in northwest baltimore. >> of the collapse land -- led to a frantic search of the rubble today. besides telling neighbors, at the collapse triggered a lot of questions about how the city is dealing with the glut of vacant houses. >> 8911 caller reported that a woman was walking down gorham street is behind me around 4:00 this afternoon when the house that used to sit at the end of a group of homes collapsed. >> a team of firefighters picked to the ruins of the collapsed a row house, of brick by brick, hoping they would not find anyone trapped in the rubble. >> we had to manually pulled a lumber and bricks to make sure that there was no one there. >> several hours of searching revealed that no one was trapped inside the remains of the vacant home.

people live and work nearby said the structure had been deteriorating for years. >> they should take these buildings down. once the water gets into them, it is just a matter of time before they fall down. >> windy weather may have played a role in the collapse. neighbors fear that it is only a matter of time before other abandoned warehouses crumble. >> they have sat empty for years. don't just let them sit there. eventually, the same thing will happen again. eventually, somebody is going to get hurt. >> a spokeswoman reacted to those concerns, telling us that the reality is that vacant housing is abundant. we do our best to maintain, monitor properties, including locating owners and taking them to court.

it is a strategy onlookers here agree with, but question how effectively it is being deployed. >> there are too many houses and this area for it to be sitting like that. >> the housing department tells us that inspectors have been on this property since 2008. he started renovations, bought and sold a house in july. the new owner was ordered to fix up the property less than a month ago. you can call to reports vacant homes that looked structurally unsound. inspectors have the authority to demolish any homes they deemed unsafe. >> police say one of the four people thrown from the vehicles has died. we were over the scene on route

58 just before 1:00. the crash involved a pair of boxer trucks. police are now trying to determine if weather played any role in the crash. the johns hopkins doctors shot by a patient's disgruntled family member is recovering at home. he was released from the hospital earlier this evening, 10 days after the incident. he was shot earlier this month after he got upset about his mother's condition. he then shot his mother and himself. >> two people charged in the stabbing death of the johns hopkins researcher will go on trial in january. prosecutors say the two tried to rob the 23-year-old back in july as he walked,. according to documents, bloody shoes and wallets and iphone were found inside the suspects' homes. the jury in the murder trial of kevin harris heard testimony

from a dna expert who -- of ken harris heard testimony from a dna expert. dna from two unknown men was also found. it sparked questions from the defense about the accuracy of results. >> its self-proclaimed white brick supremacist will spend 31 years behind bars for the racially motivated beating of an elderly black fishermen. he was sentenced this morning for the august to a dozen 9 beating of the 77-year-old. that happened at fort armas said park. he said the attack would not have happened if he was white. >> a california man could spend nearly 50 years beyond bourse for the crash that killed the baltimore native. a judge found him guilty of d -- dui and hit and run. he r a red light. two other people were killed

and a third was seriously injured. >> police continued to piece together exactly what happened inside a local mall today. something that led to a young man being stabbed. it happened around 11:00 inside security square mall. police are using the mall security cameras to identify a suspect. >> a subject approach a student of the trade school here at security moltke was walking through the mall. he stabbed the victim in the back. the suspect then fled from the scene. >> right now, police said they did not have a motive. a memo that briefly appeared on state agency website has fueled the fire in the maryland race for governor. they posted a memo saying that maryland's economic recovery faltered in july. the same day, the governor issued a statement that maryland

experienced job growth, marking the best january-july. the memo online was replaced hours later by a more upbeat summary. according to e-mails, there is reason to believe that martin o'malley played a role in having that memo pulled from the site. the report was completely internal and was not meant for the public. republicans call it a cover-up. >> when one level of governments makes stuff up and you can no longer trust their words, the whole concept of self government flies out the window. >> bob ehrlich considers the department of labor the most broken agency in state government and says -- and accuses martin o'malley of using the office for political gain. we want to remind you that wbaltv.com is your place to turn

for 2010 coverage. you can find a complete -- >> if you are looking to play slots, you do not have to go across state lines anymore. the hollywood casino was home to 1500 classic and new generation slot machines. they range from a penny to $25 a shot. for those looking to stay awhile, there are two restaurants located inside. >> people have to pass as to get to the dollar casinos. being the closest to baltimore, i think it is great for the state. it is a much shorter drive. >> the casino is expected to gross $160 million in its first year. >> -- $116.

>> a mile high merger in tonight's project economy report. southwest airlines plans to buy airtran. >> is a billion dollar deal and it would be the merger of the two largest low-cost carriers. we are looking at what it does mean for baltimore. >> southwest has already -- is largest air's carrier. july was the busiest month ever at bwi high. southwest airlines, the airport's largest carrier, played a role in that. economists predict that a merger between southwest and airtran will mean more floods, more passengers and more money for the airport.

>> the fact that its role is an increasing means -- makes it that much more well-positioned for the future. >> increase passengers will spend more money on things like parking and food. >> by the way, it will be benefits for our convention industry and hotels. that is good news, too. >> there are still lot of unanswered questions about the deal. a southwest spokesman said that no decisions had been made about eliminating employees. will there will likely be job losses on the corporate level, the merger would bring more jobs to baltimore. >> the notion here is that southwest gets bigger at bwi. there are more flights, not fewer flights.

there are more people needed to service those flights. >> while there are a lot of positives about the merger, one- could be a decrease in local ad revenue. >> some of the state's top educators are in new york city tonight. they are preparing for a date to of education nation. the state school superintendent also was among those in attendance. she believes that maryland is on the track, but more needs to be done. >> we are implementing much of what is being recommended here, and we feel good about that. however, having said that, we do

not have been even as across the state of everything we are attempting to do. >> education leaders are attending, hoping to develop a plan to reform the nation's education system. >> record-breaking temperatures in california. we will tell you just how hot it got. >> record breaking rain a little closer to home. >> a gasoline powered alarm clock back energy star certification? >> that is not the only of this appliance. coming up, what happened and what is being done to make sure you can trust that well-known label. >> the ravens are still talking about yesterday's date: opening win. >> there is a flash flood watch for most of our area tonight. a lot of rain on the radar. we will check the

>> dawn hamilton joins stephanie rawlings blake today to kick off the five-day citywide program. it is aimed to provide resources to help baltimore citizens become healthier. to find out how you can take part, go to our website. now that we've talked about your help, let's talk about your money. he may have recently purchased an appliance with the energy star label. but you -- did you really know what you were getting? >> there will be some big changes about how they are certified. >> she knows a thing or two about saving energy and money. >> in tree hugger. >> delights in her home more compact fluorescent bulbs spread ceiling fans are strategically placed throughout the home -- house. >> we keep our promise?

in the winter. we keep on 62. we have gotten used to it. >> when it comes to appliances, she shops for the energy star label. her dishwasher has the energy star sticker and so does the refrigerator should just purchased. >> my impression is that they are quite a bit more energy efficient than other types of appliances. >> energy star was created in 1992. it is comfortably managed by the epa and the department of energy. the label means the product has been tested and governments certified that it will save energy, the environment, and money. >> we conducted a pretty impressive fraud team. >> he is the managing director of forensic audits. his team but the energy star certification program to the test. they set up for bogus companies

and gave them created -- created names. -- created names. over several months, the maid of companies submitted bogus products. >> we start with basic things like computer monitors and refrigerated dishwashers. once we sell easily those serving certified, we went to more egregious things. like the gas powered alarm clock. >> it that certification? >> yes. it was easy on the environment and quiet. that is what we said. >> they submitted this to energy star, claiming it is a room air cleaner. >> it was really a space heater with a feather duster taped to it. they were simply self certification by the manufacturers of these products. >> one of the most outrageous

projects was a geothermal heat pump. they claimed it was 20% more efficient than anything else on the market. >> no one questioned the claim. they ask us about it. in short energy-saving plan actually true? we e-mails back, yes, it is. >> this admitted 20 fake products. most, 15, got decertification. they did not hear back on the three projects and only two were rejected. some changes in the certification process for a media. but what about the products that have already received energy star certification? they declined our request for an interview. we wanted to know how they plan to restore public confidence. there are 40,000 products bearing the label. no one to discuss how many of the products had been tested by third parties. the epa says it is in the process of testing more than 200

of the best selling energy star appliances. to insure that when a consumer sees the energy star logo, they can be confident that the product to be energy-efficient and help our environment. test results are expected by year's end. also by year end, manufactures wishing to qualify their products will have to submit independent lab resorts. -- lab results. this was not required before. the coveted blue and white energy cert will only be handed out once the product is approved. >> 18 years after the program started, it seems a little late. >> she still looks for the energy star label. >> i think i will still be a little doubtful about how much energy efficiency there is. >> as for that ongoing test, if any of them fall short of energy

star standard, the epa says it will work with the manufacturers to remove the label. >> the epa wants consumers to know that its independent inspector general conducted a small spot check last year. 59 of 60 products actually being sold to consumers were found to meet or exceed energy star certification requirements. there is no doubt appliances in california are hyper -- are high, a heat wave continues to scorch part of that state. temperatures hit triple digits. downtown los angeles was 113 degrees. relief will not come until the end of the week. rising water nabors to our south are battling tonight. a number of rows are looking more like rivers as the system pushes north. >> your insta-weather-plus forecast --

>> some of those heavy north carolina wrens are making their way to the eastern shore md. -- rains are making their way to the eastern shore tonight. we are on the western edge of all of that but lighter showers around baltimore and the i-95 corridor. we will continue to see this train, up from the south. there is a fresh batch coming up from central virginia right now. overnight, expect more showers and a few claps of thunder. we do have a flood threats continuing, however. a couple of different varieties year. it could fled low-lying areas south of the bay. it is a coastal flood warning. southerly winds have pushed the water into the bay. the thais who run it 2 feet

above normal. the potential is there for some minor court moderate coastal flooding. over an inch of rain at the airport so far. temperatures were above normal today, even with the rain. they're holding in the 70's right now. 73, downtown baltimore. that contrasts between monday tropical air in the east and colorful air in the west. that boundary will continue to generate some showers as we had to sunrise. you can see the warmer air over the mid atlantic. cooler air is west of the mountains. the warm front triggered some small -- some large storms earlier today. until they can pass through here, we have the chance for more rain. a little bit of an unsettled pattern for a couple more days.

shoppers in the morning, then some breaks in the clouds. here comes low pressure number two, are writing by wednesday. -- arriving by wednesday. next weekend will be pretty nice. showers in the morning, partly cloudy. 76-81 tomorrow on the bay. that will build the waves to 3 feet. off and on showery weather in the morning around the bay, then a peak of sunshine in the afternoon. on the lower eastern shore, a little warmer and a little unstable, a chance for a thunderstorm. seven-day forecast. rain in the morning, lenders into thursday. it looks like it will clear up friday and weekend will feel like a fall, highest in the 60's. >> ravens debate followed -- positive follow-up report. that does not mean that they will have their top running back

for this week's game with pittsburgh. the maryland lottery, let yourself play. 2, 8, 33, 40, 6, 5. if no one matches all six numbers, the jackpot climbs to $1,950,000. and textron is thursday night at

11:22. the maryland lottery, let yourself play. old gibbs canning company.

today these factories are full of dot com businesses. old gibbs canning company. and now my job is helping maryland create new economy jobs. training new math and science teachers investing in our institutions of excellence pioneering new cyber security jobs and giving an old gm plant a jump start

building electric motors. i'm barbara mikulski. i approve this message so you'll know i'm fighting for you. >> the ravens feel a whole lot better about their offense. but bob and behind in the first time in the fourth quarter has raised a few eyebrows.

the clevelands down -- the cleveland browns running back. the only gave up four runs the entire season. they are given up four runs and plenty more yards this season. his quarterback made huge improvements this week. now the coach wants to see his run defense shore up this coming week. >> the running back really has his first opportunity to really shine. he is the guy we will have to contend with. it was a combination of a downhill that got as -- we did not it -- we did not fit in one twice like we wanted to. we played the defense. we believed in our players. >> rice entered his knee in the fourth quarter of yesterday's

went against the browns. he had a deep bruise on his right knee. the ravens to dunno if he can play this sunday in pittsburgh. that decision will not, until much later in the week. he will expand his profile around the country. it has signed him to endorse. much more on the raven's tonight at midnight. you will find that on comcast channel 208. tonight, and generations of football fans remember a man ignored time. former raiders quarterback died today at the age of 83. he seemed immune to the effect of age. his career spanned a record 26 season spread hollis famer scored more than 2000 points and his career.

he did not retire until one month before his 49th birthday. -- they keptsys their manager at of the dugout. he had to watch from a press box tonight. fed ending, -- the fifth inning, he got the green light and the score. they would not look back from there. seven endings, and eight strikeouts. the orioles shut out tampa bay 4-0. 4-0. we're back four years ago, bob ehrlich got fired as governor of maryland. for good reason. first, he protected tax loopholes for giant cable cable companies. then, he let utilities jack up our rates 72%.

and for the last four years, he worked as a hired gun for big corporations, even a bank that took billions from a taxpayer funded bailout. ehrlich sides with corporate executives again and again and again tell bob ehrlich big banks and billionares don't need help. middle class marylanders do.

>> here is the seven-day forecast predicts there it is. >> look at that. >> rein in the morning and sunshine in the afternoon. another patch of rain wednesday and into thursday. >> today is monday. it is looking beautiful. we are running out of time here. >> good night.

bob ehrlich pretends to be for the working guy... but he's not on our side. i thought i knew bob ehrlich, but then i found out... he raised property taxes on every maryland family... and business. he increased college tuition... by 40%. 40%. and i thought i knew bob ehrlich. he was against raising the minimum wage. made $2.5 million...

working for a lobbying firm. $2.5 million? he's not really on my side. with this tough economy, we really need a governor on our side.