that date back to 1968 when it first opened its doors in the lexington market. >> we are talking about -- nadia is live with this story. i am sure a lot of folks are unhappy about this. >> as you can and magic, these customers, they were not too happy about this news. he spoke to the franchise owner. she said she tried desperately to stay open but the economy proved to be unstable. it is the end of an era. >> another baltimore tradition is closing. >> after 43 years of serving countless numbers of hot and spicy dogs and of those famous sausages -- >> i always ordered mine with the works. >> polock johnny's is shutting

down their gross for good this saturday. >> it is an icon, it really is. >> dianne, who has been the owner of this franchise for 15 years, made the tough decision after she noticed a decline of patrons over the years. with a sluggish economy and stiff competition from major food chains, she is left with no choice but to close down operations. >> we have got through a whole year. we look for other means that other ways but nothing came through. we have to go. >> patrons like kevin doyle who used to come here with his grandfather started the same tradition with his daughter three years ago. he is sad to see a baltimore staple go. >> my grandfather and father are gone. now, this is gone. >> when the food eatery closes this weekend, she will be working at one of the other two locations in the baltimore area.

in the meantime, she is going to miss the many friends and customers who made the food at shack so famous. >> i will miss everything about it. i wish i could stay. i have been here for a long time. >> you have until saturday to enjoy polock johnny's at lexington market. after that you can visit their other two locations. reporting live from downtown, nadia, wbal tv 11 news. >> it is like a scene from a movie, a scary with that turned into reality. >> she got into her car that was parked in an apartment complex only to find a stranger hiding the in the back seat who popped up and demanded her purse. >> police are still trying to figure out how the suspect got into the backseat of the car. the victim apparently locked it

the night before. the search continues for a man accused of robbing that woman here >> the 45-year-old woman was getting ready to leave for work at 40 -- 4:30 in the morning. >> you would not expect that from a round here. that is totally just shocking. >> the suspect made money. at a certain point, it appears she -- he requested that she drive for a short distance. ultimately he was able to make off with her purse. >> the woman was not heard and police are trying to figure out how the suspect got into her car. the investigation continues, and some people in the apartment complex are on edge about the recent crime. >> i am scared to go outside and walk the dog at night. my fiancee goes out because you never know what will happen. >> in the meantime, police are urging everyone to be cautious about their surroundings. >> travel in groups if you can,

keep a cell phone handy if you see anything suspicious. as always, secure your windows and doors. >> if you have any information on this case, called metro crime stoppers. we are live in anne arundel county. >> the carroll county health department is out thousands of dollars. police are searching for vandals that struck several cars over the christmas holiday. this is what health department officials were called to handle on christmas morning. an employee noticed the vehicles while out walking and contacted investigators. at this moment, the investigators do not have a motive but they think it is a pure case of vandalism. >> this is just vandalism for no real reason. certainly, you do not want to see folks get away with that stuff with impunity.

>> police do not have suspects in the investigation is ongoing. wet roads may have played a role in an accident involving a fire department suv. this happened around noon today on how martin luther king, jr., boulevard. police tell us nobody was hurt. >> one person was hurt after an overnight fire in baltimore city. kevin cartwright said firefighters got a call about 3:30 this morning. that is where the big boys bail bond company is located. it started in a basement and spread to more floors. a second person was taken to the hospital for smoke the event -- inhalation. it took an hour to bring the fire under control. two civilians were treated for minor injuries after a two alarm house fire. it was in the 900 block of main street.

because of that fire remains under investigation. fire investigators in frederick county are trying to figure out what caused two garage fires in a urbanic community. it was along the 700 block of singleton terrace. another fire was a few hundred blocks away on addison woods road. firefighters were able to put out the flames. total damages for both buyers is estimated a round $130,000. -- fires is estimated $130,000. >> up to one-half inch and 81 inch in some areas of rain. let's take a look at hd doppler. some heavy rain and cecil county. some light rain in baltimore city. the raid has come to an end in the western suburbs. the trend will continue over the next couple of hours.

around 50 at the airport but in the low 40's in the western suburbs. the rain comes to an end, and the winds will shift to the northwest. temperatures in the 30's. sunshine in the afternoon. chile with the wind is picking up to 25 miles per hour. when we come back we will take a look at the forecast going through new year's weekend. >> with just a week until the iowa caucuses, presidential candidates are fighting for every vote. from speeches to phone calls to campaign ads, they are determined to pull ahead in a race that is very close. >> seven contenders, seven days. in one week, iowans will pick a candidate for president. polls show a tight race between mitt romney, new gingrich, and ron paul with paul and the lead. >> there is a large contingent

who are reacting and responding to what he is talking about. >> mitt romney is a staff says he is a sure winner but he is not overconfident. >> you just do not know what will happen in this process. >> especially with all of the candidates pulling out all the stops. michelle kaufman and mitt romney are on statewide cost wars. >> the candidates have spent $10 million on tv ads in the past month alone. sometimes the ads can backfire. >> it does not always benefit the person doing the spending. one thing we have seen in the past is that when candidates spent a lot of money to attack another, it might benefit a third person because voters do not always like the negative ads. >> nobody is afraid to attack. new gingrich fired back at mitt romney. >> to have him run the commercial the questions might conservatism, i have been a conservative my entire life.

>> at one time newt gingrich supported the keep mitt romney initiative. he praised his health care law. it is a law that gingrich now criticizes. in the end, i was choice may not predict the future. in the last 40 years, only one republican candidate has won iowa and gone on to be president. >> now to an update. a family christmas gift, and other valuable stolen on a break in on christmas eve. >> the televisions were gone, the x box was gone. all of the gifts were god. >> when they came in on christmas eve, the atkinsons found in their home ransacked. at this hour they do not have any suspects. we have had a number of viewers asking how they can help the family. a reference to says he is willing to help in any way and the e-mails keep coming in.

>> still a head -- glass is broken, a tv is a thorn in the gift shop. good incited their tossed aside. >> it looks like they were only after one thing -- a quilt. when police know about this museum invasion. >> did your kids get a ton of new toys over the holidays? find out which ones could help your little ones do better in school down the road. >> buyers wanted for this u.s. post office and the dozens of others and around the country.

why not save on car insurance? [ coin drops ] [ high-pitched voice ] thanks. [ normal voice ] you're welcome. get a free quote at progressive.com. >> a historical "has gone missing from the baltimore museum. during a break in, the glass pane had been broken out and several items inside had been damaged. this "was the only thing stolen. it is 43 by 63 inches. it is bordered with gold colored feathers. the phrase maryland deepfreeze

state -- "maryland, the free state." no word on how much it is worth but police say it is irreplaceable. >> it is a unique easily identifiable "what cultural connections to this museum. we would like to return it to its proper place. >> police are asking anyone with information to call crime stoppers at 1-866-7lockup. >> in tonight's medical alert, it turns out the type of bond a mother has with her child could affect their weight. researchers find that toddlers to have a poor emotional relationship with their mom are more likely to be obese when they turn 15. the findings support a previous study the say to others who did not have close emotional ties were more likely to be obese at the age of four and a half. toddlers may be able to use food as a place of comfort instead of

mom. for parents, the toy market can be overwhelming, especially when it comes to which stores are beneficial for children. a study finds that simple interactive toys can help kids have fun and learn as well. >> 1 they play together, their mantra is to give them something constructive for creative to do. child psychologists say that is a good idea because certain types of structured play can entertain as well as build skills for children as they grow. >> they are just playing, as if you cannot be learning and planning at the same time. nothing could be farther from the truth. >> researchers at temple university found when youngsters played with construction blocks with their parents, they used words such as up, down, on, concepts that are important for understanding math, engineering,

and science. investigators observed at families in three situations -- free play, preassembled -- free assemble, and guided it played. investigators found guided play was the most effective because parents and children used the same language. researchers say this shows playing with an interactive tour is more beneficial to the child then playing with something preassembled, especially when the parent was involved. >> what you want to make sure the toys are educational, they should also be found your children are attracted to toys that can teach them something. it should be something they want to learn. a new study shows 85% of children who suffer a stroke survive at least five years. researchers looked into data

from over 1000 children admitted to duke jersey's hospitals. about 10% died within a month and 15% died within five years of their strong. the risk of death was 3-5 times higher from bleeding in the brain to those from blood clots. >> now, your insta-weather forecast with meteorologist. >> the rain began around 9:00 or 10:00, and it has been around with us all day today. we have picked up over 1 inch of rain in some areas. a good soaking rain. the ground has been saturated, we have had a couple of these events come through. you could see a little bit of flooding in some areas as all of this runs off. probably not. one thing you have to watch as the wind will pick up to par. with the ground is saturated, some of the trees could be unsteady. here is a look at life hd

doppler. we are picking up some light rain. you could see the precipitation moving through the western suburbs. still a little batch of heavier rain going across cecil county at the present time. if you are watching us in the eastern suburbs, he will have the ran a little longer than everyone else. maybe some heavy rain for another 15 or 20 minutes. let's switch over on the radar. interesting on the backside of the storm, there is cold air trying to catch up with the precipitation. you could see some snow on the radar. portions of of ohio and western pennsylvania -- that will continue to move to the east. you could see temperatures dropping off on the other side of the mountains. it is in the '50s around baltimore as the cold air routes and around the backside of the storm, we will probably see some snow and western maryland.

western maryland and western allegheny county might see some snow. good news for the ski resorts. again, none of that will make its way toward baltimore. we do have a wide range of temperatures as the storm pulls away. it is 57 in annapolis and almost 20 degrees cooler in hagerstown. is 38 there. kohl their working its way toward the east. if it is in the '50s in your house right now, the temperatures will be taking a nosedive. the forecast for tonight, rain ending in the next couple of hours. it will turn breezy tonight. temperatures will settle in the 30's in most areas. tomorrow the snow will be going to the northeast. off the back side of it, the wind will kick up out of the northwest. high pressure across the great lakes. it will kick up some pretty strong ones. it will be dry. temperatures will be in the

lower end of the 40's. it will feel even colder than that. the forecast is mostly sunny and breezy and chile. the high-temperature ready around 42 degrees. a few clouds hanging out on thursday with a high temperature of 45 degrees. then a little copper storm comes and at looks like friday and into saturday morning. there could be some rain showers at that time. some of the computer models have a cold enough for a couple of snowflakes before it ends on saturday. i still think new year's eve is going to be dry. if you're heading out saturday night, i do not think we will have any precipitation problems. then it gets interesting. next week a chance for some renominate. rain or snow, on tuesday. >> it scares me what he says it is getting interesting. >> get them while they are hot. >> >ravens approached the playoffs, we will take a look at

the shirts at 5:30. >> i just could not breached. >> itself writing. a woman's life changes in one incident. what happened to her after that crash.

>> the u.s. postal service is selling some prime real estate and maryland. it is listed under contract for sale along with dozens of other properties. the widespread post office closings has been put off until may 15. that is to give congress time to try to come up with alternatives. we are talking about 38 million square feet of space. that is the equivalent of 200

walmart centers. >> sally kidd takes a look at how the properties will be handled as they go up for sale. >> do you want to buy a post office? from snowy savage, minnesota to miami, florida dozens of post office properties are up for sale. built in 1939, in this post offices on the national register of historic places. it features 14 ft ceilings and it works process mural that dates back to 1941. >> the fact of the matter is, our network is too big. we have more capacity and our network that we can afford. >> as the postal service downsizes, what is to become of the facilities once the doors are closed for good? >> the first thing that comes to mind is a chalky cheese. where a starbucks. >> the post office is

showcasing properties on their website. >> a beautiful old historic building like this could be we developed and a be profitable. >> the buildings are likely to attract buyers interested in opening restaurants or general retail. others will be toward down. >> to this is a disposable culture even in terms of architecture and properties. nobody is going to shed a tear about a post office that faded away. >> there are sure to become plans about the loss of convenience. but there is still not winner announced that the $120 million power ball and jack pot. owners or the winning ticket was sold said somebody made that purchase at exactly 3:13 on thursday.

the maryland lottery does not know the winner's name as of yet. if you bought a ticket, check it out. you could have the winning ticket. >> get all your ducks lined up before you come forward. >> home prices continue to be affected by the economy. there is one key component that could add to growth for the first time in years. we explained in our consumer alert. >> i said, they have stolen my baby. >> puppies stolen without a trace. and i team investigation of how to keep your pets protected. >> business is taking off for a clothing store.

>>live, local, late breaking, you are watching wbal 11 news at 5:00.' 11 news at 5:00 in hd continues now. >> and baltimore couple one- third dog back. they say the toy shiztu was stolen from them right on the street. >> some of them are you being used for dogfighting rings. david collins investigate. >> she was literally snatched out of the hands of her honor. it happened in early november during a routine midnight

stroll in the 2800 block of irvin avenue. >> the next thing i know he puts his hand on me. he put his hand on me and pulled me toward him. i am talking to him, i said back up. i do not know you. >> jill told us and baltimore city police detectives the assailant grabbed the dog and fled on foot. joe chased after him until he became too winded to come after them. >> he said "diva" was stolen. >> she contacted at veterinarians, dog groomers, and got the word out on social media. diva is worth much more than the $1,300 they fetched these days. >> i want my dog. i do not want to press charges. just give me my dog back. that is all i want. >> i just broke down and started

sobbing. i said "they've stolen my baby. >> police simply do not keep track so we do not know the number that have been stolen. according to the kennel club, a pet theft is on the rise. >> for the same time. this year, 224 -- a 67% increase. that are being stolen during home invasions, out of park cars, and snatched while others have about 41. >> for the first time, the akc sees a new trend in the dogs being stolen. >> she says stolen pets are often resold on the internet for an ec dollar. perhaps more disturbing is how they are often used in the baltimore area. -- as bait for dogfighting rings. >> is a really sick thing to say, but they always need played

docks for the fighting dogs to learn their killing skills on or a tax goals. the need date. they will pay for some of those bait dogs. last november, baltimore police broke up a pit bull ring on pason street. experts warn pets are also stolen and held for ransom. that is what happened to this puppy. he and his older brother he escaped from their backyard. 21-year-old called the dog's owner saying he found them, but he wanted money for their return. >> you have to give me $200. >> sadly, the ransom was on the for one animal. during the dogmatic,scooby was struck and killed by a car. he was sentenced to 18 months in jail and pay $65 in restitution for the loss of scooby. as for the thompsons, they

believe diva has been sold. >> i want my diva to come back home. >> in response to the trend, dog advocates have urged against buying 13 >> list. consider microchipping or tattoing the dog on the inner thigh. >> baltimore city police are not able to tell us how many pets are still a because there are considered property. the crime is reported as larceny and not broken down by what was taken. the kennel club has safety tips to help protect your pets. you can find it on wbaltv.com and click on iteam. >> police are searching for a man who climbed into the backseat of a parked car, when it for her to get in and demanded money. this happened at 4:40 on glenn

ridge road. no word in any suspects ran out. we are told it is not -- he was not known to the victim. fire investigators are investigating a fire that left one person injured. they were called iran to:40 this morning to a three story rowhouse. that is where the big boys bond company is located. when person escapes to the building without injury but a second person had to be taken to the hospital. it took about one hour to control the blaze after being in business for nearly 44 years, the polack johnnies in lexington downtown is closing down for good on saturday. the owner made the decision after she noticed a decline in patrons over the years. with a sluggish economy and stiff competition from major

food chains, she is left with no choice but to close down operations at the lexington street market. after this one closes, there will be two more left open in the baltimore area. >> there are still a couple of places you can get your polack johnnies. >> there you go. >> the angry mob began to spread. up next, how long it took police to get this under control. >> a woman's life changes and when and stunned when she becomes paralyzed while pregnant what is next for the 20-year-old who was studying to become a registered nurse.

>> a mall may lay caught on line. a group of about 50 people were involved in a fight at the food

court monday afternoon. those fights broke into 10 smaller battles and spread throughout the country's largest mall. shoppers ran into stores to get out of the way as a policeman in with guns drawn. >> all of a sudden, stores started closing down. the gates were going up. we did not know what was going on. the cops were pushing us away from nordstrom's. >> it took police over one hour to get the fights under control. nine people were arrested and charged with disorderly conduct. >> covering the world tonight, preparations are underway for the funeral of kim jung ill. it is scheduled to take place over the next two days. mourners continue to line up to pay tribute to the deceased leader. tens of thousands have gathered to portraits with him set up all

around the city. hundreds of thousands are planned to take part in the funeral. >> buckingham palace officials confirm he is resting at their estate. he spent four nights in the hospital recovering from a successful coronary stent procedure. it was the most serious physical threat he has had. >> more than 100 k mart stores and sears stores will be closing down in 2012. a new designer second-hand clothing store in howard county is owned and operated by a 19- year-old. details are next. >> it will be breezy and cold

over the next 24 hours. we will check the forecast going all the way to the new year. 53 degrees at the airport.

>> an accident leaves a young pregnant woman paralyzed. the challenges she faces and her outlook on life. after more than four decades, the polack johnnie's and lexington market closes down. lexington market closes down.

>> a store where you can get gently used designer clothing. the honor is a very young entrepreneur.

>> the cherry tree shopping center has a new tenant. the owner is just 19-years old. >> i wanted to be an entrepreneur because i have a lot of ideas as far as trying to help people in this economy, trying to make prices affordable for them. lets people kloset bring the goods in to sell them for cash or let them shop with east -- discount prices. the store has grown in the nearly two munson has been opened. >> i love it. it is very hard in aspect that you are working really hard every day. you have to make everyone happy. >> the store is open nearly seven days a week. there is a learning curve to running a small business. kelsey is picking it up quickly.

>> you live in . as you make mistakes to get right back up and keep trying. i love it. i love the fact that i can come to my store and help people get really good deals on things. >> kelsey graduated at the age of 16 from an on-line high school. she encourages any other young entrepreneur to do the same. she already has set her sights on her own future. >> i hope to open and other somewhere inet the future. i think it has been good for this area because we do not have any of these types of stores in our area. ketchikan find a link on our web site. wbaltv.com. >> now, your love and insta- weather forecast. --11 instaweather forcast.

>> we picked up anywhere from half of an inch to 1 inch of rain. hd doppler picking up some scattered light sprinkle around baltimore city. the heaviest rain in the eastern shore counties back up to cecil county. you guys see another half hour of moderate rain. it has tapered off in the western suburbs and that will be the trend. let see what we did temperature was today. we may get up to 54 degrees. most of the day was spent in the 40's. 54 degrees was the high temperature. the average height is 43 degrees. you can see a big temperatures falling across the area. temperatures are in the 50's east of baltimore. when you get into the western suburbs it is in the 30's. there is obviously a front coming through. 41 degrees in an expert. 47 degrees and hagerstown. the cold air continues to the

other side of the mountains. we have some of snow showing up moving across portions of ohio and western pennsylvania and west virginia. western maryland may see some of snow develop an allegheny county. none of that will make it over to baltimore. the ski resorts might get a little snow. returning partly cloudy over night. during the day tomorrow mostly sunny and breezy and chile. the high temperature only 42 degrees. we will stay below average. let's take a look at the futurecast. you can see snow showers continuing out in the mountains. things will be quite as we go into thursday. friday evening there will be a littleclipper storm coming out of the northwest. that will come through late friday and into saturday. i still think new year's eve will be dry. we could get a little something coming through friday night and

during the day on saturday. 45 degrees on thursday and quiet. maybe some light rain on friday. it may end a brief period -- a mix of rain on saturday. i think it will clear up. new year's eve the weather should be fine. new use dry -- new year's eve is dry. perhaps next week a bigger storm comes in. it looks interesting by the time we get to tuesday and wednesday. maybe some rain or snow. >> internet consumer a lawyer, home prices are heading down and most major cities. prices fell in most major cities for the second straight month. the decline reflects the fall slowed down after the peak buying season -- season. home prices have fallen 42% nationwide since the housing bubble burst five years ago. there is a glimmer of hope.

residential construction is likely to add to growth in 2012. the first time that has happened in four years. that is mainly because apartments are being built twice as fast as two years ago which reflects a surge in renting and continued weak home sales. sears plans to close more than 100 stores. it will close between 101 hundred 20 sears and kmart stores because of poor holiday sales. it would generate $170 million in cash. they blamed poor performance on declining consumer and electronic sales. sears has more than 4000 stores in the united states and canada. no word on when they start shutting stores down. returns can be a hassle, but it is a nice option to have. we have some tips to keep you insane during the return trips to the store. >> i do not pay a lot of

attention to return policies. i will probably need to start because stores are getting very picky with their return policies. >> she could not be more right. if you want to make a return he should know the deal ahead of time. the state does not have a specific return policy. >> any store gets to choose its own return policy. has to post the policy in the store on the back of the receipt. >> if you are giving a gift, a gift slips make the return easier. if you plan on returning an item, do it sooner than later. >> we recommend people do not hold onto their items and wait a couple of weeks. >> many stores limit the number of returns a consumer can make. the serial returner limitations must be disclosed -- disclosed in their policy. >> you can return a defective item any time, it does not matter what the store's policy

is pierre >> stores can choose not to accept any returns at all. they can allow exchanges for store credit only as long as they disclose the policies. it is up to you to ask about them -- better yet, read about them yourself. >> for more it out the affirmation of returns, you can go to our website wbaltv.com or we have provided a link to the attorney general's website with all you need to know about refunds and exchanges. finally, a big boost to on-line shopping on christmas day. a survey by ibm found online sales spike is 16% from last year. major increases in people using iphone and ipad to shop help drive up the numbers. >> for baltimore ravens fans, it is the most wonderful time of the year. we have one more game left and then it is playoff time.

one local t-shirt designer has worked with some players on the new festival as teacher. they were released today featuring tarot slugs, and joe flacco. i got mine this afternoon and we will show you what they will look like. you can find these shirts and their regular locations like the sports page, six other locations across the city. you might want to hurry because we are told they are going fast. i have a sneaking suspicion if we do well in the playoffs he will be able to find a more insurance. the iowa caucuses are when we get away and candidates are making a final push for votes. ron paul and mitt romney are up in the iowa polls. we will show you how other candidates are looking to surge in the final days. >> this was something serious.

>> if you do not have a facebook account, this may put you over the edge. it was deadlocked in her basement poured days turns to social networking. how police were able to save her life.

>> a utah woman used facebook to

get help after her and her son were held hostage for several days. >> friends from across the country helped save the woman's life. >> she was held in this neighborhood against her will 45 days. 15 miles away,erica carver went to her computer and found a startling message from a facebook friend. >> i have never met her. i do not know her in person or anything like that. what's the message read, hello is anyone out there? i am having a serious problem and me and my son will be dead by morning. >> i said, this is christmas and this has to be real. you have to follow through on it. >> she called her firefighter has been who knew the victim. they lacked vital information. >> company had a phone number and address to start with. >> several friends posted

replies. nobody was answering back and people were typing argued there and putting phone numbers in. >> essentially a facebook friend in south carolina offered up the victim's address. a firefighter in denver called police. they went to the house where they found an uncooperativetroy and his injured girlfriedn. >> she had different stages of coloring. immediately took the boyfriend into custody. but one year ago, he was a rested by a salt lake city swat team and a similar kidnapping incident. his prison sentence was suspended. this time he allegedly assaulted the victim whenever she tried to leave. >> he took her foster she did not have access. she was able to sneak a computer into a closet where she was able to -- that is where she posted the message on facebook. >> people usually get on and gossip and little cartoons and this and that. this is something serious that

saved somebody's life. i am a big branch, -bgingch, but this was christmas eve and she was say. it made me feel good. >> we have since learned that he remains behind bars. >> that is all for us at 5:00. here is what is coming up at 6:00. >> a woman is robbed in her car by a man who was hiding in the backseat. more on the investigation. >> a terrible traffic accident changes the life of an expectant mother. how she is coping with being paralyzed. that story at 6:00. >> we have a little rain and snow in the seven-day forecast. >>live, local, late breaking , this is wbal tv 11 ennews at 6:00. >> a maryland woman looks

forward to the new year and a ne. >> her outlook has not changed. barry simms spoke with her today. he joins us with this incredible story. >> she is 20-years old and she tries not to dwell on what happened. she says she is focused and committed to moving on with her life and making sure her unborn child is healthy. >> following a grueling therapy session in baltimore, she speaks of her hopes and wishes for the new year. >> getting into a routine of what i can and cannot do. >> on the wall of her room is a picture of her to year old daughter. she is six months pregnant. she said she is having a son and has already picked out his first and middle names. >> at first i thought he was