can we expect this good weather to continue? [captioning made possible by constellation energy group] captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- >> live, local, late-breaking, this is wbal-tv 11 news today in hd. >> good thursday morning. i am mindy basara. >> and i am stan stovall. thank you for joining us this morning. >> sandra shaw has a quick look at the forecast. we have had some nice weather. >> fall officially starts next wednesday. the only downside is we are in a drought. we could get a little bit tonight. we are watching an area of low pressure dragging a cold front across. we have a 30% chance of seeing some rain showers or thunderstorms. we're going to be warm today, 81 to 85. in mostly cloudy night with a slight chance of a passing storm. the weekend looks great. i have more on that just ahead.

>> we have one problem of note in glen bernie on mountain road with some fire activity. we're hoping they are able to wrap it up. we have a smooth ride on the major roadways. 57 on the north side approaching delaney valley. 48 on the west side. we could see some delays there. 11 minutes on the west side outer loop. live lookuick outside. 97 it looks good north and southbound at 100. greenspring is equally smooth at this time. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> our big story, here we are 36 hours after the polls close and

there is no winner in one of the most hotly contested campaigns. >> it will all come down to the absentee ballots to decide who will be city state's attorney. jennifer franciotti is live with more. good morning. >> there are people who believe the absentee votes do not matter. that is not the case in thhis race. despite the low turnout, it took the board of elections a full state to release complete returns. the race between bernstein and jessamy is too close to call. 3% was lost in limbo. judges forgot to turn in memory cards from 82 voting machines. the cards were tracked down. there is nothing suspicious or unusual about the slow

accounting. >> when you have an election, it is not uncommon to not be at 100% within 24 hours. >> bernstein is leading jessamy by nearly 1300 votes. they are expecting to start counting the absentee ballots sometime this morning. jennifer franciotti, wbal-tv 11 news. >> the smoke has cleared in the race for baltimore county executive. county council member kevin kamenetz has emerged as the winner. he has called for unity with joe bartenfelder and his supporters. >> it is time we put our differences behind us. i reached out to everyone in baltimore county to heal our divisions and join together because i believe we will be democrats united. >> kamenetz will square off holt.an holken

>> authorities say a security guard broke up a robbery in progress at the loch raven shopping center after the guard reportedly shot multiple shots. police then arrived on the scene. >> the suspect fled the scene. one was caught by baltimore city police officer who saw the suspect running. >> police recovered one weapon but believe the wanted suspect may be armed with another. he was wearing a ski mask. prosecutors have yet to place three suspects accused of murdering ken harris at the scene of the crime. the witnesses are struggling to identify the defendants base slowly on facts from the night in question. >> my problem is that these

witnesses are testifying based on assumptions, based on conjecture. >> many witnesses have referred to a halloween mask of baseball skull. >> officials say an alleged incident happened late last month and no one involved suffered life-threatening injuries. >> police say two cars crashed at hanover road about 8:30 p.m. last night. people were taken to shock trauma. >> a student is in the hospital with a possible case of bacterial meningitis. the student is in stable condition and under observation.

officials have been working with the county health department and several of antibiotics as a precaution. health officials say it can be serious but is generally treatable if treated early. a high school needed to be locked down after a body was discovered on campus. no word on the identity of the body. please do not believe it was a student. police say they found no apparent evidence of foul play. >> the big fight in washington is all about politics and your bank account. the president wants to cut taxes for the middle class. now the president is not just battling republicans on this issue. >> the battle lines over the bush tax cuts were drawn and

then dozens of democrats in tough election fights defected. 31 democrats have crossed over, joining the call to extend the bush tax cuts for everyone. in a letter to nancy pelosi, the house members are voicing their opposition to the president's plan. he wants to extend tax cuts to the middle class or let them expire for america's highest workers. >> i understand there is an election coming up. the american people did not send a series to just think about our jobs. >> republicans and a growing chorus of democrats say raising taxes will hurt the economic recovery and small businesses. >> if we're serious about helping our economy, we need to stop the tax hikes and we need to cut spending. >> most americans do not agree,

showing there is strong support from the president's plan to raise taxes on the rich. this news poll is a snapshot of the electorate for both parties. 34% said their lawmaker deserves to be reelected. 47% is the president's approval level. >> a proposal to build a walmart in baltimore's remington neighborhood is sparking a debate. this would take over the 25th street station. some welcome the store for jobs. >> we are concerned because we have looked at all of the impacts of big box retailers on urban communities and we are not happy with what we have learned the >> they are asking for

several conditions if walmart comes to the area. the committee will have at least one more meeting before they make a decision. that brings us to our water cooler question of the day. do you think the placement of a walmart in north baltimore would be good for the neighborhood? e-mail your response to watercooler@wbaltv.com. again, that is watercooler@wbaltv.com. >> 62 degrees on tv hill. coming up, the morning's financial news in the bloomberg business report. >> a police beating is caught on camera and has half a dozen officers under investigation. >> do you want your teenager to drive safer? there's an app for that. >> we are tracking some activity. i will let you know if any of that rate is heading our way. >> we have fire activity that we are tracking in glen bernie.

>> top of the morning to you. 66 degrees. the sun has not quite made its way up. there are some clouds rolling in out ahead of a cold front. we're on the warm side of things this morning. low pressure will rotate through the great lakes and bring the front this way. we have a 30% chance we could see some showers or thunderstorms, but not until this evening. we're looking at 65 at the airport. 61 in westminster.

it is warmer than we have been so far this week. low 50's in the suburbs. it will be another warm one out ahead of that front, even in the mountains. scattered showers and storms. maybe some sun breaks this morning and then increasing clouds throughout this afternoon and 88 degrees. we were well above the normal high yesterday of 78. 85 and a nice beach day. partly cloudy. there is a small craft advisory today. those waves will be turbulent, 3 feet. 90 degree record high was set in 1991. that is secure for another one. 41 was the record low and it has stood the test of time.

mostly cloudy skies. a chance of hit and miss thunderstorms. we will see the wind picked up with this front. milder temperature ranges overnight, 63 to 67. high pressure has now moved offshore and the warmer air is starting to bubble up. a cold front will be moving through later tonight. it will be a beautiful atmosphere just in time for your friday and weekend. we're also breaking down the tropics. igor is still a category 4 storm. it has increased in strength. it has 145 miles per hour wind gusts. is expected to hit bermuda or in my skirt to the west of bermuda. the most intense side of the storm and we can hope that it

will weaken. julia is a category 2 hurricane with 105 miles per hour sustained winds. we have a slight chance of passing a thunderstorm. high and dry for the duration. saturday and sunday, mostly sunny, low 80's. monday and tuesday, a little cooler, upper 70's. wednesday is the official start to fall. >> we have some fire activity. some good news to report. that is now clear. we have a pretty clear ride as far as delays. a bit sluggish around liberty, 47 miles per hour there. the northeast side is still in great china. no delays yet for me get middletown. still a pretty easy ride from

the maryland line down to the beltway. north and southbound traffic at 100 are pretty light. let's switch over to it live view at greenspring. it looks great so far. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> crews could be days away from personally killing that fractured well in the gulf of mexico. the so-called bottom kill effort could begin this weekend. blankets of oil covering the gulf for one now being found in some cases two inches thick. the safety of seafood has not been compromised. lawyer for a soldier will asked for the trial to be moved off the texas army post. lawyers for malik nidal hasan said he cannot get a fair trial

if media is allowed to attend. he is charged with 13 counts of pre meditated murder. this was in the november 5 shooting. the beating of a motorcyclist has six dallas police officers in hot water. police were still doing this man on his motorcycle. one officer has been fired. two has been suspended. three now face felony charges. >> the pay gap between men and women is narrowing. women earn nearly 83% of what men made in the second quarter of this year. that is a new record. the reason behind the increase, men had been losing jobs faster than women in the recession because of troubles in

manufacturing and construction, occupations traditionally held by men. a new feature on smart phones is gaining popularity. a florida man has designed and app to prevent someone from texting and driving. the phone disables the technology whenever the phone is moving more than 10 miles per hour. it sells for $299. -- it sells for $2.99. now to jane king and the bloomberg business report. >> walmart said shoppers will be any practical mode. that means expect to get a lot socks and underwear this year. for kids, the focus is on hot toys and electronics.

some could be putting off holiday shopping until later this year. food prices are falling or remaining flat. home prices dropped more than 3.5% in july. things may have improved in august. home prices gained almost 0.5% in august. dear is a report on prices that producers are facing. the bloomberg maryland index is moving higher. that is the bloomberg business report. i'm jane king. >> if you have never stopped using an e-mail account, you probably think it is gone for good. that did not happen to one local man. michael said 11 years ago he had a paid aol e-mail account that he thought he counseled.

>> i terminated the agreement with aol and stopped paying the yearly maintenance fee. i expected everything to be finished. >> that was in 1999. he locked onto his computer this summer and there was spam mail from that old account. >> i received a message from my old account to my complete address book that i ao had thatl which included -- which i had at aol. >> it is called e-mail highjacking. >> an expert explains tonight how e-mail hijacking happens and how you can keep it from happening to you. some surprising information. >> 62 degrees on tv hill. >> we hear those reports about keeping your kids active.

a little time in front of the computer does not hurt either. >> don't forget to e-mail us your response to our water cooler question of the day. do you think the placement of a walmart in north baltimore would be good for the neighborhood? e-mail your response to watercooler@wbaltv.com. >> here is a look at last night's winning maryland lottery numbers. good luck.

>> now traffic pulse 11 and insta-weather plus together. >> good morning. sarah caldwell checking on your morning commute. things are in great shape outside. we had some fire activity in glen bernie but that has now been cleared. the volume picks up. 45 miles per hour around the body. everything looking good on the other major roadways. 63 miles per hour approaching 29. south on 95, 55 miles per hour in the area of 32. i-70 is moving well so far. it is building in volume. this is traffic in the northeast corner at bel air road. volume is picking up. we will see some delays there surely. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> is pretty mild out there considering but we have experienced lately. we are in the low 50's at this

point yesterday. clouds rolled in overnight. we're on the warm side of a frontal system which may generate some showers or thunderstorms. maybe some morning sun. a good chance of cloud cover throughout this afternoon. 30% chance of a rain shower. wind out of the southeast today. 84 degrees was our high temperature yesterday. we will again be in that range today. >> if you think your child is spending too much time on the computer goofing around, it could be beneficial. >> those hours could have a positive affect on your pre teenager. kristen dahlgren has details. >> if you worry about the hours your little one spends on the computer, playing games and actually be productive. >> they are learning how to use it and to get information and to

develop strategies. >> the study looked at preteens and late hours at the computer with an increase in test scores. african american boys saw the biggest jump with access to computers. >> it is striking. >> reading scores were up four points. girls' schoores also increase. the only group that did not see improvement was white boys, with a slight decrease in test scores. >> as they get older, there is more concerned about the more aggressive games. that is more on the video consoles. >> not all games are created equal. there can be too much of a good thing. >> i think parents need to look

at what exactly in terms of the media diet their kids are doing. >> in the right combination, child's plate may help kids win in the classroom. kristen dahlgren, nbc news, washington put my kids are going to say, "see, the report,--" much more to come in our next half-hour. >> the primary was on tuesday. the city state's attorney race is still undecided. >> the stage is set for a rematch between martin o'malley and bob ehrlich. we'll preview the strategy's the candidates will use. >> we do have volume of picking up and resulting in delays. >> we are tracking storms on hd

>> live, local, late-breaking, this is wbal-tv 11 news today in hd. >> good morning, everybody. welcome back. i am stan stovall. >> and i'm mindy basara. thank you for joining us this

morning. sandra shaw has a quick look at the forecast. >> it is going to be warmer than normal day today. maybe some sunbreaks this morning. mostly cloudy by this afternoon. we have 30% chance of some thunderstorms developing. more details on your extended forecast at the end of your news block. now back to you. >> with 100% of the votes counted, gregg bernstein continues to hold a slim lead. >> not ready to declare victory just yet. jennifer franciotti is at the city board of elections with more on the story. >> bernstein is leading the race by about 1300 those. neither party is willing to call this off until the absentee ballots are counted.

the tally stalled at 97% of the precincts. judges forgot to turn in memory cards from 82 voting machines. the cards were tracked down. there is nothing suspicious or unusual about the slow accounting. >> when you have election night, it is not uncommon not to be at 100% within 24 hours. >> the complete results have bernstein on top with 30,392 votes,o jessamy's 29,097 a lead of nearly 1300 votes. neither camp is calling the race until 2200 absentee ballots are counted. >> i think we all can live with the delay. they are reviewing the numbers to include everything.

that is the concern. >> bernstein winds for a resolution to the race. he expressed optimism about the outcome. "we are pleased to see the final results are consistent with the voting trend on tuesday. all of the volunteers to helping our campaign, i thank them all." those ballots will begin counting this morning. there could be some resolution by later today. >> martin o'malley is facing bob ehrlich in the upcoming gubernatorial race. the title of governor is not they all have in common. how will they set themselves apart? david collins explains the >> in the rematch between martin ehrlich, theyob need to separate themselves in terms of policy.

>> there is a new tv ad and a new policy rollout. he is still not ready to detail how he will repeal the tax increase and corporate income rate. >> we have to wait for later in the campaign because we do not know what the numbers will be. >> those numbers are state revenue projections and there will be made public the same day he rolls out his plan for maryland. they are expected to announce tax collection exceeds collections. the deficit is shrinking. 52% of those polled back in july consider the economy the number one issue facing the state. if the economy does not improve by november, it is ehrlich's gain. >> he needs to court independence. he needs to have the republican base.

>> baltimore county is considered the battleground. the o'malley campaign is starting their campaign in baltimore county. every vote really does count. 100,000 votes shy of victory. there was an endorsement from sarah palin. experts say the number is insignificant and will not make a difference. murphy is throwing his support behind the nominee even though ehrlich is distancing himself from the tea party wing. wing is more libertarian. >> teachers want what is owed to them. some teachers rallied outside headquarters in annapolis demanding the 1% increase the

were promised in their contract. they are upset because the increases were never worked into the budget. there was a pay increase for the superintendent's. >> now traffic pulse 11 and insta-weather plus together. >> good morning. we are enjoying a nice ride despite a few delays. nothing out of the ordinary. 45 miles per hour on the outer loop west side from 795 down to liberty. it is a nice ride down to edmundson. 53 around the outer loop by a delay in the valley. no problems at the tunnels. we are looking at a nice ride at the harrisburg expressway. jfx is in great shape. this is 70 west of the beltway. no official delight approaching the beltway.

this is the north east corner at bel air road and moving pretty well despite we're getting close to some delays on the northeast corner. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> today is sort of a mixed bag. we will be warmer than normal. and looks like some sun breaks this morning and then an increase in cloud cover with a 30 disenchants of a shower. the wind is picking up. we have the slightest chance of rain overnight tonight and then we are high and dry. beautiful this weekend. 80's and plenty of sunshine. a cooldown next week. upper 70's by monday and tuesday. >> 62 degrees on tv hill. a mother's love it knows no bounds, not even went is something specific. we will explain.

>> we are still taking your answers to our water cooler question of the day. do you think the placement of a walmart in north baltimore would be good for the neighborhood? e-mail your response to watercooler@wbaltv.com. watercooler@wbaltv.com.

>> he has blown up planets and now add armed robberies to dark vader's crimes. if he had looked up, he would have noticed the store security cameras and he would have no to put his disguise on before walking in.

but he did not. police say that tape will help them make an arrest. andho says katz and sw cats squirrels need to be enemies? aw. >> she is very protective of id. she will reach out and pull it back and start looking at and taking care of it just like she would one of her kittens. >> isn't that sweet? the baby squirrel does not seem to know the difference between himself and his adopted siblings. he even purrs when he is paetted. he will have to stay with them. dog lovers enjoyed the long and

short of it yesterday. the tallest living dog stands 43 inches high, almost as tall as me. he weighs 2.45 pounds per he was joined by the smallest living dog who stands four inches tall. kind of like me and you. >> really. they cannot see the books you were sitting down. 62 degrees on tv hill. coming up, we'll take a look at the headlines. >> your morning commute is looking good so far. >> there is some energy heading in our direction. as we head to break, 65 at the airport. 66 downtown. the wind is light. the wind is light.

>> welcome back. in the headlines, a student at stevenson university is in the hospital with a possible case of meningitis. several of the students' friends are being treated with antibiotics as a precaution. e student is in stable condition and under observation. baltimore police of looking for a pair of robbers. a security guard broke up a robbery in progress at a pharmacy yesterday. the guard fired multiple shots at the armed suspects. police only have a limited description because he was wearing a ski mask. a proposal to build a walmart in

the remington neighborhood is sparking a debate. it would take over the 25th street station. baltimore can thinks it will negatively affect the community. >> that brings us to your answers to our water cooler question of the day. >> this morning we asked -- do you think the placement of a walmart in north baltimore would be good for the neighborhood?

>> we will post more of your answers on the front page up of wbaltv.com the correct it water treatment plant is turning waste into usable gas. >> what you flushed down here, the city is happy to turn it into money here. cutting edge technology takes methane gas from solid waste held in these big holding tanks. it creates clean burning natural

gas. >> we use this guest on this side. this is the first time it will be sold on the open market to any customer that wants it. >> they will sell the gas. they get paid a percentage of the profits. it is estimated at $250,000 a year. >> the gas is being flared off as useless. everything you flushed could be reusable. recycling waste water and putting scrubbed waste water back into the river. compost material is provided to local nurseries. the methane gas will be sold on the open market. >> now traffic pulse 11 and insta-weather plus together.

>> good morning. sarah caldwell checking on your morning commute. we do have some delays forming and one accident of note. it is that generals highway. watch for delays in anne arundel county. 28 miles per hour on the battle west side. that is slowing down towards a light 70. about 46 as a travel south on 95 towards the beltway. beyond the split, you are moving very well towards the fort mchenry. the rest of the major roadways look good. at old court, we have a delayed forming on the outer loop west side. we switch over to 97. no sign of delay or lane closures. we will keep you posted. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> it is a little bit sticky out

there. we will see more clouds especially later this afternoon. we can see the sun just made its way out. it will be more cloudy this afternoon as the front gets closer to us. it will track a cold front through tonight. it will lose a little bit of plunge once the gets here. we will have a 30% chance of a rain shower or thunderstorm into the night. the clouds kept us milder. 63 around edgewood this morning. we will see a mixture of clouds and sons and a good chance of showers and storms in the mountains, 75. above normal yet again before that rain started to hit us in the scattered variety. the wind will also be a factor today.

generally out of the south and switching out of the northwest tomorrow. 85 degrees and partly cloudy skies down at the lower eastern shore. small-craft advisory is in affect. the waves will be about 3 feet. the normal height today is 78 degrees. we will be above that yet again. the clouds will insulate us overnight. 63 in the outlying areas. the gusty winds out of the southwest at 20 miles per hour. add some rain into the mix. but the showers should be brief. we have all this warmer air pushing it across the area from the warm front. high pressure moved offshore along the movement of this cold front which will sweep the area

tonight and the fact this by tomorrow. igor is still a massive monster with 145 miles per hour sustained winds. it is appalling its way toward bermuda. arbutus it will be impacted by this hurricane. julia is right behind i corporate we have a chance of some showers and precipitation. the official start of fall is next wednesday. >> thank you. the ongoing process of counting the votes in the city state's attorney race. jennifer franciotti joins us live with an update. >> this is a prime example of how every vote counts. gregg bernstein is leading purchase it just me by nearly 1300 votes. to wonder 90 precincts and we're

-- 290 precincts and we are now down to the absentee ballots. is toote's attorney race close to call. the talent stalled out at 97% of the precincts. city elections judges forgot to turn in memory cards from 82 voting machines. they were able to get this machines and there is nothing unusual or suspicious about the slow accounting. this does make it a vote by vote count. they will begin capping those absentee ballots this morning. reporting live, jennifer franciotti, wbal-tv 11 news. >> a story fresh in the minds that played out in the headlines. weeks after a gunman burst into discovery tv, the hostages speak out. hear them tell their story at

4:00 p.m. here is meredith vieira for a look at what is coming up next on the "today" show. >> more on that breaking news in scotland where pope benedict has just arrived. we are live with the latest. a news explosive. mahmoud ahmadinejad speaks out about the release of the american hiker and plans to build and islamic mosque at ground zero. a tragic home invasion in connecticut. michael jackson's mother and children suit the promoter of his comeback concert. more on that when we get started on it thursday morning right here on the "today" show. >> 62 degrees on tv hill. >> we will take another look at weather and traffic before you head out to start your d

>> we have one accident of note. it has not been a bad rushed this morning. you can see the normal slowdown's development on southbound 95 down towards the 895 split. we have a bit of a west side to life. also on southbound 83. at old court, that is probably the heaviest spot. >> i am loving this early fall whether. >> a cold front will come

through. you will love the weekend. tomorrow will be somewhat breezy. we do have a slight chance of seeing a storm passing through tonight. it will be in the evening hours. we do need the rain. more pleasant weather. you want to enjoy the weather. do not forget, tune into am 1090. there will be traffic and updates together on the fives. >> we have breaking news. mindy s mother is in town. thank you for watching. she is going to kill you. >> thanks for joining us for 11 news today. >> we will be back with a live update at 7:25. >> have a great day. >> follow breaking news and weather any time at wbaltv.com, and stay connected with us on facebook and twitter.

my commute home to the eastern shore every night only takes an hour but that's more time than congress spends reading massive spending bills, it's crazy. that's why i wrote a law that requires 72 hours to read every bill. i read the big bills and i said no. no to the $3 trillion budget, no to the bank bailout,

and no to the health care bill. at home you would never pay a bill without reading it neither should congress. i'm frank kratovil and i approve this message because i'm proud to be ranked one of the most independent members of congress.