increasing clouds. you will see sunshine this morning. increasing clouds and high temperature neared 51. rain will eventually catch up to us. first we say good morning to sarah. >> good morning. major roadways for the most part are ok. that includes the harrisburg expressway. we have an accident in white hall. watch for possible delays forming. that went just coming in and the past few minutes. eastbound 50 approaching the bay bridge toll plaza. we will keep you posted on that. a bit of a slow spot on southbound 95 towards a 32, 37 miles per hour. 54 on the west side. the major roadways are in pretty good shape. this is liberty road. out of the traffic is building already. -- outer loop traffic.

greenspring starting to look pretty light over towards the j.f.x. nothing happening on the inner loop. we start to see delays on the outer loop. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> a hearing from one of three colombian teenagers charged a stabbing. police believe it was a drug deal gone bad. sentencing hearing for a man who reportedly called police to report his apartment was burglarized by was then convicted of armed drug trafficking last september. >> a call to complete ban cell phone use while driving. this is a recommendation made by the national transportation safety board. local lawmakers call this on realistic. kim dacey joins us live from

north baltimore with more details. >> good morning. the national transportation safety board made the case for cutting off cell phone usage behind the wheel, including hands-free devices and speakerphones. it is only a recommendation at this point prompted by a deadly crash last year. the ntsb said the driver exchanged 11 text messages well behind the wheel. a delegate does not believe the cell phone ban is realistic in any state but she believes to time to tighten at maryland's law. yuca and get pulled over for texting while driving but not dialing your phone. >> the law is inconsistent. how can you have a texting law that makes it a primary offense and the use of a cell phone as a secondary offense? you have to use the cell phone to text.

>> the delegate wants to make talking without it handsfree devised a primary offense that comes with a stiffer penalty. the recommendation would allow drivers to use a gps device while behind the wheel. kim dacey, wbal-tv 11 news. >> thank you. that brings us to our water cooler question of the day. what do you think of the idea of banning the use of all mobile devices while driving? you can share your response at wbaltv.com and on our facebook page, or send us an e-mail to watercooler@wbaltv.com. >> demonstrators say tuesday morning's evacuation was the beginning of a long fight. they have called a meeting outside mckeldin square. authorities say no arrests were made. protests plan to stay in vacant housing in the city. >> this is just a start. there will be occupations that

will be popping up around town. this is just -- last night was the beginning. this moving into phase two. >> officials denied the request for a permit to continue their protest in the plaza. demonstrators have been at the site since the beginning of october. the scene was not so peaceful in essex. an officer was forced to pepper spray students in order to break up a fight. authorities say one of the student is charged with assaulting a police officer and disrupting school activities. >> it is crazy. people were running around and yelling. >> i was already in the office because i was in a fight. >> police are looking for a second student involved in the

fight. >> the latest on washington and your paycheck. the showdown over extending the payroll tax cut came up for a vote last night. it did pass but it is far from over. tracie potts has the latest. >> this bill is terrible. it is terrible. >> most house democrats voted against the plan for extending the payroll tax cuts. >> republicans are saying we will be a tax cut but will slash your husband's unemployment benefits to pay for it. >> past but not don. >> t time for the senate to act -- it is time for the senate to act. >> the bill is dead on arrival. it was dead before it got to the senate. >> democrats want to deal with spending first. >> they would rather check down

the government then allow this legislation to become law. americans >> are frustrated with this congress. 42% say it it is one of the worst. stop >> the games. stand up for the people -- > > stop the games. >> reaction from the white house -- get it done or no vacation. >> 36 degrees on tv hill. the person of the year will be announced for "time" magazine. >> actual abuse victims filed a lawsuit -- sexual abuse victims. >> delays reported at white hall near the bay bridge. several have a closer

>> welcome back. 5:09. partly cloudy skies. in the 30's in the suburbs. about a 10-degree jump from this time yesterday morning. 33 in parkton. 32 in gaithersburg. 40 in annapolis. increasing clouds today. you'll see some sunshine today. a high temperature near 51. we'll come back and check the forecast going into the weekend. >> thank you. two alleged sexual abuse victims are suing syracuse university for defamation. they say they were arrested by bernie fine. they filed a lawsuit against the university and the head coach for st. the former ball boys

were lying when the accused fine of abuse. a third man also has accused fine of abuse. jerry sandusky waves his preliminary hearing on multiple charges of child sexual abuse. this puts them closer to trial. he denies the allegations and said he waved the hearing so he could present his side at trial. the prosecution said there are advantages for sandusky to waive the hearing. >> gas and oil leases in the gulf of mexico are up for grabs. the cover more than 21 million acres. those leases could lead to the production of hundreds of millions of barrels of oil. the most interesting person of the year is -- you'll have to

watch the "today" show to find out. this year's candidates include hillary clinton, the occupy protesters, get rear difference -- gabrielle giffords, and steve jobs. .> you'd be a good choice 36 degrees on tv hill. we compared the new kindle fire with the nooko. >> the words to avoid when writing a resume -- the nook. writing a resume -- the nook.

and enjoying it less and less? upgrade to verizon fios and get tv, internet and phone for our best price online -- just $79.99 a month for two years with a 2 year agreement. this holiday deal is only for a limited time. so don't wait. get fios at this great price. act now and we'll add a special bonus -- $300 back. hurry, go to verizon.com/greatdeal.

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>> now traffic pulse 11 and insta-weather plus together. >> good morning. sarah caldwell checking on your morning commute. tracking one problem in whitehall. this is near norrisville road, use extra caution. police are on the scene of a crash. problem free on the j.f.x. a bit of a delay through howard county. 55 on the west side. i-95 south, looking at 58 miles per hour. problem free at the 895 split. a live picture at liberty. out of the traffic is building just a bit. this is greenspring. inner loop traffic is very light on the north side of the beltway. 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. our commit so far is smooth. no delays on the rails -- commute so far is new. metro subway on schedule. i am kurt kronke. now back to tony pann. >> good morning. we have high pressure in control on the east coast. that will keep the rain away. the clouds will move in today. this will open the door to the storm system out in the midwest. it is producing some rain on the other side of the mountains. it looks like they will move into maryland but they will bump into that area of high pressure. there is even some snow across portions of wisconsin and back into the u.p. of michigan.

you can see the clouds kind of spilling in from the northwest. you might see some sunshine to start today. we will call at increasing clouds. it will be mostly cloudy by later today. significantly warmer than yesterday, about 10 degrees. 33 in jarrettsville and parkton. you probably don't have to scrape any frost today. becoming mostly cloudy. high temperature in the upper 40's and low 50's. mostly cloudy tonight and maybe some showers will catch up to us tonight, most likely west of baltimore. temperatures around 40. a front will come through tomorrow. we will be on the warm side of the front on thursday. we will have a chance for some showers. we will be in the 50's. the front will stall and there could be some sprinkles on friday.

51 today. 55 to mark with a chance for showers. a slight chance for something on friday -- 55 tomorrow. a clipper storm passes on sunday. a slight chance for sprinkles or flurries and another chance for rain on tuesday next week. >> weak tv sales. holiday sales have largely focused on high-end tv models. the demand for tv's has been low all year. according to a chief executive, sales on high-end models could get bigger through january, and tv's that retail for $500 or less could see more sales later

in march. a few words to replace or avoid using on your resumes. top-10 words that job-seekers overuse --create of, innovative, ive.motivated --create creative was overuse in the united kingdom and the united states. so be creative and use a different word. they are the hot new gadgets to have this holiday. which is better? we talked to way expert for this review. >> the ipad established a market for tablets. it is a market that the nook wants in on. >> most of what people do on

ipad is consumed media. >> media consumption, books, movies, and games is with these offerings from amazon and barnes and noble are counting on. >> they deliver about the same entertainment experience. >> they are also both wifi devices. kindle fire relies on a more. >> they put 8 gigabytes of storage which means 10 movies if you're lucky. the nook has more options. >> they also differ in their physical design. >> there is it home but you can press and volume buttons. >> the nook table gets points for -- the nook tablet gets

points. >> this could be a cook and pepsi situations . >> the tablet choice could be as simple as company preference. >> a consumer report on the today show. people feel thankful just to have a job. there is buzz of a new american dream. it is about comfortably living on less. for some, even leaving your things behind. a profile on a family that is doing just that later on the today show. >> very interesting. and creative.

best buy shares are plunging on wall street. jane king has the bloomberg business report. good morning t do. >> good morning. congress not to popular lately -- good morning to you. 42% say this congress is one of the worst. congress holds the key to long- term benefits to millions of americans out of work. it hinges on whether they can agree to a measure. emergency unemployment benefits will taper off if congress does not agree to extend them past december 31. maryland's nonprofits added jobs in 2010. for-profit companies shed more of them. futures are pretty quiet, flat this morning.

another down day is today. fed policy makers held back to take any future measures on the economy. shares of best buy plunging 15% after seeing all those black friday discounts hurt their profit. if you're thinking of returning atv, those returns do add up -- if you're thinking of returning a tv. as include everything from receiving and restocking -- costs include everything from receiving and stalking. >> security cameras are just about everywhere. >> you assume that people are watching for shoplifters. there is another case of big brother watching you when you're shopping. they are keeping a close eye on consumer behavior.

like how online retailers watch our moves. i'm all over the store. >> 36 degrees on tv hill. an anti bullying program sparked criticism from parents. >> don't forget to e-mail us your response to our water cooler question of the day. what do you think of the idea of banning the use of all mobile devices while driving? that includes blue tooth. you can share your response at wbaltv.com and on our facebook page, or send us an e-mail to watercooler@wbaltv.com.

>> concern over an anti-bullying

program this morning. they should tell the person to let it go when they see a harassment. educators say it gives kids encouragement to speak up when they see something wrong. the principal says it has been a success. >> if you're tired of high- volume commercials, the government has heard you. a new rule will prepared commercials played much louder than television shows. the rule will be imposed after thousands of viewer complaints. this will not take effect for another year. you may have to keep your finger button lowte water. i hate that. >> i thought it was just me. >> you thought you were getting older. >> not just that.

>> 36 degrees on tv hill. what police are asking of the public. >> and arraignment is expected for a man charged with attempted murder. >> cell phones to be completely banned behind the wheel. i'm kim dacey with more. >> it will be mild over the next few days. we will check the seven-day forecast. >> southbound 95 through howard county, word of an accident. we will check on the accident in we will check on the accident in white hall

>> 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. about 10 degrees warmer this morning. >> it does feel different.

>> i almost broke out the tank top this morning. >> darn. >> frozen tundra. it is a bit warmer this morning. everything is relative. 34 at the airport. yesterday at this time it was 24. we have a couple of clouds hanging around. you'll see some sunshine this morning. it will be cloudy this afternoon with a high of 51. the chance for rain goes up tomorrow. >> bermuda shorts tomorrow. >> as far as your morning commute, let's update you on a few things. reports on one on southbound 95. another near 32. we're checking on both of those reports. we will let you know what we find. the west side looks pretty good, 55 miles per hour in the

outer loop. had an accident in white hall. that has not been clear. everything running smoothly on the harrisburg expressway. so far so good on 97 to the glen burnie area. here is 95 at 175. watching to see if any delays start to form because of the reported action. there is one at 32 and another at 175. this is the north side at harford road. no delays in the outer loop. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> the person charged with attempting to murder a man in charles village is scheduled to be arraigned later today. he shot and injured a man on st. paul street. he is charged with armed robbery and a handgun violation.

>> the national transportation safety board is calling for a complete ban on cell phone use while driving. some local lawmakers call this on realistic but say they are prepared to pursue stricter cell phone lost next year in annapolis. kim dacey is live with details. >> the ban would include all hands-free devices and speakerphones. it does have some local lawmakers looking at revising laws.nd's this crash prompted the national transportation safety board to make a drastic recommendation. >> that does apply to blue tooth, hands free. it is a visual and a constant distraction and a manual distractions we are concerned about. >> a driver cost of this 2010

missouri wreck. egate is not believe a cell phone ban is realistic in any state. you can get pulled over for texting while driving but not for dialing your phone. >> the laws are inconsistent. how can you have a texting law that makes it a primary offense and the use of a cell phone as a secondary offense? you have to use the cell phone to text. you can't do one without the other. >> she wants to make talking a primary offense. officials say it cell phone use has been cited in a fatal train accident in california and a deadly boat collision in philadelphia. >> death is inconvenient. >> the ntsb recommendation would

allow drivers to use gps devices behind a wheel. passengers would be able to continue to use their cell phones. kim dacey, wbal-tv 11 news. >> thank you. that brings us to our water cooler question of the day. what do you think of the idea of banning the use of all mobile devices while driving? you can share your response at wbaltv.com and on our facebook page, or send us an e-mail to watercooler@wbaltv.com. >> police have identified the man they said robbed a bank on the campus of towson university. he's charged with robbing the bank on monday morning which forced a lot down on the university. he's charged with robbing a bank on smith avenue at last month. he is being held without bail. >> a family is without a home as they inspect the damage after a massive fire.

look at this video. this happened on monday night. it took 75 firefighters to gain control of this fire. crews had to transport water from a nearby restaurant. the homeowner said the fire destroyed a number of cars and motorcycles. damage estimates topped $1 million. a child is recovered after being hit by a car. skyteam 11 was over the scene of the accident. investigators say the child was with her mother when she ran into traffic. the child was checked out and is expected to be ok. >> a case of identity theft. surveillance photos have been released in hope to find this man. assumed the attendee of an account holder. happened in edgewater back on

november 23 and november 28. if you think you know this man's identity, call metro crime stoppers at 1-866-7-lockup. >> the operator of an incinerator has agreed to pay fines. the term a general's office said the company exceeded its mercury emissions limit during the 2010 compliance test. is the result of an employee mistakenly shutting off a control system. >> a contradicting study on how to treat back pain. >> common causes of stillbirth. >> an accident on the j.f.x.

>> welcome back. 45 degrees downtown. warmer than this time yesterday. you will not have to scrape any frost off your windshield. the 30's in most locations away from the city. 36 in hagerstown. 32 in york, pennsylvania. increasing clouds today. the clouds will thicken up going into the afternoon. a high temperature expected around 51. we have some rain in the seven- day forecast. >> some new research suggests amris may be unnecessary for patients being treated for back pain -- mri's may be unnecessary. >> a study found after three

months, there was no difference between patients who got an injection at based on an mri result and those based on a physical. this can reduce medical costs by reducing many of these scans. nikole evaluations can determine the cause of deaths in many stillbirths -- nicole evaluations. >> a new study found a post- mortem exam revealed the cause in 76% of the cases. that is important in helping parents find closure. our medical coverage continues online. you can learn more about mutated genes identified in patients. how to avoid health insurance reversal, as it often will

reverse itself. find it all on wbaltv.com. >> 5:40. 36 degrees on tv hill. how john harbaugh will help as brother this weekend. >> this is a look over the north baltimore area. we will check traffic and weather when we come back. weather when we come back.

>> now traffic pulse 11 and insta-weather plus together. >> good morning. sarah caldwell checking on your morning commute. getting a bit busier. reports of an accident northbound on the j.f.x. in the area of the beltway. we have seen several emergency vehicles. we'll see if we can update you. southbound 95 at 32, we have an accident near 175 and another

near up 32. watch for delays in developing. 53 miles per hour on the west side outer loop near at baltimore national pike. the rest of the major roadways are so far cooperating. we start with 95. southbound traffic at 32. a bit of a buildup perhaps as a result of the accident. we're trying to confirm if any lanes are closed. this is the j.f.x. at ruxton road. northbound traffic just past the beltway. we saw several emergency vehicles in that area. we're guessing it is closer to falls road. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. now let's get the latest on the buses and the trains. for that we go to kurt kronke of the mta system. >> good morning. we have a few delays on the buses. the 55 and 56 buses operating with delays.

there's construction at lawrence. the light rail and metro subway both on time. no delays on the penn, camden, and brunswick lines. are invited to take pictures with santa claus this saturday from 10:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. at the mondawmin metro station. enjoy the train garden on display through january 7. i am kurt kronke. now back to tony pann. >> thank you. a couple of high, thin clouds this morning. probably later this morning, the clouds will start to thicken up. we have almost the same set up as yesterday. high pressure is protecting us from the rain. there is a storm system coming across the midwest and there's some snow up in michigan. most of that will miss us today. eventually it will catch up to us. the clouds will thicken up.

we will get some rain. right now there's nothing showing up around us. rain is moving across ohio and into west virginia. most of that will fall apart but there could be some showers in western maryland. we should state dry in baltimore today. -- we should stay dry. clouds are filling from the northwest. increasing clouds as we go into the morning and afternoon. temperatures are about 10 degrees warmer than they were yesterday. we had temperatures in the teens and 20's. 34 at the airport. the 36 in sykesville. take a jacket. it is chilly. not as cold as yesterday. increasing clouds during the day today. high temperatures in the upper 40's and low 50's. tonight, mostly cloudy skies and

a slight chance for some rain, mostly west of baltimore. we drop into the upper 30's. tomorrow, we'll be on the warm side of the storm system. will push the temperatures into the mid 50's. -- we will post a temperatures into the mid 50's. temperatures dip back closer to average by saturday and sunday. 51 today, a 55 tomorrow. 40% chance for showers on thursday. a slight chance for rain on friday. dry in chilly to start the weekend on saturday. a clipper system comes through to our north. a chance for a sprinkle or flurry. not a big deal. the next chance for rain will be tuesday of next week. >> a deposition hearing for a

man, one of three columbia teenagers wanted in connection with a stabbing. the incident reportedly happened in the village of kingston. a sentencing hearing scheduled for a 34-year-old man who reportedly called police that his apartment was burglarized. >> demonstrators say the evacuation on tuesday it was only the beginning of a long fight. the crowd was peaceful and authorities said no arrests were made. plan to stay in vacant housing over the city -- they plan to stay in vacant housing over the city. demonstrators were at that site from the beginning of october. >> nearly all american troops

are scheduled to be out of iraq by new year's. >> a familiar scene -- a planeload of men and women in uniform as they finish their long voyage home. >> a white that has lasted months -- a wait that has lasted months is moments from being over. the children are making signs for their father, return from his final deployment. >> i know he's coming home alive. >> two small scissors are unaware today is the day -- take a small sisters. ashley told her daughter's they were there to welcome somebody else's father home.

father will not miss christmas. the auditorium has looked just like this, full of families and happy with anticipation, as another planeload of troops arrives home. as the soldiers will toward their family, she realizes the homecoming is a father's. the initial review it is quick. then they can return to their families. for the hopkins, the madronas -- >> i have missed you. >> it is great to be home. >> there may be of the deployments, but for now, the direct chapter of their service comes to a close -- the iraq chapter of their service comes to a close.

reunion scenes.rilliance scene >> here is a look at last night's winning maryland lottery numbers. hope you have them.

>> if the ravens continued to win, they will not need any help improving their standings in the playoff picture. that does not mean that john harbaugh would not like to help his brother. jim harbaugh will host the pittsburgh steelers this sunday. if 49ers wa 49ers win would fave ravens. john harbaugh points out that sharing takes place between coaches all the time. ofi'm sure there'll be some

them. coaches to that around the league based on best interests and things like that. i know that coaches spend time talking about us before the us.offey play is not our concern. -- that is not our concern. >> three sacks for terrell suggs. he picked up the afc defensive player of the week award for a third time. ravens have three regular-season games remaining and terrell suggs needs three more sacks to set the single season record, 15 sacks set back and 200. an gerry sandusky. >> the national transportation safety board is calling for a ban on cell phone use by

drivers. they say even momentary distractions are proving deadly. they are pushing for all 50 states to enact laws. they have found driver distraction to be the culprit in the number of high-profile accidents. this is one of the most sweeping recommendations ever made by the board. that brings us to one of your answers of our water cooler question of the day. >> this morning we asked -- what do you think of the idea of banning the use of all mobile devices while driving? >> keep sending us those responses. we will read more of your responses in the next hour and post all of them on the front page of our website, wbaltv.com. >> first he backed out of the presidential race, and now donald trump said he will no longer a moderate eight gop debate.

>> a new security feature for the arundel mills mall. >> if you love food like funnel cakes and candy apples, go to oklahoma. will taken inside a restaurant -- we will take you inside a restaurant. >> breakfast of champions. >> we are talking about some actions. there is one on 95 in howard county and another on the j.f.x. involvement in overturned a involvement in overturned a vehicle

>> will cool lawmakers react to an ntsb recommendation to ban all cell phone use behind the all cell phone use behind the