impact your paycheck. i have the latest on the debate over the payroll tax cut. >> politics as usual. not so fast says a baltimore jury as a convict an aide of bob ehrlich. >> will the rain give way to snow later tonight? i said, snow. the forecast as we continue. [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. >> rain right now but things could be changing. >> we're starting out in the 60's. by the atomic drive home from work, it will be in the low 40's -- by the time you drive home from war, it will be in the 40's. there is some heavy rain around

the south side of the city. the bottom end of the beltway down towards the airport. the northern suburbs have light to moderate. the rain will be a constant today. rain off and on through this afternoon. some of the rain could be heavy. temperatures will start out in the 60's. into the 40's by the time you drive home from work. overnight, the rate could change to snow. we have a short window, between midnight and 3 m -- overnight, the rain could change to snow. we have a short window, between midnight and 3:00 a.m. >> a difficult start. we have wet roads. leave early if you can. northbound 97, word of an accident. you may start to see some delays coming up from 100.

we had baltimore street closed at mlk but that has just reopened. laurel to at hamilton, an accident. we have an accident at golden ring and philadelphia road. use extra caution. 58 miles per hour towards the north side of the beltway and the harrisburg expressway. on the west side, 51. volume is starting to build and impactingr will be things. everything's looking pretty good from 795. this is traffic at chesaco avenue. the east side is running smoothly. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> a fight that impacts your paycheck. >> kate amara joins us live with the standoff over the payroll

tax cut that is about to run out. good morning. >> political leaders are meeting behind closed doors to try to figure out what to do. across the capitol there are plans to extend the payroll tax cut before it expires at the end of the year. but still, no deal. >> time is running out. we've got to do this now. >> the parties are split over how to pay for it. in kansas on tuesday, president obama stepped up the pressure. >> if we don't do that, 160 million americans, including most of the people here, will see their taxes go up by an average of $1,000 starting in january. and it would badly weaken our recovery. >> democrats want to expand the payroll tax holiday and renew unemployment benefits and offset cost with a surtax on millionaires. >> basically every piece in there is bipartisan in nature. >> senate republicans say that move would hurt job creators and small businesses and has no chance of passing. >> democrats can have another week of fun and games on the

senate floor while tens of millions of working americans go another week wondering whether they're going to see a smaller paycheck at the end of the year. >> the senate majority leader says a vote on this latest proposal is likely by the end of this week. kate amara, wbal-tv 11 news. >> thank you. >> lawyers for paul schurick say they will appeal his conviction on charges of conspiracy and fraud in the so-called robocalls. the jury found schurick guilty of all four criminal counts. the agreed that schurick violated the law by authorizing the robocalls and telling democrats to stay home since their party had already won. >> i think it was ridiculous. the jury did not buy it. >> we don't think the jury

understood the issues of lot. >> schurick could face up to 12 years behind bars. julius henson is scheduled to stand trial in february. jack johnson will be sitting behind bars for quite some time. he was sentenced to more than seven years in prison for septic millions of dollars in bribes from developers. he instructed his wife to hide cash and flushed a check down the toilet. she will be sentenced on friday. >> she was swept into office, but mayor stephanie rawlings blake is looking to make her own mark. officials celebrated with the mayor during her inaugural gala last night. she was sworn in earlier in the afternoon. she has a goal to bring 10,000 families back to baltimore. >> our number one goal is to

grow baltimore, strengthen our neighborhoods, create new jobs and it begins in earnest today. right now, baltimore, we can make it happen. >> she challenged her own administration and educators to buy into growing the city while embracing less government. the governor says he is proud to be reelected as the head of the national democratic governors association. the 20 democratic governors reelected o'malley on tuesday, assuring him a national voice in the run-up to the 2012 election. >> committee leaders met with the leaders of the fire you get to discuss safety concerns. kim dacey is live with some details for us. good morning. >> more than two dozen association leaders attended the

meeting last night and learned that more cuts could be devastating to public safety. fire union officials explained the process of how the department fights fires and claims that right now the process is not operating at its full potential. city and fire officials have consistently reported that response times have stayed in line with or even beat the national standard. firefighters have continuously voiced concerns about rotating firehouse closures. they were first implemented nearly three years ago and are affecting three of the city's 38 firehouses a day. union leaders are afraid there will be more cuts in the future. >> the preliminary numbers are -- there may be up to five to eight more cuts and that is why we're out now. we've got to take the offensive on it and get the word out that we -- we can barely hang on now. >> in a statement, a city fire spokesperson said, "providing optimum fire service is a top priority for the city. in the midst of a very challenging fiscal cycle, we're

fortunate to be able to continue that high level of service." fire union leaders say that community members need to talk to their city officials about this issue. kim dacey, wbal-tv 11 news. >> in michigan music teacher hits a sour note when she decided to change the lyrics of a popular christmas carol. she said her students kept snickering to the lyrics to "deck the halls." social change the lyrics -- so she changed the lyrics. several parents complained. the song has not been returned to its original version. that brings us to our water cooler question of the day. do you think an elementary school teacher overreacted by replacing the word "gay" in the christmas carol "deck the halls"? you can share your response at

wbaltv.com and on our facebook page, or send us an e-mail to watercooler@wbaltv.com. >> 6:09. 61 degrees on tv hill. more job losses in the financial industry. >> the chevy volt sparks controversy. >> i'm alive at the shops this morning were what local store has gifts from around the world. >> kind of busy already. several incidents of note. you'll need some extra

>> good morning. we're back with a live view from the skycam. 63 degrees. temperatures will be dropping as we go through the day. we'll have rain today. i'm alive at the shops at kenilworth. they are getting ready for the holiday season. they have a lot of unique stores. i'm here with the owners of kascashmere. you guys specializes in items from kashmir. >> this is all done by hand. we have a lot of scarves. >> this is beautiful. >> all this embroidery is done

by hand. >> we have stuff from all across the world. this is from africa and this is from brazil. nice gift for the kids. >> you can get some unique gifts for family members. you guys are participating in the shop crawl. you can get a hair strand. all the proceeds go to charity. all that rain as the storm system is heading our way and it will bring a drop in the temperature. tony, i am looking forward to this event. they have a shopping, champagne, and great items. >> shopping and champagne.

do they have those here extensions for short hair? what color do think i should do? >> you should do purple for the ravens. >> i will do that when i get a chance. >> i dare you. >> lots of fun. shopping and champagne. tonight is one everybody is talking about the snow. 61 at the airport. 59 in taneytown. way above average for this time of year. the average high is 48. the warm air will not stick around. you can see some call this other sidetuff on the of the mountains. temperatures will continue to drop tonight.

we have some rain to talk about. a flood watch is in effect. we could pick up an inch or an inch and a half of rain today. that will slowly drive time down. we start near 61 out in the upper 50's -- upper 40's below 50's. it will be cold enough for the rain to change to snow. the temperature will be above 32 so the roads should be ok. low pressure will travel up the coast. cold air will wrap around the store and it will turn cold enough to change the rain into snow. between 12 and at night and 3:00 a.m., there is a brief window that rate could change to snow. one to two inches of snow around

baltimore area. mostly rain along the lower eastern shore. two to four inches of rain out west and in the mountains. most of you will sleep through the snow and wake up and see it on the ground. breezy in chilly but clearing tomorrow. plenty of sunshine. we will stay in the 40's into the weekend. sunshine and 48 on sunday for the ravens game on sunday. 6:16. >> good morning. we're seeing the impact of the rain. we have an accident just past merritt boulevard on the east side. so far so good on the north side. we're seeing a bit of it slowdown from 795 down towards liberty, 21 miles per hour. northbound 97, watch for an

accident. looking pretty good along 100. along southern maryland row, route 4, we have an accident in southern anne arundel county. we will keep you posted on those problems. we start with old court road. of the ramps from 795, that ramp starting to build in volume. this is chesaco avenue. no sign of delays. watch for an accident just past merritt boulevard in the outer loop. >> emotional testimony is expected in a federal court room as attorneys for virginia tech fight a federal find related to the shooting rampage that killed 32 students and teacher. the teacher was slapped with a $55,000 fine.

a record-setting settlement has been reached for the families of miners killed last year in west virginia. the new owners have agreed to pay $210 million two families of victims. the head of the federal aviation administration has resigned after officers arrested him over the weekend for driving while intoxicated. randy babbitt was spotted driving on the wrong side of the road on saturday night. he was not willing to let anything cast a shadow of work done over at the faa. >> gm is offering to buy back chevy bolt.f the v

there were fires reportedly started with the batteries and caused an electrical short. netflix hopes to dominate video streaming. cali carlin has more in this morning's bloomberg business report. >> more job losses coming to the finance ministry, this time citigroup. they said 4500 jobs will be eliminated. staff is being cut. investors are keeping an eye on that ahead of the big summit this weekend. stocks were mostly higher yesterday. the bloomberg maryland index was lower on losses for under armour. netflix expecting video

streaming to blow up. it will be aided by extending fiber optic networks that will carry more data. isflix's biggest competitor hbo go. more employers planning to have a good time as the year comes to a close. 50% of employers are planning to throw a holiday party for their workers this year. workers are in the holiday spirit. 22% of workers plan to buy g ifts for co-workers this year. back to you. >> just a small gift this year. no car this year. >> do not worry about that. >> 61 degrees on tv hill.

there is an accident on the east side of the beltway. >> a much deserved honor for some baltimore sports legends. >> 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. we're looking at a busy start.

the roads are wet. with an accident just past merritt boulevard. -- we have an accident. the biggest delays on the west side. 24 miles per hour on 795 down towards edmondson. we have a possible accident. on 100, so far things are looking at just fine. crude for, another accident location in the process of being cleared. -- route 4. start at old court road. you can see the roads are wet. leave early this morning. delays falling into place on the west side. this is northpoint. no delays. in the outer loop, we have an accident just past merritt boulevard. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> good morning.

the rain is the big story today. we will see some heavy stuff in a few neighborhoods. the heaviest rain is on the eastern shore counties. the rain will be with us off and not today. right now we're in the lower end of the 60's. it will be in the upper 40's by the time the drive home from work. it could be cold enough to snow tonight. now to the news desk. >> in sports, keeping players fresh presents a big challenge to all nfl teams. nobody likes seeing the ravens running the ball well more than the players on the defensive side. the ravens ran the ball 90 times in the past two games. ravens also dominated the time of possession. coach john harbaugh says a

strong defense and a strong running game forms the foundation for a strong ravens team. it starts with a strong running game and a fresh defense. >> play good defense. we have been able to run the ball. we have been better at running the ball in some years and better in different areas, i should say. like to believe that everything we do is build for december. the program is organized that way. i think our players understand that. we tried to improve over the course of the season. >> they are playing well. a big night for baltimore football fans as the honored an all-time legendary teams, the 1958 baltimore colts.

seven more members have been inducted into the hall of legends including raymond berry and jim parker, all the hall of famers. the joint john unitas in the hall of legends -- they joined johnny unitas in the hall of legends. >> you in officials meet about possible budget cuts to the department -- you get officials. >> one of the darkest days in american history. a look back on the attack of pearl harbor. >> or the biggest delays are formant on the beltway -- where the biggest delays are forming.

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♪ oh, what fun it is to... get in the spirit with dunkin's holiday coffees and lattes. try peppermint mocha, gingerbread, or new cinnamon swirl today. >> live, local, late-breaking, this is wbal-tv 11 news today. >> good morning.

welcome back to 11 news today. i'm stan stovall. >> and i'm mindy basara. thank you for joining us this morning. a rating morning but tomorrow we could see some snow -- rainy morning. >> we will see a heavy rain today. a flood watch is in effect. we're starting out near 60. it will fall into the 50's and then into the forepaws. it may be cold enough to changeover to snow -- it will fall into the 50's and then into the 40's. you could see some snow on the ground tomorrow. back to the news desk. >> the u.s. was plunged into world war ii seven decades ago. pearl harbor was attacked. survivors >> are gathered to mark the anniversary of the attack -- >> survivors are

gathering to mark the anniversary of the attack. >> a date which will live in infamy. >> those works spoken 70 years ago ring true today and still today. the attack on pearl harbor plunged america into world war ii. memories are etched into those who survived. >> a tremendous amount of explosions and then smoke. later on, the fire on top of the water. >> the bombing was a surprise. japanese fighter jets swooped in. >> i was so shocked. i didn't have much of a feeling. but afterwards, it haunted me.

>> today is the last time the anniversary will be commemorated with the pearl harbor survivors association. the group is disbanding by the end of the month. those left wary the reality of the attack will die with them -- those left wary that the reality of the attack will die with them -- those left worry. >> the youngsters don't understand that freedom is in free. >> kim dacey has more. >> fire union leaders say the hell they meet to convince people to go to leaders about

this issue and warn that more cuts could be devastating for public safety. fire union members met with more than two dozen association leaders last night. city and fire officials have reported that fire response times have stayed in line with or even beat the national standard. firefighters have voiced concerns about rotating firehouse closures. >> right now we feel as a union and a fire department that we can barely cover the city. we have a really tough time doing the job that we have been sworn to do. >> the rotating closures were first implemented nearly three years ago and affect three of the city's 38 firehouses a day. the president of the howard park civic association is concerned. >> with the rotations, for example, we have had two fires within one block of the firehouse, but the firemen weren't there. there were at another station. >> union leaders are afraid there will be more cuts in the future. >> the preliminary numbers are

-- there may be up to five to eight more cuts and that is why we're out now. we've got to take the offensive on it and get the word out that we -- we can barely hang on now. >> in a statement to 11 news, a city fire spokesman said, "providing optimum fire service is a top priority for the city. in the midst of a very challenging fiscal cycle, we're fortunate to be able to continue that high level of service." the rotating closures initially shut down four stations a day. department officials say the decrease to three is a sign that things are moving in the right direction. kim dacey, wbal-tv 11 news. >> thank you. a high school student is charged in connection with an alleged sexual assault in a school bathroom. the female student at around a high school reported being assaulted by male student. investigators say the victim knew her attacker. he is charged with second-degree

sex assault and is now in the custody of a relative. the woman who was the victim of a brutal beating at the rosedale mcdonald's is once again making headlines but this time she's the suspect. police say she became enraged and shouted obscenities at officers. she was taken into custody on charges of disorderly conduct and later released on 7 $500 bond -- $7500 bond. >> the state has put more teeth into the average grade policy required for student athletes. the new policy sets a 2.8 gpa. students must be on track towards earning credits for graduation. >> we do not want just athletes.

we want students and student athletes that can go to the next level whether they play at the next level but they can academic compete at the next level. >> the new requirement goes into effect on december 31. >> now traffic pulse 11 and insta-weather plus together. >> good morning. sarah caldwell checking on your morning commute. wet roads once again this morning. it is tying up traffic in many areas. we have an accident on the outer loop east side just past merrick boulevard. heavy delays on the west side. 12 miles per hour approaching 795 down to evanston. northbound 97, the accident is gone at dorsey road. let's take a live view of traffic and was start at old court road. that is the pace of things down towards edmondson. that will be a while.

give yourself some extra time. the roads are wet. this is 295 southbound and delays now plays down towards 32. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. now we check in with ava marie from the shops at kenilworth. what a great display. >> this small is -- this mall is well known for their training garden. you're the owner of a sports store and you have a trunk show tomorrow. >> we will have a trunk show and with two of our biggest manufacturers. there will be introducing their 0.12 li 2012 line. chiliburger will be here -- kelly berger will be here

signing autographs and talking sports and lacrosse. >> we need to check the weather. we expect the seven-day forecast to get interesting. temperatures dropping down call and we could see snow. colder weather into the end of the weekend. for the trunk show, you can preview all the 2012 items. >> thank you are very much. 61 degrees on tv hill. baldwin wast hc

>> alec baldwin's apparent love of a the game got and booted off a flight. he tweeted he was awaiting takeoff when a flight attendant asked him to turn office ipad. said he was immersed in a word. he said he complied but not fast enough. he was escorted off the plane but caught a later flight on the same airline. >> there was a hole in a home.

the show was showing -- the host should have double checked their map. cannonball smashed a window. the people inside the home were asleep at the time and nobody was hurt. >> a. campbell will do some real damage -- a cannonball will do some real damage. still ahead, your answers to our water cooler question of the day. >> we have some new taxes and

>> welcome back to 11 news today.

lawyers for paul schurick say they will appeal his conviction on charges of conspiracy and fraud. the jury found schurick guilty of all four criminal counts. they found schurick violated the law by authorizing automatic calls to be sent out, telling democrats to stay home since their party had already won. he could face up to 12 years behind bars. jack johnson will be sitting behind bars for quite some time. a judge sends sent to more than seven years in federal prison for excepting millions of dollars in bribes. wiretap recordings reveal johnson and struck his wife to hide cash and flushed the check down the toilet. she will be sentenced on friday. a michigan music teacher decided to change the lyrics to a

popular christmas carol. the school teacher said her students kept snickered at the lyrics to the song "deck the halls." so she changed a line. several parents complained and the song has been returned to its original version. >> that brings us to your answers to our water cooler question of the day. >> this morning we asked -- do you think an elementary school teacher overreacted by replacing the word "gay" in the christmas carol "deck the halls"? >> 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. right now we're attracting a lot of problems. we have an accident on the inner loop the side of the eastern avenue off route. some delays on southbound 95 starting to fall into place out of the white marsh region. tapping the breaks from harford towards dulaney valley. the west side is picking up quickly approaching 795 down to edmondson. watch for delays southbound on 295 down towards up 32. the same slow it on southbound 95 down towards 32. much of this is related to the weather. you can see the roads are wet. topping the breaks down the west

side. this is -- tapping the brakes. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. ava marie joins us live from the shops at kenilworth. but a perfect time of year to be there -- what a perfect time of year. >> i'm here with the owner of an education children's store. what a great idea. you are participating in the shop crawl. >> we have a daily specials. >> 007 car for boys or girls. >> the entire line will be on special for the shop crawl. they are popular with parents. we run out all sorts of themes,

dollhouses and the pirate theme for boys. >> that is on special tomorrow. this is for kids. they build their own sandbox. >> a nice wooden box with all the excesaccessories. >> we know what happens when we mix soda pop with mentos. don't try this at home unless you have a kit. >> lots of fun. >> i love that this is educational. when a great holiday gift and you are encouraging kids to get out and explore the world. we do have rain across the area. temperatures will be dropping down as we head into the afternoon. this is what i want to take home. i hope but not upset my husband.

>> that is too cool. imagine what is happening in your stomach when you eact mentos and soda pop. temperature-wise, nothing going on right now that is all that unusual. it is about 25 degrees when it should be this time of year. 61 at the airport. the average high temperature today is 48. it will not stay this way all day long. there is a front that is coming through western maryland. you can see the temperatures drop off on the other side of the mountains. temperatures are going to drop. by the time the drive home from work, temperatures will be the upper 40's. we'll have some kind of precipitation. we have some rain this morning. a flood watch is in a factor

which could pick up anywhere from one to two inches of rain -- a flood watch is in a effect. the wind will shift from the southwest to the northwest. this will turn cold enough for the rain to turn into snow. i think the temperature will stay above 32 degrees. the roads should not be all that bad. low pressure will travel up the coast tonight. cold air will wrap around it and i think it will catch up to the rain. there is a brief opportunity for snow overnight on thursday morning. we could pick up a couple of inches of snow in some areas. most of you, it will be a one to two-inch snow fall.

mostly rain across southern maryland. into a frederick county and carroll county, two to four inches of snow. the further west you go from baltimore, the more significant the snow. most of you will sleep right through this. a breezy and chilly day on thursday with a high temperature of 44. we'll stay in the 40 possible through the weekend. expect sunshine on sunday for the ravens game with a high of 48 degrees. >> baltimore committee leaders meet with members of the fire yet to discuss safety concerns. kim dacey joins us live with the details. good morning. >> more than two dozen association leaders attended the meeting last night and

learned that more cuts could be devastating to public safety. fire union officials explained the process of how the department fights fires and claims that right now the process is not operating at its full potential. city and fire officials have consistently reported that response times have stayed in line with or even beat the national standard. firefighters have continuously voiced concerns about rotating firehouse closures. they were first implemented nearly three years ago and are affecting three of the city's 38 firehouses a day. union leaders are afraid there will be more cuts in the future. in a statement, a city fire spokesperson said, "providing optimum fire service is a top priority for the city. kim dacey, wbal-tv 11 news. >> thank you. 61 degrees on tv hill. >> we will come back and check the weather and traffic together before you head out to start your day.

>> a lot of weather-related delays. the latest accident is not reisterstown road. we concede we are at 11 miles per hour. the west side delays are heavier than normal -- we can see we're at 11 miles per hour. delays on southbound 295 down towards the 32. same situation on southbound 95. starting to see the white marsh delays and also on the north side hitting over from harford road. this is the northwest corner. very crowded down the west side.

this is 295 and those of the southbound delays. >> near 60 degrees right now. by the time the drive home for more, temperatures will be in the 40's or 50's. might be cold enough for snow. a flood watch is in effect. chilly for the rest of the week with temperatures in the 40's. >> thanks for joining us for 11 news today. >> we will be back with a live update at 7:25. >> have a good one. >> follow breaking news and weather any time at wbaltv.com, and stay connected with us on facebook and twitter.