good morning. i am mindy basara. >> and i'm lisa robinson. thank you for joining us this morning. >> tony pann has a quick look at today's forecast. it feels better this morning. >> that is because the wind is gusting at 15 instead of 25 or 30. the wind chills are in the single digits. a special for the kids that have to stand outside at the bus stop for a long time. is 20 degrees at the bus stop. yesterday the wind was gusting over 30. it is still not nice. the wind chill is 8 at the airport. six in parkton. same-store is yesterday. breezy and called with a mixture of sunshine. -- breezy and cold with a mixture of sunshine. the average high temperature is 46. we will check the seven-day forecast which includes a little bit of snow. first we say good morning to sarah caldwell.

>> one accident so far in glen bernie. that is an accident location to avoid. looking good on 97. problem free on 50 as you make your way toward the bay bridge. drive times looking good. six minutes on southbound 95 down towards the fort mchenry. 12 minutes on the west side outer loop. running smoothly on the major roadways. this is 70 right 29. problem free as we switch over to the harrisburg expressway. this is southbound traffic. no delays on the j.f.x. either. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> new details to that breaking news were brought yesterday. a deadly fire inside an east baltimore home. >> george lettis joins us live along homewood avenue with the

very latest. >> good morning. we have new information about the victims of this fire here on homewood avenue. let's go to the names of the victim. they include eleanor satterfield, richard satterfield, tiara gholston, amari ghlston, darryon faulkner, and daylon faulkner. a memorial outside the burnt- out homes has grown steadily in the hours since the fire. neighbors knew the victims home as a place to find a friendly smile and a helping hand. the six telecoms -- the six victims include three children, all under the age of 10. >> there were just beautiful children. to see bodies die in a fire around the holidays is just overwhelming for me. >> family is the strongest thing we have. god bless us. just

hold on. that is all we can do. >> what a tragedy. so far authorities have not determined what caused this fire. life in east baltimore, george lettis, wbal-tv 11 news. >> freezing temperatures outside are making things difficult for firefighters and anyone and everyone who ventures outside. three people in maryland have died of hypothermia. it only takes a few minutes to pull yourself at risk. hypothermia cases are already starting to trickle into the emergency room. people sometimes forget about covering their faces, their noses, covering their hands. sometimes people throw on a coat and go on outside. >> shivering is the first sign of mild hypothermia.

slurred speech, memory loss, your body temperature may be dropping to less than 90 degrees. >> freezing temperatures have led the mayor to enact the code blue program. they hope to reduce the number of hypothermia deaths this winter. >> as part of the code blue program, we are opening shelters, emergency shelters, and we are extending the number of individuals that can be accommodated in the main shelter at guilford avenue. >> health officials are reminding people about the warning signs. as the temperatures continue, we want to see your winter and holiday pictures. share your winter pictures on wbaltv.com. just click on u local.

>> later today, president obama is expected to give a report on the war in afghanistan. the report was reviewed by the president yesterday. the u.s. can begin to withdraw troops in july. we'll have much more on this later today. >> president obama's tax-cut deal is expected to clear its first hurdle today. >> kate amara is in our washington newsroom with the latest. >> the bill is expected to pass easily today. the real test of the plant comes next in the house. the senate still working on that tax bill president obama hammered out with republicans, moving to pass the package that would prevent an income tax increase on new year's day. >> at this stage, there maybe a few eminence that have been

offered for debate. i think there could be two or three votes. >> the bill to extend the bush- era tax cuts is expected to itself to the senate on a final vote today. then it is on to debate in the house. president obama has been working the phones. >> i think the president has had some good conversations. i think we're on a path to getting this agreement through the house and to the president's desk. >> some liberals strongly are against that and they may tweak the measure. >> with regard to the tax issue, let me reiterate once again that this agreement is not subject to being reopened. we have an understanding. >> there is also a new cry from conservatives that this cost too much. even critics of a compromise say

it is likely to pass as is. in washington, i am kate amara reporting. person of the year will be announced later this morning on the the "today" show. in a poll, over long support goes to assange. other nominees include the chilean miners, lady gaga, sarah palin, and president obama. the winner will be announced on the "today" show. that brings us to our water cooler question of the day. who do you think "time" magazine should name its 2010 person of the year? you can share your response at wbaltv.com, and on our facebook page, or send us an e-mail to watercooler@wbaltv.com. >> 19 degrees on tv hill. cold again. a school board meeting turns deadly when a man pulls a gun.

that story straight ahead. >> this is a live look at traffic at 95 north of 195. it is moving right along. we will get a closer look at

>> welcome back. it's breezy and cold again this morning. 22 degrees downtown. the temperatures do not mean anything because the wind chill is what you want to look out. clear to, partly cloudy skies. 18 in westminster. it feels like 8 at bwi. seven in frederick. it's breezy and arctic cold this morning. we will make it up to 30 degrees this afternoon. i think we will see more sunshine than yesterday. the seven-day forecast is coming

up in just a few minutes. >> a school board meeting in florida it turns violent as a man pulls a gun on school board members. the gunman was apparently angry about his wife losing her job. he walks up to the podium at the and then he pulls a gun. a female board member try to knock the gun not using a purse. gunfire was exchanged. that is one the men took his own life. nobody else was injured in that exchange. >> people in oregon are cleaning up and assessing damage after a rare tornado touched down. this is a small town near salem. the tornado destroyed at least three homes and several buildings. no injuries have been reported. this is only the fourth tornado

in oregon in the past decade. >> 19 degrees on tv hill. coming up, the morning's financial news in the bloomberg business report. >> we will keep you up to date on your morning commute. we are tracking an accident in glen bernie.

>> now traffic pulse 11 and insta-weather plus together. >> a little something in glen bernie. >> a fender bender in glen bernie. ern road and firm e may road.

there are wind warnings at the key bridge. southbound 83 checking in at 43 miiles per hour at shawan road. on southbound 95, 56 miles per hour. looking at a great ride with a very smooth conditions on the major roadways. this is the beltway up lost -- at baltimore national pike. problem free there. this is the key bridge. wind warnings are in effect. take it easy as you travel across the area bridges this morning. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. now let's get the latest on the buses and the trains. for that we go to kurt kronke of the mta system. >> we have a slight delay on the light rail right now. it is running about 10 minutes late. the five, 23, 36, and 91 buses are diverting at baltimore and light street. marc trains -- brunswick line 10 to 50 minutes late. the camden the penn, camden, and

brunswick lines trains are on time. now back to tony pann. >> it will feel more like minnesota and maryland. wind chills running in the single digits this morning. prepare the kids. actual temperatures are in the low 20's. it is 20 important. 18 in westminster. 23 in rock hall. the wind is gusting between 15 and 20 miles per hour. this is pretty impressive with temperatures in the upper teens and low 20's. it still takes the numbers back into the single digits. if oil slick is eighth at the airport. five in hagerstown. it is 8 at theke thi airport. accumulatingore snow in pennsylvania. i think the snow showers and

flurries will miss us today. we have clear skies around baltimore. we will see more sunshine today and that will help out a little bit with the temperatures. breezy and cold is the forecast. high temperature between 27 and 32. the average high temperature is 46. partly cloudy tonight. temperatures drop back to near 20. during tomorrow, we will watch a system passing to our south. most of the computer models take this far enough south so that we don't get into the heavy snow. we have some light snow in the afternoon on thursday. minor accumulations are possible. it does not look like a big deal. 40% chance for a light snow or flurries. 38 on friday. over the weekend, computer models are split. some have a big snowstorm, some have it off coast. we will say a chance for snow

late saturday into sunday. but it could be interesting with the ravens at home on sunday and a high near 36. >> a new survey shows most of you need to do more shopping this holiday season. about 70% of shoppers have not even started shopping as of late last week -- about 17% of shoppers. that is down from last year. 10% of shoppers have crossed everything off their neatly organized list. there is only one more weekend left until christmas. take your time picking out those desperate if anything needs to be returned, it will cost to appeared be aware of restocking fees. those how you can avoid

restocking fees. >> electronic items always make good guess. if you need to exchange them, some stores charge a restocking fee. >> i think the restocking fees need to go. >> it cost money to make sure items fully work. consumers rate goods and services. >> the stores claimed that the package is opened and if you open the item, they will not be able to resell it as new. they have to take a discount on thit. >> if the item is in good condition, you should be able to return it. >> at best buy, the restocking fee is 15%. if you need to return this

camcorder, the restocking fee is close to $100. at all, the restocking fee is 10%. target charges 15%. sears, and -- so does amazon, sears, and dell. some stores don't charge restocking fees at all. >> make sure you get them the correct item. consider getting them a gift card or cash so they can pick out their own paychecn. >> two major issues being voted on today. jane king has a look at the business news in the bloomberg business report. >> good morning.

sturdier infant cribs maybe on the way. there will be a vote on rules that can change crib design entirely. these old drop down design has been linked to two doesn't infant deaths. better designed cribs can cost half a billion dollars. keeping an eye on the proposal to extend the bush-era tax cuts. the measure has to the senate floor later this morning. if it passes, it will make its way to the house. president obama is meeting with about 20 ceo's and will discuss trade and unemployment as the president battles the perception that his white house is anti- business. we do get reads on inflation and industrial production. we did have a higher day yesterday. november retail sales came out

higher than expected. we did some shopping in november. pork chop performance as workers lose sleep. qlogic pour work performance -- poor work performance as workers lose sleep. nearly one in four office workers admits to taking a nap at work. i'm jane king reporting for wbal-tv 11 news. >> have you ever kidnapped at work -- have you ever napped at work? >> working on this shift, you do see some things. i worked with somebody -- you understand that once in awhile the are of little tired everyday this person slapped and the did not have a job much longer. i would have more trouble working a night shift staying awake.

i'm a morning person. unless i'm really person, i will not. >> i suspect you're not coming clean on that. thank you, jane. >> we have certain stories we could tell. it is 19 degrees on tv hill. we will check your morning commute with traffic and weather together. >> don't forget to e-mail us your response to our water cooler question of the day. who do you think "time" magazine should name its 2010 person of the year? you can share your response at wbaltv.com, and on our facebook page, or send us an e-mail to watercooler@wbaltv.com.

>> the ravens go for my monday night game on the road too late sunday afternoon game at home.

it is going to be cold weather. vince go from facing a team with a losing record to the defending super bowl champions, the new orleans saints. joe flacco and the offense will have their hands full. if the ravens -- things should improve across the board. the defense had such a second- half collapse. they just ran at of gas. they were exhausted. texas told full advantage. the ravens came away with the overtime win. they also can what with a clear idea that they need more big lson like the joed wils wi game winner to put away the game. >> when we get up like that, like to finish them off and play good football for three and a half quarters. it just has not happened.

it didn't happen today. we will work on that. we'll be happy as long as we win football games. >> the ravens look to win 10 games. if they win two of the last three, they will for sure lockup a playoff bid. the ravens stand fifth in the seedings. i'm gerry sandusky. i hope your day is of toy fantastic start. >> it is 19 degrees on tv hill. -- i hope your day is off to a fantastic start. >> we have an update on the fire that killed three adults and three kids in east baltimore. >> is bitterly cold again this march -- it is bitterly cold this morning. accidentsracking two and some fire activity in thee

>> live, local, late-breaking, this is wbal-tv 11 news today in hd. >> good morning and welcome back. i'm lisa robinson. >> and i'm mindy basara. thank you for joining us this morning. let's get a check on the weather and traffic. >> it is not as bad as yesterday because we chopped the wind in 15.f from 30 to 5 the wind chills are again in the single digits. let's look the actual numbers. it is 20 degrees at the airport. there is a west wind of 12. we're still calculate winds chills in the single numbers. it feels like 8 at the airport and five in parkton. that is what you want to dress for pre breezy and cold is our forecast. high temperatures only between 27 and 32 degrees.

the average high temperature is 46. way below the bark. >> that would feel good. >> it would. -- well below the mark. >> we're tracking a couple of accidents. let's start in glen bernie. watch for an accident location at mate y road. there is some fire activity happening at harford road. police activity along liberty road. use extra caution in the woodlawn region. let's give you a live view of traffic. this is baltimore national pike. heavier in the area of liberty road. running smoothly on the entire beltway. at the beltway at the key bridge, but we do have wind warnings in effect. use caution. no delays to report at the key bridge. everything is running smoothly. that is the latest on traffic

pulse 11. >> thank you. new details surrounding a deadly fire we reported yesterday as breaking news. >> it happened in east baltimore along homewood avenue. about theearning more six victims. amoral made by this community has grown steadily in the hours since the fire that talked six lives, and three of them children. neighbors knew the home as a place to find a friendly smile and a helping hand. >> i used to go down there. i could not believe it. something you cannot believe. >> the six victims include two

grandparents, a mother, and her three grandchildren. >> they were just pretty and beautiful children. i mean, and to see six bodies to die in a fire around the holidays is just overwhelming for me. >> our friends and family. that's the strongest thing we have right now. god bless us. that's all we have right now. and just hold on. that is all we can do. just hold and keep each other close. >> the neighborhood church provided a refuge for the families mourning the loss of their neighbors and displaced from their homes. >> as the day went on, more and more people came from the neighborhood and from extended families as word got around, so we were glad to welcome them and help them. >> at this point, it is not clear if there were any working smoke detectors in the home. we're live in east baltimore,

george lettis, wbal-tv 11 news. >> thank you. maryland school officials now have some extra time to develop a new teacher evaluation system. the state was in jeopardy of losing millions of dollars over concerns of how it would grade teachers. tim tooten has an update. >> it was turning into a numbers game. how much of a student's progress should be counted towards a teacher's evaluation. state lawmakers said 35%. a new council for educator effectiveness is trying to find middle ground. >> that number is frightening to a lot of teachers. it is frightening not because they do not want student growth measured. it's frightening because they are not sure how much control they have over the test scores. >> that is what the council and members of the board of education asked the government to give them more time to report their progress on the new

teacher evaluation system. >> i think an additional six months will give people a chance to focus on what the real issues are and not be distracted so much by the fear and the incorrect facts that are out there and will allow the council to do their work. >> work that is far from over. >> we're just starting to meet with a teacher groups. we need the time to develop a good product. >> the superintendent believes buying more time will pay off in the end. >> this is very difficult work. there are no models nationally. we have to create this as a few other states have to create it. we need this extension. >> good for maryland teachers and principals. tim tooten, wbal-tv 11 news. >> maryland is planning to put some of those raised to the top dollars to use in the new year.

>> a bill to extend the bush-era tax cuts for the long-term unemployed could be passed by sent later today. house democrats may tinker with it. that is drawing a warning from senate republicans. if passed, the bill would enact a one-year cut in social security taxes. >> we not the only ones dealing with this wintry weather. a huge cross section of the country remains in a deep freeze. >> call temperatures are being blamed for close to eight dozen deaths. it could be several days before some states see relief. >> the dangers which the storm continues to cause problems from canada to the florida coast. in ontario, truck drivers stalled by the heavy snow were stranded for 24 hours before help could make it through the

severe conditions. in buffalo, residents struggling to stay ahead of the drifts. >> we used to laugh about this. >> the conditions are no laughing matter across the central states and much of the midwest. snow and ice turning roadways into parking lots or, even worse, wrecking yards. in chicago, commuters had to bundle up. they could use more sunshine in florida. this group of manatees huddled around warm waters around a power plant. >> this is the cold as i have seen in december this early. >> farmer's coat their crops with ice. >> we got to go through another night tonight. a will be a couple of days

before we know just how much damage we have -- we have -- it will be a couple of days before we know just how much damage we have. >> 19 degrees on tv hill. coming up, a breakthrough discoveries involving brain cells. >> a drink or two during holiday meals could benefit some people. >> don't forget to e-mail us your response to our water cooler question of the day. who do you think "time" magazine should name its 2010 person of the year? you can share your response at wbaltv.com, and on our facebook page, or send us an e-mail to watercooler@wbaltv.com. >> we're looking at the area roads. roads. we'll update you

♪electronic santa song

>> welcome back. 22 degrees downtown. arctic cold again across maryland today. windshields are running in the single digits. pay no attention to the actual temperatures. let's look at them anyhow. the temperature right now at the airport is 20, 19 in frederick. this is what it feels like outside. it feels like 4 in westminster, nine in parkton. dress for the arctic conditions this morning. breezy and cold are the conditions today. i think we will see more sunshine than yesterday. the average high is 46. for now, over to the news desk. >> scientist in spain has made a

breakthrough discovered involving brain cells. the study gave them the ability to identify the cells that grow into brain tumors. the same research team found a drug that can eliminate malignant cells. the study involved the use of cancer cells. the most frequent type of brain tumor. >> when you sit down to that huge meal, having a drink will not cause your tummy to rumble. researchers found alcohol consumption can slow down digestion. it does not increase in digestion. people digested their meal more slowly but did not have any more heartburn or bloating. all those -- than those who drank tea with their meal. >> olo class of one -- so a

little glass of wine with your meal is a good thing. >> the chance of a lifetime. >> dear ready for some razzle dazzle this morning. -- get ready for some razzle zlzzle.

>> now traffic pulse 11 and insta-weather plus together. >> good morning to you. sarah caldwell checking on your morning commute. not bad out there. let's start in the city at monroe street and ohio ave. there is an accident there. for closure and fire equipment. police activity to keep your eye out for at liberty. everything moving well north and sound on the j.f.x. this morning. 11 minutes on the outer loop west side to eight minutes to travel from 75 over towards 83. the harrisburg expressway looks but all the way down to the

beltway. six minutes on southbound 95. this is a live look at the north side it york road. and 97 running smoothly at 100. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. now let's get the latest on the buses and the trains. for that we go to kurt kronke of the mta system. good morning. >> we have on the light rail northbound delay of 20 minutes to hunt valley. metro subway operating on schedule. there is a delay of 20 minutes. camden and then trains are on time. the 20 bus has a 30-minute delay. the 36 and 91 buses are being diverted at baltimore and light street. now back to tony pann. good morning. >> it is a windy and cold start for us again on this wednesday. we'll talk about that in just a moment. first we say good morning to sandra shaw. she is hanging out with the

globetrotters could crest i asked if they could lift me up so i could don't get -- dunk it, but it is early. you guys are playing december 28 at 2:00 p.m. at 1st mariner arena. we have scooter behind is doing some -- what you call it? >> basketball wizardry. >> wow. there you go. you have a four-point shot. >> this is another thing we are heading to the game. we're changing the history of passable by adding a fortress point shots -- a four-point shot. >> what is some of the stuff that scooter is doing behind the backs it is razzle dazzle the >> it is a ball handling.

things we do with the basketball. try to make yourself more smooched with the ball. this is his sixth season. he is amazing with the best wall. >> digitation some stuff p? >> i showed scooter some things. everybody has their own personality. >> what is your personality? >> i am a utility guide. you know, i wear many hats -- i make you told the guy -- i am a utility guy. >> you can get tickets at ticketmaster at. >> people will see exciting basketball. very family-oriented. we love bringing people from the crowd into the game. we have our own awesome place

that would appear we have amazing dunkers. guys off of trampolines. guys who can shoot the fortis point shots -- four-point shot. this is our 85th consecutive season. we call it four times the fund. you can meet us after the game progressed that is awesome. there you go. basketball was a tree. basically -- basketball wizardry. we will hit about 30 degrees for a daytime high. the wind is still an issue out there. a system to market could graze us. maybe a more significant storm developing on sunday. i will throw it over to tony for more details on that. are you impressed? >> it is a great show.

i saw them back in the 1970's with curly neal and meadowlark lemon. most of the older folks will know curly neal and meadowlark lemon are. it is a great show. thank you. it is windy and cold. be prepared. if you're accountable yesterday, you will be uncomfortable again today. 20 at the airport. 2010 parkton. it is not quite as windy -- 20 in parkton. it is not quite as windy today. the wind chills are knocking the temperatures into the single digits. it feels like 9 degrees downtown at the maryland science center. that is what you want to dress for. make sure kids are prepared. we still have some lake effect snow showers in western pennsylvania. most of that will stay north and

west of us today. the skies are mostly clear around baltimore at the present time. we'll get more sunshine today than yesterday. delaware make it feel -- that will make it feel a touch better. high temperatures between 27 and 32 degrees. the average high is 46. it will feel colder because of the wind. partly cloudy tonight. temperatures will drop back to around 20 degrees. to mark, a system will be passing by to our south -- tomorrow, a system will be passing by to our south. we have the possibility of some light snow in the forecast for the afternoon hours on thursday. just minimal accumulation. an inch or less. most of you will see a dusting at worst. some light flurries are possible on thursday with a high near 31. front it looks like a decent

day. over the weekend, -- friday, it looks like a decent day appeared over the weekend, a possibility of some snow late saturday into sunday. we have to put the chance in there. we'll see how this evolves as we go into the weekend. the ravens our home. playing in the snow would be a fun game to watch. windy and cold on monday and tuesday with temperatures and low 30's. >> students had a chance to play with the orioles. current and former players held their annual party with kids yesterday afternoon at dave and busters in arundel mills. they were treated to lunch and autographs. >> i remember when i was little and having guys coming round to the different events. we looked up to them so much. >> it is an honor to be asked. especially at this time of year and reward them for things, the

accomplishment they have. take advantage of the opportunities that our country presents depressed even santa claus looked an awful lot like a bird and delivered guest donated by oral employees. >> i am sure that was a thrill. it's 19 degrees on tv hill -- donated by orioles and employees. >> here is a look at last night's winning maryland lottery numbers. good luck.

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>> now let's get to one of your answers to our water cooler question of the date. >> this morning we asked -- who do you think "time" magazine should name its 2010 person of the year? >> keep sending us those responses. we will read more of your responses in the next hour and post all of them on the front page of our website. here's a look ahead toward next hour. >> the mother is shot and killed while she was loading her children into her car. >> the nominees for the upcoming golden globes have been announced. >> we'll have more details on the tragic shooting that

occurred during a school board meeting in florida yesterday. >> it is windy and cold this morning. we have some snow in the seven- day forecast. >> tracking a couple of accidents at this hour. we'll update you on closures and check on the major roads for a delays. that is coming up. [ female announcer ] pillsbury holiday cookies. in just three ingredients. start with cookie dough.

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>> coming up, we are learning more about the victims of a fire in east baltimore that killed six people, including three kids. >> a vote that directly impact p