>> the future of the grand prix in baltimore is up in the air tonight. city officials have severed ties with the event organizers, baltimore racing development. we are live at city hall with what this means for baltimore. >> as a result of this termination, the city can work with other groups to put on motorsports events in the city. this past labor day weekend, baltimore was in the spotlight for its inaugural grand prix. businesses were grateful for the increased foot traffic. >> i have been here for nine years. prior years, 10% business. we were 150% business.

>> financial questions swirled around a race and its organizer. the city has decided to terminate the contract because the organization failed to honor the terms of the agreement. they owe the city $1.5 million. the mayor declined our request for an interview, but released the following statement. it is of great discipline that we announced the termination of the city's agreement with baltimore racing development. brd's corporate officers have failed to take the appropriate steps to but the company on a sustainable path forward. " >> one thing i think the american and -- the mayor and the people supported it want to cut their losses. they will probably be criticized by people will argue that we

have very acute needs in this city. >> the city cannot work with other individuals or organizations on futures motorsports events. business owners are anxiously waiting for any developments. >> we are hoping to have a great weekend in the upcoming 2012. >> we reached out to the baltimore the racing development to get comment, but have not heard back from them. >> we have good news from the road tonight. the eastbound lanes of rte. 50 are back open tonight. traffic was at a standstill for miles. it was waist dry cleaning material that leaked onto the highway around 4:00 this afternoon. it was a hazmat situation that had environmental crews clean up the scene for two hours.

traffic was backed up to the junction of 97 until after 6:00. no word on whether the driver might be facing any charges. in baltimore county firefighter is recovering from injuries sustained while battling a house fire. we were over that scene. it was just after 11:00 this morning. a volunteer firefighter suffered a twisted knee and was transported for treatment. investigators believe the fire was caused by a malfunctioning furnace. a homeless man is behind bars tonight, accused of starting a late night motel fire earlier this week. police tell us they believe the 48-year-old started the fire during a fight with a female acquaintance. it happened just before 9:00 on monday night. none of the people at the motel were hurt. investigators are working to determine the value of the damaged property. a hartford county teacher who

allegedly claimed she was dying of cancer is being accused of fraud. the people making the accusations? other hertford county school employees who said the teacher was never sick at all. >> a school employees who became suspicious of the teacher contacted hartford county sheriff's deputies. charges are pending. the alleged fraud was reported december 12. deputies have not released the teacher's name. concerned for a teacher at baker field elementary school has changed to enter -- anger. co-workers wonder if they were duped. >> we had a victim who reported to our agencies that there was a co-worker that she worked with who was stating that she had cancer. this victim and several of her co-workers allegedly were giving the suspect money for necessities. >> sheriff's deputies are

investigating the case of possible fraud of the 24-year- old teacher. she is accused of selling -- telling fellow school employees that she had cancer and was struggling to provide for herself. >> detectives need to complete their investigation. >> co-workers raised approximately $10,000. they began to pay rent, buy groceries, and supply funds for various flights to several states for alleged cancer treatment. during the summer, the teacher advised them the cancer had been diagnosed at stage four. she only had a 15% chance of survival. the woman's co-workers organized more fund-raisers. now they do not believe the teacher had cancer and they're calling for her to face charges. area residents are commenting on the alleged deception. one person writes about feeling betrayed.

"we would have done anything for this individual." and another person writes, " collins paid for what they thought for out-of-pocket medical expenses to live the spirit of a young woman they thought was dying." "there many people were so close to this young woman ended whatever she needed to help them out." >> there is not a lot i can share. we want to be able to give the detectives time to do their jobs. >> we contacted school officials and they tell us this is a personal matter. the teacher is gone authorized leave at this time. the school district is also conducting its own investigation. >> now to a follow-up, the case of nathan chapman, the

investment banker convicted of defrauding maryland state pension system. after 4.5 years in prison, he will soon be a free man. he is scheduled to be released from federal custody tomorrow. nathan chapman worked as a state pension fund manager, but was found guilty of 23 counts of fraud and filing false tax returns. it is estimated that more than $5 million were lost in the scheme. police say their investigation began in august of 2010 after a young woman from at the state was rushed to union hospital after an alleged procedure. doctors were on the premises at the time and they say human remains were found -- in a

freezer chest. state senator nancy jacobs says the department of health and mental hygiene needs to better regulate abortion clinics in maryland. >> they worked with both sides of the issue. people on both sides of the issue. they came up with regulations this past summer. all the regulations did not do everything my legislation did, they were an excellent start. right now, you have no idea how many abortions are performed and the state of maryland. >> both doctors are facing extradition to maryland. a 23-year-old man is in custody tonight accused of stabbing his own brother. police found a 28-year-old man who had been stabbed in the stomach. the victim was taken to shock trauma and his injuries appeared not to be life-threatening. the number of murders in baltimore city is on the

decline. that is according to city police officials who say we're looking at the lowest rates in more than 20 years. >> here we are, 2011, on the eve of something that no one thought possible. >> baltimore city is on pace to record the fewest number of murders in decades. hovering at 196 with just days left in the year. that is compared to 222 homicides at this time last year. police commissioner says his strategy is not complex. >> the people of the city has gotten behind the notion of attacking violent crimes in much more structured ways. my side is focusing on bad guys with drugs. >> he credits the murder decline to a holistic approach.

>> to make baltimore says, there has to be a lot of people involved. we are refining and mastering and putting their skills to do it better each successive year. >> moving forward, plans to focus on the source of illegal guns in the city. >> the number one state for supply in baltimore with crime guns, north carolina. we're going to utilize this collective effort to to cut off the pipeline of guns coming into the city. >> baltimore is in step with the national trend of falling murder rates in major american cities. new york, for example, officials are predicting a 4% drop in the murder rate this year. city police, firefighters, and the u.s. coast guard will be on hand at tomorrow's new year's eve celebration in baltimore. in less than 24 hours, tens of

thousands of people packed into the inner harbor. officials of already installed temporary fences. the public will also be funneled into nine entrances. organizers had to pull it all together quickly because of a lack of funding, which almost turned the lights out on this year's show. >> it was down to the wire, but we had great distances in baltimore. they stepped in and were able to save the show. >> event officials are encouraging spectators to take public transportation to mar night. new year's means is that time of year again. time for the tipsy taxi. >> once again, our partners will be offering free caps services to those who were drinking or partying in a baltimore city bar or restaurant starting at midnight tomorrow thru 4:00 a.m.

>> discount service is available for people ages 21 -- in this cab service is available for people ages 21 and older. a victory tonight for consumers after igniting a nationwide over an online billing feet, verizon steps down. residents evacuated in now more than 50 graves could be operated. the race to contain a massive sinkhole in eastern pennsylvania. >> the coldest air of the season is on its way can. we will take a look at the seven-day forecast. 43 downtown. the weather is next.

>> investigators in los angeles county are searching for an arsonist as a series of fires spread to parked cars last night. 13 vehicles were set on fire in los angeles, six others in west hollywood. investigators are looking at surveillance videos. they're hoping to catch a glimpse of the suspect. crews are working to keep a sinkhole from spreading in pennsylvania. a sinkhole that could threaten dozens of graves at a nearby cemetery. we're told workers could start a examined 54 graves -- exhuming 54 graves. city officials are trying to figure out of it would caused by a water main break. a number of homes may have to be demolished.

for days until the iowa caucuses and there is a new poll that shows mitt romney and ron paul are running neck and neck. the tea party is now divided. >> mitt romney outside des moines with is wife. rodney is the new front-runner year. -- mitt romney is the new front- runner here. >> winning is a big factor. >> it seemed out of reach. >> i like rick perry. it is really between gingrich and romney. >> but mitt romney is back. >> i need your help, you guys. >> he is at 23 in a recent poll.

gingrich's down to 13. the former speaker was the front-runner of a few weeks ago. he has been hammered by negative ads. >> ever notice how some people make a lot of mistakes? >> the ads worked. newt gingrich is furious. perhaps i would not vote for the person they are describing. >> soon after came tears. >> dealing with the real problems of real people in my family. >> he was remembering his late mother and dealing with disappointment and i web -- in iowa. >> i will be the anti- establishment outsider who goes to washington with a sense of purpose. >> the tea party vote is split. >> i think he is the only candidate that can beat obama.

>> verizon is backing off on that new customer fee that sparked some much outrage. they said it was going to start charging $2 for payments made on mine or over the phone. the idea of getting charged for paying your bill kicked off -- ticked off a lot of consumers. 57,000 people had signed an on- line petition against the fees. today, they announced it was dropping the fees due to customer feedback. 2011 brought a record breaking gas prices, but not in a good way. this year saw the highest recorded gas prices both nationally and here in maryland. in the last week or so, prices were on a steady decline, but now they're back on the rise. that trend is expected to continue in 2012.

>> we had anticipated that they would continue to fall a little bit to the end of the year. and then subsequently go up in the spring. however, based on the crude oil prices and some geopolitical events in iran, prices will increase a bit. >> drivers said they have become used to the fluctuating prices at the pump. they're trying to cut down on how much they drive. >> your insta-weather-plus forecast -- >> it turned out to be a pretty nice day today. we had some sunshine to start out. we had 54 this afternoon. the average guy is 42. things are going to change big time. for the next 24 or 48 hours, the temperatures will stay above average. it is only going to drop back a couple of degrees because the clouds have been digging up. clouds at night act as a

blanket. this clipper storm is going for the great lakes, it is losing some of its punch. it was a lot stronger earlier this evening. you can see how the atmosphere is saturating. this is pretty impressive on the radar, but none of this is hitting the ground. those will continue over the ridge tops into the baltimore area. mostly cloudy is our forecast for tonight, a chance for a couple of rain showers tomorrow. no big deal. during the day tomorrow, if the storm pulls away from us, there will be a chunk of cold air coming in behind it. it is possible you could see a couple of snowflakes early in the morning. they should be pretty quiet as

we head into new year's eve. some sunshine will come back into the afternoon. the temperatures will climb back into the upper 40's and lower 50's. new year's eve, no problems. mostly clear, a chilly but not cold. there will not be much wind either. things are going to start to change on sunday night. an arctic cold front is going to go through and that will drop the jet stream all the way down into florida. 53 on sunday, new year's day. a couple of showers as it goes by and then temperatures drop. a high of 35 on monday. it will drop into the 20's by the afternoon. the highest 28 on tuesday.

overnight lows will dip into the teens. it is going to be kind of windy and there will be some snow flurries. a real change coming up as we head into the new year. >> just one last chance for the tigers to win a game this year. that is coming up next in sports. >> its is mega millions. it is friday, december 30. the jackpot is $12 million. make to aif we can millionaire. our first number -- 45, 24, 52, 4, 46.

megaball number is 1. if no one that is all six numbers, the jackpot will be worth $15 million. worth $15 million.

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>> is one extra day, and it feels like forever. we need to get to 2012. marshall returned to practice for the first time this week. there is a chance he will play. rolled out earlier in the week, only two weeks removed from knee surgery. john harbaugh will likely make a decision on the ticker tomorrow. -- kicker tomorrow. >> it just so happens that we are in the position we are iran, the team that knows us very well places -- the position we are in, the team that knows is very well plays us very well.

everybody had things they wanted to do at the beginning of the year. the number one thing is to win the division. >> the ravens text question of the day, where will you watch the game on sunday? so far, most everyone says they will watch from home. only 1% is heading to cincinnati. no such thing as bad publicity. the tigers have been featured in the "new york times." they play well tonight in charlottesville. still shooting well are the tigers, it inside. a hand in his face. three-point game.

they must settle for a moral victory tonight. the tigers fall 57-50. they have now lost 32 straight games. anne arundel getting together with the national academy. it does not take long to figure out. he is all over the place. he gets the rebound. very nice. dexter dunbar -- defense shining for the cats as well. anne arundel loses 91-43. the miami heat tonight won. for the wizards, just the opposite. the least woke-

up a little. jennings is a rising ar. a secure victory for milwaukee. wide open for the three. the capitals are faring far better tonight. first periods, all going well. alex into the net. second period, no luck. washington is a winner. three-one. please stay with us. our forecast is coming up right after this.

>> enjoyed this weather while it last? >> it will be like this for about 48 hours. and in the cold comes again. we have not had any arctic shot so far this winter. it had to catch up to us eventually. new year's is going to be fine. tomorrow night, no problem. next week it will be called, and you will notice the difference. >> that is all for us. we will see you back here tomorrow n

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