[captioning made possible by constellation energy group] captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- >> good afternoon, everyone. i'm lisa robinson. we began with breaking news. what is the latest and what the uc? >> we are talking about massive storm damage happening around the area. we were away from more than paula of baltimore city,

baltimore county, east to the west side. right now we are at northwest baltimore city where bge crews are going house to house. the problem is, all the damage from the wind and the trees, we have been watching these power line guys meticulously worked on and on and on. truckle use -- truck crews, three-six truck gangs at one time either trying to get the trees cut or get the power lines and the power restored back to homes. a massive operation for bge. reporting live from skype team 11 -- sky team 11. >> are using pockets of just a mess and then everything ok and then more pockets? >> pretty much. but one thing we noticed as the trees that have been knocked down have been massive.

not like small saplings. they are huge trees that have crushed homes. they have just done tremendous amount of damage. hit and miss between the neighborhoods. pretty much like a rolling pin, as you might say. like a rolling pin came through and pretty much wiped out a neighborhood and then picks up and then comes down again. b g e has its hands full trying to get power restored to the citizens -- bge has its hands full. >> now to the big story. crews are working around the clock to restore power to hundreds of thousands left without power by friday's deadly thunderstorms. nadia ramdass tells us some of the residents are banding together. >> lisa, it is really cool story. but first, let's check out this extraordinary scene behind me. crews have been out here all day trying to remove this 70-foot

tree that not only crashed on this residential road but on luxury cars. northeast baltimore was one of the hardest-hit areas friday, leaving many without power. one community is finding a way to keep each other cool. it has been a long and painfully hot few days for residents in this northeast baltimore community. >> you come home and there is no electricity, nothing. >> not only did these residents lose their power after friday's severe storm, the area, but also in board another fierce storms sunday. the aftermath was not very forgiving. more homes after -- out of power after a tree crashed down on a transformer, leaving those without air-conditioning looking for creative ways to stay cool.

>> staying in the basement of lot. driving around in the car a little bit. you just hope for the best. >> as bge crews worked around the clock to restore power, many neighbors are banding together to stay cool. one extension cord at a time. >> this fellow down the street, he is keeping four howls of going right now. >> he is the hero. >> he is. >> these neighbors are taking turns filling up the generator is that typically take 5 gallons of gasoline twice a day. it may be setting them back $16 or $70 a trip, but neighbors say it is well worth it. >> how tough is it to get by in this heat without the generators? >> you really couldn't. >> uc extension cords from each and every direction as neighbors try to help one another state " -- you see extension cords from

each and every direction as neighbors try to help one another stay cool. >> as you can see, extension cords across the street, everyone helping each other. >> this tree removal company that is right behind me is excellent in from woodstock, new york, one of the many crews from across the country coming to maryland to assist in the cleanup. in northeast baltimore, nadia ramdass, wbal-tv 11 news. >> 229,000 customers remained without power but bge said it restored power to 224,000. the remaining outages are in baltimore county, all of the city and anne arundel, the. but the utility says some of those still in the dark may have a long week ahead of them. >> at this time we are still setting it is a multi-day restoration. we believe the majority will be restored late into the week.

but if you are one of those without power today or you are looking for a way to cool off, emergency cooling centers will remain open. there are 11 throughout the city and we have them listed on the screen. they will be open until 7:00 p.m. each day. there is a chance some of the locations they change so you are asked to call 311 before heading to a certain center. public libraries will serve as cooling centers and will be open until 8:00 p.m. and we have a complete listing on wbaltv.com. if you are thinking about getting a generator to get your power back on now or in the future, be careful. 11 news learned two people in two homes got sick because of generators. one in prince george's county started a fire as well. officials say only use them outside and keep them as far away from the house as possible. some strong storms caused at least two deaths in maryland, both by falling trees. montgomery county police in a tree apparently killed a 71-

year-old woman in her bed and silver spring and in anne arundel county a tree killed a driver. kevin o'brien was pronounced dead on the scene in harwood over the weekend. two passengers were treated for minor injuries. >> very sad to see all the destruction from friday's storm. at least the weather is cooperating right now. we have dry conditions as all the crews are out. lots of sunshine. 89 degrees at bwi. not a good day to be without air-conditioning and a lot of suffering because of the lack of power. winds at 10 miles an hour. the silver lining is it is less humid, so 93 as a high will not feel as bad. a chance of isolated storms further in the south. i think it stays mostly dry in baltimore this afternoon. details in the seven-day forecast.

>> coming up, why drinking red wine can could be -- could be good for your heart and brain. the summer olympic games are the summer olympic games are over for one of the most

>> 25 days away from the 2012 summer olympic games which you can watch here on wbal-tv but disappointing news for gymnastics fans. gold medalist liukins will not be competing after every performance in the trials on the uneven bars, one of the best events. she had balance problems and took a hard fall during the dismount. he said not making the olympic team is emotional for her, but she is ready to move on. >> for me, this was a stepping stone for the best of my life and it really made me believe by competing here and finishing the competition, if i set my mind to anything, anything is possible. they might the olympic torch is nearing the end of this long journey to london, but there was a scary moment today when two kids try to grab it from a torchbearer. they managed to avoid the

officers before actually getting their hands on the torch but they were promptly ushered away by police and the torch moves on. still to come, to spank or not to spank -- a new study on the debate. ava? >> the heat is building once again. 95 right now in st. louis. not letting go of the hot temperatures any time soon. take a look at the forecast as we head toward the holiday. a live look outdoors. beautiful shot. temperatures pushing into

alert --ay's consumer if you plan on having corner on the, for your july 4 barbeque you may want to think again. high heat and dry conditions have left the fate of the corn crop uncertain. the next two weeks are critical for corn growth, which is used for zero, sweeteners, animal feed, and ethanol in gasoline. most of us like to have flowers or shrubs to spruce up our garden, but some common plants found in nurseries are poisonous and can harm children or pets if ingested. our reporter has the details. >> you see them often, tall, flowering plants. you may know them better as foxglove. we have found plenty of them for sale. but as often happens, this one can also be toxic.

>> if you plant it in a garden and you see a little bite mark in the leaf and your son or daughter holding them leave, you need to water. >> the entire plant is considered poisonous according to the usda and eating it can be fatal. in most cases with small doses, we are talking about an upset stomach. foxglove is not the only concern. daffodils are also toxic, as well as philodendron. >> when they get into the mouth, it can cause it to swell and potentially cut off breathing. >> since there are not usually any warning labels, plant owners we spoke with often have no idea. >> i think it absolutely should be labeled. sometimes people need to be protected. >> it is a very popular flower. those are things that are not common knowledge. >> we bought both of these foxglove plant from home depot and lowe's -- home depot had a warning about not for human or

animal consumption but the one from lowe's did not have the warning. we went straight to home depot and lowe's to ask what they are doing to alert consumers. home depot says they are rolling out brand new labels with similar warnings to what we found. lowe's said they encourage consumers to choose plants wisely but they are not required to label. >> be prepared. know what is highly toxic, both indoors and out. it is always best to do your homework before you decide to build your garden. -- fill your garden. >> not quite as hot today as this weekend but still on the warm side. already temperatures pushing up to 89 degrees at bwi marshall. and little more comfortable and

ocean city, closer to the water. much cooler in the mountains, naturally cooler because the high here elevation. in the 70's right now. a great destinations. it does not feel as bad as yesterday. not as bad as friday, because the dew point have dropped. drier air from the north, and the lower the dew point temperature is, the dry here it is. hadget in the 60's as you closer to the water, or it is a lot more humid. the further north, the more comfortable it will field. a few breezy wins in parkton. -- winds in parkton. the cold front of the lawn of the drier air to cushion, but increasing the wind. the satellite and radar looks completely clear, nothing going on across the state. the cold front sinking into

virginia. behind it, fairly tranquil weather the next couple of hours. then things get more active the next couple of days. another friend making its way from the plains. he'd and humidity push back in it and with the boundary approaching you could see thunderstorms any day -- heat an d humidity pushing back in, and with the boundary approaching you could see thunderstorms any day. a few isolated thunderstorms in st. mary's county and maybe something in ocean city. south of baltimore, closer to the front we have a chance of seeing an isolated showers and storms. the entire state basically clears overnight and fairly tranquil into tomorrow morning. tonight we drop down into the 70's downtown, 60's in the suburbs and it takes us to the seven-day forecast, 90's all for what. not a major heat wave but a little above normal hearing for july, 30% chance of storms.

in fact, we keep ascared storm chance of the entire mid-week. as we get to the weekend, mostly dry saturday with high temperatures staying in the 90's. >> in today's medical alert, babies born just a couple of weeks early are likely to test poorly in grade school. researchers looked at more than 100,000 babies born between 37- 41 weeks gestation. birth records are matched the third grade math and reading tests and those born during that gestation, technically considered at term, were more likely to the reading impairment and score lower in math test. research setting spanking kids can leave a mark for years to come. it shows kids disspiriting pushing, shoving, and having were more prone to mental disorders and personality

disorders. they were all more prominent in children who were spanked. red rock -- red line long was considered healthy but now scientists are seen whether it can stop degenerative diseases .ike alzheimer's from worsening >> i am not a fellow who gives up. and i have not given up yet. >> mr. sessions is 86 years old and has not had a sip of the alcohol in his life but now he is hoping red wine will be a key to stopping his alzheimer's disease. >> i am buying time, prolonging my life. >> he recently enrolled in the red wine steady at georgetown medical center where doctors are investigating whether a compound in red grapes can stop the progression of alzheimer's disease. >> this is a totally new approach. we have never tried this before for alzheimer's disease. >> neurologist dr. raymond

turner is leading the study and he says researchers to not know exactly how it works, but they believe it can activate a gene associated with aging of the brain. >> aging is the major risk factor for alzheimer's disease, diabetes, cancer, heart disease, so we think if it really does target these genes that regulate the aging process we may have a benefit not just in alzheimer's disease. >> patients in the study will not actually be drinking red wine. they will be giving begin pills with a concentrated form of the compound and the dosage will increase every few months so at the end of the study they will have the equivalent of 1000 bottles of red wine. >> you could not possibly drink as much red wine at home. >> anything that will slow the progress is going to be worth it. >> julie and bob sessions say

they realize this study will not cure his diseased, but even if it slows it down or helps prevent alzheimer's in the future, it is worth it. >> i want to stay as alive as i can for as long as i can. >> up next, your maryland lottery -- lottery midday pick 3 and pick 4 numbers and your forecast. forecast. but first, how wall stre [ male announcer ] are you paying more

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call or click today. >> the orioles are headed to kansas city -- three orioles are headed to kansas city for the also barred game. the first time in years they landed more of than one spot. adam jones, a no-brainer. jim johnson, full-time closer with 23 saves -- jj is a first- time all-star. now your maryland lottery pick 3 and pick 4 numbers. >> good afternoon to you. angela jackson from wbal radio. here we go. pick 3 numbers. 5. 8. 5. those are your pick 3 numbers.

four new scratch off games available at a lot of retailers near you. top prize of $100,000. check out the new games that www.mdlottery.com -- at www.mdlottery.com. pick 4 -- 7. let's move along, let's get to this number, which is 2. we have this one for you, 9. wrapping it up with this number, 8. 7298 -- facebook and twitter and www.mdlottery.com. >> not as hot but still not out there. >> the humidity is a little bit better so 93 will not feel as hot but we stay in the 90's the entire week with really no relief. best chance for rain mid-week, even on the fourth only 30% chance. >> thank you for watching 11

news at noon. >> have a great day.