even if it is the same temperature. you can tell how humid it is by the overnight temperature, 80 degrees. that humidity prevented us from allowing the temperatures to cool down. even hotter into the afternoon. we expect the downtown area in some spots to be near 103 this afternoon. the humidity makes it feel like 105. even a chance for an isolated thunderstorm. we will have details on that in the seven-day. >> good morning. we are tracking a problem on light street which is shut down. jennifer franciotti is live on the scene. if you're heading in the city, another problem. artscape closures. mount royal is closed from north avenue to charles street.

some other roads are closed because of artscape through the weekend. be prepared for delays in the city. 11 minutes on the west side. 10 minutes to travel south on 95 down towards 32. we can give you a look at the harrisburg expressway. looking good all the way down to the beltway. no problems on the j.f.x. this morning. 95 running smoothly coming out of the white marsh area. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> that broken water main in downtown baltimore, there are still a few closures around light street. >> parts of light street is expected to be closed for the next few weeks. jennifer franciotti is live downtown. good morning. >> good morning. it is testing the patience of

people who normally catch the bus. people have come down to this corner and they say, where i was supposed to catch the bus? a lot of people are trying to get to and from at this point. this water main break will affect traffic for about three weeks. it happened on the corner of lombard and light street. the department of public works thinks it will take three weeks to repair the broken pipe. above-ground pipes are providing water to nearby businesses. the have not been too many complaints. one salon owner is worried about most of her clients. >> it has been a difficult situation because they are running late and we're trying to fit everybody in. it has been a little bit of a

challenge already. >> you can see that not much is happening. we have seen one worker who said work she get going fairly soon. we can see these large pipes. we were told that as of last night most of the businesses should have their water back on. they expect it to restore it to the west side. by the time people get up this morning, hopefully there will have their water back. jennifer franciotti, wbal-tv 11 news. >> another example of the challenge of repairing and replacing an aging water system. monday's one main break was the 480th time this year a pipe in baltimore has broken. an estimated $1 trillion will be needed to update the system. >> there is not likely to beat a

federal solution to the problem. when it comes down to is water rates as we began to reinvest in the systems. it is likely that water rates will rise over a period of time and significant in some places. >> the city replaces about 5 miles of pipe each year but hopes to increase that pace to 20 miles. >> one man is recovering after being shot in the back. paramedics treated him at the scene before taking him to a hospital. there was a massive fire in a treatment plant in essex. flames ignited the waste water treatment plant. you can see the thick black smoke billowing into the air.

one firefighter was suffering from heat exhaustion. >> a double bias in the black community. >> one person was shot to death in june. when this is say the gunman did not seem to be out for money. some are wondering what triggered the attack. >> the family, the committee. >> he was known for living and loving it big. he had a wide circle of friends. he came out as a homosexual and started cross dressing. >> he always made you laugh, smile. he always had something funny to say. >> a gunman ended his life in june. >> i cannot say too much.

>> the shooter is described as a young african american man. those close to him expect his cross dressing may have provoked the attack. >> what was the point of shooting him? i did not understand that. >> there was a vigil for other crime victims. they tour called for his killer to be caught and as members of the black community to take a stand against homophobia. >> we were slaves not too long ago. we were a victim of this. as we still are today. to be a victim and to victimize another group of people is ridiculous. >> meanwhile, this man is mourning his son and eager for answers. >> the only thing i want to

know is they catch the person. we cannot sleep without knowing. >> police have not charged anybody with his murder and of not decided to classify it as a hate murder. >> 80 degrees on tv hill. the fallout continues at penn state university. the head of the ncaa says the may be no football for a year for the nittany lions. >> a crackdown and the fine violators might have to pay. >> this is the beltway at bel air road. air road. more on weather and

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>> welcome back to 11 news today. 5:10, 86 degrees downtown. it is a bit hazy to start the day. a heat advisory in effect across the area including frederick county all the way down to st. mary's county and including the lower eastern shore. there's a combination of heat and humidity could make it difficult this afternoon. it will feel like 105. the actual temperature will be closer to 100. details are coming up. >> police in alabama and arrest a gunmen after 17 people are injured in a bar.

a man has been charged with one count of attempted murder. officials say he told police that he was being sought in connection with the shooting. store employees then called police. a plane flew over penn state university with a simple message -- take down the statue or we will. the president said he would not rule out the death penalty for penn state's football program, meaning it would shut down for a year. >> drought conditions throughocontinue throughout the country. police are enforcing a statewide burn ben. an. the fine for violating the

policy could be up to $10,000. that brings us to our water cooler question of the day. taking into consideration the recent drought condition, which is support and have the dry - defined for drivers who throw a lit cigarette out the window? you can share your response on wbaltv.com, on our facebook page, or send us an e-mail to watercooler@wbaltv.com. >> 5:12, 80 degrees on tv hill. could times be changing? >> food prices expected to skyrocket. >> word of an accident in phoenix and another one in the city. [ male announcer ] now at your neighborhood subway:

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>> live, local, late-breaking, this is wbal-tv 11 news today. >> good morning. sarah caldwell checking on your morning commute. a couple of things to watch for. word of an accident in phoenix. in the city along garrison boulevard, an accident is wrapping up. closures in effect at light street because of baltimore and lombard. a closure -- mount royal is closed from north avenue to charles street. 11 minutes on the north and west side of the lives. five minutes to go south on 95 from the 895 down to the fort mchenry. here's a quick live look at

traffic. no delays at 50 and sandy point. we switch over to 95 at the fort mchenry. picking up in volume but no official delay. harbor tunnel traffic in pretty good shape. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. now let's get the latest on the buses and the trains. dave allen of the mta, good morning. >> most diversion still in effect for the 10, 11, 30, 35, 64 commuter buses diverting around downtown baltimore. diversions on number 21 as they prepare for artscape. other than that, a smooth ride so far. now back to ava marie. >> thank you. it will be a hot and humid day. starting off with the dew point temperatures in the upper 60's at the airport and downtown.

low to mid 70's across the lower eastern shore. it is a little drier in the western parts of the state. this will take a toll on the temperatures as the humidity makes it feel even hotter. 86 downtown. even out west, oakland starting off at 70 degrees. the humidity preventing the temperatures from dropping down overnight. forecasting highs all the way up near 100 for central maryland. mid to upper 90's later this afternoon at the eastern shore. a chance for a thunderstorm this afternoon at any point during the day in the mountains. we do have a heat advisory in effect for the majority of the state, from frederick all the way east to the bay.

the combination of the heat and humidity could be dangerous. it will feel like 105 later this afternoon. we do have some questions we will need to take. drink plenty of water. that helps your body cooldown. stay in the shade if you can. check on friends and families who are more susceptible to the heat. we have hazy, hot, and humid weather continuing. a cold front will be pushing in. this is the triggering a slight risk for severe weather all the way down towards baltimore and d.c. the concern of some damaging winds and some downpours. about a 40% chance of a thunderstorm.

we start to cool down tomorrow. showers and thunderstorms likely tomorrow. mid 80's into the weekend and that will fill nice. >> a virtual popularity contest made google plus the winner over facebook. it is the most like to social media site. facebook ranked at the bottom of the list. people are changing their opinions about college degrees. 81% four years ago. the figure has fallen every year since 2008. consumers will soon be shelling

out more cash at the grocery stores. we have more. >> this is a photostat of indiana as we swelter in the heat of mid july. crops are withering. >> it looks like they will lose half of their crops. >> the amount of money you will spend on groceries will rise like the mercury. >> it will affect everything. >> beef prices will rise at least 5%. cereal, ice cream, milk are going up. many other things will likely cost more, too. soda pop is loaded with high

fructose corn syrup. margarine is made with soy beans. those energy drinks also contain sucrose. many of the energy bars are made from soy. >> what is going to happen in august? >> i hope not. >> united pilots are gearing up for a possible strike. we have the bloomberg business report. >> good morning. toyota -- some ford vehicles are under investigation for unintended acceleration. model years 2001 to 2004.

there have been about 100 complaints about unintended acceleration including one death. ford says they will cooperate with the investigation. the union protesting the lack of progress towards a contract. a spokesperson says it is not uncommon and it was expected. we're waiting for quarterly results from bank of america. stock futures are heading lower. day two of ben bernanke's testimony. investors are all to my liking that were pared like he'd mar.

lockheed martin planning to lay off 10,000 people. that is business news from bloomberg. >> lockheed martin not the only one to feel the effect of the economy. some federal cuts could affect hundreds of thousands of workers throughout the state of maryland. >> federal cuts could result in nearly 150,000 jobs lost in maryland. details coming up in the next hour. >> thank you. >> 5:23, 80 degrees on tv hill. a new way to take a piece of the olympic games home with you. >> don't forget to e-mail us your response to our water cooler question of the day. taking into consideration the recent drought condition, would you support a hefty fine for drivers who throw a lit cigarette out the window? you can share your response on wbaltv.com, on our facebook

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you can register online and have a chance to win a stick. there's a form on line that we have failing to on our website, wbaltv.com. >> 5:27. 79 degrees on tv hill. >> still ahead -- >> a major downtown street unusable because of water main repairs. details are next. >> 8 football cliffhanger -- whether the federal reserve will step in to help the economy grow. >> a heat advisory across the area. we'll talk about how hot it will be. >> we have closures in the city

>> live, local, late-breaking, this is wbal-tv 11 news today. >> good morning, everybody. welcome back to 11 news today. i'm stan stovall. >> and i'm mindy basara. thanks for joining us for 11 news today. are you tired of hearing, it's so hot? >> i am complaining. >> someday, that is my goal. it is unbearable out there and something we do with every summer in the mid atlantic. 80 degrees at the airport and the humidity is at 67%. yesterday we hit 100. it is a lot more humid.

there is a chance for a thunderstorm today. there is relief on the way. >> we are tracking a few things on the roads. let's take a look at the maps. we have an accident in phoenix at old york road. in the city, there's a crash at garrison. closures in the city along light street between baltimore and lombard street. mount royal is closed from north avenue to charles street. that is in advance of artscape. 50 at sandy point approaching the bay bridge, not much in the way of delays. flowing smoothly to and from the eastern shore. southbound traffic is building. not tracking any significant at the key bridge or of the harbor tunnel. that is the latest on traffic

pulse 11. >> thank you. our big story continues to be the water main break downtown. >> if you travel downtown, it might want to remember the closures for the next couple of weeks. jennifer franciotti joins us with the latest. >> it is affecting foot traffic and people who live and work in the area. several businesses lost water because of the water main break. other businesses are affected by the closures in general. light street is shut down between baltimore street and lombard. drivers have been forced to take alternate routes. >> normally it is fine. this is ridiculous. >> the try to go down and there's a traffic jam. >> the water main that broke was built in the late 1880's. >> as an older east seaboard

city, that is one of the things that we have to deal with on a regular basis. >> the department of public works thinks it'll take about three weeks to replace the broken pipe. in the meantime, above-ground pipes like this are providing water to area businesses. so for the downtown business partnership has not received too many complaints. some business owners worry about their clients who drive-in. >> it has been a difficult situation because they are running late and we're trying to fit everybody in. it has been a little bit of a challenge already. >> a challenge for deliveries in the area. the difficult for any otf businesses to get their deliveries. crews are waiting to come in. we have seen a couple of workers so we expect work to start

fairly soon. the bobcat is blocking a big chunk of the roadway that has been torn up. the above-ground temporary water system. there were expecting to have water back got to all of the affected businesses as of last night. jennifer franciotti, wbal-tv 11 news. >> some residents say a certain street sign has an offensive connotation and their efforts are prompting a change. it is called coon hunt court. homeowners felt uneasy about the interpretation the signed could have. the sign has been stolen numerous times over the year. the street name will change. >> i know how people might say it is a word that is expressed towards black people. i know my father and my

grandfather, what they went through and i tried to explain to my kids about that. >> all of the homeowners have given their unanimous support to the name change. final approval on the name change is expected in september. whether the tax on slot machine revenue should be lowered. house members have resisted the idea. the governor is calling for a special session to allow for a table games and to push for a new casino in prince george's county. >> the chairman of the fed is back on capitol hill giving a report to congress about how the economy is doing. the answer is not what most people want to hear.

hallie jackson has the report. >> ben bernanke predicts the recovery will be slow going. he speaks with members of the house today. wall street ended the day on a good note after a dip when ben bernanke testified in front of the senate banking committee. he painted a fairly grim picture of the economy which is growing but slowly. people are not spending as much. inflation is not bad but food costs are spiking. >> the fiscal cliff is allowed to happen, it will have major negative effects on the recovery. >> we could see higher taxes and if congress does not find common ground on a budget. that could trigger a recession. burnett said it is their job to prevent that the >> congress is in charge, not the federal reserve. >> is senator charles schumer

pushing to do something soon. >> i am afraid the fed is the only game in town. i would urge you to take whatever actions you think would be most effective in promoting a stronger economic recovery. so get to work, mr. chairman. >> the next meeting begins on july 31. hallie jackson, wbal-tv 11 news. >> 79 degrees on tv hill. most debts pride themselves on supporting their children. >> which professions are linked to birth defects. >> don't forget to e-mail us your response to our water cooler question of the day. taking into consideration the recent drought condition, would you support a fine for drivers who throw a lit cigarette out a window? you can share your response at wbaltv.com and on our facebook page, or send us an e-mail to watercooler@wbaltv.com. >> we have some major delays in

the city because of the water main repairs. we will check on a couple of accidents that still thinking of replacing the truck? i just don't know where to start.

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>> welcome back to 11 news today. 86 degrees downtown. you can see how hazy looks over the city. it will be hot once again today. turning even more humid. that is the danger as we go into the afternoon. it will feel like it is 105 degrees for all the way down to southern maryland which includes baltimore and d.c. that prevents your body from

naturally be able to cool off. it becomes dangerously hot. make sure children and pets are staying inside. it will only last another day. details coming up in just a few minutes. >> what is in a name? a new diet pill changes its name. >> a drug will not be known as qsymia and is boosting some enticing numbers looking to drop a few pounds. more than half lost 10% of their body weight. there could be increased heart rate and some birth defects. fathers are often seen as the typical breadwinner. >> researchers polled 5000

fathers and found about 1000 had children with a birth defect. they drew a link between certain jobs and a certain risk for babies born with birth defects including landscapers, drivers,, and those who operate cranes. further study is needed. >> 79 degrees on tv hill. goodbye, new york city. the new york knicks let jeremy lin get away. >> number one no more. >> we're in for another day of dealing with heat and humidity.

>> now traffic pulse 11 and insta-weather plus together. >> good morning. sarah caldwell checking on your morning commute. we are tracking a serious accident in phoenix. old york road at people mill road. this is a fatal accident -- paper mill road. we're hearing a car struck a pole. garrison boulevard in the city, another accident. some of fire activity at lexington street. closures along light street between baltimore and lombard. artscape closures in effect through the weekend. mount royal is closed from north avenue to charles street. here's a quick live look at traffic. the beltway at york road. outer loop traffic is building. this is the j.f.x. at coldspring lane. a smooth ride all the way down. this is 95 at the fort mchenry.

harbor tunnel traffic looks good. there's a view of the j.f.x. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. now we check in for a look at the buses and trains. >> expected versions around lombard and light street. 35, 46, and 64 buses will be diverted downtown around lombard and light street as they continue repairs on the water main breaks. number 21 at cathedral street estimate preparation for artscape. now back to ava marie. >> thank you. another hot day in store. today will be more humid. 100 degrees was the high temperature yesterday. we keep our normal records for the city, and 101 was the record

yesterday. extreme weather pattern that we're dealing with right now. normal high for this time is 87 degrees. we're already starting off in the 80's downtown and at the airport. the dew points drop into the 60's yesterday. we are now creeping down into the 60's. already in the 70's with the dew point temperatures as you head closer to the water. this will be a big factor with the temperatures today. it makes us feel hotter outside. it makes it feel hotter. temperatures in the upper 90's later this afternoon. the downtown area is likely to be the hottest. the asphalt absorbs the heat.

it could feel like 105 when you factor in the humidity. we have a thin band of clouds across the area. the bermuda high is moving in from the west. here is the cold front. it is south of the great lakes and sparking some thunderstorms in wisconsin and lower michigan. it will stick around for the next couple of days. a slight risk for severe weather and that extends all the way down to the sd.c. a few storms could bring some damaging winds and hail. temperatures will drop into the 80's by the weekend. there is a chance for

thunderstorms all the way through friday. >> thank you. second to tone. johns hopkins hospital drops out of the top spot and slips to the number two sop falling behind massachusetts general in boston . hopkins held the number 1 spot for 21 straight years. atkins says they will work to continue to be the best -- hopkins says there will work to continue to be the best. >> that hasn't changed today. it was the same as it was yesterday. that is what this place is all about. >> the rankings are based on hospital performance. massachusetts beat out hopkins because of their specialty programs.

>> sergeant james dixon received the highest civilian award. he brought his congressional gold medal back to the baltimore city police department to celebrate with his family and friends. >> i want to thank you for all you have done. [applause] >> he served in the baltimore city police department from 1954 to 1987. congratulations and well deserved. >> 79 degrees on tv hill. the orioles needed zach britton to shine in his debut. sports is next. >> here is a look at last night's winning maryland lottery

numbers.

>> good morning. continues.' slide they lost to the twins last night and are no longer in second place in the american league east. nick markakis sets the table early. this time he scores thanks to a wild pitch. the bulk it's thrown in the dirt -- thet ball gets thrown in the dirt. 1-0 orioles. j.j. hardy starts the double play. in the third, 1-0 orioles. he was unable to get out of the fifth inning. adam jones in the top of the fifth inning. all year he has picked up his teammates offensively and he does it again.

three-run home run. zach britton give up a single and two walks. that ties the game at 4. the twins win. the orioles have lost 17 of their last 24 and are now in third place. to weigh in on the penn state issue. they are waiting for a response. the ncaa president said the sex abuse case is unprecedented. >> i do not want to take anything off the table. this is different than a scandal like what happened to smu or anything else we have dealt with. this is as systemic a cultural problem as it is a football problem. people said this wasn't a

football scandal. this was more than a football scandal. >> the incident light will punish the school in some form. the players had nothing to do with what happened. the olympic basketball team will play england to more in their third olympic to not. jeremy lin will sign a three- year contract with houston as the new york knicks don't match houston's offer. lin had a great month for the new york knicks and paul is that into a big payday. it will be interesting to see if the ncaa chest down the penn state football program. i disagree with that if they do. >> thank you. looking to save some money the next time you head out to the gas station? we'll look at some gas-guzzling

mistakes. >> have you ever been mistaken for somebody else? a preview of an upcoming i-team story. >> this little kitty has a pretty important gig. >> i get mistaken for stan all the time. >> it is the mustache. at advisory. >> will up to you in terms of closures and a few accidents to avoid this morning.

>> a big water main break downtown will have a lasting downtown will have a lasting impact