >> [inaudible] >> they are exploring recording instructions in other languages. more breaking news, let's take it back live to sky team 11. >> this is railroad avenue near van buren in dundalk. fire crews are trying to attack this fire. they pretty much shut down the neighborhood that while they deal with this. no reports of injury but if we will -- but if we get more information, we will update you. >> now, your 11 insta-weather plus forecast with john collins. >> kind of a blustery day to day, a mix of sunshine and clouds.

the rain was well to the north in pennsylvania and parts of new england. a little bit of rain coming into michigan the there in the upper left of the screen, that is what we are going to keep an eye on. it will increase our grain chances tomorrow. let's look at what the current temperatures are around the area here as we go into the evening hours. our temperatures are mostly in the 60's around the chesapeake bay. ocean city is at 73 degrees right now. 65 degrees at bwi marshall. thicker cloud, higher elevations, oakland it is only at 43 degrees right now and they are not going to warm up very much. here is a map showing some of the wind gusts are around the area. 28 miles per hour.

the strongest best i found, two of them in annapolis and in lancaster. the guest of 23 miles per hour in oakland. a little bit hard to see here, these lighter shades of gray, some of the clouds. thicker clouds out to the west which is why garrett county was so chilly. a storm system is spinning around in eastern canada. little disturbances are spinning around. one of those will come through tomorrow and may hold onto this cloudiness and may produce a sprinkle. once this lead to further east, we will enjoy -- once this slips further east, we will enjoy some nice weather. it a little bit on the chilly side tonight. 48 to 53 is the overnight low.

probably not as chilly as it was early this morning. more of those clubs out to the west, the potential for a few sprinkles. some cloudiness persisting in the area on wednesday and a chance for a trickle or a brief shower will have a higher chance than today. west to northwest winds at 10 to 15 miles per hour. a similar temperature tomorrow. the small craft advisory is on the chesapeake bay tomorrow. here is the forecast. 65 tomorrow, 67 on thursday. the brain chance tomorrow is small. by the end of the day friday, reigned chances began to sneak back into the picture. maybe even a rumble of thunder. most of sunday should turn out all right. >> stock on a school bus in 100

degree temperatures. the video has many parents hot under the collar. >> checking your next package coming from ups may contain something extra in the form of savings. >> as the health care debate -- is the health-care debate missing the target? >> a very special day for this middle school here in anne arun.

>> volunteers worked to give the recreation center and makeover. volunteers from companies that support the united way competed in groups to transform the lobby and five classrooms, and they had only eight hours. they got it done. baltimore mayor sheila dixon served as one of the judges. >> there is a lot to celebrate at a middle school in glen burnie. the nfl network give the school $50,000 for its athletic program. the there was a big pep rally and ravens players were there to help celebrate. rob roblin has more. >> it is all about the health of

our children. it was a huge pep rally here at the middle school. some ravens players along with ravens cheerleaders, and the marching band drum line were here to celebrate the program promoting physical education. >> we are encouraging students and young people to exercise for 60 minutes a day. >> the money went to install this rock climbing wall. >> it will help them use their physical skills to climb up, and dad don't think many if any middle schools in our district have this. >> the program is very

important. >> that is what being a kid is all about. running around and having fun. we are here today to tell kids that it is a good thing. >> there are so many activities you can do on a daily basis. let's be fit and it is going to lead to a healthier future. >> even governor martin o'malley was here at the pat riley. -- was here at the pat riley. -- was here at the pep rally. after the pappardelle, students -- after the rally, students got a workout. >> very nice. president obama is working on several foreign policy problems right now the biggest concern is

what to do about afghanistan and iran. >> the windy city once the olympic games. >> friends and family are mourning the death of a popular baltimore county teenager killed over the weekend. >> airline travel for your pets is becoming easier and more convenient. convenient.

>> family and friends remember a popular high school student killed in a car accident. kwest logan was a young man with a bright future and lots of friends, but the 17-year-old

lost his life over the weekend when the car he was driving plowed into a tree. >> this is a real tragedy and a great loss for all of the people that knew him and respected him, especially his classmates. >> he was a person that everyone loved. everyone knew him and liked him. he was an all-around person. >> police believe kwest logan lost control of his car as he was about to exit off of interstate 83 on to the westbound lane of the beltway. his car plowed into a tree. it was sometime this year before his family got word of his death. >> we were out looking for him, just backtracking with some of his friends. we got the call. >> kwest logan was well known at

the high school and was considered a caring person by teachers and friends. >> he is an aide to the teachers. the he was a leader on and off of the court. he maximized his potential, academically and athletically. >> student are confident in part by memories of the friend they say it always put others ahead of himself. >> he knew how to cheer you up. he was the funny guy of the whole class. >> he could not know who you were and beat your friend. he was so open and did not have any enemies. >> family members say he always left a lasting impression. >> he had an engaging personality.

he was always smiling. he was ambitious. >> baltimore countiey officials helped students cope with the loss. >> our thought go out to his family. here is a look at some of our other top stories. dr. victoria sparrclinton mccrg murder charges. both doctors were involved in research and did not see patients. a search of the house turned up illegal drugs and possibly several marijuana plants. baltimore county police hope these pictures will provide a

break in a 2-month-old robbery investigation two armed men ordered food and one of the suspects told the court not to move while the other went behind the counter and took several cartons of cigarettes. if you know anything about the robbery, you are asked to call baltimore county police. >> flames and debris shot several hundred feet in the air right around 2:00 this afternoon. fire officials said there was no fire or explosion but a buildup of pressure. no one was injured. the it to brothers behind a scheme have been ordered to pay more than $1 million in restitution and penalties. the lawsuit was one against the two men, claiming that they offered homeowners to avoid foreclosure but instead it

charge their clients fees and took their money. both pleaded guilty in federal court. two others have also pleaded guilty and the case. >> president obama will travel to copenhagen to boost chicago's chances of winning the 2016 olympics but that decision is drawing criticism from critics. chris crack -- chris clackum has the latest. >> 16 months after chicago find out it was a finalist, the decision is only days away. delegations from the cities are in copenhagen in advance of the international olympic committee's decision on friday. chicago's team traveled with a pack of the athletic all stars. at a press conference today in

denmark, the chicago mayor promised to deliver for the ioc. >> we are glad you are here and we know we can deliver a spectacular olympic games. >> he said chicago is a distinctive american city. >> we are a city of immigrants. many new immigrants will arrive this year or next year or the following year. the city is always changing. >> one of the biggest factors for the vote will be president barack obama. he announced monday he will join that team and his wife for the final presentation on friday. >> whether it impacts the race, we do not know. nobody knows. >> the presence of the head of state may have had an impact in the past.

former prime minister tony blair and vladimir putin threw their weight behind their countries winning bids. >> we will have to see how chicago fares. credit-card interest rates are on the rise, and that can lower your overall credit score. >> a bus driver says some students on board were to ready, but it is

>> more breaking news, this time in howard county. >> howard county police are dealing with an accident at 144 frederick road just to the east of route 32. they have requested the maryland state police to respond with a helicopter to transport the victim to shock trauma. we don't know how long the eastbound lane is going to be shut down, but the accident is a of a very serious nature. >> one oklahoma three-year old will never feel the same way

about getting too close to the cage of a wild animal. the family was visiting is due when the child managed to get close to the cage of the european linx. the boy was scratched on his head and face. the youngster was taken to the hospital to be checked out. the zoo is reviewing its security to make sure it does not happen again. >> parents are out raised tonight after a school bus driver turned off the air conditioner as punishment. temperatures were more than 100 degrees that day. >> you can see faces but you can hear the screams. ready students aggravating their bus driver who has had it. he shuts off the air conditioning. >> [unintelligible]

>> parent are furious. >> it is august. why did he leave the school bus running and turn the air conditioning off? >> to jeopardize their health in the heat like that, a heat stroke can occur at any age. >> the school district discipline the bus driver but administrators did not fire him. during the hot ride, one kid tried to crack open a window. >> the district is not releasing the driver's name but he has been an employee for five years. >> as interest rates rise on your credit card, your overall credit score goes down. >> how you can get a lower interest rate and increase your credit's core. >> president obama fighting for health care reform and economic improvement is way down this week with iran and especially

afghanistan. >> a pretty good day today but we did see some clouds and it was breezy. sprinkles are possible tomorrow. there is our view of the city. 65 at the airport, 66 at the inner harbor. chevy silverado. more confidence than ford f-150. better backed than f-150. at a value f-150 can't touch. silverado. from the family of the most dependable, longest lasting full size pickups on the road. just announced, it's chevy truck month. get 0% apr for 60 months. or $6,000 total cash back on select 2009 silverado

vehicles that have been in stock the longest. >> here is a look at what we are working on for 6:00. the senate committee rejected the public opti for theon health care bill. two local heavy hitters way in. a doctor is facing criminal drug charges after his girlfriend was found dead.

>> the health-care debate is red hot, the economy is lukewarm, and the president is working two foreign policy problems. reporter steve handelsman has the latest from washington. >> meeting with the new head of nato, president obama laid out the gold in afghanistan. >> dismantling, disrupting, destroying the al-qaeda network. >> the president is not vowing to destroy the taliban. will president obama send 40,000 more u.s. forces to join the war fighters he last visited in afghanistan as a candidate in july 2008? 40,000 more troops is what the general is asking for. >> no commander ever asked for

less troops. they always want more troops. >> rasmussen says the new plan is the priority. >> strategy first and then resources. >> vice-president biden arguing against more troops. on thursday comes the face-to- face meeting with iran in geneva. the day are going to get a tough interview from the u.s. >> we are about to confront face-to-face the intention of the iranian people and their nuclear program. >> iran's new missiles that could carry nuclear warheads are the targets of the new obama missile defense plan. it won praise today from the nato chief who says it will offer better protection. the old way, president bush

paused way, not talking, they say produced a whole lot of nothing. >> now, your 11 insta-weather plus forecast with john collins. >> this morning, we were down into the 40's. temperatures have been mostly in the 60's. we picked up some clout, too. we are watching this stuff up in michigan that is coming into the picture now. one disturbance coming down could increase our chances tomorrow for a couple of sprinkles to come out of the cloudiness but it is not a huge threat. let's take a look at these temperatures. annapolis is at 67 degrees. easton is at 66. college park has had enough sun burned through the clouds, 70 degrees there.

some of the wind gusts at bwi, a peak gust of 31 months per hour. annapolis, 25 miles per hour. plenty of cloud around the area especially off to the north and northwest. -- plenty of clouds around the area especially of to the north and northwest. tomorrow, one of those disturbances may pass through here. we may see more cloudiness than what we saw today. we could squeeze out a sprinkle or two in the forecast, but nothing is enough to change your plans. variably cloudy skies overnight. 48 to 53 temperatures, probably a few degrees chile. the sun set at 6:52.

these days are getting shorter. here is our futurecast showing a greater degree of cloudiness out to the west. as we advance this, we see a lot more cloudiness in this picture for tomorrow and we see an indication that these did -- that the disturbance want to produce some rain in the area. no big deal though. a mix of clouds and sunshine. west-northwest winds at 10 to 15 miles per hour. the state-wide forecast, the same issue, a lot of clouds, sun breaks with temperatures mostly in the 60's. close to 70 degrees. here is your seven-day forecast. 60's tomorrow. the chance of a quick shower. a lot more sunshine on thursday. the rain chances are back later in the week.

over the weekend, highs will be in the 70's. >> we have breaking news for you tonight, a massive recall has been issued for nearly 4 million vehicles. toyota is recalling selected models including lexus. the floor mat could interfere with the vehicles accelerator and cause a crash. for the complete list of the vehicles affected, log onto our website. as credit card interest rates go up, credit scores go down for many americans. >> even though part of the credit-card accountability responsibility act went into affect last month, more americans have seen their terms

change and not for the better. i have had an interest rate go from 7.9% for 10 years up to 17.9%. you sacrifice your credit scored if you do not make your payment on time. so what can you do? you can call your lender and try to get the rate lowered but your chances of success are now small. if you have to carry a balance, try not to agree to settle your account for a lower rate to close the account. instead, shop around for another card. many offer better rates and terms. our days of having a good, cheap relationship with lenders may be over but we still have the power to move our business to the competition.

>> american airlines has a new way for your pets to travel in style. a pet terrier is guaranteed to fly or the place of your plane ticket is given back to you. they teamed up with sherpa to design a new bag. the airline spent months making sure it would fit under every seat on every plane that they fly. the next time you get a ups package, you may get something extra. the new york times reports the carrier is testing a plan to give you the gift of advertisements. they will be placed in a little box ups hopes he will not see it as another piece of junk mail. ups plans to benefit from the advertisement dollars. >> up next, there are still many questions about health care.

>> coming up, hair from two health officials who say we may be focusing on the wrong aspect of reform. >> what one family doing now is helping other children

>> september is childhood cancer awareness month. >> 1 carroll county family is trying to help children who are battling the disease.

jennifer franciotti has that story. >> when he was born in june of 2006, he was two months early and a treasure to his parents. a year later, their world would come crashing down. >> everything was fine until september 7, 2007, when he was diagnosed. >> it is a form of childhood cancer that affects the adrenal glands. john and his family fought hard but they would lose him eight months later. >> he was 23-months old. >> want to even to give back to the hospital where he was treated, the family asked what they could do. they met with a social worker a. >> families are doing this through the great pain that they

are experiencing. >> it is 9 months worth of treatment. it is approximately 9 feet long. >> the chain is personalized, every bead representative of a procedure. >> these are blood transfusions. we send them to the families and we provide them with the strength and all of that beads and they can do what they want. >> this representation is a way for them to visibly see what they have done and what they are surviving. there are at least 11 children that we have made referrals to the program. >> the family has pledged 46 yellow ribbons on their front lawn. >> 46 because that is how many kids are diagnosed each day, and seven draped in black because

seven of those children will not make it through the day. >> they have also started a web site. >> we have a fax about childhood cancer as well as different things we are doing to keep our son's memory alive. >> they want it to be a symbol of hope for children and a symbol of hope for their son. >> anything to help kids get through something like that. >> if you missed any of this newscast, we will re broadcast it for you tonight. >> a pharmacist dies of an overdose, her boyfriend arrested on felony drug charges. >> anne arundel county school district is asking parents to brush up on safety tips. >> he was well known on campus and now he is missed by friends and family. [captioning made possible by constellation energy group]

captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- >> this is wbal tv 11 news at 6:00. >> good evening, everyone. the senate finance committee has voted down the creation of the new government health insurance plan. >> this outcome was expected but still a defeat for liberals who see it as a key component of reform. two giants in health care in our region to weigh in on the reform debate. it is it focused on the right target? jayne miller is live. >> the two men we have interviewed knows something about health care, cost and delivery, and are keenly focused on what might finally come from all of the bantering and bickering. outpatient clinics and hospitals, johns hopkins last year saw nearly a half a million patient visits. patient visits.