>> she called several baltimore county agencies including the police. every time there responded, the alarm stopped. the problem went on for more than one year. >> i actually went out and bought a machine that makes the ocean waves of sound. this is just little too loud to drown it out. >> one the police heard it. they got in touch with code enforcement and together they reached the homeowner in washington. we were there when he went through the police -- and he went in with the police officer. >> he totally caught me off- guard. >> i know i did. did he know about the alarm problem? >> i did not know about it but i was made aware of it. >> he is baltimore county's code enforcement chief. >> it makes no difference to us

to the property owner is. whether it is an absentee landlord or a national bank, they are handled the same way. our objective is to bring the property into compliance one way or the other. >> we noticed two holes or in the wall and water started pouring in. >> she shot this video with her home. the steady stream was flowing through a wall she shares with a vacant house next door. >> to contact it your insurance company. what were you told? >> first of all, it was a standing issue -- a standing water issue. >> insurance adjuster pictures also showed a clogged drain and several inches of water in the basis next door. her claim for damages was denied it. >> it was not going to give up because we did the damage was not coming from us. our homeowners were knocked -- was not going to pay for it.

we could not get it fixed because it was not fixed over there. >> four months she talked to the agency's but they told her it was private property and she could not go inside. they did differ some other information. the house was on by bank of a barakat and that that was a result of a foreclosure. >> it is extremely frustrating. you know you are doing everything you can to take care of your property. somebody else for some reason or another loses their house and the bank let it sit there and just the cape. >> of your making several complex, the bank had the standing water pumped out. bank of america had been working to resolve the problem. when we let their property is not being maintained, we take immediate action to remedy the situation. new sense homes may remain a major issue until the economy straightened out. >> our fear is we have not hit the bottom of the problem yet.

>> he says in baltimore county, individual property owners and banks of been fined $200 a day and can have civil penalties for not maintaining homes. >> the each say if they had not been persistent their problems might still be unresolved. >> bank of america requested an estimate to fix her basement. the cost was nearly $11,000. diane says she has not heard of that beeping noise again. >> she is glad about that. here is some of our other top stories. what is it with the shoes? shopping turned into mayhem as thousands of people try to score a pair of the pre issued by the air jordan concord 2011 choose. there are real issues of the 1995 issues. the crush of the crowd in indianapolis was so strong they not have a door off of the

hinges. a similar scene at annapolis. one person was injured and another person was a arrested. we heard from rob roblin three people were arrested after gathering in anticipation after mall management decided to call off presale. right now the shoes are sold out. the founder and ceo of first maryland bank has retired. it will infuse $36.4 million into the cash strapped and bank. the president will serve as a c zero on an interim basis and michael watson was named non- executive chairman. the holiday travel rush begins. 92 million americans are expected to travel over the next 11 days. triple a estimates a 10% drop in

travelers by air because flights are less available and more expensive. mall traffic is not that much better. you are taking a look at a parking lot at the mall. that is like a mob scene. you can always check -- we're not there yet. we can take a deep breath and know we are not there. wbaltv.com. >> there is a spot. right there to the left. >> it gives you the chills, does that not? >> speaking of the chills, it is the time of year it will get cold. people start adjusting their thermostat. >> and at my house. it also has some unscrupulous contractors searching for victims. >> and is supposed to be a ball back, but this mother found her

son trapped inside a school. how he got there is even more upsetting.

>> a mother in kentucky is demanding answers tonight. a special education teacher put him in a ball back to control his behavior. she does not know how long her son was in the ball but but the special education teacher aide told him to stay there for disappoint -- disobeying her. after an outburst on wednesday, the school asked his mom to pick christopher up. when she got there, he was already in the bag. >> i do not know what else they have done to him in forms of discipline that i do not even know it out. >> the superintendent says the investigation -- the incident has been investigated and the school system had according to their policies. a shooting broke out at a

michigan a roller rink. happened during a private party that had its of security. somebody came inside and opened fire and had at least three people. the honor confirms there was a fight that broke out prior to the shooting. >> more than three months after storms i've been and lee ripped through the scene, many businesses will not be back for the holidays. homeowners of not been able to pay for expensive repairs. grants distributed by fema do not begin to cover costs of homes or first floors were submerged. >> the holidays act as got a little bit brighter for some patients thanks to members of the fee a staff and community volunteers. more than 600 gift packages were

delivered at the veterans affairs medical center. the packages included everything from toiletries to fleece blankets to craft kits. it is so nice to have something like that in the holidays when you are in the pop -- in the hospital. >> 2011 will go down as the worst year ever for one specific industry. where she will tell you what needs to change in 2012 in consumer reports. >> remember this? >> transforming i wish to parking lots. allstate officials are working to make sure truckers do not constrained of this year. >> 1 soldiers emotional homecoming. >> i've loved this story. >> he surprised his sons after seven months and iraq. >> the weather has settled down. we will tell you what to expect

for the holiday weekend.

>> coming up, a stand off has ended and congress passes the two month tax extension. what it means for you. also, are you hitting the road for the holidays? what you can expect from airports and some advice from the experts.

>> i think you will love the story. at the end of the iraq the word means more people are heading home. he had been in the region of his

third tour in iraq it. >> this soldier is used to wearing his camouflage fatigues. for this special occasion he has decided to don a gear fit for a night. >> they think i am coming home for christmas but they did not know when. >> medieval times posted a special homecoming for him. alan with the help of his wife and some trust the bats wanted to surprise his two young sons with a homecoming. the idea came from his kids. >> the little boy's love going to castles and getting nights. i thought this was going to be something excellent for that. a funn's sons expected filled night at the medieval times. prior to the show -- my lord, i

reviewed and that these brave knight appeared >> a special lighting ceremony took place for the two squires' on a special night as the boy's mother waited in anticipation for the big surprise. the reunion and arrived. >> take off your, now. >> mission accomplished. a family, coming fit for a warrior dad and his two young nights. >> i am so happy to see him home again. >> it feels good to be home. >> i love that story. you never get tired of looking at those little boys. this is one of our most popular of facebook. we invite you to share it with your friends and share your comments on wbaltv.com. >> we go now to breaking news out of baltimore county. sky team is over the scene of an accident on route 40. we understand there is a rescue

on the way. >> it may be a pedestrian and bald in the accident scene at this location. they may be trapped by this vehicle. and juries have been severe enough to have called for maryland state police to respond with trooper want to transport the victim to shock trauma. the road remains closed north and southbound. as we get more information we brought to you. -- we will update you. >> truckers are getting a little bit of a safer spot for storms. the emergency truck parking now in storms of 6 inches of snow. the idea is to avoid parking in highway ramps and shoulders. the maryland truck association is working with the i-95 corridor to develop a new application for cell phones. it identifies their location and

helps them navigate through the lot. >> now, your insta-weather forecast. >> there will be no such scene played out this year it around the holiday period last year we had a big storm, craftworkers mistake. today we made it up to 53 degrees. that is 10 degrees cooler than the year before. still warmer than the average high. even though it felt cold or today, everything is relative. by december standards this was not a bad day. this is going to stay north of us tonight. it wasn't through northern pennsylvania. we will wind up with a little bit of cloud cover from time to time. a lot of stuff that was out there earlier this afternoon has disappointed now that the sun has gone down. no weather problems tonight if you're born to be driving around during last-minute shopping. it is colder so be prepared for that. temperatures are in the mid 40's pericarp earlier this afternoon

winds high. it might be busy for the next couple of hours but it will go to calm tonight. partly cloudy skies. it will be colder and then the last couple of nights. nothing unusual by december standards. it would drop in the upper 20's in the suburbs and mid 30's in the city. there will be clouds early in the morning tomorrow and mostly sunny. the high-temperature 44. if you are going to the baltimore ravens game, it will be colder than the last few days. dress in the winter gear. we will take this all the way to christmas day. we will start time print at 6:00 in the evening. the weather will be nice and quiet for santa claus. as they go into christmas morning, we will watch the storm developed in the great lakes. you can see at the top of your screen. at 5:00 in the evening, that

piece of energy will drive down toward baltimore. a slight chance that we will see some snow showers were sprinkles overnight on christmas day. during the day i think it will stay dry. our forecast looks like this. going through christmas weekend no problems at all. maybe some flurries overnight. monday's strike at 44 degrees. it looks like some pretty good chance for rain on tuesday. a high temperature of 43 per drive weather expected going into new year's weekend with ties climbing up to 50. >> in tonight's medical -- consumer alert, sales of new homes are up slightly in november but 2011 will still go down as the worst year ever for new home sales. it rose 1.6% last month which works out to an end to war rid of 315,000. 700,000 do homs must be sold to

maintain a healthy housing market. consumers can be vulnerable to scams by unethical heating contractors. some tips to protect yourself. >> it is one of the pleasures of home ownership. you turn on your furnace and set the thermostat and nothing. it is that pannikin some heating contractors prey on. >> we have seen an increase with the difficult economic times. >> he agreed to tell us how consumers can protect themselves when a contractor shows up to fix your heater. >> technicians will come into the home and said just a furnish -- france has a cracked heater. that is a safety thing because the gas from the furnace is going into the, as opposed to the chimney. >> of somebody tells you you have a crack heater exchange, make them prove it by showing you the crack itself or by using a carbon monoxide detector. >> it will signal with a beat

that carbon monoxide is present a. >> also be aware of someone tells you multiple parts of your furnace needs replacing. if that happens ask for a second opinion. be very wary of the company offering a discount offer that is available for a limited time. >> a reputable firm will not be trying to make customers make an instant decision on something for a significant amount of dollars. >> asked if the contractor is a member of a professional organization like the air conditioning contractors of america. in maryland, there are required to have a license. you can get a written contract with specifics on when the work will be done. finally, the clock is counting down to christmas day. last-minute shoppers are everywhere. today is expected to be the debate -- busiest shopping day of the year. as of sunday, 9% of shoppers had

not even started buying for the holidays. 30% still had a lot more to do. stores are enticing shoppers with longer hours and lower prices. toys r us started with an all- night marathon that goes until christmas eve, one day longer than last year. >> for thousands of families across baltimore, give some of the last things on their minds. some of them are enjoying christmas treats, bread, turkey, even some doors for the kid. local churches and businesses altogether donations to help out 300 families for the holidays. we found them in distribution at union baptist church. the pain of the recession is especially harsh this year and many people have a hard time making ends meet. this is the 50th year of the union baptist church event. the have provided baskets to more than 10,000 family so far. the payroll tax cut extension

past. the problem is it is only short- term. coming up at 6:00 we break out what needs to happen for a long- term solution. >> if you are looking for a unique holiday gift, we have just the thing for you. the story coming out.

>> if you are looking for an unusual gift, but you do not have much time left. the house -- we found the perfect thing.

>> there is a place that will take you back in time. >> well before mp threes were even an idea, this is how most people listen to music -- a spending vinyl disc known as the record. tracks on wax is like a trip back in time to your corner record shop with a twist -- selling everything from turntables to concert posters and even records not the into balls. >> stuff you would think would be in your normal record stores from the '70s. everything we sell is the final products. >> he says surprisingly final is making a huge comeback. if you come and do not expect just the old lease. >> was on this stuff like the

black keys, plenty of new releases, ted just put out a new album. we get real issues of the beatles. >> it does have a lot of rare albums which makes for a great gift for the music lover in your family. if you buy one, you do not necessarily have to listen to it. >> somebody in their teens, you can from that album and give it to them. it is very personalized. >> tracks on wax will buy your used records if you have any in your house and supports of a full record shop online for rare items. the store is where it is at. >> tracks on wax will be open on christmas eve and closing christmas day. for all you really big procrastinators resuming normal hours next week. >> i would really like to be as

cool as that guy, and i do not mean lowell. >> i think i knew that. >> he was very cool. he had the whole thing going. >> that is all for us at 5:00. here is what is coming up at 6:00. >> congress breaks its dublin. what that means for your taxes coming up. >> for millions of travelers it is time to get out of town. the holiday travel trends next. >> we will take a look at the national trouble weather. our 70 forecast is coming up in a few minutes. -- our seven-day forecast. >> it is a done deal. an early holiday gift for millions of americans as congress passes an extension of the peril tax cut ending a washington standoff. washington standoff.