why keep paying for cable? get fios for just $99.99 a month, plus hbo and cinemax, free for 3 months. call 1.877.717.fios. call the verizon center for customers with disabilities that's 1.877.717.3467. at 800-974-6006 tty/v. it's time to get more this holiday season. it's time for fios. [captioning made possible by constellation energy group] captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- >> live, local, latebreaking -- this is wbal-tv 11 news at noon in hd. >> an east baltimore community is in mourning this afternoon after an early morning fire claims the lives of six people.

i am sarah caldwell. baltimore fire crews are still on the scene. among the victims, three children. firefighters arrived on homewood avenue to find a two story home fully engulfed in flames. lowell melser is live at the scene of the fire. >> this is simply a tragic story, especially this close to the holidays. firefighters and investigators are remolding degree from the home. -- removing debris from the home. since the fire broke out on the 2300 block of homewood avenue, many have come by to look at it in amazement. just before 5:00 a.m. this morning, the fire broke out, and because of high winds, it quickly spread. since -- when the fire was under

control, fire fighters went inside three different times, making heartbreaking discovery is. six people were killed in total. we spoke to the deceased children's pont. >> they were beautiful children. to see six bodies died in a fire, it is overwhelming. i am trying to hold the family up, and make sure they receive the support and the necessary things they need at this time. >> she also explained to us that they were -- the victims included a one-year-old boy, a three-year old girl, and a nine- year old girl to carry at this point, fire officials cannot tell us an exact cause, but the aunts told us she knows that the folks were using electric

heating units. fire officials have not confirmed anything. we will continue following this story. i am lowell melser are. -- lowell melser. >> a firefighter is among four people recovering from injuries suffered in harford county last night in the third floor unit of an apartment building in havre de grace. one person was able to be rescued, but two others jumped from the apartment. the fire remains under investigation. baltimore police are investigating a school bus accident when an suv crashed into a school bus at the intersection of martin luther king boulevard and west pratt street. if there is no word on if anyone was hurt. police have not said if any charges will be filed. the mother of a baltimore

teenager whose body was found in suburban boston says her son was afraid of heights. she tells "the boston globe" that 16-year-old delvonte tisdale had never flown and did not like being in high areas. investigators believe that delvonte tisdale was living with his father might have stowed away in a wheel well of a plane. the fbi has teamed up with baltimore police in the search for suspects in the of the auction and robbery of a pharmaceutical trucker. investigators say the robbers locked him in the back of a truck and drove him to south baltimore where they unloaded the narcotics and drove off. >> we assume they will sell them illegally, but these are

obviously dangerous substances. if you sell them without going through the medical process, people will get hurt. >> police believe the drugs have a significant street value. the pharmaceutical representatives was unharmed. the defense attorney for the man accused of plotting to kill -- to bomb a military facility says he was the victim of entrapment. authorities say he tried to detonate a bomb. during the detention hearing, his defense attorney argued that antonio martinez did not initiate the plot, but it was planted into his mind as the creation of the government. >> the arguments we are making today are designed to put forth the best position we could with regard to why he should not be detained.

>> prosecutors claim antonio martinez had been plotting to bomb before meeting with government officials. he remains in federal custody. >> the baltimore ravens below their seventh fourth quarter lead this season but came away with a heart-stopping when. what looked like an early blow out looked like a near comeback win at the home for the texans. after a kickoff return for a touchdown by david reed, the offense sputtered, and the defense tired out, allowing the texans to drive 99 yards and then and 95 yards back-to-back to tie the game at the end of regulation. the offense failed to move the ball, but a punt pinned the texans inside the 10 yard line,

which allowed josh wilson to pick off matt schaub and return it for the winning touchdown. >> for the defense to come up with a play like that, it is a great feeling. >> the baltimore ravens face another tough challenge when they host the super bowl champions this sunday. hopefully, it will not be a nail-biter. with the high-powered since coming to town, fans are waiting in on the baltimore ravens playoff hopes. does a win like last night's make you more or less optimistic? here is what marianne had to say. she writes it makes me more optimistic that they will not make the playoffs. they blew a 21-point lead again. the only reason they won is because the texans quarterback made a bad choice we invite you to tell us what you think.

you can send us an e-mail. we will post your answer on the web site. getting more for less this holiday season -- how you can get top dollar gift cards. it is tuesday, which means answers to your plant and garden in questions. regarding questions appeared >> if your taxes are one step closer to staying put. what is next on the tax-cut compromise path? >> the brutal cold continues, and tonight will be colder than last night. a wind advisory is in effect.

>> the tax-cut compromise president obama negotiated is one step closer to becoming law, easily passed in a procedural vote in the senate. what happens now? >> the tax vote is set for final approval, possibly as early as today. a big boost for president barack obama and his tax cut bill. the bill sailed through a test vote in the senate monday night appeared >> the yeas are 83, the

nays are 19. >> if there is one thing we can agree on, it is the urgent work of protecting middle-class families, removing the uncertainty for america's businesses, and getting our economy a boost. >> the deal extends the bush era tax cuts to everyone for two years, and jobless benefits for another 13 months. mitch mcconnell called it a step in the right direction. >> it is only a first step. unless we use it to pick it to the deficit and the debt, we will have only pushed the larger problem down the road. >> some democrats have warned they will fight for changes, and other democrats argued it would not create more jobs. >> economists are telling us that extending tax cuts for the wealthy is one of the least effective ways to create jobs

and build the economy. >> credit card companies are doing something they have not done in some time, and you will not believe how much airlines are raking in with the extra fees. plus, we answer your plants and garden in questions. >> dangerous when shows still out there, and some light snow is trying to get together. i will talk about the chances for snow to for the next seven days, and if there will be a end to the brutal cold. it is 25 at the airport. it feels like 10.

>> credit card companies are doing something they have not done in recent months -- offering accounts to borrowers

with less than perfect credit, but they say they are being selective, looking beyond scores. the cards. -- contain higher interest rates you can get top-dollar gift cards for less than top- dollar prices. several sites are selling them for less than face value. most are not used or have some value remaining. with the peak holiday travel season still ahead, imposing numbers are in on how much airlines are making on extra fees. the baggage and reservation fees are being measured in the billions. >> the nation's baggage carousels are turning, and united states airlines have raked in more than $4.3 billion in extra fees, including changing tickets and checking

luggage. >> the baggage fees seem to upset the consumers the most part >> for the first nine months of the year, delta airlines has racked up over 1.2 $6 billion in total fees -- 1.2 $6 billion in total fees. american airlines is number two in baggage these. for air travelers, more carry-on luggage means crowded cabins and a slower boarding process. experts say they will continue to look at ways to speed up boarding and raise money. >> some of those will include bundling things like premium boarding and premium seats, meal options, and wifi. whit holiday budgets already stressed, it is not welcomed the news.

>> now, your insta-weather-plus forecast with meteorologist sandra shaw. >> today is a day for a blaring. we are still dealing with dangerous when shells. his frigid. brutal cold continues. we have the chance for some snow activity. there is some light defect snow coming down from lake erie, and it looks like we could see some of it this afternoon. it will not be a big deal, but we could see the white stuff in addition to the bitter cold. 26 is the actual temperature downtown. only 23 in westminster. 25 at the airport. the real temperature is much worse. it feels like 7 degrees in westminster. 18 with the wind chill factor downtown. the gusty winds are on average

22 miles per hour. they could reach in excess of 45 miles this afternoon, which is why the national weather service has issued an advisory until 10:00 p.m. overnight. the wind usually dies down overnight, but not so because we have high pressure at the surface. the gradient gets the wind kicking. there is a chance for flurries this afternoon. we are in the mid 20's right now. we will not talk about that freezing. it could be the coldest night of the season. we are dealing with low wind chills. we will not get out of this for a while. we have the cold air streaming well to the south. 30 two degrees in places like west palm beach, florida, which breaks a new record.

14 degrees in atlanta, georgia. the trend will continue for at least a day, and then a little more sunshine tomorrow. another system comes in on thursday which looks like rain or light snow. 39 degrees by saturday, 40 degrees by saturday. sunday, we could see a flurry or two. >> we are here to answer your plant and gardening questions. what did you bring? >> this is a seasonal basket. there are so pretty. there is just a little the of purple around the face. then, some ferns and some kinds. a nice holiday feel. >> speaking of the holidays, let's get to the holiday- related questions. the live christmas tree is drying up.

how can i sustain it? >> if you have not decorated it yet, you could put a fresh cut on the bottom, and put it back in hot water. my light tree is taking water twice a day. >> i hear a conflicting argument about whether poinsettias are poisonous. is there a seasonal plan i could add? >> poinsettias are not poisonous. they are irritating, but we have gotten all kinds of things from penn state and the cornell school of veterinary medicine to say they are not poisonous to i do not recommend that your tests or your dogs eat your plans, but no harm. >> what is your best way to care for a holiday wreath? >> just put it in water, even if it is just over night.

if you have not done it yet, you can spray it with a product called wilkes-proof. that will hold the grief much better. >> thank you. if you have a question, e-mail and, or you can post it to the family page of wbaltv.com. can also send your questions. >> up next, your maryland lottery numbers, and another check of the insta-weather-plus forecast with sandra shaw. first, all look at how wall street is performing at this hour.

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feel the heal. [applause] >> opel winfrey began filming episodes of her show today. thousands gathered to watch oprah winfrey and her special guest academy award winner we.sell cro 300 viewers were also there. the sec fund. coming up this afternoon, an encore presentation of a one and only television interview with lisa marie presley. tonight, you might want to think

of another place to store your receipts. some researchers think a common chemical found on receipts is being passed through your wallet. also, what i washington group is urgi congress to do of audit. now, time for your maryland lottery numbers. >> the maryland lottery, let yourself play. >> i am teresa. arere picked three numbers 4 1 4 414. holiday scratch-offs are the perfect gift. a visit your retailers. your pick four numbers are set.

they are 1 1 7 4. 1174. the maryland lottery, let yourself play. >> sandra shaw has a last check of forecasts. >> heavily said is not a blizzard. that is the silver lining. single digit when chills. we will not break the freezing threshold. there is a slight chance of some flurries and a snow shower rotating through. it looks likely will see sunshine tomorrow, friday it will be up to 39. 40 is as warm as we get, and that is on sedatives. for the baltimore ravens, 37, and a slight chance of some snow

showers. >> thank you for joining us. >> be sure to join donna hamilton and rod daniels tonight for 11 is at 5:00 p.m.. >> follow break in is and >> follow break in is and whether any time end