now toyota has another dilemma, problems with brake pedals. >> live, local, latebreaking. [captioning made possible by constellation energy group] captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- >> we begin with an insta- weather alert. in just a few hours, the winter storm warning goes into effect. >> that storm is expected to bring lots of snow. tom tasselmyer is in the 11 insta-weather center. >> the warnings extend all the way up in to pennsylvania and all across the state of maryland. the only two counties not included in the morning are somerset and worcester counties down in the far southeastern part of that state. the red shaded counties in delaware, a blizzard warning for saturday as the winds will be increasing. the storm is approaching from the south, producing a bunch of rain on the gulf coast that is now mixing with sleet and snow

to the south. we will wake up to a cloudy sky, 22-30 degrees. snow will be on our doorstep. the forecast is coming in just a few minutes. >> state highway officials spent the day getting ready for the weather coming our way. trucks are already out working before the snow falls tomorrow. while the trucks are out preparing the roadways, officials are encouraging citizens to get their shopping done. he said it is important for everyone to be patient and prepared to stay home during the storm. >> me if you are getting ready for the weather that is coming later tonight -- many of you are getting ready. john sherman is live in baltimore county tonight. >> the doors here at this giant store are open until midnight. people have been coming and going. as you can see, the parking lot is still fairly crowded, but

this is not the madness that was here earlier tonight. at this giant foods, the madness begins in the parking lot. >> you cannot even find a spot today. we made three trips around in huge circles. >> there is a shortage on lots of stuff, bread, chicken -- >> >> the stalls out front, they are all gone. it is like 24 inches, and people are going crazy. >> it is really busy here and crowded. >> the wake is long, and the hamburger is going so fast is just on iraq in the aisle. >> i really meant to do this last night, but i just did not feel like coming up here last night. >> and now you are paying the price. >> yes, i m.

>> i am thinking is not going to be 30 inches or 20 inches. i think is going to be about five to 10 inches. i am in this line not because of the snow, just because i wanted some iced tea. >> the national weather service is calling for 16-24. some people are saying 24-30. i am going with a 16-24. that is why i am here now. 5-10, she must be talking about ohio or somewhere, she is not talking about here. >> i am just talking up for the super bowl. that is going on, too. you have to stock up for the super bowl. you have to do it now. >> giant is open until midnight, so you have a little while left if you still have to get out and do shopping.

there is a small window tomorrow morning, but it does not promise to be peaceful here then. >> there are several school delays to pass along. anne arundel and carroll counties are on a two-hour delay. howard county schools are closing two hours early. you can find other delays and closings on the bottom of your screen. if you are traveling by air or train in the next couple of days, several airlines have already canceled flights to and from b.w.i. thurgood marshall airport. amtrak is also cancelling service out of washington d.c. the best advice is to check with your carrier before you travel. you can track the snow down to your very st.. code to wbaltv.com and is on the home page. >> we are falling more breaking news tonight in howard county.

one person is dead after being hit by a train. it happened just near the main street crossing. we are told the train was on its way to cumberland from baltimore city. police have not identified the victim. still more breaking news at this hour, a deadly police involved shooting in northwest baltimore it was in the 3700 block of oakmont ave. two officers were patrolling the area when they approached a group of men in a hovel. investigators say one of the men shot the officer in his right forearm. one suspect was shot and killed. the other, also shot was taken to sinai hospital. >> what we believe and what we have been on the alert for is any retaliatory violence, and that other bad guys in the neighborhood would be arming themselves with guns in preparation. that is what it looks like happened. >> we have to be aggressive.

this officer, unfortunate, was injured because he is doing what he is called to do, not back down when you know there are crimes going on. there is gang territory that we are aggressively going after. >> there is n word tonight on the condition of the surviving suspect. the officer is a three-year veteran of the force and has also served his country in iraq. >> a busy first night for baltimore's new mayor, stephanie rawlings-blake. she was sworn in earlier today and is pledging to keep what is working. >> i, stephanie rawlings-blake, -- >> 39-year-old stephanie rawlings-blake became the mayor of baltimore. she took the oath standing next your husband, her brother, and her daughter. >> today marks the beginning of

a new day in city government. none of us asked for this moment, but all of us must accept the challenges and hard work that come with it. >> she may be moving into the mayor's office today, but she knows there is no time to settle in. >> it will take serious work, and hard decisions to close that budget gap. >> the budget deficit is going to snow us under in the next few months. it will be trying times, but we will be able to move forward. >> the budget and the snowstorm or on the agenda at her first cabinet meeting. it is a move that impressed councilwoman mary pat clark. >> she is not throwing out old to bring in the new, but she is lending what has been working with some of what will be her

initiatives. >> mayor rawlings-blake was appointed to the remainder of sheila dixon's term, which ends in late 2011. >> as for sheila dixon, her resignation was effective at noon today. it was part of the plea agreement with prosecutors that allowed her to keep her pension and to avoid jail time. jayne miller has more. >> it was sheila dixon's last public act as mayor, a 30 minute courtroom appearance to be formally sentenced for crime and street of her political seat. she said nothing, but the judge said plenty. >> she wanted to make sure she knew that she had committed to serious wrongs and was being punished for it. >> she leaves the office in total disgrace, the judge said, tagged with a badge of dishonor that she will live with for the rest of her life.

the judge took aim at public statements dixon made, and dispel the idea that her prosecution was nothing more than politics. from what i saw, the judge said, the cases against dixon were strong, if not overwhelming. if anything, jury was generous with her in convicting her of only a single count. >> most defendants are not going to receive the kind of conditions and sentence that the mayor did for two separate criminal and serious acts. >> dixon left the courthouse through the garage, still offering no apology or taking responsibility. >> i think that is something you were going to have to deal with in the future. >> the judge noted the deal spares the city from what he called further agony, but her

eight dozen dollars pension starts paying next month. -- her $80,000 pension starts paying next month. jayne miller, wbal-tv 11 news. >> coverage of the city hall transition continues on our website. just go to wbaltv.com. >> news tonight, a howard county teacher is a charged with -- is charged with assaulting a teacher. kerry cavanaugh has the latest. >> tracy clay has been with howard county school system for seven years. she is not commenting on allegations that she went too far in disciplining a student. some parents who know or are defending her character. parents described as a close- knit school, the place where you

get to know your child's teacher. >> this didn't went home from school and reported to her mother that after -- this didn't home and reported that after a verbal altercation -- the student went home and reported a verbal altercation with the teacher. >> we did find a red mark on the girl's back. we conducted some interviews and continue our investigation. ultimately, that led to the charges today. >> clay is charged with second- degree assault. parents who know her are stunned by the charges. >> what i am hearing is totally inconsistent with what i know about her as a person. >> her supporters firmly believes she belongs in the classroom instead of entangled in an assault investigation. >> what a waste of a really good teacher. >> clay is on paid administrative leave for the rest of the investigation.

>> it is a plan that in theory could turn baltimore into the las vegas of the east coast. there is a bill in the senate to study table games and legislation to actually allow them. the argument behind games like blackjack and craps is that they will provide a long-term source of revenue. a bill was introduced to study the financial benefits of adding table games. >> i have asked my facebook friends to comment on what their thoughts may be as it relates to the possibility of table games. i said to the governor this morning, i could see baltimore becoming the las vegas of the east coast. with table games comes entertainment, additional retail, and we are not trying to balance the budget on the backs of the public. >> the study would be completed by next january, enough time to put the question to a voter referendum in the 2012 ballot.

another senator says table games will generate 40% more revenue than slots. >> the problems just keep mounting for toyota. now there is word of a brake problem with two different models. >> 10 american missionaries have their day and a haitian court. the sentencing the americans could face. >> why using ketchup from a pack it will never be the same again. >> a winter storm warning is in effect. there is lots of rain on the gulf coast that could turn into snow here. 30 degrees at the

>> haitian officials have charged 10 american missionaries with kidnapping after trying to take 30 children out of the country. they were arrested friday at the haiti-dominican reported -- dominican republic border. it could take the judge three months to reach a verdict. each of the kidnapping counts carries a possible sentence of five to 15 years in prison. >> a new study in germany shows spending time in the mountains could help you lose weight. researchers studied 20 obese men who spent one week living at a high altitude. data showed their blood pressure and food intake went down. experts say the low levels of oxygen can help suppress appetite. they also say it can increase your metabolism. officials say if you buy packaged salads at the grocery store, you should always wash it yourself.

researchers tested more than 200 packages of salad greens. some contain high levels of bacteria. many of the dirtiest salads containing spinach. experts say to be say, by salads as far from their use by date as possible. >> fast food lovers, brace yourselves. for the first time in decades, heinz ketchup hasn't -- has unveiled a new and improved catchup pack. the new containers can be torn or peel back and you can get your food right in the pack as well. tonight, ford motor co. says it plans to repair over 17,000 mercury and ford use in gas and electric hybrids. the company says there is a software glitch in the vehicle.

it gives the driver in the impression that the brakes had failed. a spokesperson says the company will notify owners to bring in their cars in for the software fix. >> more issues tonight for toyota. the automaker now says it is investigating possible brake problems with the lexus hybrid here in the u.s. and in japan. add to that problems with the prius harvard, also due to brake problems. >> japan's nikkei news service reports that world's no. 1 selling hybrid is being recalled. toyota usa says no decision has been made. 270,000 prius models may be for this year may have a great problems. -- may have brake problems. >> they are really behind the eightball. and know they are working as hard as they can to fix this, but the press is not good. >> bill o'brien is not worried. he may buy one.

>> is a good car. i drove around, and i may consider it. >> more than 180 prius drivers have complained. >> we have protested the car, and is actually doing what it is supposed to do. as the u.s. and japan are both investigating. >> safety and security are the primary concerns. >> just today, some dealers got the part to fix this the key gas pedals on eight other toyota models. toyota has several things to fix, its cars, its reputation, and its finances. today, toyota reported $1.70 million profit last quarter, but now the company expects to lose $2 billion over the gas pedal recall.

>> now, your insta-weather plus forecast with chief meteorologist tom tasselmyer. >> on the day before the storm arrives, we had some sunshine and mild temperatures. some locations, a good deal of snow melt occurred. downtown baltimore, the normal life is 42, so we fell short of that. the load so far has been 23 degrees. we are getting close to end below freezing. columbia is checking in at 29 and the airport is down to 30. we are seeing some 20's to the north of baltimore into southern pennsylvania and back into the mountains as well. clouds have been increasing and digging throughout the evening. that will continue as we head to the morning. cloudy sky, nearly calm winds

from 23-30. it may get into the low 30 for a brief time tomorrow. a blizzard warning for saturday, and the winds could start gusting over 40 miles an hour along the coast. worcester and somerset counties are under a winter weather advisory. accumulations will not be quite as severe as up here. you can see the warnings issued there, and also one approaching from the south. where they collided is where we expect the heaviest of the winter storm to occur tomorrow night and saturday. very heavy rain on the gulf tonight. this system is loaded with tropical moisture. as long as the cold air holds here, that tropical moisture will result in very heavy snowfall for us.

it is approaching baltimore city at 11:00 in the morning and will be up in cecil county by 3:00. by the rush hour, everyone will be dealing with heavy snow. north and west of baltimore, heavy amounts will be possible. high of 30-35, eased to northeast wind. we will get a little mixed to the south and east and maybe some rain down toward ocean city. it looks like the heaviest snow will be coming down friday night and early saturday morning. as the storm is pulling away, it drags that snow all the way to the coast. saturday night, the storm will be out of here and the skies began to clear. sunshine returns for super bowl sunday, but it will be windy and cold as the storm departs.

if it stays on this track, here are the snowfall totals. that pink shaded area indicates even more in the shenandoah area. the snow comes in tomorrow and leaders into saturday, then clears out saturday night. breezy and cold on sunday with a high of 29. the next storm brings a chance for more accumulating snow tueay afternoon into wednesday morning. >> terps take their hopes down to the final seconds tonight down in tallahassee. when it comes to constipation relief... miralax is the one. it's the one. the one recommended by more doctors. only miralax is clinically proven to relieve constipation with no harsh side effects. miralax is the only one. restore your body's natural rhythm with miralax.

>> the terps win back on the road in tallahassee board, knowing they needed a win. they just kept grinding and more out florida state. marilyn comes to wait 71-67. trying to pick up the pace, terps up 2. stay away from the kitchen. florida state 7 2.

vasquez turned it over. it turns it into a one. maryland lead. the maryland terrapins knock off florida state, 71-68 maryland over the seminoles. the 2010 season will start with a rare combination of local folks with national attention. maryland will open up this season at home against navy. they will play the season opener on labor day and get national tv exposure on espn. 12 in a row and accounting for the capitals. they needed half-dozen goals to do it and they beat the rangers 6-5.

he puts it in, 5-3 rangers. one-handed, for his 500 goals. they took off from there in the third period. off the rebound, puts it in. three unanswered goals, and they knock off the rangers, 6-5 for the final period peyton manning likes to keep using systems that work. the colts have taken a similar approach to sunday's super bowl. they walked or staying at the same hotel they used three years ago when the colts beat the bears at the super bowl. they use the same practice facility as they did the last time. i want to point out, the colts have borrowed a few things this week, namely one of my expressions.

check out the phrase the coach drop into today's press conference. >> the hague is not in the barn. there is still a lot of work to do -- the hay is still not in the barn. it is an opportunity for us to show that we know the team in what they do from an offensive in defense of standpoint. >> trademark violation, one more reason to root for the stat

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>> that snow is almost on the shovel. we have snow coming in midday tomorrow, getting heavier in the afternoon and evening, and the heaviest of the snow comes through friday night and saturday morning. it will probably not be finished until sometime late saturday afternoon. week may get nearly 2 feet of snow, with another batch of snow arriving on tuesday. >> we will have an encore presentation at midnight on wbal plus. have a good night.