happy friday. i am sarah caldwell. >> i am stan stovall. thank you for joining us this morning. >> there were some flurries yesterday. >> there were like heavy snow flurries. north of the beltway. some may of stock to the grassy uck to-son- may have stoc the grassy areas. there is the first batch of stuff going through yesterday. at the end of this loop, you see something else coming in from illinois and indiana. that is the next weather disturbance. the temperatures will be warmer today. we'll talk about the prospect for warmer temperatures. right now we want to check up the traffic situation. >> there are some things going on. we saw the camera on 95 in the

northbound direction in havre de grace. there is a vehicle fire as you travel on northbound on 95. southbound traffic looks good. an accident at telegraph road and 175. police are on the scene. 11 minutes on the outer loop northeast side. if you travel south on 895, minutes to get you to the harbor tunnel tolls. this is 95 at 155, that exit is closed. some lanes are blocked on 95. so far so good on the west side at baltimore national pike. >> four days to go before the iowa caucuses. >> the candidates are crisscrossing the state hoping to get enough support to win the first nominating process of the 2012 campaign.

tara mergener is live in washington with more. >> the race is still very fluid. all are battling over the reported 12% who are still making up their minds. gop hopefuls make a mad dash through iowa, shaking hands and filling up the airwaves with millions worth of ad. >> wheel of washington. >> mitt romney and ron paul at the head of the pack, with mitt romney leading by a hair. mitt romney and ron paul ollie ollie two believed -- and ron paul are the only two believed to have enough money. santorum is edging out newt gingrich. >> it was a mistake.

i made a mistake. >> rick perry and the former house speaker will have to rely on momentum. good morning >>, everyone. >> michele bachmann is trying to convince supporters her campaign is fine after losing an adviser to ron paul. whoever wins iowa will have extra momentum going into hampshire. >> we have heard a lot about the negative ads. break it down. >> at least $12 million worth of ads floating around. most of them from independent groups who are aligned with the candidates. the media is happy with this influx of cash. >> thank you.

a press conference for governor martin o'malley made clear that taxes will be on the agenda in 2012, including an increase on the gas tax. he highlighted some of the accomplishments include the lower murder rate. jennifer franciotti has more. >> the governor spent some time talking about the good news of 2011. maryland schools ranked number want for the third year in a row. the state had the lowest crime rate including baltimore on pace to have less than 200 murders for the year. if the governor has his way, higher taxes will be a reality in 2012. some of the shortfall areas including infrastructure, mass transit, and the environment. on top of the $6.8 billion in spending cuts, taxes are inevitable including a possible hike in the gas tax.

>> a budget they uses the balanced approach that every family has been using to weather this recession or coming through this recession so that will be a budget that meets spending affordability guidelines for the sixth consecutive year while protecting the free the progress on the shared priorities. >> you can find a link to the presentation on our website, wbaltv.com. back to you. >> new details in a terrible crash that claimed the life of a boy. the driver of an suv rented an acura -- rear-ended an acrua. for occupants of the acura -- all four occupants of the actor were taken to the hospital.

the action remains under investigation. >> there was an explosion in rosedale. three teenagers have been stoking a fire when one of the teenagers poured gasoline on top of it. had burns from the waist up. fire officials are hoping this will be a valuable lesson to anyone else. >> if you're having a hard time starting a fire with those starter logs, that would work. use some paper. never use flammable liquids or gasoline or diesel fuel. >> a parent was inside the home at the time of the accident. investigators are trying to figure out what happened at a grocery store in south baltimore on south hanover street around noon on thursday. the building was fully engulfed in flames.

firefighters were able to bring the fire under control. >> a natural gas leak at penn station. a gas line ruptured thursday afternoon as a contractor worked on north charles street. fire crews blocked off north charles street for cleanup. the incident caused a few delays to rail service. 5:07. 30 degrees on tv hill. a memorial for the woman who was burned inside the new york elevator. >> a pileup in new orleans. >> this is the accident scene, a vehicle fire on northbound 95 in havre de grace.

>> good morning.

welcome back to 11 news today. 5:10. 38 degrees downtown. a nice quiet morning this morning. we have mostly clear skies. but the radar and satellite combination. maryland is on the right side of the screen. it goes back to yesterday. there is that disturbance that produce some flurries yesterday afternoon. this is the next weather disturbance and that will be coming in tonight. there is another one coming in from the west coast. the temperatures are going to be warmer for a couple of days. the insta-weather forecast is coming up. >> a memorial service will be held today for a woman who was set on fire. she died december 17 after police say she was doused with gasoline and set on fire.

one man is charged with first- degree murder and arson. he was hired to do some work in her apartment. there was a conflict over payment for that work. two people were killed in a 40- car pileup in new orleans. there was some foggy conditions. 37 people refused medical treatment. the cause of the incident is still under concerned. >> report estimates the u.s. population will stand at just under 313 million people at the start of the year. the population has grown by 2.2 5 million people. one person will be added to the population every 17 seconds in 2012. the number is reached after a

factor in births, deaths, and immigration. the population has grown by 2 million to under 50,000 -- 2 stan is writing that down. . >> fixed mortgage rates will end the year above record levels. >> some verizon customers may want to switch back to a snail mail to pay their bills. a problem in the how the degrees region. lots of activity. lots of activity.

>> now traffic pulse 11 and insta-weather plus together. >> not that with a few exceptions. we have a problem on northbound 95. we have a vehicle fire and lots of activity. that ramp is blocked. looking good in the south direction. the tunnels look fine. we have an accident at telegraph road and 175. fire activity in columbia. use extra caution. 11 minutes on the outer loop northeast side. six minutes on southbound 95 from 895 down to the fort mchenry. this is 95 and that is 155,

moving at the moment. our shot is frozen. on the west side, looking good. no problems on the beltway this morning. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. john has a look at your forecast. >> good morning. yesterday with a situation where there was snow off to the west. this morning we have rain looming to the west. the raider is showing another weather disturbance moving in from the west -- the radar is showing. today we will be dealing with increasing clouds as this crosses the mountains. yesterday, we had -- some of you had a trace of precipitation and snow, some light flurries. at the airport, no precipitation was officially measured. not even a trace. 41 was the height yesterday at

the airport. we should be able to do much better than that today. 37 in annapolis. edgewood, 31. frederick, 28. far westerns out in maryland. there are some clouds to the south of us. up towards the maryland line, skies are clear. there is a warm front coming in from the west. here's the next disturbance. very similar to the last one that went through. if you look into the pacific northwest, there is another disturbance coming off the pacific ocean. they are kind of lineup and wedding to zoom across the -- waiting to zoom across the jet stream and, our way. the cold air is over eastern canada right now. we see some mild air in the mississippi valley. this is our weekend temperature

situation with this cold air moving in. sunshine and clouds today. sunshine this morning. a few sprinkles late in the day. 48 to 52 the high. not bad. we are clear now but we do begin to pick up more cloudiness. we will see sprinkle and shower activity get closer. a couple of places tomorrow morning temperatures may be near freezing so a few snowflakes may be mixed in. by sunday, the next system moves in. that is a cold front that moved through sunday afternoon. it does not look very significant but it might produce some precipitation and some snow showers. cincinnati, the rain will be over by the time the game starts on sunday afternoon. temperatures in the low 40's. besprinkled late today.

tomorrow, partly cloudy skies -- a sprinkle late today. 50 on new year's day. maybe a couple of flurries and some cold air starting next week. >> thank you. a dress rehearsal for the ball drop in new york city. the final padenls were placed -- panels were placed on the ball yesterday. that brings us to our water cooler question of the day. how do you plan to ring in the new year? you can share your response at wbaltv.com and on our facebook page, or send us an e-mail to watercooler@wbaltv.com. >> verizon wireless plans to charge some of its customers for the privilege of paying their bills. they will charge a new $2 convenience fee to those paying

online or over the phone. verizon said will not apply to automatic credit card payments. fixed mortgage rates will end the year above record lows. the average on 30 year homeowners has increased to 3.955%. less week's rate with the lowest dating back to the 1950's. the average on 50 year fixed mortgage rose to 3.42%, a record low. >> american airline shares are getting grounded. now maybe a good time to apply for a job at the bag. jane king has the bloomberg business report. the last day of trading for the year. >> what a year it has been. if you're looking for a job, you

might try applying any bank. the number of tellers has jumped almost 30%. banks are opening inew branches in some places like grocery stores. online travel companies will continue to hurt job prospects for travel agents. american airlines shares getting delisted. the stock has plunged 68% and down 93% this year appeared there will likely get a new ticker. stop features are very quiet today. we did see gains yesterday. so now the chesapeake is positive on the year. i'm jane king reporting for wbal-tv 11 news. -- some now the s&p is positive

on the year. >> i am stan las vegas is anticipating a full crowd this weekend -- i understand las vegas. >> other ways you might want to spend new year's. i will have some ideas for you. it is funny. that is in the next hour. >> happy new year. >> you, too. >> happy new year. 30 degrees on tv hill. losing weight is a top resolution. a cool gadgets that will make it easy for you to stick to your easy for you to stick to your

>> every year the number-one resolution is to lose weight and

to get in shape. >> there are some apps that will help you get on a program that will work for you. so >> if working out is your top resolution, you may want one of these. it measures every calorie you burn. you enter the food that you eat with your iphone and it gives you a constant readout, how many calories you burn, how much you have consumed. it is strapped on your arm and it does the math for you to make sure that you burn more calories they consume. that is needed to lose weight f. how about a cool app that would be moving? 100 consecutive pushups a day. this app gets you there. how about 200 situps the day?

just follow the program. there's a similar app for squats. they work. all those exercises should have your heart pumping. is one, 99 cents for the iphone and and droid phones. in 10 seconds, and reads out your heart rate. your i made it easy for you. just go over to my pcmike tech blog. have direct links -- i have a direct links to all those gizmos i just showed you. >> or you could curl those in the awards he has.

>> two doctors facing murder charges in cecil county. >> could 2012 bring higher taxes in the state of maryland? >> this is traffic on the northwest corner of the beltway. not bad. we will let you know

>> live, local, late-breaking, this is wbal-tv 11 news today. >> good morning, everybody. welcome back to 11 news today. i am stan stovall. >> i am sarah called. thank you for joining us this morning. it is feeling like winter. >> yesterday there was a flurry of activity. some folks saw some snow flurries and a few flakes stuck to the ground north of the beltway.

to date we have a similar setup with one big difference. the radar echoes to the west this morning are rain echos, not snow echoes. that means temperatures are warmer out there. our temperatures will be warmer here. with what is left of that disturbance coming through, it should not be a sprinkel, not a flurry. we'll talk more about that -- a sprinkle. >> i got excited when i saw the flurries. >> a few accidents. the one that we had on northbound 95 has not been cleared. we had a vehicle fire. otherwise a problem in odenton out at telegraph road. an accident being clear. in colombia at governor warfield parkway, watch for fire department activity. 11 minutes on the outer loop

northeast side. 12 minutes on the outer loop west side. five minutes to travel south on 95 down to the fort mchenry. we will check the northwest corner. moving well on 795 and of the entire beltway so far this morning. this is 50 at the severn river bridge. traffic is in great shape to and from the annapolis region. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> a man is charged with numerous sex offenses allegedly involving two teenage boys. he faces charges of sex abuse of a minor and other offenses. authorities say he abused the boys when they were much younger. police are investigating the murder of a man in west baltimore. a man was shot to death on west garrison avenue. two masked men pushing into his

home and demanded money. the victim was well-known to police officers. his death marks the 186th homicide in baltimore city this year. two doctors are facing murder charges at a secret location in elkton. dr. nicola riley is charged with first and second-degree murder. the doctor had been performing procedures in maryland because laws here are mmore permissive. she and dr. steven brigham were performing late term abortions. the doctors were arrested after a search uncovered several human remains. police are hoping for more leads into an attempted robbery at a light rail train. authorities are searching for terry thomas and lynn astrom.

the attack happened around 7:00 p.m. at the cherry hill stopped at south baltimore. there are still on the run and are considered to be armed and dangerous. -- they are still on the run. >> taxes will be present on the agenda. the governor made a press conference and said this will include an increase of the gas tax. jennifer franciotti it is live with what else was discussed. >> the governor says 2011 was a good year in many respects. if he has his way, there will be higher taxes in 2012. >> you get what you pay for. there's no way you can build that bridge. >> the government is making it clear that if he has his way,

higher taxes will become a reality. on top of $6.8 billion in spending cuts, the governor said taxes are inevitable including a possible hike in the gas tax. some of the shortfall areas include the operating budget, infrastructure, mass-transit, and the informant. >> a budget that uses the balanced approach that every family has been using to weather this recession or to come through this recession. so that will be a budget that meets spending affordability guidelines for the sixth consecutive year while protecting and furthering the progress on those shared priorities of every marylander. >> the governor did highlight some pauses including the fact that maryland schools ranked number 1 for a third year in a row and the state had its lowest crime rate since 1975. jennifer franciotti reporting live. >> operation welcome home is in full swing to soldiers returning

from overseas. [cheers] loved ones and supporters greeted the service men and women from all branches of the military at the airport. >> we just want to honor the troops and let them know how much we appreciate them and for putting their lives on the line. with all the troops getting to come home, this is one of our last opportunities to let them know how much we appreciate them. >> nearly 15 employees were on hand to share employment opportunities to the returning soldiers. >> some former catholic school buildings could reopen as educational facilities. five buildings have been approved for leasing for other educational purposes. there was a new policy for processing requests to sell or lease the school buildings. the new facilities are not

expected to compete with existing catholic schools. for a complete list, you can go to the education dollar page of our website, wbaltv.com. 5:35. 31 degrees on tv hill. a brain diet -- you can keep it in tiptop shape. >> if failure patients may want to think high by prolonged exposure to high altitude. >> we are still taking your answers to our water cooler question of the day. how do you plan to ring in the new year? you can share your response at wbaltv.com and on our facebook page, or send us an e-mail to watercooler@wbaltv.com. >> this is the severn river bridge. east and westbound traffic on 50 looks great.

>> good morning. welcome back to 11 news today. i'm john collins taking a look at the temperatures, 38. we have a few scattered clouds. a nice chilly morning this morning. not extremely cold. temperatures will be the big story weather-wise. they are going up. most of the readings are in the 30's this morning. parkton, 29 degrees. these readings are warming up, low 50's today. anything that comes our way in the form of precipitation should be rain, not snow. we'll talk about the forecast in just a minute.

>> eating well could keep your break healthy and sharp. >> researchers studied over 100 elderly adults. each participant give a blood tests. with diets high in vitamin c, d, and e have higher scores on the mental thinking tests. interesting. prolonged exposure to high altitudes could benefit patients with high blood pressure. >> eventually the simulator reached 2,700 meters. patients had improved walking ability and muscle strength. those improvements lasted for four week s to the high altitude

training was don. >> of 30 degrees on tv hill. a young man shares his health struggle with the world. >> his remarkable story is straight ahead. when it comes to getting my family to eat breakfast,

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>> now traffic pulse 11 and insta-weather plus together. >> time to look to your morning commute. not a lot in the whale delays. that will be the case until monday when things return to normal. but things to report on northbound 95. everything is now clear. looking good at the tunnels. telegraph road is the one problem spot at 175. we have fire activity in columbia.

drive times are not bad. 11 minutes on the west side outer loop. five minutes to travel southbound 95 down from the 895 split to the fort mchenry. we start in white marsh. northbound traffic is not bad. this is traffic -- we don't have that any longer. we were going to show you some other cameras. the major roadways, no problems to report. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> good morning. we have had a clear skies overnight. some clouds are beginning to drift in from the west. we had a similar situation yesterday west of the mountains with moisture. it was cold enough for snow. the temperatures out there are warm enough that it is rain. as across the mountains, our temperatures will be warming up. we have some 20's in these

darker shades of blue. letters shades of blue are in the 30's. not a bad morning this morning -- lighter shades of blue. here see the satellite picture appeared clouds to the south. out to the west, here is the weather disturbance. warm front region in two pennsylvania right now. a cold front back in the midwest. another blow pressure center near the mississippi river near iowa. this will be -- i am slowly losing my voice. why don't i just jump to the forecast and let you read it? >> thank you. give that man a cup of tea. thank you.

>> a young man turned his wife's struggle into a lesson for others. he lived his life to the fa ullest. >> he shared his hopes and fears with his friends online including a final message. here's the story. >> thank you for watching on casual wednesday. >> he built a loyal following on youtube. >> i'm here to give you the information back. >> offering advice on everything from school work to dating. he told the world about this life-threatening heart condition. >> i have a pacemaker. >> the disease is a thickening of the heart muscle. >> i am not limited on anything.

i have to go in for checkups and stuff. >> he died on christmas day after opening presents. but just before christmas, ben sad doubt and a video with flashcards. his words shared his hopes and fears about his lifelong struggle. in the video, he describes how we cheated death three times, beginning at age 4. he wrote about it quite like he had seen. >> it was pretty overwhelming. i didn't know he had made it. we could tell he was speaking from his heart. >> on youtube, the world is responding. more than 1 million people have

viewed the video. thousands have written comments and condolences. was a phenomenon that did not go unnoticed at his funeral. >> the timing of everything and how his message is now going to millions of people. >> the unspoken words make the message more powerful. >> i was noticing how perfect it was. he told the story through silence. he was at peace when it was telling a story. >> a teenager who gave advice, saving the best for last. >> what an incredible story. >> what is amazing without the world works with the internet suv get your message out.

our thoughts with his family. >> 5:48. 30 degrees on tv hill. coming up, we'll look at one of your answers to our water cooler question of the day. >> here is a look at last night's winning maryland lottery numbers. i know you had these numbers. >> i wish.

>> before i was interrupted by my throat, we were talking about this next weather disturbance. there is out to the west. we have some clear skies. this will be coming through. this is all rain in the ohio river valley. this will come through and our

temperatures will be warmer and that will come up with a different result. it is not a significant disturbance. you can see the mild temperatures in the mississippi valley and along the eastern seaboard we're caold. forecast for today, a mixture of sun and clouds. more clouds this afternoon. a few sprinkles laid. south wins 5 to 10. -- you sprinkles late. south wind 5 to 10. we may be clipped here or there with a sprinkle or a brief shower, but nothing significant at all. a cold front comes through on saturday. when a passer, we might be clipped by a rain shower. the temperature will be mild

this weekend. a sprinkle late today. maybe a flurry or sprinkle tomorrow. partly cloudy skies averaging it out. 48 on saturday. easter -- new year's day on sunday, 2012, maybe late date rain shower. most of the day will be nice, 50. it gets colder next week and maybe a few flurries. i made it. >> i know you have a nasty cold. >> i was getting ready to buy some fourth of july stufff. >> this morning we asked -- how do you plan to ring in the new year? >> alright.

we will post more of your answers on the front page of wbaltv.com. >> good morning. the countdown continues for what is the afc north championship game. ravens and bengals on sunday afternoon. joe flacco was having some fun in asking the media for some help. yesterday cam respond and have some fun of his own. >> i'm not going to listen to anything you have to say but i will listen to anything joe has to say. hurtful.rds are power i'm not coming to the pancakes social. it is a competitor and he wants the ball in his hands in reply that matters. is the case most of the time.

and then every now and then, i will look out on the side and say, the more conservative. >> the key to this is getting the lead. that is a good problem to have, dealing with a second-half lead. the rookie and the dalton -- andy dalton having a great year. the ravens did intercept three of his passes. one here by ed reed. they will go for the season sweep on sunday. 4:15 kickoff. gerry sandusky in cincinnati with the play-by-play. bass will, another when -- college basketball, another win for the women maryland basketball team. it was a tough game.

maryland ranks fifth in the country. she had nine rebounds. maryland wins. the heisman trophy winner robert griffin ii and baylor be it wasn't last night in a defensive struggle indelible ball. -- bowl. atcoming up, we're looking it live picture and we will update you on traffic along pulaski highway and the rest of the major roads.

>> four days to go until the iowa caucuses. how the candidates are trying to win over voters. >> the governor looks ahead to >> the governor looks ahead to 2012 and