as baltimore city police officers. the latest incident in federal hill where a couple was bound and gagged inside their home after two or three suspects burst down the door identifying themselves as baltimore city police officers. >> it was 3:00 friday morning when they believed to be armed and masked men broke through the door of this home in the 6000 block in federal hill. the suspects identified themselves as baltimore police officers, bound and gagged a male and female inside and only got away with a cellphone. >> of these individuals are coming in at all hours of the morning claiming to be some type of warrant units. immediately, people have trust for the police officers. very quickly, this couple realized that these individuals were up to no good. >> this is the second crime to

happen in the city this week. the suspects kicked in the door of the home, also identifying themselves as police. it ended with a male victim getting shot. they spoke with one of the victims of camera about the incident. he was afraid to use his voice on camera and the suspect used a crowbar. he swore he had a gun pointed at his head. police say they will be stepping up patrols as they worry about trust issues between citizens and the police. >> how you are immediately going to be more cooperative, and that is what concerns us. they are taking the authority and trust of the police officers and they are exploiting that. >> please tell us that they are looking into the possibility that the northeast, invasion and

the other home invasion could be related. we have confirmed that police believe that the suspects were not wearing police uniforms or displayed badges. anyone with information on either one of these break-ins, call 911. >> police are searching for the suspect that shot a man last night in southwest baltimore just before 1130. and we have a sad story tonight from prints george's county. a 5-year-old who got his hands on a gun and shot a 4-year-old at a playground. the 4-year-old the them was shot in the back and fortunately, he is expected to survive. it appears the 5-year-old was scared and he hid the weapon in

his family's department. >> the 15-year-old that was shot and killed during a sleepover was laid to rest today. investigators say a 11-year-old found a gun inside the home. while he was handling it, and accidentally went off. they found a total of 22 guns in the, and so far no charges have been filed. >> fire investigators are trying to figure out what started a blaze at a shopping center. they responded to a building behind the liberty plaza shopping center. it took the crew about an hour to put out the flames. also still under investigation, this fire that we first brought you as breaking news last night. we have the dramatic pictures of a massive barrage fire -- garage

fire. it also spread to nearby fences. firefighters were able to prevent the fire from burning other homes. >> police say there war and operation targeting violent offenders was a major success. the mayor announced the initiative will be extended for another two weeks. they will be able to get an additional 100 criminals off of the streets. >> the number one thing that communities are talking about is public safety. we don't want to take our eye off of the goal of creating a safer city. >> they have more than 1000 warrants and arrested more than 640 individuals and just 30 days. >> residents have access to a tool to keep up with issues related to public safety and crime. the service allows residents to sign up for a lurked by

individual police departments -- excuse me, police and district. -- alerts by individual police districts. click on "local news." >> the fourth of july can be a lot of fun, but safety should be the number one priority. we are joined from the inner harbor with more details. >> of the coast guard will be out in full force. there are some pro-active steps you can take to make sure your holiday weekend doesn't end in tragedy. >> 84% of the fatalities we have seen on the water recently, eight out of 10 folks did not have their life jacket on. >> make sure there are enough life jackets for every person on your boat.

in addition to having a radio and telephone on board, they also want to have a plant in place. >> let someone know where you're going and what your plans are. it can be as simple as a phone call. i have this many people on board. >> think twice about drinking alcohol on board. >> there is still time involved, heavy fines. the voyage will be terminated. >> fireworks and the fourth of july go hand in hand. but they sent hundreds of people to the emergency room with injuries. >> they can blow to pieces, parts of the hand completely off. it is similar to somebody throwing a firecracker. you can see the extensive burns that occur to this hard boiled egg.

take that burn, that rupture, and apply it to an eyeball. you end up with scarring that will result in permanent vision loss. >> to prevent injuries, keep an eye on someone at all times. we have great whether shaping up to be a good holiday weekend. for more safety tips and safety suggestions, go to wbaltv.com. >> it is time to get out of town. the travel rush well on its way. we are keeping an eye on the roadways. good news, bad news? >> this is the mass exodus from the western shore to the eastern shore. everybody headed to ocean city or thereabouts. we can tell you that the backup starts just past the drive and

it is solid from this point until you get over to the eastern shore. right where the outlets are, you have the problems out of 404 and route 50. we have problems at interstate 95. it is heavy in both directions as well as the tunnel. both north and south about has delays as well. -- south bound has delays as well. i'm captain roy taylor. >> lots of sunshine and temperatures in the 80's. the eight degrees, will drop back to the 60's to ninth. a little warmer and more humid tomorrow. there could be a leftover showers may be on independence day, but i doubt if it has that much of an effect on the

fireworks displays. we will talk more about it in the seven-day forecast in a few minuets. >> what are you doing on independence day? click on the flag at wbaltv.com. >> the ceo of the baltimore city school system is staying put. he has accepted a four-year contract. he will be paid $260,000 a year, a multi-car side and an undisclosed performance bonuses. it comes on the wake of significant declines and the announcement that several schools cheated on the test. exxon mobile faces more than $1 billion in punitive damages alone. the civil court jury made the decision yesterday. 160 residents and business owners sued after a gasoline

leak had foiled their ground water. >> budget battles are front and center across the country. while projects are shut out in the state of minnesota this holiday weekend, in washington, lawmakers are going into a long weekend with short tempers. >> in minnesota -- >> a night of deep sorrow for me. >> the state government shut down. >> maximum pain for political gain. >> the state parks will be closed, road projects stock, tens of thousands laid off. >> we will try to find another job. >> what was the roadblock? the governor wanted tax increases. it sounds a lot like the debate

in washington. congress has one month to raise the borrowing limit or risk of default. >> raising the debt ceiling is not a long-term strategy. >> democrats insist on closing tax loopholes. >> $100 million, they should be paying their fair share. >> economists say any recovery could be threatened by default. lawmakers headed out for a short holiday break. in a week where the president scolded congress -- >> if you know you have to do something, just do it. >> maybe if he just took a valium and calmed down. >> failure to come together could be a catastrophe. >> the july 22 is a more accurate deadline because it would take a few days to

implement any changes. in washington, wbal tv 11 news. >> david passed away last night at his home. he passed away as member of the maryland house of delegates. he he is survived by his wife and his son. he was 63 years old. still ahead, it is tradition every fourth of july, but there will be a new spin. >> into a night goes a medical alert, conversations between family members reveal a lot about their relationship. >> shocking twists and turns in the casey into the murder trial. -- anthony mruder t -- murder trial.

>> local students are getting into the holiday spirit. and they held their ninth annual independence day parade. the kids made floats representing the theme of 30 years of exceptional educational programming. the winning class will get a trophy for the best in show.

and just before the fourth of july parade, all sorts of other things lined up to mark the spot. residents decided to have a chair decorating contest. the winner will get $300 in cash and primary seating at the fireworks display. >> in tonight's met color, there is a chance your child has a cellphone. 80% -- a medical alert, there is a chance your child has a cellphone. celllphone stations -- cellphone conversations can reveal a lot about their relationships. >> and the nature and come out of their calls can reflect their relationship and self-esteem. >> is good, i guess. >> it is the title of a new study where 196 hairs answered

questions about calls to one another have their impact. we talked to moms and their daughters about their cellphone relationships. >> and do you ever called just to chat? >> not really. are we close? not at all. it is basically just to keep in contact. >> i called to make sure they are okay or in bed. that they have showered or are in bed at a good amount of time. >> she never calls me, i only call her if i need her. or to say something about my sister. >> kids the call their parents for guidance or support report better relationship. parents that initiate calls to

monitor, track school work, they were associated with increased conflict. teenagers say they feel worse about themselves when parents angrily called them. parents also feel worse about themselves when they call when upset. there cellphone interactions actually enhance their relationship. >> i am one of those random good teenagers. i call her constantly to tell her what is going on. >> we are lucky that we get along so well. in some ways, it makes it easier to keep the lines of communication open. there are things that she may not want to sit in front of me and talk about. but if we are talking or testing, -- texting, we can talk

more openly. >> even very young babies are prone to learning voices and emotions. mri's on sleeping babies, when they play audio of human sounds, the babies had more activity babies heard other sounds, and it may help with babies at risk of developing communications sounds. >> they will continue that this evening. a little bit warmer today. the at the airport, -- 80 at the

airport. after sunset, you can turn the air conditioning off. it will keep us dry until we get a little deeper into the weekend. we will start at 6:00 in the morning tomorrow. we will watch the system coming in from the west. it might track across the ridge into baltimore late in the day. on sunday evening, a stronger front is going to be coming through with scattered thunderstorms likely developing late in the day on sunday evening. depending on the speed of the front, it might get hung up across the eastern shore and we might have to keep the chance for showers even on the fourth of july. it is just a small chance and i doubt it will have much effect on the fireworks displays. a better chance for rain if you're going to the beaches.

mostly clear tonight, pleasant. temperatures will drop into the upper 60's. that slight chance for a thunderstorm late in the day or evening, those of the day will be fine. upper e.'s at love 90's. you will have to watch for lightning late in the day. but it will be a good day on the water. one or 2 feet, the next high tide is in the morning. it will be overall a good beach weekend. 87 for the high. the same fund will create some thunderstorms late in the day on sunday. it will be a good each day during the day and the front will incur along the -- a good andh day anduring the day the front will linger along the

coast. by far the best chance for rain will be sunday evening with maybe a leftover showers on sunday or monday. i doubt that it will affect the fireworks displays. more chance for rain at the end of the weekly thursday and into friday. >> another surprise at the murder trial of casey anthony. >> a definite recess. what might have caused the latest delay. >> a judge decided to release of the imf fund director on his own recognizance. -- reconaissance.

>> the former head of the international monetary fund has been released from house arrest without posting bond. the charges have been dropped but he has been ordered not to leave the united states. it has questions about the credibility of the hotel housekeeper that accused him of sexual assault back in may.

he is accused of attacking a made that came to clean his room. the next hearing is set for july 18. >> prosecutors for the pc anthony -- casey and denny trial -- anthony trial iare back. >> the rebuttal evidence gave her mother just as much reason to squirm. >> does this record continue all week in this fashion? >> yes it does. >> it showed cindy at her job on days that she claims to be doing searches at home on march 17 and 212008. her former boss contradicted the sworn testimony on why she was home. >> was there ever a time that she would be allowed to be at home?

and the records would reflect that she is actually at work? >> yes. >> would that be illegal? >> yes. >> it showed no evidence of the terms that she claimed she was looking for. the prosecution took aim at the defense claims of the opening of her skull to find and try to blame -- to find dried brain matter. >> there is no protocol that i am aware of. >> but other experts refuted defense testimony that her autopsy was a botched. >> you can accurately examine a human skull without doing that. >> we will look at the de's top stories, including a teenager

released -- the day's top stories, including a teenager released. >> details are next. >> new laws regarding alcohol are on tap today. [cap

>> live, local, late-breaking. everywhere you are. you are watching wbal-tv 11 news. 11 news at 5 in hd continues now.

>> as as of new laws go into effect right now. -- dozens of new laws go into effect now. >> you can take your dogs with you to die and outdoors. our reporter made a list. >> liquor stores across maryland seemed a lot busier yesterday. perhaps people were stocking up for the long holiday weekend. they are also taking advantage of the fact that the tax on alcohol goes up by 9% today. >> a new era begins. now >> is the time for direct line. shipments to your home are legal. this man was the first to place an order. the state made applications available june 10. as many as 30 binaries' signed up.

-- wineries signed up. caters will have to keep meticulous records since the -- caterers will have to keep meticulous records. a portion of the money will fund services for the developmentally disabled. next year, the tax goes into the fund. governor. says henor o'malley will help in the future of the process. a state income tax credit takes effect for 20% of the cost of electrical vehicle charging equipment. the amount state employees will pay for retirement goes up. employees will be invested in the plan in 10 years rather than the current five.

policies will be developed to raise awareness about the risk of concussions. july ushers in a new meaning to the phrase bon apetit. -- bon appetit. >> here is a look at some of our other top stories at this hour. a sad one out of princess -- out of prince george's county. officers responded to a shooting yesterday afternoon. the four-year old item is expected to survive. the five year-old was scared after the gun went off and hid the gun in the family's apartment. the second teenager convicted in the death of a boy has released

-- has been released into custody. christopher jones died following an attack while riding his bicycle. police believe he was caught in the middle of a gang dispute. he was -- his assailant is being released. he will be on probation until he is 21. >> this weekend, the baltimore symphony orchestra's star spangled spectacular is expected to draw thousands. tomorrow night, a recent high- school graduate will sing the national anthem. if the name sounds familiar, it is for a good reason. >> 18-year-old christian is warming up before his

performance saturday night. >> i am singing the national anthem. >> he is one of three winners of a singing contests. he competed against 30 other vocalists. for him and his parents, being recognized for his singing talents is somewhat new. he started playing piano at four years old and studied for years. >> we did not know and he did not know that he loves to sing. >> the first time i heard him sing solo was one month ago. anchristian's sister is olympic medalist. she does not play piano. christian does not swim. >> that is correct. we kind of split off.

>> christian is also a song writer. he just graduated from townsend high school. he will study music education. he is excited to perform with the bso in front of thousands. >> it is an amazing opportunity for me. i have not had a lot of solo performance opportunities. i am excited. >> you can get tickets to the bso spectacular. >> still ahead on 11 news, the a college student who died is suing the university. then there has been another accident involving a tour bus.

>> the mother of a cornell university student who died in

an alleged hazing incident is suing the university for $25 million. the student had a bright future ahead of him, planning to be a doctor. his life was cut short involving a drunken hazing incident with his fraternity. >> this lawsuit can be a powerful mechanism for communicating with other students and parents and fraternities and universities that dangerous behavior takes place under the auspices of good clean fun. >> the lawsuit claims the student was involved in a mock kidnapping. the claim says they bought his ankles and compelled him to consume him-- bound his ankles and compelled him to consume alcohol. the university says it has a zero tolerance policy.

>> a tour bus crashed on marco island. >> an overnight explosion leveled a pennsylvania car wash. the blast destroyed the car wash in lancaster. the explosion involved propane tanks. fortunately, nobody was hurt. an explosion leveled a 5000 square foot home in georgia early this morning. three were seriously hurt in the blast, which happened around 5:30 a.m. because of the blast is still under investigation. >> celebrating the fourth of july is a tradition in many american families. >> the cost of food is high. we will break down why in this

consumer alert. >> it has been a beautiful stretch of weather. things are going to change over the holiday weekend. we will show you the seven-day forecast. 88 degrees at the airport. 88 degrees at the airport.

>> the improper use of funds and serious allegations against the state highway administration after possible violations of ethics laws were found. as you start to celebrate this holiday weekend, officials remind you to be careful. those stories and a look at new state laws in l

>> some inner-city students caught a unique opportunity on their vacation. they spent a week in pr doing service projects and learning puerto rico- in doing service projects and learning about the culture. >> a lot of the kids in baltimore city have never gone out of their neighborhoods or around the corner or across the street. eight of the kids on the flight would thus have never -- had never flown before. even though the people in puerto rico are poor, they did not know

how poor. >> we planted palm trees and we went to old san juan. we saw how everyone lives. >> we went to build people houses. we tried a lot of food and we met new people. >> those new experiences left an impression on their lives and left them more appreciative now that they are back in baltimore. >> there are a lot of things here that are not there. there are privileges. most people in puerto rico do not have televisions. we build houses and i am grateful for the house that i have.

>> i want to give back to the community. >> the group will come back for a reflection ceremony in a couple of weeks. they are planning another trip to the country next summer. >> what a great opportunity for them. a pollution study over the skies of baltimore today. we caught up with the nasa plane as it flew over baltimore county this morning. it will measure ground level air quality from space. to get accurate readings, the plane will have to fly close to the ground. today was the first of 14 scheduled flights throughout the month of july. >> the platt river is rising quickly because it cannot drain into the already swollen missouri river. it dropped 15 feet in 12 hours on monday. the number of roads and highways

-- a number of roads and highways are already closed. crews are already building a temporary highway. >> i was about to say, good morning, everyone. great weather. you can open the windows at night and turned the air conditioning off. the humidity is only 23%. that is great for the beginning of july. the numbers look impressive. if you consider the low humidity, it is great. 92 downtown. the normal for today is 86. we dropped into the 50's in some neighborhoods. tonight, it will be comfortable again. after sunset, you can turn the air conditioning off an open the windows. the temperatures will drop after the sun goes down. 82 in parkton.

clear skies out there. a beautiful evening. nothing to talk about at home. we are watching the storm system in the midwest that will do a couple of things. it will increase the chance for rain and will provide some warmer and more humid conditions. the humidity is going to go up along with the chance for rain. if you have outdoor plants, you are not going to cancel anything. -- if you have outdoor plans, you are not going to cancel a thing. south southwest wind at 10. gray day to take the boat out tomorrow. a lot of people -- great day to

take the boat out. if you are going down the ocean, it will be a different story in ocean city. there will be a front coming through on sunday. the thunderstorm will be on sunday evening. scattered thunderstorms in the evening sunday night. there could be some leftover showers at the beach on monday. not a washout. that is the same story here at home. as the front comes in, another chance for rain. it will be warm and more human for sure on sunday. -- more humid on sunday. i doubt if it will have any effect on the fireworks displays. >> in tonight's consumer alert,

things are looking up for the automobile industry. june figures are expected to show sales of 1.1 million vehicles. incentives lured some buyers in. manufacturers spent $200,000 on incentives. there is some backlash now in some areas against laws that promote healthy eating in restaurants. some states are adopting legislation that will keep government from adding laws to curb obesity. that includes removing trans fats from foods. many americans will head to national parks during the holiday weekend and throughout the summer. a new study indicates quite a few of those parks are in great need of repair.

a study by the national park conservation association points out that there are threats to plant and animal life from adjacent development. >> throughout the park system, 60% of historic structures are in need of some type of repair or maintenance. >> national parks advocates say parks are a major economic engine in many rural areas. we have already heard about higher gas prices that will keep a lot of the off of the road and at home this july 4. be prepared to be socked in the pocketbook even when you are cooking out this weekend. >> not even be july for the barbecue is immune from the forces of nature. the cost of the cookout is up 12%.

from $54 last year to $61 this year. all of the cookout staples are higher, including charcoal and propane. even the beer. >> we have raw materials that have to be shipped to the factories to get the beer. >> after guzzling a lot of gas to get there. there is another reason. bad weather in bavaria germany has caused a worldwide shortage worldwidehops. -- worldwide shortage for hops. prices on fireworks have gone up, too. dozens of cities have cut back or cancelled displays of the rocket's red glare.

>> if you do not already have plans for the holiday, we are here to help you out. we have posted a list of local event on our web site, wbaltv.com. do not forget to upload your celebration photographs. walmart is once again on top when it comes to sales. the top 100 list of retailers was released. walmart topped the list followed by kroger and target. amazon jumped to no. 19 from no. 26 thanks to the kindle. >> a new audit shows some problems within the state highway association. what does the agency planned to do to fix them? >> the nfl lockout remains. we have a ball and we will have that story straight ahead.

-- we have football and we will have that story straight ahead.

>> we do not know when the baltimore ravens will use the stadium for its purposes. between rock concert and monster truck rallies, there is some football being played. >> high school kids enjoy the stadium today. >> a quiet offseason for the

baltimore ravens but not for their marketing department. they put together this terminate -- put together this tournament. a dream come true for many of the kids finding their way to play in the ravens' palace. >> we want to thank the ravens for all they do for the kids. >> a nice crowd of friends and family in attendance including a maryland quarterback as he sneaks in a little scouting for some hopeful future teammates. you had to wonder how miserable it might be, a typical july day on an artificial surface. could reach 140 degrees. but there was a perfect scenario for football.

everyone taking part in the exhibition left the stadium a winner. >> that does it for us. here is a look at what is coming up new at 6:00. >> coming up, how a whistle roller -- whistleblower lead to an investigation. >> and a home invasion whose suspects identified themselves as police officers. >> plus what you need to know to make sure your holiday does not end in tragedy. live, local, late-breaking. everywhere you are. this is wbal tv 11 news at 6.

>> credible evidence supporting allegations against some employees of the maryland state highway administration. >> the review states possible ethics violations that have been turned over to the state attorney general for possible criminal charges. the agency is responding to serious allegations about how the jobs are done. a tip led to a special review of the state highway administration. the review was conducted from july to december 2010. the findings are major. >> employees have to be cognizant that they work for the state government. they have to be accountable to the taxpayers. >> an employee appears to have solicited funds doing business with the