>> and she nails it. >> it is hard to get the olympic footage. that's what's making news in america this morning. p. >> stay with us for "good morning america." cal ripken, jr. will talk about the abduction of his mother. details straight ahead. parents taking their kids to mad agascar, 3, what happened that has one man locked up. also ahead this morning, we see them all the time, mega buses heading up to new york. this morning what happened to a packed double decker bus on a busy highway. those details straight ahead this morning. happy friday. thanks so much for joining us. lynette has a hook at weather, lauren a look at traffic.

it's friday. people always want to know how things are looking around the weekend. >>reporter: i can't believe it's already august too. this summer is just flying by. >> it certainly feels like summer when you're out there. >> feels like august. we're going to feel the heat and humidity. be prepared what's going on. thunderstorms popping up in the afternoon but maryland's most powerful radar is nice and dry as of now. don't worry about that as you head out and about this morning. if you're not going to be back home before the afternoon shows up, take the rain gear with you. temperatures on the warm side. of the humidity once again is up there, 99% in glen elle making it feel much warmer outside this morning. late get a check of the abc 2 time saver traffic with lauren cook. good morning. >>reporter: good morning. two water main breaks that could get in your way. on the east side of the city a

break that continues to shut down kirk avenue. the massive burst downtown has bump street shut down. no concerns on the jfx. this is the west side of the beltway. no problems down toward route 40. this is what it looks like in parkville. nice easy ride up towards 83. we've all been wondering if we'd hear from cal ripken, jr. after his mother was abducted last week. this morning we're going to hear from the ironman first here op abc 2. he's going to talk to "good morning america." sharee johnson is live this morning to explain. sheree. >>reporter: yes. we are here at camden yard where this morning at 10:00 cal ripken, jr. will address news reporters about the case involving his mother's abduction and return and then he'll also appear on "good morning america" this morning

about 7:30. basically he's trying to put the pressure on trying to find this man that kidnapped his mother. police still have not found the suspect. on july 24th vieolet ripken was bound for about 12 hours in her car by an unidentified man, then returned home. police released a surveillance video and sketch of the suspect on tuesday. it was taken the same day she was kidnapped. now, it shows the tall man walking in and out of a store. aberdeen police say this is a very active investigation. they have not offered information about a motive just yet. there is a $2000 reward for any information leading to an arrest. now, cal ripken, jr. also known as the ironman is a hall of fame former oriole player. once again that news conference kicks off at 10:00 at camden yard. also an interview on "good morning america" about 7:30 this morning. reporting live at camden yards, sharree johnson, abc 2 eyewitness news.

>> this is all the information you need to know this morning about the press conference that's happening. first 7:30 an interview on "good morning america" on the latest with this abduction. he is expected to address that issue, and then later this morning we're going to hear from ripken during a press conference. that's scheduled for 10:00. one family is in mourning today after a packed double decker mega bus slammed into a bridge pillar. this happened in illinois. one woman killed when the bus crashed right into the bridge yesterday morning, forcing passengers from their seats. more than three dozen people had to be rushed to the hospital. one passenger describes what happened the moment that bus hit the pillar. >> i just felt a really huge impact and when i came to my senses, it was just people in the aisles. most people had blood on them somewhere. >> the injuries ranged from minor to critical. investigators right now are looking into whether a blown tire may have caused the driver to lose control of that bus. we'll keep you posted on what

they find out. at chick-fil-a, they were pretty busy on wednesday for appreciation day and today advocates for same-sex marriage, they're hoping for the same turnout during national same-sex kiss day. it's in their response to the comments that were made by chick-fil-a president dan cathy about same-sex marriage. so today gay couples are expected to go to the restaurant, kiss and post pictures and videos on the event with social media websites. this is one of the top stories on abc2news.com this morning. parents and kids had a huge scare while they were trying to see a movie in anne arundel county. witnesses say this man, kyle tanner walked into the movie theater while families were watching madagascar 3. they say he started talking loudly to himself and at the screen. he left a few times and pointed a gesture like a handgun. people started running out of the theater, afraid someone was trying to copycat the actions

of the alleged gunman in aurora colorado. >> with this heightend awareness, we take these matters extremely seriously. >> tanner is charged with reckless endangerment, assault and disorderly conduct. he is the true definition of a survivor. keith matthews of harford county lost most of his auto shop and almost lost his life when a tornado struck that shop in early june. the worst of his injuries to his leg. doctors had to put a metal rod from his hip down to his knee. he also had injuries to his ribs and shoulder. he spent weeks recovering in the hospital, now his friends want to help the matthews family. they planned a car wash fundraiser. it's happening tomorrow at 1908 bel aire road in falston, right where matthews auto shop used to be. you can get your car all cleaned up beginning at 10:00 in the morning. federal aid is on the way to maryland.

hundreds of thousands of people went without power for a week. so president obama has issued a disaster declaration. this happened yesterday. it basically gives help to the state and local recovery efforts. that money is being made available to calvert, charles, kent, montgomery and st. maries county as well as baltimore city. time for a check on our weather. we all remember those storms and i think anytime a storm hits, lip et, we keep a close eye on our house, hoping our power stays. >> we do have a chance for more scattered showers to pop up today. satellite and radar picking up on widely scattered showers moving in across kentucky right now, also diving down across the tennessee valley. we're going to do some showers and storms of our own possibly a little bit later. right now we're seeing some clouds trying to sweep in across the area. i'll call it mostly cloudy to partly cloudy as we go through the morning. right now, though, temperature wise, we are warm. 75 degrees in edgewood. good morning ellicott city, 71.

73 in han overand centreville and good morning galena, you're still seeing more of the same there. >> thanks so much, lynette. time for cruise to get to work on the baltimore basilica. that's when construction to repair cracks will begin to repair the damage from last summer's earthquake. the work is expected to take about seven months. if you booked a wedding at the basilica, it's still going to happen. weekend services will also continue as scheduled, however, regular tours will be limited due to that construction. the work helps to improve people's lives all over the state. just ahead we're going to tell you how scammers are using their names to rip people off. an eyesore in parts of the city. nobody wants to live next door to this, vacant property. what the city wants to do with the more than 30,000 abandoned

properties that litter the city. megan, everything is up to speed here on 695 at wilkins avenue. i'll show you what 95 and 83 look like coming up in my time saver traffic report. here's a look at my facebook page where we are giving away $600 in free gas. all you have to do is like my page. good luck. i'll have the details at the top of the profile. stay with us.

if it looks too good to be true, it probably is. there's a new scam right now hitting the internet and it's involving a charity that makes their mission to help the hungry and the poor. the scammers are posing as charities of baltimore offering to pay your bge bill and all they ask is that you are able to send them $150. there's an ad for it. it's on craigslist and the charity wants to know -- they want you to know that there is help if you need it.

but they're not paying gas and electric bills. >> it also in a sense of desperation the bill would be discharged today and would be paid today. >> so, again, if you see this ad offering to pay your bge bill, don't fall for it, it's not legitimate. an important recall to pass along to you. take a look at your screen if you have one of these, the kenmore dehumidifier, from 2003 to 2005, unplug it right now because the company says they are recalling about 800,000 dehumidifiers and it's because of a serious issue. a potential fire or burn hazard. there have been more than 100 complaints so far, including three reports of smoke inhalation injuries. so kenmore is now giving out sears gift cards to customers who may have purchased these dehumidifiers. our hot topic today on facebook is something that's pretty simple and you probably have an answer to it. what is your favorite movie of all time? so while you think about the answer, listen to this, citizen

kaine is no longer considered the greatest film of all time. the title holder now alfred hitchcock's "vertigo." every 10 years critics are asked what their favorite movie is. go to abc 2 news to our facebook fan page. let us know what you think. what is your favorite flick? is there something weather related here? >> weather, it's hot, it's humid, it's august. we can expect it. that's what we're going to have as we head throughout the day, even the weekend, guys. it's going to be a hot one out there. we do have a chance of scattered showers and storms as well. we have a 74 in denton this morning as well and darlington 72 degrees. so temperatures not feeling too bad or not looking too bad when you actually stare at those temperatures. but when you step outside, you

know what i'm talking about, it's very humid. visibility, yes, it is an issue once again. we have lots of moisture trapped at the surface. so with that we do have the fog. we only have about four miles of reduced visibility in york this morning, one in fredrick, eight in baltimore, five in winchester and four in cull power planter. we want to get to the 10 in d.c. but that 10 might go downhill and back up as we go through the rest of the morning. as we head to your neighborhood this afternoon, we are going to be right around 90 degrees in randlestown. we do have a chance for scattered showers and storms. 91 degrees as we go into dundalk and we do have partly cloudy to mostly cloudy skies. more of the same as we slide down into arnold, 88 degrees there and 89 in annapolis, showers and thunderstorms are possible. remember, scattered in nature, so that means that not everybody is going to get wet, but take that rain gear just in case. seven-day forecast remains hot and humid as we head through the weekend. temperatures will drop down into the upper 80s, but still

that humidity still lingering as we head into next week and each and everyday we will have a chance for some showers and thunderstorms in the forecast. let's get a check now of the abc 2 time saver traffic with lauren cook. good morning. still talking about the water main break. >>reporter: yes. we do have two of them that could get in your way this morning if you are traveling in baltimore city. the first happened last month in downtown baltimore. it continues to shut down light street between lombard and president. you can use hopkins place or mass transit to get around the mess. in east baltimore this one burst actually two days ago, but it continues to shut down kirk avenue. if you are in that area, use harford road or loch raven boulevard. as we head down to monument street, we're also dealing with a sinkhole, so that is going to be shut down between wolf street and patterson park avenue. here's a look at 95 at 395 as we're actually at 83, the harrisburg expressway, nice and clear here at hunt valley. no problems from shon road to 695. if you are using 95 to get into the city, here's a live look at

395. no delays through that fort mchenry tunnel. 15 minutes away from 5:00 right now. five things you may want to know before you head out the door this morning, tax cuts of the middle class, it's the focus of remarks president obama is set to give at the white house today. he just returned to washington from the battleground state of florida where he held a campaign rally. more job growth is predicted once again ahead of the release of jobs that comes out today. analysts say our economy is locked in neutral and doesn't believe that we're going to inch closer to another recession, however, today's report probably won't offer much hope either. the world's largest space advocacy group is coming together in california today. the mars society is holding its 15th annual convention this weekend and scientists from all over the world will be speaking about the latest space technology. more than 2000 children and their parents, they're going to be headed to the maryland zoo. this is happening this morning and it's for a big graduation.

it's the summer graduation day for kids in the super kids and read to succeed plus camp. this camp is open to the city public schools for students entering grades second through fourth. you may want to head to annapolis today. the rotary club is offering the 67th annual crab feast. it's starting today at 5:00. the crab festival will take place at the navy marine corps memorial stadium. the all-you-can-eat benefit helps the community and cultural organizations. a wildfire burning in northern california has destroyed more than 500 acres. it's only about 20% contained. this is this morning. now, about 100 structures are already threatened by this fire and people living in the area are being forced out. more than 300 firefighters are on the scene, but they don't expect to have the fire fully contained until sunday at the earliest. talk about a real-life soap opera. listen to this, a new york couple gets married, they get

divorced and then they get married again after being apart for 48 years. the two got married when they were teenagers. they had five children together. they stayed in touch, they both even remarried. [ inaudible ] >> we're real friends, aren't we? >> oh, yes. >> she never said a bad word to us about him, never. he never spoke anything but kind and loving remarks about her. >> sounds like it is meant to be. well, of course, some things will be different when they tie the not this time around. their children will be there as well as their grandchildren and great grandchildren. baltimore city has more than its fair share of vacant and abandoned properties. we all know that. but this morning the help the city says they're going to offer in tearing down those properties and cleaning up the

area. so i'm pressing repeat for today because we're going to be seeing the hot temperatures and we're going to be feeling that humidity once again. as we go through your hour-by- hour forecast, still very warm this morning, still very humid. that continues by 9:00. temperature coming in at 83 degrees. by lunchtime today 91 degrees already. we do have the chance for some scattered showers and storms as we head through the day. 3:00 topping out right around 94. if we do get clouds moving in a little bit earlier like we did yesterday, temperatures would be downgraded but we will feel like we're in the 90s. wççñçñ

when helping your high schooler decide where to go to college, it's a tough decision. well, you may want to start looking right here in maryland because 13 schools made the forbes list of the country's best colleges this year. schools were ranked based on things such as how well their graduates do, alumni donations,

professor evaluations and how well they'll hold on to students into their sophomore year. here's how some of the schools stacked up, the navel academy in annapolis, they ranked highest of the maryland schools coming in at 43. johns hopkins ranked 57. goucher came in 159, loyola 164 and college park 168. not bad, maryland. it is friday and that means it is freebie friday. this is when free sample mama is hooking you up with some great deals and it's all available on our website right here at abc2news.com. you go there and you can get your kid a free haircut, and this is happening at j.c. penney this month. all you have to do is book an appointment. are you thinking of repainting a room in your home? if so, all you need to do is print out a coupon for a free quart of clark and kennington paint at ace hardware this weekend. you can get free admission to museums if you're a bank of america customer or merrill lynch customer and you can show your debit or credit card with

a photo i.d. and you're all hooked up. there are other free sample options. all you have to do is go to our website, abc2news.com. at the top of our page, lifestyle section is where you need to click and that's where you can find all the information. time now for a check on our weather. let's send it other to lynette if she's not on our website right now. >> i was tempted. maryland's most powerful radar is dry right now, so that's definitely some good news. it's going to stay that way. it's the weekend, it's friday, so you know what? you definitely have to head out to the beach. that water temperature right around 79 degrees. we do have the chance for some showers and thunderstorms as we go into the afternoon. temperatures not too bad. atlantic city around 87. ocean city coming in at 88 degrees. if those thunderstorms hold off, you're looking at a fabulous day around the beaches for today. let's get a check now of the abc 2 time saver traffic with lauren cook. good morning. you like the forecast? >>reporter: yeah, i like it. a little hot. i could use a little bit of a cooldown, so maybe those scattered showers will do that. if you are in howard county this morning, no problems to

tell you about on interstate 70. it will be nice and clear from colombia pike all the way over to 695. for those of you who are using 95, this is what the south side looks like north of interstate 195. no problems getting down towards the d.c. area. if you are headed up towards the fort mchenry tunnel, nice and clear. eight minutes traveling northbound from the beltway to the toll plaza. as we check if and take a look at other drive times, there are no concerns on the west side of the beltway, traveling that outer loop from 795 all the way down towards 95, you're looking at an 11-minute ride and it's going to take you 11 minutes as well if you're using the jfx to get into the city from the beltway all the way downtown to east fayette street. we've all seen it before, tens of thousands of vacant, crumbling buildings can be found on so many baltimore city streets. basically paying to knock them down is pretty costly, but as news rosy leftwich reports a program is out of