[captioning made possible by constellation energy group] >> live, local, late-breaking - this wbal-tv 11 news in baltimore. >> could afternoon, our big story at known -- all eyes are on a file with just five days to go until the first votes in the national presidential contest are casper and unexpected contender is moving to the front of the pact. -- front of the pact. >> a new name has now made it to the top tier, a sign that iowa voters are still making up their minds.

another surprise just ahead of the iowa caucuses -- after months of placing your bottom of the standing, rick santorum has jumped into third place. >> i hear this all the time that people like kim. >> analysts say a barrage of negative ads and that newt gingrich who has been surging -- >> politicians who supported bel alton mandates and flip floppers. >> cost him support some of which must have gone to santorum. a new poll shows brett santorum now has 16% of the votes. mitt romney still leads the pack. with ron paul a close second. >> it looks like there are more cameras than there used to be. >> would days to go >> you don't have a nasty- mudslinging campaign. i refuse to engage in the kind of politics than the candidates are trying to make an impression that i wonder about the

caucuses. >> however they can. there has been a shakeup in the michelle bachmann campaign. one of her top advisers says he is putting his support behind ron paul. >> 3 teenagers are suffering from burns after an incident involving an outdoor firepit in rosedale. fire officials say the group was burning branches in a row wednesday night at a home when one of them decided to pour gasoline on the flames to make the fire bigger. a 17-year-old is in critical condition with burns from her waist up. the others, a 17-year-old girl and a 70-year-old boys are being treated for burns. city police are investigating a shooting in west baltimore where someone shot a 31-year-old man. a around 10:00 last night. we are told the victim has died. no word on a suspect or motive.

a 5-year-old boy is dead after a multi-vehicle accident where the jfx meets the beltway. there was a chain reaction accident on 3:00 yesterday afternoon. the boys were passengers in the car and rushed to hopkins children's center with serious injuries. at last check, his sister remains in critical condition. the accident was just hours after another collision on the belt way involving a tractor- trailer, a car, and a police cruiser. we were over the scene and authorities say a baltimore county police officer was taken to shock trauma where he remains in stable condition. two others were taken to sinai hospital with non-life- threatening injuries. police in anne arundel county are searching for three suspects who took part in an unusual

robbery. the 25-year-old victim was sitting at a bus stop when he was approached by three men asking for drugs. he told a suspect he did not have any, the suspects pepper spray in and rob him. >> the victim had as close taken. he had his pants inside is -- we have is money inside his pants which was taken. all three were wearing ski masks. >> witnesses reported seeing the suspects run across ritchie highway toward walton ave. they are not sure if this was a random act towards the victim was targeted. >> i guess you could call today a typical winter day with temperatures where they would be normally this time of year. we have a weather disturbance moving in which has brought some clouds our way. out to the west, some stuff is showing up on radar. don't panic.

it will not be hitting the ground. there may be some areas to the southwest having some snow flurry activity. there may be a few sprinkles west of frederick into northern virginia. most of what you see on the radar is up on the clouds. the atmosphere is too dry to allow any of that to make it to the ground. some clouds are moving in and you might see is no floor this afternoon or a sprinkle and that's about it. there's more stuff on the way and cold temperatures when we continue. >> some baltimore residents will be out of work for the next few months after rg steel announces indefinite layoffs. the department of labor and regulation says the company reports of gerlach -- reported the furloughs on friday. the union estimates as many as 2000 workers could be affected.

the company has told union leaders that work would restart in the first quarter of next year. maryland gets negative news on the comes to the housing market. for the third year in a row, residential property values decline in maryland with 2010 being the highest drop at an average of 22%. the biggest drop in the area was 19% in baltimore county. area of realtors say assessed value has nothing to do with the sales price of a home on the open market. proper is eight being driven by demand and homes are still selling in desired neighborhoods. >> real-estate sales definitely have been on somewhat of a decline the past couple of years but i would say the volume and prices are starting to pick up. >> meanwhile, the national association of realtors fills announced its monthly sales report today which shows the number of americans to sign contracts to buy bonds in november rose to its highest level in a year and half. >> still to come -- want to quit

smoking? why experts say it's ok to fill in your first attempt. tips on giving cigarettes up for good and a man is able to get a sword past security in a florida airport. dr. kim hammond is here to answer your pet questions. you can e-mail your questions to us.

>> at least one person was killed this morning in central florida on i-95 in valucia county. it involved several trucks. one of the truck drivers was killed in the accident. officials say several other people were injured. an investigation is underway. a man gets through eight t s a checkpoint in dallas with a sword. a florida man used a weapon as a cane. he or -- he boarded a flight in corpus christi and flew to dallas/fort worth. tsa agent discovered it was a sword. there is no word of the agents to let him through in florida will face any punishment. still to come -- is quitting smoking one of your new year's resolutions and why it could

take more than one try to give it up for good, plus looking for holiday deals on line and how one company is making it easier to find. >> some clouds are coming in and there is a disturbance on the way and a little rain or snow associated with it. the full forecast is coming up. we have clouds right now. at the maryland zoo in baltimore, you consider a wide spectrum middle of the screen which is a polar bear sleeping very 38 degrees right now. >> dr. kim hammond is here to answer your pet questions. you can e-mail your questions to us.

>> as the holiday season begins to wind down, the department of public works is acid rain baltimore residents to recycle

holiday items. you can take christmas trees to the drop of center and breyer on bucket to collect mulch from the recycled trees. gift boxes, card and wrapping paper can be recycled. you can set your trees out for normal pick up but you must remove all ornaments and tinsel. besides convenience, one reason why people like to swap -- shop online is for the deals. finding those deals is not always easy. one company has found a different way to offer deals. >> while we still love to go from store to store, more and more shoppers are going website to website. whether it is real or over a computer screen, everyone wants a bargain. >> i don't think most consumers realize that there is always a way to get a deal. >> daniel pegg wants to make a deal making a one click affair. pick your website and his computer application deals will

do the rest. >> if you go to target.com, our window will drop down showing you the coupons and deals for that site. you don't have to search on line. you just have to shop and we will get a coupon. >> instead of searching multiple web sites, you simply cli on the upper right hand button on your screen and see the latest deals for that site. >> our goal is to stay out of the way. >> drop down deals consolidate the deals for popular web sites buy andget, kohl's best victoria's secret. sometimes it is an online coupon or a more complicated computer code offering a savingsa. >> how long did these deals last? >> some last into two years from now. the best ones are only a couple of days. >> dropped down deals is not unique. they feel they have a simple way to bring the deals to do in the

middle of your online shopping. >who is taking advantage of these bargains? it is largely women who have money and want to keep more of it in their wallets. >> there is almost always a way to not pay retail and that is our goal to make sure you don't. >> he says you have to download the app on your computer but you don't have to given a personal information. he says the best time to shop is when the best on-line coupons are released on monday and tuesday. >> they will release them but everybody does things on the weekend. >> now, your instaweather plus forecast. look at take a closer that radar. this is the baltimore area where clouds of moved in and the air is dry. the clouds are trying to generate precipitation to our west but most of it is evaporated before it hits the ground.

the darker -- the white area indicates for any precipitation might involve snow. the darker blue shades might indicate a few flurries making it to the ground or brief showers. that is off to the west in frederick and northern virginia. some of these bright green shades may produce sprinkles. this disturbances moving across the area this afternoon. most of us will only see clouds. we are struggling to get out of the 30's. we started out in the 20's this morning. it is only 38 degrees at the airport. 41 degrees in annapolis. frederick is 34. even the 30's in the mountains to the west but not as windy as a was yesterday. we have the clouds kind of thin, filter and over the area and the brighter spots, there may be some precipitation coming out of that.

it may involve a snow flurries or 12. much of the eastern shore has quite a bit of sun. there is a warm front to the west and a couple of disturbances. one is coming across now on the one out to the west will head of the dakotas and there is another one in the pacific and will march across the northern states over the next few days. each one of those will brush past us. it will be a busy time. none of these will be major storms and in eastern canada, cold air which was farther north last week has slipped further south approaching the st. lawrence valley and the great lakes. there is very cold air just waiting to come in. maybe next week we will see some of that. a mix of sun and clouds today, 42-47 degrees, may be a sprinkle or a snow flurries for some of you, not a big chance and south winds at 5-10 miles per hour.

1-2 foot waves on the bay. most of the precipitation if that occurs should be north of us. on the weekend, a little more moisture will come our way and something scattered move through our area. it will not be a big rain or snow chance. windy and cold for the sunday game in cincinnati and a slight chance for a shower, low 40's in during the game. 45 degrees today, 50 degrees tomorrow, maybe a shower late in the day, a small chance on saturday, sunday looks dry with a high around 50. ♪ >> dr. kim hammond is here to answer your pet questions. this is buttons. >> she has stage fright.

there you go. i put dog food on my cheek. can i say something quickly? a lot of people got new dogs and cats for christmas. you should run, don't walk, to your veterinarian to get a microchip. these doors are opening to a onandaga and cats are slipping out and they are lost forever. a microchip is stuck into their back and all the pounds have the raiders and can identify where the animals belong. >> my 1-year-old lhasa has been exhibiting signs of lyme disease but tested negative. >> it is probably not lime disease. it could be orthopedic or

lethargy or paying for it gets and other tests and figure it out. >> my husband just purchased an eight-month old english gold from a breeder in colorado. the owner put the dog on a plane and she is pregnant and is scared them apart for anxiety is because she lost her familiar family in colorado. she is also in heat so her warm bonds are going crazy. i would take it to a veterinarian and getter stabilized. >> thank you so much. you can e-mail your questions to pet questions or visit our website, wbaltv.com. ♪ >> to quit smoking, it tops the

list of new year's resolutions and fallen off the wagon may not necessarily be a bad thing. anti-smoking advocates say figures can become learning experiences allow you to see what and who triggers you to reach for a cigarette. write down some of the distractions like exercising are calling a friend when you hurt -- when you feel the urge to light up. >> let those that to love know you intend to do this and sometimes they will welcome it and sometimes they will be derisive. if they are unkind, find a real support group. >> going cold turkey is nearly impossible for many long-term smokers. they may need behavior counseling, medication, or nicotine replacement products. coming up next, your maryland lottery pick three and pick 4 numbers and we will get a another check of the forecast but first a look at how wall street is performing at this hour.

>> tomorrow is friday everywhere in the world except some ala. they have cancelled tomorrow, december 30. the move is being made to the country can jump over the international date line. it wants to be in a similar times on as australia and new zealand tonight, police traced the explosion that injured three teens with gasoline poured on a

burning grills. we will talk to investigators about what is becoming a dangerous time of the year and at one time, it was a wedding capital of the east coast and we could see where there is no wedding chapels in the town of elkton. texting while driving could be difficult. now your maryland lottery pick three and pick 4 numbers. ♪ >> i am from 98-rock -- your numbers for today are -- for starters, we have a 0 followed by an 8 and your final number is a3 make in your pick 3 number is 083. we will get to pick 4 numbers in a moment. plight keno now to triple your winnings. the promotion and january 1.

here are your pick 4 numbers -- we haven't 8 for starters, followed by a 0 ander next number is a 3 ander final number is a 5. making your pick 4 number is 8035. let yourself play. >> one last check of the forecast --. >> temperatures will go up a little bit on average for the next few days. we have some precipitation chances friday morning into saturday and you may see a sprinkle today. new year's day looks like 51 and temperatures will fall next week but it looks dry to begin the new year. >> thank you for joining us. >> be sure to join us tonight at 5:00.

allbritton news and wh i miss that guy with all my heart. we shared classes together, we survived the lectures, and we took the tests and we told the jokes. but now i must look at the empty desk with an empty heart, unable to rest. while all the other kids laugh and play, i'll only remember that one day, when my best friend jeff was taken away.

i love you, jeff.