>> good morning. welcome back to 11 news today. i'm stan stovall. >> and i'm mindy basara. thanks so much for joining us. we're going to get a check on weather and traffic on this frigid monday morning. >> nothing like a frigid first day. this is going to be one of those winters. we've already this h that plassive blizzard. -- massive blizzard. it feels like about nine or 10 degrees out to the west. westminster we're talk specifically it feels like about 13 downtown. 14 at the airport. it feels like 11, the wind chill factor, on the eastern shore so those winds still steady at about 15 to 20 miles an hour. when you combine that with those cold temperatures it makes things pretty bitter. 28 to 32 with mostly cloudy conditions by this afternoon and a chance for a flurry or a snow shower developing. a lot of energy in the atmosphere. and certainly enough cold air to work with. more on that and maybe a little more snow by the end of the week. ready for that? >> oh, boy. >> bring it on. >> that's coming up. >> as far as your morning commute, we are dealing with icy spots around the area.

so one location that you're going to want to use caution is in joppa on philadelphia road at joppa road. if you're traveling there, be extra careful. icy conditions reported. as far as what else is going on, we have wind warnings in effect at all of the area bridges. bay bridge included. be careful out there. checking our speed sensors, we're in great shape this morning. not dealing with any delays yet. volume is slowly but surely building. we expect things to return to normal as folks head back to work and school. we will monitor the roads and let you know once the delays started to form. at 9:00 a.m., the curtis creek draw bridge in the outer loop will shut down. that's because of bridge repairs in the stretch between route 10 and hawksins point. watch for that inner loop traffic. we'll see how that impacts your ride so far so good there. everything looking good on the west side at i-70. that's the latest on traffic pulse 11. back to you. >> thank you. are the ravens back on track after overcoming a few hurdles? they took down the raiders to

score a playoff bid. >> a win and the fans are happy to see, including our own jennifer franciotti. she's live outside m&t bank stadium with reaction. >> good morning. i don't know about, but i'm already planning my menu for sunday's game. for any football fan, most opinion play is what you hope for. so now with the wing over the raiders last night, the ravens are head together playoffs. >> ravens fans celebrate the victory in oakland. >> the best play of the game for me was when mcgahee got ball and slipped it out of the defender, ran in for the touchdown. that was killer. >> it was amazing. a little too many sacks but other than that it was absolutely amazing. we won. we're in the playoffs. >> and the team will head to foxboro to take on the new england patriots on sunday. and everyone's got an opinion on what they need to do this time

around. >> just play hard. play good defense. ray rice is good. hopefully he'll have a good game and we'll do good. >> mark clayton holds on to the ball a little better we'll get a win. >> what happened before doesn't matter from here on out every game is a must win. and fans are optimistic the post season will be the ravens' time to shine. >> they lost a lot of games they should have won. i think they could turn it around now in the playoffs and win the super bowl. >> and how much fun it is to have another game to look forward to. so the next ravens' game will be on sunday at 1:00 in new england. they play the patriots. here at m&t stadium, jennifer franciotti. now back to you. >> thank you so much. that brings us to our "watercooler question of the day." how far do you think the ravens will go in the playoffs? e-mail your response to watercooler@wbaltv.com. again, that's watercooler@wbaltv.com. despite the judge's orders, five jurors who convicted mayor sheila dixon on a misdemeanor

embezzlement charge continue to talk to each other on facebook. last week the judge ordered the five jurors to appear at this week's hearing for a new trial. the jurors were asked not to speak to anyone until after the hearing. however, wbal radio discovered three of the jurors communicating on facebook, joking about their relationships. dixon's defense team argues the post denied the mayor a fair trial. >> the city of baltimore says it will shut down the homeless encampment under the j.f.x. this wednesday, moving those people to permanent shelter. baltimore city's naacp president -- chapter president said his organization will make sure the city follows through as promised. >> we're sending one of our representatives there to make certain all the belongings of the homeless are basically taken care of, that the-- just to really not make the homeless feel as though they're criminals

or something that they're break the law. they're in very unfortunate situation that have them not having a place to stay. at the same time, we must take care of them. when you look at the fact that we have thousands of boarded up homes by the city, we should not have a problem of homelessness. >> the city has broken ground on a homeless shelter that is expected to open sometime next year. a recent study found there are 3,400 homeless in baltimore city. >> police are reporting an increase in crime. officials say new statistic shows crime is up 14% compared this time last year in that city. robberies and burglaries are up 18 and 38% respectively. police say college students and homeowners away for the holidays are being targeted. police say before leaving they can ask police to check up on their residences. amid budge eliminate cuts, there could be proposed pay raises for legislators to take effect. the "baltimore sun" reports the commission could seek a $10,000

pay raise for the governor and an increase in the salaries of state legislators. recommendations will be announced in the upcoming general assembly session. >> starting today passengers traveling to the u.s. will face some tougher security measures at the airport. it comes in the wake of that attempted terrorist bombing on a northwest airlines flight christmas day. 11 news reporter nikole killion has more from washington. >> the new security rules apply to all u.s.-bound international flights, all passengers will be subject to random screening but some may face more scrutiny. beginning today the t.s.a. says passengers flying into the u.s. will face enhanced screening. the tougher measures targeted at those traveling from or through countries of interest and those that sponsor terrorism such as cuba, iran, sudan and syria. >> it's at airports across the globe where terrorists are trying to slip through the cracks and attack us. the terrorists are smart. they know where security is good. they know where security is lax. >> among the new procedures,

travelers would be subject to full body scans, patdowns and searches of carry on bags. >> the notion that bad guys are going to hide bombs or whatever, easy to view, easy to see on their person, just isn't happening. they're going to put it in their private places. we've got to be smart enough to say that's where they're going to put it. we've got to look there. >> the extra screening an effort to prevent another attempt like the one on the airliner bound for detroit christmas day. >> the system didn't work. we had a problem in terms of why he got on the plane. >> president obama is cutting his hawaii vacation short and flying back to washington this morning. ahead of a meeting tomorrow with his advisors to figure out what went wrong. in washington, nikole killion, wbal-tv 11 news. >> 5:37. 23 degrees on tv hill. coming up, in f your allergies seemed to have hit a high note, maybe you can whraim the weather. the most common culprits and how you can avoid them.

>> plus how a medical procedure can be a scary and scresful thing for just about anyone. one texas hospital it s taking a new approach. >> icy conditions reported around the area. that could be the cause of an accident. we'll update you on that and check on other problems coming up.

>> 25 degrees downtown but it feels like 13. the arctic surge is ongoing and ongoing not only over our area but it's delved into the deep south. they're dealing with freezing temperatures even in florida this morning. that because the position of the jetstream and all of that air will hit us through the first half of the week. then there's a brief break. and then again by the end of the week. then we could see some snow. here's a look at those harsh wind chills.

feels like 10 in westminster and near the state line. today's forecast keeps us below freezing again, 28 to 32. winds still steady out of the northwest at 15 to 20 miles per hour. variably cloudy with a 20% chance of a little bit of snow activity. so more for you coming up in a little bit. >> in this morning's "medical alert" cigarette smoke, pet dander and dust are just some of the causes of indoor allergies common this time of year. doctors say all of those things plus household cleaners and gas fumes can all trigger allergy and asthma symptoms. they recommend turning on exhaust fans when showering and cooking to keep humidity low as mold and dust mites love moisture. also, use vacuums with hepa filters and change other filters in the house every couple of months. >> a new experience is helping patients who are undergoing procedures to relax. the patient gets to choose the

lighting, screen played on monitors, and even relaxing music helps the patient feel more comfortable. doctors say they're able to use less sedation. patients can even bring in an ipod and play their own music. >> just show me a pretty picture before you pull that tooth. i don't think so. >> knock me out. >> exactly. >> 5:42. 23 degrees. coming up, online classes are no longer just for colleges. how more high schools are starting to take advantage. >> plus they took down the raiders, but can the ravens keep it go? keith mills will join us. >> and a live look over downtown baltimore. another cold, cold morning. more on weather and traffic when we come back. so, i'm in love with this cute pair of jeans, only $100. but am i wearing them now? hello. i'm wearing my older sister's jeans that she ruined with bbq sauce... or so i thought. see, my mom washed them with this tide stain release in-wash booster stuff.

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it's a free service that provides free entertainment. but one day soon, it could be taken away. there's a movement among special interest groups to limit free antenna tv and millions of americans who depend on it would lose out. let's tell congress to keep free antenna tv as part of our communications future. always free and always local. >> good morning. checking on your morning commute. we expect volume to return that normal volume when folks are heading to work and school. so just be advised of that. we have some problem spots to watch for at route 91 and deer park road. an accident coming in to us there. also the downed tree reported in

manchester at route 27 and westminster roads. and icy conditions reported at philadelphia road and joppa road in the joppa region. and my guess is that's not the only spot we're go fog see some ice. speed sensors looking good. still up to speed on all the major roadways. just a slight slowdown at 49 miles per hour approaching the beltway northeast so far so good elsewhere. let's give you a live view of traffic. in the outer loop at the draw bridge that's going to shut down as they continue their road work. that's going to be into february, at least february 12. we're hearing that they are going to have traffic in the inner loop on two-way. that is around 9:00 a.m. this morning. we'll let you know how it impacts traffic. look good in that area. switching to a live view of traffic. so far so good in that area. that's the latest on traffic pulse 11. now let's get the latest on the buses and the trains. we go to kurt kronke of the m.t.a. >> good morning. >> we're looking pretty good on the rails right now. no delays on the penn, camden or brunswick lines. both light rail and metro on

schedule. we have a number of diversions on the bus system. 20 bus diverting at eastman. eight bus bypassing delaney valley, use being loch raven instead. 15 and 23 diverting at eutaw. >> and a good morning to you and happy new year. first monday of 2010. blustery and cold. that's going to be the trend not only today but all week long. what we're look at as far as visible satellite and radar, nothing falling from the sky but a few clouds are in the area. we're going to see variably cloudy conditions throughout today wayne crease in the clouds this afternoon. some flurry activity and snow shower activity emanating from the great lakes. a couple of waves are going rotate through today. we can't rule out passing flurries or maybe even a snow shower or two this afternoon. chances about 20% to 30%. but something we can't rule out. we're in the 20's to the actual temperature. but the real feel temperature is

much worse simply because of the 14 mile-per-hour sustained winds. the winds have died down a little bit from yesterday. yesterday we were dealing with 49 and 50 mile-per-hour gusts around the region. today they're a little bit better but still enough this morning to bite into that cold it feels like 10 in westminster and near the state line. 16, the wind chill in annapolis. the wind chill on.eastern shore is only 12 degrees. as far as the actual temperature, we're going to be lucky if we hit freezing today. i think we'll hit a high only of about 31 degrees in central maryland. that slight chance of flurries throughout. the winds steady bat 15 to 20 miles per hour all day long. the record high for the day is a lovely 70 degrees set back in two two and on january 4, 1918, a single digit, four-degree, record low was set. 42 is where we should be. we're well off the mark for the third consecutive straight day. mostly cloudy tonight. flurries around 18 to 24.

so it's going to be another bitterly cold night. why the winds? we have a very strong area of high pressure in the plains. so strong that it's contrasting get with this area of low pressure. the same one that generated that blizzard in new england yesterday. the contract between the two, pressure gradient is causing those winds to be a factor for us. cold and windy with a slight chance of flurries. the jetstream also at low levels. that's allowing this arctic air surge to get down into the deep south. freezing temperatures flirting with areas of florida, as far as south even as orlando. mostly cloudy tomorrow. a brief warm-up, if you call 38 a warm-up by midweek. by friday it looks like more snow is possible. a 50% chance of snow showers intermittently throughout friday. the high only 29. we remain in the upper 20's all weekend long. >> thank you. in recent years college students have embraced online education,

sometimes taking entire course overs the internet. >> now this long distance learning is spreading to high schools, giving students access to more advanced courses than most school districts can offer. >> hey, hey what do you say? >> they do just everything for its students. >> good afternoon. tomorrow spirit day. wear your school colors. >> however, this senior, lucy, who is determined to be a chemical engineer, wanted something more. >> there weren't really electives here that i wanted to take that were specific for what i want to do later in life. >> so each day for one period lucy leaves the traditional classrooms to take a course with a teacher in vermont. students log in from several states. the class is completely online. >> i get to do it when i want and where i want. >> cyber school or virtual learning is one of the hottest trends in education.

more than two million pre-k to 12th graders are involved. that number is expected to grow to more than 10 million within the next four years. >> we're looking forward to the day when we don't talk about online classes versus face-to-face classes when we just think of them as courses students select from. >> here online courses are limited. used only as supplements of curriculum. administrators describe the program as an experiment that seems to help some students. but there also may be a downside. >> 100% online learning would be defensively have at an adolescent age. there's something more to the academic day than just the books. learning how to talk, communicate, socialize. >> do you all your schooling online? >> i like the balance. yes, i do want the independent study, doing things when i want. but you need that rigor in the classroom. >> lucy just learned she won a four-year scholarship to bucknell university, a top

engineering school, her first choice. she believes those cyber classes are a big reason for her success. ron allen, nbc news, are rever. >> there's much more ahead. >> plus we'll look at the answers to the "watercooler question of the day." >> here's a look at the winning maryland lottery numbers. good luck. (announcer) fact: life today calls for more than an ordinary wipe.

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>> good morning, everybody. keith mills with you it wasn't easy and certainly wasn't pretty. but the ravens are head fod the playoffs. 21-13 they beat the raiders. was it me or were there some anxious moments in the second half? there was a whole lot of number 23, willis mcgahee. second quarter willis buftsz through. there's one guy to beat. he knocks him down. 77 yards. 14-3 ravens. we will see this again. and watch the stiff arm. or is it a joe frazier left hook to the helmet? uh-oh. get out of my way, son. mcgahee dives in for the touchdown. third quarter ravens up one. rookie he will bier picks off jamarcus russell. that's the biggest play of his young career. the ravens nursing a one-point lead at the time. it sets up again.

willis mcgahee, his third touchdown of the game. the defense made it stick. 21-13, the final. john harbaugh and his team headed back to the playoffs. >> we singled out three guys in the locker room, mcgahee, willis and ellerbe. all three phases played opportunistic when they had to. for the rookie linebacker to come up with two turnovers, which was the difference in the game, was amazing. >> they did a great job. i thought some of them was too good to be true. i was looking for a flag or something to come back. it was unbelievable. >> we were all waiting for the flags. ravens play new england sunday, 1:00 in foxboro. >> we lost a tight one to them earlier this year. we're playing in foxboro this coming sunday. >> we'll be tough. ravens will have to shore up their secondary. they can beat this team. they can run the ball and not turn it over, which is what they

did the first time. >> and patriots lost a key player yesterday. >> wes welker out for the year. big loss to them. >> thank you, keith. >> thanks. >> now to one of your answers to our "watercooler question of the day." >> this morning we asked, how far do you think the ravens will go in the playoffs? >> keep e-mailing responses to watercooler@wbaltv.com. we'll read more in our next hour, post all of them on the front page of wbaltv.com. here's a look ahead to our next hour of 11 news today. >> a new computer system is helping to pinpoint where emergency services are most needed in one florida county. details at 6:18. >> a new building takes you out of the heat and givers you a bird's eye view. a look at the tallest skyscraper. >> and baltimore city police commissioner fred bealefeld will join us to talk about the city's new crime fighting strategy.

>> and the arctic blast continuing. details with your seven-day is just ahead. >> and as folks make their way back to work and school, we're already dealing with an accident, down tree and icy conditions.

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>> it's cold outside but ravens fans are feeling warp and toasty. i'm jennifer franciotti. details are next. >> i'm brook hart in washington. i'll have the latest on new screening ruled in place for air travelers. also the latest on the christmas day bomb plot investigation. >> is baltimore city winning its bet in reduced homicide rates? commissioner bealefeld will join us. >> bundle up. despite slightly softer winds, the frigid temperatures are expected to continue. the insta-weather plus