person was taken into custody just minutes before the car collided and hit a pole. we're joined live but the poliat the police department headquarters. >> erin mccormick of baltimore was responsible for at least seven burglaries. mccord. >> i had no idea of the magnitude of the tragedy. my goodness, someone died. >> neighbors react to a horrifying crash that ended with mccoyused burglar, iran mcclaan dead and three innocent people injured. it was the burglaries that the

guilty of committing that ended up causing the crash. >> we are extremely gratified that the innocent people who got caught up in this tragic accident did not suffer more serious injuries than they did. >> police had been investigating seven different burqa rates since last friday, and believe he was responsible for all of them. police say tuesday at around 2:40 p.m. a homeowner and of 4200 block pulled into his driveway and noticed a honda accord sitting there in noticed a man coming out of his house. >> the victim was able to get a license plate number as the suspect pulled away. >> we noticed tire tracks through a long. minutes later officers noticed

of honda and chased it to the road.alley rodelaney valley then, just after 3:00 the driver attempted to swerve around a blue jeep and crossed the center yellow line, striking the jeep and an oncoming gmc 2500 truck. and then crashed into a telephone pole. an investigation revealed the condo was stolen. three other people involved in the crash received only minor injuries. still, quite a scare for folks in north county. ashamed the whole thing had to happen. i guess part of the times we live in. >> the crime is in everywhere, no matter where you go. >> he has been charged with first-degree burglary and is currently being held on $500,000

bond. we also understand police from other jurisdictions are listening -- looking into the possibility that he may have been involved in more burglaries, especially since the car was stolen in howard county purit. >> tonight police say a security guard had been stealing up to $100,000 in jewelry and cash from a kiosk and may have had help. surveillance video help them track him down. upon further investigation of a foundry in many inside his home. the stolen goods involved - belong to the gold rush door in the mall. to go to a former deputy has been found not liable for a man he shot with a stun gun. the decision came down hours ago from a federal jury in baltimore. there were seeking nearly $150 million in the lawsuit

regarding the corporal's actions from a lawsuit back in 2007. he said he shot great twice with a taser after the intoxicated man did not obey commands. doppler shows what weather moving in this direction. the winter weather threat is minimal. there is a slight chance some of the weather we see off to the west will make it in here, but temperatures are noticeably colder. and this is why they have a mixed bag of snow, sleet, and freezing rain. on this bit tit milder side of the amount. the bulk of the precipitation coming in from the west. and as a first arrived around 11:00 tonight and into the room early morning, temperatures could be near freezing.

there is a slight chance for a little sweet mixed with rain early tonight. -- sleet mixed in with rain early tonight. details on the weather in a few minutes. >> president obama and republican presidential candidates debated each other from opposite sides of the country. the president was in iowa, his first thought and a five-day tour. in florida the gop candidates were arguing mr. obama's plan will not work. we have more in the commitment 2012 updates. >> president obama hit the road with his state of the union message, a blueprint for what he calls an economy built to last. >> it is an economy built on the american manufacturing with more good jobs and good products made right here in united states of america. >> iowa was bought one in a three-day tour.

>> he is giving gop presidential hopefuls will hold a talking point. >> the president proposed doubling the tax on capital gains, which is the engine that drives job creation in the united states. >> with the florida primary just six days away, newt gingrich and are polling neckmney and neck. each of the candidates eager to take on a president that they believe has lost working-class credentials. >> he know his policies are making it difficult for those folks to get employed. >> fighting for votes in the battleground state. the president is gearing up for

the fall campaign come up right no, but right now facing some serious fights with congress. >> our coverage of the president's state of the union address continues on line. you can seek the presidential speeches that have helped shape our nation. it is all on our website wbaltv.com. >> tonight all divorced cop cop takes on pressing questions not about bad guys and crime exactly, but money. the police department budget is one of the biggest that taxpayers have to support, but is it untouchable? jane miller asked the commissioner the top question today. >> we talked to him about money, because few cities have such a high per capita spending rate as baltimore. once again, the mayor is talking about raising the tax, and the deficit needs to be closed. >> with a $360 million budget and almost 3900 employees, the baltimore police department is a

very large piece of the pie in the city's ever-re stretched budget. >> the police commissioner acknowledged the city's budget struggle, but insisted the city's policing effort cannot afford less. >> it is not just a violent crime rate, which is incredibly man-power intensive. talk about managing crime scenes, trying to do preventive work, bad guys with done is heavy lifting. to go over the past decades the city's population has come to dropped. -- >> over the past decade, the city's population has plummeted. >> not extern the lake, internally we are doing that

constantly. that is a constant process to evaluate where we have adequate resources, or where we may be over dedicated. to go the city still has one of the worst murder rates in the country. and his employees have already sacrificed he says. >> the pension rules went from being able to retire with 20 years of service, to now 25 years of service. that is in the middle of the game. you will not find people inside the police department that would say to you we have gone unscathed through these very difficult budget times. >> he said he would not be opposed to an independent review of the department's budget and operation. great bernstein also joined us today on are taping. -- greg bernstein also joined us today on our taping. >> still ahead, the former head

sthen state coach, joe paterno, makes his final trip through campus. >> today his funeral may have been private, but it did not stop the public from coming out. the story straight ahead. >> school lunches are about to get a lesson in nutrition. this will drastically change what it on your child's plate. >> the baltimore school for students with severe disabilities has just won $100,000, and it is

>> the baltimore city school system needs close to $3 billion to pay for a massive overhaul of the dilapidated school buildings. >> today a new controversial proposal service. david collins with us now live from the state house. >> there is talk here on e house side about giving baltimore city the authority to raise the state sales tax by one penny in use the money

exclusively for schools. would decide whether to raise the sales tax by a penny. the proceeds would help fund a massive overall a public school buildings. >> we have to think old and creative and the incredibly innovative if we are to tackle this really huge problem and give schools the children deserve. >> everything from broken heating systems are and repair. $2.8 billion is needed to cover the cost. >> as long as people get a choice, and the money does go where it is supposed to go, then i am for it. >> the proposition everything the state sales tax, but only in comes from the board of state. >> there has been a steady

stream of dollars that have come -- >> andrew solangez has a headstart. the mayor says she would earmark 23 million in school funding so the school system can float $300 million worth of bonds. that figure includes 10 million generated from increasing the bottle caps, 12 million save by overhauling teacher pensions, and 1.6 and flat proceeds. even if the city gets 32 million on top of that, it still does not add up to the billions needed for the job. she is also promoting what is known as a 63-25 financing. >> we can have a non-profit organization partner with the city to provide tax-exempt bonds that the city and others would want to invest in. >> city hall has not seen the

proposal, but we're told they do not like or favor broadbased taxes that apply only to baltimore city. >> thank you. hundreds of joe paterno's football players in family joined for the funeral today. the general procession made its way one last time through campus. and it passed by the stadium where he coached for 46 seasons. earlier thousands more waited in line at the campus spiritual center to say goodbye to the legendary coach. >> i have been here an hour. and just paying their respects to the great man. >> he gave us a life. and he told us to be men -- taught us to be men and productive citizens. >> in tonight's medical alert,

the new studies suggest exposure to common chemicals and a variety of household products can decrease the child immunity to certain diseases, even if they have been vaccinated. pf's are used in a lot of products, including non-stick cookware, beauty products, and stain-resistant carpet. the research was done on children outside of the country. experts say there is no indication that vaccines are not working in the united states. 32 million children in the united states by school lunches, but that meal is about to get a lesson in nutrition. michelle obama made the announcement on new nutrition

standards today. it will increase student access to fresh produce and whole grains and limit calorie intake based on the child's age. it will offer only fat-free or low-fat milk. these are the first changes in school lunches and 15 years. schools that meet the requirements will receive an extra 6 cents per meal. your 11 insta-weather- plus forecast with tom tasselmire. >> another day in january with temperatures above normal. and when you factor in the normal of only 42, 52 downtown temperature is rather mild for this time of year. a month after christmas and we still see the warm weather pattern continue. 55 degrees at b.w.i. marshall. nothing in the rain gauge yet, but that will change overnight. check out the snowfall. a big one pure y.

a big one for sure, and it came about a week before the super bowl back in 2000. dry and mild day today, much different than 12 years ago when the big nor'easter was rolling up. we do have a storm down to the south of us in texas and louisiana, and starting to push moisture into the ohio valley. temperatures will be colder. sleet and snow on the northern fringe of the precipitation out there. we expect the bulk of this to be rain, chilly rain beginning late tonight and into tomorrow. in the northern suburbs where it is a little bit colder, those temperatures tonight might drop down close to the freezing point, so as the initial burst of precipitation gets there tonight, watch out along the southern border and where there may be pockets of freezing temperatures so that a little bit of freezing rain could

occur, at least initially. after that first little burst of rain around midnight, then it will be times of rain overnight tonight and through the day tomorrow as this storm system tracks its way through the mid- atlantic and up to the northeast. rain is coming in tonight. temperatures raising just around freezing to 36 downtown. temperatures stuck in the 40's. still above normal. it will be rain in amounts tomorrow, but that should change over to snow for friday and stay relatively cool going into the mountains. that rain will put a hamper on things for skiing tomorrow, and then things will start getting a little more wintry on friday. showers in the bay and ending around morning. down here we might even get a little thunder tomorrow night and into friday morning. it-fifties to borrow and almost

60 on friday. almost50's tomorrow and 60 on friday. keeping an eye on bay water temperatures for the polar bear plunge on sunday. that is indicating 40 degree water temperatures which is not all that terrible for january, but still plenty cold. problems with tornadoes breaking out in the middle of the storm. severe thunderstorms coming out of the goals and into eastern texas and louisiana -- out of the gulf and into eastern texas and louisiana. the rain blows through here and get out friday morning. another front will be approaching saturday and will turn colder over the weekend. 47 tomorrow.

it is for at the skies clear up friday afternoon. upper 40's with a sprinkle on friday. a chance for showers sunday and monday. >> of man is stuck inside a cave but for five hours in washington county. >> just ahead, a first look at photographs from inside the cave as rescuers battled to free him. >> a pilot program helps students whose parents are substance abusers. than 80nts of more maryland high school students are suited up. the story coming up.

the ellen degeneres show is donating $100,000 to a school nationwide. in the school here in baltimore was the recipient.

>> to save the school is special is an understatement. it opened its doors in 1933. >> you walk the hallways of the bear school, you know right away this is a special place. everywhere there are wheelchairs' and walkers planning to walls. many of these students have significant disabilities. >> our whole crew mission is to make their life better. >> it is because of those significant disabilities that jennifer dakota decided to enter a contest and a reward that gives any schools money across the country. today they have $100,000. giving you $100,000. [applause] >> it was really awesome to tell

the kids this morning in the staff. it was hard to keep a lid on it overnight. it really was. very exciting. these kids deserve it. just cannot wait to get started on the construction. >> the money will be used to renovate back rooms in the school that have not been touched since the 1950's. the school changes diapers for over 200 students per day. >> we need to work on update your dad adding a ventilation, a new toilet, bars for the boys and girls. we are going to add a new changing station. we will have changing tables added to the bathroom also. >> tell us what today is. >> yes, it is a great day at the bear school thanks to ellen and target.

these special students will get some special help. >> congratulations. that money will be so well use there. >> great story. the same navy seal team was behind a daring rescue to free a kidnapped american. >> defense officials are working to find out why all nine kidnappers were killed rather than captured and detained. >> getting a new title and the new role. i will have the story. >> i am saudi king in washington. as president obama takes his state of the union address on the road,

>> live, local, late breaking, you are watching wbal-tv 11 news in hd. your insta-weather-plus forecast with chief meteorologist tom tasselmire. 11 news at 5:00 in hd continues now. >> just back from a visit to rome, edward o'brien talks about his new appointment as future of the catholic church and the challenges ahead. he is one of nearly two dozen men being elevated to the position of cardinal. >> 11 news reporter barry sims is live downtown. i understand the cardinal designate is also going to haiti. >> that is right. he begins the journey tonight. he will go in view the devastation caused by the earthquake two years ago. he is also going there to designate a school.

-- dedicate a school. [applause] >> his stature as a religious leader is ready to the heights of cardinal james givben. he has served as archbishop and administrator for the catholic church here in baltimore. he says he became a cardinal designate when he was in rome and heard the pope called his name. >> he went through a list of 22 names, and in my name was no. 8. it was exciting. >> as a cardinal, he will take on the responsibilities of serving as a special adviser to the pope, and when the time comes, helping to elect a new pope. he will go to haiti to check progress of the country

recovers two years after a devastating earthquake. he will dedicate this high school that was funded by a million dollar donation. >> then i am around until my successor is named and installed, and no, i do not know who he is. [laughter] nor do i know when it is going to happen. >> he calls being in baltimore is a high point in his priesthood. he has no regrets about closing schools that had deteriorated buildings, low attendance or in serious financial trouble. he said had to be done. >> i do not think we will have to go further because we're forming a very good foundation. i think our blue ribbon committee has been a marvelous in what they have presented us as a row to the future. >> o'brien seems to take on the new role with humidi humility.

>> his installation as a cardinal was set for february 18. coming up to 6:00, he talks about other challenges still facing the catholic church here in baltimore and an issue that has the church at odds with the governor. >> thank you. see his career in photographs and hear from baltimore's catholic leader himself ouat wbaltv.com. >> here is a look at some of our other top stories at this hour. it is now confirmed the ravens defensive coordinator has been named the new head coach at the indianapolis colts. he interviewed on tuesday for the position. and among a number of other candidates vying for the position that was left open after he fired jim caldwell. they will be introduced at a news conference on thursday.

and jerry sandusky is talking to officials and will have reaction coming up at 6:00. >> baltimore county police say a man was injured in a car accident following a robbery. officers tried to go over car matching the description from an earlier per group reported yesterday but the driver did not comply. the driver collided with other vehicles and then hit a pole. the suspect was killed in the crash. one of his passengers was able to jump out of the car but is now in custody. he faces burglary and theft charges and being held on $5,000 bail. the baltimore city school system needs to $0.8 billion to pay for a massive overhaul of dilapidated buildings. there was a counsel suggesting they should raise the city's sales tax bite a penny to help pay for the expense. the city sales tax would then be 7%.

the states would remain at 6%. this decision comes as school superintendents made their pitches before the board of public works. >> a caver is recovering after being stopped for nearly five hours in a cave in western maryland. one of three county departments that were from 5:30 last night until 10:00 a team to free the man from the jaws of rocks that were to agree feet deep. amazingly the man was not badly injured. crews were on hand from washington and frederick county. the man had been keeping with others at the time of the incident. >> a high-risk mission carried out along the coast. and the navy's seal team that killed osama bin laden was the one carrying out the mission. to come in a statement, president obama hailed the extraordinary courage of the special operation forces involved in that mission, saying

he could not have been prouder of their effort. it happened in the cover of darkness, paratroopers going down into somalia to rescue this lady and others. president obama thanked leon panetta of the mission's success. vice president biden also got word before entering the chamber. >> i was told it look like the raid had succeeded, but there were not out of danger yet. >> the saying it was the same unit involved in the osama bin laden unit killing. >> they are astounding. that is not hyperbole. they really are.

>> administration officials say this became more urgent after learning her medical condition was deteriorating. the president phoned her father that he was finally coming home. >> the work coming to the family is that she is strong and and good health. >> it was a dangerous move, but worth the payoff. >> it is risky, but if it can change the willingness of some groups to do this kind of activity, that is in the u.s. interest long-term. >> the secretary of defense says they have been transported to a safe location where there help will be evaluated and arrangements will be made for their return home. reporting live in washington, nicole killian wbal-tv 11 news. >> an outpouring of support and a motion. gabrielle giffords stands before colleagues in the house for one final time. [applause] >> the response was astounding.

details ahead as we cover the nation.

phoenicians >> largest -- >> the nation's largest lgbt conference is under way at baltimore built in downtown. they will be discussing issues like employment discrimination and anti-bullying legislation. it all wrapped up on sunday. covering the nation tonight, at -- gabrielle giffords bit in emotional farewell to the house of representatives. she resigned from the house with a standing ovation from her colleagues. she handed her lover -- letter of resignation to the house speaker, john boehner. >> gabby's courage, strength, and downright fortitude are in inspiration to all of us, and all americans. >> her beauty is in the heart.

in the soul, in the spirit. >> the house of representatives of america has been made crowd by this extraordinary daughter of this house. >> she says she needs more time to recover physically from a gunshot wound to the head a year ago in the shooting that left six others dead and 13 others injured appeared in the house unanimously passed a bill she sponsor to help arizona's against drug smugglers. >> it would take a miracle to find any survivors in the recovery operation off the coast up tuscany. rescuers have found 16 bodies so far. 70 people are still missing. >> a case that had an animal rights activist in range. >> tonight you could give one

of these dogs a new home. we will tell you how straight ahead. >> a foundation is helping baltimore city school kids. i have details next. >> a storm system coming from the south will bring us mostly rain, it may be a wintry mix in spots. we will give you the details and check the seven-day forecast. winds out of the southeast up 7 miles per hour.

>> in up on 11 news at 6:00, a man is dead after a crash. and what led to burglaries. fresh off his nomination by the pope, edward o'brien is back. the changes under his administration and the future of the catholic community here in baltimore. e

>> new beginning tonight for the first of six dogs of useabused. she is cleared for adoption more than two years of the they were found at malnourished and scared locked in undersized cages. and officials believe they were used that as big dogs. officials say the case proves even dogs that come from a violent background can be loving family pets. you can find out how to adopt michele any the other dogs on our website, wbaltv.com. >> now your 11 insta-weather- plus forecast with tom tasselmire. >> unusually warm the january 25 this time around, but three

years ago we were in the middle of a big nor'easter. but a lot of snow in the area. officially at the airport, a 15 inch snowfall. rock called managed to report 20 inches. pasadena 19. 15 inches and westminster and bellaire. 12 years ago today winter did arrive in january. we have another storm approaching but coming from the south and. the main threat with this are the severe thunderstorms and direct from eastern texas and louisiana. a little wintry weather on the northern fridge with the moisture is hitting the great lakes. we will have to keep a close eye on that later tonight as the initial per first of precipitation -- burst of precipitation. this might work its way south.

east of the mountains for most areas we expect temperatures will stay pretty much above freezing overnight. only in the cooler spots to the north and west of baltimore with a wintry mix possibility exists. right now 49 degrees. 41 @ roc call this time around. annapolis at the naval academy 41 degrees. the first plane that are riding around 11:00 and 1:00 in the morning. we should start to see a scattered, light showers. this is worse we could be mixed in. after that brief threat, mostly rain off and on throughout the day tomorrow. probably not ending until some time friday morning. tonight watch out for patches of freezing condition north and south. mostly rain and light winds. periods of rain. sunup going down at 5:19.

we finally managed to get back to 10 hours of daylight. the days are slowly getting longer. snow in the amount on friday as temperatures drop out west. eastern shore will state my old for a couple of days. showers ended at 54 degrees on friday. lower eastern shore at thunderstorm threat to marmite into friday morning as temperatures remain unseasonably mild. on the bay, winds out of the south east. nth of a polar bear plunge from a big temperatures are critical. insta-weather-plus future cash shows the rained leaving as friday morning in the snow returning to the mountains, in skies clear out friday afternoon. saturday snow in amounts and maybe a sprinkle of rain. it will turn colder over the weekend. 50's friday and back into the 40 saturday. highs only in the 30's on sunday and monday. >> in tonight's consumer alert,

there was a contentious government hearing today on the chevy volt vehicle. the question the ceo of general motors regarding battery fires. committee chaired jim jordan of ohio suggested the government's investment in gm led to the agency overlooking safety problems. the gm ceo fired at the boats -- customers have driven more than 25 million miles without incident. the site is rolling out its time line as the official new design for facebook. once you switch, you will have seven days to review or preview your profile page and make changes before it goes live to all of your friends. if you think stalling will make a difference, facebook will automatically publish it at the end of the seven days. find more information or wait for the announcement at the top

of your facebook page. a record number of families are asking for help when it comes to paying for college tuition. more than 22 million families filled out applications for the 2010-2011 school year, up 50% from the year before. experts say you still have a chance if you pay close attention to the deadlines, maybe even completing the forms before you get your taxes done. keep your eyes peeled for private scholarships. >> breaking the cycle of substance abuse is the goal of one school program. >> 12 students at the reach baltimore isn participating. they are determined to break the cycle. >> it cannot be stopped doing

drugs and focus more and stop taking drugs and help other people stopped doing drugs. >> you are not alone in this. you can do right. help other people, too. >> the program is sponsored by singer mario's do right foundation. >> growing up i have family members that were attracted to drugs. that is a pretty well-known that throughout the media appear yet -- growing up, i had family members that were addicted to drugs. >> through this program they see their are other supports that are there. there are things out there in this world they can become, they can do and work towards meeting their goals personally. >> after the course is over, it

will continue to get support to the big brothers, a big sisters program. >> the woman to the students. take them out, get to know them -- cable mentor the students. >> our goal is the students realize just because their parents did drugs. don't have to follow in their footsteps. >> state republican leaders are calling governor martin o'malley a taxaholic. details coming up new at 6:00. >> can use it bridget's fried it? it is all part of maryland

special olympics polar bear plunge. the story coming up.

>> just a couple of days and counting until thousands of people take to the icy waters of the chesapeake bay to raise awareness for the special olympics. he dealt him to and has the story. tutton has the story.

>> more than 1500 teens took the plunge last year, and the numbers are expected to double this year. to go with the money we raise, i think we accomplished a lot of goals. we do what we're trying to do. >> close to 300 students from the salt river high school have already signed up here yet that is not counting students from other schools making plans to dive in. >> they do it for their athletes. it unites them. >> i think it is great i am a coach for special olympics. to be able to go out and know that athletes you are raising money for is a really great thing. >> the frigid friday plunge has become rather competitive among area school students. >> everyone wants to go and freeze their feet all. we're trying to beat a rumb

rundale. >> the goal is we're raising money for worthy cause that they can put to good use. >> last year the frigid friday event raised close to quarter of a million dollars. they're planning this year to raise at least a million dollars more. >> it always amazes me people have these big smiles on their face. >> it is a great event. the house gop contends the state is run by taxa hoalics. >> president obama takes his state of the union pitch on the road. we sit down with the vice president for one-on-one. >> a burglary suspect dies in a car crash after being chased by police.

11 news at 6:00 starts right now. >> live, local, late breaking, tv 11 news atl- 6:00. >> lawmakers of trying winds in the sand after gov. o'malley is planned to rein in state debt. they are taking aim at the governor's budget proposal. >> the content the state is being run by taxahoalics. >> house gop members considered this the state budget book public enemy number one. >> this is what state house republicans want to do with a cthe proposal, but until the come up with an alternative, the best they can do is complain. best they can do is complain. the gop