everywhere. it the roads have been fine. these guys will gradually clear. by the time you wake up tomorrow it will be partly cloudy, dry, and chile. there could be a couple of rain showers tomorrow. we will talk about the extended forecast going into the new year in just a few minutes. >> baltimore city police are investigating the 196 homicide of the year. >> it happen in northwest baltimore. barry sanders is live downtown. --barry simms is live downtown. >> right now they have not release the identity of the victim. >> the victim -- a 31-year-old man. they are in the early stages of their investigation. here is what they believe happened. the victim was standing on his porch. two people approached and both

wearing masks. >> the forced him into the home and asked for money. the victim was shot. he did not recover from his wounds. >> the man was shot in the head. family and friends gathered in their neighborhood in northwest baltimore. the shooting happened at around 10:00 wednesday night. the victim was well known to police. officers did interview people who were inside the house at the time of the murder. one woman says she was asleep when something startled her. when she looked out her window, she saw paramedics and police vehicles. police tell us this is a relatively quiet neighborhood. remnants of police tape tied to a tree branch into a fence. this was the 196 homicide of the year in baltimore. detectives are trying to find it

two murder suspects. >> we are hopeful that while we have spoken to some individuals in the area concerning this incident, there are more that witnessed it and will come forward and eight us down the path. >> police have released few details about the suspect. they are still confident that witnesses will still come forward. >> two doctors are facing murder charges in connection with a botched abortion procedure. this is the location police say dr. steven brigham have been bringing patients to for late term abortions. they have been producing -- they have been performing them in maryland because laws or more permissive than in other states. police who conducted a search of

the building said officers are uncovered human remains. he has five counts of first- degree murder and five counts of second degree murder police are on the lookout for two suspects in an attempted armed robbery on the light rail. the two tried to rob somebody on a light rail train at the cherry hill stop. there is no word on what kind of weapon was used. if you any information, contact police at 410-454-7720. >> fire officials tell us a gas line ruptured along the 1500 block of north charles street. it happened when an amtrak contractor was working on the property. there were some slight delays to rail service. it has met and fire crews had to block off north charles street

for the clean up. anyone who smells-, bge is urging them to contact them. a crash left a five-year old boy dead. iran to:45 wednesday afternoon, a jeep cherokee failed to slow down for stopped traffic on the ramp on i 93 onto 695. it caused a chain reaction involving two more crashes. all four occupants of the acura were taken to the hospital where five-year old jake owen died of injuries. so far no charges have been filed. >> a 17-year-old girl is in critical condition tonight and two and others are injured after somebody poured gasoline on a barbecue pit fire. >> all of the teens were taken

to the hopkins burn center. one of the girls was released today. the others is in critical condition. >> we heard something pop. we went looking iran. all of a sudden we saw the ambulance. -- we started looking around. we saw the kids outside. she was crying. >> there was an explosion wednesday night. a group of teenagers had a fire going in a backyard barbecue pit when one of the teens poured gasoline on the fire. >> what happened with these kids is they thought it would be like a gradual increase in the flank. gasoline vapors are very volatile. it ignited it and exploded all around them. >> three teenagers, two 17-year-

old girls and a 16-year-old boy were all burned from the waist up. one of them is critically injured. >> it is really sad. i have a teenage daughter. i do not want that to happen to nobody. >> that is very sad. i feel bad for them. >> neighbors were saddened to learn what happened. fire officials said there was a flop -- a parent home and in the kitchen when the accident happened. >> it is well intentioned kids, good kids. unfortunately, teenagers do not always realize all the ramifications of what can happen. >> firefighters want everyone to follow the manufacturer's guidelines on how to use a fire pit and never use flammable liquid on a fire at any time. a neighborhood is hoping and praying for the recovery. >> i hope they are fine.

i hope they get better. >> the use of firepits in a backyard is legal in baltimore county. coming up, more tips on how you can use them safely. >> thank you. investigators are trying to determine what caused the fire to break out in a south baltimore grocery store this afternoon. sky team 11 over the scene where a second story building occupied by a grocery store was engulfed by flames. is hard for firefighters to find the exact location of the fire. even chile they were able to control the blaze. >> with the iowa caucuses less than one week away, the crazy ups and downs continued in the polls. mostly good news for mitt romney and 40 dead candidates who had been struggling for some national recognition -- rick santorum and ron paul.

>> polling second and one i were a voter survey, first and another, ron paul is on a roar slamming big brother government. >> it is nonsense. he did not have to give up any liberty to the state. >> hanging on every word, he had switched candidates again. >> bachman, cain, perry, and here we are ron paul. also surging is rick santorum, the social conservative focused on iowa. he is pulling third or fourth of seven. >> if i was says, you are the guy by pushing us up there into the top tier, we will not be able to ignore us anymore. >> newt gingrich cameron by negative ads is looking at later primaries. >> it is a long way from here to

picking a nominee. >> mitt romney for the first time figures he can win iowa. >> of what to make sure that your votes backing me is a vote that leads me to become the nominee. >> his new ad is all over iowa tv pure >> the economic ideals of opportunity need a clear and an apology -- unapologetic defense. >> ron paul won over chris. >> i think that next week i am in the caucus for ron paul. >> he thinks five days for i want to change their minds again. >> mitt romney is betting if he gets 25% on tuesday night, he can win the first republican contest. a few weeks ago he was barely contesting. >> in and of your press conference, maryland governor

o'malley highlighted some of the year's accomplishments including a lower murder rate that could and below 200 for the first time in modern history. lowel mesler has more from the newsroom. >> the governor had a chance to highlight the good, the bat, and the ugly as we in 2011 and head into 2012. there is no doubt there will be a lot of fighting in the general assembly over new taxes. >> you get what you pay for. there is no way to build $100 million bridge for $10 million. there is no innovation in the arsenal that allows that to happen. >> governor martin o'malley making it clear that if he has it his way higher taxes will be a reality in 2012. the governor highlighted some of the good for the state in 2011. he says 26,700 new jobs added in

the largest single month drop in unemployment since 1984. a maryland schools ranked no. 1 in the united states for the third year in a row. the state had its lowest crime rate since 1975 including the city of baltimore on pace to have less than 200 murders for the year. a two your milestone was reached to reduce pollution in the bay. the governor said on top of the $6.8 billion in spending cuts made to the budget, taxes are inevitable including a possible hike in the gas tax. some of the state's shortfall areas included operating budget, infrastructure, mass transit, and the environment. >> the balanced approach that every family has been using to weather this recession were to come through this recession, that will be a budget that

meets spending affordability guidelines for the sixth consecutive year. >> if you would like to take a closer look at the governor's presentation from earlier today, we provided a link on our web site. wbaltv.com. >> counting down to 2012, preparations are underway for the inner harbor new year's eve spectacular. >> he was one of a kind. i am just sorry. >> you may remember this. the very touching tribute to a colleague and friend. his broadcast is topping one

>> the set up is underway for the new year's eve spectacular over the harbor. the metal fence was being erected. it will continue around the inner harbor and end up near the 6. it should help control the flow of traffic by restricting access to the harbor to just nine different entrance. . it was one of the moments from the past year that people in

baltimore will never forget. former orioles pitcher and a general manager found dead after committing suicide. tonight gemma pommards terry --bute --jim harbor's palmer's to be. it came after one hour after he learned of that flanagan's death. >> he was a one-of-a-kind. i am so sorry. i am sorry for the people who knew him. this is part of be in my age and having a chance to be with guys that are this special. it is pretty much all i have to say. it is devastating. >> palmer followed a superhuman evening of broadcasting with a human breaking moment. he won the cy young award in

1979 when he won 23 games and helped the orioles win a pennant and a trip to the world series. >> quitting smoking often tops the list of new year's resolutions but it is more likely to succeed if you accept the fact you are likely to fail. officials with the american legacy foundation says that little feller is become learning experiences which lead to an understanding of what triggers your craving for a cigarette. your best bet is to write down a few health the distractions like exercising or calling a friend when you feel the urge to light up. >> let those that you love know that you intended to do this. sometimes they will welcome it and that sometimes they will be derisive. make sure you find yourself a real support group. >> maryland is getting more than $28 million to help revive more children with health coverage.

it helps offset the price when they enroll children and medicaid. they were provided this bonus money because of their work. its use of electronic databases to reduce paperwork at renewal time. according to a study, living alone may be bad for your heart. looks at data for more than 44,000 adults. living and loan was linked to an increased risk of fatal heart syndrome. the vascular procedures and lim loss. people over 80 living alone had a better cardiovascular prognosis than those 65 and under. >> how about that? winter made a guest appearance and maryland. it has been so mild it was hard to see the snow coming down. no. carroll county and parts of baltimore county got a little coding in some neighborhoods. there is a clipper storm going

across the northern part of pennsylvania. i thought all of this precipitation but state north of us. we wound up with a little flurry activity. we are still seeing a touch of that on hd doppler right now. most of that you are seeing in frederick and carroll county is not hitting the ground. most of it north of us closer to the center of the storm in pennsylvania. if you are watching us in pennsylvania, you have a better chance of seeing the snow flurries and sprinkles for the next couple of hours. these guys will start to clear. obviously, there are no problems on the road unless you're driving up into the mountains of pennsylvania. sky cover is starting to thin out a little bit. we still have an overcast, but is so thin you can see the moon through the overcast. that is an indication that a lot of energy is leaving us. the center of the storm is right back in here west of pittsburgh. that will travel north of us. there was a little bit of a surprise that precipitation made

in south. quite a range and temperatures from north to south across the area. it is down to 34 degrees and and a spurt. the temperatures will not fall off much because of the cloud cover. the cloud cover acts as a blanket at night. we should be able to dip into the 20's by early tomorrow morning. if you have any sprinkles or flurries at your house, it should be ending over the next couple of hours. joined tomorrow, there will be another clipper storm coming in behind this one. we probably have a better chance to get some precipitation out of that. as of the south of baltimore city are saying, nothing happened. this storm will go a little further south. i think with a south wind it will be rain shower activity this time. as this passes north of us on the backside of it, friday night and early saturday morning there

is a chance it might turn cold enough for a little bit of it? before it and early on saturday. we are going to put a 30% chance in four rainshowers. high temperatures warmer than today. sunrise at 7:26. still a big travel time. if you are getting out of town tomorrow, the only trouble trouble spot will be the pacific northwest again. chicago if you are flying in there is should not slow the traffic down. 44 a-chicago. 68 degrees in dallas. 72 degrees in los angeles. tomorrow we make it up to 48 degrees and upper 40's again on saturday with a mix of light rain or snow early in the morning. new year's eve is going to be dry. in the next arctic front that i was talking about will speed up. maybe some rain late in the day on sunday. look at those temperatures early

next week. we have not seen this kind of stuff for a while. overnight lows in the teens. a chance for some snow flurries both days. this is a real arctic blast coming into maryland. >> they used to be catholic schools in baltimore city. >> five buildings will become home to a different type of education. >> the s p c a has an unusual situation on their hand. there are trying to find good homes for these poppies. details are next. >> one family's decision to retire could and a legendary maryland that tradition.

>> >> officials had an important decision to make. >> the result is a pilot program that could boost adoption

numbers. >> this is amazing to have a little ones in your household that you can just -- there are so adorable. >> they were born to a loving new mom. a very pregnant filly was brought in an admitted december. they generally terminate pregnancies, but foster volunteer manager says that her case was special. >> she was ready to give birth. we really knew that we could save her and her part -- her puppies. we were not sure how many copies she was going to have. in this case, we were able to help or have the babies and find her a wonderful foster home where she could raise them. >> the idea of giving the beagle family a temporary place to

turn to volunteer and open up our home. >> the more the merrier in my household. i really cannot have nine dogs a year every day, but to have nine dogs for a month or two is a amazing. >> it is amazing to see animals only one day -- only days old and cannot see or hear. it is wonderful. >> the man to adopt puppies is high and so this new program may expand. to do that they need more volunteers. >> this is really a wonderful way of giving back, but also not a full-time commitment to having an animal. >> she was taught a great deal about being a mom. >> he definitely taught me to be patient. when they come crying, you better go feed them. >> if you are like me you probably want to take one home

right now. they will not be available for adoption until february. >> very cute. was 2011 the year he would rather forget? >> if not, you are not alone. 7 and 10 americans say this year was a bad one. what are predicting come january 1. >> if you are and the market to buy a wedding chapel, here is your chance. we will tell you where coming up.

>> live, local, late-breaking, this is wbal tv 11 news at 5:00 in hd with stan stovall, donna hamilton, tom tasselmyer. 11 news at 5:00 continues now. >> 15 wedding chapels once lined the street. now that number is down to one. singh and there could be done because the council last wedding chapel is not up for sale. >> they will give up all wedding a amenities' if somebody takes over the business. why they are running out of time. >> it is a young woman's dream come true. >> i am looking forward to go down there. >> it is everything the soon to be mrs. jeffrey macleish

envisioned it. >> the paint and the molding. it's like you are stepping into a netherworld. is like a fairy tale to come in here. >> she has served as a fairy tale destination for hundreds of thousands of couples looking to get hitched for over 80 years. back in the 1920's through 1940's, it was the wedding capital of the u.s.. 15 chapels line to the quaint street and now this mansion is the last one standing. >> we like to think of a vigorous as the elkton of the west coast. >> he says the chapel has seen generations of families walk on the aisle. after 30 years, smith and his wife barbara who has owned the chapel is looking to sell the business and retire, especially

since they have seen a decrease of weddings. 15 years ago the couple served 758 year ended out as 150. >> fewer people are getting married. >> and other challenge is the courthouse is right across the street. the court house cost $50. >> we cannot compete with the courthouse wedding. we just make enough to cover the markets and the utilities. >> 4 $350,000, you can all the historical chapel which houses numerous bedrooms, bathrooms, and fireplaces. you can also of the business and the amenities. so far a number of lawyers have expressed interest hoping to converted into a law firm. they are hoping somebody will buy it and keep the chapel going for many years to come. >> with their children come on, we hope the chapel will be there for them here >> if you are

interested in buying this chapel, had to our website wbaltv.com. >> share your wedding clothes. greg married love of his life and she was even holding 11 roses. this is just an and samantha's wedding photo. you can share it on wbaltv.com. >> baltimore city police are investigating the shooting of a 31-year-old man. he was standing on his porch on the west pierson avenue when he was approached by two people wearing masks. he died at the scene. detectives are looking for leads as the search for two murder suspects. three teams are recovering to that from severe burns after an explosion in a backyard barbecue pit wednesday night. they had a fire going along the

6000 block of -- one team picked up a gas can and poured gas on the fire. that caused an explosion. two 70-year-old girls and 116- year-old boy suffered burns from the waist up. this afternoon governor martin o'malley held in and of the year press conference where he made it clear taxes will be on the agenda in 2012. the governor highlighted some of this year's accomplishments such as baltimore city's murder rate which could end the year under the 200 mark for the first time. >> an associated press poll says americans are optimistic for what 2012 will bring to their family while they say 2011 was a year they would rather forget.

>> when the new year ball dropped to start 2011, it was not the only thing that went down. nearly 70% say 2011 was a bad year. many are hopeful for 2012. >> 2011 we saw a turnaround. we are on the upswing. it is not going to happen anytime soon. >> they do eight people showed less than 30% call the year a success. the reason for many is money. millions of struggle to find jobs with unemployment at near record highs. >> i do not think anybody is a real optimistic about 2012. when you say they are more optimistic, it is more than they have been in recent years which has really been a near historic lows. >> the end of the year brought the start of new things. gas prices dropped, shopping is strong, and the u.s. has added 100,000 new jobs for five months

running -- all signs there is more faith in the economy. but to can feel it and see it. look at the spending in stores, the holiday season. i am optimistic it will be a great year. >> the polls show 62% of americans think the next 12 months will be good for the country hoping 2012 will be a year to remember and 2011 will be a year they can forget. >> still ahead -- what if you can simply skip friday and headed straight into the weekend. >> a 40 car pile up and i highway in new orleans. at least two people are killed. >> a shakeup in the republican race for the nomination. we will have to the latest .

>> some catholic school buildings will be be opening as

another type of educational facility. 5 the buildings -- five buildings have been approved as leasing for charter schools or another type of educational program. here is a look at the list. the list requests were approved because they were deemed not to be a threat to catholic schools. governor martin o'malley nominates to the district court. this is to fill a vacancy. a democrat recognized --he was defeated in 2010 by state senator in the hearings. -- andy harris. >> two people were killed and

almost 60 others were injured in a 40 car pileup and louisiana. it closed the highway down for 10 hours. the crash took place on the westbound lanes heading into the business district. 37 people refused treatment, police are still investigating the cause but they say could have been the fog or smoke that limited the ability. >> bp could soon be hit with criminal charges. prosecutors could charge over false -- bp and the department of justicve had no comment. >> come next month the might want to change the way you pay your bill. >> it was explained in our

consumer alert. >> testing while driving could soon become impossible to do. >> after a win over the browns, he dedicated the victory to the fans. he brought some of them here and delivering special game balls. how you feel about the baltimore ravens are not? >> go ravens! >> we will let you know what to expect going into the new year. here is a look outside. 37 degrees at the airport. stacy and, the weather is next

>> a man is gunned down inside his northwest baltimore home. what happened moments before he was murdered and help police are trying to hunt down his killers. three baltimore county teens,

what sparked an explosion that when did the trio in a hospital.

>> critics warn it will be hard to enforce. in two nights -- we take a closer look at one idea. >> when chalk -- chuck cox gets in his car, he puts on his seat belt and gets ready to go. >> you get a blocking stream that says you cannot do it. >> he is talking about a system called "cell control." he is hoping to sell it to

companies with big fleets of cars into parents. if you get into the car while talking on the phone -- >> it will blocked -- hang up the call or it will put up a blocking streams of you can no longer read your tax. >> it works with software installed on selected funds. the blocking program only works when the car is moving. >> if you plug it in it's sensibly to signal into the car that signals motion. >> the little device that plugs into your car sells for iran $25. after that you have to pay a monthly fee to keep locking your phone. >> i do think it is a problem. it is hard to drink a cup of coffee. >> people i talked to agreed that distracted drivers from cell phones is a problem. should those funds be blocked inside a car? >> it is not safe bought i do not know if they should limit it. >> it lets you choose what to

block. no text in, but music or on my maps can be ok. it also notifies parents of their children try to tamper with the system. people are doing more and more with their phones and still getting behind the wheel. >> people do text andy mill, they serve. the play worked with friends and angry birds and the whole bit while driving. that is dangerous. >> this sell control system costs $75 for the device and $8 a month for up to six fronts. they are hoping to have it work on the iphone early next year. >> old man winter decided to make a brief visit to some neighborhoods in maryland. we had some snow showers and flurries north and west of town. it coated the ground in some parts of carol and frederick counties. here is a little clippers storm

going north of us. we are picking up a few sprinkles and flurries on hd doppler mostly in the northern and western suburbs. south of baltimore city there were a few sprinkles. most of the activity was north of town. if you are watching -- hearing all of this buzz about snow, that is what was going on. there was a clipper storm going across pennsylvania that drop some precipitation as far south as the northern suburbs of baltimore you can see clouds are starting to thin out a little bit. as we head for the that you will see more and more of those spots in the overcast. temperatures will have a chance to drop off a little bit. it is already pretty chilly up north. it is still 42 degrees in annapolis. you guys will probably dip into the 20's early tomorrow morning. if you have sprinkles or flowers, they will be coming to end and it really shortly.

we will put up a 30% chance and for rainshowers on friday. it will be warmer. the high temperature between 47 degrees and 52 degrees. we will start the time from late in the afternoon tomorrow at 6:00. the computer not showing any precipitation a round baltimore. if we advance the temperament to saturday morning, some of that does make it across the mountains into the baltimore area. friday night and saturday morning there is a chance we could see some rain showers. maybe a couple of snowflakes will maxxam before early morning on saturday. new year's eve, things clear up. it should be nice and quiet for everyone heading out to celebrate the new year on saturday night. just off the edge of the map is a serious arctic cold front that will come through on sunday night. the jet stream look at all the way down to the northern part of florida early next week. the cold air will spill all the way down to the east coast and

you will see it reflected in the seven-day forecast. drive new year's eve and then new year's day at night, a chance for some rain as the front comes through. look at temperatures early next week. a high of only 29 on tuesday. the average high as 42 to give you a little perspective. maybe some snow flurries monday and tuesday as well. >> verizon customers is instituting a two dollar fee paid bills online or by telephone. that will be billed -- that will be waived by people -- it cites convenience as one of the ways people like to shop online is for the deals.

sometimes it is not that easy. when website is working to make it easier. it is called dropdowndeals.com. the computer application does the west after searching for the web site. you click on the button on the upper right-hand corner of the screen and cd deals for that site. >> if you go to traget.com, a window will pop up to with you the deals for that site. all you have to do is just shop and we will give you the coupons. >> you do have to download the cap on your computer to cd deals but you do not have to give any personal information. >> as the christmas season winds down the department is reminding residents to recycle trees and the paper.

you can ticket to the citizens top of center throughout the month of january. if you cannot drop of said it outside during a scheduled trash collection days during january and somebody will pick it up. just make sure all of the tonsils and ornaments are off of this tree first. for a look at where to go for that type of recycling, had to your website wbaltv.com and click on holiday spirit >> john harbough said he would honor the fans, and he did so three times today. pete gilbert was there to see the bomb went of a lifetime of some very thrilled fans. >> the badge and as a reagan season-ticket holder from the beginning getting a phone call asking you to come to practice because the coach was to give you a game ball and say thank you for helping the reagans go 8-0. john made the comments, he

wanted to do something recognizing the tremendous support that they have. it all but a phone call on tuesday. smith telling me he thought it was a prank. they were invited to team headquarters and receive their game balls. >> the team after they won a great game and they are in their -- their game ball, that is about what i feel like right now. i got a game ball. thank you very much. "i wanted to say what a pleasure it is to accept this on behalf of all baltimore ravens fans. i am honored to be here to represent. >> she told me afterward she was shaking and did not know what to say. her thoughts on the boat deck came through loud and clear.

-- on the moment came through loud and clear. >> a new poll shows a shake-up just days away. tomorrow will be the day after tomorrow and once pacific island nation. one

>> there will be no friday december 30, 2011 and some of

what. tomorrow will be the day after tomorrow. >> 120 years ago traders convinced samoa's to move east so they could trade with california. they now realize it was not such a good idea. >> at the stroke of midnight, this small island nation will shift the date line east. there will be no friday december 30. >> this week we are going to be losing a day. we are going to move the date line so we will be in line with new zealand and australia. >> the date line runs north to south and the pacific ocean. on one side the see the first sunset of the day and on the other side the city last. confused yet? if it is friday in samoa, it is saturday and australia and new zealand. >> it is really urgent, we have to come in on sunday. otherwise we have to wait for

them to come in on monday which is really tuesday. >> the prime minister says enough is the death. it is time for a time warp. there will be no births are death on december 30. for those who do not like it -- people who are unhappy about some of what being last-place -- not being the last list to see the sunset, let's change our attitudes. some of what will be the first place to see the sunrise. >> which also means there will be the first nation to celebrate the new year. >> if you have not make your plans yet, this could be the place to go. there will be a very large party. what to recover from that one, like an hour east and you can celebrate a in a day later. better but my tickets now. that is all for us at 5:00. here is what is coming up at 6:00. >> police find a man murdered in

northwest baltimore. the latest on their investigation coming up. >> one team is critically injured and others are heard in a fire and explosion. >> governor o'malley takes a look back at 2011 and is talking to taxes for 2012. 11 news at 6:00 start right now. >> live, local, late-breaking, this is wbal tv 11 news at 6:00. >> our big story tonight, baltimore city police ask for your help as they try to solve the 196 murder of 2011. >> i.t. reporter. -- barry simms joins us. >> police are in the initial stages of their investigations. they have not released the victim'