stephanie rawlings-blake response to claim that this drove a longtime grocer out of business. why she says the fee is a necessity for the city. the holidays are approaching quickly. a peek at some of this year's hott >> baltimore city mayor stephanie rawlings-blake news fending the bottle tax. the grocer is closing its highlandtown location after 83 years in business. the store's owner says that they have lost $4 million as the bottle tax went into effect at the mayor says the taxes helping to close a budget gap and it is funding $1 billion in city school projects. the bottle tax and other reforms in 2010, we were able to fully fund our obligations to public schools, maintain police officers and firefighters and keep all of our library is open. >> even with the bottle tax, the mayor pointed out five new grocery stores have since opened in the city and three more are on the way. as the mayor defense or policies, her former political aide hopes to shed the controversial past and make a run for the senate. he will seek the 45th district mcfadden.ntly held by he served 30 days in

mayor stephanie rawlings blake joins us to talk about a multi- group effort to keep kids from going hungry video mer's dream ride. we'll take you inide this and show you which games are sure to be on some christmas lists thisoliday season. you're watching fox 45 good day baltimore. typical couch perience on the road. the gaming company is traveling across the u-s in this deced-out airstream... but this isn't you gradparents' r-v joining me to lauth tour is ???. thanks for stopping by today. --why are you guys going on tour? --what games are you featuring? --are e going to be on a lot of holiday wish lists? thank you so much. the goal is to make sure nn!nn!n!n!n!missi tend ild hunger. you can help their cause tonight by dining out. joining me now to talk about share our strength's "taste of the nation" is baltimore city maor stephanie rawlings-blake. thanks for being here. --tell us about the "no kid hungry" campaign --how does "share our strength" help baltore chdren --ell abo tonight's event to learn more about tonight's "taste of the tonight's event to learn more about tonight's "taste o

city mayor stephanie rawlings- blake will be in the crowd and she says she would like to see baltimore get a professional basketball team in the future. lucky ravens fans are gearing up for the trip of a lifetime. and lucky winners -- 10 lucky winners turned in non-winning lottery tickets for us chance to fly with the reigning super bowl champions. they get to take a guest, eat with the team, and meet the players. for the lucky winners, it is a prize better than cash. >> it is overwhelming, a once- in-a-lifetime opportunity. >> i guess i am kind of lucky. i beat cancer. i am living on top of the world. >> this is the fifth year the maryland lottery has teamed up with the ravens for these kind of contest. somebody will win season tickets for 20 years. still ahead, dr. kim hammond from falls road animal hospital is here to answer your have questions. -- pat questions. >> rain is on the way. we will track the cool front for you. your 11 insta weather forecast is moments away. beliesian scientists they found part of the massive meteor that blazed across the sky. it was discovered at the bo

now the staple is closing and the cfo is pointing the finger at mayor stephanie rawlings- blake and the bottle tax for putting him out of business. jayne miller has the very latest for us. willyor stephanie's lake hold a news conference -- mayor stephanie rawlings-blake will older news conference tomorrow to talk about the benefits of the bottle tax. someone likely not to be on the guest list, santoni's cfo rob santoni. the sign says it all. your neighborhood grocer since 1930. but no longer, says the cfo, all because of the city bottle tax. >> it has slowly eroded our sales over the last three and half years. everyone knows that the supermarket business is a dime's business, a penny's >> residents will feel the loss. >> it is a shame. they have been around a lot of years. >> you live nearby? >> around the corner. santoni says that the bottle tax has cost him $4 million in sales over the last three years. he does missed increased competition as a factor. as southwest baltimore has developed, so has the grocery market with a safeway in canton and all whole foods at -- a whole foods at ha

mayor stephanie rawlings-blake wants to make sure there are fewer tax credit errors for historic and enterprise zones. she said they are working to identify the problems and correct them. there will be a review of all tax credit accounts and eventually automate the process to reduce human error. >> this is an issue of fairness, fairness for people who have done the right thing but paying the price for an inefficient system. they work actively to identify errors and worked overtime. we put in mechanisms to crack down on mistakes. >> the finance department expects the auto mated system to be sphully functioning and available to the public by march of next year. >>> looks like you'll start seeing construction. bge will be relocating only underground activities. there will be closures and there will be work on streets. the work is expected to happen during nonrush our hours. >>> maryland's casino is bringing in tens of millions. maryland live! brought in $50.5 million out of the more $65 million for the casinos. and the second highest was at $6.6 million. >>> the rain tried but it had to

mayor stephanie rawlings-blake will highlighted reform. this is as the city council is going to look at resolutions calling for the tax collections and an audit. >>> the national aquarium in baltimore will welcome 1700 new animals today. they are coming from a facility in washington, d.c. that is closing there. the first 38 animals that will include an octopus to be moved in today. the rest of the animals will arrive over the next few weeks. before they are plus, they go through an observation period. >>> if you fly, there have a lot of check points that you have to stop in. >>> lynette. this story is for you. take a look. stop paying attention to the weather. chocolate lovers you are going to drool. 229 pounds of chocolate and neonate buttercup beamed to make the largest peanut butter cup. the bakers in vermont had one worry. >> the concern that we have, all of the weight might push the mold apart. >> good problem to have. >> the peanut butter and chocolate held up long enough to feed a line of people that were wrapped around the building

the graph right now has mayor stephanie rawlings-blake around 160,000 dollars a year. a number of police officers are earning more than the city's top leader and you see by contrast some of the city's supervisors and some of the city workers and some clerks carpenters not making nearly as much. this lends itself to what joce's report is. some of the top 30 salaries baltimore pd employees the top 30 salaries made 1.7 million dollars in overtime. but as she was saying union leaders for city police say it's necessary. abc2news.com if you want to drill down and get more on the story and we have a link for you there. you can go check it out. >>> a tragic day care story that will give mothers chills a mother mourning the loss of a 9 month old baby killed by the caregiver. abc2 news investigators are digging into find out how a day care provider was given the option to stay open even after this young child's death. that story is next thursday after the abc hit scandal. >>> mission barbeque opens to a brand new restaurant in canton on monday. from 5 to 9 tonight, you can stop

today, mayor stephanie rawlings- blake is dumping to the defense of the bottle tax. political reporter pat warren has more on two very different stories remember. >> reporter: hi, kai. this is one of those cases where the operation is a success, but the patient dies. stores are saying they're losing customers, but the city is making money. >> reporter: the grocer. the government. >> it breaks my heart that he's closing. >> it's the by-product of the bottle tax. >> i respectfully disagree with the premise that the bottle tax is solely to blame. >> she's misinformed. as on most of the details with the bottle tax, she is misinformed. >> five septs for our children. >> reporter: the 5 cent bottle tax was a 2011 rallying cry to raise money for city schools, after a 2-cent tax imposed in 2010. it warned that it would take them under. >> you can't run in and take them under. and you're just spinning your wheels every day with a local government that just isn't listening. >> mayor santony said the bottle tax isn't killing him. in any case, she won't be lowering it. >> absolu

. >>> graphiccally you can see what we have set up showing mayor stephanie rawlings-blake salaryu of,000 relative to some in law enforcement. also you can go in and look by name at individuals find out what their official salary is and fine out how overtime is now being affected by that and what's being done to raise the wages. again, more on this story with joce coming up tonight at 6 here on abc2 news. >>> next thursday after scandal a tragic day care story every parent want to pay attention to. a mother mourning the loss of her 9-month-old baney killed -- baby killed by his caregiver. abc2 news investigators find out how a day care provider was given the option to stay open after the child's death. that's next week thursday coming up on abc2 news after the hit show scandal. >>> first confirmed of the seasonal -- case of seasonal flu in maryland. state health officials says this is a good reminder to be vaccinated. everyone older than 6 months is encouraged to get vaccine. baltimore county is offering a free flu clinic tomorrow so you can go to our website on the health section for

mayor stephanie rawlings-blake expressed her concern over the shut down she says lawmakers' inability to compromise sets a bad example. "we're showing our children that the federal government can not function can not comprise the lessons that we try to teach them everyday theyre showing us that the people that we send to washington to do the work of the people can't figure it out. " despite the government shutdown, obamacare officially opens for business today. open enrollment is officially underway on the government healthcare page... healthcare dot gov. ((ad lib)) new online exchanges will allow you to buy policies -- even if you have pre- exisng medical conditions. there are four packages... "bronze" is basic, "silver," mid- range, and "gold" and "platinum", are high-end plans. all must offer the same coverage. all will come with a monthly premium. president obama says, for many, it'll provide health insurance for roughly 100- dollars or less a month. choose by december 14th, if you want your new health coverage to start january first. on march 31, 2014, open enrollment ends and th

a big addition in canton today 3, 2, 1 mayor stephanie rawlings blake and lieutenant governor anthony brown cut the ribbon on "the shops at canton crossing" iq: its just a great example... oq: an anchor for this community it has 325- thousand square feet of shopping space... ...and will create more than a thousand permanent jobs some baltimore county students got a lesson in meteorology today... our... very own meteorologist jonathon myers... stopped by ...bear creek elementary school ...in dundalk ...this morning.../. he met ...with three different classses... / and... gave students... an... up close look... at the fox45 weather authority... storm tracker. next on fox45 news at ten... why this dog... is credited... with saving the life of a toddler. the critical medical condition... the dog detected and the surprising... few... ...who have actually bought insurance... / thru... the state's... exchange website a pit bull is credited with a pit bull is credited with saving a toddler's life in minneapolis. to watch peyton anderson play with his dog... you can tell there is a spe

mayor stephanie rawlings-blake is announcing a series of reforms that will hopefully cut back on future mistakes. that includes privatizing tax calculations and collections. the finance department say they are already making some big changes. >> one of the things we have come to understand, in terms of root cause analysis of the errors, is too many hands touching the house us. the rule is to eliminate as many hands as possible by introducing automation. >> automation will help make sure the city is collecting the proper amount of tax revenue it out. >> the average price for gas is down all across the country. on average, the price of a gallon of regular unleaded fell 13.7 cents over the last week. here in maryland, the average stood at $3.33 per gallon. crude oil price cuts have moved down the supply chain, finally benefiting motorists. you might want to fill up now. the price reduction may end soon. 71,000 businesses, nearly 2 million households here in maryland, will soon be able to tap into affordable high-speed internet. the maryland intercounty broadband network is now -- now compl

mayor stephanie rawlings-blake said she would like to see baltimore get another professional basketball team sometime in the future. >> everybody would love to see that. new research suggests a number of american women using donated eggs to get pregnant is on the rise. with thers partnered cdc to study thousands of pregnancies between 2000-2010. the ideal outcome is a single baby born on time at a healthy weight happens in only about one out of four pregnancies from donated eggs, but it is up six percent from a decade ago. the world health organization the latest carcinogen, plano air. nearly a quarter million people rorldwide died from lung cancel and they say this directly related to air pollution. rise, pollution levels the organization says so will cancer rates. if you're an allergy sufferer, we don't need to tell you this is been one of the worst allergy seasons in years. that has some patients turning to a new and natural treatment, natural remedy. it offers allergy sufferers relief from symptoms without the bothersome side effects that often comes from antihistamines. >> in clini

headstart program the students are lining up to learn and under the watchful eye of mayor stephanie rawlings-blake. students andned parents and staff members to highlight headstart. this is one of the many programs threatened by the government shutdown. >> when the funding is jeopardized it means this is real. this means that there are kids around our country that are not going to be able to do the best start and it is having a lifelong impact. >> central maryland ymca said it is trying to recover from an earlier budget cuts. >> we have been having to cut some of our back office staff and move money around to ensure that we do not have to cut enrollment. >> parents say they are committed to keeping the school doors open. >> good job. >> and their children in class. >> i want to keep on going and it is a nice headstart and you can teach them a lot. >> i am worried about the kids growing up because of they do not have education it will be a lost generation and we are trying to save the lost generation. >> a group of students is showing up prepared to learn. >> more than 70% of funds come from the fe

and baltimore mayor stephanie rawlings-blake says stay tuned, more retail space may be on the way. the mayor has long argued to retailers that the city is underserved, and she is viewing point, a starting looking to see that retailers are no longer looking past the city of baltimore. >> people in the national market, their eyes are on baltimore. we have been talking with developers and with retailers that borders in the city are untapped markets. >> by the way, those 30 new shops are expected to bring about 1000 jobs to the area. >> our medical alert tonight, about 30 for load workers are coming back to help investigate a salmonella outbreak with the cdc, traced to raw chicken produced by a farm in california. according to the u.s. da, nearly half of those patients have been hospitalized three at during the shutdown, the cdc is operating with about one third of its staff. about 40% of the fda workers are furloughed. chicken nuggets? maybe not so much. says he haser studied chicken nuggets at two fast food restaurants, and he says chicken is a healthy meat source and rich in protein

the shutdown starts at 12:01 a-m mayor stephanie rawlings-blake expressed her concern over the possibilityt the government could shut down tonight. the mayor says lawmakers' inability to compromise sets a bad example. "we're showing our children that the federal government can not function can not comprise the lessons that we try to teach them everyday theyre showing us that the people that we send to washington to do the work of the people can't figure it out. " the mayor says she hopes lawmakers can reach a deal in time in order to inspire young people to continue to work things out together. stay with fox45 news... we'll bring you the latest on the last-minute negotiations to stop the shutdown of the goverment... tonight on the late edition at 11 it's... a... story... you saw first on fox.../ . in... the summer..../ tonight .. / a... follow up... on the court ruling... that's allowed... dozens of felons... sentenced to life.../ a... taste of freedom. our cameras were rolling... when the group of men... walked out of a courthouse east.../. the majority .... convicted of murder... / one..

mayor stephanie rawling blake... kicked off... the first... in a series of forums ...to get feedback... on the search... for a new... school leader.../. as... part of the process.../ teachers... were asked to give reasons. why... candidates... should want... to come to baltimore.../. "our children are our strength.... not just poly or western beacuse of experience with children up all night looking for parents or caring for children and come to school ready to lelarn that speak volumes." there... will be... four of these forums... to... replace... doctor andres alonzo... who left ... in june. road rage... caught on camera... in new york..../ when... a... man is attacked... by a mob of bikers.../ . with his wife... and two-year- old daughter... in the car. here's the video... from a camera... on the helmet... of one of the bikers it happened sunday nats you see... a... biker... pulling... in front... of the suv... ...driven by alexian lien... appearing... to slow down. .../ lien... accidentally bumps the back tire... , breaking the biker's leg.

. >> reporter: mayor stephanie rawlings-blake, indeed, frustration. >> we're focused like a laser on the small number of people in the city who are causing the largest -- large part of the damage. the homicides and nonfatal shootings. >> reporter: some people do blame baltimore city police. others blame the mayor for the violence. but some residents say the community is part of the problem. >> last year, we had a meeting with citizens and tried to get people out to talk to law enforcement. and maybe five people showed up. >> reporter: with the end of the year approaching and the number of murders still growing, the mayor said they'll continue to be aggressive in pursuing and prosecuting. >> it's clear by the amount of vitals we had in senate that, our work is not done. >> reporter: the mayor has already added two prosecutors to the state's attorney's office. in response to the crime this year. reporting live, i'm rochelle ritchie, wjz eyewitness news. >> thank you very much, rochelle. june was the only month that had more murders than september. >>> getting back to normal today. the

six months after the city took its speed cameras offline, mayor stephanie rawlings-blake says the system is still not working. more and more halloween partygoers these days are turning to professional makeup artists artists to perfect their costumes. and more on the ravens cutting two veterans today, to make room for two practice squad players who are expected to contribute immediately. february this stories and more, read the baltimoreun. to read the wjz-- baltimore sun, read the baltimore sun. >>> christie ileto explains, it's ranked the 8th mest underrated city for young people. >> reporter: baltimore, home to winning sports teams. movies like "hair spray ." and our crab cuisine. we are now rated 8th for most underrated cities. >> i like where i live. there's a lot of students there. and the shopping is not bad either. >> food. foody person. there's a lot to eat here. and quite enough places to hang out. >> reporter: rankings are based on things like large music venues. and bars for capita. it has a large transportation and singles population. >> reporter: and baltimore ranking higher

. >> may osh stephanie rawlings- blake says the city must do all it can to change the mentality of its citizens. >> we have to find a way to break through. >> his father said his son was of the cost good guys and didn't deserve for this for whatting what was write. >> one of you guys out there know who killed my son. >> a very sad story. no suspects have been named. >> all right, rochelle. thank you. >>> the second stabbing victim was treated and released from the hospital. >>> right now an infant is being treated after a very serious car accident. but his injuries may have been prevented. >> police say the baby was sitting on the lap of a passenger in the front seat, not strapped into a safety seat when the accident happened. the accident did occur at the intersection of clark road and youth avenue in jessop. police say the boy's father was driving a minivan, when he crossed into oncoming traffic and hit i a car head-on. the child's father is in fable stable condition. police say he may have been grimpging at the time. >> the trash remains under investigation. as of now, no charges fe

. >> reporter: mayor stephanie rawlings-blake says the city must do all it can to change the mentality of its youngest citizens. >> we have to find a way to break through and give our young people other options. >> reporter: gatskin's father said his son was one of the good guys and didn't deserve death for doing what was right. >> one of you guys out there know who killed my son. you know who killed my son. >> reporter: baltimore city police say they do not have any suspect at this time. if you know anything about this, you should call police. i'm rochelle ritchie, live tonight. wjz eyewitness news. >> all right. thank you very much, rochelle. and the second stabbing victim was treated and released from the hospital. >>> anne arundel county, a 4- month-old baby was hit in the head and police say alcohol may be partly to blame. police say the infant son of the driver was sitting on a passenger's lap when the driver crossed into oncoming traffic and hit another vehicle. the child is in critical condition at johns hopkins children's center. police say price may have been intoxicated. >>>

today mayor stephanie rawlings- blake toured john eager howard in reservoir hill. the school is slated to have improvements in the first year of the plan. >> this investment is more than just dollars and cents, more than bricks and mortar. it's about transforming it. ed it's making -- and it's making sure they have world class facilities. >> they are talking about what the renovations mean for their neighborhood. >> construction is underway at mays chapel. a committee made up of school officials, parent, community members and others that will be impacted are discussing the options before putting together a formal proposal. there will be four meetings starting tonight and going through november the 20th. >>> finding not a shower in the statement of the closest is pittsburgh and western pa. we continue to sit dry. i think that changes by this time tomorrow. you see showers spreading after 3, maybe not heavy rain but look for the potential for slick roads. the rest of the evening looks fine. this was a decent day in western maryland, a couple peeks of sunshine. lookin

. >> next, something mayor stephanie rawlings-blake is using to get students back in the classroom. >facebook to take on cyberbullying. we'll explain how it works. >> but first, here's a look at last night's winning lottery numbers. >> in this morning's "education alert," facebook in an agreement with attorney general, they say they will work in getting bullying posts taken off the internet. tim tooten has more. >> some experts say more than a million children have been bullied over the internet. 15-year-old howard county teenager grace took her own life after she was cyberbullied in 2012. this led to a new cyberbullying law in maryland which is why she pushed so hard to form this relationship with facebook. >> they will bring it to their attention and there will be a direct dokse facebook. if in fact it is cyberbullying. >> they call this the education escalation channel being welcomed by some security officials. >> hopefully this will cut it off at the roots so it stops this perpetual cycle of more postings and more postings. >> they hope it will help make a difference in what happe

mayor stephanie rawlings blake was there.sts smashed 16 defective, non- playable guitars representing hard rock cafe baltimore's 16 years of service to the city. in return, hard rock partnered with paul reed smith guitars, a local maryland- based guitar manufacturer, to donate 16 new acoustic guitars to baltimore's frederick douglass high school's music department. (((can))) i was looking on twitter for good pictures to show you for this segment.. this is priceless. (((vo)) torrey smith put this on instagram. it's him and his wife chanel with the sign "we are" on the prego label. torrey posted the caption "can't believe she got me to take this pic...but it's a blessing so i'm with it". coming up... you're never too old... to learn something new. what this pro basketball player is doing in the pool... with a bunch of little kids. plus... a child... goes under the knife. the risky... elective... surgery the toddler's parents decided to move forward with... and why. you're watching fox 45 morning news.. all local.. all morning.

he says that mayor stephanie rawlings-blake refused to listen when it came to the impact, negative impactays while she is sad to see them close, the taxes necessary to raise money for city schools and the business has admitted to struggling financially in recent years. time for a check of your morning commute with sarah caldwell and traffic pulse 11. you may want to consider plus key highway and route one as your alternate. miles an hour due to annex been on the stop outside near joe sacco avenue. this is taking up the 2 right lanes. traffic is getting by on the left lanes. causing a backup prior to white marsh boulevard. shut them between rutland wrote an haven road due to an accident. 11 minutes on the west side. color mistake, so a little bit later in that area. towards 1er hour down eight st pier it so far so good on the west side. good morning, everyone. we will get dry weather to sneak in for the next few days. these clouds will break up as we head into the afternoon. 57 at the airport. 52 in parkton. clouds and then becoming partly to mostly sunny this afternoon. high temperatures

. >> chiwengo's family also hoped the hear from mayor stephanie rawlings-blake. they didn't.n we told the mayor we were doing this story, she emailed us this statement. my heart anxious as they say goodbye tomorrow. i can imagine their frustration in wanting answers they have regarding the details of this devastating accident. the police department is working closely with the state's the office determine exact my what happened that night. as i have said previously this is a top priority for the commissioner and myself but we must allow the investigation to run its course. >> here's his reaction after we showed him email. >> we would haval appreciate or could have appreciated something like that. >> angel's sister said she spoke to the lone survivor of the crash, andrew baker. he has been released from the hospital and he told her he remembers very little about the crash. >> at police headquarters, george lettis, wbal-tv 11 news. >> a 73-year-old woman is dead after a two-vehicle crash in gap bills -- in gambrills. they say cell lest lockton was exiting a ramp when she crossed