clear out. [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. happy friday. i'm mindy basara. >> and i'm stan stovall. thank you for joining us this morning. >> it will be a complicated weather day. big jumps in temperature. >> you are excited. >> i'm confused. we see some heavy rain around bhagerstown. 54 at the airport. temperatures in the northern suburbs are still in the 30's and 40's. there is some fog along the pennsylvania line. it will stay in the 50's in most areas. a good chance for rain this morning. you'll see sunshine later today. we will check the seven forecast

in just a couple of minutes. >> i want an exact time when the fog is going to clear. >> 6:22. >> perfect. northbound 295, this accident is now clear. we have an accident on eastbound 100. watch for some delays as you make kuwait eastbound -- as you make your way to eastbound. 52 -- speeds are pretty normal for this hour. five minutes on southbound 95 from the 895 split to the fort mchenry. 11 minutes on southbound 95 from the beltway down towards 32. the fog is starting to clear up -- 6:22 may be a good guess. 95 at 152 moving very well.

the fog has cleared up in that area. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> a final face-to-face before the florida primary. kate amara joins us live with details in this morning's commit 2012 report. good morning. >> good morning. mitt romney used the latest debate to come out swinging against newt gingrich. >> the republican candidates for president of the united states. [cheers] >> the 19th republican presidential debate was a battle between mitt romney and newt gingrich. the two traded barbs on immigration, with gingrich calling romney the most anti- immigrant candidate. >> the position i took, which he attacked pretty ferociously, was that grandmothers and grandfathers aren't going to be successfully deported. >> my father was born in mexico. my wife's father was born in

wales. they came to this country. the idea that i'm anti- immigrant is repulsive. >> the gop front-runners also attacked each other on investments. >> maybe governor romney in the spirit of openness should tell us how much money he has made off of how many households that have been foreclosed by his investments. >> but have you checked your own investments? you also have investments through mutual funds that also invest in fannie mae and freddie mac. >> rick santorum's response drew applause from the audience. >> these two gentlemen who are out distracting from the most important issues we have by playing petty personal politics. >> there was also a lengthy discussion about gingrich's call for a colony on the moon. and ron paul provided a moment of levity. >> i do not think we should go to the moon. i think we maybe should send some politicians up there. [applause] >> the candidates also took questions on taxes, health care, cuba, and their wives. in washington, i'm kate amara, wbal-tv 11 news.

>> thank you. lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender committee received a show of support from a civil rights organization. >> this at the same sex marriage debate takes over annapolis once again. nadia ramdass joins us as the convention continues this weekend. >> naacp president benjamin jealous talked about his transgender brother and said that the concerns of the lgbt community are very close to his heart. he said it's time to end discrimination and violence everywhere. he was the keynote speaker for the yearly conference yesterday. organizers say it's a coincidence that the conference was held in maryland while laymakers are debating a -- lawmakers -- marriage equality bill that would grant same-sex partners the same legal protection as the heterosexual counterparts. baltimore mayor stephanie rawlings-blake and maryland's

first lady katie o'malley shared their support with attendees and also spoke about the likelihood of state lawmakers passing a marriage equality bill. >> i definitetly think it is close. but that is why there is a big lobbying effort. and hopefully people will see that this is about families. this is not -- it's about getting over prejudice and about making sure that we protect families. >> i think very good chances of passing. i'm just hopeful. i do not know what the actual numbers are because i stay out of all of it. i just sort of hope and pray that the good people in the state of maryland will come together around this issue and vote for tolerance and equality in marriage. >> opponents of marriage equality site religious convictions or previous warnings of the bill in their opposition to the bill. nadia ramdass, wbal-tv 11 news. >> thank you. state lawmakers had found some common ground on some issues.

they stood united in annapolis, pledging to work together on with a call quality of life issues which include legislation that would protect farming families and protecting children from identity theft. >> 1% of the adults in this country or in this world have identity theft. 10% of children do. sometimes it's even babies five months old. >> legislators are backing an income tax credit 12th of said getting a clearance for a thorough job. >> one of lawmaker is pushing for baltimore city to regain control over its state school system. a bill has been introduced that would treturn the authority to

the mayor. right now the mayor and governor jointly approve board members. >> this is not a knock on dr. alonso or on the current school board. this is a way for baltimore city to control the school system and continue to progress and move forward. >> the mayor favors more funding for city schools. a new discipline policy could reduce suspensions if approved by the state school board. school boards would be required to come up with ways to reduce nonviolent offenses other than suspensions. supporters say the changes could greatly benefit minorities and special education students. that brings us to our water cooler question of the day. do you think the state's school discipline policy needs to be reformed in order to reduce the number of suspensions handed

out? you can share your response at wbaltv.com and on our facebook page, or send us an e-mail to watercooler@wbaltv.com. >> 6:08. 52 degrees on tv hill. women gain the edge. the male dominated character that is seeing a boost if the mall shoppers. >> an unusual collector's item. this purs.ht dispers se. >> we will check the forecast for the weekend in just a few minutes. >> we have an accident on

>> welcome back. 6:11. fog has cleared in baltimore city. there is some fog near the pennsylvania line. we have some scattered light showers and sprinkles around baltimore and in cecil county. we can see a line of heavy storms coming out of the mountains, just to the east of hagerstown. they continue to march over towards baltimore appeared the chance for rain will increase

significantly over the next couple of hours. you can see a better look of the thunderstorms. thunderstorms down in virginia have turned severe. a lot of stuff is going on in the atmosphere this morning. the back edge of the rain is coming across west virginia. some thick fog in the northern suburbs where the temperature is in the 40's. 39 in frederick. 63 in college park. a huge swing in the temperatures. a warm front is going through the state. the wind is shifting to the south. 54 degrees at the airport. rain showers this morning. maybe a thunderstorm. the fog will be burning off quickly. it will be a breezy this afternoon with a wide range of temperatures.

los 60's south of baltimore. partly cloudy skies will be turning colder -- lois 60's south of baltimore. -- low 60's. we are watching a cold front tomorrow. that will change the weather and dramatically. we will drop into the 30's on sunday. we should have a dry day tomorrow. on sunday, a clipper storm will come through and give was 830% chance for some snow flurries. it will turn much cooler -- and gives us a 30% chance for some snow flurries. >> we start on westbound 100. the accident is westbound near arundel mills boulevard. watch for delays on 100 this morning. the north side continues to move well and bel air road. 63 on the west side outer loop.

a smooth start at the fort mchenry and the harbor tunnel. the rest of the major roadways are doing well. this is traffic and 95 south of 100. the fog is starting to clear out in howard county. this is greenspring. the northwest corner of the beltway checks out fine. on to the j.f.x., a smoot starch into town. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. -- a smooth start into town. fire crews on the scene of a house fire in northeast baltimore. the fire broke out just before 4:00 a.m. on ravenwood avenue. a child was taken to johns hopkins children's center suffering from smoke inhalation. we have a crew headed to the scene.

a car collected has added an unusual vehicle to its collection. steve is now the proud owner of the hearst that transported john f. kennedy's body. rolls royce limo.roast li a piece of pop culture will soon be gone for good. the very first east coast starbucks will be closing. it opened a few blocks away from the national cathedral in washington, d.c., but it is being torn down so the french ship center can be redeveloped -- friendship centers. >> about 41,000 flashlights are 's.ng recalled from deeb.j

consumers are asked to dispose of the batteries and return the flashlights to any b.j.'s for a full refund. women are gaining an edge in the traditionally male-dominated world of technology. more women are now buying consumer tech. >> hi tech traditionally has been considered a man's world. but the times are changing. >> 80% of women bought consumer tech this year. women are buying more consumer tech. >women consider themselves to be the chief financial officers of the home.

this is translate to more consumer tech purchases. >> more ladies are buying laptops and tablets and even flat screen tv's. it may surprise you to learn -- >> women make up the majority of nintendo wii players and matching men when it comes to the microsoft xbox. >> major players are taking notice. product doess tech not mean you make it pink or purple and sell that way. women are starting to inch gauge in technology anyway -- are starting to be engaged in technology. >> mild winter weather is hurting under armour's business.

jane king has the bloomberg business report. >> good morning. hostess is trying to get out of nearly 300 union agreements while operating in bankruptcy. they cannot emerge from chapter 11 because they are losing in it you in deals. some say hostess is attempting to bully its way to get out of deals. a report on gdp for the fourth quarter. we expect a blockbuster earnings for ford. an unexpected decline for home sales. the bloomberg maryland index lower on losses for under armour. all the mild winter weather is causing the retailer to reduce orders of the product to keep people warm. stores now have access

inventory. under armour plans to boost sales to macy's stores this year. one in five will be willing to miss a major life event to watch a super bowl game with your favorite team. 15% say they would be willing to miss the birth of their child. >> 51 degrees on tv hill. tiger woods is back on the course. the second round of the abu dhabi classic. >> don't forget to e-mail us your response to our water cooler question of the day. do you think the state's school discipline policy needs to be reformed in order to reduce the number of suspensions handed out? 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.

>> now traffic pulse 11 and insta-weather plus together. >> good morning. sarah caldwell checking on your morning commute. still dealing with some fog but not too bad in terms of delays. southwestern boulevard, we have an accident. that is the latest crash. little bit sluggish on the west

side as to make way down towards 70. 53 on southbound 95 coming out of the white marsh area. the rest of the major roadways so far so good. 95 north and southbound at 100 to howard county is moving without delay. this is greenspring. inner loop traffic is problem free towards the j.f.x. no delays on the j.f.x. southbound into town. not too bad out there. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> good morning. we are tracking some heavy rain into the western suburbs. you will see the bright orange and red on the left-hand side of your screen. those are some thunderstorms that will arrive in the next hour or 90 minutes or so. wide range in temperatures today. we will make it into the low 50's up north and 60's south of

baltimore. rain and thunderstorms and on the breezy side. we will check the seven-day forecast in just a few minutes. here is keith mills, the man. >> good morning. the ravens had no choice but to hit the ground running in the off-season. they have a 13 unrestricted free agents including ray rice. they are looking for a new defensive coordinator. chuck pagano was introduced as the new coach of the baltimore colts. he said today is bittersweet. he thought he would be arriving with the ravens to get ready for the super bowl. instead he is the new coach of the colts. >> i thought i would be going to indy to play for world

championship. that is what i thought i would be coming here for a not steny before you today as the next head football coach of the indianapolis colts. >> but of course he is and best of block to chuck. the pro bowl can be seen at 7:00 p.m. on wbal. tiger woods is in the abu dhabi classic. a short putt for par. he tees off around noon. h -- you can seecorey macke the swing of tiger woods. he got a guaranteed fee. i kid you not. >> does anyone get a guaranteed

fee? >> really do they admit it. oe is banned.shoot is bann >> how does the naacp plan to fight for equality in maryland? >> the courage in words a navy seal had for a group of kids in baltimore -- the encouraging words. >>

>> live, local, late-breaking, this is wbal-tv 11 news today. >> good morning, everybody. welcome back to 11 news today. i'm stan stovall. >> and i'm mindy basara. thank you for joining us this morning. let's talk about the weekend. >> forget about today. i have to talk about today. we have some fog and some rain and even some thunderstorms and dr. frederick county right now. a good chance for rain to start

today. temperatures will be in the 50's. low to mid 50's north of baltimore. 58 or 59. it should clear up this afternoon. temperatures were start to fall off -- temperatures will start to fall off. give yourself a couple of extra minutes. the seven-day forecast is coming up in just a few minutes. >> a dramatic show of support for the lgbt community as the annual convention gets underway. >> the same sex marriage debate heats up in annapolis. nadia ramdass is live with the convention continues today. good morning. >> last night naacp president ben jealous talked about is transgender brother.

lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights advocates from all over the country are meeting in baltimore for their yearly conference to discuss the best ways to fight for equality in their community. organizers say it is a coincidence that the conference was held in maryland while lawmakers are debating a marriage equality bill that would grant same-sex partners the same legal protection as their heterosexual counterparts. baltimore mayor stephanie rawlings-blake and maryland's first lady katie o'malley shared their support with attendees and also spoke about the likelihood of state lawmakers passing a marriage equality bill. >> i definitely think it is close. but that is why there is a big lobbying effort. and hopefully people will see that this is about families. this is not -- it's about getting over prejudice and about making sure that we protect families. >> i think very good chances of passing. i'm just hopeful. i do not know what the actual numbers are because i stay out of all of it. i just sort of hope and pray that the good people in the state of maryland will come together around this issue and vote for tolerance and equality

in marriage. >> naacp president ben jealous was the keynote speaker thursday evening. he spoke about his transgender brother and the need to end discrimination everywhere. >> gays supporting gays and individuals deeply vested in the struggle. but also as the leader of an organization with strong connections to the fight for lgbt rights. >> jealous also talked about ending school bullying and attacks on voting rights, but drew the biggest applause when he vowed to help maryland's lgbt community. >> as a leading employer in a non-profit sector in the state of maryland, we will be there to make sure that the gender identity anti-discrimination bill is passed. [cheers] >> martin o'malley will be speaking at the conference sunday morning. nadia ramdass, wbal-tv 11 news. >> the man accused of the bomb

plot in catonsville pleads guilty. antonio martinez delivered the police on thursday. prosecutors claim an investigation revealed he tried to detonate what he thought was a car bomb back in november of 2010. >> he armed the bomb on his own and he drove the car and parked the vehicle in front of the building. he wanted to see what happened when deactivated the bomb with the device that was provided to him. he did not do that until he was informed that there were at least seven soldiers in the building. >> prosecutors are asking he be sense to 25 years in prison. a teenager pleads guilty. he admitted to killing one person in august of 2010. he pleaded guilty to murdering

another in november of that same year. three other teenagers are charged in the case. their trials are set for later this year. >> kids from the park heights boys and girls club received a visit from a navy seal who came to tease them a lesson about being successful in life. he told the students circumstances don't have to determine their future or the kind of people they are. the speech resonated with the school and staff. >> no matter what the circumstances appear, they have inside of them the ability to reach whatever they want to reach. >> just have a strong mind and stay focused. >> good lesson. seal teams are credited for the killing of osama bin laden.

>> now traffic pulse 11 and insta-weather plus together. >> good morning. sarah caldwell checking on your morning commute. we are still dealing with some fog this morning. overall looking good as far as delays. we have an accident at southwestern boulevard to watch for. a bit of a slowdown at liberty down towards security. the j.f.x. in pretty good shape. problem free on 70. 52 at on 97 in the glen burnie area. 295 back to normal. this is traffic in the area of the beltway near dogwood road as you make your approach to security. you can see the brake lights as you make your way towards edmondson. this is the harrisburg expressway. southbound traffic started to develop a delay down towards the beltway.

that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> good morning. we have some heavy rain into the western suburbs right now. you can see some heavy rain and thunderstorms approaching the frederick area. rain and this morning. it should clear up this afternoon. temperatures in the 50's. 48 tomorrow. colder on sunday with a chance for snow flurries and a high temperature of only 38 degrees. things andan eye on see how the progress this morning. heavy rain in some neighborhoods to start the day. >> thank you. 52 degrees on tv hill. let the games begin. london officials are ready to handle anything. the biggest concern and the major improvements they have made to the city. >> don't forget to e-mail us your response to our water

cooler question of the day. do you think the state's school discipline policy needs to be reformed in order to reduce the number of suspensions handed out? you can share your response at wbaltv.com and on our facebook page, or send us an e-mail to page, or send us an e-mail to watercooler@wbaltv.com.

>> london officials say the city is all set for this year's

olympic games. most major venues are complete. construction of the staging is under way. mayor insists everything is right on target. >> we have been improving our transport infrastructure over the past year. people will find the tube system greatly improved. people will find a system that is looking forward to welcoming people to we think will be a summer like no other. >> london promised it would redevelop the eastern part of the city. the vatican is offering no comment on a corruption scandal . the program claims there were letters from archbishop debt was transferred to another position after revealing a corruption scandal. the archbishop says putting out

irregularities in awarded contracts cost the vatican millions of dollars because to his promotion to cardinal. 52 degrees on tv hill. a memorial plan for added jamet. >> we have delays around the area. >> we have some heavy rain in the western suburbs. we will check the seven-day forecast. it is a warm start on this friday morning. light rain in baltimore city.

>> welcome back to 11 news today. . more than 12,000 people travel to the penn state campus to say

their final farewell to joe paterno. family and alumni honor the legendary coach with a public memorial. he died on sunday after complications from lung cancer. a public more will be held for etta james. she'll be remembered with the viewing in california. she died last week after complications from leukemia. a new discipline policy could reduce student suspensions if approved by the school board. school systems would have to come up with alternative ways to reduce nonviolent offenses. supporters say the changes could benefit minorities and special education students. >> time to get to one of your answers to our watercooler question of the day. this morning we asked -- do you think the state's school discipline policy needs to be reformed in order to reduce the number of suspensions handed

out? >> keep sending us those responses. we will post more of your answers on the front page of wbaltv.com. >> some parents and students are up in arms after a middle school gives a popular style of footwear the boot. >> is not the issue that is making the call but what

students are hiding inside of them. >> a great place to stash years oour cell phone. >> that is distracting the class. >> the distraction of cell phones and food hitdden in shoes -- the have been banned from class. >> having items in classroom that are prohibited. >> the district mandates that cell phones and electronic devices have to be left in lockers. kids can wear the boots but must change into other issues for class. the first line of defense was the parents. >> my daughter doesn't have a

lot of shoes. i cannot afford to be buying or a lot of shoes. >> some students say you could hide cell phones and food inside basketball shoes. there's a movement among sixth and seventh graders. >> there were going to get the girls to wear their ugg bootts to make a point. >> now traffic pulse 11 and insta-weather plus together. >> good morning. sarah caldwell checking on your morning commute. so far so good on the major roadways. we have an accident at southwestern boulevard. there could be some lanes closed. a slowdown on the west side towards edmondson. 49 on southbound 95 out of the northeast. looking pretty good at the harbor tunnel and the fort mchenry. the j.f.x. is running smoothly

into town. this is the beltway as you make your approach to security. the backup stretches to liberty. this is the harrisburg expressway around padonia road. southbound traffic is starting to back up down towards the beltway. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> good morning. the thick fog we had is dissipating in most areas. we replaced that with a batch of heavy rain. you can see some heavy rain across frederick county. those showers and a few thunderstorms could produce wind gusts to 30-40 miles per hour. there will be around baltimore within the next hour or two. right now we have some light to moderate rain in parts of cecil

and harford county. those heavier showers will move in shortly. the rain is in the western suburbs right now. the rain it tapers off out in west virginia. it will take three or four hours for that to happen. things should start to clear up into this afternoon. a difficult call with the temperatures right now. in the 60's down south. 63 in college park. i think everybody will sneak into the 50's today, especially after we get these winds to shift around from the south. a cold front will carry of the rain will start to drop the temperatures. rain showers this morning, maybe a thunderstorm. becoming partly sunny and

breezy this afternoon. low 50's to the low 60's depending whether you're north or south of baltimore. temperatures drop back into the 30's tonight. seven-day forecast -- a dry start to the weekend on saturday with a high near 48. then it gets much colder on sunday. 30's. a clipper storm may produce some light snow showers or flurries. it will stay dry in chilly on monday of next week'. >> the lgbt committee is seeking change as the push for legal same-sex marriages. nadia ramdass is downtown with more. >> naacp president benjamin jealous talked about his transgender brother and said that the concerns of the lgb community are very close to his heart. he said it's time to end

discrimination and violence everywhere. he was the keynote speaker for the yearly conference yesterday. organizers say it's a coincidence that the conference was held in maryland while lawmakers are debating a marriage equality bill that would grant same-sex partners the same legal protection as their heterosexual counterparts. baltimore mayor stephanie rawlings-blake and maryland's first lady katie o'malley shared their support with attendees and also spoke about the likelihood of state lawmakers passing a marriage equality bill. opponents of marriage equality site religious convictions or previous warnings of the bill in their opposition to the bill. nadia ramdass, wbal-tv 11 news. >> thank you. here is ann curry with a look at what is coming up next on the "today" show. >> good morning. mitt romney pulls no punches against newt gingrich in a debate in florida last night.

we will break down the race this morning. asked and culture -- ashton kutcher is concerned about demi moore. what is new when it comes to shopping, entertainment, and beauty. the summer olympic games are six months away. we will look at the competitors that will thrill the world. >> all of six or six months away -- the olympics are six months away. i better get in shape. >> 52 degrees on tv

>> a new accident to report. >> on the outer loop, you can see some delays. outer loop at york road. watch for that. southwestern boulevard, another accident to avoid. normal volume-related delays on the west side. we start in the area of the beltway as you make your approach to security. there are some delays on the west side. watch for the accident on the outer loop at york road. this is 83 at padonia road.

a bit of a slow go towards the beltway. >> missed the fog report by three minutes. >> we have some heavy rain moving into the western suburbs. that heavy rain will be moving into baltimore in an hour or an hour and half. most of the rain will be this morning. there could be some thunderstorms. 40's tomorrow. 30's on sunday. it gets progressively colder >> hou. >> hour, hour and a half. >> thanks for joining us for 11 news today. >> we will be back with a live update at 7:25. >> follow breaking news and weather any time at wbaltv.com, and stay connected with us on facebook and twitter.

>> this is a wbal-tv 11 editorial from president and general manager dan joerres. >> every year, thousands of supporters take the plunge into the icy waters of the chesapeake bay, raising money and the spirits of intellectual- disabled adults and children. this weekend, the maryland state police will hold the 16th annual polar bear plunge, which

promises all the chills and thrills plungers and spectators have come to know and love. last year, 25,000 people made their way to sandy point state park for the signature fundraiser for the maryland special olympics. the event has grown into a party on the bay, but it also remains true to its core -- an event that provides our citizens who are challenged by the everyday demands of life to enjoy the spirit and camaraderie of athletic competition. there will be a huge heated festival tent with live music, local and national vendors, and a food court, sand sculptures, and a kid's zone complete with face-painting, games, and inflatable fun. you can help by taking the plunge and joining your favorite personalities from wbal-tv and our radio partners -- 98 rock and wbal 1090 a.m. -- or make a donation. if you cannot make it to the park, we invite you to log onto our website, wbaltv.com, for more information. maryland special olympians learn to achieve their potential, be good teammates, good friends, and good neighbors. it's an event that helps fulfill

possibilities. please join us.

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