give yourself a few extra minutes this morning if you can. you can see the light to moderate rain. the heavy stuff is down there d.c. at the present time. most of you will see some rain this morning. it will be cooler than the last couple of days with a high temperature of 67 degrees. we will come back and check the forecast going into the weekend. >> good to have you back. the rain may impact your morning commute. we have an accident at warren road and beaver dam road. use extra caution. nothing major on the j.f.x. in to town. we had an overnight vehicle crash westbound. in the westbound direction, watch for delays from stevensville in towards the bay bridge. the north side is moving well.

the rest of the major roadways are in good shape at this hour. this is 50 at sandy point. westbound traffic and we're seeing a lot of a volume leftover from that accident. this is traffic near belair road in the northeast corner of the beltway, very light at this hour. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> the search is on for a new baltimore county school superintendent. >> some controversy over whether dr. joe hairston decided to step down voluntarily. jennifer franciotti is live with more. good morning. >> dr. hairston's contract is up in june so the board has about nine months to find a replacement. he made the board president aware of his decision to leave. search forunced the

its replacement will begin immediately. >> i have established a committee to institute and to begin to institute the search process in baltimore county for a superintendent to take to range from dr. hairston. >> we're told that committee is considering hiring a national search firm to assist in finding his replacement. we will hear much more from dr. hairston on his decision. he announced he will be holding a press conference on friday. jennifer franciotti, wbal-tv 11 news. >> smokers in maryland, appear ready to pay more, at least in some legislators have their way. the cost of cigarettes would what a dollar. the tobacco tax for health care would be the most expensive tax for smokers in the country.

reaction is not entirely positive. >> i think it will hurt my business. i cannot hire anyone because everything is going up. >> these other taxes have not gone up, and people have been switching to cigars and smokeless, which are just as deadly. this time we want the text to go on non-cigarette tobacco products as well. >> more than 150 organizations have signed on to support it. >> a warning about a possible terrorist attack. there was word of an alleged terrorist attacks. two koreans plan to assassinate the saudi ambassador to the united states. officials say the men plan to pay a mexican drug cartel $1.5

million for adel al-jubeir's death. involved in kidnapping with plastic explosives. the rating government is being held accountable. that brings us to our water cooler question of the day. -- the iranian government is being held accountable. you can share your response at wbaltv.com and on our facebook page, or send us an e-mail to watercooler@wbaltv.com. >> presidential contenders faced off in new hampshire last night. this was the first debate to focus slowly on the economy. kate amara has the highlights. >> good morning. in the debate, the candidates offered up their solutions to fix the economy. eight republican candidates debate on thea

economy last night in the first primary state of new hampshire's. >> welcome to dartmouth college. >> herman cain put his 9-9-9 tax plan on the table and said he would reduce the debt. >> make sure revenue equals spending. if we stop into the national debt, we can bring it down. >> rick perry said he will rot his economic platform in the next few days. >> put americans to work in the energy industry. >> mitt romney accused president obama of failing to lead in a time of economic trouble. >> i would be prepared to be a leader. you cannot get washington to work if you don't have a president who is not a leader. >> mitt romney positions himself closer to the center in this debate. he picked up an endorsement from chris christie.

>> and executive who used executive power to make american lives better. that is why i'm endorsing mitt romney for president of the united states. >> americans are torn about whether the economy would improve under a republican or a second obama administration. >> a popular -- chris christie on his endorsement for mitt romney coming up on the today show. he left open the possibility that if elected, mitt romney would choose a chris christie as vice president. that is on the today show falling 11 news today. continuing coverage on our website. see who is challenging the president on wbaltv.com. click on politics. >> occupy wall street protesters led to some homes of

some corporate executives. it is off to the judge for more than a dozen occupied boston protesters after they clashed with police. the move to a different park, officials were concerned about some possible damage to some new landscaping. >> 63 degrees on tv hill. the progress of a been a giants fan -- of a beaten giants fan. this is traffic, the beltway and old court road. there is an accident reported a cockeysville and delays around the bay bridge.

>> welcome back. 5:09.

temperatures in the mid 60's. a high temperature of about 68 or 69. we have some light rain showing up. there are some pockets of heavy stuff. most of you will see a light rain this morning. off and on rain showers say. high temperature expected around 67 degrees. it could become a breezy this afternoon. we will come back and check the forecast going into the weekend. >> the family of a missing girl decides to hire a private investigator. lisa irwin has been missing for more than a week now. police are starting to question whether or not the baby's parents story is true. >> keep one eye on them by keep the other eye out on the streets in every place because there is a bad guy out there, or bad people with this child, and

we want to get this baby home safe and sound. let's have a happy ending on this. >> police have conducted a series of searches but have not generated any leads. prosecutors plan to wrap up their case against dr. conrad murray appeared there was damaging testimony for the defense on tuesday. the medical examiner testified that jackson was in good health for his age. >> a baseball fan is recovering. two man attacked the man at dodger stadium back in march. he suffered serious brain injuries. doctors say he is starting to get up but cannot walk just yet. they expect his recovery to take a couple of years. 5:11.

surfing the web from 36,000 feet just got a lot easier. >> mortgage rates continue to drop, but the news is not necessarily translate into new buyers. >> a new accident in aberdeen along pulaski highway. we will update you on that.

>> now traffic pulse 11 and insta-weather plus together. >> good morning. sarah caldwell checking on your morning commute. we have an accident in abington with closures on eastbound pulaski highway at route 22.

take route 7 or even 95 as your alternate. in cockeysville, warren road and beaver dam road, another accident being cleared. we're up to speed on the north side and moving well on the harrisburg expressway and the j.f.x. this morning. a smooth ride on 795. all of those delays on the west down span of the bay bridge have now been cleared after an overnight accident. this is the bay bridge. it is little slick out there. you may want to leave in a little early this morning. this is 95 south of the 32. eastbound pulaski highway is completely blocked at route 22. take 95 or route 7 as your alternate. 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. >> there is some track work and

the light rail operating with a 10-minute delay. metro subway on schedule. the 55 bus operating with a delay. the one buzz diverting at lawrence. i'm kurt kronke -- the one bus diverting at lawrence. >> we're starting at with some rain this morning. give yourself a few extra minutes. we can see some moderate stuff down to the south, north of d.c. and in montgomery county. it is stretching up to parkton. this is moving south to north. we will see some rain during your morning commute and into the afternoon. you can see most of the rain is back into the mountains across was regina and ohio and kentucky. -- there is a break in the

action south of us right now. hopefully we will get into that later this morning or this afternoon. you can see some thin spots in the clouds around richmond. a storm will develop along the coast. we will have some off and on rain and maybe if you breaks in the overcast. 63 at the airport. 68 in parkton. d 3 or four degrees. high temperature between 64 and 69. tonight, mostly cloudy. temperatures will drop back into the upper 50's. to mark, the storm will pull away to the northeast. we will have a 30% chance for a storm on thursday. a better chance for showers and

that will drop back to temperatures over the weekend. 72 tomorrow. 70 on friday. it will be windy for the baltimore marathon on saturday morning but it should be dry. good football weather for the ravens on sunday with a high of 68. >> surfing online in the skies just got a bit easier. more than a third of all u.s. airlines are allowing passengers internet access. getting on line can be done and more than 10,000 feet to use portable electronic devices. more than half of all passenger planes should be connected in two years. interest rates are lower than they have been in decades. lenders say people are not buying. >> 8 lower mortgage interest

rate is good news for the real- estate market. the problem is a skittish buyer. >> you'd be surprised about the number of people who can get a loan. >> bryant is with guaranteed rate.com. majority were existing owners refinancing. not those itching to take a venice to the lowest mortgage rates in history. this is a frustrating conundrum for real estate agents who have plenty of inventory. a squeaky clean financial history may no longer be necessary. >> you still have some alternative ways of financing. >> we'll take a look at income, work history. it can be done. >> music to the years of in

executive. they're building 1/10 the number of homes that were erected 10 years ago. >> we find out that unemployment came down and i think you would see a whole bunch of people go out and buy homes. >> apple iphone users can try out icloud today. massive jobs bill hits a roadblock. jane king has more. >> good morning. it is a no go 4 president obama's jobs bill. it was voted down last night by two republicans and the senate. parts of it could be salvaged. as for markets, futures are pretty strong this morning. slovakia voting down a temporary bailout fund.

markets do not seem upset by that. we did end up yesterday with the dow ending up slightly lower on the day. there was a finding of unauthorized access. credit card information has not been leaked. these are not likely to be linked to the hacker attacks back in april. international users are still experiencing problems as the company intends to clear the backlog of data. research in motion is now struggling to keep up with the iphone sales. today is the day apple users get new icloudo the

service. >> restaurants are trying to lower their prices on their food and drink. it sounds good to me. >> even at 5:00 p.m., at is a little tempting. this is not a new concept. more restaurants are relying it to boost restaurant receipts. i will have more on some of the deals and what restaurants are involved. >> thank you. >> it is 5:00 some more. >> 63 degrees on tv hill. the drastic tactics a family took after becoming stock in a corn maze. >> don't forget to e-mail us your response to our water cooler question of the day. does the latest foiled terror plot on american soil make you feel more, or less safe? you can share your response at wbaltv.com and on our facebook page, or send us an e-mail to watercooler@wbaltv.com.

>> a family finds their way inside a corn maze but then they could not get out. >> the search became so unbearable at the broke out and had to dial 911. >> we thought this would be fun. instead, it was a nightmare. >> that was a call to police in the middle of a corn maze. the minute to this bridge just as they -- they made it to this bridge just as it got dark. >> calm down. >> a. cannon officer heads out to find the folks and lead them out. when he arrives, they get help from the manager -- a k-9 officer heads out to find the

folks and to leave them out. >> the manager gave us a tour of the maze. even he got a bit confused. i don't know if he knows where he is going. he is not alone. >> it is not as easy as we thought. >> there are signs and maps to lead them along the way. they did make it out. when the manager offered to give them free tickets and tried again -- >> there were a little timid about it. there were grateful but i don't think they're going to come back. >> police dogs finally found the family about 25 feet inside the maze. the mes use the takes an hour to complete. >> you can feel for them -- the maze usually takes an hour

to complete. >> 63 degrees on tv hill. a twist in the investigation into a police attack eddie -- a bleach attack in a local walmart. trying to find a new school superintendent. >> a terror plot is foiled in the united states. >> we have some rain on this wednesday morning. we will check hd doppler and the seven-day forecast. >> the rain is impacting the morning rush. we have some closures along pulaski

>> live, local, late-breaking, this is wbal-tv 11 news today. >> good morning, everybody. welcome back to 11 news today. i'm stan stovall.

>> and i'm mindy basara. thank you for joining us this morning. the rain is back. >> off and on for the rest of the week. i think the weekend will be ok. i will show you the seven-day forecast in the next few minutes. we have some rain to contend with this morning. it is not heavy rain. off and on light rain showers expected through the morning. it will become a breezy this afternoon. the temperatures are not going to move much. maybe up to 67 or 68. we'll come back and check the seven-day forecast. >> it might be a good idea to leave early this morning. we have several accidents. we start in abingdon, eastbound pulaski highway. some closures as a result of this crash. take 95 or route 7 answer all to the. and accents at beaver dam road.

no problems to report on the j.f.x. a crash at boston street. you can see our speed sensors. looking pretty good so far. we start in 50 at the bay bridge. we have some delays but they have cleared. you still may see some delays because of the weather. the roads are slick. and southbound traffic in pretty good shape. you may want to use this as your alternate to eastbound pulaski highway. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> teachers will get a new boss next year. >> dr. joe hairston is officially stepping down. jennifer franciotti it is live in towson with details on the search already under way for his replacement. >> his contract is up in june and his decision to leave is something he didn't have to

notify the board about until february of next year. >> i do not intend to seek another term. >> joe hairston kept his announcement short and to the point. he'll be leaving his job when his contract is up. >> it was my decision. 12 years is unprecedented for a school system of this size. there are only a few of us around the country who have the luxury of being able to say we have served in one school system of over 100,000 students for 12 years. >> lawrence schmidt would not confirm reports that he would not extend his contract. he announced the search for the replacement will begin immediately. >> i have established a committee to institute -- to begin to institute the search process in baltimore county for a superintendent to take the

reins from dr. hairston effective july 1, 2012. >> the committee will consider hiring a national search firm. >> i feel fortunate that i had an opportunity to experience great kids, a tremendous staff, good support, and a good time to move on. >> we will hear more from dr. hairston on friday. he has called a news conference to discuss his decision to leave. jennifer franciotti, wbal-tv 11 news. >> family and friends are mourning the death of a man shot and killed in baltimore city. this happened late tuesday morning on east landau street. -- east land fell straight -- east lanvalle street. this man is waiting up behind bars this morning. police say he took cash from

inside the victim's pockets. it took police 30 minutes to track him down. >> and on twist in a bleach attack. this is the suspect, theresa jefferson. she received support from the victim's parents. she poured bleach on odom. a lawyer for the maryland man suspected in the disappearance of a travel companion -- an appeal has been filed for gary giordano's release. it is presumed robyn gardner is dead. he claims she was swept out to sea while they were snorkeling. the corruption trial of senator ulysses currie continues.

a packet contained memos from the shoppers food warehouse for its help in getting a state grant and legislation that benefited shoppers, including a bill to allow a liquor license from one jurisdiction to another. he is accused of using his power. >> new concerns this morning after u.s. authorities foiled an ttempted hit on a satudi ambassadors life. >> investigators interrogated this man, manssor arbabsiar, until they say he confessed to an alleged murder for hire s cheme. he was arrested last month. this was a foiled plot to kill

the u.s. ambassador to the u.s. >> borders and boundaries are increasingly irrelevant. in the vigils from one country sought to conspire with members of a drug cartel in another country. >> the suspects were ready to spend $1.5 million to part with a belief was that mexican drug cartel hit squad. but the plot was exposed. they'll take up the issue with the u.n., possibly to seek new sanctions against iran. >> this violates international norms and must be ended. >> spokesman said there is no truth that anyone in their country was involved. "i think the u.s. government is busy fabric grading this scenario. the goal is to reach the

american public. they will not take the public's mind of the serious domestic problems they are facing these days." >> 5:36. 63 degrees on tv hill. a supplement now being tied to prostate cancer. >> environmental pollutants bad for your heart. >> don't forget to e-mail us your response to our water cooler question of the day. does the latest foiled terror plot on american soil make you feel more, or less safe? you can share your response at wbaltv.com and on our facebook page, or send us an e-mail to watercooler@wbaltv.com. >> some light rain coming down around the area. that will impact your ride. there is an accident in

>> good morning. welcome back. 5:39. 66 degrees downtown. this will not change much as the go into this afternoon. the rain showers will stick with us off and on to that. maybe we will make it up to 67 or 68. we have some moderate rain moving in. light rain and sprinkles. the yourself a few extra minutes. the light rain will affect the traffic. off and on rain showers. in my turn breezy later on with a high near 67. we will come back and check the seven forecast. for now, over to the news desk. >> vitamin e is apparently

putting men at risk for developing prostate cancer. men taking large doses of vitamin should stop and talk to doctors about the risk before taking the supplement. >> exposure to pesticides could increase the risk for heart problems. a study found those who of the highest levels of toxins in their blood had the most plaque in their arteries. chemicals are stored in the fatty tissues of the body and the accumulate with time. >> 63 degrees on tv hill. -- the for next year's date for next year's baltimore grand prix is set. >> a rare find. >> this is 83 at warren road. the rain is causing some issues on the road this morning.

>> now traffic pulse 11 and insta-weather plus together. >> good morning to you. sarah caldwell checking on your morning commute. we're tracking if you promise. the good news is on aberdeen where eastbound pulaski highway has been reopened at 22. everything looked good on route 7 and 95. in cockeysville, we're attracting an accident wrapping up at warren road and beaver dam road. another one in the city at boston street. looking pretty good despite the fact there is some light rain falling around the area. outer loop at 11 minutes on the north side. eight minutes to travel south on 895 down to the harbor tunnel toll. this is the harrisburg expressway at warren wrote. southbound traffic is always

have here at this time of the morning. no sign of any delay. this is traffic near route 40 at the hayden memorial bridge traveling to and from cecil county, looking better than it did a few minutes ago. that accident is clear eastbound. 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. >> good morning. we have a boss bridge delay. metro subway operating on schedule. the 55 bus operating with a delight. a diversion at university and 33rd street. the baltimore running festival will cause bus diversions and delays in and around the city. runners are urged to take light rail and metro subway. on time service on the marc trains. we have reports available on

demand at your fingertips and by phone. call 410-539-5000. i'm kurt kronke. now back to tony pann. >> good morning. we have some rain to contend with this morning. this will not be heavy rain. even a light rain is enough to slowdown the chatter. this is a the western part of harford county. maybe around jarrettsville, you guys may get some heavy rain. that extends over towards rock hall and the eastern shore. not a lot going on. this is moving from south to north. watching north and east of baltimore will have a better chance for rain in the next 30 or 40 minutes. it away, take an umbrella with you. most of the rain is missing us to the west. it is back in west virginia and ohio.

we have some thunderstorms down in the carolinas. we have a slight chance that it might be unstable enough to create a thundershower activity this afternoon. you can see some of those breaks south of richmond. there is a possibility we could get a touch of sunshine. that helped to create some thunderstorms this afternoon. 64 in annapolis. 60 in jarrettsville. we will add maybe four or 5 degrees this afternoon. showers likely with a slight chance for a under sharp. 64 to 69. south of baltimore, get close to seven days. a chance for a few showers tonight. temperatures drop back into the upper 50's. tomorrow we will have a couple of peaks of sunshine. 30% chance for rain on sunday.

-- on friday. a better chance for rain on friday. it should clear up over the weekend. 72 at tomorrow. 70 on friday. the front will go through. for the marathon, it will be windy in the morning but dry. on sunday for the ravens game, 68. in looks good. back to the news desk. >> forces loyal to muammar gaddafi have been cornered in surt. the fighting still takes place in the city. key parts of the town center has been captured. there has been evidence that members of gaddafi's tribes are fleeing. a rude awakening when a small plane crashed into the roof of his home. he ran to shut off the electricity because fuel was

leaking from the aircraft. a rare find in argentina. the jawbone of an ancient whale . i insists said it could suggest that wells evolved much more quickly from their amphibian precursor than previously thought -. >> a civilian plane that entered restricted airspace has been intercepted. one person was then escorted out of the area. officers met with the pilot who said he had overflown bwi by mistake. the date for the second baltimore grand prix has been set. labor day weekend, 2012. the expected announcement will be announced on friday. next year it will be much

easier. ellen degeneres is sending a producer to towson university today. she is expected to do something fun on your show. towson officials say they have no idea what it would be. it is reported she chose baltimore because it is one ever bigger markets. can't wait to see what happens. 5:50. 63 degrees on tv hill. keith mills will join us about an nfl trade. here is a look at last night's winning maryland lottery numbers.

>> time to get to one of your answers to our watercooler question of the day. >> this morning we asked -- does the latest foiled terror plot on american soil make you feel more, or less safe? >> keep sending as 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, wbaltv.com. >> good morning. the baseball playoffs resume today with a pair of games. milwaukee and st. louis play

game 3 of their series tonight. the american league championship series and the tigers are back in yet. eir first win.he firstir victor martinez, of three home runs. jhonny peralta. you see victor limping. doug fister gets the win. the rangers lead the series. the ravens play houston on sunday. they will have to deal with derrick mason. he was traded yesterday from the new york jets to the texans for a conditional draft choice. he didn't play much for the jets a week ago sunday. he did catch two passes and was involved in a couple of pushing and shoving matches.

he was yacking only he can. he agitated the jets' coaching staff when it criticized the offense, which she felt did not throw to him enough. >> imagine that. >> ravens are 8-point favorites to beat the texans. >> he still wants to be a raven. >> it is a big weekend for sports. we have the ravens on sunday and the marathon on senate. you can watch complete coverage of the baltimore running festival right here on wbal-tv. gerry sandusky and kate amara will be live from the finish line. some reporters are running in the race. coverage begins at 7:55 a.m.. ♪

officials meet with governor martin o'malley in maryland. >> what is being said about the ever so popular cell phone. >> you can still place up for a good cause. the fund raiser that as many downtown workers looking very casual this week. >> weather-wise, if you're training for the marathon, you will do will some light rain showers. the seven-day forecast is coming up in a few minutes. >> light rain around the area may impact your ride. already a couple of accidents to talk about.

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>> the search is on for a new superintendent. i'm jennifer franciotti. details are next. >> a terror plot in the u.s.. i'm nikole killion with more on the charges. >> it was billed as the economic boat for maryland. but to the baltimore grand prix live up to the hype? >> a soggy morning for most of the area. [captioning made possible by constellation energy group] captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- >> live, local, late-breaking, this is wbal-tv 11 news today. >> good morning. i'm mindy basara. >> and i'm stan stovall. thank you for joining us this morning. >> we knew it could not last. >> we had 85 on monday. today we have some rain in the picture. it is not a tropical rain. we