>> we begin with than insta- weather plus alert. while weather is pushing its way there are area. >> from flooding to wind coming nearly every inch of the state is under some kind of watch or warning at this hour. kerry cavanaugh is on federal hill and tom tasselmyer is fendi 11 whether center. >> we have been monitoring the progress of what at one time was a full-blown tropical storm. nicole the chemical tropical storm about 11:00 in the morning. by 5:00 in the afternoon it had -- the call became a tropical storm but by 5:00 in the afternoon it had dissipated. it is about to move into our area. the flood watch goes all the way back to allegheny county, and wind advisories for anne arundel, st. mary's, and the upper eastern shore. coastal flooded are due for the western shore of the bay. tis a couple of feet above

normal and may be severe thunderstorms as well. it is not even a full blown probable storm. kerry cavanaugh joins us live from baltimore. it was not too long ago we were worried it was to drive around here. now the city has a completely different problem to deal with. >> that seemed like a distant memory. one of the main concerns is that the ground is saturated because we have seen so much rain this week. emergency managers say that makes it more likely that trees will come down and toppled power lines in the process. people got out to enjoy a beautiful night on federal hill, taking advantage of the calm before the storm. preparing for the onslaught of rain, the city's department of public works deployed cruise to clear clogged the storm drains. >> all that water eventually runs off into local streams, the

harbor, and the day. >> they cannot check of the city's 52,000 storm drains so they are urging baltimore residents to pitch in. >> we are asking every citizen to take a look on their street to see if there storm drains are clear. if there is trash on top, sweep that off. the biggest defense against flooding is a broom and a trash can. >> one of the things interesting about baltimore is we never know when we are going to get flooding. we have had instances where streets have flooded due to lack of drainage where there was no streamer tributary. >> the city of annapolis is well aware of its flood zone. business owners started sandbagging downtown wednesday night in hopes of staving off high tides. extra crews are on standby in anticipation of power outages. >> the high winds could bring down trees and power lines. with heavy canopy that we have

today, we already have round that is very soap from the recent storms. it is a good recipe for power outages. >> here are few reminders. they are asking you to prepare for possible power outages by making sure you have a battery powered radio on and with fresh batteries and a corded phone as well. you have a generator, make sure you do not operate inside your garage. city officials in baltimore want to make sure no one is parking on top of the storm drains. >> a reminder, our coverage continues on line all the time. you can get updates from our insta-weather team, blogging about the storm's impact, and we also have live wire updates. we invite you to share your storm photos on. -- share your photos on ulocal.

>> one person is dead and several others injured after a charter bus rolled off a highway in montgomery county. it happened around 4:00 today on interstate 270 no. brown. skyteam 11 was over the scene this afternoon. rescue crews had to scale along the bus windows in order to free people. officials say crews had to extricate for people who were trapped. rescuers had been seen putting people in stretchers and bandaging wounded victims, including several children. ntsb officials just wrapped up press conference a few moments ago. here is a bit of what their investigation is focusing on. >> the issues we will be looking at include interviewing passengers. we will be looking at the crash worthiness of the vehicle and we will be looking to see if the bus was equipped with seat

belts, passenger seat belts. >> the bus was -- transportation officials will resume trying to determine what exactly happened to borrow money. >> the baltimore city police unit that investigates and drugs is no longer working to be. it has been disbanded over serious allegations of misconduct. two officers now on suspension pending the outcome of a department investigation. >> at this point, no charges have been filed against the officers. police are calling this a personnel matter and internal affairs is investigating. >> the it was made up of six patrol officers and detectives that look for drugs and do drug enforcement in northwest baltimore. a sergeant and an officer or accused of using a stolen private citizens license plate on an unmarked police car while doing official police business. according to public -- a public

liberation officer, the drug unit has been disbanded and the two officers are suspended pending an investigation. >> we have a lot of questions we would like answered as to how these officers got hold of the license plate. was it taken out of an evidence room? was the vehicle towed? more importantly, what exactly were they using it for? >> north east baltimore is a high crime area. -- northwest baltimore. the spokesman says the department's violent crime impact inspection will take over drug enforcement in the area. >> it does not mean all the drug dealer should move to northwest. they are there now, they should probably leave. >> another officer has also been suspended because of a separate incident. that officer was targeted during an internal sting operation.

>> we have an update for you. baltimore county police have arrested two men in connection with the death of a hispanic man in cockeysville. they are charged with murder. jose luis ramirez was found dead on stone gate court yesterday. all three men lived in the same apartment building. police do not yet know what led to the murder. >> 11 news was the first report concerns over internal documents that appeared on a website last month. today maryland's republican caucus leaders are requesting an investigation into why the document, which gave a gloomy assessment of the state's employment figures, was pulled and then replaced by a more upbeat message. jobs remain a key issue in the race for governor, or race which up until today appeared to be a virtual dead heat. >> and new poll gives the

governor o'malley a double-digit lead over bob ehrlich. the margin of error is four points. david collins shows us now there are attack gets from both candidates. >> bob ehrlich struck first, martin o'malley countered with an inside power hope. their latest not down drag out political at fight is over the 72% increase in electric rates. curious, because it was a contentious issue for years ago in the governor's race. >> remember this promise? it never happened. your bill went up 72%. but this is true but misleading. as mayor, o'malley challenged the rate hike in court. he replaced members of the public service commission. he pushed bills to mitigate the increase. legislation included caps and

allowed for incremental increases. well the b.g.e. rate hike came to light on iraq's what, the biggest part of a hike was actually finalized on -- came to light on eric's watch. >> the fact of the matter is, our economy is doing much better now. >> really? nearly 7000 in maryland lost their jobs last month. >> that is true, but the early campaign rounded off the number. -- the early campaign rounded off the number. >> four years ago, martin o'malley misled us. now he is just making stuff up. .> this is faultlse an internal document indicated maryland's economy continues to falter. the memo replaced with a more upbeat assessment.

the job numbers used in the internal report and its replacement were identical. >> bob ehrlich some real record on energy. >> emailed made public back in 2006 revealed the former psc chair routinely consulted with lobbyists. >> what has bob ehrlich been doing the past four years? he got paid $2.5 million from a lobbying firm in maryland. >> this is true, but the $2.5 billion is a combined income of bob ehrlich and his wife. the law firm is registered to lobby congress on a variety of interest. bob ehrlich has not revealed his client list. >> president obama will be in maryland and next week stumping

for o'malley. new york mayor michael bloomberg will be here tomorrow. read guiliani and mitt romney are both backing of former governor. check out all the previous back to check reports act wbaltv.com. >> still no word tonight in baltimore city teachers will accept the proposed contract that would determine pay based on performance. the proposal outlines a three- year contract with a four 0.5% raise. health care benefits would remain the same. city officials and union leaders are calling it a landmark proposal. >> with this new contract, baltimore will lead the state and even the nation in making the necessary changes to improve academic achievement in our school system. today, baltimore school teachers and administrators are not waiting for anyone. -- for anyone to improve public education. >> the proposal would raise first-year teachers pay more

than $5,000 and top base pay by more than $20,000. students who are late to school because of public transportation delays are encouraged to take any problems they have. the rate you are right messages " directly to the transportation alliance where they will be compiled and forwarded to the fta. officials say the program will help them address problems and get kids to school on time. >> still ahead, as close as many of us will ever get to the inside of fighter jet. >> plus cal ripken is latest adventure. what he hopes will become a tasty hit. >> people come in and say i have to comply with this law. i don't know how i will get this done. >> it is confusing, making the big switch before this new law comes into effect. >> parents, a serious warning tonight if you have ever used one of those sleep positioners

for your input. what you need to know. >> doppler shows that rain is on the way. we will track the approaching storm with the forecast coming up. right now, 67 degrees at b.w.i. right now, 67 degrees at b.w.i.

i'm frank kratovil and i approve this message. the real andy harris. buried in his website - a promise to replace the tax code with a 23% sales tax and eliminate the mortgage interest deduction. a bush tax panel said families would pay $6,000 more a year. a reagan tax advisor calls it a very dumb idea. but that's not his only bad idea. harris was the only senator to vote against expanding the child care tax credit and against the state's cancer treatment program. andy harris' extreme ideas will cost us.

>> we are happy to report that rob roblin has landed. earlier today he was at the controls of a flight simulator of the world's most advanced fighter plane. it is called the new f-35. can fly over 1,000 miles an hour with the capability to take off and land vertically. many of its features were built right here in maryland. to check out his experience navigating the plane, log on to our website, wbaltv.com. if you don't have a bluetooth or you have not switched to a handsfree cellphone device, time is rapidly running out. beginning friday, if you are

caught using a hand-held device, you could be fined. >> how do you follow the law and still connect what you are on the go? jennifer franciotti has tonight's 3d project report. >> people come in and say i have to comply with this law. i don't know how i will get this done. >> with the clock ticking, handsfree devices are flying off the shelves at stores like best buy. it's hard to know what is right for you with so many options available. i were in turn, lauren, has not gone handsfree yet, because our intern is helping us check out some options. elliot says most bones sold within the last few years are bluetooth compatible. he says once your own is paired with the device, it is easy to use. lauren is the earpiece to try and likes it. >> i was able to it to work by just pushing the button. >> it will answer the call and

go either to the speaker phone or the bluetooth earpiece, whichever one you decide to use. >> you are able to have both hands on the wheel, and you are coming in loud and clear. i have the windows down and i can still hear you. >> which one do you like better? >> surprisingly, i actually like the earpiece better. >> elliot says that is not surprising. there are options in every price range. >> the headset's range from $20 to $130. the main thing is, the basic headset to what we call premium headset which gives you more noise cancellation, as well as a custom fit in your ear. >> best buy also has a walk out working program. >> i went with the jawbone,

which synchs up to both my phones and keeps me legal. >> we invite you to help ended distracted driving by signing the pledge on our website. we have also posted previous three the project stories and you can check out the data for yourself. it is all at wbaltv.com and you can find a link on the home page. if you have an infant at home, we have a warning for you in tonight's consumer alert about those popular sleep positioners. the fda and consumer products safety commission said babies with low round and they can get caught and suffocate. there have been at least 12 reported deaths. experts say there is no proven health benefit to those positioners, and the best way for your baby to sleep is on his or her back with no loose objects around. forget the penis and cracker jacks. cal ripken jr. -- forget the

peanuts and cracker jacks. >> the cost about $35 for a pack of six. for more including how you can get some right now, we have posted a link under the consumer section of wbaltv.com. >> we had a few showers move through the area this afternoon. the next round of rain is already moving in. this will increase slowly as we head toward morning and into the afternoon tomorrow. it will not taper off until sometime tomorrow night or early friday morning. the threat of rain which is just coming up out of virginia and southern maryland, will be with us for a while. is heavy as you get down to parts of eastern north carolina.

that is one thing will have to watch for tomorrow, the potential for severe storms embedded in this batch of heavy rain. so far the -- only. 02 of rain so far officially. we are still running cool, 65, frederick county in the low 60s, and it gets chilly out in western maryland in the 50's. tropical like air is already starting to feed up into southern maryland. the air is loaded with moisture, so look for some showers in the region in the morning. breezy, 58-65 to start off thursday. nicole did not last very long. it was gone by 5:00 in the afternoon, but the remnants of it down here are still loaded with tropical moisture and this area of low pressure, combined

with new ones on this stalled front will bring all the tropical moisture into the mid atlantic. we are in for some heavy rain and may be severe thunderstorms as well. rod brown baltimore and on to the eastern shore tomorrow afternoon, watch for gusty winds. the possibility of periods of rain lasting into friday morning before it clears out friday afternoon. the weekend starts nice, but here comes another batch of unsettled weather and some chilly temperatures should get here by the second half of the weekend. the rain is the big thing we are looking here in this area of bright yellow where it changes into orange. tides on the western shore running 1-2 feet above normal, heavy rainfall means we could have flooding of low lying areas along with minor coastal flooding on the west side of the bay.

a wind advisory covers much of the eastern shore. thus the 35-40 miles an hour with some of the heavier showers. in addition to some severe thunderstorms rolling through. you can just summon up as windy and wet tomorrow. -- sum it up as windy and wet tomorrow. small craft a advisories are up. waves of 3-4 feet, so out on the day in the open water, you will get into some wind and rain tomorrow. rain is likely in the mountains and the heaviest rain will likely fall around the bay with a stop these wins at 15-30 miles an hour. lower eastern shore has the potential for some severe thunderstorms with gusts of 35- 45 miles an hour. 75 and let tomorrow, but it clears out during the day friday. could be some re lingering early friday morning. saturday looks good. sunday looks a lot cooler, maybe even a few showers.

sunday's high only 59. >> lot of turnover at reagan's camp today. is in and out and up in the air for sunday's steelers game? that is up next in sports. >> its powerball. it estimated jackpot is $35.5 million. tonight you are multiplier is board. -- is for. 52-13-55-44-51.

your powerball is 30.

>> lots of comings and goings for the ravens today. the team released trevor pryce to read it -- to bring can

hamlin back on the roster. ray rice, the biggest part of the running game, remains questionable for sunday in pittsburgh. he showed up at the practice field today but did not take part in the workout. he suffered a bruised knee last sunday. last december, he ran for 140 yards in pittsburg. he is the only back in the last 37 games to rush for more than 100 yards against the steelers. rice did not talk to the media today. with or without him, the ravens expect a physical game on sunday at pittsburg. all --uy the line that ravens and versus distillers matters more than most. the ravens have only one once in their last nine trips to pittsburg.

>> i would be lying if i towed it was just about the game. it is a little bit more than that. we definitely want to win. this is the game on the schedule that we circle and we definitely look forward to. this one is a little bit more important than all the other division games. >> you can see more on how the ravens will go about trying to beat pittsburg on be a helpless. -- on wbal plus. the orioles took care of the last motivational milestone of the season, by beating tampa bay 2-0. they will avoid losing 100 games this season. after clinching the collette -- playoff spot, a sweet grass on the bluecross scott line drive.

-- bluecross scott line drive. -- luke scott. no one is going to get this ball. he finds the gap in right-center field. first run of the game, adam jones gets the last run of the gaime. kevin will -- millwood, the best start of the season, struck out with bases loaded in that seventh. for years, towson university has waited for its athletic program to draw some national attention. today the school turned to the new athletic director to lead the tigers in that direction. he arrived from the university of cincinnati where he served as associate athletic director. towson was to follow a similar path to cincinnati, a school with potential. telson has struggled in its two highest profile sports. football has not had a winning

team in five seasons. the men's basketball team has had 13 straight losing seasons. >> the plans that are going on here are extraordinary. just look around this campus. doesn't look like it did five years ago? hopefully when you come around a few years from now, you will see that gradually it will come about. some things quicker than others, but make no mistake about it, it is a marathon, not a sprint. >> make no mistake about this, tom tasselmyer will be right back with yurt seven-day boss: and now i'll turn it over to the gecko. gecko: ah, thank you, sir. as we all know, geico has been saving people money on rv, camper and trailer insurance... ...as well as motorcycle insurance... gecko: oh...sorry, technical difficulties. boss: uh...what about this? gecko: what's this one do? gecko: um...maybe that one. ♪ dance music

boss: ok, let's keep rolling. we're on motorcycle insurance. vo: take fifteen minutes to see how much you can save on motorcycle, rv, and camper insurance. two governors, two different approaches. even in good times bob ehrlich did not make education a priority. he increased college tuition by 40%, cut school construction by $200 million, and ehrlich voted to eliminate the department of education while serving in congress. but martin o'malley, even in the toughest of times, has made record investments in public schools, new school construction, and o'malley froze college tuition four years in a row. with martin o'malley, our children always come first.

old gibbs canning company. today these factories are full of dot com businesses. and now my job is helping maryland create new economy jobs. training new math and science teachers investing in our institutions of excellence pioneering new cyber security jobs and giving an old gm plant a jump start building electric motors. i'm barbara mikulski. i approve this message so you'll know i'm fighting for you.

>> flood watch in effect, wind advisory, wind and rain. a wet day tomorrow as the tropical system rolls through. >> have a good night, everybody. >> have a good night, everybody. bob ehrlich's real record on energy. lobbyists helped write utility regulations. we got stuck with a 72% rate hike. but martin o'malley got tough on bge, forcing them to pay back $2 billion to consumers. and what's bob ehrlich been doing the past four years? he got paid $2.5 million at a lobbying firm,

a firm representing special interests and casinos right here in maryland. that's bob ehrlich-- a 72% increase for us and $2.5 million from special interests for himself. nice work, bob. from "secretariatar