in party than they are country, they are more interested in the next election that the next generation, we have to call them out on a. >> the president was in cambridge. he was touting the accomplishments of his administration and sharing his vision to keep the country moving forward. he said there will be a robust debate once the presidential -- once the republicans choose their presidential nominee. >> a lot of people have lost faith about the capacity of washington to get anything done. the main thing i want to urge all of you is that even as we are out there making our case, even as we push hard to persuade not just the american people but some folks on the other side about the brightness of our future if we were

together. >> in his address to the group, joe biden said groups are strongly supportive of the strong -- of the private sector. republicans are strongly supportive of the privileged sector. he said statements by both newt gingrich and mitt romney actually help the democrats. >> what is one man's meat is another man's poison. the only thing we have to make clear to the american people, what is the need and what is the poison. they are helping us a great deal. i am access project i am absolutely convinced we are going to do just fine this year as we work as hard as we can. >> the vice president also said that not only is he confident he and president obama will win the election, democrats will reclaim the house.

>> breaking news out of cape santa clara, 18-year-old merrill has been flown to shock trauma. he was brutally assaulted. it happened near the high school around 2:15 this up today. the incident did not have been on campus but in a location close to the school. we have not been able to confirm whether he is a student. we do have a career on the scene gathering more details and we will have more information as it becomes available. and on robbery during a high- school basketball game. he approached a young man sitting in the crowd. he touched and patted the victim who appeared to be upset. he they later found out he was robbing the victim. there was a search under way for him. anyone with information could contact metro crime stoppers.

>> five people are searching for another place to stay after a fast-moving fire ripped through their home. two of them had to make miss -- and the escape by jumping from the roof. >> residents along the northeast baltimore community will up to what they described as a fast- moving fire that was unforgiving. >> when the fire department came, it was engulfed in flames. >> fire officials say the one alarm fire broke out just before 4:00 friday morning at this rural home. -- row home. both suffered smoke inhalation and burns and were considered in serious condition at the time of the incident. >> me and my remains saw flames coming out of the house.

eventually we saw the lady come out with her son but the house was totally burnt out. all you could see were flames. >> the father of the victim's spoke to 11 news off-camera and confirmed the identity of his daughter and grandchild. he said his daughter and her 11- year-old son, along with himself and two other family members were home at the time of the blaze. bell and the other family members or able to run out of the home. but his daughter and grandchild were trapped in the better. eventually the mother and son were able to get to the roof of the home and a job for their lives. >> i was in the door and i hear a --whoop. right before that i think the sun came. >> his home sustained some minor smoke damage. they are glad they got out alive but our concern for their well-

being. >> there were good neighbors. i just pray they are already. >> the salvation army will be helping this family in the meantime. >> an elderly woman has died hours of being involved in a single vehicle accident. sky team 11 was over the scene around a 12th:30. -- crews arrived on the scene, she was unconscious. she was airlifted to a trauma unit where she's later died. her identity has not yet been released. >> the annual polar bear plunge got off to a scary start today. look at the damage caused by some strong winds. a huge tent rent to the ground around 10:00 just as hundreds of people were preparing to plunge.

a couple of a smaller tents also fell down. nobody inside any of the tents at the time. crews were able to put everything back in place shortly after. this is all part of severe weather that brushed through the area. plungers are going to be out there for quite awhile. what kind of weather are they going to encounter? >> probably not as balmy as today but not as bad as what it could be this time of year. temperatures are beginning to drop back after hitting the 60's earlier to the 50's in baltimore now. if you keep looking west toward a detroit, 40 degrees. there is an indication that even behind the front it will not be a brutal cool down but temperatures will be down a little bit. a 34 degree reading tomorrow. right under the 50 degree mark by 3:00. wins out of the south will create a little bit of a wind

chill to 41 degrees. the unusually warm weather condition means that this year is some of the best for plunging into the bay. rob roblin joins us where this warm air is going to warm the spirits of a lot of faults. if you're going to do it, this is the year to do it. >> it is warm out here and not that bad. when they hit the water, and they are coming out right now to do plunge number a, it will be chilly. it will shock you. they are going into the water of the chesapeake bay. it is all for the special olympics. these are courageous folks. all my goodness gracious, later on tomorrow it gets even colder. earlier today a whole bunch of young but folks were jumping into the bay for special olympics. the main number one man tim

tooten was there. >> more than 3000 students from the maryland showed up here for a good cause. it was all about the build up for students anxious to take the plunge. most spent their nervous moments burning nervous energy. for first-timer's, they were planning for the unexpected. >> it is going to be really cold. we want to go all the way under. >> and then there was more waiting on the shore until finally students of the go ahead to line up. all of a sudden it happened. as student russia to take the plunge. -- as students rushed to take the plunge. >> i cannot feel my toes but it is worth it. >> you know you are here for a good cause. he know this is where you want

to be. it is cold. >> the cold cannot stop some students from plunging a second time. >> they are out here doing this for special olympics maryland. it is fun for them, but there is also a reason behind it. i think it is really heading in the right direction. >> they will continue their mission of helping students and adults with intellectual disabilities. there are already making plans for next year to be here at the chesapeake bay for a great cause to help special olympics. tim tooten, wbal-tv 11 news. >> we are here with jeff sanders. he has been plunging for years. you have been plunging and every time you go in, you are so encouraging to all of the athletes and everybody. how are you feeling? >> i feel excellent. i have lost track of how many years i do this.

i always have some banks to before hand. once i get in the first time and see the same guys and the same athletes every year -- if they keep coming back there is no reason i cannot keep coming back. >> you are a man. you are a hero. you have been from day one. i love you to death. >> i appreciate that, robert. >> go get warm. that is just an example of one of the many super plungers that are here. jeff is an unbelievable man. he has been plunging for years here to help special olympic athletes. we will be here later on tonight and we will be here tomorrow morning for the polar bear plunge. >> a perfect word to describe it just before -- the banks of it

all. i think that is actually worse than the plunge. you can tell your favorite plunger how proud you are of them. send the word plunge followed by your message to this number. your message could appear on 11 news saturday morning. standard text messaging rates will apply. >> and $85 million entertainment complex is on its way to downtown towson. >> it will have a state of the art theater and a new restaurants. when you can expect to see it happen. >> ♪

♪

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he opts for the status quo on the other side of the ball. >> check cashed in on his big chance this week for the colts. the ravens and failed to blank. one day after peace and joy in his indianapolis introduction, -- >> i cannot be more excited to do that. it wants to get a chance to talk to jurors or any of our players, they will tell you what a good football coach dean pees is. >> we have very strong feelings for dean pees as a coach and we are very thrilled about his opportunity for the job. >> he can to baltimore in 2009. he knows the drill. >> they have their own style and personality. it is what it is. i am not going to change it.

>> what about cam cameron and the offense? today john harbaugh offered unwavering faith in his play caller. >> you watch the job our coaches did this year, i was excited about it. it was a good year. >> i called ozzie and i said, i am cut thrilled to be back. in our minds, you were never gone. >> whether he will hire a quarterbacks' coach to join the staff remains under evaluation. augh also talked about the stunning message from the 33 yard line. that story coming up at 6:00. >> children's brains may show signs of optimism as early as

infancy long before any behavioral symptoms are notice. it was british researchers to noticed inactivity as they look at pictures of faces looking at and away from them. the babies who were eventually diagnosed with autism were more likely to have different brain responses to the social interactions than those who were not optimistic. researchers think this is a first step in predicting autism as young as six months old. the study shows the number of home births have said risen significantly. the rate has increased 30% since 2004. that increase was driven primarily by white women of the age of 35. many have had uncomplicated previous birth experiences. there are no qualms about it, curves are back. one of the hottest procedures and plastic surgery is the miami thong lift.

it gives patience a rounder and fuller look. this plastic surgeon says he invented a procedure 10 years ago that has sparked an interest from all over the world. >> i had that square look. >> i am seeing my practice now being 85% gluteal contour in. >> us for the recovery process, there is no sleeping on your back for putting pressure on your behind for two months. you have to lean forward with pillows for support. >> we will move right into whether here. we are keeping moving. you know the trick here. watching some showers move off the coast.

a couple of heavy showers. downpours and gusty winds associated with this as it was trekking through the area. an indication that some cool air is coming our way. the weekend will not be all that bad. it will dry out quite a bit. almost nine tenths of an inch from bwi-marshall and we hit 63 degrees today. the record is safe again. 72 on this day back in 1974. we have had a lot of unusually high conditions but very few highs being said. outside right now it is 54 downtown and 51 in edgewood. temperature started to drop back into the '40's just to the west and 30's in the western maryland mountains. clear to partly cloudy skies around baltimore. the key to us in town was real

strong winds gusting to 40 miles per hour at the airport. they will eventually diminish overnight. chillier temperatures dropping into the 30's over partly cloudy skies. the front the brought the heavy rain and wind is off of the coast. it is moving away from us taking the really mild weather off the coast. behind the temperatures will drop a little. there are a couple of cool fronts. a stronger one sliding in from the north and west on sunday. these will eventually get temperatures down. still got a call for this time of year. 50's tomorrow. we are actually going to cool the temperature by about 10 degrees and it still be about 10 degrees above normal tomorrow. there is a slight chance for a sprinkle. western maryland does get into some of the colder air. eastern shore locations where it felt like spring today, 54 degrees tomorrow. maybe a sprinkle or shower on

the evening on sunday. we will look for temperatures of enter the 50's cooling on sunday. here is the key for the plungers -- water temperatures are in the low 50's. 44 at 11:00 a.m. for the first plunge to mar. a little bit of a breeze creating a wind chill. there is your key, the water temperature hovering above the 40 degree mark. insta-weather futurecast shows clearing skies. watch on sunday as a burst of energy cuts across the area. 53 degrees tomorrow, mid-30s with their sprinkles or showers in the snow. only around 40 on monday but then you warming right back up. highs are up in the 50's by next week. >> it is making waves all of the internet. >> the first lady calling opponents of gay marriage

legislation cowards. >> she is backpedaling a little bit at a confe

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>> a new school formula is making rounds. >> they are pushing legislation that would allow the school system to secure a block grant each year instead of getting money for individual projects. the proposal has a lot of people scratching their heads. david collins is live with more on what the proposal. >> it is because it gets complicated. the block grant a loan is not enough money and it leaves things beyond the control to make this work. >> we can do it if we have a predictable stream of funding. >> city's school superintendent

pitched solutions to the city delegation many consider a radical departure from state policy. it requires coming up with a $70 million revenue stream. one option was the nonprofit use some of the money to float a 6320 tax-exempt bond. another is to use the bonds as a downpayment on a bank loan. >> rican bar $1 billion. that will allow us to touch over 100 schools. >> they are shepherding a bill to give the city a block grant for school construction. >> it takes an average of 32 to $34 million. it has an insulator in it as well. it will allow baltimore city to have that area of predictability on a yearly basis. >> the passage still does not secure enough money. that is why stephanie rawlings

blake continues to push for an increase in the bottle tax. >> none of this is in stone. until we have a definite plan, we have to push aggressively with all of the different ways to get there. >> the mayor is also banking on $1.6 million of slot proceeds. the city casino does not exist yet. to ship they plans burden of teacher pensions. that will cost the city another $50 million. the mayor argues the cost should be reduced because the city is poor. >> it must extend to teacher pensions. >> the superintendent also wants general assembly to increase the city's borrowing authority. the fluid as of this entire plan barrault's some lawmakers. one suggests to get your finances in order before coming

to us asking for a guarantee of the funds. >> the end of a horrific chapter in the life of a doctor whose family was slain in a home invasion. >> a state of the art movie theater is

>>live, local, late breaking, you are watching wbal-tv 11 news at 5:00 in hd. >> new at 5:30, plans are

extensive. a 16 screen movie theater with 3200 seats and an underground parking garages. that is what baltimore city officials say is being set up in the towson development. >> it is expected to bring major jobs to the area. >> this is a pretty exciting project. behind me is the tier one and a trader joe's stores. virginia is in front of me and joppa is to the left. this will be the side of the new movie theater as long as some restaurants and shops. >> the next big thing in the towson is happening and it will

be a new entertainment center at towson circle 3. >> the big motion picture production, they even brought out the popcorn. county executive announced plans to bring in the city more theaters as part of a privately funded $85 million entertainment center to downtown. >> we saw a great opportunity. putting together with that complementary amenities and theaters. >> said the mark which is the same company that owns the egyptian teeters in arundel mills will feature 16 state of the arts grants and 3200 seats. it will be located on a 4.2 acre plot bounded by east joppa road and pennsylvania and virginia avenues.

>> when you have 16 screens you can pretty much play it all. you can bring the art films in here. you can do the met opera. you can host screenings and bring stars. >> there was some question about whether the idea of a movie theater would were considering the fate of the last movie theater in a mall along york road. it is like comparing apples to oranges. >> and we are talking about city by bringing in one of the larger facilities, but also something that is from a company that is understands how to manage properties and deliver a superior product. >> the project is expected to create 1500 new jobs. it would generate close to $2 million in county tax revenue annually while bringing in almost $3 million a year in sales tax to the state. developers tell us they expect to break ground this fall with a

project expected to be completed by fall of 2014. you can get your tickets than. >> thank you. here is a look at some of the other top stories at this hour. an 18-year-old mail is being treated for life-threatening injuries after he was brutally assaulted. this happened around 2:15 this afternoon. the incident did not happen on campus but it did happen at a location close to the school. we have not confirmed whether he is a student. we have a crew on the scene gathering more details. baltimore city fire officials are investigating a fire that ripped through a northeast baltimore rowhome. it happened on ravenwood avaenue. five people were out of the -- were in the house. three were able to run out and two have to jump out of a window. a child was taken to john

hopkins children's center. an adult was taken to the hospital. as of this hour, both of them are listed in serious condition. a barrel and the judge has ordered a woman convicted of killing her co-worker to spend the rest of her life in prison without parole. within the last half hour, a judge sentenced britney norwood. prosecutors say norwood attacked murray in a fight after the store closed for the day. she said two masked men attacked them, but investigators determined that was a lie. >> president barack obama and joe biden came to cambridge today to talk to house democrats participating in the annual caucus. he said to continue working for the american people but be ready to challenge republicans for being unable to step away from politics. joe biden said that democrats will reclaim the house.

with three days left until the pivotal presidential primary, there are mixed polls to report. newt gingrich remains in the lead among republicans, but not anymore in the sunshine state. >> mitt romney has turned around the race in florida. >> i will fight to get more opportunity for americans. >> in four days from monday night's debate until last night, mitt romney regained the lead in florida polls. >> speaker gingrich was hired by freddie mac to promote them. we should have had a whistleblower and not a horn to appeared >> i would be glad to have a truce with the peer >> -- newt gingrich is still the head of national polls. >> we have had an effort to try to develop a nationwide approach.

>> he got bad news on electability. on a head-to-head match up with president obama, he is running third -- 18 points behind the president. they expect a route if newt gingrich is the nominee. >> newt gingrich is cold water. he takes down the whole flotilla. at the end of the day the public does not trust him. >> to try to stop newt gingrich, john mccain went to florida knocking -- mocking newt's call for a lunar colony. >> descend newt gingrich to the moon and mitt romney to the white house. >> they could change again by tuesday.

>> md. first lady katie o'malley is catching some heat for calling opponents of same-sex marriage cowards. the remarks came at the annual lgbt conference in baltimore. she said it killed in maryland last year because there were some cowards that prevented it from passing. in a statement she says she let her feelings to the better of her. she respects differing views. the first lady says she hopes elected officials will come together to fairly address what she calls an important issue for families and children. >> the company behind this disastertalian cruise is offering a discount. >> baltimore police turned to two outsiders to fill key roles

>> survivors are expected to receive more than $14,000 each in compensation for the accident off the coast of italy. the announcement by the italian

core operations still trying to determine why the cruise ship hit the soft coastline. 16 people are still missing. >> but if home invasion of the mother and heard two daughter's dead. hayes raped and strangled the mother while the other sexually assaulting the 11-year-old. the girls were tied to their bed and doused in gasoline. the house was set on fire and they died of smoke inhalation. he was tried last year. the next time you have a flat tire, you could be left without a spare. its impact on driver safety and what you need to know before ending up stranded. >> this is the 16th annual polar bear plunged for special

olympics. a live report coming up. >> unseasonably warm weather being pushed off the coast from a front. right now we're still seeing temperatures and below 50's at

>> good afternoon. coming up at 11 news at 6:00, a major personnel changes under way at the baltimore city police department. my officials tapped outsiders to fill two high-ranking positions. the baltimore ravens hire one of their own. we will introduce you to the new defensive coordinator. these stories plus more super

>> it is the annual dip in the chesapeake. for those of you know as a super plungers it is an hourly dive it. thousands are expected to attend tomorrow's event. rob roblin is life. >> i will tell you one thing that i say. every year it was told to me by our photographer, he said look in this tent. there are some great people here. i am surrounded by some great people that are plunging. the athletes for the special olympics that are here. one of the greatest of them all is right here, jennifer frenzy of the. how do you feel? >> and i feel great. there are some great people who have heart as big as the world. that is why we are here.

>> matt, how are you doing? you are plunging for a special young man, are you? what's i am feeling a little cold. it is a long night. this is our little guy nathan. we are here for him today. this will be the first year where we can join the super plungers and the tent and do our 24 dips in the day. >> erica, my girl. come over here. how're you doing? >> awesome. >> come here adam? how are you doing? everybody come here. everybody together. >> they went to greece and competed in the world games. that was amazing. >> it was awesome. >> you guys had a ball. we are so proud of the. the you know that? you represent the special olympics and everybody in the

state of maryland. >> this is why we are here. we are here to say thank you to special olympics and everything you guys have done for us. that is why we jumped into the bay for 24 hours. >> she is a global ambassador and she gives dozens of speeches all across the world to people. she really says it from the heart. that is exactly the truth. when people done in either $5 or $10, it is all to pay for the special a olympics athlete so they can compete all year long. it really makes a difference. >> how cold is the water? five years ago i went in with red hair and i came out with gray hair. thank you. you guys are the best in the world. thank you very much. these are the super plungers and super human being. tom tasselmyer, every year i say some of the same things but it is just the tree. >> it absolutely is.

we love to see it every year. we are happy to report this is one of the warmer years people have been out there. the water is still quite chilly but at least the air is cooperating. we do not have this know we have seen the last couple of years. things are looking good at. as we have to the night it will get colder. temperatures will be on the chilly side. not as warm as today but still above normal for this time of year. 44 degrees at 11:00 tomorrow morning. we have a family plunge in first. it will be close to 54 other plunges at 1:00 and 3:00 in the afternoon. there will be a little of a breeze coming from the south. enough to strong damaging winds we saw today but a breeze at about 15 miles per hour. that will produce wind chill factors. get out of the cold 40 degree water. you have a little bit of a

breeze going by. it will feel cool, but prepared to past years those are pretty decent conditions for the polar bear plunge. heavy showers and gusty winds off the coast. snow showers off of the mountains of pennsylvania. that is an indication of cooler air coming in. we are still at 50 in ocean city. it is only 32 degrees in oakland in western maryland right now. you get the good feeling there is a strong front sweeping through. snow showers in the mountains. flows in town ranging from 30- 38. those winds that have been 45 miles per hour at times. late tonight there will be in the 5-15 mile per hour range. there is a series of weaker friends set to come in over the weekend. each brings a chance of a sprinkle or fleury at each starts to drop the temperature

back a little bit so by monday temperatures will be back to normal. it will take the passage of each of these friends. a second one arrives of this preval tomorrow evening. a third one pushes there on sunday. that will bring rain and snow showers. after the moves off the coast of the coldest of the air will be here on monday. 50's tomorrow. 10 degrees colder than today but still 10 degrees normal -- higher than normal. at 38 with rain and snow showers. getting a little more wintry out in western maryland over the weekend. we are still in the 50's 2 mar. a shower brings a cold front on sunday with highs in the 40's. 20% chance of a shower -- a sprinkle on sunday evening. monday we see high temperatures only peaking right around the 40 degree mark.

in tonight's consumer alert, the spare tire in your trunk of your car can be a thing of the past. to meet new fuel efficiency standards, some manufacturers are emitting the spare tires and replacing them with the urgency sealant or tires that can go resemble damage -- a reasonable mileage. there is a long list of vehicles without spare tires. you can find that on our web site wbaltv.com. new economic figures are out tonight. there are some signs of growth is also clear in the recovery still has a long way to go. >> the numbers are in and it is a mixed bag when it comes to the economy and consumer confidence. shoppers did put a little more in those bags during the fourth

quarter of last year. the commerce department reporting consumer spending stunt 2% in the last few months of 2011 and the economy grew by 3% during that time. it is a nice bump but still not enough to prevent last year from being the worst in terms of economic growth since the recession. on the positive side, this year begins with an uptick. >> i think we have a great plan in the united states and europe. >> another good sign has been growth in the long-suffering housing market. evidence that an economic turnaround is under way. most will also tell you any real forward progress will not take a foot hold until the job market gets better. something president obama touchdown while talking to students at the university of michigan. >> we do not want to become a country where a shrinking number of americans do really well while a growing number do really well. that is not the future we want.

i want the jobs created here in the united states of america. >> there are some signs the job creation is slowly climbing. the unemployment rate dropped to 8.5%, that is the lowest it has been in a three years. >> within days to go until the crucial florida primary, the presidential candidates are reaching out to hispanic voters at events and hawaii. the polls shows newt gingrich is losing some of his momentum. the 2010 olympics is now six months away from 2012 games. all signs point to a bigger and better performance this year.

>> six months and counting until the start of the much- anticipated london summer olympic games. the final touches are under way and everything is expected to be completed on time. >> it is the final push to the biggest sporting event in the world. the venues are finished on budget and on time. among the highlights of the $11 billion project, a sleek aquatics center chris and from tom daly. and the centerpiece is the main stadium that will hold 80,000

cheering fans. this summer more than 200 countries will compete with 15,000 athletes, 9 million tickets are up for sale. expectations are high after beijing. that city's opening ceremony in 2008 captivated the world. london is hoping to do even better giving oscar award winning director danny boyle everything he needs for the performance including lots of money. >> this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to showcase the united kingdom. billions of people will be watching that ceremony and is an imprint -- appropriate investment. >> the london dance will also have a secret weapon. some very familiar and much loved royal faces acting as olympic ambassadors. >> the opening ceremony will begin with the rigging of a large bell engraved with a line from shakespeare's tempest.

it sounds pretty british to me. >> that is all for us at 5:00. here is what is coming up at 6:00. >> two outsiders come on board the baltimore police department as part of a plan to clean up trouble. >> the fight for florida is on as the gop presidential canada to enter their final week of campaigning. -- presidential candidates enter their final week of campaigning. >> a state of the art theater complex is on the way to downtown towson. >> live, local, late breaking, 6:00.s w p abal tv nerws at >> the baltimore ravens have

found their man. >> one day after the indianapolis colts announced check with their new head coach, the ravens to name his successor. pete gilbert joins us with more on the familiar face for -- who will now lead the defense. >> the formula has worked so well when try anything else? for the fifth straight time they stay within the confines of the castle promoting dean pees. he follows a long line of success. he never considered looking outside of the franchise for a replacement. he had plenty of good choices right in front of him. pees said he will keep things similar. as for harbaugh, he hired a man who has coached him in college. it is a to know -- it is a to say he does what he is getting. >> the tradition of defense will continue and it will flourish and get better.