eight of his service dog. tell us would you think. >> kind of weather -- what kind of weather always those who are traveling? [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. >> big travel day today. >> have some rain, a drizzle, and fog. it is not heavy rain. the heavy stuff is across the lower eastern shore counties. i think that rain will pick up in intensity tonight and tomorrow. will make it up to 55 -- we will make it up to 55 today.

we will tell you what you can expect on a thanksgiving day in just a few minutes. let's see how the rain is affecting the traffic this morning. >> off to a bit of a rough start on southbound 97. word of an accident. watch for police responding to that. fire activity along milton avenue, you may find some closures. some problems in westminster. an accident at solve and road -- sullivan road. leave early if you can. everything flowing smoothly on the west side. a nice start on the j.f.x. into town. we will check some of our cameras including 795. no promise although volume is building. the icc, a major portion opens

today. so far, no problems to report. everything looks good. it is a free ride until december 5. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> no deal. the so-called super committee ended its work without accomplishing its mission. >> kate amara joins us live with what is next. good morning, kate. >> the key sticking points or tax increases and entitlement programs. it was created in crisis and ended in failure. the debt-cutting super committee giving up, admitting defeat in a written statement. "we are deeply disappointed that we have been unable to come to a bipartisan deficit- reduction agreement." >> this was a moment of important leadership. it was a real test. >> the congressional panel was tasked with trimming $1.2 trillion from the national debt

over a decade. in the end, members couldn't bridge the partisan divide. and now the partisan finger- pointing is underway. >> our democratic friends said, we won't cut $1 more without raising taxes. and i think that tells you a lot about the ethos here in washington. >> the failure triggers across- the-board spending cuts in all government programs in 2013, and that includes the pentagon. >> those could be more difficult for the defense department, for example, and for some domestic programs. >> defense secretary leon panetta has warned the impact could be devastating. president obama says he will block any attempt to prevent the automatic cuts from taking effect. >> there will be no easy off- ramps on this one. we need to keep the pressure up to compromise, not turn off the pressure. >> one thing both sides do agree on -- action in congress is still required, and soon. kate amara, wbal-tv 11 news.

>> what about the u.s. credit rating? >> in a statement, s&p said they have no plans to further downgrade the u.s. government's credit rating. it also warned that the current credit rating is based on the expectation that these automatic cuts will take effect january, 2013. >> kate amara, thank you. many congressional delegates -- many of maryland's congressional delegation is sharing their frustration. "the republicans are out of touch." >> they have become disconnected from their constituents. i will say that any time. i'm so glad that our leaders are very much connected. >> barbara mikulski blames the

situation more than either side. she said the head and a possible mandate within a possible time line. they pursued their charged with due diligence. ben cardin was not as a charitable, saying this was doable and the american people are justified in being disappointed that the super committee could not see a compromise to stimulate future economic growth and reduce the budget deficit. >> well congress struggles, baltimore city is making plans on how to spend a housing grant. the goal of the grant is to make the region more competitive economically by connecting housing with good jobs and transportation. >> we chose baltimore's proposal because you not only have a great plan but the right local partners and a vision for success. >> the regional plan will

develop in eight stages. the mayor is digging into iran pocket 12th save cash-strapped city programs. the mayor is planning and donating her cost-of-living salary increase to the city's youth works program. will have an additional $3,900 to help fund summer jobs for teens. >> the department surrendered its emergency medical services training accreditation. kim dacey is live with more on the story. good morning. >> the internal investigation into the city fire academy cheating scandal ended in august, and several academy instructors and supervisors face disciplinary action. one instructor was punished for knowingly handing out study materials to cadets that were similar to what was on the actual emt test. in march 2010, the state agency that certifies paramedics and

emt's found a number of problems including insufficient record-keeping and too few staff supervising the cadets in the field. as a result, they were placed on provisional status for one year and required to file quarterly updates. but none were filed after august, 2010. >> i was not aware of the provisional status. people in the baltimore city fire department were. >> but how is that possible? i mean, you were in charge. >> well, that's one of the issues that the investigation turned up, was that the communication between the fire academy staff and up the chain of command did not happen. >> an independent investigation has been going on into the scandal. we are expected to get that final report today. stay with 11 news for the latest developments. kim dacey, wbal-tv 11 news. >> thank you. it is happened again. someone has route a baltimore

county goodwill store. the latest robbery happened on friday night on the store on west padonia road. it was taken from the register and be safe. this is the second time that store has been dropped in a week. investigators say there are similarities in all four robberies. >> it long feud between -- a long feud between a politician and day blogger. adam meister jogged past his home. the first locked horns months ago went meister accuse belinda conaway of not living in your district. that led to a lawsuit. >> made reference to that today. she sued him and he she was going to get him.

>> we were yelling back and forth. he lunges at me, to plunge. it doesn't hit me. liggett me. i'm in great shape -- liggett may -- look at me. >> police witness the altercation and broke it up. are investigating the possibility that conaway pulled a gun during the dispute. >> a blind man was not treated because of his guide dog. when paramedics arrived, mr. graham said they give him in a possible ultimatum. >> i told them i had a service dog.

i said i could not go anywhere without my service dog. they told me they cannot take my service dog. >> so they gave you an ultimatum? >> they said i would have to leave my dog, but i said i was not going without my dog. >> he had to call somebody to pick up the dog. he says he would like an apology and better trading for first responders. that brings us to our water cooler question of the day. what discipline do you think should be handed out for first reponsders who separated an injured blind man from his service dog? you can share your response at wbaltv.com and on our facebook page, or send us an e-mail to watercooler@wbaltv.com. >> 6:10. 49 degrees on tv hill. black friday may not be the

best way to shop if you're looking for good deals. >> accusations against the new leaders and with the new government is doing about it. >> home entertainment is about to get smaller. latest offering coming to your ipad. >> we are live at the baltimore festival of trees. >> we are dealing with some wet roads and a l

>> good morning. 53 degrees downtown. a very foggy start today. we're live at the festival of trees at the timonium fairgrounds. you're with the institute and that is who puts on this beautiful and festival of trees. the trees are a big part of it. >> we have over 600 trees. the gingerbread is more adorable than another. the talent that people and the time they put into these trees is incredible. >> you can come and purchase your own. you can bring home one of these trees. this is a grinch tree. it was designed by a law firm. sorry for the children at home.

this is so cute. paris sense of land -- there is santa land. >> pony rides, face painting. the kids can spend three hours. we have over 120 boutiques where people can buy their holiday guests. we have over 200 items in it silent auction. two tickets to the super bowl in indianapolis with plane fare and hotels. >> so much to come for. that is starting this friday and runs through sunday. there's more information online. i love this dr. seuss traee. >> this is a grinch butt.

what do you want me to say? >> i love it. thank you, ava. speaking of the holidays, let's start with the national picture. if you're flying out today, there could be some problems in atlanta. it is dry there now. new york, 49. afternoon rain showers in chicago, 44. denver looks great. some rain as possible in seattle. at home, we have some light rain, fog, and drizzle. the heaviest rain across the lower eastern shore counties. the rain will be white and often non. -- the rain will be light and

off and on. we have a front stalled south of us. the rain will pick up intensity tonight and tomorrow morning. there could be some thunderstorms. there could be some issues if you're flying out tonight. rain showers are likely off and on. mostly drizzle. high temperature in the mid 50's. side, the rain gets heavier. maybe even some thunderstorms -- tonight, the rain gets heavier. rain in the morning tomorrow. some of the rain tomorrow morning could be heavy. a high temperature near 60. sunshine and chilly on thanksgiving day. it should be ok going into the weekend. high temperatures in the upper 50's. that is good news for sarah. that means good shopping weather. >> a nice start aside from the

fact that the roads are wet. have an accident. landfill street, we have some of fire activity in the city -- lanvale street. watch for a closure to impact your right westbound on 140. everything moving well on the west side. a problem free ride on the harrisburg expressway traveling down from the maryland line. 95 of the fort mchenry is picking up southbound into the tunnel. a smooth ride at the harbor tunnel. so far so good at the beltway at 140. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> the violent clashes between police and protesters in egypt continue for a fourth day.

protesters hurled stones at security forces who fired back with tear gas. civilian cabinet offered to resign. protesters want to force out the general after hosni mubarak was ousted from power. to thousand students gathered to protest the use of pepper spray on students by university police last friday. the chancellor said it is her responsibility to lure back the trust of the students -- to earn back the trust of the students. >> it may not have been as successful as intended, but marylanders benefited from a program to help distressed homeowners avoid disclosure. hundreds of on spent millions of dollars were set aside. maryland is one of three states that used all of its allocated

funds and then some. maryland was initially given 107 $9 million -- $179 million. ipad users will soon be able to turn their ipad into a tv. customers will have to stick pretty close to their home cable box. there will test the program in two cities before launching it nationwide. jane king has the bloomberg business report. >> good morning. the day after thanksgiving may not be the best day for bargains. the lowest prices of the season on certain items were not on black friday or cyber monday. mark your calendars. tvs and cameras all sell for less between the monday after

thanksgiving and december 13. companies are cracking down on those shopping at work. more than 60% of companies are blocking access to on-line shopping sites this year. they still could be monitoring activity for excessive use. a revolving door of incoming it out during ceo's. meg whitman is to limit the size of acquisitions. a sign that is still hurting from the slump in tech. the u.s. government may be forced to submit more than $one trillion -- $1 trillion. the bloomberg maryland index was lower.

>> 6:21. 49 degrees on tv hill. >> the ravens will not have much time to heal. pete preview is the harbaugh bowl. >> here is a look at last night's winning maryland lottery numbers.

>> now traffic pulse 11 and insta-weather plus together. >> good morning.

sarah caldwell checking on your morning commute. it is el little -- it is little slick. we started westminster. a tractor-trailer and a box truck involved. eastbound traffic does get by. in the city, watch for fire activity. so far so good on the north side. a slowdown in the outer loop west side. we will see some delays on southbound 97. we have an accident. 295 a much better bet. we started 97. looking for southbound delays. we will keep you posted. this is 95 at 100. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> good morning. we have some light rain and drizzle. not a big deal. the heaviest rain is across the

lower eastern shore counties. that is still classified as light rain. a little bit of fog out there this morning. now we're in the upper 40's and low 50's. will check the whole the forecast in just a few minutes. >> when ray lewis suffered a toe injury, the chances of getting him ready for the next two days were slim. ray sat out on sunday. he did practice. maybe get the game and on thursday. this will be the first time at two brothers coached against each other as head coaches. their parents will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary the day after thanksgiving. john and jim harbaugh have games

to prepare. this is a game week in a short one at that. >> these are two really good teams that will play one another. it will be about those players who take the field. i think it is a fun story line. it is about a bunch of football warriors going out there and two teams that play a similar style of football and two teams that want to win that football game. >> the ravens could have benefited from a upset last night. the chiefs looked poised to make it happen. new england 7-3. tom brady to rob gronkowski. ounds.ys in balanc

7-3. julian edelman. that is ridiculous. he played wide receiver and punt returner. 72 yards and a touchdown. new england rolls. rob gronkowski had a great night. >> 49 degrees on tv hill. migraine's tends to walk around the holidays. >> the final report on the fire >> the final report on the fire academy cheating scandal is

guys... [ female announcer ] pillsbury cinnamon rolls with cinnabon cinnamon are an irresistible sunday morning idea. nothing calls them to the table faster. sunday morning ideas made easy. [ younger brother ] oh, do you want it? yeah. ok, we'll split it. [ female announcer ] made fresh, so light... ...buttery and flaky... this is half. that is not half. guys i have more. [ female announcer ] do you have enough crescents? "no messages." but if you're looking for the one place that makes it easy, look no further than carmax. ♪"ta daaaaaaaaaa!" our appraisals are fast and they're free.

we'll make you a written offer to buy, good for seven days. and we'll buy your car even if you don't buy one of ours. carmax...the way car buying should be. >> 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. will the rain move out in time for a thanksgiving? >> i think things giving day will be just fine. today will be light rain and drizzle. we're in the upper 40's and low

50's right now. rain showers will be with us through today. a high temperature around 55. there could be some fog this morning as well. we will check the forecast going through the holiday weekend. >> we will learn more today about the cheating scandal at the baltimore fire academy. >> a final report is expected to be released later today. kim dacey has details. >> they surrendered their training accreditation. this was as a result of a scandal and the investigation that followed. the internal investigation into cheating at the baltimore city fire academy ended in august. several academy instructors and supervisors face disciplinary action. one for knowingly handing out study materials similiar to what was on the actual test. that investigation found no evidence that any cadets cheated. they voluntarily stopped ems training after failing to meet

the requirements of provisional status by the agency that certifies paramedics and emt's. >> i was not aware of the provisional status. people in the baltimore city fire department were. >> but how is that possible? i mean, you were in charge. >> well, that's one of the issues that the investigation turned up, was that the communication between the fire academy staff and up the chain of command did not happen. >> the academy was put on provisional status in march of 2010 because of problems with record-keeping and student and faculty evaluations. the academy developed a plan of action to address those concerns and provide the required quarterly updates from august 2010 to april of this year. but no reports were sent. >> not to make excuses, but it would have been nice in november or december to get a notice saying, "look, you haven't complied with what we told you to do. where's our report?"

that didn't happen either. >> the independent investigation examined all of these issues involving the scandal. we're supposed to get that report today. stay with 11 news for the very latest developments on this story. kim dacey, wbal-tv 11 news. >> a southwest baltimore woman is recovering after being trapped inside her burning home. she was rescued by firefighters just after 6:30 monday morning. no word on what set off the blaze. >> the private first class is being held at fort leavenworth prison, accused of passing classified documents to which ikileaks. they will determine if there is enough evidence to stand trial

because police are combing through surveillance video trying to identify more that 50 people who picked apart a silver spring 7-eleven. the counter was blocked while some took what they wanted and left. six suspects were tracked down. police are reviewing the video to identify others. >> the budget ax is falling on eight sports at the university of maryland. the school longer have teams in men's cross country, indoor track, outdoor track, men's swimming and diving, men's tennis, women's acrobatics and tumbling, women's swimming and diving, and women's water polo. the athletic department faces -- it says billion dollars by think it is a million-dollar shortfall -- i am told it is billion.

$30 million will have to be raised by next june. >> the holiday season keeps many of us busy. a lack of sleep could contribute to those already prone to migraines. it is what is on holiday menu, also. >> i think the holidays are the perfect storm for migraines. you are traveling, you are sleeping in beds you may not be comfortable with, stress level is up. >> after suggest you try to stay on your regular schedule and try to keep the stress levels as low as possible. good luck with that. >> now traffic pulse 11 and insta-weather plus together. >> good morning.

sarah caldwell checking on your morning commute. it is little stressful on some of the area roads. we have fog again. this is westbound 140. close at sylvan road -- closed at sullivan road because of an accident. starting to see some delays on the west side. 14 miles per hour in the outer loop. some delays on southbound 97. we have the right lane closures. 295 in pretty good shape. so far so good on 100. a live view of traffic on 97. that message board telling us about the accident. no significant delays as you make your way down towards new cut. so far everything is running

smoothly in howard county. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. now we get the latest from ava marie at the festival of trees. you give us an interesting perspective on a grinch. >> there are some amazing trees at the festival of trees. the festival begins on friday and runs through sunday. you can find all the information on a festivaloftrees.org. have a gingerbread houses from different organizations. we built a house. they are on display here. we have pictures up on our website, wbaltv.com. can vote on your favorite house -- you can vote on your favorite house. the seven-day forecast is joint we have a chance for rain lasted

through most of the day. on and off showers or possibility, and that can continue into tomorrow morning. there could be some slowdown support airport tomorrow morning. we will dry things out as we head into the thanksgiving holiday. >> 6:38. 49 degrees on tv hill. how do you have a track and field competition without running mor

>> we go to china for the world's largest camel race. 555 camels took part. camel races are usually hosted during weddings and big events. >> 36 virtual athletes gathered in estonia for a track and field competition. the use body scanning technology -- they used body- scanning technology without moving more that two feet in any direction. the guatemalans team won. team use finished third.

that is fiun. trouble for the grand prix -- more trouble for the grand prix. >> we have reports of an accident on the j.f.x. >> have some light rain this morning. it will pick up in intensity. we'll talk about what you can expect over the holidays. this is a look outside. drizzle and fog.

>> welcome back to 11 news today. approximately 11 miles of a new toll road is now open. the newest part of the

intercounty connector it between georgia avenue and 95 open to traffic. commuters couldn't travel across the road toll free -- commuters can now travel across the toll road for free. the state plans to seize assets to get back nearly $600,000 in unpaid taxes. the comptroller's office has filed a lien on property that is more than a month delinquent. the fire department is investigating a complaint that paramedics refused to treat a blind man until he left his service guide dog behind. when paramedics arrived on the scene, he was told he cannot go to the hospital unless he left

behind this service dog. mr. graham said he will like an apology and better training for first responders. >> that brings us to your answers to our water cooler question of the day. >> this morning we asked -- what discipline do you think should be handed out for first reponsders who separated an injured blind man from his service dog? >> we will post more of your answers on the front page of wbaltv.com. >> now traffic pulse 11 and insta-weather plus together. >> good morning.

sarah caldwell checking on your morning commute. a little tough to see. we have some fog and some drizzle. give yourself some extra time. we have an accident at coldspring lane. delays stretches down to edmondson. south on 97, we have it right lane closures with an accident. 295 is a good alternate. ullivan road.van ro this is a live view of traffic as volume starts to build around the area. roads in howard county looking pretty good. 95 north and southbound in the area of 100. this is 95 coming down from white marsh.

building in volume. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. now we check in with ava marie joining us from the festival of trees. >> good morning. we're live at the festival of trees. it is incredible here. starts on friday and runs through sunday. helping to improve the lives of children with developmental disabilities. i am here with one of the makers of the christmas trees. your name is allison. you are the brains behind this beautiful santa claus sttreee. >> feel as though we have to top what we've done before. we have done different movie themes. this year we're getting back to christmas. everybody loves santa claus.

>> this is so creative. how long did it take to put this together? >> we start coming up with ideas in the summer. the only order things online. we have been going through the past months and we have a treat in the office that we mock up and put it all together to make sure that it is perfect. >> you guys are totally in the christmas spirit. this is one of the many trees you'll see of the festival of trees. they also have a gingerbread houses. we have pictures on line. lots to see this weekend and it begins on friday. this is the biggest upset because i have ever seen. >> you will decorate the station threree.

i take a minimalist view online. >> it says a lot about yourself. you are a minimalist kind of guy. >> i owe yo on. u one. that was funny. nobody gets me. a sophisticated hard palate. thank you, ava. go to our website and check out the gingerbread houses. we will start with the national travel whether. there could be some thunderstorms in atlanta. could be some delays. light rain in new york, 49. nice in tampa. nice in los angeles.

rain possible in seattle. we have some light rain this morning. enough to slow things down. temperatures in the upper 40's and low 50's. the trigger mechanism for the rain is a fraud stalled south of us. low pressure will travel along that front. the rain will pick up in intensity tonight and tomorrow morning. there could be an issue if you're flying out tonight or tomorrow morning. cool temperatures in the mid 50's. tonight, rain likely and maybe some thunderstorms. temperatures dropping back a couple of degrees to 50. rain in the morning tomorrow. a high temperature near 60. sunshine and 52 on thanksgiving day. shopping on friday and saturday, temperatures may sneak into the

low 60's by the beginning of the weekend. >> thank you. tonight, and i team follow-up. social security benefits. we look at the system again. here is deborah weiner. >> when it happened the first time, we were stunned. when it happened a second time, we were shocked. does the i team have the midas touch, or is there something else going on at social security? remember the davis family and their two-year battle to obtain social security benefits? when the i team got involved, there was a huge government payday of $59,000. well, it happened again, with jeffrey smith. >> it was direct-deposited for $36,963.50. >> from people seeking social security disabilitiy benefits to the doctors who had been reviewing claims, the flood gates of reaction had opened.

the general public should care for what reason? >> they may not be getting a fair shake when they apply for disability. >> going up tonight at 11:00, the i team puts the social security disability process under the microscope again. -- coming up. what officials have to say this time. i'm deborah weiner for the 11 news i team. >> 49 degrees on tv hill. >> we will come back and check the weather and traffic together befo

>> we expect today to be a big travel de. >> we have drizzle and at

fog and that is getting to the promise. we're in the red. southbound 95 backed up. rightly closure with an accident. some closures at 140 because of an accident in westminster. this is traffic on 95 of the white marsh area. tapping the brakes southbound. standard delays down to the beltway. this is the intercounty connector. it is opening today. a big deal for motorists heading to and from dc. >> i do not think anybody knows the it is open. >> it will take sometimes. >> the conditions could be

worse. >> it could be snowing. we have some light rain. temperature of 55. the rain gets heavier tonight and tomorrow morning. be some problems for flights -- there could be some promise for flights. things could be day looks good. >> looking for more weather and traffic together? be sure to join us this morning for 11 news at 7:00 a.m. on wbal plus. >> you'll find more local news as well as up-to-date traffic and weather information. you can find it all on comcast channel 208, verizon fios 460, and 11-2. >> thanks for joining us for 11 news today. >> we will be back with a live update at 7:25. >> follow breaking news and weather any time at wbaltv.com, and stay connected with us and stay connected with us on facebook and twitter.