it's on the rise. the best way to keep your dog safe and the expense that comes with it if you don't. >> we're more than 4 months away from christmas. how the united states drought could have you buying a fake tree ine-stead. those stories straight ahead on this wednesday morning. the dry weather has been a huge story. more on your forecast coming up and lauren cook obviously really busy with the traffic. >> i hope the weather is good down in georgia for the ravens first preseason game. i can't believe it's almost time for football. >> weather wise, we are talking about more humid weather and also more warm weather as we go through this morning. above average temperatures, but let's talk about this radar. maryland's most powerful radar is dry right now and things are changing. yesterday we did have a few thunderstorms that popped up around calvert county and they did have a tornado that started over the water as a water spout and once it moved over, the bridge then we did see it as a

tornado. that national weather service did report that, but today much different. we could be seeing more showers and thunderstorms popping up this afternoon but as you step out the door this morning 74 degrees. hickory at 68 and 72 right now in laurel. let's get a check now of the time saver traffic with lauren cook. >> good morning. well, if you are headed out to route 50 we do have a disabled car that's blocking one eastbound lane at the bay bridge, but good news traveling westbound where a crash is just cleared from route 301 and for those of you wruzing interstate 97, no delays from route 60 all the way up toward 695. and as we take a live look here at howard county, everything up to speed at route 29. no problems as you drive over towards 695 but traffic is really starting to pick up out on the beltway. a 13-minute ride from the outer

loop. also building on the outer loop from 95 up towards 83. not any serious delays. that stretch will take you 12 minutes and everything will be nice and clear out on 95 through the white marsh area. you're looking at a 15-minute ride >> there a virus and it's making its way around. it ooes affecting our pets. it's called the parvovirus and it's extremely contagious. is this considered an outbreak? >> they're seeing more cases this year. the parvovirus is often fatal and expensive to street. she almost lost her one and a half chihuahua back in may. she noticed she had flu like symptoms like vomiting and diarrhea so when they took her in they didn't know if she'd survive. >> the topg hanging out the side of the mouth and the doctor told me, we don't know.

>> the thing with parvovirus is expensive to treat. they spent $5,000 to bring her back. >> you wonder, is there anything that i can do to protect my pets. >> vets are saying the best thing you can do is stay up to date with your vaccines. if you have a puppy or younger dog, stay away from others at public dog parks. the streets of the inner harbor will be roaring with the racing of the second baltimore grand prix and charlie is live with a preview as the city is getting ready for this. and dollarily, how's it looking down there? >> the they are getting ready. the walls are going up and the racetrack is being set up. we're joined by mark and kiefer. thanks for coming out this morning and for showing off this car. >> thanks for having us.

it's a great day. >> when we see race cars out they're sponsored all over the place. >> without the sponsors we wouldn't be out here racing in frornt of the hometown fans of baltimore and for us, mariotte, planet and candy are some of the critical sponsors of our team. without them we wouldn't be out here. >> are the sponsorships help out and also how many of these come back together and give to the community. >> every little bit helps for sure. we have -- people have a hard time believing it. it's all about business to business and working you know, with the sponsors to really help them get a good return on their investment. >> we were talking about the science and engineering that goes into this. we're talking about 12, 15-man race teams aren't we? >> oh, yeah. just the one car for our team baltimore race and it's a team

event. without the team prepping the car, doing the driver changes and pit stops, i wouldn't be anything without the team. >> spencer is going to join us a bit later. the three of you guys get into a go cart race, who's going to win? >> i'm going to win. >> are you going to win? >> i will not win. >> these guys are pros. in three weeks they are racing here at the baltimore grand prix. we're live throughout the course of the morning fo no racing in baltimore county. five new speed cameras are expected to become operational. the first 30 days that the cameras are active you'll only get a warning. after that probationary period is up you'll start getting tickets. who do you call if you need a ride? your parents? maybe your siblings? maybe even friends but i'm going to tell you about a man and what

he did for a beer. all right. the temperature right now in baltimore 72 degrees with light fog. that dew point at 70. if you want to track the temperature where you live download our apps at the app store. >> starting to congest here and we are dealing with a crash on route 295. i'll have all the details coming up on good morning good morning. [ harry umlaut ] that's one creamy muller.

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we all know that joan rivers can raise an eyebrow or two but she got in a confrontation with police at a costco. they were called to the store after the comedian made an unauthorized instore appearance. the 79-year-old is upset that costco is refusing to sell her latest book. >> you're banning the book because there's a funny? she was asked to leave the store and no charges have been filed. target is planning a new line of gear and it's based on the movie hupger games. the famous mocking jay pin is like the one in the movie going for $999. a replica leather hunting jacket is also up for sale. they'll be available online however, target is only offering 100 of each of them. lower end items like movie themed backpacks and pillow cases and jewelry, they will also soon be available in target stores. the shoes promising to give you toned legs or a toned

highny? those claims are bogus and one popular shoe maker is going to have to pay up. >> and just how much has gas prices gone up in the start of the week? ooand if you're heading out to the game tonight i'll tell you what you immediate to take with you. >> traffic is really starting to pick up on the west side of the beltway here at wilkins avenue. i'll show you where else there are delays coming up. ♪

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than the 6 next leading pacs combined. good morning and thanks for joining us. we'll start things off with the weather because it's a big story again today. >> it is a big story. very humid once again this morning and we'll stay that way as we go into the afternoon. chester toup and frederick, look at these numbers in the 70s. as we go into time though that humidity is really out there. the winds are calm right now. they'll pick up a little bit more out of the east as we go throughout the day. we do have some patchy fog out there. so take it easy on the roadways

as you step out and about. maryland's popular radar is mainly dry but we could see another thunderstorm popping up as we go into the late afternoon hours. 87 degrees by lunchtime today and i'm going with 90 by 3:00 p.m. let's get a check now of abc 2 time saver traffic. do we have any accidents out there? >> no accidents yet but congestion is really starting to pick up. out on 895, that long-term construction is still underway blocking one northbound lane. you will want to use the fort mchenry tunnel instead of that harbor tunnel and once you get inside the city, repairs to that massive water main break do continue. so it's still going to be shut down between lombard street and baltimore street and on the east side we're still dealing with that sink hole. you will want to stick with orleans street as your alternate

route. if you are traveling on 95, no problems to report in that vicinity from route 43 down into the city, but here's what the beltway looks like. much different story and over at bellaire road it's going to be congested as you travel up towards the town send area. and the northwest corner looks pretty good but it's going to slow down more as you travel down toward liberty road. over to you. you know it's already hot but you're going to want to be extra careful when it's like this because this heat can be deadly. four deaths have happened earlier this summer and they were just recently found to be heat related. that raises the total number of deaths to 38. that's four more than last year at this time. another big story. several vigils will be held tonight in our area to remember the victims of a temple shooting that happened in wisconsin. linda is here to tell us what's

happening in the state of maryland. so many people want to pay their respects. >> and the first one is happening tonight in washington, d.c. right outside of the white house. that starts from 6:00 to 9:00 tonight. then another vigil at the temple in silver spring at 8:00 tonight. we've learned more than a dozen lawmakers and the police chief will be at that candle light vigil in silver spring for the third straight night mourners held the vi zil for the six victims in the shooting. they suspect the gunman might have ties to white sigh preemist groups. among those killed, a mother who spent every thursday and sunday at the temple often arriving early to help prepare food. >> i told her there's a shooting going on outside. you need to get up and leave. rather than getting up and leaving she just wanted to bow

down and pray and then get up and leave. as she evers just getting up, she was shot in the back. >> the community is calling for a national moment of silence on sunday. it's asking people to mark observances at their churches, mosques, synagogues and other places of worship. >> no motive yet but there has been photos that surfaced showing this suspected gunman posing in front of swastikas and stuff like that. police say he didn't leave behind any notes or letters. if youily in salisbury you're invited to learn about a new proposal for a new gas pipeline. the new pipe would basically

increase capacity. opponents of the plan say that the pipes will hurt the environment. you can form your own opinion. there is an open house. it runs from 6:30 until 8:30. it's happening at the fall ston fire department. >> gas prices are continueding to climb. they have gone up 30 cents and that's just in the last five weeks. it's not stopping there. according to analysts this weekend gas prices will likely be higher than they were a year ago at this time. the rise is driven, they say, by refining and transformation problems in the midwest and also on the west coast. the walls are going up, the track is being set. the inner harbor is preparing for the second grand prix race weekend and now just three weeks away the baltimore grand prix is back. the big question is is downtown ready. we're live downtown. i know you've been looking under the hood this morning charlie. >> this car has no engine in it

though. i thought the guys were going to let me drive but no such luck. sort of an educational side for the casual fan. spencer, what is the one thing about racing that no fan will truly be able to appreciate? >> i think what's often overlooked is how physically demanding driving a race car is. a lot of people think the race car is doing all the work. they're under very high stress. a lot of g forces. you've got to hold yourself in the car but think about the concentration you have to put in at all times. if you've ever taken a test and been tired after wards apply that and it's 100 times worse in a car. >> how are we looking at the baltimore race? >> it will be two hours and we had to condense schedules and get lots of stuff done in two to three days. >> we've got testing on fridays, racing on and then races on sunday. fastest you have ever gone?

>> probably about 100 miles an hour. >> and mark? >> 191. >> they always go a little bit faster. getting ready for race day. just as baltimore city restaurant week winds down baltimore county restaurant week, it starts with the kickoff happening at cafe where 39 restaurants will be taking part, each offering 1 to 3-course meals at a discould want price. restaurant week officially starts on friday so keep that in mind if you want to get something good to eat at a low price. check your mailbox because you may be getting a refund check starting today. that is if you bought reebok shoes because reebok has settled with the government over its easy tone and run tone shoes. the company claims it can tone up your legs and buttocks muscles better than any regular

shoe. but sketchers also paid millions in fines over similar advertising claims for those shapeup sneakers. five things you may want to know before you head out the door this morning. law mangers are cutting their vacation short to return to annapolis for a special session. and get out your wallets just in time for back to school shopping. the state comptroller is announcing details today about shop maryland. clothing and shoes this weekend priced under $100 will be tax exempt. the deal lasts through saturday. governor o'malley making an announcement today about the state's infant mortally rate. one of his goals auz govern nor was to reduce the number of infant deaths in maryland by 10% this year alone. policies are coming to a change and this is after last week near a collision of three planes at reagan's international

airport. the faa says it is in opposite direction operations that allowed the planes to come closer than they should. this summer's drought could affect the winter's christmas season. the hot dry weather is wiping out some of the country's christmas tree harvest. take 7 to so years to grow a christmas tree and in that time farmers say they have to make up for lost time. school is back in session for students and staff in one kentucky town. they're going to class this year but they're doing it in a warehouse. that's because a powerful tornado ripped across the school. you can see it right here. you can see the windows blown in. debris all over the place. two maintenance workers happened to be inside when that twister struck. the winds were so powerful it actually sucked one of the men into a stairwell. right now they're going to be doing their school classes in a warehouse. we hear those stories all the

time but it's really tough when you see video like that. >> that video always breaks my heart and we actually had a tornado that touched down yesterday. the national weather service did confirm that. it started out as a water spout around the river and then it moved over benedict bridge and with that it made landfall so again, that's what we're looking at for a tornado yesterday. around 5:55. for today, things are quiet this morning. as we go into the afternoon there is a chance for maybe isolated showers or storms to pop up in the forecast. but what ear dealing with a bit of cloud cover just like yesterday although more clouds were out then. for today partly cloudy to partly sunny. we are having reduced visibility issues this morning. only about 5 in baltimore. 2 in easton now. we have gone downhill. temperature right now 72 in baltimore. 77 in d.c. these temperatures are going to be warm as we go

throughout the day and that moisture is going to be up there so feeling very oppressive. look at tropical storm tracker. it has already moved over the yucatan peninsula as a hurricane. it will become a tropical storm and then maybe everyone a hurricane again before it makes a second landfall into southern mexico. future trend not picking up on a whole lot for this afternoon but again not going to rule out that chance for an isolated shower or storm. this is what i'm going with as we head into the afternoon with a temperature at 90 degrees. if you are headed out to 83 we are dealing with debris in the southbound lanes. this is what the west side looks like at liberty road. the outer loop pretty dry as we move down toward route 40. >> forge gnatly no significant delays on the inner loop but that outer loop very sluggish up

towards towson. we are giving away money for prizes. we want to leave you with some light hearted news. 911, some people dial the number for the craziest thing solisen to one call made by a man. check this out. >> hey, you want to take me to the store? >> want to take you to the store? >> huh? >> what's going on sir. >> i just want you to take me to get a beer. >> okay. sir. i can't take you to the store and get you a beer. you've got 911. >> that poor woman because it turns out this guy called 911 over a 12-hour period. he says he was dialed the wrong number. he did say he was a little drunk. he was later arrested and then released. >> just a lit all carunc. >> it's for emergencies. >> all right. thank you so much for joining us

on this wednesday morning. remember we have updates on weather and traffic coming up. it's time to change the way we clean.

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