mitchell courthouse with the latest. >> schurick's y crackdown in tears as the verdict was read. schurick himself -- schurick's wife broke down in tears as the verdict was read. >> schurick made no comment outside court, even today. he was convicted on four criminal counts, all related to the 2010 election day robocalls. >> our goals have been met. we are ok. >> the call suggested martin o'malley had won the governor's race before the polls had actually closed. schurick was a campaign manager for bob ehrlich campaign. he authorize the cold -- authorize the call i was gratified by the verdict. >> he said the robocalls were

not intended to suppress black voters. >> i think the verdict was ridiculous. >> we don't think the jury possibly really understood the issues of law in terms of first amendment. >> schurick's lawyers vowed to appeal. they say it prosecutes what they consider political speech, protected by the first amendment. >> if you allow the state to create arbitrary and capricious lolls in terms of vagueness and in terms of what fraud is, and allow that type of prosecution to in fact controlled free political speech, the new pro at dagger in the heart of our political system. -- then it you throw a dagger at the heart of our political system. >> here is part of the statement. "voter suppression has a long a disgraceful history and our country, and the dirty tricks we have seen in maryland are not new.

the right to vote is precious and the critical part of our democracy. paul schurick saw to take away that right for some of our fellow citizens." that was from the chair of the maryland democratic party. paul schurick will be sentenced in february. >> corporate george's county executive jack johnson is going to federal prison. a judge sentenced johnson to more than seven years for accepting millions of dollars in bribes from developers. barry simms is live in the studio with details. >> jack johnson tried to get home confinement, but a judge thought the prince george's county executive who served from 2002-2010 deserved a much stronger sentence. >> i have advised mr. johnson since there are some pending issue still for sentencing that have not been worked out, not to make any statement at this time. >> following his lawyer's statement, 62-year-old jack

johnson left federal court without comment. during his sentencing, the former prince george's county executive focused on his political court. critics focused on his political career. he said i have lost everything, my reputation, all the things i have worked for. >> the judge told him he was not allowed to line his pockets or corrupt the system. prosecutors did not dismiss his good deeds. >> jack johnson could have been a role model for integrity. instead, he chose to be a poster child for corruption. >> jack johnson pleaded guilty in may to extortion, witness and evidence tampering. he was arrested in november of last year as part of a corruption probe. >> he just laughed it off and put the cash in his pocket. >> a phone tab revealed him

talking to his wife, leslie, telling him to flush a check for $100,000 down the toilet. the check was from a developer. he also told her to stop her underwear with cash, nearly $80,000, and walked out the door. >> critics would say if it were a screenplay, it is too bizarre to be true. the facts were so egregious. the evidence in this investigation of corruption was so great that people would assume it is fiction. unfortunately, it is a reality. >> leslie johnson completed guilty -- pleaded guilty to evidence tampering. she had to step down from the seat she had previously won on the city council. >> no one should be so powerful or important that their faults can be overlooked as oversight. >> it was also given a $100,000 fine. barry simms, wbal-tv 11 news.

>> stephanie rawlings-blake is now officially the 49th mayor of baltimore. she is the second youngest person to hold the office, and the second woman elected to the city's top spot. david collins is live from city hall with more. >> good evening, lisa. the ceremony seemed to go off without a hitch. ♪ the ceremony was filled with songs, prayers, and when it came to conduct official business, the crowd under a canopy of umbrellas applauded mayor stephanie rawlings-blake, as she used her inaugural address as a call to action. she intends to entice 10,000 families to live in the city in the next decade. >> our number one goal in the next 10 years is to grow baltimore, strengthen our neighborhoods, create new jobs, and attract new people.

>> the mayor does not plan to grow the city on her own. to challenge her administration, the business community, educators, and entire families to buy into growing the city, while at the same time, embracing less government. >> this is a new way of thinking for some of us. it will require a leap forward in trust. >> she will need the help of some of the dignitaries who shared her stage. she wants the general assembly to car baltimore out of the cost of shifting teacher pensions. she stood up against the beverage lobby, encouraging city council to increase the bottle tax from 2 cents to 5 cents. the mayor appealed for a sense of urgency, just like during the civil-rights movement. leaders did not wait for government to act for them, she said. the word wait all mace -- almost always meant never.

>> in the spirit of the do it now philosophy of the late -- >> it begins in earnest today, right now, baltimore. we can make it happen. >> in addition to the 10,000 families in teen years, there is a theme of one baltimore. to a primary challenger shared the stage with her today. >> one person is heard tonight after being struck by a light rail train. happened just after 4:00 this afternoon in the 600 block of west patapsco avenue in baltimore. we are told a 50-year-old victim is in critical condition at shock trauma. a bus is now operating while the investigation continues.

>> police are searching for a suspect after a stabbing in east baltimore. investigators say a man was stabbed in the chest on eastern avenue just after 12:30 this afternoon. he was rushed to the hospital. the victim's name has not been released. there was no word yet on his condition, but homicide detectives or working this particular case. a baltimore city police officer is recovering after he was shot in the arm by friendly fire. he was part of the state police drug task force and was assisting in an arrest in odenton when a police officer's gun discharged. thinking he was under attack, he returned fire. the officer is expected to make a full recovery. police recovered 27 pounds of marijuana and more than $1,300 in cash during that investigation. >> today marks the one-year anniversary of a massive fire alarm fire that broke out during the heart of rush-hour in the

downtown infamous red light district on east of were street. dozens of firefighters battled the blaze for several hours before getting it under control. according to the bureau of all, tobacco, and firearms, they are no closer to finding the suspect. the fire has been classified as incendiary, meaning it had been set. anyone with information is encouraged to call 888-atf-fire. >> a teenage boy has been charged in connection with a sexual assault at anne arundel high school. the student faces second group rape and second-degree sex offense. investigators say he sexually assaulted a female student inside a bathroom at arundel high school last month. police believe the victim knows the suspect. he was served on a juvenile citation and released to the custody of relatives.

>> occupy wall street organizers are calling today a big day of action as they begin a new protest campaign. today, people in 20 states are expected to shift their focus to the foreclosure crisis and perform what they call sittings under the occupy our homes campaign. how would you like to earn an extra $1,000? obama says it is possible, if congress extends the payroll tax cut for workers by the end of the year. nikole killion has details. >> as he made his payroll pitch, president obama channel or president teddy roosevelt, traveling to the same small town in kansas that roosevelt visited a century ago. president obama and one of the

candidates calling this a make or break moment for the middle class. >> i believe everyone should get a fair shot, everyone should do their fair shake -- fair share, and everyone plays by the same rules. >> mr. obama again pressed congress to extend the payroll tax cuts. >> if we don't do that, 160 million americans will see their taxes go up by an average of $1,000. >> the credits is due to expire at the end of the year, and both sides warn we are running out of time. many republicans support the measure but object to help democrats want to pay for it, through a tax on millionaires. >> this was not a compromise. this was nothing more than another bill designed to fail. some democrats can have another week of fun and games. >> senate and gop lawmakers said

they are willing to give and are offering alternatives. >> the last thing we ought to do is to allow an automatic tax increase to take effect when the economy remains so fragile. >> leader of the senate is hopeful to strike a deal. >> i am happy to see democrats and republicans at least talking the right way. >> action is not expected in the house until next week, which means a showdown over all of this is inevitable. >> there is much more ahead tonight on 11 news at 6:00. >> i am gerry sandusky at ravens can in owings mills. peyton manning comes to town on sunday with the indianapolis colts, and just like you and me, he will be watching the game. >> cold weather is on the way.

>> a fond farewell today to the president of mount st. joseph high school, brother james kelly. family and friends turned out for the emotional service today. brother james was known for beginning and ending the school day at the front door. he served as president there for the last 10 years. he lost his battle with prostate cancer over the weekend. he was 64 years old. >> the state has put more teeth into the average grade policy requirements for student athletes. today the state board of education approved the recommendation which sets a 2.0 gpa as a minimum standard. student athletes must also be on track toward earning credits toward graduation.

>> when it is all said and done after four years, we don't want just athletes. we want student athletes that can go to the next level and academically compete at the next level. >> the new requirement goes into effect on september -- on december 31. >> now, your insta-weather forecast with chief meteorologist tom tasselmyer. >> unseasonably warm temperatures up and down the eastern seaboard, not only here in baltimore but all the way up in new england. rain all the way up to boston, and much of new england unseasonably warm. the wet weather continues, but all of this developing on a cold front. this could be the last day of unusually mild weather. tomorrow morning will be pretty mild, but the cold will be coming in. 62 degrees at b.w.i. marshall this afternoon. we hit a new high at the inner harbor, they are now up to 64 degrees. you can see where the normal high would be, 48 is typical for

december 6. 77 degrees was a record high, set back in 1998. mount holly, just asat of philadelphia, 61 degrees right now. 50's in allegheny and garrett counties. they have a winter storm watch in effect out in western maryland. that shows the dramatic changes under way over the next 24 hours. tomorrow morning, this cold front will come through baltimore and we will get on the colder son of the front. it is pretty cold out there, parts of the upper midwest and the rockies were below 0 this morning. there is some very cold air out there. tomorrow, and temperatures slowly falling into the 40's tomorrow night. as the cold air catches up with the rank of a mixed bag of rain and wet snow, and then cleared -- then quickly the skies will

clear out. we could have the rain changing over to snow on thursday. then we are in for some cool, dry weather that will take us into friday and the upcoming weekend. that quick shot of winter weather could be problematic early in the morning on thursday. rain tomorrow as temperatures fall from the 50's in the morning into the 40's in the afternoon, and tomorrow night it falls into the 30's. out in allegheny and garrett counties, the winter storm watch and morning, several inches of snow are possible in that location, 3-6 inches around deep creek lake by early thursday morning. in the higher terrain, i would not be surprised if some of the hill tops out in carroll county will be a little colder and some accumulation will be a possible thursday morning before it clears out for the rest of the day. it is a rain-snow makes changing

to all rain in the mountains to our night. it is great news for the ski resorts all across the appalachians. 45 on the eastern shore on thursday, much cooler weather coming in. in the 60's with rain tomorrow, and a shower thursday afternoon. it should be great football weather for the ravens on sunday. temperatures stayed a little below normal into the early part of next week. >> from the susquehanna banks sports center, this is in 11 sports. >> with you from the broadcast center at ravens camp, a long work day for the ravens coaches. the ravens against the colts has mismatch written all over it. the first gift of christmas?

for john harbaugh and his staff and players, the focus has to remain and getting to indianapolis for superbowl 46. in order to get to indianapolis, you have to get through indianapolis on sunday. >> we have fun, but it is very businesslike. our guys understand the importance of where we are at. you are not just competing against the team you play on sunday. all you have to do is find a way to win the game on sunday. that is easier said than done. >> our guest is pernell mcfee. he will talk with us on wbal radio and you can see the interview on wbal plus.

the former florida marlins, now the miami marlins, plan on opening their new baseball stadium this year with total star value. just days after the marlins announce cut the signing of jose , they have reportedly ujols and newt pool contract. the marlins already have competition. the chicago cubs have already it is have also placed an offer of the services of albertpujols. they never expected to be in the bidding for pujols. there is no deal as yet. we will keep an eye on that for you as the days move closer to christmas and the signing start to happen. we are back with the forecast, right after this.

this guilty on all counts. that is diverted for a top aide to former governor bob ehrlich, who was charged with using illegal robocalls. reactions, what -- plus what is next for the defense. rotating fire house closures.

plus, inaugural

>> colder temperatures mean the rain changes this note. >> thanks a lot, everybody. we will see back here tonight at 11:00. [captioning made possible by constellation energy group] captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- --www.ncicap.org--