governor is on the verge of calling lawmakers back to annapolis. >> we are at a day away from the opening ceremonies from the london olympics. oo used to the nice weather we had yesterday. [captioning made possible by constellation energy group] captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- >> live, local, late-breaking, this is wbal-tv 11 news today. >> good morning. i am jennifer franciotti. >> i am stan stovall. thanks for joining us for 11 news today. >> it will be another hot one today. >> the heat is on. yesterday was a real treat. today we will crank it up about 20 degrees. right now, 71 at the airport and

the dew points are in the low to mid 60's. the actual temperature will be about 98 today. the index between 100 and 105 and the possibility of some scattered thunderstorms. we will check the seven-day forecast coming up in just a few minutes first we say good morning to sarah. >> we have some good news on northbound 95 on the ramp to westbound 100. all lanes are now open. further north on 95, a new accident they could impact your ride. northbound 95 at the fort mchenry, a disabled vehicle and the right tube. eastern avenue and 95, an accident which does involve a production. -strlight street is closed betwn baltimore and lombard. that is another closure with had

for a while. here's a quick live look at traffic. 95 at 395, there's a police vehicle in the left shoulder. it doesn't appear the accident is impacting traffic. moving well on 95 and 395 into town. you can see the ramp is clear. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> police continued to search for the suspect who allegedly abducted cal ripken's mother at gunpoint. >> the bizarre story of what happened is starting to unfold. kim dacey has more details. good morning. >> good morning. police say the suspect is a white man in his late 30's or early 40's with glasses and wearing a light shirt. they say he should be considered armed and dangerous.

police say a gunman showed up at vi ripken's home between 7:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. tuesday morning and forced her into her own car at gunpoint. officials say the gunman blindfolded ripken and drove her to unknown locations in the area. sometime tuesday evening, the car was spotted in baltimore county. that was when she was officially reported missing. around 6:15 wednesday morning, police say someone noticed ripken waving a white cloth and came to her aid. police say no ransom notes have been found. they are still not sure about the suspect's motive. >> we're still looking at this investigation. we're looking at every witness, every clue. for us to say or speculate on a motive would be unfair. >> the ripken family did issue a statement saying --

reporting live in towson,kim dacey, wbal-tv 11 news. >> a lot of people kept a close eye on yesterday's developments. buck showalter addressed the incident during his pregame conference yesterday. he shared a personal story. >> i had somebody breaking in the middle of the night, tied her up with a cord to the radio while she was listening to the game. we're in atlanta a few years back. she found out later she knew the guy. >> scary. his

mother was not hurt during her incident. >> police all looking for an inmate who was mistakenly released. he was mistakenly released on monday afternoon. he was being held without bond. anyone with information should call 911. now an update. police are still trying to figure out what caused a late night incident involving a bicyclist and a police vehicle. the police vehicle hit the bi last night. it is unclear who is at fault. >> we could find out if maryland lawmakers will return to annapolis for a special session on an expanded gambling. there could be a press

conference today to announce the session. the house speaker said the governor is likely to call the session early next month. there was a closed-door meeting in annapolis with the governor's leadership team. >> i believe the governor has made that determination to go forward. i'm assuming he believes that the votes are there to pass legislation. i don't question that at all. >> under consideration would be to allow a casino in prince dirges county and providing tax relief to existing casinos. the target date is august 8. the governor has doubt an executive order on the utility infrastructure system. experts will come together to look for ways to improve the system. the group will report its

findings and the next 60 days. >> we are one day away from the opening ceremony of the olympic sermons. before her gold medals, no american fencer had won olympic gold in 100 years. we will have a preview in a live report from london later this morning. >> 6:07. 69 degrees on tv hill. the u.s. senate avoids a showdown on opposing tax bills. >> does is smaller car make drivers happier? >> ava marie live in the kitchen of a local restaurant as we

prepare for restaurant week. >> we continue to monitor an accident on eastern avenue that does involve a

>> good morning.

75 degrees downtown. the humidity is building in. we have renewed chances. details in just a few minutes. we're getting ready to celebrate restaurant week. the seventh annual baltimore restaurant week. i'm here with bradley, the head chef. it is a fine time for people to come out and tried some dishes they never had before. >> absolutely. >> these are from your dinner menu. >> this has butter, some ceviches, and some garnish. >> so this is a pasta dish. >> this is made with a french cheese and it melts in your mouth. >> everything you say it sounds

fancy. >> this is from may at la local. weslice it real fthin garnish it. re. we drizzle on the add some fat content to it. it is so lean. >> it is ok to add a little fat. >> then we add a little cheese. this is a sheep's milk cheese. this is one of my favorites. this is a local watercress. it is grown from a local farm in

virginia. nice and light for some time. >> this is one restaurant participating in restaurant week. you can find all the restaurants that our website, wbaltv.com. we will go back to tony in the weather center. nothing wrong with adding some meat.o the nee >> you should be 85 start chef by the time we get to thanksgiving -- you should be a five-star chef. thank you, ava. talking about restaurant week. this is a plot of the temperatures from yesterday

afternoon. it was a gorgeous day here in baltimore. it was hot again on the other side of the mountain. almost 100 in chicago. still fairly comfortable at the present time. it will make it into the upper 9 90's this afternoon. as to make the transition, a lot of times you get some thunderstorms to bubble up. you can see these terms out in western pennsylvania and they're pretty impressive. there will probably hold together so perhaps early this afternoon we will see some thunderstorms around baltimore. probably a good idea to take an umbrella with you just in case. watch for lightning if you take the boat out today. a mixture of sun and clouds. it will be hot. high temperature between 95 and 100. there is a chance for some

scattered showers and thunderstorms. 95 tomorrow what thunderstorms late in the afternoon. a cold front will go through friday night and day rid of the heat. a slight chance for some rain showers on saturday. we'll get rid of the heat. 6:15. >> thank you. the earlier problems have been cleared including this accident along eastern avenue. everything much better. monument street still closed over towards patterson park. light street is closed between baltimore and lombard. as far as drive times, 10 minutes on southbound 95 from the beltway down towards 32. eight minutes on the inner loop from 75 towards the 83's.

here's a quick live look at traffic. 70 at 29 looking pretty good at the moment. same goes for 83. traffic is southbound and continuing to move well even though the volume is building heading down towards the b eltway. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> the suspect in the colorado shootings says where to find key evidence in the case. there was a package he sent to the university of colorado in aurora. police found the package on monday along with details about killing people. hthere was a lawsuit trying to overturn his suspension for his alleged involvement in the bounty scandal.

a hearing gets underway this morning. senate leaders avoid a showdown on tax cuts. the senate rejected a republican measure, renewing tax cuts for everyone. the democratic credit version of the bill passed --democratic version of the bill passed. >> with back-to-school shopping, parents might search for deals online. be aware of scams. the deals seem too good to be true, it generally is. watch your letters. they count on you to make a typo and lined up on their sites. it seems more drivers are

trading in a larger vehicles, according to a new study. sizing meant trading down on comfort and some features. that does not seem to be the case anymore. that brings us to our water cooler question of the day. when it comes to your car, truck, or suv, what matters more to you -- size, cost, or quality? you can share your response at wbaltv.com and on our facebook page, or send us an e-mail to watercooler@wbaltv.com. a new pricing strategy coming to jcpenney at it is good news for your wallet. jane king has the bloomberg business report. >> good morning. disability rights advocates have filed a lawsuit against walmart for refusing to make their payments machine accessible to people in scooters.

that is in violation with the americans with disabilities act. walmart says it is committed to serving customers with disabilities. watch for big price cuts at jcpenney. they are kicking off a new pricing strategy. this one involves permanent markdowns on merchandise across the country instead of cutting prices for a month on some items. apple drag on the nasdaq after q. the bloomberg maryland index rose. hotel guest satisfaction is at its lowest level in seven years. free wifi is important.

charging for actual can drag down the satisfaction. at the new york stock exchange, i'm jane king, bloomberg news, for wbal-tv 11 news. >> 6:19. 69 degrees on tv hill. the ravens will have their first full team workout today. >> the orioles hoping to put more distance between themselves and tampa. >> here is a look at last night's winning maryland lottery numbers. hope you have them. #f#f#f#f#f#ff

>> now traffic pulse 11 and insta-weather plus together. >> good morning. sarah caldwell checking on your morning commute. this thursday shaping up to be a nice start. my image straight -- monument street is shutdown because of a sinkhole. light street is closed between baltimore and lombard. drive times looking good at the moment. light volume on the west side outer loop. eight minutes on the inner loop between 75 and the 83's. let's check on the j.f.x. at ruxton road. no delays southbound from ruxton road towards the city. 50 at sandy point at the bay

bridge is moving well. to and from the bay bridge is equally smooth at this hour. we will keep you posted on the delays. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> good morning. it is a quiet start. it will be warmer this afternoon than yesterday. 71 at the airport. a mixture of sun and clouds. high temperature will make it into the upper 90's. there is a chance for a few scattered showers and thunderstorms. take an umbrella with you. we will check the seven-day forecast going all the way into the weekend. here is keith mills. >> thank you. good morning. the orioles and the rays wrapped up their series today. the orioles get hammered last night.

fans have not settled in their seats at camden yards. desmond jennings hits the first pitch into the flat court. then a bad break. a bad hop keeps the inning alive. johnson, two more runs and it is 5-0 tampa. david price on the mound. jose lobaton into the flag court. 10-1, the orioles win. 12:35 start on this sticky afternoon. ed reed among the veterans who reported yesterday. there was a light workout yesterday. the final tuneup for the first

full squad workout. no one happier to be here then ray rice. the contract talk worked out. he signed a new deal. he took care of the lady who has always taken care of him. >> the first thing i did, i got my mother a house. i have been living pretty good. i don't need to go out and do too much. i will relocate while i'm in baltimore. kind of live in a family home now. >> he had a ray knows t-shirt on. >> glad to have ravens football back on. 6:27.

here's a look ahead. homel ripken's mother is safely but the search is on for the man who abducted her. >> forget -- an entire section of road is missing because of a sinkhole

>> live, local, late-breaking, this is wbal-tv 11 news today. >> good morning, everybody. welcome back to 11 news today. i am stan stovall. >> i am jennifer franciotti. thanks for joining us for 11 news today. >> our new open is a great example of the doppler effect. we will see a few thunderstorms on hd doppler later this morning or this afternoon. it is a comfortable start this morning.

70's to start. we will make it into the upper 90's this afternoon. some scattered thunderstorms are possible. maybe take an umbrella with you. gear ready for the heat later today. >> a bizarre story still unfolding about the abduction of the mother of cal ripken jr. >> police say she was abducted by gunpoint on tuesday. the suspect is still on the run. kim dacey has details. >> police say the suspect is a white man in his late 30's or early 40's with glasses and wearing a light shirt. they say he should be considered armed and dangerous. cal ripken jr.'s mother has safety been reunited with her family. police say a gunman showed up at her aberdeen home between 7:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. tuesday morning and forced her into her

own car at gunpoint. >> she goes to mcdonald's every morning about 7:15, and that is when he accosted her in the garage and tied her up and put the mask on her and got her in the back seat of the car and drove off. >> officials say the gunman blindfolded ripken and drove her to unknown locations in the area. sometime tuesday evening, ripken's car was spotted in the essex precinct of baltimore county. that is when she was officially reported missing. not long after that, something caught his attention while he was driving home from work. >> i saw a white sweater being waved outside of a car window. i stopped, rolled down my window. i asked the lady inside if she needed help. she said she was left there and that her feet were bound. >> at about 6:15 this morning, mrs. ripken was located unharmed in her vehicle in close proximity to her residence. >> police say no ransom notes have been found. they are still trying to determine whether mrs. ripken's credit cards were used during her disappearance. they still do not know the

suspect's motive. >> we're still looking at this investigation. we're looking at every witness, every clue. for us to say or speculate on a motive would be unfair. >> the ripken family has issued this statement -- reporting live in towson, kim dacey, wbal-tv 11 news. >> thank you. the department of public works officials say it could take several weeks to fix a sinkhole. it is located on east monument street. was caused by an opening in a storm drain culvert. at least 40 businesses had to be

evacuated. traffic has been closed until the repair job could be fixed to the gas main under the sinkhole. >> parts of the inner harbor turned a sheet of green yesterday appeared there was a test to determine if a pipe or a drain is bleeding. the dye is nontoxic. >> now traffic pulse 11 and insta-weather plus together. >> good morning. sarah caldwell checking on your morning commute. let's get you up to date. word of an accident in not area along main street at park avenue. 70 looks good in towards the beltway. some fire activity in perry hall region.

if you're traveling in the city, the scene call has some closures at monument street at patterson park. light street is closed between baltimore and lombard. watch for delays. a little bit of a delay on the west side outer loop heading down towards edmondson. here's a quick live look at traffic. 95 out of the harford county this city every 24 is moving very well. no sign of delays in the white marsh area. this is harford and right now a nice start on the north side of the beltway. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. now we check in live with ava marie who is cooking it up this morning. >> my mouse is watering. we have some amazing dishes in front of us. these are a sampling of the items that you guys are offering

for restaurant week. >> these are from our lunch menu. this is our butter lettuce salad. these are from our dinner menus. >> mmm. i imagine this is fun for you to get the new customers in and to try something new. we'll talk more about restaurant weeks, all the great deals when we come back in just a few minutes. the temperatures will soar into the upper 90's once again. there is a chance for some showers and storms later into the day. storm chances continue tomorrow. temperatures drop this weekend. i helped put the herbs on the salad so i'll take credit for that.

>> that personal touch. and we love the apron. >> i'm showcasing it. >> thank you, ava. 6:35. all eyes on london this week. >> even the host city turns up the intensity. how the transportation is how the transportation is getting

>> the focus four years ago was on focus and that is where these tiger cubs were born. the one on display yesterday. these cubs were a little sick a few days after they were born. but now they will recover because they are very cute. world-class athletes have to be in great shape when it comes to the olympics and the same thing goes for the transportation in the host city. this is a pumped up rendition of a london bus. a louder groaning bus

accompanies the pushups. the sculpture was made to kick off the summer games. >> that is neat. 6:39. >> dialing in all things london. what the olympic host city is doing to welcome the world pickwick that was like tony doing pushups. he can do about one. morning commute is looking pretty good. [groaning] >> how did you know? we'll talk about the heat in just a few minutes. 71 at the airport.

>> now traffic pulse 11 and insta-weather plus together. >> this there's the morning is shaping up to be a nice ride. we have an accident in mount airy at main street and park avenue. you will find some delays near balked schoolhouse road and perry hall boulevard because of fire activity. monument street is shutdown near patterson park because of a sinkhole. 14 minutes to get used to the outer loop stretch. eight minutes on 895 south from 95 down to the harbor tunnel tolls. here's a quick live look at traffic. 95 every 24, not seeing any

delays all the way down to the fort mchenry. a nice start on 95. this is harford road and looking good at the moment. up to speak over towards the expressway. let's go to ava marie. >> all those different dishes we have been preparing for baltimore restaurant week. this is an exciting event for the city of baltimore. we have been showing the dishes. what is the incentive for people to come out? >> restaurant week is a good time. you can eat your way through the baltimore neighborhoods. you can get a three course meal for $30.30. >> these are examples of the

lunch menu. those would go for $15.12. some restaurants are offering five course meals. >> some restaurants go over and above what is asked of them. it might offer three courses for $20.12. some restaurants are offering four courses, but it varies. you can figure out what the best deals are. >> this is one of 95 restaurants participating. >> we had some great turnout and you confine all the restaurants on baltimorerestaurantweek.com. >> it would add up to more than $30. you can try something without breaking your wallet.

>> this is a great weight to sample all the restaurants. thank you. restaurant week starting friday and going through the weekend. go out and sample some of the great food. yesterday was gorgeous. 87 degrees and no humidity. look what was going not off to the west. 108 in st. louis. some of that hot weather is moving towards us. we will be in the upper 90 possible later today. 70 in parkton. -- we will be in the upper 90's later today. this is the leading edge of the warmer air. we can see thunderstorms moving towards hagerstown. we're picking up lightning strikes in this line of storms. it looks like it will head over

to baltimore later today. take an umbrella with you. we will keep an eye on those storms and see how they develop. dry right now and then it a mixture of sun and clouds. a chance for a few thunderstorms. it will be a hot day and temperatures will make it into the upper 90's and the dew points will get into the 70's. up to 95 on friday with scattered thunderstorms late in the afternoon. a cold front will move through on friday night. then it will drop into the mid to upper 80's on saturday and sunday. overall, i think it will be a decent weekend. cooler and comfortable over the weekend. >> thank you. seven years since london won its bid to host the summer olympics.

>> we have more from london. >> it is a first. london is making olympic history. the host city is a walking photo op. >> we still cannot believe we are here. we see olympic signs everywhere. >> signs of road closure and security. >> we have been assured that the security we have is appropriate to make sure we have a safe and secure games. >> an additional two -- 50,000 250,000 will be in london each day of the olympic games. >> i think security is on

people's minds. >> public transportation is the best and sometimes the only way to get around the city. >> it is an awesome stadium. it is an awesome venue. we're looking forward to the matches. >> is london ready? they better be, because i am. >> it will be exciting. >> michael phelps he will skip tomorrow night's event because he is competing on saturday morning. he needs to rest up. he revealed a surprising aspect of the olympic village. there is no air-conditioning. >> some of us are lucky enough to have little college dorm fans

that rotate. >> i bet it will not be 100 degrees. he said the olympic swimming competition is no different than other meets. we are your home for the olympic games. the olympic zone is that 7:30. you can meet the athletes from maryland. >> i'm going home. >> 69 degrees on tv hill. coming up, we'll look at your answers to our water cooler question of the day. the last look athec weather and traffic.

>> it seems more drivers are trading in a larger and vehicles to find comfort in smaller models. downsizing traditionally meant trading down in performance and features but that is not the case with manufacturers getting benefits to smaller vehicles. time to get to your answers to our water cooler question of the day. >> this morning we asked -- when it comes to your car, truck, or suv, what matters more to you -- size, cost, or quality? we're hoping you would not say all three.

a lot of you said cost. got that right. come on, you fudged there. >> no kidding. >> you have to be able to reach them in the backseat. >> we are like the flintstones. we use our feet to power the car. >> we have an accident at route 27 in westminster. another one on main street in mount airy. some closures in rosedale at perry hall because of fire department activity. monument street is shutdown

because of the huge sinkhole. here's a quick live look at traffic. 95 from harford county is problem free at the moment. picking up in volume as you travel south towards the beltway. this is the beltway at harford road and so for running smoothly. >> you probably will be the air- conditioning in the car. >> it will get into the upper 9 with the heat index over 100. another chance for storms on friday. a cold front will go through on friday night and that will not be temperatures back into the mid to upper 80's. i think it will be decent weekend. my mother used to threaten to take us to the library.

"i will take you to the library instead of baseball!" >> my father said, "i can stop and you can get out here." >> exactly. >> interesting story. if you're looking for more weather and traffic together, be sure to join us this morning for 11 news at 7:00 a.m. on wbal plus. >> you'll find more local news as well as up-to-date traffic and weather information. you can find it all on comcast channel 208, verizon fios 460, and 11-2. >> thanks for joining us for 11 news today. >> we will be back with a live update at 7:25. >> have a good one.

>> this is a wbal-tv 11 editorial from president and general manager dan joerres. >> with the unprecedented sanctions by the ncaa against penn state, the ruling body of collegiate sports delivered a message not just to happy valley but the entire nation -- sports cannot and will not rule campus culture. it's a bold move by an organization that has promoted and profited from our country"s adoration of its alma maters and state schools. college football is a multimillion-dollar industry on large college campuses. it funds other athletic programs and even academic missions, and it's doubtful that penn state is the only campus where football was deemed untouchable. there's no question that that sentiment led to the actions -- or, in this case, the inaction

of everyone from the penn state president to legendary coach joe paterno. in the end, nothing was protected, and nearly everything has been lost for the students, staff, and even alumna of this once-proud institution. of this once-proud institution.