strengthen a neighborhood. we'll take you inside greenmount west. all that ahead. in the meantime, good wednesday morning. your friend bob skillman just came in. >> bob worked here, what, back in the 1940s? early 1950s? when johnny u passed away bob shows up, full length baltimore colts marching band uniform from the hat to the boots. he's a baltimorean and look what he did. >> not just for me, it's for me and my husband rob. made my day. swe -- very sweet. >> that's great. >> i love it. thank you. >> very nice. weem -- we'll walk down the aisle to justin. outside we are looking at cloudy skies, patchy fog. one thing to point out, some rain in the delmarva peninsula

heading up to new jersey, look at the bottom of the screen where it actually says "weather" in the wakeup window, a shower from western virginia, the atmosphere still primed, we could get showers today, 66 degrees now, 68 easton. a mild start to the morning. most of us mid-60s to near 70, patchy fog. there may be the threat of a shower late morning and afternoon but better chance in the afternoon hours as temperatures approach our two-degree guaranteed high of 80. it's 5:31 on the clock now. here's kim brown with traffic. >> thank you. good morning. we have traffic building in the southbound lanes of 95 southbound as you approach the whitemarsh boulevard area. the northbound lanes appear to be getting by ok despite the disabled tractor-trailer on northbound 95 approaching mountain road. i'm just getting word the tow truck is on scene so that should be reopened soon. right now the three lanes remain blocked. only the left lane is getting by at this time. we have a gas main break at riva road between admiral cochran drive and truman parkway. and northbound, harbor tunnel

thruway, 95 at the bw parkway, right lane blocked because of an object in the roadway there. to get your traffic updates tweeted to you, go to twitter.com/marylandtraffic. back to you. 5:31. the mayor says everybody's going to feel this. no one is not a part of this. this morning, in a few hours, we're going to learn just how deep the at this plans to utcan the budget. sherrie johnson is live already at city hall. >> reporter: good morning. today the board of estimates will meet right here at city hall to talk about furloughs and budget cuts. right now baltimore city is facing a $60 million budget shortfall. last night the fire chief met with personnel to talk about the situation. he says no doubt bit, cuts are coming but basically, there's no way to avoid it, it's how to make the cuts work without sacrificing public safety. mayor sheila dixon says she needs to cut $60 million from the budget to cause a shortfall caused by the slumping economy. the head of the union says all the city firefighters could be

furloughed for several days and more than 90 of them could be laid off. this could close up to 10 fire companies permanently and this is causing confusion and anger among firefighters. >> do know they are hurting and worried about what is coming. they didn't get a pay raise this year. because of the issues with the economy and they are worried about next year. they have never seen morale lower than it is now. we have absolutely no support from city hall. >> reporter: the board of estimates is expected to pass the mayor's plan today and negotiations with firefighters and police, those are expected to continue through october 21st. reporting live in downtown baltimore, sherrie johnson, abc2 news. >> it's a hot issue. drop us a line. go to abc2news.com, leave us a message about how you feel about this. you can either friend us on facebook or twitter. we've done the work for you. go to our web site, we'll read

your comments on the air. investigators want to know how unexplained cash ended up in sheila dixon's accounts. an investigator says he interviewed sheila dixon's nephew as well, juan dixon. they said they didn't give her the money. this comes as she stands accused of lying about receiving gifts from former boyfriend developer ronald lipscomb as well as stealing gift cards for needy families. the attorney general, a democrat, will conduct an internal investigation. this stems from the video that shows acorn workers advising a couple poses as a pimp and prostitute on how to hide their profession and cheat on their taxes. maryland governor martin o'malley has already authorized the state attorney general in our state to investigate the whole thing. >> i did sign off on it. he's proceeding and i think that all of us including his office need to be guided by the facts as they uncover them. >> it's still not clear who is going to be investigated.

acorn or the makers of the video who apparently violated maryland's two-party consent law. >> it's clear who the perpetrators were and who the messengers are here. and you know, don't shoot the messenger, go after the wrongdoing. >> congress responded to the video by cutting off federal funding for acorn. we'll let you know what happened with the investigation. and time now 5:35. here's a look at what is happening today, september 23rd -- a news conference at 4:00 this afternoon with annapolis democrat mayoral candidate pierre to discuss her campaign after saying she would withdraw from the race and then deciding to remain a candidate. cleaning up and looking out. >> it's been four days now, four days since parts of dundalk turned into a lake. the worry that is now setting in for some of the flood victims plus, a neighborhood makeover. we hear a lot about baltimore city neighborhoods that aren't in good shape. the plan to revitalize one area but first we head to justin and check out today's temperatures.

>> mostly cloudy. a little patchy fog, mid-60s to near 70 and still the chance of showers. keep that umbrella handy. i know it's getting to an old line but same old story today, probably through tomorrow as well. lets check the mta, hopefully something new and easy for the ride. what's up? >> there is something new, a light rail delay, running southbound about 10 minutes late. if you ride light rail to,well station, glen burnie, in that direction. and saratoga and greene with a diversion, 17 with a diversion at corporate and international. for the mta transit team, i'm mark jones. first we dig a hole next to the house,

and checked for clogged pipes. ifhas nog and chec thousand dolla if it's notye dig up the lchiesrrepair cx monthly maintenance with rid-x? about 6 dollars. to break down waste, even paper. this summer,

and i was so tender to the touch-- my doctor diagnosed it as fibromyaia. and then he rec be the result of over-active nerves that cause chronic, widespread pain. s fdapproved of over-active nerves that cause chronic, widespread pain. soi'm learning wt a day is like with less pain. thatause affes eathing or skin, el lr or changes in eyesight including blur lyrica m th÷.ts in a very small number of people. are dizziness, sleepiness, weightai and swelling of hands, legs, and feet. do not drink alcohol yr

until you know how lyrica affects you. could your pain be caused by fibromyalgia? ask your doctor about lyrica today. thank you for joining us. 5:39 on this wednesday morning. >> here's justin with the weather. >> our wake-up window at the bottom of the screen. let's check sites on the stormer -- storm center weathernet. fog in westminster. now just a little bit of haze. 69 degrees. seems like summer is trying to hang on. same story, 69 at sparrows point high school. overall, a little patchy fog. otherwise mostly cloudy this morning. we may turn partly sunny at times but the threat of showers will linger any point

throughout the day. the best chance will be this afternoon as temperatures approach 80 degrees running just a little bit above normal. we'll have a complete forecast coming up in a few minutes. let's check the roads with kim. >> thank you. traffic is starting off very quietly so far. no real problems at this time. no accidents i should say. as we look at 95 approaching the whitemarsh boulevard area traffic is building a little in the southbound lanes but no real delays at this time. good news if you were traveling on 95 approaching mountain road, that earlier disabled tractor-trailer has been towed from the scene, all the lanes reopened. riva road remains closed at truman parkway because of a gas main leak. i'm getting word at the reopen at 6:00 a.m. and northbound on the harbor tunnel thruway at the bw parkway right lane remains blocked because of an object in the road. we also have no problems at the tunnels at this time to let you know about. back to you. 5:40. looking for ways to improve maryland's economy. >> stay with us, a top federal official comes to baltimore this morning with a huge announcement. the money that is being handed

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the port is already undergoing changes to make it greener. last month it got $3.5 million to upgrady equipment to reduce diesel emissions. this latest bucket of money is all part of the massive economic stimulus package congress passed back in february. part of the money will also be used to modernize mass transit. maryland will get more than $500,000 to help the mta go green. this morning's announcement comes on the heels of a report that shows a huge jump in marylanders using mass transit. environment maryland reports the increase in ridership saved the state about 60 million gallons of gas last year. maryland is the third in the nation for increased ridership. drivers drove 4% less last year. the governor will join the homeland security secretary for this morning's announcement in the inner harbor. linda so, abc2 news. 5:44. the obama administration touches millions into transportation, also pouring money into making over cities like baltimore.

it's part of the plan to strengthen the economy while creating jobs. abc2 news sandra endo tells us how it works by taking us to greenmount west. >> reporter: boarded up homes line this baltimore naibled street. >> that will change. you'll have young families here that create a sense of vitality. who invested in the community and therefore will take care of the community. >> reporter: bishop douglas myles has lived in this area for 40 years. this vacant lot is where he finds hope. soon it will turn into this. >> this is going to be an apartment house for young artists. so that is the basic concept. it's affordable housing because artists tend not to have a lot of money. >> reporter: developers have been working on this project for more than three years. when the economy took a nosedive the funding dried up. now more than $2 billion in recovery act money have been doled out to states weeks before anticipated for shovel-ready projects. the secretary for housing and urban development says an

infusion of cash in targeted neighborhoods is part of the strategy for growth. >> it sends a real signal to the surrounding community, hey, i'm going to keep my house up, i'm going to keep investing. it's that ripple effect that we're trying to make sure is happening. >> reporter: turning dilapidated community eyesores into economic engines. >> it will create jobs for plumbers, carpenters, electricians and get money flowing back into the economy again. which is critical. >> reporter: a dream of bishop myles and a promise of new life coming back to communities like this one. in baltimore, sandra endo, abc2 news. obama administration officials predict the money being spent for construction projects like this one will create thousands of jobs nationwide including some permanent jobs in these communities. the projects should be finished in the next two years. 5:46 now. first came gallons upon gallons of water rushing into one dundalk neighborhood. now a new dilemma building this

morning. workers in white jumpsuits yesterday sprayed disinfectant in waterlogged homes to protect against mold. >> once it gets to a certain point it starts to spread throughout the entire house, gets behind walls and everything like that. >> they are taking a lesson from the aftermath of hurricane isabel. five years ago. the county moved quickly over the weekend to pump out the flooded basements. some residents aren't just dealing with water damage. at last word some 2,000 homes were still without electricity. we all want health care but how to pay for it divided many over the issue and caused pretty intense town hall meetings with lawmakers. >> why are you treating us like trash? hey, united, you've got cash. >> this is a protest in owings mills yesterday. another took place yesterday in rockville. demonstrators rallied outside of the offices of united health care. they say they want the ceo to sign a pledge to support real health care reform. among those in the crowd, how about a doctor who says he had to leave his practice?

>> because of the games, the trouble with billing, the difficulty in making a living, working long hours with all the administrative duties. >> the protests were part of national day of action called big insurance sick of it. 200 protests were planned nationwide. former maryland republican governor robert ehrlich ran the state, now he might want to run it again. speculation is mounting about whether he will run for governor in 2010. the gop asked him to give last week's prebuttal, you may remember that, before obama spoke in college park about health care reform. if he does a new poll by gonzalez research and marketing strategies shows democratic governor martin o'malley would lead in a rematch 49% to 38%. that's how it stands now, that's with 13% though undecided. a margin of error of at least over 3%. new at 5:00 -- we love to hate him here but the yankees have reason to celebrate this morning. new york is heading back to the playoffs clinching their 14th

appearance in 15 years with the texas rangers losing to oaklands. new york missed the post season for the first time since 1994. new york beat the los angeles angels last night 6-5. the yankees are the first team to clinch a post season spot this fall. there's kate hudson in the stands. couldn't have done it without baltimorean mark teixeira. things have been a mess in georgia. check this out. from pamela smart, she sent in several stills of a woman rescuing horses stranded in the floodwaters. the storm killed nine people already in georgia and alabama. the storms finally let up a little yet but after nearly 20 inches of rain, obviously it's going to take time for some of the stagnant water to move out and unfortunately looks like there may be more rain in the forecast. amazing pictures down there. quite a change of pace from what is going on in georgia. check out what is happening in

california yet again. outside of los angeles. yet another wildfire. this one has grown to 6,000 acres. starting on tuesday and expected to grow even bigger today. this is fanned by santa ana winds, temperatures expected to reach triple digits, winds can gust 40 to 60 miles per hour. this is ventura county just west of l.a., in the hilly country, once again dealing with the fires. the old fires from last month and earlier this month, 93% contained but this is the peak of fire season. check this out, across the nation we're dealing with the book ends here. from the flooding in the deep south, atlanta, georgia, to the fires out in los angeles and quite tranquil as far as we're concerned here in the mid-atlantic. we still have to deal with active weather possibly as we do this transition from summer on in through winter. we call it the fall season. 66 degrees, feels like summer trying to hang on today. 07 richmond, virginia, sign of mugginess and look at the moisture flowing up from the south. part of that storm system we've

been watching across the carolina coastline just plaguing the delaware and new jersey beaches this morning. more showers back into the mountains and some of these showers may run their way up the mountain and could build back in this afternoon. so we have a very soupy environment. nothing very well organized but with mostly cloudy skies and patchy fog this morning, maybe a peek or two of sun, back to 80 this afternoon in baltimore. the threat of showers. so take that umbrella, maybe a little cooler, 77 westminster. 78 parkton. i know you see the raindrops on the scene and if you don't have them on your windshield you'll get mad. take the umbrella for good measure, you'll be fine. this afternoon not a complete washout but spotty showers and low 80s, grasonville through easton. tomorrow, partly sunny, a thunderstorm, 73 on friday. saturday starts off dry, may end wet, 68, near 70. more rain possible sunday. in anne arundel county, this is route 50 at route 97, a little fog in the area but dc traffic is beginning to build, really in both directions on

route 50 headed to the capitol beltway. that is a smooth ride. same on northbound 97 headed to the baltimore beltway, no problems there. but we still have a gas main leak, riva road at truman parkway, it's closed but should be reopening by 6:00 a.m. i'll let you know when that intersection reopens. also northbound 895 at the bw parkway, right lane remains blocked because of a dumpster fell off its truck. clean-up crews on scene. use caution if you have to go there. we're up to 275 followers on twitter. please join me and get your traffic updates at twitter.com/marylandtraffic. back to you. president obama and first lady kind of made it sort of cool to -- you know. >> fist pump? >> yeah. >> got it. >> so cool. not jamie. in fact that now religious leaders are catching on. >> there's some footprints. >> coming up new at

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5:55. the dalai lama got an extra special welcome in memphis yesterday. >> his holiness arrived yesterday to receive the national civil rights freedom award. he received a fist pump from the county's mayor and city mayor. they told them that the dalai lama, the fist pump ways a tradition and showed him how to give it back. he blesses mississippi with the white prayer scarf that you see there. >> does he do it again? that's very nice. let's go to 6:00. >> there you go. we'll be right back. justin will first wrap up things here. >> 5:56. we've got 80 degrees. i got no one else here! kim is too far away to do that. 80 degrees today. 83 tomorrow. back in the 70s and 60s with rain over the weekend. we'll have the complete forecast coming up in the next half-hour. so stick around.

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i loved him. i said everything would be all right. and we would make it but we didn't make it. >> georgia on our minds this morning. parents talk about losing their child to the mighty floods. >> also this morning, here come the cuts. just how deep will the city go to manage its money. sherrie johnson live at city hall to report. >> i don't have a father -- >> watch your mouth, i'm talking? where you from? >> i didn't do anything. >> remember this? the family of the teen being yelled at gets their case against the officer thrown out. these stories and more in the next hour on "good morning maryland." >> thank you for joining us on this wednesday morning. before we get to all the news of the day. send it over