according to police, baltimore city firefighter and an accomplice were operating and online prostitution ring out of this warehouse at 208 pulaski street. it came crashing down for jamar simmons, and franklin coit. ledger's indicated the operation had been going on for quite some time. >> i do not have an exact figure. it is being described by the detectives, there were some logs and things that suggested this operation was not in its infancy. >> police and fbi agents seized computers, guns, drugs, condoms, and sexual aids. in 2010, simmons had faced similar prostitution charges but received probation before judgment. fire officials say simmons was with ladder 25 and could not

comment. >> we have proceeded with suspending this member without pay. we're beginning as we speak our own investigation pending the outcome of the case in the judicial system will determine what his status will be. >> we tried to speak to residents in the neighborhood. none to go on camera. it was common to see fliers advertising for prostitution. both simmons and coit are facing a laundry list of charges including charges for prostitution, weapons, and drug charges. their bond status is unknown. >> thank you. the day after to city fire companies shut down with a third scheduled for closer, the chief is getting a raise it appears. >> the mayor has requested the

increase. others gollott ridiculous. we have more in this debate. >> the mayor says the fire chief deserves the money but the fire union leaders wonder how the mayor is going to pay for this when she has said repeatedly the city has no money. >> if i am successful through this appointment process, sharpening our focus on safety will be my first priority as your new fire chief. drexel has been five years since he stepped onto the streets of baltimore from minneapolis. mayor stephanie rawlings blake proposes he gets a raise and contract extension. this sparked anger from firefighters who are upset about the shutdown of two fire companies with another set to close in october because of budget cuts. >> i have worked for this fire department for 20 years, i have never seen this in my life. this is disgusting, it makes me

sick. >> calling for the salary to jump from one letter 61,000 to more than 164,000 last -- next year with increases to follow until he reaches 195,000 in 2018. >> the city has no money, they're cutting companies. we're down economic times and he is accepting a raise. he also gave a raise of 9% to his assistant chiefs in january and february. it is downright disgraceful. >> the mayor says the race is justified saying -- the raise is justified. he made efforts to reduce fire deaths and modernize the department and work for grant money to allow the fire department to offer thousands of free smoke alarms with 10- year batteries. the chief claims he has been happy to continue serving selling despite the challenging the economy we have made great progress in reducing fire deaths

and injuries. we have more work to do but we're making significant progress to our vision of zero fire deaths, he said. in your request, the mayor said he has reduced overtime by 50%. the union leaders planned to be at the board of estimates meeting to propose -- protest the proposed pay raise. >> high taxes driving the rich out of maryland? debate over a study that claims 31,000 wealthy residents have moved out because of tax rates. the report says higher tax across the state, 1.4 $7 billion in lost tax revenue. david collins joins us live in the studio and has details. >> for anti-tax legislators and others the study confirms what has been discussed anecdotally

but others point out that while the numbers are legitimate, the study does not provide the reason why people moved out. rolen's rich taking flight. leading the state in droves. according to the group changed maryland, 31,000 residents have moved, taking with them $1.70 billion in tax revenues. republicans say the study validates what many have thought for years. >> marilyn's business climate has been in decline. the recent tax increases have not helped. >> the study looked at the migration of wealthy residents between 2007 and 2010, during the time the general assembly passed a millionaire tax that expired in 2010. they raised 10 other taxes and fees on various items. >> they need to reverse course with regard to our tax policies. that maryland should not be a high tax state but is having a detrimental impact. thehe goveor disputes

findings. the non-partisan study charges the study is not complete. it does not cite the recent the left. >> it does not report about tax policies or people's motivation. >> the study finds the state put the largest jurisdiction are losing the tax base while the base is growing in the western. baltimore county, 0.43% decline. montgomery county, 0.07% and prince george's lost 2.7% of its tax base. >> the migration data is accurate but when you look at it in comparison to the total number of people in the state, the inflows and outflows are pretty small. it is not a significant find. >> where do they go?

virginia is home to 11,000 455,000 former marylanders. north carolina is a close second. th exodus provided them with $700 million in income tax revenue. >> taxes are either an insignificant or very minor consideration. >> this funding is expected to help drive a gop push to overhaul tax codes during the next regular legislative session. gov. o'malley who was unavailable for an interview does write extensively about the change and we provided a link to his blog at wbaltv.com. >> an interesting story. president obama pitched his tax cut extension plan to voters in iowa while mitt romney talked jobs in colorado. sally kidd is in washington with tonight's commitment 2012 report. >> the focus is on the

battleground states and national polls show mitt romney and president obama are locked in a dead heat. >> a vision of a strong middle- class. >> president obama campaigning in iowa pushing his case for letting the bush tax cuts expire for the wealthy while extending them for the middle class. sense n't it make for us to keep taxes low for americans are working hard and cannot afford a tax hike right now. >> he released a new web video. blasting mitt romney for declining to release its tax return. romney slammed the president's taiex pour sprader >> when people say they are luring texas, hold onto your wallets. quex in amounts to a national [inaudible]

>> the idea of raising taxes on job creators at a time when we need more jobs is the sort of thing only an extreme liberal can come up with. >> and new poll released tuesday shows the race is dead even. >> most people are not focused on it. when a call asking for support people are going to their party candidate. unless republicans and democrats can come to an agreement, taxes are set to go up. >> close to 90% of maryland. the elementary and middle school students are making the grade on a statewide test. >> there are areas of concern. we have more on the story. >> the main concern is middle school reading.

the numbers are down and there is a lot of attention on baltimore city over the cheating on the msa. officials say they have a handle on the problem. the city's school cdo said he is convinced no one cheated on the latest test. >> this year there are no swings as and in a second consecutive year when we have monitoring in place we do not see the fluctuation we have had last year and that was exactly what i expected. >> the ceo made the announcement at gilmore elementary. a school recognized for making progress on the msa. electrical mathematics schools -- scores were up. scores were up more than two points but reading scores were down. the mayor says that is why she

is on a mission to improve reading scores. >> when kids are out of school will lose ground. falling behind during the summer can cause them to fall behind in later years. greece launched a summer reading program last month aimed at helping students get ahead but parents believe they know what it takes to help students improve. >> to push our children to their limits and to do the best they can. and to go to school every day so they can succeed. >> do you think students have made the difference? >> yes. >> how so? >> they began to get more focus over the years and it depends on the students and a different mix of students. >> city school officials say they're concerned with the number of students were missing school and missing out on taking state tests.

can find outents how old their schools -- how their schools did. go to ." -- go to wbaltv.com and click on education alert. >> what the department of public works is asking residents to limit water use. >> the all star game a first for the o's up close lerch jim johnson. johnson. >> a few showers

>> residents in baltimore city, anne arundel county, and howard county have been asked to conserve water. plans to fix a disastrous water break. the leak was discovered after crews repaired results from high-tech equipment called a pipe garver. dpw will replace sections to protect water supply through the city. >> the extreme heat has taken a toll on maryland farmers. the triple digit temperatures have stressed some maryland crops. 23% of corn and soybeans are in poor or very poor condition. he grows vegetables and a lot of corn. >> a lot of this damage has been

caused by the heat, the intense heat we have last week. it zapped everything. 100 some degrees for a couple of days in a row. plants just like you if your outside, you couldn't replenish worcester you were losing. >> what maryland farmers need are mild temperatures and some rain. he needs a steady rain for a number of days to save what is left of his corn crop. >> now, your 11 insta- weatherplus forecast with chief meteorologist tom tasselmyer. >> showers on the eastern shore. not the long and steady rain the farmers need. some pop but thunderstorms into parts of kent county. also in northern anne arundel. same thing in the western part of howard county and the vázquez and montgomery county. the first showers dropped out of pennsylvania. those appear to be winding down

at this hour. we will see a few of these for the next couple of hours until after sunset and there will diminish and fall apart. it's pretty good downpour and most areas will stay dry. that is kind of indicated when you look at the almanac. no rain to measure today although area -- other areas had a bit of a shower. a record amount of rain. 2 inches in 1942. back to 90 degrees and we added a couple of above normal at 98. no threat to break the record. this record, 107 in 1936 is the hottest of all time measured in baltimore. the entire state was making. we said state records in cumberland and frederick. 109 on july 10, 1936. baltimore's all-time record at 107. it was the same day earlier, 1913, july 10. death valley, a north american record, 134 degrees on july 10.

when you hit july 10, you have hit the hot part of the summer across north america. temperatures are not too bad. lo 80's. 82 at edgewood. 82 around columbia. at westminster, cooling into the lower 70's. some of the areas north and west of us tried to clear overnight. some low 60's in the cooler northern suburbs. closer to 70 downtown. a slight chance for an isolated shower through the early evening hours. this will stay in control of our weather with the stormy weather lined up around the front and stalling through the carolinas. that is the focus of the strongest thunderstorms south of there. that is where the heat and humidity exist and we're seeing some high heat.

solly city at 101. partly cloudy skies. some public thunderstorms late in the afternoon. late temperatures 84 to 89. waves at around 1 foot. look at the cooler temperatures. some of for to 75 degrees -- 74 to 75 degrees. we will see less activity on wednesday and thursday. down at the coast, ocean city, thunderstorm possible. 75 to 79 degrees. every 80's friday. a couple of hit and miss thunderstorms with highs around 90. temperatures stay near normal in early next week. >> from the susquehanna export center, this is 11 sports. >> the orioles in the all-star

game. defied midsummer classic. fans can tune in with pride waiting to see adam jones and jim johnson take their turn in the talent showcase. adam jones turns the home run derby into an episode of diners, drive-throughs, endives. 20 home runs and great play in center. e can take a hit. is a prize comes from jim johnson. -- a surprise comes from jim johnson. >> fail there along the way helped. and getting a little bit of a rhythm last year. carrying the momentum into this year. a lot of the success i have is from the guys in the clubhouse that pitched before me that scores the runs.

a lot of it is a reflection on the team. >> it is nice to see him get rewarded. adam had a great first half. >> darius webb has yet to reach the pro bowl. he has a contract extension. he put his focus on raising money for his foundation. turning -- raising thousands and giving everyone a chance. i asked him about critics that say ravens are on the decline. >> that is how we play football. we're doing a great job of drafting guys to step up and take the place of other guys. we believe in ozzie and the

people in the locker room. we have other guys who will step up and make a name for themselves. >> a

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>> near normal temperatures continue through the work week and into the weekend. >> thanks for joining us.

>> we will see you back here tonight at 11. captioned by the