Transcripts For WBAL Today 20100529 : vimarsana.com

a troubled childhood star whose life came to a tragic end. a troubled childhood star whose life came to a tragic end. today, saturday, may 29, 2010. captions paid for by nbc-universal television good morning, everyone. welcome to today on a saturday, i m lester holt. and i m amy robach. a lot of tragedy to speak of for the cast of diff rent strokes. such a charming show, but a horrible history in the wake of that. a lot to tell you with about this morning. as the nation continues to watch, officials of bp say they won t know until tomorrow if their latest attempt to plug the oil well, the so-called top kill has worked. and the federal government has now closed 25% of the fishing waters in the gulf of mexico. that s more than 60,000 square miles. everyone s been looking at that video, we saw it brown earlier, it looked pretty dark there. i m not an expert. but a lot of people are watching from the internet that oil leaking there. and amanda knox was sentenced to 26 years in prison for the murder of her roommate. now prosecutors are looking for more jail time. and there s also something that amanda has said that s getting attention. and memorial day weekend is the unofficial start of summer. and more than 30 million people are hitting the roads so we will look at what s in store for the summer travel season and beyond. it s weekend today against members of the navy and marine core, who s going to win? if you have watched in recent years, you know who s going to win. we re going to win. let s talk about bp s effort to stop the oil gushing from that well in the gulf. is the top kill method working and going as planned? michelle kozinsky is in rah l.a. . bp says it appears its top kill is going as planned, but will take more time. a lot of the mud they have been pumping down there has just been escaped into the ocean, and that worries people that they really don t have a handle on it. but they have also tried to jump shot, shooting debris in there. scrutiny on bp s methods just before the rig exploded and also yesterday president obama visited grand isle here reassuring people that everything possible is being done. i ultimately take responsibility for solving this crisis. i m the president, and the buck stops with me. so i give the people of this community and the entire gulf my word that we re going to hold ourselves accountable to do whatever it takes for as long as it takes to stop this catastrophe. reporter: people here were happy that the president got to see for himself and there is nothing like seeing and smelling that oil hitting the marshes firsthand, but they said they ll believe everything s being done when they see that gusher stopped. and scientists with noaa found out just how far reaching this has become. it now extends much farther south than they expected. there are a lot of us playing armchair engineer, we re watching that live feed of the oil gushing out of there and trying to draw our own conclusions, what is bp saying about what we re seeing and how we should interpret it? reporter: not much and a lot of the changes we see, they re not saying much about until later. they re just saying it s going as planned, initially sthey sai there were some signs of success. and then they stopped it for a little while and then they said that was part of the process and then they didn t tell everyone about the junk shot until after as well. and now here s amy. lester, thank you, this current effort to stop the leak has never worked on oil wells that are under water, but what happens if it doesn t work? tom costello has the story. reporter: to be successful, experts say it s critical that the ongoing top kill effort forces heavy mud all the way down the well as much as 13,000 feet below the ocean floor where the pressure is enormous. anything less and the oil could surge and blow back out. if it s not done fully and correctly, it might be a very temporary fix. reporter: if the pressure isn t contained, the casings that hold the pipe together could rupture causing the oil to seep out of the pipe under the ocean s floor. if the top kill doesn t work, bp may cut the damaged wipe and then install a lower marine reiser to you might be making a choice to let the well plblow out at a even higher rate for a time. reporter: ultimately, the better solution is the relief well which will take at least until august, drilling 18,000 feet below the surface of the ocean and then cutting across it 90 degrees and intersecting precisely with the bad well in hopes of the sealing it off. the hope is that they can temporarily shut off the floor before then. the fear is that this goes on until october, november, and we have 100 million gallons of oil in the water. most experts don t expect it will take nine months to seal the well, like the 1979 disaster off mexico. and now here s lester. the oil spill is taking a devastating toll on parts of the gulf of mexico. those who make their living along the water are battling fear as much as reality. kerry sanders is in destin, florida, good morning. reporter: this is a case of perception versus reality, i m here this destin, and the sand is as sugar white as it always is, but lots of people fear that there s oil here. it s actually 120 miles that direction in louisiana. as they re fond of saying these days, the only oil you ll find on the beach is suntan oil. no oil on florida s beach, but also missing tourists, scared off by pictures and graphics showing the oil spill just off the sunshine state s pan handle. unfortunately the perception is that we have oil on our beaches and we don t. our beaches are beautiful and the sand is white, and the sun is shining, but unfortunately we have seen a tremendous amount of cancellations. reporter: in the florida pan handle, often called the red neck riviera, agents are busy but for the wrong reason. we re down 40% right now. reporter: peterson rents 300 condos along the coast here, usually every last one is booked on a holiday weekend. so do you expect bp to pony up the money that you re losing. i do expect them to as does everyone else in our industry. reporter: to combat misguided perceptions, florida s tourism industry is fighting back, on the news, on the radio, and 35 live webcams from every coast. two weeks ago, tar balls washed up on the keys, initially the fear was that the so-called loop current was pushing the oil here. the coast guard now says those tar balls were likely from a passing freighter illegally pumping it s bilge. the burns family from nashville feared a ruined vacation, even the kids expected oil. reporter: you thought you would find oil? yes. reporter: and what have you found. mostly shells. reporter: so i spoke to dr. steven leatherman, he s also known as dr. beach about the currents and the winds and he thinks that maybe for the next four weeks or longer, florida s beaches will actually avoid getting any oil. that s a little bit of a projection, he s the one that puts out the top ten beaches that just came out. two florida beaches made the list. it s cooper s beach in south hampton which i guess you re going to be jumping into the car right after the show and heading to. and now for a check of the morning s other top stories, let s head over to peter alexander with the other stories. the u.s. military is now reviewing options for a unilateral strike in pakistan in the event that a successful attack on american soil is traced to that country. the washington post says the planning began once the u.s. found ties between the alleged times square bomber and the pakistani taliban. other news now an obama task force has released a gitmo detainee report to congress. about six dozen people held at guantanamo bay were held in terrorist attacks against the u.s. or al qaeda. a task report recommended four dozen of them be held in guantanamo indefinitely without charge. monica beresford-redman s husband is a suspect in her murder. he has not yet been charged with a crime. meantime a judge ruled that the couple s two children remain under the guardianship of bruce beresford-redm beresford-redman s parents. this is called the piciya volcano. already dozens of residents have been forced to leave their homes. that country also reporting delays and cancellations as well. jay leno is staying put this time. but after 18 years, his side kick, band leader ken eubanks has decided to move on. eubanks and the band played its final song. he will be replaced by ricky miner. he put out a statement saying that after playing 18 years of playing america into commercials, i m going to go somewhere where i can finish the song. that s true because sometimes they re really getting into it and then now for a check of your holiday forecast, scott williams is here. well, it is the unofficial start to summer so let s get a check of your weather, we are watching for a few overnight rain chances south of us. we re hoping for a few sun breaks during the afternoon and evening, and we ll be in the and that s a look at your weather. amy? former child star gary coleman who shot to fame on tv sitcom diff rent strokes died in a utah hospital on friday after suffering a brain hemorrhage. he was 42. lee cowan takes a look at gary coleman s life and troubled times. reporter: his chubby chaeks were as what cha talking be. . his comedic timing seemed so advanced for someone so young. you also got a big mouth and when you got it, you flap it. reporter: he brought fans a lot of laughs and that in turn brought him a lot of money, it also brought him a lot of problems. he never was really able to recover and find success in any other line of work. reporter: he eventually claimed bankruptcy, his childhood fortune gone. then there were the arrests, one after another, including one for assaulting a bus driver. so i hit her. reporter: his downfall last decades until the final blow. gary coleman passed away at approximately 12:05 p.m. mountain standard time. reporter: he had suffered a brain hemorrhage and was taken off life support. dana plato died in 1985 from a drug overdose. coleman s other sitcom sibling, todd bridges battled cocaine addiction himself and was acquitted of murder charges. in hollywood child stars often have trouble moving on from having great success as children. rarely are they able to transition to a successful career as adults. reporter: a chronic kidney disease stunted his growth and kept him in and out of hospitals for the better part of his life. this is the third time gary has been in the hospital this year. reporter: it was a bumpy end to a life that showed so much promise, a boy who once made so many people laugh had also endured a lifetime of pain and embarrassment. for today, lee cowan, nbc news, los angeles. we re back, but first this is today on nbc. host: could switching to geico really save you 15% or more on car insurance? host: does elmer fudd have trouble with the letter r? elmer: shhhh, be very quiet; i m hunting wabbits. director (o/c): ok cut!!!! uh.it s i m hunting rabbits, elmer. let s try that again. elmer: shhhh, i m hunting wabbits. director (o/c): cuuuuut! rabbits. elmer: wabbits director (o/c): rabbits. elmer: wabbits. director (o/c): rabbits with an r. elmer: aw.this diwector s starting to wub me the wong way. vo: geico. 15 minutes could save you 15% or more. over 30 million people are planning to hit the road this memorial day weekend. what will they face before getting behind the wheel? ron allen is on new york s jones beach. ron, good morning. reporter: good morning, lester, it s a little chilly out here and a bit cloudy this morning, but it s supposed to be a pretty nice day eventually and that s perhaps a pretty good metaphor for how the country is approaching this holiday weekend. for the first time in years people are feeling better about the economy, so no surprise, holiday travel is up. america is hitting the road this holiday weekend, 32 million travelers, up 5.5%. 87% of them in their cars. with an early summer holiday break, back with more family budgets. we went local last year to the beaches here. reporter: throw in another bonus, falling gas prices that may creep down even further this summer. and that all leads up to traffic. the weekend began with folks sneaking off work early friday. even though fuel prices are down, you re not going to find many bargains in the sky. basic airfares are pretty much unchanged for the year, and five major airlines are tacking on a summer surcharge, about $30, every summer day except the fourth of july, one of summer s least traveled days. any time you start hitting the summer travel season, they re going to jack up the prices basically. reporter: just about everyone is looking to spend less this weekend, average for a family expected to be down by a couple hundred dollars to about $800. as more budget travelers are coming back into the travel environment, they re not going to be spending as much money as those who traveled last year. reporter: as for the weather, that depends on where you are. the spots i think for the good weather will be the southwest, bad will be the southeast. everywhere else it will be a little bit of a mix over the three days. reporter: we re going to get that mix of weather here in the northeast. there are some showers in the forecast, but the sun is poking through so hopefully it will be a nice day here. ron allen, thanks very much. and coming up on today, the latest turn in the case of amanda knox, but first these messages. is ready to see you! i ve got good news. you need more fiber. huh? 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gotta start with this soil. new and improved miracle-gro potting mix. success starts with the soil. still to come, the best books for the summer season. and who will win our annual memorial day tug of war? find out. but first these messages. but p. plavix, taken with other heart medicines goes beyond what other heart medicines do alone, to provide greater protection against heart attack or stroke and even death, by helping to keep blood platelets from sticking together and forming dangerous clots. ask your doctor if plavix is right for you. protection that helps save lives. [ female announcer ] certain genetic factors and some medicines such as prilosec reduce the effect of plavix leaving you at greater risk for heart attack and stroke. your doctor may use genetic tests to determine treatment. don t stop taking plavix without talking to your doctor as your risk of heart attack or stroke may increase. people with stomach ulcers or conditions that cause bleeding should not use plavix. taking plavix alone or with some other medicines, including aspirin, may increase bleeding risk, so tell your doctor when planning surgery. tell your doctor all medicines you take, including aspirin, especially if you ve had a stroke. if fever, unexplained weakness or confusion develops, tell your doctor promptly. these may be signs of ttp, a rare but potentially life-threatening condition, reported sometimes less than 2 weeks after starting plavix. other rare but serious side effects may occur. reported sometimes less than 2 weeks after starting plavix. have you tried honey bunches of oats yet? every spoonful is a little different. mmm. they got three kinds of flakes. this is delicious. it s the perfect combination of sweet and crispy. i love it. this is so good. this is great. the magic s in the mix. [ female announcer ] when the more options you have,ght, the more likely you are to stay on track. that s why there are 9 delicious kinds of special k® cereal. because every girl could use a little variety. special k®, now in 9 delicious flavors. good morning. i m kerry cavanaugh. the time is 7:26. here s a look at our top stories today. an east baltimore father is facing murder charges. he beat his 2-year-old daughter unconscious with his belt because she allowed one of the family s dogs into the house. according to court documents he will be back in court next month. lightning to blame for a two-alarm fire in baltimore county. firefighters were called to garrison thursday night. no one was injured, but the fire displaced several residents. joe biden applauded the role of women in the navy. biden applauded 11 indicates that will serve on submarines. the naval restriction of women on submarines has been in place. this year there were 1,28 graduates from the naval academy. 219 are women. stay with us. we ll check your holid good morning. a lot of clouds out there this morning. some sprinkle activity showing up over the bay. on the eastern shore, a few sprinkles. rain chances will be going down durring the day today. conditions outside now, 67 at the airport. humidity up, barometer is down. the breeze is south, but at last check, the wind was calm. try to get sun in the picture. a few clouds, mostly early today. 75 to 80 for the high. a little better tomorrow. more sunshine and hotter. thank you for joining us. 11 news saturday morning continues in 25 minutes. we ll see you then. we re back on this saturday morning, the 29th day of may, 2010, the start of the memorial day weekend here in new york, where an excited crowd has joined us out on the plaza. i m amy row bobarobach, along w lester holt. amanda knox is going to be in a courtroom. she was convicted of murdering her roommate, there was the appeals process, we re going hear from her parents coming up soon. and if you re looking for a great read for the beach or your car trip, we have got some of the best of the season, from mysteries to thrillers, it s all there for you to pick up at your lovell bookstore. and it s something of a memorial day tradition here on today. it s the marines versus the navy and then the winner takes on us, lester, peter alexander and several of us. who s going to win? as i said earlier, who s going to win? we work on our own rule book here. usually we find a way to win. we re going to get all that, but first let s get another check of the weather from scott williams. good morning, everybody, certainly memorial day weekend is upon us, the unofficial start to the summer. joining us this morning from fall city, nebraska, we have the chorus here, they are certainly pumped up, and amy dunn, tell us what you re going to sing for us here. we re going to sing a little bit of hands across america. hands overnight rain chances south of us. we re hoping for a few sun breaks during the afternoon and evening, and we ll be in the and that s a look at your weather. amy? coming up, american foreign exchange student amanda knox is heading back to court. we ll talk to her parents. but first these messages. - at quicken loans, - we re changing the way americans get a home loan. - for the better. - we really listen to you. and that helps us recommend a home loan option that s perfect for your needs. we ll close your loan at your own house if you want. you don t have to come to us. we ll come to you. my cell phone s always on. if you need me, i m here for you. every client. every time. - no exceptions. - no excuses. that s what we re all about. - and that s why i love. - i love. i love being a home loan expert. i love being a home loan expert. have you tried honey bunches of oats with real strawberries? wow. it s seriously strawberry. they re everywhere. it s in the bunches, on the flakes, even real strawberries in the mix. can i have some more? honey bunches of oats with real strawberries. it s delicious. nobody does it quite like us. she is all right already serving 26 years for murder but now amanda knox faces a new trial. reporter: six months after her conviction for murder, amanda knox will take the stand once more, this time she faces a new charge, slander after claiming italian police struck her during her questioning. the authorities are saying, yes, we have a murder conviction, but you also lied to us and now we re going to go after you for that as well. reporter: the case has drawn unpress departmented interest on both sides of the atlantic. is amanda knox a killer or just a victim of circumstances. the state department has even been asked to intervene. there s no question that amanda knox got an unfair rap from the media in many european countries. and i think that that led to a sort of thirst for a conviction by many in europe. reporter: knox s student days came to an abrupt end in november 2007 when the body of her british roommate meredith kercher was found in a pool of blood at the cottage they shared. forensic evidence showed she had been sexual assaulted and her throat had been slashed. two others were also convicted, knox s former italian boyfriend and a drifter from the ivory coast. all three denied killing her and are appealing their convictions. many believe that language barriers affected her testimony giving a different impression of the 22-year-old. but italian prosecutors are adamant that s not the case, claiming she had a translator present throughout her questioning. amanda knox is expected to appeal her conviction in the fall. even if she does win her bid for freedom, one thing is for certain, her life will never be the same. joining us from seattle are amanda s parents kurt knox and ellen ellist. i know you get a weekly phone call or amanda gets a ten-minute weekly phone call on saturdays, you have been able to speak to her, can you describe her state of mind these days? she s actually doing better on a day-to-day basis, it s a circumstance where when the verdict was rendered, it was very devastating to her, but she s now looking forward to the appeal and hopefully getting a chance to come home. and i know your husband, amanda s stepdad has taken up permanent residence in italy. in the last couple of visits have been good, she s been a little bit more upbeat, you know, she has her ups and downs and right now she s doing okay. let s talk about this slander issue right now, there s a hearing coming up, i know one of the points in dispute, you want the judge removed. why and what do you think the chances are. well, the judge has already rendered decisions related to amanda s case, so having her continue on the stand at this point in time, we believe we should have a new judge and amanda should have an opportunity for an independent review. and etta, these are related to statements that amanda first made when they took her into custody? amanda has said the same thing since the morning after her interrogation, she s maintained the same story about that interrogation and how it went and when she had the opportunity to defend herself on the stand, she again, said the same thing she s always said and because of that, she s now being charged with slander. and kurt, the largest issue, the appeals process has been crawling along, can you tell us where that stands. at this point in time, they still have not identified the two judges that are going to be on the appeals trial and we re still waiting for a date, but we re hoping it s going to start in the latter portion of september, early october of this year. etta, for a lot of us who have looked at this case, one of the troubling aspects is, we can t help look at this through the lens of american justice, this is not american justice, this is italian justice, have you been finally able to look at it through an italian point of view? i think we have learned a lot about how the italian judicial system works, in some ways, it s better, i think their appeals process is stronger, so that s what we re really focusing on now. and kurt, i expect you re going to want to talk about this, because there s been charges, accusations out there that the two of you have been shopping amanda s story for cash, how do you respond to those reports? it s absolutely false. however that s been reported of us shopping around an interview with amanda is completely false. this is not about money, it s about bringing amanda home where she belongs. we ve been offered actually and we have never, ever accepted any money for any interview. i know the two of you are living every parent s worst nightmare, we appreciate you spending time with us. we re going to take a break. great. yea, mom you re the best. i thought you would like it. so, how are your classes, are you enjoying them? (announcer) it s more than just that great peanut taste, choosing jif is a simple way to show someone how much you care. we can t wait to get you home. i love you mom. i love you too. we ll see you soon. choosey moms, choose jif. hi, jay bush and duke here to introduce new bush s black bean fiesta..whoa. you can t tell everyone about new black bean fiesta. but it s perfectly cooked black beans, in a zesty south of the border chipotle sauce with red and green peppers, onion, and crisp corn. a bold new taste. i know. but i want people to think i m a great cook. so hide. delicious! can i have your recipe? your secret is safe with me. hello. new bush s black bean fiesta. and try new texas ranchero, along with our other grillin beans flavors. soak our yards in color. get our hands a little busier. our dollars a little stronger. and our thinking a little greener. let s grab all the bags and all the plants and all the latest tools out there. so we can turn all these savings into more colorful shades of doing. more saving. more doing. that s the power of the home depot. we ve made a special buy on 32 quart miracle-gro moisture control potting mix for just $8.97. that means we ve got juicy rollbacks, plump rollbacks, and delicious rollbacks. walmart s getting it here faster, so it s fresher. and that s guaranteed. you can almost smell that rollback pie. my name is darrell, and i save people money so they can live better. what if they change the terms? what if the interest rate. .is more than i thought? what if i missed something? what if we re not getting what i think we re getting? 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[ male announcer ] there s only one place you can get a clarity commitment for your mortgage or credit card. bank of america. and then there s most complete. like what you get from centrum silver ultra women s, the most complete multivitamin for women over 50. it has vitamin d, which emerging science suggests supports breast health, centrum silver ultra women s. as summer approaches, is there anything better than curling up on a lounge chair on a beach with a good book? here with some of his favorites is john sorrells book critic and author of strange but true. let s kick this off with one of the most anticipated books of the summer, the girl who kicked the hornet s nest. this opens with liz beth is in a swedish hospital with a bullet wound in her head and as she s fighting for her life, she also has to fight to clear her name, because as soon as she gets better, she s going to have to fight for her life. this time she tries something different and succeeds wildly, it s about a woman who has this weird ability to be able to tell how someone s going to die, it makes for a great read. i don t want to have her over at a dinner party of mine, but it s a great book. the passage ? steven king says i dare you to read 15 pages and you ll want to read the whole thing and it s true. from the very first page, you can t put it down. this one is a lighter book how did you get this number ? but i see a bear on the front. these are essays that any 20-something woman will relate to. this woman is getting her fest apartme first apartment. where s my wand ? the title comes because he was obsessed as kids growing up in the 70s, because of endora, sam s mother. the dark end of the street. two big deal crime writers decide to put together a collection by other big deal crime writers of these sort of dark, gritty story and a great mesmerizing read. and this is one of a popular series, this body of death. she s an american woman writing these pitch perfect british mysteries. this man s wife is on bereavement leave. and the particular sadness of lemon cake. this one has a supernatural kind of bent, it s a woman who when her mother, enwhen she s young, she can taste her mother s emotions in the food. so he has this weird ability and it s how this affects her life. this one is a true story, the lost girls. it s written by three women who decide to travel the world. and we have got comme commencement. this is about three women and what happens to them before graduation. and best friends forever. it s a fun read too. as always, thanks a lot for helping me out with my summer reading. and we ll be back after these messages. it is not only memorial day weekend, but it s also fleet week here in new york city and for the past two years we have invited the marines and the navy to our annual tug of war contest. we are throwing down the challenge again to defend our home turf. three, go! last year t marines had the anchors on the brink. hang on! but re-enforcements arrived and weekend today defended it s home turf. in looking at that tape, i think we failed to act as a team and i think that, you know, certain members of the group who will be unnamed, amy, let us down. it s all about strategy, if you re nice to the losers of the first match, they ll come help you and then you can beat the winners and they don t actually win. it s up here, not here. this year the anchors have shored up the roster recruiting peter alexander. i go away for one year and i think you all know obviously what happened. so even though i have barbecue plans with the alexanders today, this is too important. and a hurricane of power in scott williams. this week i ve been taking a little break from the radars and checking out the tug of war manuals and eating plenty of protein, i m going to bring it like a storm that s going to move through. it s the annual battle for pride, honor, well, okay, maybe not honor. maybe our tactics have been a little questionable, but we have won, so watch out. we have a team that s going to work well together this year, and if that s not the case, then we ll do this sucker on tape and make it look like we won. today the annual tug of war challenge begins now. so in falling with tradition, nave versus marines and here representing the nave is admiral mark munso. we didn t want to leave you out because you guys are going to be challenging the navy. may the best team win. all right, we ll step out. okay, marine sailors, what i ll do is i ll go, navy, marines, and i ll go three, two, one, pull, check. check. navy, marines, three, two, one, pull! let s go, navy, come on, navy. pull, men, pull men j get low, pull, pull, pull. pull, pull, get low, stay low, stay low, stay low, pull, pull, stay low. pull, pull, pull! stay low, stay rowe. pull! stay low, stay low! stay low! pull! pull! pull! keep the pace! pull! pull! go! go! go! come on! you re there! you almost got it now. you almost got it now. pull, pull, pull! you almost got it. pull! yay! here we go! let s go! all right, navy, let s go, on the rope! all right, here we go! today ready? we re ready. navy, ready? one, two, three, pull! that s what i m talking about. victory! you guys looked so good, i don t know what happened. yeah, nice try. better luck next time. thanks for the marines as well. we ll be right back. our thanks to scott williams and peter alexander, the marines and the navy, my two cheerleaders, we want to thank everybody. that was a fun match, thanks all for being a part of it. coming up tomorrow, we ll have the latest on the oil spill and the effort right now to stop it. i ll see you tonight on nbc nightly news. thanks everybody for watching. and have a great memorial day weekend. good morning. and welcome to 11 news saturday morning. i m kerry cavanaugh. here s a look at some of our top stories this morning. a father has been indicted for the murder of his 2-year-old daughter. tyrone allegedly beat his daughter unconscious with a belt because she allowed one of the family s dogs into the house. he will be back in court next month. 11 news has learned lightning is to blame for a fire. crews say it took about 1 1/2 hours to bring the fire under control. no one was hurt. the red cross is helping several residents who were displaced. vice president biden applauded the role of women in the navy. the first 11 women to serve on a sub marine. this year there were 1,028 graduates. 219 are women. the doctor is here to answer your pet questions. charcoal or electric, electric or propane? if you re wondering which is the best we ve got something coming up in err price range for you. and baltimore magazine joins us with their great beach escape guide. this morning we have cloudy skies and the temperature is 67 degrees but a hot, humid weekend is ahead. all that coming up