you're headed towards chesapeake beach and this has been a steady inflow across chesapeake beach, also eagle harbor, golden beach, more of the same. all of this is crossing over the bay and we're also seeing some light showers now around goldsboro, also mary dell, churchill, gracenville and basically staying off to the north and west of easton as of right now. still some spritzes and sprinkles and also some drizzle as we head out and about this morning. right now these temperatures are on the mild side. yes, we're waiting for that dryer, cooler air to filter in, but as you step out the door, it's still going to be a little bit on the humid side. we do have some rain to report already. those totals really adding up. we do need that rain out there and we got close to about a half inch in jefferson, already .20 in joppa and glen oak over a half inch of rain. let's hope this keeps coming down because we're about .067 inches for the entire year. we definitely need some rain. i'll talk more about that, when we get a break from the rain

and more sunshine coming up. let's get a check of the traffic with lauren. good morning. >>reporter: good morning, lynette. we are off to a rainy start and trouble in baltimore county where there's a crash in monkton. it's on jarrettsville pike at manor road. if you are traveling in the area, you do want to be extra careful. in baltimore city, an accident has just cleared from payne street at dundalk avenue. everything back to normal now. as far as the northeast corridor of 95, absolutely nothing to get in your way. it will be an easy ride from white marsh all the way into the city. we do have some police activity, though, on the beltway. it's on the outer loop there at pulaski highway, but not affecting traffic. it's actually confined to the shoulder, speeds clocking in at 60 miles per hour. as we check in and take a live look in parkville, everything up to speed. that outer loop really starting to pick up, but steady up towards 83. as far as the west side is concerned, more traffic here at liberty road. do expect a 14-minute ride on that outer loop right now from 795 down towards 95. if you are using the jfx to get

into the city, no concerns. it will be delay free from the beltway all the way from downtown to east fl street. that's a look at your abc 2 time saver traffic. over to you. we're monitoring the situation out of italy. the latest reports now say 16 people are dead after a 5.8 magnitude earthquake that hit yesterday. we told you this as breaking news on "good morning maryland." it happened in the northeast part of that country. factories and churches collapsed in that region where thousands remained homeless where stronger quakes hit nine days earlier. also new this morning, the obama administration is now giving syrian diplomats in d.c.72 hours to get out. at least eight other western countries are expemming syrian diplomats. it follows last week's massacre of more than 100 civilians. many dead are children. the lawyer of penn state former assistant football coach jerry sandusky begins next week. today a pretrial hearing is scheduled but it's -- he's not scheduled to attend. jury selection is scheduled to start june 5th.

sandusky is accused of sexually abusing 10 young boys over a 14- year period. the 66-year-old has pled not guilty and has been under house arrest since being charged. day 8 in the john edwards jury deliberations. the former presidential candidate and senator faces six felony charges. he's accused of using campaign moneys to hide his pregnant mistress, rielle hunter. looks like marijuana's smaryj -- maryland's same-sex marriage law is headed for a referendum. the marriage alliance says it has more than twice the number of signatures need today put the issue on the november ballot. the group which opposes same- sex marriage in maryland only needed about 66,000 signatures by june 30th. >> every poll is nothing but propaganda at this point because what we are seeing is that countless, thousands of marylanders around the state want to see marriage go on the ballot, but they also want to see it defined and upheld between one man and one woman. [ cheers and applause ] >> the collection of those signatures does not reflect the growing momentum among maryland

voters. the truth of the matter is that our promise have lost ground. we've seen substantial growth. we know that 57% of maryland voters now support marriage equality. >> marylanders for marriage equality said they always expected the law to end up on a referendum. new this morning, a judge has ordered julius henson to pay the state more than $1 million. he was convicted of conspiracicy for robo calls in 2010 aimed at keeping black voters from the polls. the damages are from violations. henson, his company universal elections incorporated and an employee who recorded those calls must pay the damages. henson is said to be sentenced on june 13th. while most people had three days off for the weekend for memorial day, one waiter says he was glad he was working. >> listen to this. two of his long-time customers showed up to see him on the job and it was a time of need for him and they gave him a very unique gift. listen to this, greg rubar, he works at a cafe in houston and he still can't believe how bad

his luck turned at one point and then into good fortune. several weeks he was driving home when flooding from heavy rains ruined his car. when the two long-time customers heard about his dilemma, they took action. >> they just came in and they gave me money to buy the car. i will go buy a car with it. >> those long-time customers gave him an envelope filled with $5,000. rubar says that no one has ever done anything like this before for him in his life. an ohio man goes local for his tacos literally. >> you're probably not going to believe what he does when he realizes he's missing some taco from a drivethrough order. to say he gets angry may be an understatement. also this morning, pepsi trying to build up its brand by giving away free stuff. that starts today. what you can get just by following them on twitter. >>reporter: if the 90s were too hot for you to handle, i think you're going to like the forecast. i'll detail what's happening today and beyond coming up. >>reporter: traffic is just

starting to pick up here on the south side of 95. i'll show you how the beltway and the jfx look coming up in my abc 2 time saver traffic report. you're watching "good morning maryland."

6:39. thanks for joining us. no doubt about it, it can be frustrating when you pull off from a drivethrough restaurant and you realize everything you ordered is not in the bag. >> you get angry about that? >> angry, no, annoyed, yes. >> do you ever take your frustrations out on the people? >> never. >> in dayton, ohio, this guy got really angry when workers at a taco bell forget a taco, not the whole order, one taco. he got so angry, police say he then drove his truck through the front door of the restaurant. that's angry.

>> we've had all kinds of vehicles into houses and businesses, but it's always been an accident, there's always been an impairment, but usually people don't run into taco bell intentionally just for a missing taco. >> get my chalupa right. the man was cited for felony vandalism. starting today listen to this there'll be free downloadable songs on pepsi's twitter page. the beverage company will offer free live streaming of summer concerts. users will be able to tweet songs they want to hear. it's all part of pepsi's live for now campaign being used to try to revive the company's image. how about this for a breakfast drink, a mountain dew soda mixed with orange juice. the drink is being offered at some taco bell restaurants in southern california as the chain expands into the breakfast market. nothing says breakfast like mountain dew. >> so if i don't like it, can i drive through the front door? >> no, i don't think so.

but if you have enough mountain dew. >> in ohio. a community coming together after their -- a neighbor loses everything in a fire. they're all pulling together. we've got details this morning of how you can help out this hartford county family and be thankful they're alive and you can help out as well. >>reporter: a reminder from public works officials in baltimore about where you can't go to cool off this summer. and it's wet and mild in some spots this morning, but i'm going to tell you when it gets dryer and cooler. those details coming up. we're off to a rainy start, but everything is up to speed here on 895 at o'donnell street. i'll let you know how the beltway is shaping up coming up in my abc 2 time saver traffic report. you're watching "good morning maryland."

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, thanks for joining us. it's wednesday morning, this is your abc 2 news to go. >> there is a lot to go to. linda will tell us how things have stirred up over the birther controversy. sharee johnson is live with a new proposal that could put ads on city fire trucks and a live look at an mdot camera this

morning. lauren has time saver traffic coming up in just a bit. let's get a check of the forecast and say hello to lynette charles. >> good morning, charley. good morning, everyone. yes, we're dealing with some light showers out there for the most part all morning long and that will continue even as we go slightly into the afternoon time frame and then the dryer weather will begin to work its way in. the heaviest rain, though, has been to the south of us around calbert county all morning long and also st. mary's county. we look at the temperatures this morning and we are mild. we are sort of on the warm side. temperatures are starting to fall a little bit, but it's taking a while for that dryer air to work in and also the cooler weather. we'll start to see more of that as we go into the afternoon. we already received over .40 inch of rain in millersville and talson over a half inch of rain. we definitely do need the rain. also a few areas of patchy fog out there this morning. easton was at 10, but now you're looking at reduced visibility, only about five miles, so take it easy as you head out and about. let's get a check now of the abc 2 news time saver traffic with lauren. lauren, the roads are wet, has it been affecting the commute? >>reporter: we are dealing with several accidents, a new

one in hartford, in joppatown at route 40 at daves cove road. speeds clocking in at 39 miles per hour right now. if you are using 95, fortunately no delays from hartford county all the way to baltimore county, as we check in and take a look at the white marsh area, route 43, everything up to speed. traffic is picking up but still a four-minute ride from this point all the way to the beltway. here's a live look at the beltway and parkville. no problems to report at hartford road. inner loop and outer loop steady. no delays heading down towards 95 or down towards 83. that will be a different story on the west side of the beltway. we are dealing with building congestion on the outer loop from 795 down towards edmondson avenue. 83 nice and clear from hunt valley all the way down to the beltway, and once you do get onto the jfx, no delays whatsoever heading downtown. but we do have an accident in monkton you want to watch out for on pike at manor road. that is a look at your abc 2 time saver traffic. over to you. donald trump is now renewing claims that president barack obama was not born in the u.s.

>> abc 2 news' linda stow is here with how the birther issue is now overshadowing romney's campaign. linda, what's going on? >>reporter: less than 24 hours after romney clinched the republican nomination for president, donald trump seems to be spoiling his party. he is once again alleging president obama was not born in the u.s., this more than a year after the president released his hawaii birth certificate. trump spoke at a fundraiser for romney last night. some republicans fear trump's claims threatens to undercut the seriousness of romney's campaign. they also worry it opens up romney to attacks he's not willing to stand up to members of his own party. when asked about trump and his birther claim, romney only had this to say. >> you know, i don't agree with all the people that support me, just as they don't agree with everything i believe in. >> the white house says the trump birther issue is "nonsense." linda stow, abc 2 news. some say it will be a way to save lives by keeping the fire stations open. we're talking about putting

advertisements on fire trucks. >> the issue is going before city leaders and now it's time for a decision before those firehouses are forced to close shop. this morning abc 2 news' sharree johnson is live downtown with the very latest. there was a meeting last night about all of this, sharree. >>reporter: that's right, there sure was. we're actually in front of the fire department headquarters here. lots of talk going on. we're right in front of the fallen firefighters statue here and there's a lot of supporters that actually hope the fire truck ads might prevent the proposed closing of three fire companies in baltimore city. now, dozens of supporters actually packed the city council chambers yesterday. at this point the measure is not a bill. it's a resolution calling on baltimore city to allow advertisements be placed on fire trucks. councilman pete welch made the proposal in response to a plan to permanently close three fire companies around the city. now, this includes truck 10 in west baltimore and squad 11 in southeast baltimore. a spokesperson for baltimore city mayor stephanie rawlings blake says a proposal to add

advertisements to city-owned buildings like parking garages and even pools is very close to becoming a reality. now, the head of the city's fire union says after some initial skepticism he and his members are now in favor of the idea of ads on their trucks, especially if it might keep those fire companies open. >> we realize that what this really means is how desperate times we're in. we do support this bill. >>reporter: now, three fire companies would close when the next fiscal year starts on july 1st. reporting live in downtown baltimore, sharree johnson, abc 2 news. a community is now coming together, helping a hartford county family who lost their home to the fire. this happened in the 2400 block of dixie lane yesterday morning in forest hill. we told you about this on "good morning maryland." the family all got out safely, but the home is a total loss. investigators are still looking for a cause. a friend says you can help out this family by dropping off items to the bel aire volunteer

fire department. the family needs everything from clothes to furniture. just a reminder from public works, officials, about where you're not allowed to swim in the baltimore area. no swimming is allowed at the reservoirs and certain manmade lakes. that includes the prayboy, lockraven and drew id lake, lake montebello. rescue crews had to save a man who did try swimming near the pretty boy dam. people caught in the water will be fined and jailed, so keep that in mind. consumer news for you this morning, an alert for college students and their parents. a public interest group says that as many as 900 colleges are pushing students to use debit cards that carry really hefty fines. the group says sometimes those colleges are even requiring the cards for students to access their financial aid money and it claims that colleges and banks made secretive deals allowing them to rake in millions of dollars in fees.

this story sounds like something you may see in a sci- fi movie, but it is very real and you need to know. a russian computer company has now uncovered a new virus. it says the flame virus can be use today turn infected computers into spying machines. yeah. check this out. they say infected computers can even grab information from nearby cell phones. now it's not clear yet where the virus' origin was actually from. 6:51. new this morning, $60 million from a mortgage settlement is going towards the housing assistance in maryland. governor o'malley and attorney general doug gansler will talk about the first payment day and the nearly $1 billion total maryland will receive. a little sports this morning, and in the 162-game major league season, that is really long, things don't always go according to plan and that is the case for the o's right now. baltimore now trying to avoid a sweep tonight, 7:05 first pitch in toronto. but last night through the 4th, 5th and 6th

innings. too much for baltimore to overcome. ariata did not look good and adam jones three hits, two home runs, one of them right there, all wasted last night. o's drop this one 8-6. game three is coming up tonight. the baltimore ravens now holding an organized team activity this morning at their training facility in oings mills. that practice is going to be from 11:30 to 1:30. after the ota head coach john harbaugh and coaches will be available to talk to the media. do you ever wonder if that's real crab? the state's true blue program will certify restaurants that primarily serve maryland home grown crab. 84 restaurants have signed on so far to be certified. 75% of the crab meat used by a restaurant must be from maryland. five things you need to know this wednesday morning as you head out the door. a special ceremony being held today for the rescue, recovery and relief workers who worked at ground zero following 9/11. today marks the 10th anniversary of the formal end

to ground zero cleanup operations. that's coming up later this morning. rutgers university student found guilty of using a webcam to spy on his roommate and his romantic partner due in court today. dharun ravi is set to go to jail for 30 days beginning tomorrow. his roommate, tyler clementi later killed himself. two going on a shooting spree in tulsa, oklahoma due in court today. all this happened back in april. they shot five people, killing three of them. two others were injured. britain's supreme court is supporting the extradition of julian asaj. he has been fighting extradition to sweden. he's accused of committing sex crimes there. he is now appealing the ruling. safety and training personnel will explain basic aspects of a service restoration and challenges those teams face -- those teens face while out on the job. tonight at 11:00, our four- legged friends, they are

putting the thunder shirts to the test. these so-called thunder shirts are supposed to calm your panicked dog during a thunderstorm. so, of course, we wanted to know, does this actually work? one bark for yes, two barks for no. we'll find out tonight right here at 11:00 on abc 2. that's so cute. but we do have some showers right now on maryland's most powerful radar. we see lots of clouds as well. the showers have been persisting lightly off and on this morning. but the heaviest stuff is to the south around calbert county and also st. mary's county. as we slide further to the south, what we're looking at now is the tropical depression beryl as of now, and this is making its way through south carolina, north carolina, some heavier rains there. some of the outer bands could extend into southern maryland as we go through the afternoon. so just be prepared for that. northern maryland you should stay dry, but southern maryland, yes, we could get in on some of that action. bethesda right now not looking too bad. we look pretty dry across the area, but we are looking at

some clouds streaming in. that will be the scenario this morning. we will get a few peeks of sunshine as we go throughout the day. all in all we will have that moisture in here, so the dewpoints still up. it's going to take a while for them to trickle back. but right now 67 for a dewpoint in baltimore. we are quite moist once again. the future trend picking up on the chance for still some showers, isolated in nature to roll in here as we go through the afternoon, but we will see plenty of sunshine by tomorrow. and for today that hour-by-hour forecast, 85 degrees is what i'm going with. it will not be as hot as it was yesterday. we will be nice and comfortable for the most part. and then we look even more comfortable as we head into thursday with plenty of sunshine. that temperature coming in at 80 and much cooler by the weekend. let's get a check now of the abc 2 news time saver traffic with lauren. good morning. >>reporter: good morning, lynette. we are dealing with several accidents today. trouble in hartford county where there's a crash right in joppatown blocking one eastbound lane of route 40 at daves cove road and that's going to be between daves cove

road and joppa farm road. in baltimore county dealing with another accident in monkton, that's on jarrettsville pike at manor road. if you are using the harrisburg expressway, here's a live look at shan road, no delays to talk about here whatsoever. here in hump valley an easy ride all the way down towards the beltway. as far as the west side of the beltway is concerned a lot of congestion here at liberty road. that outer loop will remain slow as you make the drive down towards edmondson avenue. no delays to talk about, traveling through the fort mchenry tunnel or the harvard tunnel, nice and clear. what do you do in a traffic jam when you can't move at all? some drivers in pennsylvania found a way to make the best of the situation. an accident involving two trucks and a car shut down all lanes of eastbound 176. instead of getting angry, girls in bikinis took to the street and started playing frisbee. everything went off according to plan. >> i'm sure some people sitting in their car appreciated that sight as well. >> a show for everyone. thank you for joining us this wednesday morning.

the news is always on at abc2news.com. remember, rosemont elementary and middle school closed today. staff, go to copin state university. we'll have an update in just a bit. have a great day.