says higher taxes could be on the way. >> new details in the murder of a girl. her family ties to maryland and now state officials -- >> those stories and your holiday forecast. [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 call dwell. happy friday. >> john? >> he is stan stovall. >> we're fast forwarding. >> this morning we have a set up in the atmosphere that was similar to yesterday. there is another storm out to the west. yesterday when one went through, a produce some snow flurries in the area.

the new one is moving eastward. the difference is the temperatures. warmer today. flurries are not likely. sprinkles are possible. that's what i will talk about in just a minute. sarah has traffic. >> accident on the east side of the beltway just past 702. some problems in columbia. fire activity at governor warfield parkway. watch for fire activity. the other problems we had earlier oregon. 11 minutes on the west side. temin's to travel south on 95 down towards 32. this is pulaski howard -- 11 minutes to travel south on 95. -- this is pulaski highway. this is 95 from white marsh. southbound traffic moving very well to the fort mchenry tunnel. that is the latest on traffic

pulse 11. >> just four days to go before the iowa caucuses. the gop contenders are pulling out all the stops in hoping gain enough support to win the first campaign contest. tara mergener has more on the story. >> the clock is ticking and the race is still fluid, all are battling over the reported 12% who were still making up their mind. gop hopefuls make a mad dash through iowa, running up and down the state, shaking hands -- >> and thank all of you for being here today. >> and filling up the airwaves with millions worth of ads. >> it's "wheel of washington." i'm your host, wink tax-and- spend. >> with four days to go, polls show mitt romney -- >> good to see you guys. >> and ron paul at the head of the pack, with romney leading by a hair. >> when government runs things, they mess things up. >> romney and paul are the only

two believed to have the money and the organization to ensure big turnouts on tuesday. >> one of the papers called me a tea party guy before there was a tea party. >> rick santorum, who is now polling in third place, edging out newt gingrich, who blames his plunge on negative ads. >> i made a mistake. i made a mistake. i've made mistakes at times. >> rick perry -- >> how are you? >> and the former house speaker will have to rely on momentum to get supporters to caucuses. >> good morning, everyone. i'm glad you're here. everyone ready? >> meantime, michele bachmann is trying to convince voters her campaign is fine after losing an adviser to ron paul. whoever wins iowa will have extra momentum going into new hampshire, where primary day is january 10. i am at tara mergener, wbal-tv 11 news. >> state school officials say the girl who was found murdered in indiana lived in hagerstown earlier this year.

officials say she attended winter street elementary school from january to june. a neighbor has confessed to killing the girl and dismembering her body. county is offering grief counseling to any member who knew her. a man was murdered in west baltimore. he was shot wednesday night on west garrison avenue. two masked man pushed the victim into his home and demanded money. police are hoping more witnesses will come forward. >> due to the time that this occurred, we're hopeful -- we have spoken to some individuals concerning this incident. there are more that witnessed this and will come forward. >> the victim was well-known to city police officers. his death marks the 196th side

in the city this year. >> there was a fire at a south baltimore grocery store. this was on south hanover street on noon on thursday appeared the building was fully engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived on the scene. they were able to bring it under control. everyone inside was able to make it out safely. a girl remains in critical condition after an explosion in rosedale. she and two other teenagers had been stoking a fire when one of them poured gasoline on the flames. they were suffering from burns. fire officials are hoping others will avoid this potentially fatal mistake. >> if you're having a hard time starting a fire can get some of those store logs. -- those starter bllogs or

paper. >> fire officials say there was a parent inside the home at the time of the accident. there was a natural gas leak at penn station. a gas line ruptured while a contractor was working at the station on north charles street. skyteam 11 was over the scene as the fire crews had to block off charles street for the cleanup. the incident caused delays because trains were reduced to a single track. >> operation welcome home was in full swing. soldiers were returning from overseas. love once and supporters greeted the servicemen and women from all branches of the military at the airport on thursday night. >> we just want to honor the troops and let them know how much we appreciate them putting

their lives on the line. with all the troops getting to come, this is one of our last opportunities to let them know how much we appreciate them. >> employees were on hand to distribute giveaways and to share employment opportunities with the returning soldiers. >> the governor promises the issue of raising the gas tax next year. >> jennifer franciotti it is live with the session 2012 report. >> the governor spent some time talking about the good news of 2011 for the state. maryland schools ranked number one in the u.s. for the third year in a row. the state had its lowest crime rate since 1975, including baltimore on pace to have less than 200 murders for the year. however, the governor is making it clear that if he has his way, higher taxes will be a reality in 2012. some of the state's shortfall areas include its operating budget, infrastructure including bridges and roads, mass transit, and the

environment. on top of the $6.8 billion in spending cuts made to the budget, taxes are inevitable, including a possible hike in the state's gas tax. >> 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. >> you can find a link to the governor's presentation on our website, wbaltv.com. reporting live, jennifer franciotti. >> thank you. 31 degrees on tv hill. sticking with stamps. why stamp out might be a better option for verizon customers when it comes to paying their bills. >> is in the big apple prepare

for the biggest celebration of the year -- crews in the big apple. >> there is a disturbance out in the west that is pushing clouds our way. forecast is just ahead. >> we are tracking one problem on the east side of the beltway. we will check

>> good morning. we have that clear skies for most of the overnight hours. the temperature may dip -- the

temperature may start to rise later today. rising temperatures is the key to our weather. there is a disturbance out to the west. there was a disturbance yesterday that was producing snow. today, the disturbance is a rainmaker. that means warmer temperatures. let's look at what is going on out there this morning. we have some clout to our south. they are not producing any precipitation. clearing skies are giving way to scattered cloudiness. with this new disturbance coming in, it is producing precipitation, a chance for some rain. this is a week assistant and will be hitting the mountains later today and coming into the area tonight. it will raise the chance for possibly a few sprinkles in our forecast. not snow flurries, like we had yesterday. there is another system out to

the west. this is a water vapor in madrid and i have drawn in where the jet stream is running right now. -- this is water vapor. this bump the jet stream is allowing warmer temperatures to move in. other line up. the jet stream is not taking a nose dives to the south. that is good. our readings today will be 48 to 52 for the high. a few sprinkles by the end of the day is a possibility but not a big chance. south wind at 5 to 10. the clouds in and out of the picture. that moisture coming in later in the day, maybe a sprinkle that would last into the morning hours. there might be a few sprinkles mixed in. by saturday afternoon, the sun comes out. a cold front approaches by

sunday. the cold front goes through sunday afternoon. limited range chances. some snow showers out in the mountains to the west. -- limited range chances. 50 today. -- limited rain chances. and these guys start to clear. 50 on new year's day. maybe a rain shower late in the day. temperatures turned quite a bit colder early next week. we could see some flurries on monday and tuesday. >> no problem on the roads. we had an accident on the east side. that has now cleared. we do have a problem in columbia on wind stream drive. fire department activity. be careful. drive times are shaping up well. eight minutes on the inner loop from 75 to the 83's.

11 minutes on southbound 95 from about one southwest to 32. no delays on pulaski highway pyrrhic and i start in both loops of the beltway. a smooth start on 95 from the white marsh region down towards howard county. the rest of the major roadways are cooperating. things will return to normal on monday. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> a warning from the u.s. treasury department. by the end of the day, the nation's debt will come within one under billion dollars of its limit. $100is the point 0-- billion. the debt ceiling is that $56 trillion. preparing for tomorrow's new

year's eve festivities in new york. they will go through a dress rehearsal of the ball drop today. they are testing to make sure the ball will light up and drop properly. that is not the only prop given a trial run. workers are testing the confetti squares to make sure that the float and fall gently to the ground. 3,000 pounds of confetti will fall on the times square's crowd including confederate that contains thousands of new year's wishes. 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 customers may see a new charge on their bills in the new year.

some think the company is calling a convenience fee. will charge a new -- they iftwill charge a new $2 fee you pay by credit card. the fixed-rate mortgages may be creeping back up. the average rate has increased by 0.04%. the rates last week were the lowest averages on record dating back to the 1950's. are some quirky ideas about how to spend new year's eve. jane king has the bloomberg business report. >> good morning. however like to watch a sardine drop in the main -- which like to watch a sardine drop in maine?

watch watermelons drop in indiana? lows of the topics of the quirkiest new year's destination. las vegas expecting near record clouds as people plan clubs to see stevie wonder and the car- kardashians. stocks rebounded yesterday. stanley black & decker helping the bloomberg maryland index yesterday. verizon among yesterday's gainers afterward its wireless unit will start charging $2 every time people pay the monthly bill online or over the phone. some freebies -- sam's club offering free screenings to check for things like cholesterol and body mass index. have a new smoking cessation program which includes a free consultation. free snacks are also involved.

i'm jane king for wbal-tv 11 news. >> could you imagine going to a party to see the kar dashian? fumbles and high scores. everything a good blwoowl game should have. >> don't forget to e-mail us your response 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. >> here is a look at last night's winning maryland lottery numbers. luck.od

>> now traffic pulse 11 and insta-weather plus together. >> this commute up to date on your morning commute. the earlier accidents have been cleared. there are some of fire activity in columbia. be careful. otherwise, speeds around 53 on 97. no problems on the harrisburg expressway. 59, down from shawan road. problem free on the inner loop.

volume has been light all week. that is the case on the outer loop as well. 10 minutes on southbound 95 from the belt way down to 32. this is franklin boulevard. traffic moving well. this is bel air road on the northeast corner of the beltway. terry's moved so far. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> good morning. there are some clouds moving into the area. here is the forecast for a few major airport destination. chicago, rain showers and temperatures in the 40's. atlanta and tampa bay look great. dallas is dry. seattle is near 50 and they have rain in the forecast which is not that surprising. we'll have more on the forecast locally. stick around. >> good morning.

the ravens remain at three years favorites to beat the bengals on sunday. joe flacco was having some fun. yesterday cam responded and have some fun of his own. >> number one, i'm not going to listen to anything you guys say. but i will listen to what joe has to say. i almost thought of telling joe, you know, those words are hurtful. i'm not coming to the pancake social. [laughter] no, it's -- that's why joe wins. i really believe that. he's a competitor. he wants the ball in his hands every play that matters. and that's the case most of the time. and then every now and then, i'm going to look out there -- i'd even say to joe, "i'm being a little conservative here." >> not a bad problem to have,

haven't the lead in the second half. the offense is ranked 15th in the nfl. game time on sunday at 4:15. gerry sandusky with the radio call along with stan white. dame and florida state in orlando last night. all notre dame --. florida state in the white. this is a fumble. zeke motta, 29 yards, 7-0 notre dame. tomy throw is up. floyd tips it and catches it. 14-3 notre dame. florida state comes back. 15-14. the big game down in san antonio. baylor beat washington 67-56.

>> how about the ravens game? >> i feel good about the game. i think they will play well and win. >> 5:236. 31 degrees on tv hill --6:26. two doctors performing the dangers of abortions in cecil county. >> the governor looks back and looks ahead. >> an investigation it gets a new push. suspects police are searching for and why this case is making some light rail riders feeling uneasy. >> so far so good in this area. one problem in columbia.

>> 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. let's check the weather. >> temperature is 28 at the airport right now. 36 degrees downtown. on the heels of that disturbances yesterday, we have another weather maker but this one is producing almost all rain and not snow. that is an indication that temperatures are warming up today. that system comes through and we're more likely to see a sprinkle and not a flurry. i love details on the forecast coming up. >> -- i will have details on the forecast. >> the government is taking stock of the economists -- accomplishments of the past year. >> jennifer franciotti joins us live with a report. good morning. >> the governor said 2011 was a good year in many respects. he says if he has his way, 2012

will include higher taxes. >> you get what you pay for. there's no way to build a $100 million bridge for $10 million. there's no innovation in the arsenal that allows that to happen. >> governor martin o'malley is making it clear that if he has his way, higher taxes will become reality in 2012. on top of $6.8 billion in spending cuts made to the budget, the governor says taxes are inevitable, including a possible hike in the state's gas tax. some of the state's shortfall areas include its operating budget, infrastructure including bridges and roads, mass transit, and the environment. >> 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 positives in 2011, including the fact that

maryland schools ranked number one in the u.s. for a third year in a row, and the state had its lowest crime rate since 1975. jennifer franciotti reporting live. >> to live. two -- thank you. two doctors are facing murder charges. dr. nicola riley is facing conspiracy to commit murder. she had been performing late term abortions in maryland. investigators say dr. steven brigham worked with her to transport patients from new jersey to elkton for the procedures. he has been charged with five counts of second-degree murder. the doctors for arrested after a search uncovered several sets of human remains. >> we're learning more about that terrible crash on the j.f.x. earlier this week that claimed the life of a boy. this

is on northbound 83 near 695 on wednesday afternoon. all four passengers were taken to johns hopkins hospital where jake owen died of his injuries. so far no charges have been filed. a crash in montgomery county les two women dead. the action happened around 3:00 a.m. on thursday on university boulevard in the silver spring area appeared the car left the road and ended up in a yard. swimming were killed -- two women were killed. they just left a club shortly before the crash. police are hoping for some leads in an attempted robbery on a light rail train. police are searching for terry thomas and lynn astrom. they say that the women cut a

man's wrist on the cherry hill stopped in south baltimore. alan crime is down 10% on empty vehicles. many passengers say they are still worried about their safety because they can get on the train and ask for a ticket. you have four or five of them getting on a train at a time wanting to see tickets but nobody is making sure the passengers get on and off safely. >> they are still on the run and considered armed and dangerous. >> now traffic pulse 11 and insta-weather plus together. >> an update on your morning commute. one problem if you travel in columbia. there is a fire activity at governor warfield parkway. atropos boat delays. no real delays elsewhere. 40 miles per hour on southbound

on 97. 60 miles per hour on southbound 83 down to the beltway. delay-free at this time. the j.f.x. in great shape. this is 795. southbound traffic at its frank the boulevard, so far so good and problem free towards the west side of the beltway. this is bel air road. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. john has the forecast. >> temperature at the airport 28. 36 downtown. some clouds are beginning to drift into the picture. clouds moving in from the west. the sunny skies will last the longest from the bay is where. we had highs in the 40's yesterday. highs will be in the 50's today. we will see an increase in clouds. there might be a few sprinkles from the area tonight or tomorrow morning.

we will detail the forecast coming up in just a few minutes. >> happy friday in the u.s. in other countries they no longer say that. it was canceled for one island nation in the pacific. >> 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.

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for the same low price. verizon. >> north korea's first official statement with the outside world after the death of kim jong il is a warning to south korea that the policies will not change. the message referred to politicians around the world as foolish and read in part, " public forces should not expect any changes from us." king john own is the third member of the family to rule on north korea -- kim jong on. the nation is skipping a day because it is across the international date line cars on

with business partners in new zealand and australia. or not samoa -- right now samoa is a day behind them. there will be the first to ring in 2012. that was the real motivation. >> i do not like giving up friday's. >> 31 degrees on tv hill. still ahead, a look at the stories you need to know about before you head out to start your day. >> that includes a look your morning commute. a couple of problems including an accident in fallston. will update you on that, coming up. >> we have some scattered clouds and it will be a pretty sunrise this morning. there is the view from ocean city. the grand hotel and spa on the boardwalk, the sun is just beginning to come up.

man: i propose 3 cheers for those we leave behind. hip hip hooray! [cheering] father: congratulations. it's in paper now. [laughs] great job. congratulations. i'm proud of you. all right.

oh, fine. ensign elliot. who's gonna salute him? guys, who gets to salute him first?

>> welcome back to 11 news today. family and friends will hold a memorial service for a woman set on fire inside her apartment building's elevator. she died december 17 after police say a man doused her with gasoline and set her on fire. her family says she hired the man to do some work in her apartment. he is now charged with first- degree murder and arson. a convicted felon is in custody after a loaded gun was found in more than $26,000 in cash. police say he has served prison time on convictions of burglary

and unlawful use of a weapon. he could serve up to 20 more years behind bars. 2011 is reported to be one of the safest years on record for airline passengers. commercial airlines experienced one passenger deaths for every 7.1 million travellers worldwide. previous record was back in 2004. we want to switch gears. our water cooler question is much lighter about the new year. >> this morning we asked -- how do you plan to ring in the new year?

>> she says the world has gone crazy. we will post more of your answers on the front page of wbaltv.com. it took thousands of man hours but four months later, vermont is celebrating a victory over mother nature. >> workers repaired a state highway that was closed because of massive flooding from hurricane irene. owder the diner, the cha is thick and the hamburgers are sizzling. >> these are the first words of encouragement that it will be open today. >> traffic is flowing again and a major east-west road in

central vermont. tropical storm irene turned the river into a monster. it devoured huge chunks of the road, making it impossible. is like a total road rebuilds. boulders were replaced with the storm stole. from the national guard and partnerships with private partnerships or how they were able to finish the project by year's end. >> we used a lot of common sense and it was necessary to attain the impossible sometimes. we are proud of that. >> this is the last section of state road to reopen. 107 is possible but nobody said this would be perfect. there are still some patches that will need some maintenance.

>> these are emergency repairs. this is not something we have built to last over the normal life of the project. >> than $100 million -- more than one gutter million dollars will go to help to pay for the damage. -- more than $100 million. >> we may get back to normal soon. >> the start to 2012 is already getting better in the small state. >> now traffic pulse 11 and insta-weather plus together. >> let's check the your morning commute. not a lot of folks on the roads. a couple of problems. 152, have an accident in fallston. everything moving well on the harrisburg expressway. nothing major on the j.f.x.

fire department activity in columbia. speeds around 51 on 97 through the glen burnie area. 295 looks pretty good. it will take you 11 minutes from 75 in the south side outer loop. 10 minutes from the bill was southwest to 32. this is 795 from franklin boulevard. normally we see delays at this hour of the morning. a quiet ride down to the beltway. this is belair road. problem free in this area. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. john has a check on your forecast. >> good morning. we looked at the radar. some clouds are beginning to drift in from the west. this is a 24 hours behind the one the came through yesterday. it produced some snow flurries

yesterday and some stock to the grass north of the city and into pennsylvania. this one is not showing any snow. light rain activity in the ohio valley and richie back into chicago. this will shoot into pennsylvania and new york state. new york state is getting some snow shower activity. that is what is next. the darker blue shades are areas that are freezing or the upper 20's. we see this gatherings of that into the west. the lighter blue shades are readings in the mid 40's and close to 40. on the left of your screen, some light blue shades. those are temperatures moving into the 40's. the warmer temperatures are just west of the mountains. clouds beginning to drift in. the thinness clouds on the

eastern shore and the northeast corner of the state right now. heavier clouds moving in overhead. there is a warm front reaching back to this low pressure center over the great lakes. this is 24 hours behind what the one through yesterday. a warming trend ahead of this disturbance. then on the picture you will see there is another one that will be coming in. 11 after another. this is the one that came through yesterday. sunshine and clouds -- we're getting the clouds before the sunshine. there will be cloudiness to net. there will be some sunbreaks. a few sprinkles late in the day, towards sunset or after that. 48 to 52. almost 10 degrees warmer than yesterday. the clouds are beginning to move in. most that moisture shoots off to the north east. we could see a sprinkle or

shower overnight and in the morning hours tomorrow. temperatures should stay above freezing tomorrow. saturday afternoon looks nice. a cold front approaches from the west. we will still be in this mild air. we may see a sprinkle pastor the area or a brief shower on sunday afternoon. the mountains may pick up a few snow showers. cincinnati, they will have some cold weather on sunday. mostly cloudy skies. any rain chances will be earlier on the day on sunday. it will be a breezy with temperatures falling from the 40's and not quite into the 30's by the end of the game. cincinnati on sunday. a sprinkle late today or tonight. a fairly nice day. tomorrow, maybe a brief mix of a ford or sprinkle or quick shower.

48 the high as the skies will clear. on sunday, a 50 for the high. by sunday evening, maybe a brief reign sprinkle as the cold front moves in. monday and tuesday, temperatures quite cold and maybe some flurries. >> thank you. 30 degrees on tv hill. >> we will come back and check the weather and traffic together before you head out to start your day.

>> last commute of 2011. >> monday is when things will change completely as folks had back to work and school. fallston, 152, we have an accident. a fire activity at governor warfield parkway in columbia. if you're heading to the airport, a nice ride on all the major roadways. no problems on any of them delay-wise. we start on 70 west of the beltway. in easy ride this morning. this is 95 at mountain road. problem free out of harford county. >> it is a little chilly this morning.

28 at the airport. 3,000 feet, the temperatures are quite warm. that will come into the area today. we should make it into the 50's for highs. we could see eight rainmaker -- not rain, a sprinkle -- we could see a rainmaker. a mix and a morning briefly. this does not have much moisture with it. near 50 on saturday. rain shower late in the day is possible on new year's day. none of these are big chances. scattered or spotty. we're going into the new york dry but cold -- we're going into the new year dry. > big plants on new year's -- plants on new year's? >> i will be here. 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. nd aave a great day a great new year. >> happy new year.

>> 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 loved 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. >> hi. i want to send a shot up to my wife, my daughter, my son, and my mother. happy holidays. >> greetings. afghanistan.n i would like to wish all my friends and families is very happy holidays and merry christmas. i love you guys. see you soon. >> i'm from canada are,

afghanistan and i want to say hello to all my family. happy holidays. >> hi. i want to give a shout out to my mother and father in northeast maryland. merry christmas.