loose in our state. and there may be something in it for you to help. would you stay put or move back to baltimore city if you had lower property taxes? we have live report on the possibility. that and more coming up. you know why megan is off today? ulysses s. grant. this is the anniversary of his death, back in 1885. >> she's mourning. >> she's in mourning. >> oh. >> she loves president grant. >> that's her her number two on the list. that would put the wedding off if he came back. >> absolutely. >> megan, our hearts with you and with the grant family. this morning, 72 degrees. a very muggy start. 94% humidity and the winds are out of the east at 7 miles per hour. that's a moist flow. this is all spelling almost a guarantee that we're going to get wet. this is maryland's most powerful doppler radar. we're dry for the time being but look at the rain in through southern maryland. we'll take you on down and pull you in a little closer and show you that if you're watching us in cambridge and easton, heavy rain and thunderstorms starting to come up from the south.

we're also watching this particular band roll up the bay. you'll be dealing with it shortly. and this will be heading its way over towards annapolis and looks like kent island over the course of the next hour. 60% chance throughout the day that we get wet with locally heavy storms. our two-degree guarantee of 82. 5:31. here's kim. >> good morning, if you're traveling downtown. good news, that earlier watermain break has been cleared up. that is pratt street between president and caroline. that was closed earlier. i'm getting word it's since been reopened and the watermain break has been cleared. however, we're still working that crash in the city, woodland avenue and reisterstown road. also in bel air, prospect mill road at wentworth drive. in port deposit, route 222, north of route 276, that crash remains on scene there. 95 southbound, down from harford county, through to about the whitemarsh area, that is traveling with no problems now. the tunnels, that earlier construction project overnight that had the southbound tube closed, that is probably going to be reopening very soon. two-way traffic gets by in the

northbound tube. also as we check around the beltway, there are no problems to report either. this traffic report brought to you by, baltimore's country station 93.1 wpoc with music from stars like keith urban and toby keith. back to you. the fbi needs your help. they are trying to identify a suspected serial bank robber. we're told this man has already hit six banks in the area since july 2nd. authorities say during the robberies the suspect demands a note and implies he has a gun. a reward is offered for information leading to an arrest. if you know anything you're asked to call the fbi bank robbery task force. 410-265-8080. mayor sheila dixon speaking out this morning in support of the baltimore city police department after three children were handcuffed and taken to jail. it all started with a call to police on friday night in the medfield neighborhood off falls road. three boys ages 7, 8, and 11

were caught trying to steal from a neighbor's yard so police officers arrested them. one of the boys' parents was angry her child got locked up. the mayor says all the kids should apologize for trying to steal from a neighbor. >> i hope as a result of what took place that they have learned from that as well as that they will go back to the victim and not only apologize but have them maybe engage in some community efforts in that neighborhood to -- i think that's what it's going to take. >> police don't plan to file charges against the boys. any time you are with someone from the city you may complain about your bills and then they whip out their property tax when the conversation is over. we'll be gabbing about this today. abc2 news brittney gordon with word of a possible tax cut. tell us. >> reporter: property taxes in the city of baltimore are the highest in the state. a fact that has rubbed city

residents wrong for years. but a plan was announced last night that could make living in the city a whole lot more attractive. chief baltimore city circuit court clerk frank conoway drew about 60 people to a meeting last night. the topic? how the city can lower the property tax rate. those living in the city pay a rate of 2 tonight 268 scents -- 2.268 cents per $100. it triples what some other counties charge. in the hopes of bringing more residents and businesses back into the city, conoway is proposing to cut the rate down to that of the county within five years. but the mayor's office is not on board. >> revenues are coming up short. we have to balance our books. very tough right now to attack the property tax rate in this manner. >> reporter: each cents of property tax reduction in the city equals about $3 million in revenue. so it's obvious why the mayor's

office is not a fan of this plan. instead mayor dixon favors opening a slots parlor to raise enough revenue to cut property taxes. brittney gordon, abc2 news. let's take a look at what is happening today -- volunteers including baltimore raven dominick foxworth are going to be helping with a daylong neighborhood revitalization in east baltimore. after 10:00 this morning. it's a harvest for the homeless day today. mayor sheila dixon scheduled to take part as hundreds of pounds of vegetables are collected for our daily bread. that what is is happening today on july 23rd. looks like the city is going to keep control of the senator theatre. the historic theatre house went up for auction yesterday. it was a pretty chaotic scene out there. >> let everyone chill out a little bit and let the auctioneers do what they've agreed to do. >> this is rigged! this is bull! >> well, no bids came

close to the theater's $950,000 mortgage but one person did bid $800,000. the city ended up repurchase the mortgage which averted a foreclosure auction. if you were planning to fly to orlando from hagerstown you better listen up. a washington county official says the airline will suspend service between hagerstown and orlando from mid-august to the end of october. the decision was based on the normal reduction vacraition travel that occurs when the school year starts. the airline will resume the flights coming up on november 1st. everyone likes a good bargain. next, a popular web site you may have already visited but we're working for you so you don't waste your money. outside we go, 72 degrees. justin berk will be back with his forecast. how are we getting to work with the mta's mark jones. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, for the commute start, m2 bus, a diversion at reisterstown and woodland due to an accident.

number 50 bus diverted at mannasota and erdman. a watermain break repair continuing there. and the 17 bus with a diversion at nursery and winterson. light rail and metro subway on time. and the marc trains look good. no delays or issues there. you know what, this looks just like the tree house i built with my dad. (girl) really? yeah. there you go. okay, i'm gonna work on the roof. dad, i'll be right back! (announcer) it's more than just that great peanut taste, choosing jif is a simple way to show someone how much you care. you made that for me? well you're making this for me. (announcer) choosey moms, and dads, choose jif.

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5:39. here's justin with a look at the weather. >> definitely a sticky start to the day. you'll notice a lot more moisture in the air. that mugginess stays with us with this tropical-like system off the coast. i say tropical-like because it hasn't been identified as such by the national hurricane center. it will look like it in the wider satellite image and will feel like it but no, this is not a tropical storm as of yet. 70 degrees at churchville. 69 at towson. 73 down towards arnold and annapolis. just show you the statewide view. watch the moisture coming up from the bottom of the screen. eastern shore guarantee you get wet today. one shower trying to push its way on in through anne arundel county and very close to, let's say kent island over the course of the next half-hour. we'll watch and see if some of this stuff may get into the baltimore area. this is just a morning event but a wider view indicates the fact that we will have a good chance of showers and storms throughout the day with our two-degree guarantee of 82. so stick around. we'll show you that east coast

view of this tropical-like storm in a moment. 5:40. here's kim. >> just getting word of a crash in halethorpe, southwestern boulevard at washington avenue. so use caution if you have to travel there. good news about the watermain break downtown. that has been cleared up. that is pratt street between president and caroline. has been reopened. that crash remains on the scene in the city, woodland avenue and reisterstown road with emergency crews on the scene with lane closures. give yourself a little attraction time there. bel air, prospect mill road and wentworth drive. port deposit. route 222, north of route 276, that accident remains on the scene there. looking at 95 southbound as you make your way through howard county, we have light volume traveling smoothly at this time. this traffic report brought to you by baltimore's country station 93.1 wpoc where you'll find great music from stars like carrie underwood, rascal flatts and taylor swift. back to you. the doctor, the last person

to see michael jackson alive. his office is raided. could police finally have a suspect in the investigation on to michael jackson's death? i'm sherrie johnson, i'll have the latest. my name is chef michael. and my dog bailey and i love to hang out in the kitchen... so she can watch me cook. you just love the aromas of beef tenderloin... and, ooh, rotisserie chicken. yes, you do. [ barks ] yeah. you're so special, you deserve a very special dog food. [ woman ] introducing chef michael's canine creations.

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star alive? here's abc2 news sherrie johnson to explain. >> reporter: federal drug enforcement agents raided the office of michael jackson's personal physician dr. conrad murray. agents got the search warrant after preliminary results of jackson's autopsy showed his cause of death to be connected to the powerful anesthetic propo follow. it's normally begin centered in hospitals. it came as a surprised to murray's attorney. investigators took a computer hard drive and 21 documents from the doctor's office. investigators found propofol from jackson's home and want to know how it got there. they are also subpoenaing records from jackson's nutritionist who said he asked for it. >> it's an anesthetic. providing it for sleep at home is ridiculous. and dangerous. >> reporter: the coroner's office is expected to release autopsy results next week. more than a month after michael

jackson's sudden death. sherrie johnson, abc2 news. here's a look at some of the other top stories we're working on. if you head west for the lake you have two stops. you either stop the exit or the welcome center. the bay country welcome center in queen anne's is closing. the sidling center opened back in 1991 at the site of the deep rock cutout. they are going to lose one full time and three full time employees. they will be out of work because of budget cuts. it's only been in place less than two weeks but some residents are already trashing the city's new garbage pickup schedule. the one-plus-one system calls for trash pickup once a week plus recycling once a week but people in the 1,200 block of north carey say the system doesn't work especially while some folks throw trash out on the streets. others say their collection didn't come until 5:00 in the evening. >> they started early because

of the trash on the ground. >> i have no problem with recycling but i think six days going without a trash pickup is too long. >> we clean up the gutter so half of the trash in our can doesn't even belong to us. you tell me i can only have one can? that's ludicrous. >> reporter: the mayor acknowledges it will take some time but the plan should make the city cleaner by freeing up crews to tend to messy alleys. if you have a trash pickup problem call 311 later on today. here's an item that you should not include in your arsenal of electronic devices. the e-cigarette. the food and drug administration says that e-cigarettes contain many carcinogens found in the real cigarettes. some even had a poisonous ingredient found in antifreeze. e-cigarettes are promoted by the manufacturers as safer than traditional cigarettes because they do not burn tobacco. they are marketed as a

healthier alternative. the fda says they contain toxins and they should be put out and avoided. are you you someone who likes to hunt for bargains on line? if so, we have a warning about a popular discount clothing web site. our consumer reporter john matarese tells us why the feds say stay away so you don't waste your money. >> reporter: the federal trade commission and the better business bureau are cracking down on a popular on-line clothing retailer. i first reported on this store almost a year ago after complaints about discount clothing that ended up being no discount at all. >> $10 for all this? >> reporter: michael shows me the on-line store he says is costing much time, frustration and money. it's called classiccloseouts.com, a seller of overstock clothing at huge savings. he says the trouble started when he spotted this kids bomber jactd for $10. >> a $10 jacket for my

daughter. it was on sale. free shipping. >> reporter: that was the last he thought about it until six months later when he says the store put another $59 charge on his credit card. so he went on-line and found lots of other customers hit with the exact same charge. >> a simple google search brought up many web sites with complaints. >> reporter: some customers say the store eventually told them a purchase enrolls you in classiccloseouts buying club for the $60 annual fee that renews every year. classcloseouts never returned my calls but the better business bureau says it's received 900 complaints as of june 2009 and more than 800 of them unanswered. the bbb now gives classic closeouts an f grade. meantime, on june 24th, the ftc filed suit in u.s. district court against the web site in an attempt to get refunds for michael and hundreds of other unhappy customers.

this is a good lesson for anyone who likes to find discounts on-line. if it's not a company that you know with stores at the local mall then google them for complaints before you buy. that way you don't waste your money. i'm john matarese. 5:50. muggy morning. 72 degrees. pretty much uniform up and down the coast from new york through richmond and norfolk at 72 we're watching this tropical-like feed come in off the atlantic. we have a cold front back to the west but this is really dropping some pretty hefty rain and organizing itself off the coast. not going to have a lot of wind with it but definitely a lot of tropical moisture which could mean locally heavy downpours and as we've already seen, lightning strikes on the lower eastern shore with this little cell. working its way up the chesapeake there's a chance that we get that rain over the course of the next hour from annapolis crossing the bay bridge towards easton. then building into the baltimore area, especially on the east side as we head on in through this morning but overall we're in a better

chance of a setup here as compared to the rest of the week with developing storms. and here is our circulation sitting off the coast. in fact there's one here, there's another one further on down towards the south and east. a very complex pattern here. all will basically kick towards the east but we have to deal with it for today, through tonight and tomorrow morning. essentially as we pull it in and show you basically what we're looking at here, with the two areas of low pressure, our cold front back to the west. the developing coastal system and the idea that we are going to have ourselves a chance of some locally heavy downpours, especially between i-95, the chesapeake bay and the eastern shore. 82 degrees, our two-degree guarantee, all of us really had a chance of the showers and storms but the better chance of the heavy rain will be off towards the east. that continues tonight with some fog at 67 degrees. tomorrow, morning showers and afternoon clearing, 86, 91, on saturday. back in the 80s on sunday and monday. with more rain. here's kim with a check of the roads. traffic is flowing freely as you make your way southbound

on 795 out of owings mills headed to the beltway but we have a couple of crashes in the area to let you know about in the joppa area, a crash is taking out the traffic light, that is at route 152 at singer road. also a crash still in the city working on the scene, woodland avenue at reisterstown road. you can see emergency crews there, possible with some lane closures, bel air, prospect mill road at wentworth drive. that new crash in halethorpe, southwestern boulevard at washington boulevard, you will see police on the scene as well. this is the beltway, no problems to report at this time. also 83 is a smooth ride from mount carmel road all the way down through the city past falls road and through to about the 28th street exit. let's check quickly at the cameras. 95 southbound as you make your way south through howard county towards the capitol beltway. no problems to report at this time. back to you. soccer fans, this is your day. tomorrow, 70,000 of you will fill up baltimore for an international soccer match.

with many people descending upon our city traffic is going to be a nightmare. so city officials are encouraging you to use the light rail system for the event. the ac milan versus chelsea football club matchup will be held at m & t bank stadium. coming up, have i the video of the day. perhaps of the week. perhaps of the lifetime. something you've never seen before, coming up next. and new at 6:00 -- a t-shirt campaign that is causing a controversy.

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new spray n' wash bright and white is your safe bleach alternative. it does the job... stop-- don't do that! without the accidents. aditawityour detergent ahelwhiten and ep colors igh@wtlr gets rid of stains. trust spray n' wash bright and white. stop what you're doing and take a look at this. it is a lion hugging a woman who rescued him from the circus! and through the bars of his cage an african lion named jupiter stretches his giant paws around the neck of anna torres and then plants a kiss on her. kite be the kiss of gratitude since jupiter was rescued six years ago from the life of abuse and malnutrition in a traveling circus. torres fed and nursed him back to health at her shelter for injured and mistreated animals. is that something? just keep it going. that is incredible. you and norm do that at night, don't you?

a hug. i've seen it. i've seen that. exclusive weathernet now. and then we'll start the 6:00 news. in annapolis, 73 degrees. justin berk will be right back with the forecast.

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5:59. good morning, maryland. i'm jamie costello. megan pringle is off today on this july 23rd. the headlines -- lower property taxes in baltimore city? how much and how soon. new information on the death of michael jackson. why dozens of police were at the office of king of pop's personal doctor. and the latest on the controversy involving three elementary school-aged kids handcuffed and taken downtown. now the mayor says those boys are the ones that should be apologizing. now let's look at the weather with justin berk. good morning. >> good morning. 5:59. talking about the storm off the coast th