46 at the airport. mostly cloudy skies. by the late afternoon hours, we will see some rain showers moving from the west. high temperatures in the mid 50's. not bad for this time of year. we'll come back and check the forecast into the weekend. >> not a lot. we are tracking a downed pole in anne arundel county. giving you the heads up on that. looking good on the rest of the major roadways. 95 through howard county, 52 miles per hour near 32. 54 on the north side at providence. the j.f.x. equally smooth into town. the other roads leading up to the beltway are in good shape. harrisburg expressway at shawan road, problem free north and

southbound. this is 70 at 29. east and westbound traffic checking out just fine. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> after nine years, it is finally over. the last troops are coming all from iraq. >> leon panetta is there for ceremonies. tracie potts is in washington monitoring the events. >> this morning defense secretary leon panetta participates in a ceremony at the baghdad airport, taking down the last u.s. flag, marking the end of this war. >> i am proud to say these words -- i know your families a break -- welcome home. welcome home. >> president obama congratulated troops and thanked military families. >> you have the thanks of a

grateful nation. we are ending a war not with a final battle, with a final march towards home. >> from the first air strike to the fall of baghdad, nearly 4500 americans lost their lives. the u.s. brought democracy but security is still a problem. rebuilding is far from over. john mccain accused the president of ordering the pullout -- >> history will judge the president's leadership with a scorned and distain that it deserves. >> but today, no failure, victory. >> very happy he will be here for christmas. >> the troops are finally coming home. the budget office says since the beginning we've spent over $750

billion on this war. tracie potts, wbal-tv 11 news. >> police are trying to track down the man they said sexually assaulted a woman in glen burnie. the woman met the man at a bar. he then sexually assaulted her. this happened along hospital drive. >> she met him at the bar and walked down hospital drive with him and the assault occurred somewhere in that area. >> the suspect is described aa black man about 6 foot 4 inches with short black hair and a tattoo on his neck. if you know this man's identity, you're asked to call metro crime stoppers at 1-866-7-lockup. of tories say this man is behind a series of sex crimes against

children. he is accused of abusing three children in california. investigators believe one of the victims is from anne arundel county. >> police are investigating a shooting inside the barbershop. a man was shot several times inside the shop on harford road around 7:00 p.m. last night. the victim was rushed to the hospital appeared police believed the motive was robbery. >> calling on a well known victim of domestic violence. incidents of domestic violence rise dramatically this time of year. you have recalled a woman lost her children when her husband drove them offer of a bridge. she will offer help with those who have a difficult time.

>> there are lots of resources out there. the best thing i can tell is that people should listen. >> baltimore county has set up a 24-hour crisis line. if you need help, you can call the number you see on your screen. >> the ravens are on the road, taking on the chargers and they will have some home comfort. a group will travel to san diego to take them on. jennifer franciotti has more. >> there are ravens fans all over this morning who are waking up and heading out to the airport. you have no idea the amount of fans that are traveling to san diego for this weekend's game. this is jeff rubin from one of

the many outlets you can find to follow your team. good morning. this is pretty amazing. this started out with your son. >> my son began this six years ago. we went to indianapolis. it was not a great experience. it was being in a stadium with not all of ravens fans. my son decided he wanted to have people with him. so at the next year he started with 25 people. we are taking over 100 people to this game. people go on a trip with us and it is more than just a game. we have a cocktail party and tailgating before the game. people become friends through this. >> is flight leaves at 7:45 and you'll be taking over 100 people. >> we will be staying in the gas

light district. we try to stay in an area where people have something to do at night. >> you have a cocktail party the night before. then you will sit together at the game. areall of our seats together. >> show me your t-shirt. everybody gets together and has a ball. you make these shirts up. >> we do these seven people have something to remember the trip by. >> sounds like so much fun. i wish i could go with you. we will be talking to ravens fans all morning long. back to you. >> thank you. the majority of us find the holidays to be a stressful time. for some, shopping is a form of

therapy. a new survey finds 25% people go shopping simply to improve their mood. shopping does provide a short- term increase of the levels in the brain of happiness. 15% say they feel guilty after the shopping spree. that brings us to our water cooler question of the day. do you find holiday shopping a good way to relieve stress, or is it something that causes you stress? you can share your response at wbaltv.com and on our facebook page, or send us an e-mail to watercooler@wbaltv.com. >> i'm in the more stressed category. a lot to do and not a lot of time. 45 degrees on tv hill. e-books are popular but physical books are making a comeback. >> caught on tape being naughty.

two teens trashing a christmas display. >> this is northbound 83 at shawan road. sarah was a closer look at traffic.

>> welcome back. mostly cloudy but dry in baltimore. we will make it into the 50's this afternoon. we should get through the morning commute without rain. may 40's out west. 42 in taneytown. -- may 40's out west. mostly cloudy skies. a slight chance for some rain around lunchtime. high temperature of 55. we'll come back and check the seven-day forecast. >> thank you. a bizarre car accident in

tennessee is caught on tape. a woman was running into a store and it was followed by a pickup truck. the driver was chasing the woman after a domestic dispute. he got out of the vehicle and stole an suv which he crashed into a bread truck. he was taken to hospital in critical condition. >> 8 virginia family is out raids after their christmas display is destroyed by vandals. security cameras captured two teenagers smashing the display in fairfax, virginia. more than $7,000 in damage. >> christmas is special to us and the display is special. ruining something like a christmas display is not right. >> that is just terrible.

the teenagers jumped into a car and drove over was left of the display. police are looking for the bengals. >> send them to the north pole -- police are looking for the vandals. >> the list of vehicles with the best crash test ratings. >> which models made the list -- seeing which models made the list. >> we're checking on your morning commute. so far so good on the major roadways.jo

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>> now traffic pulse 11 and insta-weather plus together. >> good morning. sarah caldwell checking on your morning commute. this thursday morning in shaping up pretty well. one problem in anne arundel county, route 2, as island road is closed because of it downed pole and wires. avoid that if you can. so far so good on 97 in glen burnie. 100 checking out just fine. the roads around the airport look good. moving well on the north side. not tracking any delays on 795 coming down from owings mills. this is the harrisburg expressway at shawan road. problem free at the moment. pretty quiet on 70 at 29 east

and westbound traffic. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. now let's get the latest on the buses and the trains. for that we go to kurt kronke of the mta system. good morning. >> good morning. we have a delay on the light rail. metro subway operating on time. the one bus diverting at lawrence. i'm kurt kronke. now back to tony pann. >> we have some cloud cover this morning and i think we'll get to the drive times without any precipitation. there is some rain coming across ohio. they will move into west virginia and over towards baltimore. most of the morning will be ok. we will probably see some rain showers this afternoon. it is mostly cloudy right now. you will probably see sunshine to start the day. 46 at the airport.

42 in parkton. 10 degrees warmer than it was yesterday at this time. a chance for rain showers mostly in the afternoon. a high temperature of 55. tonight, showers are likely. otherwise cloudy with temperatures dropping back into the upper 30's. clouds to bar and cooler with a high near 49. there could be some light rain or snow on friday but it should clear up on saturday. sprinkles or flurries are possible on sunday. the next chance for significant precipitation will be tuesday and wednesday with highs in the 40's. >> the people who make our cars and suv's have gotten a gift this morning. the list and chris clackum has the details. >> top safety picks.

the number of vehicles getting the honor from the insurance institute for highway safety has nearly doubled. 150 vehicles are among the top safety picks. >> that tells the consumer that they will be well protected in a serious frontal crash, side impact, and rollover crashes. >> rollover crashes is why roof strength was the focal point this year. surviving injury was behind the push to get car makers to make roofs stronger. >> the route must support four times the vehicle's weight before crushes more than 5 inches. >> every major organ maker has at least one model on the list with subaru earning zero wars for every model they build.

toyota has 15 winners fall by gm, volkswagen, ford, and honda. chris clackum, wbal-tv 11 news. >> book retailers are singing and optimistic tune. pricey coffee table books and massive biographies are selling well. the initial weeks of christmas shopping have shown surprising sales for book sales. borders went out of business. >> bwi is more tech friendly the new do you think. jane king has the bloomberg business report. good morning. >> good morning. the senate may vote as early as today to approve a defense plan. the house just passed this legislation.

most the pentagon's expensive weapons program. this is the third hearing with regulators stepping up to the plate. the house financial services committee will focus on whether agencies knew of any information on potential problems at the company ahead of its collapse. investors taking a closer look at the facebook game. they are offering 100 million shares and will begin trading on friday. this is expected to be the biggest internet company to go public since google. we did have a down day yesterday on concern europe is still struggling to contain its debt crisis. techies flying out of bwi aren lock. the top-10 list for tech travelers. they have good wifi service with

a relatively quick download speeds. cell phone service was not too bad. dallas-fort worth took the top spot. i'm jane king reporting for wbal-tv 11 news. back to you. >> that time of year for at office parties. workers are being warned to be on their best behavior. >> we have heard is our entire careers. but now with facebook, it is even more important. tics ando some crazy and si the holiday parties and details on some big sales this weekend at giant retailer's. >> no street at the company party -- no streaking. >> 5:22. 45 degrees on tv hill. "the lion king" roarrs its way

baltimore. >> don't forget to e-mail us your response to our water cooler question of the day. do you find holiday shopping a good way to relieve stress, or is it something that causes you stress? you can share your response at wbaltv.com and on our facebook page, or send us an e-mail to watercooler@wbaltv.com.

>> it has won six tony awards. we're talking about "the lion king." >> the show is back in baltimore. >> "the lion king" runs through january 8. when it comes to costumes, there is nothing like it. ♪

"the lion king" opened on broadway in 1997 and has been seen by over 63 million people. the show has been performed in 14 different countries and out it is in baltimore. the costumes make it spectacular. there are 420 costumes. >> they do their first number and they command and a change clothes. they come back and change clothes. >> she is the assistant wardrobe supervisor for the show. she showed me some of these beautiful costumes. >> one of the most attractive moments in the show is when a young love blossoms in the pish umble.

she has a big backs ran the goes across the top the gives the illusion of blossoming. >> one of the performers dances and sings and she has a number of costumes she wears. how much time do you have to change? >> it depends. sometimes we have a minute or a minute and 30 seconds to change costumes. some of our constant changes are longer than that but some are pretty quick. >> if you have the opportunity, come down to the hippodrome. "the lion king" is a show you will not forget. rob roblin, wbal-tv 11 news. >> i would love to see it. >> they do a wonderful job. >> 45 degrees on tv hill.

>> the ravens fans are getting ready to head to san diego for the big game against the chargers and some are arriving at the airport in style. i'm jennifer franciotti. >> i'm a tara mergener door. a fight over keeping more money in your paycheck could bring down the rest of the government. >> the weather is pretty quiet but we have some rain in the forecast. >> looking pretty quiet on the major roadways. we will update you on one problem in harwood this morning. some

>> 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 pretty mild morning. >> temperatures are in the 40's. we have been going up about 10 degrees each morning. it is relatively mild. 46 degrees at the airport. that is the average high temperature for this date. we will make it up to 56 or 57 today. we do expect some rain to move in late this morning or this afternoon. take an umbrella with you. you may need it on your way home. we will check the seven forecast in a few minutes. >> the morning commute looks great. one problem in harwood. we have a closure because of a downed pole and wires. solomon's island road is shut down over to 255. take 468 as your alternate.

97 north and southbound traffic in pretty good shape. 52 miles per hour on the west side. 795 checking out just fine on the north side. a nice start on 795 and the harrisburg expressway. this is greenspring. no problems to report and no delays. light volume towards the j.f.x. a little sluggish through the tunnels southbound. nothing impacting your right. looking good on the area bridges. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> thank you. lawmakers are still locked in a stalemate over extending the payroll tax cuts. >> there could be an impact on funding for the rest of the government. tara mergener is in washington with details. >> good morning. the top three lawmakers met

privately on wednesday but still no deal. the fight continues over extending payroll tax cuts. >> the republican house has passed a bill loaded with all kinds of provisions that have nothing to do with the payroll tax cut. >> funding to keep the government running has friday may be in jeopardy. >> it is clear that president obama and senator harry reid want to threaten a government shutdown. >> both sides agree the payroll tax holiday should be extended they do not agree on the details. senate democrats met with president obama to consider dropping demands that the tax holiday be paid for with a new surtax on millionaires. first they say republicans have to negotiate. >> they have spent weeks drumming up tea party support. >> democrats insist the bill has to many strings attached like an

oil pipeline project. senate republicans are blocking a vote on the measure until they can vote on a spending package. >> fund the government through the rest of the fiscal year and then turned to the payroll tax cut extension that expires later in january. >> house republicans could go ahead with your own spending bill despite objections from the white house. they're pushing for a short-term deal to allow more time for negotiations. in washington, i'm tara mergener, wbal-tv 11 news. >> the ravens are on the road this weekend to take on the charges. a group of devoted fans will make the trip to san diego to cheer them on. jennifer franciotti has more on the story. i am surprised you are not making this trip. >> i have been surprised by the

number of ravens fans that to travel to away games. we have the best fans. i am standing here with jeff rubin. you are taking a group of about 100 today. what is it like to do tailgating at the stadium away? >> it is fabulous. in houston, we do the top gating in the practice of the silly. it gives people a couple of hours before the game to get together and talk -- in the practice facility. we show the purple power. >> you say 80% are repeat customers. >> it is an experience with us. everybody gets to know each other and everybody becomes friends on facebook. >> he has to go inside the airport to check in.

we have some other folks. we have poetic justice disciple and captain defense. they have brought their ravens bus. you are going to san diego. we have ravens fans leaving today and today. we will show you to be spectacular ravens boss. -- bus. it is supercool. back to you guys. >> i think she will get on the plane. some americans enjoy the hustle and bustle of the holidays. 25% say they have gone shopping to improve their mood. for many, that good mood is short-lived. some feel guilty after shopping

spree. that brings us to our water cooler question of the day. do you find holiday shopping a good way to relieve stress, or is it something that causes you stress? you can share your response at wbaltv.com and on our facebook page, or send us an e-mail to watercooler@wbaltv.com. >> i cannot wait to hear the answers on that one. 45 degrees on tv hill. the connection between cholesterol-lowering drugs and the flou. >> meet this baby. find out what she has to do with a can of soda and the iphone. >> sarah caldwell checking on your morning commute. in harwood, we have a downed pole and wires in that area. we will check

>> welcome back. 5:40. 48 degrees already downtown. this will be a mild day. we have some rain to talk about. would you get away from the city, it is a touch cooler. 44 in hagerstown. 46 at the airport. thickening clouds. into the afternoon, we will see a better chance for some rain showers. a high temperature of 56. we'll come back and check the seven-day forecast through the weekend. >> hpv testing is the best way for checking cervical cancer in women. >> women were given a dna test or a pap smear.

five years later, they had both tests. >> five years later, women who led the hpv test and fewer cases of cervical cancer. it appears to spot cancer earlier. >> stanton's may be important in fighting -- statins may be important in fighting the flu. were lessth the flu likely to die if they were also taking statins. more studies are needed. >> a woman decided to have a double mastectomy after she was diagnosed with breast cancer. the procedure on tuesday lasted

about four hours. the third smallest baby ever born is doing well in a hospital in los angeles. >> she was born 16 weeks early and wade will more than half a pound -- and weighed more than half a pound. she weighs less than a can of soda. she is roughly the size of two iphones. she now weighs 4.12 pounds. >> 45 degrees on tv hill. looking to see if the terrapins can avoid a holiday of said. >> ava marie live in dundalk the sporting. a preview of a train garden after the break. >> this is a live look down at the harbor area. nice and mild out. check out weather and traffic

check out weather and traffic when we come

>> now traffic pulse 11 and insta-weather plus together. >> good morning. sarah caldwell checking on your morning commute. not bad out there if you head out in harwood, that is the only problem spark a long solomons island road. all lanes are closed because of eddown the wires, down e pole. everything running smoothly on 97 through the glen burnie area. a nice start so far on the entire beltway, as you can see. the j.f.x. in great shape into town. a smooth ride on the harrisburg expressway. greenspring, you can see things are getting a bit heavier towards the west side. no official delight.

traffic pretty like towards the j.f.x. looking just fine and the harbor tunnel. 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. >> we are moving along nicely. one bus diversion at lawrence. light rail does have a 20-minute delay. mattress cowboy -- metro subway on schedule. i'm kurt kronke. >> good morning. we will check the seven forecast in just a moment. first we say good morning to ava marie. she is in dundalk this morning. >> good morning. i feel like a kid again next to this incredible train garden. i'm not the wise avenue volunteer fire company. i'm with one of the firefighters, bob francis. this has been open for a few

weeks. >> we opened the first weekend after thanksgiving. >> you had 10,000 people visit. >> we will probably have 30,000 visitors before the train garden closes. >> i can see why. this is one of the largest in the state. >> you are probably more in the area of about 5000 square feet of viewable area -- 1500 square feet. this always changes every year. people can come back and see something new. >> this year we have our 9/11 memorial bridge, the memory of the firefighters from new york city. we have some windmills and some green technologies are big in the world today. there are some local themes.

we have trains from the patapsco and back river railroad. so there are the seger marine terminal. we like to keep local -- sea girt marine terminal. we are open every day except christmas day. weekdays from 6:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. and on the weekend from noon until 9:00 p.m. >> people keep wanting to push christmas even farther. we will be talking about this all morning long. a beautiful train garden. we do have that storm system off to the west that is slowly moving in. a better chance for rain this ever to go. i even have a sign for wbal -- i

even saw a sign. >> john collins will be very jealous. he will want to talk to you when you get back. that is outstanding. thank you, ava. that is cool stuff. we have high pressure. there has been helping us out and keeping this storm system off to the west. it will start to break out and some of this rain is going to catch up to us. it will be a gradual process. we'll get to the morning dry. by this afternoon, we will see a chance for some rain showers. you can see the rain moving across ohio. most of this will fall apart. it should diminish and fall apart by the time it's over towards us. the clouds are starting to spill and. it is a mostly cloudy morning. you can see cloud cover to start

the day. about 10 degrees warmer than yesterday at this time. 45 in edgewood. you still have to take a jacket with you. it will be a warm day for december. mostly cloudy is our forecast. rain showers late this morning and this afternoon. high temperatures in the upper 50's depending on how much sunshine sneaks to the clouds. rain showers are likely to die. temperatures dipped back into the 30's. the seven-day forecast into the weekend, a mix of clouds and some sunshine tomorrow. friday night there will be a wave passing to our south. eight slight chance for some rain or snow. chilly with a high near 45. -- a slight chance for some rain or snow. we expect some rain perhaps early next week on tuesday and

wednesday. >> 45 degrees on tv hill. up next, we'll take a look at one of your answers to our water cooler question of the day. >> here is a look at last night's winning maryland lottery numbers.

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>> time to get to one of your answers to our watercooler question of the day. >> this morning we asked -- do you find holiday shopping a good way to relieve stress, or is it something that causes you stress? >> i guess it is stressful for will. >> keep sending as those responses. we will read more of your responses in the next hour and post all of them on the front page of our website, wbaltv.com. >> good morning. we begin with some college

basketball. a win last fight for the university of maryland. the terrapins comeback to beat florida international. the game was played at comcast center. his team came ready to play. jeremy allen hitts the 3. order was restored. he gets possession and scores and he had 12. the terrapins by 1. they get the win down the stretch, thanks in part to terrell stoglin. he had 20. the terrapins are 6-3. the ravens are two-point favorites to beat the chargers.

sedate the welcome back ray lewis to the practice field -- yes today today welcome the back ray lewis. they given a long, slow clap -- they gave him a long, slow clap. you'll see terrell suggs. ray by doing the ray dance. haloti ngata welcome back by saying, "ray who"? >> they stepped up for us and did a great job. and ray lewis will be coming back. you'll see that excitement and leadership come back. it will be good for us. >> ray is not sure if he will

play. you can see the game right here on sunday night. >> thank you. dew points have been designed just-in-time for the celebration -- new coins. >> a bear riding in a garbage truck has become a sensation. >> police say thieves are taking off of people's holiday packages delivered right to their front door. >> they probably would not find them on the bus. the bear? there was too much time in between. it is too early for stand-up. we have some rain to talk about. >> there are some problems. we'll update you on an accident in bel air and another in gwynn

oak involved and overturned a vehicle.