i do have sunshine in the seven-day forecast. i'm going to show you that. first first, good morning to sarah. >> good morning, everyone. a couple of early-morning accidents that we're tracking. we'll start right in bell camp at route 7, philadelphia road at brass mill road. may find some delays. again, this could be a factor as you make your way out in bell camp. this one looks like it's gone. we had an accident there, but we do have some debris still being cleared on the inner loop right at reisterstown road. use extra caution as you travel there on the northwest corner. dorsey road and harmon, another accident location, so a handful of problems out there. thankfully volume is still on the light side. let's take a live view of traffic. right here at harford going away from us, outer loop traffic still moving pretty well. no problems on the harrisburg expressway. we're looking at a smooth ride on 95 coming out of harford county. we'll keep you posted. that's the latest on traffic pulse 11. mindy and stan, back to you, good morning. >> thank you. this morning, later today, that is, president barack obama will head to the midwest to kick off a bus tour to focus on the economy. a thaw after a busy weekend for republicans looking to become the next commander in chief. tara mergener live from our washington bureau, good morning. >> good morning, mindy. good morning, stan. that's right, president obama does hit the road today hoping to ease doubts about his leadership. president obama is heading to the heartland to talk face to face with leery voters. >> over the coming weeks, i'll put forward more proposals to help our businesses created jobs, and i won't stop until every american who wants a job can find one. >> the tour concludes stops in iowa, minnesota, and illinois, states critical to his re-election campaign. >> if president obama is really having political trouble in those states, he's going to have problems in 2012 than we initially think. >> the trip comes as a new poll shows the president's approval rating has slipped to 39%, an all-time low. >> the biggest problem for the president and the white house is creating a sense among most americans that the economy is about ready to improve. >> meanwhile, the g.o.p. candidates looking to unseat the president are moving full steam ahead. representative michele bachmann won an iowa straw poll saturday in the first big test for republicans. >> we sent a message to washington that barack obama's time is extremely limited and that 2012 can't come soon enough. >> add texas governor rick perry. >> if we don't have a president of the united states that gets america working again, we are in trouble. >> today, perry and bachmann will try to keep the momentum going with events in iowa. live in washington, i'm tara mergener, wbal-tv 11 news. mindy, back to you. >> so getting back to the president, what's he expected to talk about on this bus tour? >> mindy, according to the white house, he's going to talk more about the economy, helping small businesses, helping the middle class, getting more jobs into the economy, and also he's going to talk, they say, with everyone from individuals, the families, the small businesses, to local government officials, and reassuring everyone things will get better if they just hang in there. mindy? >> tara mergener live in washington, thank you. and that brings us to our water cooler question of the day. do you think michele bachmann is a vie annal candidate to win the 2012 election? share your responses on our facebook page or send an email to wbaltv.com. >> finally good economic news for consumers, including the start of a tax-free shopping week here in maryland. 11 news reporter kim dacey joins us in the studio with more details. hi, kim. >> it's been a tough summer for the economy, but experts say there are signs that things are looking up. gas prices fell almost nine cents over the past three weeks because of a drop in crude oil prices. financially, c.d. and money market rates are higher than they've been in three years. and many local banks are offering great rates on loans to compete with the bigger banks. and in maryland this week, consumers have an extra incentive to hit the stores for some back to school shopping. it's the annual tax-free shopping week. 96% sales tax will be dropped on shoes and clothes under $100 per item. >> this is a gift really to consumers in maryland. we want to give them a break, because the economic recession has really hammered them. >> tax-free shopping week runs through this saturday, august 20. reporting live in the studio,kim dacey, wbal-tv 11 news. >> we now know how a baltimore soldier died while deployed in afghanistan. 26-year-old specialist jameel freeman was one of five soldiers killed thursday when an i.e. exploded here in his vehicle in kandahar. he lost his life on the same day as his daughter's fourth birthday. >> he died with honor, you know, being a warrior, being a hero, serving his country, doing the best that he could do, being all that he could be. and i think there would be no other way for him to go if he had to go. >> no word this morning as for funeral arrangements. so far this year, 378 american and other nato service members have died in the war in afghanistan. >> memorial services will be held later this morning in honor of five people killed in the indiana state fair. winds as high as 70 miles per hour toppled a stage where as many as 120,000 people gathered to see the band sugarland perform. about four dozen others were injured, some of them remain in critical condition this morning. officials say the fair will reopen later today. meanwhile, officials say heavy rain may have contributed to a roof collapse at a new york business. it happened sunday morning at a discount store in the brooklyn area. investigators say a large amount of water pooled on the roof before it collapsed. and heavy rains in our area also made for a very busy day for fire and rescue crews. this scene in the dundalk area was a familiar one for rescuers, as motorists found themselves trapped after trying to cross streets that were flooded n. some cases, in the standing water, which is as deep as five feet, the cars just went out, and it was time to get out. i tried to put it in reverse. i tried to start the engine. did i all kinds of things, but my car just didn't go nowhere. >> we want to remind people, do not drive your motor vehicles through standing water. your vehicle will become disabled, rendering you in harm's way, and there's no reason to place your life at risk. >> they tell people that every time it rains. fortunately, no reports of any injuries from the standing water rescue this time. well, the same can't be said in howard county, however, where an elderly woman was rushed to shock trauma after the car she was driving ended up in the back yard pool. fire crews were called to the 6600 block of carlinda avenue saturday morning. authorities say the woman was trapped inside her car with water up to her chest after traveling down 100-foot embarkment. >> baltimore city police are looking for a man. the 29 hundred block of edgecombe circle. anne arundel county police have arrested a man for allegedly trying to murder his mother and stepfather. 25-year-old jesse chatman is charged with attempted second degree murder after a fight this morning. both victims are expected to recover. >> anne arundel county police are sevening for a man who assaulted an elderly woman and stole her purse. we're told the 86-year-old victim was getting out of her car in the 2300 block of forest drive on saturday when the suspect grabbed her first. the suspect is described as a black male, possibly in his late teens to early 20's, about 200 pounds. he was wearing a black t-shirt and jean shorts. any information on this person should be called in to the anne arundel county police department at 410-222-1960. >> 6:09, 69 degrees on tv hill. still ahead -- they've always said it's a dog eat dog world in the work place, and apparently nice guys do finish last. >> the family who ran rampant on a multistate crime spree will be back in court this morning, why their troubles might just be starting. >> and london police hot on the heels those looting, details on the crackdown. >> baltimore county restaurant week is here, and we're here at papa's. they brought out some of their best dishes. i'm going to try to not eat this so you can see it. >> as far as your morning commute, we are tracking closures in effect in bell camp due to an accident. we'll check a live picture of the fort mchenry for you. the fort mchenry for you. that's coming up. i'd like nonstop travel because it's quicker. because it's convenient. it's just the best way to go. keeps the cost down. 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>> i've been working with the papas family for almost 20 years. >> oh, you can tell, because this looks amazing. these are some of the dishes that you guys have for restaurant week, some of your best dishes that you have out, and they're all at a discount. i'm here with justin, the manager, also, this runs in the family. your son-in-law of the owner here, so that's probably some hard shoes to fill. >> it can be daunting, you know? you definitely have to impress him. so tell us about some of these dishes that you have for restaurant week. >> ok, we have three dinner options here for our restaurant week menu. we have our chicken here, chicken breast, mushrooms, ham, and swiss cheese in a brown sauce. we have our salmon grand marnier which is a delightful salmon option with the orange sauce. >> and quickly, this -- >> we're known for our crab cakes here at papa's. this is a 10-ounce version of our famous crab cake. it's usually a seven-ounce option. we partnered, and a portion of the foundation, and a proceed goes to the ed block foundation. >> thanks for a great cause. that's good news here. we'll keep talking about baltimore county restaurant week all this morning. let's get a check of the weather now, a look at h.d. doppler radar. there are just scattered showers across the area, nothing too major. we do have a hans for more storms this afternoon, and tony will have more on that. we'll toss it back to tony in the weather center. that crab cake, my goodness, i'm not leaving here without a bite of that. >> that looked outstanding. this is a great deal. not only do you get a discount on your entree, but part of the proceeds go to different charities. that's the whole idea of restaurant week, right? >> absolutely. getting people out, enjoying food, and helping out the restaurant community. >> it's a fine combination. thank you, ava. talk to you again next half-hour, maybe sample some more dishes there in parkville. good stuff. that would be good for breakfast. weatherwise, we have a storm coming up the coast, but as ava mentioned, a little break in the action, at least for right now. i do think there will be a chance for rain coming back into the picture later this morning, but right now things are ok. this is almost like a nor'easter type storm. we've got a piece of energy coming out of ohio and western pennsylvania that's going to hook up with this storm and create more heavy rain up in new england. and as this upper level swings through this afternoon, that's when i think we'll see another chance for some showers or thunderstorms. but it's want going to be like over the weekend, where everybody got the rain and it was heavy. some parts of the eastern shore over the weekend picked up close to 10 inches of rain. right now, we just have low clouds and fog, but as the energy catches up, we'll put about a 40% chance in for a shower or thunderstorm. 68 at the airport. 70 in cockeysville. we'll be able to see into the low 80's if we get sunshine to break through. i'll show you the seven-day. just a quick update on the tropics. this is tropical storm gert. sustained winds at 60 miles per hour. it's going to come very close to bermuda today. if you have travel plans, i'm shufere they've closed the airport on the island, so it's going to take a day or so before you can get in there. here at home, variable clouds, a chance for a storm later this morning. should be dry for the drive time. high temperature right around 81. partly cloudy tonight, a chance for showers, temperatures drop back into the 60's. and then it's going to clear up. we've got good news through the middle of the week. a mix of sun and clouds tomorrow with a high near 85. sunshine on wednesday, 86. 30% chance for a thunderstorm on thursday. most of the week looks pretty quiet, no big storms coming in, maybe scattered rain showers again toward the tail end of the weekend. that's a look at the seven-day forecast. coming up on 6:17, let's see what's happening on the roads. here's sarah. >> good morning, everyone. a few things to watch for -- we're now hearing that all lanes are clomesed along philadelphia road right at brass mill road as they continue to work to clear an accident. take pulaski highway or 95 as your alternate. 95 looks good coming out of northeast, no delays to report down toward the fort mchenry. everything running smoothly on 895. the accident we had northbound on the j.f.x. is gone, along with the debris on the inner loop of the beltway right at reisterstown road. further south, northbound telegraph road right at dorsey road, left lane closed due to an accident in the harmon region. if you're heading out on 100, east and westbound looking good. smooth ride so far on the west side, even though volume is starting to build right around liberty. live view at the fort mchenry coming toward us. southbound traffic running smoothly through the toll plaza. no delays at the harbor tunnel. that's the latest on traffic pulse 11. stan, over to you. >> taking a look at some of our top stories, the dougherty family will be back in court this morning. police arrested lee grace dougherty and her brothers dylan and ryan after a chase in southern colorado. they face charges of attempted murder of a police officer, as well as first degree assault on a police officer during that chase. they're also accused of robbing a bank in georgia while investigators say it was a cross-country crime spree. meanwhile, new this morning from egypt, the trial of former egyptian president hosni mubarak continues this cairo. he's accused of complicit in the deaths of hundreds of protesters that forced his resignation. mubarak, said to be gravely ill, has been witnessing the proceedings from a stritcher. he could face the death penalty. and police in london continue to raid the homes of suspects involved in recent rioting and looting. so far police have arrested more than 14,000 people in connection with the four days of unrest. prime minister david cameron called the event a wake-up call to the social problems festering in britain for decades. >> does it pay off to be polite at the office? maybe not. a new study says nice guys really do finish last. and hackers are now targeting hotels. 11 news kelly carlin as those stories. >> good morning. if you're getting ready to leave on your next trip, listen up. more hotels are being targeted. according to a new report. the report says that business travelers are especially vulnerable since they give their credit card numbers out and personal information to hotel web sites. they also found many of the larger hotel chains are unable to monitor just how the data is collected and stored at dozens or even hundreds of properties throughout the world. this all according to the "l.a. times." elsewhere, president barack obama leaves today for three days in the midwest. he's looking to reassure anxious americans of his plans to prop up his ailing economy. the unsettled economy was reflected in last we can's record. by friday, stocks continuing to climb higher with help from a report of retail sales. and the bloomberg maryland index rising just a bit on gains for catalyst solutions. and if you want to get ahead in the work place, your motto should probably be no more mr. nice guy. a new study by a professor at notre dame and canadian university says workers who are agreeable earn way less than those who are not. for women, it only gives them about a 5% boost in salary. at the bloomberg business desk, i'm cali carlin, bloomberg news, for wbal-tv 11 news. >> squeaky wheel syndrome, perhaps. >> i'm not sure that's bad. i don't know. tony, what do you think? should we become rude guys? >> leave me alone! >> well, ok, i got his answer. coming up the latest on the backup that could slow down harford county commuters. >> the ravens look to shore up a hole in their offense. hear from the newest wide receiver. >> don't forget to email your answer to our water cooler question of the day. do you think michele bachmann is a viable candidate to win the 2010 presidential election? share your response on wbaltv.com, on our facebook page, or send us an email to watercooler@wbaltv.com. 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[ male announcer ] chex cereal. five flavors. gluten free. >> good morning. sarah caldwell with a look at your morning commute. not bad out there, just a few problems. in bel camp, we are still tracking closures along route 7, philadelphia road at brass mill road. take pulaski highway or 95 to avoid it altogether. in terms of problems elsewhere, this one looks like it's gone, northbound telegraph road at dorsey road. that accident cleared. another one coming in in howard county right at kendall school road and logan berry lane. 95 looking good north and southbound. no problems on 295 this morning if you're heading down toward the capital beltway. here's a live view of traffic. on the west side at liberty, outer loop traffic starting to build just a bit. we are starting to see delays from liberty down toward security. a live view of traffic at the fort mchenry, coming toward us, southbound traffic moving very well, no delays to report at the harbor tunnel. that's the latest on traffic pulse 11. now tony has a check on your forecast. >> good morning, everyone. you wouldn't call this a beautiful monday morning, but at least it's dry. right now, h.d. doppler radar picking up the rain at the beaches. so we should be ok for the morning commute, maybe just a sprinkle at worst, but a 40% or 50% chance of shower popping back in, and that's our forecast. we'll start out with low clouds, fog, and maybe sprinkles early this morning, then scattered showers will move back in later this afternoon or into this evening, high temperature, 81. it's not going to be like over the weekend, where we get the soaking rain and just about everybody gets the precip. good news in the seven-day forecast, i'll show you that, but first, let's send it over to the man, here's keith mills. >> good news for the orioles. they touched down in california just a few hours ago to get ready for the longest road trip of the year, 10 games in 11 days, and they head west coming home. a wild weekend against the tigers. first, couldn't hold a five-run leader saturday night. yesterday build an 8-1 lead and nearly lost that. nick markakis, four r.b.i.'s, home run number 21. 8-1 orioles in the ninth. kevin gregg picks the batter, gave up four singes, walked two, and left with the score 8-4, bases loaded, and no outs. hey, that's not a bad line. jim johnson saves it. brennan boesch lines it, and he was the tying run. nice catch from nolan. 8-5, orioles win. jo jo reyes gets his first win as an orioles. orioles and rays tonight, 10:0e5 start out west. ravens back to work as they get ready for the protected preseason game friday night at home against kansas city. cam cameron has another veteran wide-out, what they call, stretch the field. torre smith will eventually add -- you see joe flacco right there, be that guy. right now it's number 85, not derrick mason, but lee evans. he was traded to the ravens on friday from the bills. he worked out with the team throughout the weekend, well aware of his role with the ravens. >> one of my biggest attributes is speed, so just being able to get down the field, stretch the defense, and be as dynamic as they come. so open some things up for him and let him control it. >> strange not seeing derrick mason in that jersey. >> really does. maybe he'll make us forget about derrick. >> hope so. >> 6:27 at 69 degrees on tv hill. still ahead -- the attorney of a maryland man being held behind bars in aruba speaks out, why he says his client should be released. >> and there's finally good news on the economy. i'm kim dacey live with that coming up. >> after a storm, people find all sorts of debris littering their back yard, but not usually like this. >> good morning, everybody. welcome back to 11 news today. i'm stan stovall. >> and i'm mindy basara. thank you so much for joining us. tony, we needed the rain, but are we going to catch a break or see more rain in the forecast? >> i think we're getting a break right now, but scattered showers may redevelop. at least for the present time, we're going to be ok, just low clouds, fog, and maybe some drizzle. but by the time we get to 10:00 or 11:00 and into the afternoon, i'm going to put a 40% or 50% chance of shower back into the forecast. it will not be like over the weekend, high temperature near 81. we do have sunshine in the seven-day forecast. we'll show you that in about five minutes. stay with us. >> in this morning's project economy report, it's been a rough summer, but at long last there are a few bright spots for consumers. >> one of them is the kickoff of the tax-free shopping week in maryland. 11 news reporter kim dacey joins us with details. >> maryland comptroller called these scary times economically, but he's hoping the annual tax-free shopping week will help keep maryland on the right track. it always seems to come at the best time, and this year is no different. tax-free shopping in maryland, a break from the 6% sales tax on shoes and clothes under $100. >> this is a gift really to consumers in maryland. we want to give them a break, because the economic recession has really hammered them. >> and at the gas pump, good news. prices fell almost nine cents over the past three weeks due to a steep drop in crude oil prices. those rattled are taking a second look at new incentives offered by banks, plus c.d. and money market rates are higher than they've been in three years. it's not just the big banks sweetening the pot. >> community banks, credit unions, local banks, they're offering really great rates right now with very few fees, because they're trying to compete with the bigger banks. >> in these uncertain times, while many are reacting and pulling back from the stock market, financial advisors say most investors should simply stay the course. >> the best thing to do is to leave it alone. we see again and again that when people pull out, they pull out after the market's gone down, and then they don't put their money back into the market logical it's already gone up. so we recommend consistency. >> as for tax-free shopping week, that will run through this saturday, august 20. reporting live in the studio, kim dacey, wbal-tv 11 news. >> kim, thank you. he's been held in an aruban jail for days now, and this morning, gary giordano's attorney says it's time to let his client go. they say authorities are abusing his rights as they investigate him in a prime suspect in the disappearance of robyn gardner. the 35-year-old hasn't been seen since giordano claims ship went snorkeling together. >> i don't think she was snorkeling. i feel in my heart that something happened at this person's hands. >> in a press release, giordano's lawyers insist their client is cooperating with authorities, and they claim numerous errors are being committed. coming up later this morning on the "today" show, they'll report live from aruba. >> authorities are trying to determine what caused a deadly accident in bel air t. happened sunday morning on route 24 and singer road. maryland state police say mild russ was waiting when she accelerated and was hit by an oncoming car. the driver of the other car and four passengers were treated and released from upper chesapeake medical center. the former maryland legislator who led the way to making maryland the second state to recognize the reverend martin luther king jr.'s birthday as a holiday has died. former delegate webster passed away saturday of kidney fame you're. delegate webster authored the king holiday bill back in 1974. after leaving office, he led the legacy of champion racial equality. he was 76 years old. >> the baltimore youth alliance celebrated academic success at its 12th annual awards reception. parents, family, and friends turned out as high school and college students were recognized for their high academic achievements. i served as a master of ceremonies, along with the chief justice of the maryland court of appeals, judge robert bell. awards were given out for excellent s.a.t. scores, i'm talking about 2,000 and over. also, outstanding academic performance and other special honors. our congratulations go out to all these excellent scholars. when a storm rolls through, it's bound to leave all kinds of debris, branches, leaves, primarily. in the case of a 92-year-old woman in ohio, something a bit more surprising. >> damaged and deflated, like a party balloon the morning after. high winds ripped the blimp from its moorings at the airport just after midnight. crew members tell 10 tv they had someone standing watch around the clock, and that person actually the witnessing the blimp suddenly take flight. what no one knew is where it came from here, sparking a panic. 94-year-old lillian didn't know about t. >> he said don't be surprised if you see a lot of policemen in your back yard. and i said, oh, what's going on? and he said, well, you have a blimp in your back yard. and i said you got to be kidding me. >> the 218-foot zeppelin had fallen from the sky right into her back yard, weighing in at 3,700 pounds, the equivalent of a good-sized car, its impact could have done considerable damage. >> the only thing is it knocked my bird feeders down. paup a they assume it was just the storm coming through. >> i just went back to sleep. >> never dreaming she'd wake up to this. the hangar crew spent all day picking up the chees. think promotional campaign may be grounded, but the ordeal has lillian considering a cocktail -- >> if i was drinking woman, i might have something even stronger than that. >> time now to take a look at your morning commute. let's see what's going on out there. a few problem spots of note. we'll start in forest hill. we're hearing of a downed tree right at putnam road. use extra caution there. also looking at closures along philadelphia road at brass mill road if you travel in bel camp. take pulaski hoyas your alternate. 95 also looking good. you want to take that instead. londonberry road, there is a problem involving an accident. and then 216 remains closed, murphy road to browns bridge road, and that, again, is in howard county. we'll keep you posted on these problems. let's check on delays and see if anything's forming yet. coming toward us is 895 toward the left, but 95 looks a little bit heavier in the southbound direction at the 895 split. also looking heavy southbound on 295 at 175. that's the very latest on traffic pulse 11. now let's get the latest from ava, joining us live from parkville, previewing baltimore county restaurant week. anything that doesn't get eaten, we'd be happy to take here. >> i'll see what i can devour, and then i guess i'll bring some back. the cool so will crab cake, i think it has tony's name on it. we're at papa's, and this is one of the restaurants participating in baltimore county restaurant week. you can go to the website to get all the information about all the restaurants, see menus, and whatnot. we're lucky enough to have the owner here. you have quite a history here at this restaurant. >> almost 40 years. >> my goodness. and you came here to open it up this morning, but normally you make the young boys do that. >> yes, yes. >> thank you for being here, and this is a family business. >> it's my son's, too. >> i can see the resemblance. very handsome family. are you the general manager? you guys are also expanding. >> yeah, we have a new restaurant in glen burnie right off ritchie highway, just down from the m.b.a. and we have the seafood company we took over next door, where we ship crab cakes all over the country. >> but your location here is one participating in baltimore county restaurant week, so maybe people can come here and then want to try out some of your other places you're expanding. very good. and this food looks amazing. now let's get a check of the weather, where we saw the chance for storms today, maybe an isolated shower tomorrow. but for the most part, dry into mid-week, and then storms late late week. overall, temperatures won't be climbing much out of the 80's. head back to the desk now. >> ava is flirting with that. is that what i heard? >> she's already getting free food. the time is 6:38, 39 degrees on tv hill. out of the terrible tragedy comes a reunion. we'll bring it to you next. >> who doesn't love a good b.l.t.? in st. louis, they made the world's largest bacon, tomato, and lettuce sandwich. 224 feet, three inches of it, 90 loaves of bread, 100 heads of lettuce, over 500 pounds of critch bacon, not the loose type, and close to 1,300 pounds of tomatoes. the end result of good eating, too. it was only $5 a slice to enjoy a part of this record-breaking sandwich. all the money raised go to local charities. >> you can say it was dogged determination that reunited a missing maltese with his family more than a year after he disappeared. it was like no time had passed when caesar arrived home in eastern michigan yesterday all the way from new mexico. look how happy he is. his owners were traveling there in june of last year when their minivan overturned. monica benson's husband and one of heir five children died. amidst the chaos, no one realized he had disappeared. an animal shelter volunteer recently discovered the microchip and found his family. at least 11 people helped drive caesar all the way home to michigan. i love that. so sweet. >> i'm ready for you. i'm ready for you there. ok. >> you know me so well. >> i know mindy. happy ending. the time now, 6:42, 69 degrees on tv hill. coming up, we'll go back to see what ava's got cooking for restaurant week, plus your answer toss our water cooler question of the day. >> and we've got a little sunshine in the forecast, not today, but just around the corner. first, here's a peek outside. low clouds and fog on this monday morning. 68 at the airport. stay tuned. weather's next. >> welcome back to 11 news today. 6:45. new this morning, police are looking for a suspect in connection with a deadly shooting in west baltimore. police discovered the unidentified victim in a parking lot. he was rushed show shock trauma, but did not survive. memorial services will be held in honor of five people who died in a stage collapse at the indiana state fair. winds measured as high as 70 miles per hour and toppled the stage for as many as 120,000 people had gathered to see sugarland perform. about four dozen others were injured, some of them remain in critical condition. the fair will reopen today. president obama hits the road today on a three-day tour that includes stops in iowa, minnesota, and illinois. the trip comes as the president's approval rating hits an all-time low, 39%. the g.o.p. candidates looking to unseat the president are moving full steam ahead. michele bachmann and rick perry both have events in iowa today. >> that brings us to your answers to our water cooler question of the day. >> we asked, do you think michele bachmann is a viable candidate to win the 2012 presidential election? >> will writes, michele bachmann's political stance is to far to the right that i don't think she would make a vibling solution to the u.s. if she were to come back to the middle, they would be more viable. >> barbara writes, i think she is a strong contender, but if hillary clinton couldn't pull it off, there isn't another woman that can come close. >> lynn writes on facebook, i would say slim to none, but then i will not put anything against the uninformed american public. we're going to postpone more answers on the front page of our website, wbaltv.com. >> we're track closures for your morning commute. we'll start in forest hill, where we have a downed tree blocking phillips mill road at putnam road. use extra caution there. same situation, an accident on route 7, and it's shut down right at brass mill road. that's in bel camp. that's been there for a while. pulling as ski highway continues to be a much better bet. logan berry lane, an accident to report and then fire activity along 216 as it's shut down from murphy road to browns bridge road. things are building on i-85 to the right of your screen coming forward us. and we'll switch over it a few view of traffic in the area. southbound traffic a little bit heavier as you make your way down toward 175. but no problems on 100 or 95 in county county. now over to ava in parkville. hi, ava. >> my mouth is just watering. we are here at papa's, one of the restaurants participating in the weekend. tell us about the importance of the restaurants. >> the importance really is to grow the economy in baltimore county, an opportunity for people to try new food, at the same time expand our current restaurants, so we continue to grow. >> angela, how can people participate in what should they know? >> it runs through august 26. go to the website. it has the listing of all 36 restaurants that are participating, their menus, and you can make reservations online. >> these are just some of the dishes being shown here at papa's, and these are all for $35.11. >> that's $30. >> and this is the dinner special. and we are talking one last time with justin, and what would you like to say? >> i want to thank keith and angela from the county, sam from the ed block foundation, who partnered with us for the colossal courage crap cake, and we want to thank you, ava, for being here. it's been so much fun. i want to present with you your own red papa's shirt. >> oh, my goodnesses. look at this. this is awesome. >> if you wear that here in the restaurant any time you come in, it will 10b% off your entree. >> i like the sount of this. even the colossal crab cake? >> that's anyone in the viewing audience, you wear the shirt. >> well, good, good. i'll hold up my red shirt. we are expecting rain showers off the east coast, where there may be scattered storms. and tony, what do you think? this is my outfit for the noon show. >> i like it, 10% off. do they make those in x.x.l.? >> you got it, tony. >> they've got one set up for you too, just because you asked so nicely. >> looks good. appreciate that. it is a great deal. baltimore county restaurant week, you get a discount on the entree, and part of the proceeds go to local charities. it's a win-win for everybody there. weatherwise, we're eventually going to win. this is almost like a nor'easter-type situation. we had a lot of rain over the weekend. but now the storm is beginning to pull away from us, but there's a little piece of energy coming right behind it. it's right there. that still has to swing through. even though there's not a whole lot going on, just low clouds, fog, and drizzle. we could see a few more showers pop up. it's want going to be like over the weekend, not everybody will see the rain. but again, for right now, just low clouds, fog, and drizzle to contend with for the beginning of the drive time. 70 at the airport. 68 in randallstown. 69 degrees and rising sun. we should be able to sneak into the low 80's. give me a quick update on the tropics. this is tropical storm gert that's passing by to the east of bermuda. pretty impressive tropical storm, but i think the strongest part of it is going to miss the island. however, i'm sure all the flights are cancelled going into bermuda today, so if you have a flight in there, you'll probably have to wait until tomorrow. forecast here at home, variable clouds, a chance for a shower, maybe a thunderstorm later this afternoon, but it's want going to be a study rain. high temperatures in the upper 70's and low 80's. overnight tonight, a chance for a couple of showers still. we'll drop back into the 60's. seven-day forecast, gets much better over the next couple of days, maybe a 20% chance for a shower tomorrow, but mostly just partly cloudy. 30% chance for rain on thursday and sunday, but most of this week is going to be fairly quiet, especially when you compare to what happened to us over the weekend. >> there's finally some good economic news for consumers this morning, including the start of the tax-free shopping week in maryland. kim dacey joins us live in the studio with details in this morning's project economy report. hi, kim. >> it's been a tough summer for the economy, but experts say there are signs that things are looking up. gas prices fell almost nine cents over the past three weeks because of a drop in crude oil prices. financially, c.d. and money market rates are higher than three years, and many local banks are offering loans to compete with the bigger banks. and then consumers have an extra incentive to hit the stores for some back to school shopping. it's the annual tax-free shopping week. the 6% sales tax will be dropped on shoes and clothes under $100 per item. at tax-free shopping week, it runs through this saturday, august 20. reporting live in the studio, kim dacey, wbal-tv 11 news. >> kim, thank you very much. time for a look at what's coming up next on the "today" show. >> good morning. coming up on a monday morning on "today" -- president obama hits the road today as republican michele bachmann tries to capitalize on her win in the iowa straw poll, but now she has a new rival. we'll be live with details as the 2012 presidential heat races up. also, this dramatic video of the state fair collapse in indiana. we'll have the latest. plus, will casey anthony be placed under protective custody when she returns to florida to serve probationing? and a 12-year-old boy scout forced to spend a cold night in a utah forest after he became separated from his hiking group. >> 6:53,9 degrees on tv hill. coming up, one last look at weather and traffic. >> we've got a downed tree, i'm surprised we don't have more problems related to the rain over the weekend, but right now, in forest hill, a closhe you're at putnam road. another closure in bel camp, route 7, philadelphia road. it's shut down between 543 and brass mill road. again, take pulaski highway or 95 to avoid it. further south, 216 shut down between murphy road and browns bridge road. 95 looks good. no problems on 295. live view and show you delays starting to form, west side delays on the outer loop. we'll switch over to a live view of traffic in the area of the harrisburg expressway north of the knelt wi, not seeing a lot of volume there. no problems down to the j.f.x. >> all right, so august a little dry. we need the the rain, but not anymore, right? >> when we caught up yesterday, it was anywhere from three to 10 inches of rain. we're going to get more rain today. it's going to be hit and miss, not like saturday and sunday though. 81 for a high temperature, but tomorrow, mostly dry. wednesday, a lot of sunshine and temperatures there for most of the week. when you get in your car this morning, tune in to wbal-tv 11 news. weather and traffic on the 5's. >> thanks for joining us for 11 news today today. have a good one. >> follow breaking news and weather any time at wbaltv.com, and stay connected with us on facebook and twitter. woman: day care can be expensive. so to save some money, i found one that uses robots instead of real people. 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