13 and september 29 -- and september 28. david collins is live. >> this case is as puzzling as it is dangerous. the victims seemed to be chosen at random. you're watching the destructive potential of molotov cocktails, as demonstrated on youtube. these appear to be extreme examples, but molotov cocktails are shudderingly peace in neighborhoods all over the city. police and fire investigated as many as nine incidents. >> individuals are not being targeted. they appear to be very random, and fortunately there has been no significant property damage or injuries as a result. >> investigators do not believe it is gang-related, but it may be the work of more than one person, based on the locations. most incidents have happened in the north and northwest, but some are in the central, east,

and west sides of town. >> we have reached out to see if it is a media sensation, or something on youtube perpetuating it, but nothing we have found. >> police have collected evidence, but will not disclose what it is. authorities say the molotov cocktails are thrown through windows of occupied homes. sometimes, the devices ignite. sometimes, they do not. as seen in the youtube demonstrations, fire officials warn a molotov cocktail can be deadly. >> it takes less than a minute or one room in your home to become fully involved. the that can impact occupants in the house to become asphyxiated or overcome with smoke, lifeless, but so they succumb to the flames. >> please do not have suspects or descriptions. -- police do not have suspects or descriptions. they are looking for leads in

the neighborhoods. anybody with information is asked to call city police. david collins, wbal-tv 11 news. >> detectives are looking for people in person making city police officers. three men burst into a home in northwest baltimore. two victims inside were handcuffed. when one tried to break away, he was shot in the face. he was taken to sinai and is in stable condition. >> it is extremely rare for a police department to come into your house and do no-knock entry. if you're in that select group of people, you know you have contacts with police who do that kind of raid. people who do not have a history of criminal offenses -- police officers will not randomly breakdown your door and announce a raid. that is not how business is conducted. >> if you sense something is not right with an officer, called

911. they will verify if the person is a police officer. police also need help finding three men who broke into a home and shot a man in south baltimore around 5:00 this morning on townsend avenue. the victim was shot after they ransacked the home and sexually assaulted a woman. the victims are all being treated. >> the search is on for a man shot this afternoon near pimlico race course. the man was taken to an area hospital, but no word on his condition. a city police officer is recovering in shock trauma, treated for a leg injury after an accident at cathedral st. in mount vernon. two other people were also taken to the hospital, suffering from mountain biking injuries. because remains under investigation. >> a teenager was trying to cross the street in woodlawn when she was struck by an suv.

investigators say the driver remained at the scene. there is no word tonight on the teenager condition or traffic citations. in anne arundel, a man threatened an off-duty police officer with a syringe. he ran from a drugstore on the highway after employees called the police for a fact. when he was confronted by an officer, he stabbed himself with a syringe and then threatened to use it on the officer. marshall took off running and entered a grocery store, where he held employees at bay with a knife. officers were able to arrest him without further incident. nobody was injured. >> a carjacking back in march -- the perpetrator will spend the next 29 years behind bars. he did not offer a plea in the case. and this bit -- beat the 61- year-old victim before stealing

the car. ennis's dna and fingerprints were found inside the vehicle. >> it has been a mostly dry day, with some sunshine. the weather conditions are beginning to ease, at least for the next day, before another round of changes. a few scattered showers that popped up on popular have diminished and moved east of our region. what we are left with is dry, mild weather. temperatures in the mid-70's around baltimore. in the 50's out west. 70's on the lower eastern shore. a comfortable pattern, essentially dry weather for another 24 hours. then there is a chill and more wet weather in the weekend. all of that in a few minutes. >> city housing officials are trying to figure out what caused a baltimore home to collapse overnight. the home near west north avenue collapsed just after 2:00 this

morning. investigators say it does not appear anybody was inside. there have been no reports of injuries. >> slamming the social security administration and federal reserve, rick perry tried to revive his slumping campaign. there are positive signs about the u.s. economy that kerrey and his rivals -- perry and his rivals are focused on. >> our economy expanded. not much, but better than expected. fewer americans filed for unemployment last week. the german government okayed a plan for europe's debt crisis. the u.s. house okayed a stopgap to avoid a government shut down. but u.s. home sales were down in august, and only a third of u.s. ceos said they would be hiring in the next six months. the obama-biden team admits the

overall economy is still bad. >> we have to kickstart this economy that is stalled. >> just focus on job creation. that is what it is all about. >> rick perry went on cnbc. he needs to kickstart his campaign. his support died after recent debates. he called social security a ponzi scheme. perry said today he would transform the system. >> anybody on social security today, anybody approaching it, do not have anybody -- anything to worry about. >> he did claim we are being deceived. >> a young person, 26 years old, if they are told everything is alright and the money will be there when they retire -- that is a lie. >> rick perry, still talking tough about economic security, the big issue. but rick perry has a specialty party spent. he revved up his demand that the federal reserve back off.

he wants u.s. private industry alone to lead us back into prosperity. wbal-tv 11 news. >> in los angeles, jurors are hearing more about the final moments of michael jackson's life as the conrad murray trial resumes. he is charged with negligence in the death of jackson, charges he denies. >> after two days of testimony, members of the jackson family arrived for day three of the trial. a witness for the prosecution, alberto alvarez, testified about the vital minutes when the pop star stopped breathing. >> he was on his back with his hands extended. >> it was a chaotic scene as jackson's children watched in, and which. >> paris screamed out, "daddy."

>> was she crying? >> yes. >> he was asked to call 911. >> he has stopped breathing. >> but first the doctor told him to help collect drug vials and and i'd be back in the room. -- an iv bag in the room. >> when i grabbed a plastic bag, he said remove that and put it in the blue bag. >> the prosecution is suggesting a possible cover-up by murray. >> he was ordering a cleanup of the scene rather than attending to michael. that shows a consciousness of guilt. attorneysurray's deny. it is unclear if he will be called to testify.

wbal-tv 11 news. >> we want to update you on the breaking news in west baltimore. there is a vacant home that was a blazing fire. it is now mostly out. a little bit of fire coming from the roof. firefighters are on the scene. it looks to be largely out. this is on south norris street. no reports of injuries. >> still ahead, there is a lot of upset among boston red sox today, thanks to a win by the orioles. >> it was a late night. we will have the highlights. >> most people break out happy -- wake up happy and have their mood decline throughout the day. twitter help research figure that out. >> it is kind of gross, but could be the answer to helping diabetics with severe wounds that will not heal. >> i am rob roblin.

the rain we have had has not been good for the grapes in maryland. that story coming up. >> players celebrate a big birthday.

>> made stephanie willens blake engaged the services coupled and orioles -- in danger of the services of the orioles to get -- engaged the services of the orioles to get help for pets in baltimore. the message -- a home can help a cat or dog. today is the first day of the off-season for the orioles. this is also the first day of the off-season for the boston red sox, thanks to the baltimore orioles. gerry sandusky joins us with highlights of last night's exciting game. >> it is fun to be a spoiler. regardless of the outcome, the orioles would end their season last night. all the drama came from boston. the collapsed in the wild card race, the fifth biggest september collapse ever. watching the tampa bay rays walk them -- lock them out of

playoffs -- terry frank, one a couple of world series in boston. -- terry francona won a couple of world series in boston, so you cannot blame a curse. pedroia hits to left. on to the ninth after a rain delay. papelbon comes into a save situation. a strike out a way, reimold one- hops into the stands. a tying run. pemmican boston. -- panic in boston. crawford cannot come up with the catch. the throw home is like. tampa beats the yankees in extra innings. the club misses the postseason. >> at the moment, i cannot really know too much.

it will catch up with me in a week. i can tell you that. it is horrible. >> if we check back with boston in a week, they still will not be in the playoffs. next up -- the orioles general manager is deciding to stay or go. that could lead to another restructuring attempt to rebuild the team with a 14th straight losing season. at least we remember now what exciting baseball looks like in camden yards in september. >> in tonight pep "medical alert," maggots have been found to help heal diabetes patients. researchers in hawaii study the effects of my kids on open wounds in 21 of 27 -- of maggots on open wounds. some of the wounds had been

unhealed for as much as five years. >> the therapy was not only able to help in the infection, but to bring good blood flow to the area. the pictures we were shown previously demonstrated how macaque -- necrotic the tissue was, how black. by the end, it is pink and healthy. >> might get treatment goes back to biblical times. -- maggot treatment goes back to biblical times. there used dropped with the introduction of antibiotics. these are medical-grade maggots. not attempt to sultry. >> people are happiest when they first get up in the morning and the weekends. researchers are using twitter to investigate little-known thoughts.

>> the sun is up. the birds are tweaking, and so are we. >> people generally wake up in a good mood. >> scott boulder used twitter to map the mood swings of people from 84 countries. at any moment, somebody is treating information about what they are doing or peeling. they are recorded -- doing or feeling. they are reported in a massive archive. >> that is why twitter was so attractive to study. >> the computer program analyzed half a billion tweets, looking for specific words like happy, curse words, and smiley faces. they found patterns across the world. people start the day refreshed from sleep and happy. mou deteriorates over the day, presumably because of work. there was a universal need for

happy hour. >> on friday, people start talking about happy hour more, and earlier in the day. >> moods rebound at night before we fall asleep. then we resume the next day. >> speaking of happy hour, johns hopkins researchers say magic mushrooms may have a medicinal benefit. researchers studied psilocybin by giving a high dose to 50 adults. over half had measurable changes in personality, especially in the area of openness. there were more likely to be tolerant and use imagination. some effect lasted more than a year. the mushrooms may be used for therapeutic purposes or to treat addiction. >> now, your insta-weather forecast with tom tasselmyer. >> there were showers, fewer

than we have seen in the past couple of days. there was rain in the area. we can see most showers rotating north and east, moving out. at least for the next couple of hours, dry weather. additional scattered light rain showers did add to the total of a record-setting month of september, one of the all-time wettest months ever. you can see the top 5 since records started in baltimore, going back to 1871. all of the top five are in august or september. tropical storms that make their way up here have a big impact on precipitation in the peak hurricane season months, even though we do not take a direct hit. we do get impact. september 2011 is the third wettest month ever, just behind august 1933 and well behind august 1955, when there were a couple of big hurricanes.

tonight, partly cloudy skies. rain in the area. we may see a little cloud cover after midnight and early friday morning. for most of this evening, it will be pleasant. southwest winds at five. the sun goes down at 6:53. we are getting rid of the storm that plagued us for several days. it is having across eastern canada. as soon as it moves out, here comes a new one, cold air that will sneak beneath the low pressure system. it is drawing chilly fall air out of central canada. this will be the coldest days we have had since last spring. the door will be open to fall conditions for the upcoming weekend. the leading edge, with clouds and sprinkles, moves across eastern maryland tomorrow afternoon. then when will come out of the northwest and temperatures will fall. but cool fall there will also bring in another round of

scattered showers. breezy and chile on saturday. look at the pink and blue. that is an indication of some of the highest elevations in the western maryland and virginia, which could have snow on saturday. that gives you an idea of the cool air. partly cloudy, breezy, and still chilly, with a few snow showers in the mountains to our west. if you like the warmth, hang onto the next 24 hours. it will come to an end. 20% chance of isolated showers. mostly sunny, a nice friday. waves up to 2 feet. western maryland, cold air hits first. scattered rain showers friday. scattered rain or snow showers saturday. high temperatures on saturday in the low 40's going down into the 30's saturday night and sunday morning. around the bay, 73 with a

sprinkle of shower, only 20% chance. then rain goes up and temperatures go down. upper 50's on the eastern shore. almost 80 tomorrow at ocean city, and then here comes the cold air -- highs only in the 60's on saturday. tonight for the ravens and jets -- perfect football weather. after a mild friday with only a 20% chance of a sprinkle, we drop the temperature saturday with rainshowers. partly cloudy sunday. they temperatures climbing into the upper 50's. in the evening, temperatures will be settling into the upper 40's by the time the ravens are talking up a victory later sunday. >> the national park service has released pictures of the washington monument after last month's earthquake. >> a. carroll county mom who suffered a tragic loss is hoping to build -- is hoping to build something that will benefit

children -- parents who have lost a child. the details are next. >> attorneys for amanda knocks say she has suffered too long for a crime she did not commit. the dna evidence that are hoping will kill -- will clear their client. >> a birthday bash for a former ravens' player.

>> park officials say the washington monument is in good shape after last month's earthquake, even though they pulled out dictionary sized chunks that were loose. >> engineers have been rapp elling down the side of the monument. >> inspectors dangled, searching for any damage. >> they need to continue examining all the stones at close range. >> in this case, close range is nowhere close to the ground, hanging out more than 500 feet in the air. the crew has found evidence of stress. >> they found loose mortar, loose grout, and some cracks. they have identified areas of

interest that need further examination. >> which means the high wire act will continue for at least a few more days, giving some tourists a unique photo opportunity during their visit. >> i put the zoom lens on to get the guys up there. i figure it will be a unique shot. you do not see that every day. >> the most unique perspective has to be from the man who continue their work along the sides of the monument. a glimpse of what they are seeing is captured in this video from the national park service. you cannot help but notice inspector emma cardini's smile. >> she said it was awesome, is what she said. the view is fantastic. she feels really honored to be on the washington monument. >> a national treasure, shaken but still standing, something

the team wants to make sure will continue for generations to come. wbal-tv 11 news. >> still ahead, we we cannot top stories, including a search for a missing sex offender. >> i am rob roblin. how has the rain than for the grape crop in maryland? >> a special birthday celebration.

>> lesslie charles waffen -- live. local. latebreaking. you are watching stan stovall, donna hamilton, and tom

tasselmyer. >> new tonight at 5:30, if you are a great roar, you know the recent rain has taken a toll on the crop. rain is not what grape farmers hoped for. they want warm, dry days and nights. >> we have not had that kind of weather in quite some time. rob roblin has more on this story. >> burt basignani has been making wine since 1975. over the years, he has seen all kinds of weather. >> this is the first wet weather. >> for grape growers in the mid- atlantic, the rain has created problems. >> you go from what they call downy mildew -- it will turn the sleeved brown. it has the capability of defoliating the plant.

there are rocks that occur -- rots that occur. you have to be selective about when you pick and process to get that out. >> in the spring, the birds were the problem. he used noisemakers to try to scare them off. >> this year, we have had a lot of birds feeding earlier than usual. and in large quantities. i cannot explain it. we have to work harder to scare them off. >> as far as the weather -- >> warm days, dry weather, cool evenings, which enhances flavor. you would like to see that from the middle of august through the middle of late october. >> what will this mean for wine lovers? >> it creates a bigger demand for maryland grapes. those who have weathered the storm and done good vintage culture and grown good grapes will be able to charge more.

but wineries will produce less this year. >> as far as the case, we will have to wait and see. >> until the winds are made -- woines a -- wines are made and tasted, that is the final word. >> police hope someone might recognize the suspect in this robbery at a gas station. it took place shortly after 930 in the evening. anyone with any information, like the identity of the person in this photo, should call the robbery squad. baltimore county police want to know the whereabouts of 47-year- old michael friedman. he was convicted of sexually abusing a 5-year-old girl, but has failed to register as a sex offender. he was released on august 4. he might be homeless right now.

>> here is a nice picture to look at, a doppler with no rain in all of maryland. i think we are completely dry, state-wide. nothing bad temperature wise. hagerstown into the low and mid 70's. the central and eastern part of the state -- not a bad looking thursday around our region. another batch of rain coming out of the great lakes. this is sliding south and east. it does look like that will bring another round of wet weather through the weekend. more importantly, that area of low pressure will bring in the coldest air we have felt around here since last spring. we will have details coming up. >> in honor of the birthday of a former reagan, a new t-shirt was unveiled to benefit als research. more on a party i know you were

honored to be part of. >> without question. four years ago, the player was diagnosed with als. he not only embraced the horrible challenge, but uses it as motivation for others. he is an inspiration. once upon a time, he was part of the super bowl championship, with a crushing tackle in the opening kickoff. now he relies on a wheelchair and a computer. >> i could not have asked for a better birthday present. >> but no pity -- only resolution. he remains actively involved with the team. thursday, his 42nd birthday, the ravens' shared a powerful moment with their inspiration. >> we will celebrate here. >> we want to say happy birthday. you know you have all the support from us.

you know that. we know we have it all from you. we appreciate you. i appreciate you as a brother, showing me the way, how to be a professional, and keeping these young guys professional. happy birthday from everybody. >> o.j. stole the show. his computer spoke the words, but from where they came, everybody knew his heart. >> thank you for my birthday. however, i would like to take a moment to honor you. thank you for not shying away from me, and treating the the same, regardless of what you see with your physical eyes. i know my spirit and attitude are strong. every day is a blessed day, because i have an opportunity to live life and make the most of each day. >> the celebration commenced. you ♪appy birthday to

>> this is the t-shirt on sale to raise money for als research. you can get it at the game. there is also a link on our website, wbaltv.com/sports. >> he is one of my favorite people. what an inspiration. >> that was a lovely story. >> we could be days away from a verdict in the trial. >> moments after a crash and deadly shooting, caught on tape.

>> covering the nation, the ohio state patrol will lead to dramatic video of a chase in toledo that ended in a shootout. the man led the police on chases following an armed carjacking. after the crash in the second chase, in which a person was killed, seven officers fired as much as 50 rounds at the man when he pointed a pellet gun at them. he was pronounced dead at the

scene. the portion of an arizona highway had to be shut down after a deadly tractor accident. the truck overturned and caught fire. the paper it was carrying fed the flames. police have not released the identity of the victim and there was no word on what caused the accident. >> a man fell into a grain bin at an ethanol plant this morning. the man was doing routine maintenance when he became trapped from the waist down. he was still conscious and breathing when he was rescued about two hours later. nobody else was injured. the accident is under investigation. in italy, amanda knox was in court for the final arguments in her appeals trial. she was found guilty of murdering her british room mate in 2007. court-appointed forensics scientists determined the dna in the case was unreliable, blaming

sloppy police work. the verdict is probably days away. >> looking for a last-minute deal on a hotel? there is an app that could save you money. >> in tonight's "consumer alert," changes to your debit card could hit you in the wallet. >> a mother who suffered a traumatic loss is hoping to build something to benefit parents who lose children. she will need some help. details are next. >> some dry weather has returned in maryland. we will see if it can last. 75

>> i am rod daniels. coming up at 6:00, see the state taking president obama up on his offer to help schools labeled as failing. a terrorist plot using toy

planes, but real explosives. the plan to bomb the pentagon and capitol buildings.

>> a carroll county mom is turning her tragic loss eight years ago into a way to help other parents grieving the loss of a child. >> a world wide angel of hope project for maryland families, a place to remember their loved ones. jennifer franciotti has the details. >> i see that josh is not here with friends, getting married, having children. it is the what ifs. >> there is not a base in the hughes does not miss her son. her son died in a horrible car accident in 2003.

since that time, the mother has been working to honor his memory. it is through a nonprofit she has created, called the j.o.s.h. foundation. it is others seeking healing, my son's name. >> they are constructing a memorial garden. the rain has slowed progress on the site in elders bird. >> it is a memorial garden, a national memorial dedicated to children who passed in any circumstance. there are 100 across the united states and canada. this would be the first in maryland. >> families who have lost children of any age, for any reason, could come here to mourn. they can purchase memorial tiles in their honor. >> it is a lasting memorial. you can write whatever you want to remember them. >> james monk is a j.o.s.h. foundation wall and tear. he says that each september

there will be a ceremony for families. >> every year, there is a candlelight vigil. every year, there will be a ceremony. people will be able to remember. >> they hope the memorial will be ready by the eighth anniversary of josh's death. she will need help with bridge building, signs, and materials. >> there is a lot to be done, but it is a matter of getting the help we need. >> an effort to provide peace, coming together one piece of the time. -- at a time. >> your forecast, with chief meteorologist tom tasselmyer. >> a few scattered showers raced through the region today, not producing a lot of precipitation. a few scattered showers. most of that is now north or east, moving up to southern new england. the next round of showers shows

up in ohio. that will pop in as early as tomorrow afternoon, but for the time being we can put zeros in the precipitation, colorado, a rarity this month. -- precipitation column, air rarity this month. it looks like we will finish up the month of september as not only the weapons on record and the third wettest month on record, but we are seeing a year on par with louisiana and tampa. we have almost had 50 inches in new orleans, but we are past 46 inches. the thick of seattle as wetbacks it has only tallied 25 inches -- do you think of seattle as wetbacks it has only tallied 25 inches. -- as wet?

it has only tally 25 inches. here comes another storm. clouds from the great lakes. this will be a faster-moving system, mostly on friday and saturday. i think it will leave us alone sunday. it will drag in our first fall- like air mass out of central canada. the coldest air since last spring. the last one was warm and muggy. this will be more of a fall storm, bringing in cool air. the leading edge will come through the bay area tomorrow afternoon or evening. there may be scattered sprinkel, but most spots dry. cool air arrives with breezy conditions. up in the mountains of west virginia, the rain could be mixed with a little wet snow saturday and sunday. it will be as close as western maryland, the first snowflakes of the season. enjoy the warmth tomorrow.

72 to 77 degrees. isolated showers. 15 knots on the bay, with waves around 2 feet. in the atlantic, remember the hurricane season goes through november. the storms are further out to the ocean. philippe is not going anywhere and showing -- staying week. -- weak. ophelia has become the first hurricane of these -- the fourth hurricane of the season. it looked like it was going to go away, but then it strengthened. it remains near bermuda. ophelia is a category one hurricane just east of bermuda saturday afternoon, then continues north and will weaken while phillipe stays well to the south. while the storms are staying in the atlantic, ophelia will be a minor problem in the weekend for bermuda. we are looking at low pressure

from the ohio valley. a chance of a shower tomorrow. chilly weather saturday. highs in the upper 50's. a dip into the low 40's. partly cloudy, with a high around 69. for the ravens, temperatures in the upper 40's by the end of the game. looking forward to beautiful weather monday and tuesday, with lots of sunshine. >> in tonight's "consumer alert ," major changes to your debit card. bankamerica plans to start charging a $5 monthly fee to customers who use their debit card to make purchases. customers will not be charged if they only use their cards at an atm. look for those new fees starting in early 2012. that is not the only change to look out for.

>> a simple swipe on a debit card can be an efficient way of buying goods. >> i use my debit card because i do not like running up the credit card. >> but it may not be cost efficient and more. banks have charged retailers up to 44 cents per swipe. as of october 1, banks will only be allowed to charge up to 21 cents. >> if you think about how much more people use debit cards than cash, those fees are adding up. banks could lose $9.40 million annually. >> bank tracker says beware of new monthly fees for your debit card. >> if you want to use your debit card to make a purchase, you are going to start paying anywhere from $3 to $5 per month. >> and some benefits might become a thing of the past.

>> some of the banks will start charging around october 1. >> check your bank for details on the changes. >> if those are popping up and you are unaware of it, contact your bag. there is an opportunity to get that fee removed, possibly the first month. >> either you would probably get hit with a fee for using the atm. if you need to book a last- minute hotel, price line wants to help. they have unveiled a tonight- only deals service for travelers looking for a last-minute deal. priceline is known for its name your own price feature, in exchange for hiding the name of the hotel before the purchase is complete. you can find the app on iphone. you can save up to 35% off published rates by using the

service. >> eva longoria and tina fay are the highest-paid actresses in television. fay stars in "30 rock." longoria is doing so well because of endorsement deals. running up the list include marcia cross and marge hellgenburger. nearly a dozen locations in the city attacked by molotov cocktail. police have the latest on the investigation, and how you can help find the suspect. plus, making a difference in the community. a look at recipients

>> the ravens' handed out more tickets this week, recognizing those making a difference in the community with tickets to a home game. more on this week hit recipients. >> close to 80 members strong, the national honor society has made a name for itself through giving. >> we do not do it for the gratification, but we do it to know we are helping people. >> help comes in many forms. right now, they work on handmade signs for a campaign to which they donated close to 200 coats.

their adviser is proud. >> i became a teacher to help people. i am amazed every year, to get to help other people, not just our school, but the community beyond. >> the kids helped raise over $40,000 for the johns hopkins children's center, over $800 for komen, and dedicated time to the elderly. >> to see them smile is my favorite thing. you know they are grateful. >> plenty of smiles expected at the stadium when the ravens take on the jets. this group will occupy their own row, some for the first time. >> this is my first time. >> i am excited. i have never been to a football game. >> i know people have not been, and i am happy. >> make sure you tune in

throughout the season as we celebrate the recipients for every home game. >> well-deserved recognition. that is all for 5:00. this is what is coming up at 6:00. >> city police are investigating nine firebombings in the past two weeks. details ahead. >> what maryland is doing to give local school system's academic relief. that story coming up. >> in washington, new details about the alleged terror plot with toy planes. [captioning made possible by constellation energy group] captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- >> a suspected terrorist is indicted. the north eastern physics graduate is the latest suspect to be nabbed in a sting operation by the fbi. operation by the fbi. i