>> this means this is usually a slow weekend for baltimore has now come to life. >> and with upcards of 100,000 visitors expected, spectators predict it will inject $70 million in the economy. >> leaders are expecting that number to grow. 11 news reporter sheldon dutes has more on the race's impact on downtown businesses. >> the ale house is taking full advantage of its location. >> outdoor bars, tiki bars not chag charging a cover and trying to get as many visitors in here this weekend as we can. >> p greg candidating says -- between those watching the race and those covering it, greg candidating said the weekend has been good. he is hopeful for the last few days. >> i would say we'll do better than we would on a normal labor day weekend. >> over in harbor east, roy's restaurant struggled to fill its dining room for dinner. >> normally by this time on a friday night, we'd have people waiting for tables, and as you can see, we are wide open at the moment. >> back-ups could start as early as 7:00 a.m. >> rough commute tomorrow. >> king said reports like these may be to blame for the widespread cancellations. >> we started seeing all these cancellations, we're not going to try to get downtown. >> the restaurant is still recovering from losses it suffered from hurricane irene, and candidating is worried another slow weekend could be brutal. >> on our side of the harbor, coming down president and into alexandria circle, there is no traffic. there is an ease and flow of traffic. if you can get to this side of town, we're wide open. >> sthe expecting -- don't think it will be as congested as it is during the week. >> isn't it phenomenal to see the street like that turn into a race track a? it is so cool. >> like the preakness and every big event in baltimore, if you are going to watch the race, it might be a good idea to leave your car at home. >> there is always public transportation. let's check in this morning with kurt kroncke. >> we're looking good. we have on-time service on the light rail. we have a shuttle bus operating between the baltimore street and hamburg street stations. otherwise on town. the metro subway is a great way to get downtown, and it is on time. the buses we have on time service, but many diversion s along the bus route. 14th southbound diverting at margaret-in luther king boulevard. among the diversion s we'll see throughout the weekend. as you travel on the m.t.a. please allow extra time for grand prix related delays. a more complete list of die vergs is available at www.mta. maryland.gog. >> get time-saving tchadse delays and diversion s on your phone at 410--- now back to lisa. >> thanks, kurt. we will be following the baltimore grand prix all weekend long. pictures on our web site. avoid those messy traffic tie-ups on traffic pulse 11. >> maryland is putting in a surplus for the most recent budget next year. the governor told the newspaper that it was a sign of recovery. it will be transferred into the state's rainy day fund that was required by law. >> the u.s. economy huh -- added zero net jobs. that bad news sent stocks tumbling yesterday with the dow tumbling down 250 points. this morning the white house republicans are trading blame. each is promising to fix the problem if the other side gets out of the way. brian mooar has the latest from washington. >> experts say it is not evidence we've slipped back into a resession. for a recession to occur, businesses have to lay off workers. >> i don't think that's what's going on here. >> unemployment held steady at 1.9% in august as 45,000 verizon workers wiped out what could have been a modest jobs increase. washington's bitter partisan debate raise aid new level of uncertainty. >> i think we have done everything we can. i know there is concern about the congress. we have to get beyond that. >> president obama is spending the weekend at camp david as he gets ready to unveil his jobs plan to congress and the country next week. the relationships that want his job aren't exactly supportive. >> i'm not surprised. it is devastating. it shows we've really had no recovery. >> this president has been an extraordinary failure. >> some in congress want to find middle ground. >> i'm more optimistic than ever because i think the country is serious, somber, concerned, and actually fearful. >> a nation looking to washington to get to work on fixing the economy. >> the president gets ready to unveil his plan, house speaker john boehner is working on his own. in washington, brian -- brian mooar, wbal-tv 11 news. >> a suit against the nation's largest financial firms. bank of america, jpmorgan, and citigroup are named in the suit. billions of dollars of mortgage-backed securities turned toxic when the housing market collapsed. >> as 11 i-team investigative reporter jane miller explains, the debate is connected to the nation's debt limit. >> in coming weeks, a decision will be made by the people who set government accounting standards that could redefine the state's project. and as the state controller puts it, max out the state's credit card. >> the governor and baltimore's mayor see the state center project as a unique public-private partnership to turn the aging state office complex into a mix of new office space, housing, even a grocery store. state controller peter franchot originally greed to the project, but now he's changed his mind. >> this is a project which in good times may have been ok, but in these times, it is just not affordable. >> a big concern to franchot, the potential hit they could deliver to the state's self--imposed debt limit. the state will continue to own the land, but it will lease back from the private developer the office space the developer builds. at $37 a square foot, those leases would represent some of the highest offices in town. the state wants to operate with -- franchot said that is likely to change soon. >> in september, i believe the federal government accountability boards are going to mandate that states classify the state center project and summer project as debt. that will automatically throw us way over our maximum credit card levels. >> it tibs continues to be stalled by a lawsuit filed by downtown property owners. on that front, new internal documents we've obtained may bolster a key argument in the suit, that the state developer got switched through the back door without proper scrutiny. the documents suggest the switch was rushed through without competition so they didn't get tangled up in the financial problems of bill streamer. he backed out of the project in 2009. preston street partners moved in to take his place. streamer is insolvent and cannot perform the project. staff admits it would not be possible to complete the project prior to june 3. that's the date in 2009 of a meeting in the project before the state board of public works. the memo goes on, given the intense political scrutiny that staff is under, staff believes it will be impossible to relaunch and rebid the project. >> the switch in developers was approved. the developers involved in making it happen would not comment for this story. i'm jane miller, wbal-tv 11 news. >> 68 degrees on tv hill. 6:10. can women do anything the guys can do? one of the few female drivers of this grand prix coming up. >> in consumer alert, why experts say you may be one of the view. >> and your last trip or bash crew cue. -- barbecue. [ male announcer ] baltimore. a city that's been inspiring ideas and innovation since 1729. at bank of america, we live, work and help serve the community here through hundreds of branches and atms. every day, we're working to help set opportunity in motion. from supporting the university of maryland medical center... to the restoration of the hippodrome theater and american brewery building. because when you're giving, lending and investing in more communities across the country, more opportunities happen. >> up near allentown there have been showers developing. also, around york and harrisburg, a couple sprinkles. we'll keep an eye on this this morning. the stuff up there in pennsylvania could bring showers. basically today the rain is not a huge threat through the bulk of the day. don't be too threatened by this. 30.02 the barometer holding steady. at the moment the winds are calm. y. we're beginning to see the first light of dawn. at 6:37 this morning. yes, we do have clouds out there this morning to deal with. and a little more humidity as well. temperature-wise, annapolis 70. 58 on the boardwalk. that's their low so far this morning. elk ton 65. frederick and westminster 70. also 70 at oakland. frostburg checks in with 66 degrees. you can see here a little gray. sprinkles in pennsylvania. big storms are out in front of this. in fact, in the dakotas some strong storms as well. a cold front out there. here's what the map will look like this weekend. the cold front will be in the west. another in the great lakes region. there may be isolated storms from the mid-atlantic to the northeastern part of the u.s. this is the area where something could pop up this afternoon. so we don't have a huge rain chance, but it is there. now katia is a hurricane. should be a category 2 or 3 storm out in the atlantic. the track keeps adjusting further west. we'll have to keep an eye on that. by thursday 110 mile-per-hour winds are predicted. we also have lee, tropical storms. by thursday, that storm will be in the mountains off to our southwest dragging all that moisture this way. >> partly cloudy skies today. humid and an isolated clap of thunder could crop up here and there. we watch that stuff to the north this morning. 83 to 88 the high. south winds at 5 to 10 miles per hour. insta-weather futurecast shows the spotty little clouds, a little moisture. by 1:00 this afternoon, this is something that could pop up out to the west, according to the computer models. a higher chance of something popping up sunday. still kind of isolated. it won't wash out the entire day. by monday, the cold front gets closer and the rain chances do start to increase for us. ocean city forecast rain chances today. they go up on monday. temperatures in the 70's to 80's for the high. our forecast is similar. isolated activity. basically partly cloudy. monday increased rain chances for storms. it will stay that way for much of next week. >> not bad for labor day weekend, though. >> residents along the gulf coast brace for tropical storm lee. >> one of three female drivers involved in this weekend's grand prix. that's coming up. >> in "consumer alert" the american red cross is making cuts to its staff. the consolidation of information, accounting, and information technology often racial is expected to impact the equivalent of 17 full-time and one part-time staff members. the red cross it is mainly due to administrative costs, and it will not impact disaster activity. it is specked to save $580,000 or 25% of the region's budget. >> a new gallop poll shows 20% of workers think they could lose their job because of the economy. that number is the level that was reached in 2009 during the height of the recession. and demifts say worry of not working can have an effect on the economy. 60% of workers are concerned about a pay cut. >> the nation's highways will not be as busy this holiday weekend as in recent years. there are a variety of reasons for that. chris clackum has more. >> starting at the gas pump, with a -- with air fares up as much as 13%, means americans won't be traveling that much or that far this last long weekend of the summer. travel will be down about 2.5% this labor day over the last one. with the fact that many schools are back in session, adding to the shorter distances traveled. >> it makes sense that over this weekend in particular, people are thinking about a quick trip as opposed to a longer vacation. >> industry experts say the reduced travel is actually resulting in reduced travel costs. if you have unused vacation days after labor day, you are in luck. >> a particularly good time, for example, to go to europe, when the weather is still good. prices are 20% or 30% less than you find in the summer months. >> starting next week, cruise prices dropped to less than $100 per person per night. and they expect hotel prices to hold damon. chris clackum, nbc news. >> being a woman in a male-dominated sport. coming up, one of the few women participating in the baltimore grand prix. first a look at events going on around town this weekend. it is not me. it is not me! i am not going to be driving. >> she is just one of a few women in a male-dominated sport. we sat down with simona de silvestro. >> she started racing go-carts in her own hometown of switzerland. she said she has always had a need for speed. what and like to go more than 200 miles per hour? >> it is so fast. it is just kind of part of me. the car becomes a part of you. >> she said all you have to do to gain respect with men is win. >> they are like, that's the girl. it is a male-dominated sport so you have to prove yourself. when i wear my hat, i look like any other race car driver. and that was my goal. i when i started racing, i wanted to portray myself that i am just a race car driver first. >> driving a race car is more difficult than apeople realize. you need quick reflections, consumering instincts, and strength. >> you don't have power steering, so a lot of strength is involved in racing. stamina has to be really good. it is actually something pretty athletic that we're doing. >> imagine walking away from a crash like this and getting back behind the wheel. >> mentally it is one of the toughest sports. >> she will take this grit to the steets of baltimore, perhaps sparking a dream in another little girl. >> you know, you have to follow your dream. i think that's the biggest thing. to be a race car driver you have to put everything behind that. i think it is something achieveable. >> mindy basara, wbal-tv 11 news. >> she convinced me. i'm going to change careers now. >> i think you should go for it now. >> there is a car out there with your name on it. you can be number -- i don't know. >> i hope there is a bumper. >> me too. >> the time is 6:27 and it is 68 degrees on tv hill. maryland officials begin to count the costs of hurricane irene. the early estimates next >> some residents have flooded basements and no electricity. find out why coming up. >> i joined the crowd last night on that. there is cold weather activity out to our west. we had a slight chance of rain today. we'll talk about the insta-weather plus forecast at >> welcome back to "11 news saturday morning." thank you for joining us. let's go first to john collins. you had no power? >> yes, it was just difficult trying to shave this morning. >> you look great. do you have different shoes? >> doint put the camera down there. it is the socks. well, anyway. let's take a look at the radar out there. something going on up in pennsylvania this morning. a come sprinkles. the news of the stuff has developed around york and harris burg. the air is moist. we do have a mix of sun and clouds and a warm, humid summer-like day. we'll talk about the holiday weekend forecast in just a minute. >> now the damage from hurricane irene being surveyed. >> they say it is too soon to tell, but the number is estimated to be in the millions. >> for what was left of hurricane irene is $1.9 million. the storm destroyed two homes. four others endured major damage. 16 houses sustained varying degrees of water damage. the state lost millions in revenue. $7.5 million in sales tax revenue. $150,000 in withholding taxes because of the evacuation of ocean city. $60,000 lost in gas tax revenue because weekend trips to the beach were canceled. $45,000 worth of tolls were not collected at the chesapeake bay bridges. and more than 40,000 lost in neff news from emissions taxes. emergency operations officials believe that power outages, many because of downed trees, is slowing the reporting process. they say many residents are waiting to survey damage after the lights come back on. the running tally at wooster county is $40,000 in irene-related damage. st. mary's county may have been hit the hardest. the ball park figures are in the millions. authorities say they hope to have a more precise damage assessment next week the running county in caroline county is $300,000. carol county is adding up -- carroll county is tallying fuel costs from volunteer fire departments and others to prepare for the storm. authorities say expenses will include making bottled water and m.r.e.'s available. they supplied water through tankers to help live stock in the area. david collins, wbal-tv 11 news. >> so far the economic impact is tallied along the east coast. $400 million of those losses were reported in north carolina. >> and we have a programming note for you. richard muth will be our guest tomorrow morning on 11 news. if you have a question please e-mail your questions to sundayquestions@www.wbaltv.com. >> several east bam families this -- baltimore families are dealing with problems after a construction disaster. the construction company struck a water line in the 1600 block of north durham street. residents are trying to pump water from their homes and are calling on the city for answers. >> i need to be relocated. i have no gas, no electric ilt. you can see through my house, my wall is falling down. i don't have nothing. all my stuff is floating in the water. i want them to take care of me and my son. >> the city officials could not give a damage estimate but they say they are looking into the problem. >> this was the scene in southwest baltimore after a u- hall -- u-haul truck lost control and landed on someone's front lawn. no word on the extent of the driver's injuries. a medic was called to the scene. >> the inmate whom officials say is from a holding cell is back in the custody of police. officials arrested the man before midnight. he's wanted for kidnapping and attempted rain. there is no word on how bar skfment sdale escaped from the annapolis county court house. >> ronnie turner is accused of sexually assaulting a teenager and sex offenses involving an adult victim. he's a bam -- baltimore county code enforcement inspector. >> our investigation showed that in 2010 mr. turner ran a day care program for youth at towson university. we also determined that he is the owner of a church that was formerly located on liberty road. >> this morning turner is out of jail on bond. baltimore county has suspended him without pay. >> hurricane irene forced officials to close the fair during its most dubious week. well ahead a look at the last full weekend of the fair. >> it is not time to panic. it is time to be aware, to prepare, to get ready. >> after suffering for months through record drought and heat, new orleans may finally get a break. why that rain may come with some risks. john? >> and spl moisture may come up our way. let's see if >> some businesses already feeling the pain on what should be a busy weekend as bands of rain hit the region. >> the storm could bring as many as 20 inches to some places. 11 news reporter jay gray has more. >> after suffering for months through record drought and heat, it looks like new orleans may catch a break. >> it appears as though our prayers have been answered. >> a tropical storm headed to the gulf coast will bring much needed rain. >> this is a tough moving tropical system. parts of louisiana and new orleans could see more than 10 inches of rain between now and labor day. >> liquid sunshine for struggling farmers. >> we got three-quarters of an inch. it would be very nice. if we got -- we got a half-inch, it would be nice. >> for new orleans, the rain comes with a risk. >> there is high wind. there is a lot of rain. it is going slow. that's not a good prescription for the city of new orleans. >> a city already below sea level