of sun. 63 at lunchtime. on the way to a high temperature of 66 to 68. don. how runs the rush? here -- here is sharon gibala. >> we have not had any problems. there is the speed around the beltway. everything is above the posted speed limit. there is the look at the drive times on the 95. you can see above posted speed limits there. no issues on the west side on liberty road or 895 approaching the tunnel. remember, wjz.com is always on. for traffic information, go to wjz.com. back to you. here is what people are talking about this morning. phones down and both thumbs on the wheel. maryland is cracking down on those who text while driving. we have mary bubala with the latest. >> reporter: good morning.

rush hour is getting under way and today, some people may have to break a bad habit that is tempting to text while driving. it is illegal in the state of maryland. across the country, there have been fatal traffic accidents and texting while driving is the cause. >> i'm a life long motorcyclists. i stopped riding because there are too many fools driving and texting. >> reporter: maryland hits the brakes on texting while driving. it is illegal to write or send a text while operating a vehicle in the travel portion of the roadway. the tsa calls it an important law. >> if you are in the travel lane, don't be tempted. don't start looking at it and text. set it down and leave it be. >> reporter: new requirements for teen drivers are taking effect. starting today, learner's permits must be held for nine

months. the minimum age for getting a license is now 18. up from 17. >> that as i big machine that can -- that is a big machine that can kill somebody. >> reporter: and as far as the state law about texting this morning, you are not allowed to send a text, but you can read it. don, back to you. thank you. speed cameras are legal in maryland. drivers better slow down. mobile speed cameras in construction zones. one on the beltway at north charles street. another in the white marsh area of baltimore county and a third on i-95 at route 198 and 216 in prince george's county. remember, wjz is always on. for the information on the speed cameras and other laws going into effect today, go to wjz.com. a fire in northeast baltimore is leaving one injured and one firefighter

injured as well. it happened in the 2200 block of sheldon avenue. flames ripped through the row home there. one firefighter sustained injuries and two people taken to the hospital. we have no word on their current condition. struck again. one day after an earthquake, another strong one rattles indonesia. as whitt johnson reports, the rescue workers were struggling to find people trapped in the debris. >> reporter: thousands are feared dead in indonesia this morning following two devastating earthquakes. the latest measuring 6.8 wednesday morning. less than 24 hours after a deadly 7.6 quake rocked the region. >> there has been significant damage. obviously, large numbers are dead. >> reporter: rescuers are searching for survivors. many are believed to be trapped under the rubble. hundreds of buildings collapsed. following the first of the two

quakes, residents ran for their lives terrified of tsunamis like the ones that flattened villages in samoa on tuesday. a powerful quick triggered four tsunamis killing more than 100 people. this animation gives an idea of the scope of the disaster. giant waves moved in so quickly. people had minutes to react. help is already on the way for american samoa. fema is working closely with emergency responders on the ground and the coast guard is also pitching in. this coast guard video shows emergency crews loading up on rescue gear bound for the region. >> we are take together boats. take ago lot of an -- we are taking two boats and taking a lot of assessment equipment. >> most of the people don't have anything else. our concern now is water and clothes. >> reporter: those necessities are not far away. the hawaiian national guard

loaded up with supplies on wednesday. in washington, whitt johnson, wjz eyewitness news. >> these images help to illustrate how powerful the tsunamis were. and legislation on the floor of the senate and house start this month. lawmakers try to answer the president's call to action. lawmakers are still sparring over the bill. two maryland students diagnosed with the h1n1 virus have died from it. now tests confirm another local child has contracted it. kelly mcpherson reports on what doctors say parents should be on the lookout for. >> reporter: good morning.

more and more people are showing up here to the emergency room with flu-like symptoms. even after heart hearing of the first healthy child -- even after hearing of the first child to die of the swine flu, doctors warn not everyone needs to come to the hospital. >> she was just here. >> reporter: ernestine parker thought her daughter, destinee parker was sick with the flu. >> very intelligent. you would have loved her. >> i know it is around. i wasn't thinking it would affect us. >> reporter: parents react to the news that another h1n1 case has been identified in baltimore. >> if you see someone sneezing or coughing, stay away. i am very concerned. i'm really worried. >> reporter: students here at the baltimore city college got this letter on wednesday to

tell them and their parents that the student with the h1n1 virus is not in class and won't be until cleared by a doctor. >> i'm concerned. i am confident that the school will take care what they need to do. >> it is a flu tsunami. >> reporter: doctors have seen a big jump in cases this week. not everyone needs to come to the hospital unless there are warning signs. >> if you getting better and you suddenly take a turn for the worse, that is a warning sign. if a child is not eating or drinking for a day or two, that that is a warning sign. >> reporter: in two weeks, two children have died. destinee parker was healthy. >> the pneumonia? where did it come from? >> h1n1, where did it come from? >> reporter: compared to the seasonal flu, the swine flu spread more quickly and has more intestinal problems. for most people who get it, it

should last for a few days and is not typically deadly. kelly mcpherson, wjz 13 news. this morning, federal health officials are learning more about the h1n1 virus. many of the 77 patients who died after contacting the virus had bacterial infections. stay with wjz for complete flu watch coverage. you can get key information from the cdc by going to wjz.com. the orioles are still in tampa bay trying to snap out of the longest losing streak of any team this season in major league baseball. the birds kept it close early on, but david hernandez would give up a huge home run. the rays take the lead and never lose it. the birds lose 5-3. the 13th

loss in a row. there are just four four games left for the orioles. >> the maximum they can lose is 17 in a row. that doesn't come close to the record. that is back when cal, sr., was managing the team. it wasn't his fault. i'm sure they snapped out of it. i don't think he should have been let go. that is just me. that was 21 games? >> yeah. >> that was back at old memorial stadium. they can go 17. let's look at the forecast for the day. it will be a nice one. temperatures in the mid-60s. it is getting warmer than that. pleasant afternoon. tonight, the normal is 50. seasonal and partly cloudy skies. tomorrow, partly sunny. the high of 72. the normal is 73 degrees. i was drinking coffee and the

most they could get here would be 17. i spilled coffee all over myself. a sugar crystal? >> we have the ravens playing the patriots in massachusetts. that means we can do some local tailgating. this is going to be a good one. take it away. we will have a great one. tailgating at daniels restaurant in elkridge. barb is here. we have the flacco fans. good morning, everybody. thank you for coming out. we appreciate it. we will preview the big tailgate. it is all for the fight against breast cancer. it is all coming up when the eyewitness morning news edition rolls on.

6:14. marty is in the weather center. >> the barometer has risen to 30.0 5". high pressure is in the area.

that will bring mild conditions through the week's end and through the weekend. 37 in cumberland. 47 in elkton. 45 easton. 51 at ocean city. 47 in columbia. 54 in annapolis. 54 in rock hall. 54 on kent island. it is the big dome of high pressure that is dominating our weather. that will come at a price. we will see shower activity in the area. 72 degrees tomorrow after 66 to 68 today. saturday, shower activity. we are clearing out for the tailgate party for the ride across maryland on sunday. 75 and beautiful.

monday, 77 and sunny. 74 degrees on tuesday. don. if you are about to make your commute for october, here is sharon in the traffic control. >> we are starting off well in the area roadways. an hour into the commute and we have not had a problem to report. there are the speeds on the jfx. not so bad. same for the beltway. there is the look at the drive times and speeds on 95. everything is well above the posted speed limit. there is the live look outside. 83 north of the beltway is problem free. same for the west side at liberty road and 95 at 395. this traffic report is brought to you by toyota. keep your toyota running properly. toyota, moving forward. back to you. that is cool. we were just talking to our producer. we will go to the live shot. dick is stuck in traffic. some sort of traffic.

we are going to -- >> in columbia and elkridge. >> we will talk to ron right now. here is the genesis. i'm at daniels one day. actually, i was with savannah. we were waiting to go to bwi. one thing led to another. it is like how can we do something for dick. we came up with the idea of doing the tailgate. the team is away. we are playing in massachusetts. in early october, the weather is fine to be outside. take it away from route 1 and elkridge. >> reporter: it is beautiful. elkridge in howard county. thank you for coming out. babe,,

-- barb, come back. this is dave. sunday, tailgate here at daniels. >> that is right. this is wonderful. marty bass and mary bubala have organized a tailgate party for the ride across maryland. ride across maryland is dick's motorcycle ride that started 10 years ago. in fact, the registration for the ride itself is open october 12th. just a little over a week, we will start that. this is the wonderful event that barb and her family started. >> reporter: barb, great to see you. >> the event starts sunday at 11:00. we have local community haircuts and all the money will go to ride across maryland.

we are going to have a whole slew of food on the grill. the money will go to the same benefit. we will have a lot of fun. we have tvs everywhere. i know i have a front row seat for marty bass. >> reporter: there you go. i will be here, too. dick will be here. we hope. we thank everybody for coming out this morning. i want to bring in the youngest joe flacco fan in baltimore. who is this? >> addie. >> reporter: how old? >> four months. >> wow. >> reporter: are you wacko for flacco? >> yes, she is. ron? there will be raffles. >> yes. thank you, marty. help me out. >> it will be a lot of fun. the genesis was, i don't ride a motorcycle. i feel bad. i write a check and do air time. i cannot do a lot for dick.

conversation for dick. when dick gets here, we will put him on. after the a-section of the 6:30. >> reporter: good morning, everybody. we want to thank everybody for coming out. where did everybody come from this morning? federal hill. pasadena. arbutus. elkridge. you did not come far. [ laughter ] we will come back when dick gets here. we will tell you more. it is sunday tailgate here at daniels restaurant. come on out. we will be here. it is great. all for the benefit of dick's ride across maryland. thank you. thank you. see you soon. >> okay. it starts at 11:00. wear your ravens gear. >> of course. >> it will be a nice day. i'll look at the five-day

forecast again. sunshine and 75. we have rain on saturday. sunshine and we are going into the upper 60s. we'll be right back.

6:23. some familiar faces here in the

wjz football challenge. here is bernadette woods with the latest on the standings. >> it is a close race. i am not in front. on top of the third week is tim williams. he has 38 points. now in atiee for second, alan and stan. marty, you are tied with 35 points. we could not fit all of you up there at once. this week's local winner is diana smith in linthicum. you can still play. you can go to wjz.com and you can log on at top of the web site. you can fill out the information and become part of our fun games.

back to you. thank you. >> we will be our own bobbleheads. we are tied for third. make space for us next time on the graphic. >> the ravens are taking their perfect record on the road. the ravens and patriots sunday afternoon at 1:00 on wjz 13. stay tuned for the special post game coverage. we will have a highlights and reaction and mary will join us in the espn zone for sports talk. next to come. >> good morning. i'm mary bubala. more on the new state law now in effect. days in court. why mayor sheila dixon could face two trials in the corruption trial at city hall. and i'm sharon gibala in the traffic control. we are doing good on area roads, but we have a slight delay. we will tell you where it is and show you live pictures straight ahead. marty.

it is a cool day. it will be a pleasant afternoon. we will be joined by dick here shortly for the ride across maryland on sunday. coming up on coffee. the renaissance man of all time, a sneak peek at davinci. you stay tuned. coffee talk is at 6:45.

it is the bottom of the hour. 6:29. we are saving a couple of minutes to talk to dick in a few minutes. marty is over in the weather center. >> that was a beautiful shot of the day's first light. let's look at temperatures. it is fall like out there this morning. good morning, oakland. 36 degrees now. dropped a degree. wow. 52 in cumberland. 51 in washington d.c. 55 in easton. pretty much everybody has

dropped a degree except bel air. 47 in westminster. 54 in rock hall. 51 on kent island. we have a good amount of sun today. 64 at lunchtime. the high is in the upper 60s. don. here is sharon gibala with the traffic control. >> you should not run into too many problems just yet. we have one delays on the west side of the beltway. there is the west side and liberty road. heavy volume there. an outer loop delay at 75 and liberty. six minutes to get through that with the average speed of 38 miles an hour. everything on the jfx is looking good. there is the speed sensors. the speeds on the beltway are not bad with the exception of 795. there is the look at speeds and drive times on 95. everything is still problem free there. there is the look at 95 and 395. everything is running smoothly.

this traffic report is brought to you by toyota. toyota, click on buyatoyota.com. back to you. here are the top stories this half hour. ttfn to texting while driving. a state ban goes into effect today. one of several new laws going into effect today. mary bubala has the latest. >> reporter: rush hour is well under way. people are getting into the cars heading off and it may be tempting, but no more texting while driving. across the country, there have been fatal traffic accidents and texting while driving is the cause. >> i'm a life long motorcyclist. i stopped riding because there are too many fools driving and texting. >> reporter: starting today, maryland hits the brakes on texting while driving.

it is illegal to send a text while driving in the roadway. >> if you are in the travel lanes, don't be tempted. don't start looking at it and be tempted to text. leave it be. >> reporter: new requirements for teen drivers are also taking effect starting today. learner's permits must be held for nine months instead of six. the minimum age for getting a license is 18. >> that is a big machine and it can kill somebody. more time will keep a lot of people safe. >> reporter: there are also new laws going into effect today that effect drunk driving. a one-year license suspension. back to you. >> drivers going through construction zones may ease up on the gas pedal. speed cameras, mobile ones, will be installed.

up to 15 could be up in baltimore county. three mobile speed cameras are up in construction zones in the area. remember, wjz is always on. for a complete list of the new laws taking effect today, go to wjz.com. a legal battle on two fronts. that is what mayor sheila dixon may be facing after her attorneys were in court yesterday calling for the perjury charges to be dismissed. pat warren reports. >> reporter: when conducting business on the city board of estimates qualifies for immunity. her votes cannot be used against her. immunity was the basis of dismissal of the first perjury counts in may. but what about dixon, then council president, side by side with then boyfriend, ron linthicum. she knew he was doing business with the city and she should

have reported the gifts he gave her. >> the law is clear. it is a narrow privilege. it is not as wide as the defense wanted it. >> reporter: state prosecutor robert rorhbaugh considers the evidence a perjury. it is function, not geography that counts. >> the prosecutor failed to understand that and said it was a geographical test. that has no support. it only applies if you are standing in a council chamber. that is not the law. >> reporter: her attorneys argued to have perjury charges dismissed, but they tried to separate the trials scheduled to begin in november. the defense is saying this is a desperation act. >> you will have to talk to the defense. they say a lot of things in court. >> reporter: pat warren, wjz eyewitness news.

>> >> neither would report on either case. the president has not made up his mind about the troop increase in afghanistan. he met with military leaders on wednesday to discuss that issue. the white house is resisting the idea. it was a special homecoming for vice president joe biden. his oldest son was returning from a year-long deployment in iraq. >> as an american, i am awed by the quality and significance of your service. as a parent, as a father, i can't tell you the feeling i have in welcoming home a son. >> the pentagon recently announced more troops will return home by the end of the month. michelle obama is in denmark today as the white

house pushes to bring the 2016 olympics to chicago. the president is on his way to copenhagen for an hour of ground time to meet with members of the international olympic committee. it is still up in the air if the president's visit will help chicago's chances. >> the new and transformation leader in a country that is important to the world and the olympic movement. he comes here to say this is my country and is behind the bid. that is better than having the senior public servant saying that. >> chicago is competing against rio and madrid and tokyo for the bid to host the 2016 games. the ioc will announce the decision tomorrow. the radio city spectacular starring the rockettes will come to baltimore on december 17th. you have an exclusive

opportunity to meet face-to- face with the dancers. you could win four tickets to the radio city christmas spectacular. go to wjz.com and click on our contest section to register. >> all right. we have a coffee segment. we have a fund-raiser that we are doing on sunday at daniels that benefits the ride across maryland. dick was stuck in traffic. where were you stuck in traffic? >> reporter: where were you stuck in traffic? down by 32. columbia. thank god for police who let me drive on the other side of the road. i would still be down there having breakfast.

good morning. >> good morning. >> reporter: daniels restaurant in elkridge in howard county. glad you made it. >> it is good to see you. >> reporter: i love the hats. >> thank you. >> reporter: i will be here sunday with you and marty bass. >> this is great. anything to raise money for the ride. you know, we are approaching the $2 million figure with your help. maybe ifwee get some wealthy -- if people are not doing anything and they want to tailgate with us and have a bratt and coffee and a beer. this is a monster tailgate. barb, come on back. >> it starts at 11:00. >> reporter: 11:00. >> it goes all the way through

the game. everything that we bring in with the tailgate. we have a gentleman coming down with his daughters to cut hair. that is all going to the ride. >> to cut hair? >> reporter: i'm ready. he can work on matt? >> we will have a silent auction. >> reporter: you have the big screen? >> yes. we are in good shape. >> the patriots game -- >> reporter: the proceeds? >> go to ride across maryland and breast cancer research. >> reporter: i don't need a lot of pressure to eat food, but i'll have three or four if the proceeds go to the foundation. >> if you cannot join us there, i'm doing football talk. i have to roll out at halftime. i talked to mitch, our executive producer. he will bring a camera there. we will have video for the fund- raiser for the ride. >> reporter: we will have a

ball. >> we will hammer the patriots. >> reporter: we will hammer the patriots sunday. i'm going to play in the game, if they need it. >> listen, we have the game. it is here. the only place here at 1:00 at wjz. >> reporter: you have to move along. sunday, be here. daniels. go ravens. >> yeah. >> it will be great. you know, it was the genesis. i was sitting there having a beer. i said what the heck. one of the chefs at daniels is a bald guy. he is a patriots fan. he will do his entire head in the patriots helmet. see you there on sunday. today, look outside. beautiful. sun is coming up. skies have cleared out.

absolutely a gorgeous fall feeling day. it feels good this morning. take a look at the dayplanner. the high 60s by mid afternoon. 64 degrees this evening. coming up on coffee with, the da vinci traveling exhibit. >> it is more than just the art work. we have a key on the art work. >> absolutely. >> especially since the "the da vinci code." >> we will have this for you with the traffic and weather. any rain this weekend? how is the weather for the tailgate? we will explain it all.

which jersey do i wear on sunday? the black or white? i think i'll wear the white one. 82% humidity. winds are calm. barometer at 30.0 3". high pressure is building in the area. temperatures like this will be a thing of the past.

36 in oakland. 51 in hagerstown. 51 in washington d.c. 45 in easton. 51 at the ocean. 54 in annapolis. 54 in columbia. 48 in bel air. 51 degrees on kent island. we have clear skies in the area right now. the big story is the dome of high pressure. lock at how many -- look at how many states that dome of high pressure is effecting? 68 and no showers. tonight, seasonal and48.. tomorrow, partly cloudy skies. we sunday, beautiful and sunny and 75. monday, 73 and sunny. don, take it away. thank you. here is sharon with the traffic

control. >> we are starting to get slowdowns. we have the first accident of the morning. that will be in the middle river area on middle river road at philadelphia road. we have delays on the west side of the beltway from 795 to edmonton. it will take you 12 minutes to get through there. 795 southbound approaching the beltway with slow conditions. southbound is heavy from white marsh boulevard to the beltway. there is the top side. delays at harford to providence. this traffic report is brought to you by toyota and your toyota dealer. toyota, moving forward. back to you. thank you. the coffee talk. the same facility that brought "the titanic" to the harbor is bringing a new exhibit. it is all about a famous guy, but he is traveling with a more

well known woman. please welcome the mona lisa and chris crawford. nice to see you. we are here because she is here in many different aspects. there is a new exhibit debuting called "da vinci." >> it is the east coast debut. >> and i know we are talking about a lot of things, but when people think of da vinci, people think of "mona lisa." >> we will review what they uncovered. it took them a long time before he finished. he actually, at times, put eyebrows on her. >> no kidding? >> using a computer scan, he went back and forth a number of times. >> he decided more people would talk about her if he left off the eyebrows? >> apparently so. >> it is not all about art work

here. there is much more to leonardo than that. >> absolutely. he was an incredible inventor. most of what is on display is the multitude of inventions. >> such as? >> a scuba suit and military operations. he toyed with ball bearings and screws. incredible scope of work. >> since this is the science center, i imagine we are focusing on the science behind his inventions? >> we are focusing on the science, but the scope of the imagination. he really just looked around on a daily basis, apparently, and tried to invent machines to make life easier. >> many modern day machinery can be traced back to his ideas? >> yes. most of what he conceived and drew was never built in his

lifetime. if you look back on modern day earth movers or helicopters, most of the mechanics are there from da vinci. >> you are not supposed to be impressed by any one exhibit, but what is the best? >> the helicopter that amazes me. 500 years ago to conceive of a vertical takeoff and landing machine and have it in principle work is amazing. >> giving credit for something that was never built or really tested. >> i don't know if we are giving him credit for it, but we are admiring the fact that he let his imagination soar to other parts of the world. he painted the "last of supper "and" mona lisa." >> what will we be amazed? >> by the body of work beyond the paintings. i think they will be amazed at

the scope of his work. not only the invention, but the studies in anatomy, which were the basis for modern medical science and his secret writings and journals. people know the "the da vinci code" story. that is here. >> there are other photographs of paintings other than the "mona lisa" here including "the last supper." >> and the drawing of the "circular man." >> it starts when? >> the exhibit opens on saturday and runs through january. a short time. plenty of time to get here. >> is there an additional fee? >> there is a slight upcharge. $20 for an adult. $14 for a child to see the science center, plus the exhibit. >> i think you will be i am priced by the -- i think you

will be impressed by the six "mona lisas." standing here among all those eyes is amazing. >> absolutely. we are on display. >> thank you very much. >> thank you for coming down. >> it starts this saturday at the science center. we will check traffic and more first warning weather for you right after this break. to aquafresh, your mouth is amazing.

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a breakthrough gel that transforms into an active foam. it not only protects between teeth... ...it removes three times more bacteria as it whitens. go beyond toothpaste. new triple protection iso-active whitening from aquafresh. amazing. here are the updates from sharon and marty. >> i was looking at the sunrise. we came in between 4:00 and

5:00 this morning. i'm the last in the building. i'm the last person to see the cloud deck. it is a beautiful day. look at the forecast. 66 is the high. you you beat me by 3:00? >> i staggered in as well. >> i did not mean we staggered in. we staggered the shifts. we will call it 48 and partly cloudy. seasonal tomorrow. 72 and then 73 for saturday. here is sharon. we are looking at three accidents. the latest one in clarksville. second accident at middle river road at philadelphia road. the third one on harford road. in the meantime, we have delays at 95 at white marsh boulevard down to the beltway. there is the beltway at the outer loop. it is jammed to providence.

the outer loop at 795 and edmonton avenue will set you back 12 minutes there. this traffic report is brought to you by the radio city christmas spectacular. it is back in baltimore. the rockettes will stay the stage at the first mariner arena. back to you. two new rules of the road take effect today. texting while driving. the state ban is now in effect on that practice. young drivers must hold their learner's permits for nine months instead of six. the mayor is set to go on trial for theft charges. she is said to use gift cards meant for needy families and also on perjury charges. and crews battle a rowhouse fire after midnight in the 4200 block of sheldon avenue. one firefighter sustained

injuries and two people were treated for burns at john hopkins burn unit. there is one fewer planet in gm's universe. gm is shutting down production of the saturn. talk was roger penske to take over fell through. gm will stop making saturns as soon as possible. you could call it the "o" show. michelle obama and oprah winfrey are in denmark to make a push for the 2016 olympic games. president obama is expected to arrive this afternoon. the international olympic committee will make its decision tomorrow. medicine is on the way to samoa and american samoa. at least 149 people are

confirmed dead after tsunami as washed away villages there. the indonesia, the death toll rises after the second quake hits sumatra overnight. officials think thousands more could be trapped under buildings and hillsides. officials are reporting an earthquake hit central california. a 5.1 magnatude quake struck at 2: 2:00 a.m. this morning. you will hear more about that. stay with ñ?ñ?

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president obama leaves today to lead an unprecedented push to win the olympicses for his hometown,