and the condition of its sister. >> those stories and 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 am sarah caldwell. >> i am stan stovall. thank you for joining us this morning. >> looking at the weekend because people spend the night outdoors celebrating and watching the fireworks. we're expecting a pretty good weather. right now teach the chilling start to the day. 25 at b.w.i. marshall, but the wind is calm. we expect temperatures to move into the mid 40's. we will not have the wind today so it will not feel as c old. the seven-day forecast will

include the new year's forecast. >> the morning commute, a nice start. weapon dealing with lighter volume. we do have some problems beginning in glen burnie at dogwood road. it disappeared before our very eyes. police activity to watch for. we have icy conditions at philadelphia road. 11 minutes on the outer loop northeast side. 10 minutes to get you south on 95 from the beltway in howard county. we start with 50 at sandy point. no real delays. everything moving well to and from the eastern shore. this is southbound traffic. no delays report down to the beltway. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11.

>> all eyes are on an iowa with just five days to go. now looks like one contender is moving towards the front of the pack. tara mergener joins us live with more on the story. >> good morning. a new name is now made it to the top tier, a signed by what voters -- iowa voters are still making up their minds. another surprise just ahead of the iowa caucuses. after months of placing near bottom of the standings, rick santorum has jumped to third place. >> people like us. i hear this all the time. you know, "we really like you." >> analysts say a barrage of negative ads aimed at newt gingrich, who had been surging in the polls -- >> politicians who supported bailouts and mandates, serial hypocrites and flip-floppers. >> cost him support, some of which appears to have gone to santorum.

a new cnn/"time" magazine poll shows santorum now with 16% of the vote. mitt romney still leads the pack -- >> this is an election about the soul of america. >> with ron paul a close second. >> it does look like there are more cameras than there used to be. [laughter] >> but with days to go and the race still fluid -- >> you don't have to have a nasty, negative, mud-slinging, consultant-driven campaign, and i refuse to engage in that kind of politics. >> candidates are trying to make an impression -- >> i want your vote at the caucus. >> however they can. there has been a shake-up in michele bachmann's campaign. a top adviser now says he's putting his support behind ron paul. this is not a done deal yet t. >> how or the other candidates fairing? >> new gingrich came in fourth fall by rick perry, michelle

laughlin, and jon huntsman who was not in iowa, with 1%. >> tara mergener, thank you. >> police are investigating an overnight shooting in west baltimore. a man was shot on west garrison boulevard last night. communities in maryland and north carolina at gathered to celebrate the memory of phylicia barnes last night. she was a high school honors student who was last seen while visiting relatives in northwest baltimore. her body was discovered in april. her death has been classified a murder. no arrests have been made. >> 365 days ago that we were calling and we could not understand where she was at. we still don't know what happened. we have faith that justice will

be served. >> there are a lot of dedicated people work in this case. there has been progress in this case. we will not be specific. it is positive and no one is giving up on this case. >> per former classmates in north carolina and planted a garden in her memory. >> a boy is dead this morning after an accident. the driver of an suv rear ended a car and the cost a chain reaction with two other vehicles. ke owen andld james owe alexandra owen ross to the hospital. sadly, jake died. speed was a factor in the crash. there was another collision on the beltway involving a tractor- trailer, a car, and a police

cruiser. this was their providence road and loch raven boulevard. a police officer was taken to shock trauma where he remains in stable condition this morning. the crash remains under investigation. >> some baltimore residents will be out of work for the next few months after rg steel announces layoffs. the department of labor and regulations says the company reported the furloughs on friday. the union estimates as many as 2000 workers could be affected. the company said work would restart in the first quarter of next year. >> maryland gets and negative news when it comes to the housing market. >> jennifer franciotti is live with the latest. >> good morning.

for the third year in a row, residential property values have declined in maryland with 2010 being the highest drop and an average of 22%. the properties were last assessed three years ago. the numbers then reflected a decline. the biggest drop in our immediate areas was a 19% decline in baltimore county. realtors say assessed value has nothing to do with the sales price of a home on the open market. properties are being driven by demand. homes are still selling, especially in desired neighborhoods. >> real-estate sales definitely have been on somewhat of a decline the last couple of years, but i would say the volume and the prices are starting to pick up. >> later today, the national association of realtors will release its monthly report on pending home sales. we'll have more coming up for that at 6:30. reporting live, jennifer franciotti. back to you. >> thank you.

27 degrees on tv hill. another popular children's brand announce a recall. product that could cause your child some serious injury while they are sleeping. >> a new way to save trucking companies money on fuel. >> you are noticing some chilly temperatures right now. better into the afternoon. we will have details. >> 95 at the tydings memorial bridge so far looking pretty good. things will probably change as the have been all week. no

>> welcome back to 11 news today. 6:11. 34 degrees downtown. it is colder as you step outside the city. a much colder start today across the area. improvement on the way for the next couple of days. 25 at the airport. 25 in ocean city. 24 in hagerstown. the western mountains, near 23. the big difference is the wind. it is gone today. we have light wind around baltimore right now, four miles per hour. 6 miles per hour in oakland. the strongest of the wind is

along the eastern shore of delaware. even those are tapering. the wind makes a big difference in the forecast. it felt like we were in the 30's yesterday. the wind makes us feel colder. 45 for the height in baltimore this afternoon. it will feel like 45 without those strong winds. the mountains are sticking with the cloud cover. those clouds should push in from the west. you can see some clouds mainly to the south and west of th d.c. we have a high pressure system moving in. the latest storm continues to push in. very calm weather and then we start to talk about our next storm system. it is bringing in some milder

air to the eastern half of the nation and a slight chance with some precipitation. traveling is not a problem. sunshine in denver. we could see a wintry mix late friday night into saturday morning. a week storm pushes in. temperatures will stay above freezing on saturday morning. if we do see any snow, it is not likely to accumulate. a high of 51 on new year's eve. >> not bad on the roads. we will update you. good news in glen burnie. dogwood road, the accident is gone. there was also a downed pole. icy conditions in rosedale because of a water main break along philadelphia road. 11 minutes on the outer loop north side.

not seeing the level of volume we normally see. eight minutes on the inner loop from 75 to the 83's. this is baltimore national pike on the west side. outer loop traffic and normally we see a delay at this hour. everything moving well on the west side. we are in good shape at the moment. those delays expected later this morning into the afternoon. >> montgomery county residents will have to pay more for groceries in the new year if they would like to carry them out in bags. there will be 8 5 cent tax on all paper and plastic bags -- there will be a five-cent tax on all paper and plastic bags. nursing mothers held mass demonstrations in targets yesterday after one woman said

she was mistreated for nursing her baby at a target last month. target said guests are welcome to breast feed their children in public areas of the store and that women may also use fitting rooms to nurse their children. many are hoping to turn over a new leaf with new year's resolutions. topping the list -- quitting smoking. a key to excepting that will be accepting -- going cold turkey is nearly impossible for many long term and heavy smokers. that brings us to our water cooler question of the day. do you have a new year's resolution and, if so, what is it? you can share your response at wbaltv.com and on our facebook page, or send us an e-mail to watercooler@wbaltv.com. you may know that kinetic energy is the energy an object has because of motion.

a former police officer discovered a way to harness that energy and use it to reduce fuel costs for trucking companies. >> i was working on something else and my wife suggested that i put that on the semitrucks. i thought that were perfect. >> he invented a way to use the kinetic energies of the semi trucks to keep their cargo callold. >> this powers up to the refrigeration unit. >> the tires turned the gears he invented and that is the only power needed to run a generator in the casement of the trailer. that is different from current trailers. >> it is costly. fuel is going up. >> we get run this without

fossil fuels. >> 63 billion pounds of carbon dioxide will be saved by not using diesel to run the refrigeration unit, it is estimated. >> they agreed they would like to look into it, the testing of it and then build it. >> we tested their prototype by powering a light. when it is not on, the energy is stored in a battery that can be used to run the refrigeration unit when the truck is filled. >> if you're looking to shed some holiday pounds, and maybe time to consider some home workouts. a survey found treadmills and

were the favorite workouts at home. pottery barn kids is recalling nearly a thousand beds in the u.s. the connection of the post can come apart and fall on the user. there have been 33 reports of a malfunction. consumers should contact pottery barn kids to schedule a repair. or you can visit their web site. if you're looking for ways to cut household expenses, how about saving on cable? jane king has the bloomberg business report. >> how would you like to pay less for cable? set aside an hour to call the cable company and asked for a

discount. customers are getting better race by threatening to switch to competitors. a trip to new york -- rooms are still available but prices are as much as 700% higher than user. you concerned about the wake europe's leaders are handling the debt crisis. retailers this year had a pretty merry christmas. the new york times is admitting it sent an e-mail to about a million subscribers instead of to a small number of subscribers. the paper said the e-mail was sent by someone else and not them. i'm jane king for wbal-tv 11 news. >> 28 degrees on tv hill. the armed forces take the field, airforce against toledo.

keith mills shores the tough and into a game -- keith mills shows us the tough ending to a game. >> here is a look at last night's winning maryland lottery numbers.

>> now traffic pulse 11 and insta-weather plus together. >> good morning. not bad. no delays. pretty light. it is expected to be that way until monday. we have some police activity at southwestern to avoid. some icy conditions in rosedale at philadelphia road. so far so good as far as your speech on the harrisburg expressway. 11 minutes on the outer loop north side. 11 minutes on the west side outer loop. a minutes from 75 to the 83's. the west side looks great. -- 11 minutes from 795 to the 83's. no delays and we will keep you

posted when the southbound delays start to form. take route 1 and avoid pulaski highway. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. that is the best advice i can give you. >> good advice. weather-wise, i don't have much advice. it is chilly, 25. light wind should make you feel better into the afternoon. light wind, 5 to 10 miles per hour. maybe a little breezy for the noon hour. better weather on the way for the seven-day forecast. here is the man, keith mills with sports. >> who is that? i appreciate it. ravens game on sunday with cincinnati is a sellout. lot of ravens fans to evanish of the deal.

they hope the ravens play like they did in the first half against cleveland. the ravens did very little in the second half to put the game away. sloppy play kept the game close. joe flacco said it wasn't as much about execution. he lobbied the media to keep the offense aggressive. >> we did not come out and play the way we wanted to in the second half, obviously. i think there's been games this year where we have come out throwing the ball because we have been down a lot, anda you guys have all complained about it. and now you notice this week we kind of came out and we played conservative and when we didn't, we missed a couple of plays. it was a drop or a missed throw here. i wished you guys would help me out a little bit and start complaining that we played too conservative. it put pressure on our coaches to not do that. >> get rid of the beard and you get some help.

cary williams did practice yesterday. marshall e. and did not. a great game in d.c. yesterday -- marshal yanda did not practice. the military bowl. airforce and toledo. toledo in the white. robinson has the interception. he goes about 75 yards to go 30. late fourth quarter. jefferson. toledo's defense cannot stand up. airforce goes for the two-point conversion and the win. nobody there. checkout number 85 after the game. not happy the college career is over. maryland over albany in college

basketball. >> let's go back to the facial hair. i know that stan has a goatee. >> i am supporting the ravens by looking like the ravens. >> on you in looks good. >> we love joe, but i do not know. thank you. >> 27 degrees on tv hill. what to do with your christmas tree now that the holiday season is coming to a close. >> chances are your property values are down again. details are next. >> police need your help finding a man who may have some information on a triple shooting. we'll show you this video that police released to the public. >> no delays on the west side but we do have some problems to

>> live, local, late-breaking, this is wbal-tv 11 news today. >> good morning. welcome back to 11 news today.

i am stan stovall. >> i am sarah call. thank you for joining us this morning. >> less windy today. >> yesterday is felt so cold with the wind. it is cold, 25 at the airport, but the wind is calm. we will see more clouds building into the afternoon. light wind out of the south, 5 to 10 miles per hour. it will feel like it is in the mid 40's today. improvement on the way in the seven-day forecast including your forecast for new year's eve. >> new numbers are released on the nation's housing market, the state gets some unwelcome news. >> 91% of residential properties dropped in value. jennifer franciotti joins us to explain.

this is not good news. about 750,000 homes dropped an average of 17% when it comes to price. this is not all bad news for those under water. >> they're going to see direct tax savings in their property tax bills if they were a recent purchaser or bought during the height of the market. >> for the third year in a row, residential property values have declined in maryland, with 2010 being the highest drop at an average of 22%. taking a look at the numbers by county -- anne arundel dropped by 14.5%. baltimore city, about 10%. baltimore county, 19%. carroll, 17%. harford, about 10% and in howard county, about 12%. >> assessed value really does not have anything do with sales price of a home on an open market. >> area realtors are brushing off the numbers, saying properties are being driven by demand, and that homes are still selling, especially in desired neighborhoods.

>> real-estate sales definitely have been on somewhat of a decline the last couple of years, but i would say the volume and the prices are starting to pick up. >> the worst-hit county is prince george's county with a 36.5% drop. the national association of realtors will release its november report today and that will be based on pending home sales and signed contracts for existing homes. reporting live, jennifer franciotti. >> as the holiday season begins to wind down, the department of public works is asking residents to recycle. you can take your christmas tree to recycle and bring your own pockets to collect mulch from the recycled trees. anyone who cannot go to the drop-off center kent set their trees off on the street by remove the tinsel. a crash leaves one person dead

and 11 injured. both drivers had to be freed from their vehicles. the crash involved at least three other vehicles. the cause of the accident is still under investigation. police are searching for three suspects who they say it's a part in an unusual robbery. the victim was at a bus stop when he was approached by three men asking for drugs. the suspect pepper sprayed him and then robbed him. >> the victim had his clothes taken. some money was also taken. >> all three suspects were wearing ski masks and they stole the victims cell phone. police say they are not sure if this was a random act or of the victim was targeted. >> authorities are asking for help after an attack in

westminster. a man told police he was assaulted by a group of five men on saturday night. one of the suspects cut the victim on the stomach with a sharp object. anyone would ever measured is asked to call it was mr. police department. -- is asked to call it westminster police department. police have not released new video of a person wanted for questioning in a triple shooting investigation. this man may have important information on the shootings of three people back on december 9. the shootings happened on maryland avenue where a man was found suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. >> now traffic pulse 11 and insta-weather plus together. >> how was the morning commute

shipping up? pretty well at the moment. some police activity at southwestern. we will update you on that. we do have some icy conditions along the philadelphia road in roosevelt because of a water main break. 50 miles per hour at shawan road and looking good on the j.f.x. 12 minutes on the west side outer loop. we start at baltimore national pike. no delays at the moment in the outer loop. this is the fort mchenry atoll. southbound traffic does appear with a problem. the right tube is getting by but the left tuvbe is not.

consider the harbor tunnel instead. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> good morning. we're talking about better conditions with lighter wind. we move into the mid 40's by this afternoon. maybe you're doing some traveling. smooth sailing into atlanta with sunshine and warming temperatures. kim dacey problems in seattle with rain showers. it wintry mix for chicago. that storm system will be heading our way. a slight chance we could see some sprinkles friday night and maybe some saturday morning. temperatures above freezing saturday morning. we're not expecting any accumulation. a low of 51 on new year's eve. a good start for the new year. >> that is good news. 28 degrees on tv hill. a man and best friend are

related. one city is trying to separate a disabled former police officer and a pit bull. >> we are still taking your answers to our water cooler question of the day. do you have a new year's resolution and, if so, what is it? you can share your response at wbaltv.com and on our facebook page, or send us an e-mail to watercooler@wbaltv.com.

>> police in massachusetts are on the hunt for it robbery suspect. authorities say the masked men barged into a store and grabbed the store clerk and held the syringe to her neck and said he had aids. clark managed to escape unharmed. the police are offering a reward. >> a service dog is reuniting with his owner. the reunion could be temporary. publls.e a ban on peoplepit jim is-- pit bulls. right now the dog is allowed to live with him until the lawsuit is resolved.

>> 27 degrees on tv hill. >> we will look at your morning commute. problems at the fort mchenry. we have an accident stopping traffic. >> no weather delays expected. only warming temperatures. 34 at the airport. 34 at the harbor

>> welcome back to 11 news today. 6:44. frank kratovil has received the nomination for the district court. he is filling an empty seat left

by a retired judge. he served as the state's attorney for queen's kent county. a major announcement expected at the 9/11 memorial site later today. it has attracted 1 million visitors since it opened september 12 this year. the plaza draws about 10,000 visitors a day billick 5000 people are allowed to be on the memorial site at a time -- but only about 1500 people are allowed to be on the memorial site at a time. the papers were shredded. visitors even broke mementos the represented the bad there was to represent in the new year. that brings us to your answers to our water cooler question of the day. >> this morning we asked -- do you have a new year's resolution

and, if so, what is it? >> all right. >> keep sending your answers. we will post more of your answers on the front page of wbaltv.com. >> i love to everybody on their resolutions. neither snow nor sleet will keep rain from getting to was appointed route.

>> in the middle of a blizzard up aweek, a woman hits ched horse and revise the idea of the pony express. >> there were blizzard like conditions. >> my husband drives as far as he can drive before it's a big snowdrift and said we're not getting to work. >> her job is to make sure that the town's residents get their mail through rain or snow. >> they said that we need to make every effort to get to work. >> perhaps inspired by the pony express, she came up with a plan. to make sure the post office open, she saddled up a horse and rode him two miles to the snow.

>> there were some pretty good drifts. about 30 minutes, i suppose. >> how many post offices still have hitching posts? >> this is a post office of for closing as the postal service looks to save money by downsizing after more than two decades, she will ride off into the sunset. >> people around here are older people and they will miss something this handy. i will keep the store open even if they miss it. we need a place to meet in the community. >> now traffic pulse 11 and insta-weather plus together. >> ava rides a horse to work every morning. she is from kansas. just kidding.

this is 95. the left tube is closed. we're down to 22 miles per hour. take the harbor tunnel or the key bridge. icy conditions in rosedale at philadelphia road. 58 on shawan road. 11 minutes on the north side. southbound 95, 11 minutes from the belt way down to 32. this is baltimore national pike. the west side looking good. you will see delays at the fort mchenry. the left tube remains blocked. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. you know i'm joking with you. >> i lived in kansas. i am from colorado. my husband jokes did he owns a horse and people believed him.

let's look at the forecast. we have dry conditions into the east. a new storm system from the west. this will be our next chance for participation -- precipitation. some rain through indianapolis. the storm will weaken. that is good news. let's look to the temperatures. pretty chilly. 25 at the airport. 34 at the inner harbor. 24 in hagerstown. a very chilly start for the day. colder than where we work yesterday. things will feel better today. we don't have the wind. at the inner harbor, even the wind along eastern delaware starting to calm down. those temperatures will feel much better today.

a mixture of sun and clouds. 45 for the high in baltimore. 46 in ocean city. the mountains will stay with the clouds after most of the day as the next storm system does approach from the west. maybe some flurries out to the west. mostly dry weather for baltimore. right now we have high pressure in control. that will bring a tranquil and to the work week. a chance for precipitation late friday night into saturday morning. temperatures will be above the freezing mark on saturday morning. dry conditions into new year's eve night. not too bad if you're outside. 51 by sunday afternoon. >> thank you. here is matt lauer with a look at what is coming up next on the "today" show. >> good morning. a last-minute shakeup in the

republican presidential race up in iowa. newt gingrich losing ground in the polls. new developments in the search for a missing baby in maine. her father has released a new statement. when it comes to car repairs, do you get what you pay for? we will revisit our hidden camera investigation. from a talking dog to an unbelievable baby. we will catch up with the stars of the hottest internet videos of the year when they join us in our studio when we get started on a thursday hearing on "today." >> that baby -- 6:51. 28 degrees on tv hill. >> we will come back and check the weather and traffic together before you head out to start

your day.

>> everything was doing pretty well until now. we have an accident in the southbound direction of 95. the left tube is right. states to the right. it is impacting traffic. -- stay to the right. take the harbor tunnel or the key bridge as your alternate. -- conditions a there is your delay forming on at 95 southbound down to the fort mchenry.

you can see the left tube is still blocked by an accident -- conditions aty philadelphia road. >> i would take the cooler temperatures over the wind. 45 for the high. will feel like 45 -- it will feel like 45 today. a mixture of sun and clouds. nothing major on saturday morning. it looks good for new year's eve night. in the 30's with dry conditions. 51 on the years day. >> looking for more weather and traffic together? be sure to join us this morning for 11 news at 7:00 a.m. on wbal plus. >> you'll find more local news as well as up-to-date traffic and weather information. you can find it all on comcast channel 208, verizon fios 460, and 11-2. >> thanks for joining us for 11 news today. >> we will be back with a live update at 7:25. >> have a great day.

>> follow breaking news and weather any time at wbaltv.com, and stay connected with us on facebook and twitter.

>> this is a wbal-tv 11 editorial from president and general manager dan joerres. >> as we come to the close of another year, we are reminded of love ones who are sacrificing their lives for our liberty and the pursuit of happiness. for that reason, we take our regularly scheduled editorial time to share greetings from those in the military, where they cannot be with their families and friends this holiday season. we wanted to share their well- wishes to their families all across maryland. >> i am sending a christmas message to my family, my mother, my sister, my brother joe, my sister in phoenix, arizona, and their spouses and their children, of which there are 10. i want to thank you for your support during my absence. thank you for your kindness and your gifts, many gifts of sen. i look forward to seeing you next christmas. >> hi.

i'm here in kuwait. want to give a shot up to my loving husband and my daughters and my mother, my father, and my sister and i want to wish you all a