>> do you know this man? police are trying to solve a series of break-ins in canton. >> the forecast as we continue. [captioning made possible by constellation energy group] captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- >> live, local, late-breaking, this is wbal-tv 11 news today. >> good morning. i'm mindy basara. >> and i'm stan stovall. thank you for joining us this morning. >> groundhog day. what are the chances phil will see his shadow? >> there are other groundhogs. there is one in york, pennsylvania. by think he is stuffed -- but i think he is stuffed. one.is hthe main

if he sees his shadow, six more weeks of winter. we have had some light rain in the southern suburbs all morning. that will continue for the next couple of hours. temperatures will be a difficult call today. 50 degrees at the airport. upper 40's this afternoon. a chance for rain this morning. temperatures in the 40's of north. we'll come back and check the forecast for super bowl weekend. >> 1 accident if you are travelling towards the airport. a bit of a delay as you make your way towards stony run road. the rest of the major roadways are shaping up just fine. light rain around the area. you may need to give yourself a

couple of extra minutes. still running smoothly at 57 miles per hour. 11 minutes on the inner loop from the 83's over towards 95. 10 minutes on southbound 95 towards 32. this is 795. southbound traffic at franklin is picking up. this is the parkton region. 83 southbound moving very well down from the maryland line. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> a busy night for police as they handle four shootings in just a few hours. the first incident happened around 6:30. another shooting one hour later at east patapsco. then a shooting at spring hill

road. than a fourth victim. no word on the conditions of any of these victims or a possible suspect. a man is arrested after trying to flee to pakistan. he was arrested wednesday at dulles airport. he will have a detention hearing tomorrow in virginia. the governor will announce a major step toward developing offshore wind generators in ocean city. makejoining ken salazar to this announcement. the general assembly will consider a bill that would require utilities to have 20% of their electricity generated by wind power. this is a source of construction and permanent jobs as well as an

alternative energy. >> with the florida primary in the books come the republican candidates are stumping out west. >> seven more states will cast their ballots for the gop nominee. >> good morning. nevada is up next. the will hold a caucus on saturday. as the four gop candidates move their campaigns west, controversy followed front- runner mitt romney after comments he made about the poor. >> i am not concerned about the very poor. we have a safety net there. if it needs repair, i'll fix it. i'm not concerned about the very rich. they're doing just fine. i am concerned about the very heart of america. >> critics pounced. >> i am fed up with politicians in either party dividing americans against each other. >> and romney clarified. >> of course i am concerned about all americans. all -- well-paid, middle class. but the focus of my effort will

be on middle-income families, who i think have been most hurt by the obama economy. >> as romney stopped in minnesota, ron paul rolled the dice in nevada with a strategy to collect delegates rather than win outright. >> we expect to get delegates out of here, and there's a very good chance that we could win. >> rick santorum was focused on colorado, looking to emerge as the leading conservative in the race. >> we're going to go out and stand up for the conservative alternative. >> there are reports that real estate mogul and reality-tv star donald trump intends to endorse newt gingrich. kate amara, wbal-tv 11 news. >> police are hoping somebody will recognize a suspect in a series of thefts in the canton area. police believe this person is responsible for a string of car burglaries. >> i guess i'm concerned because i live around the area and i am

in the area a lot. i'm thinking about why they occurred and making sure it doesn't happen to me. i think it comes with living in a city. it comes with living here. >> anyone with any information of the identity of the met should call metro crime stoppers at 1-866-7-lockup. police are asking for some help for a man that robbed two women at the petit louis restaurant. one of their purses was stolen. >> these are petty individuals that are targeting unsuspecting victims and we take that seriously. be aware of your surroundings. >> the owners of the properties

are expected to install some additional lighting. >> it presidential historian is expected to change his plea this morning. a agreement is expected in court. he originally planned not guilty for stealing some documents. prosecutors said they had eight presidential artifacts in their possession when they were arrested in july. >> property values continue to drop. jennifer franciotti is live at city hall with more on the story. >> they are trying to help them come to grips with the issue. property values in baltimore city have dropped by about 20% over the past three years. carl stokes listen to concern from residents and heard from

some property-tax experts to help them figure out what was going on. he called a hearing last night where representatives from the state department of assessments and taxation explained how they came up with the numbers. >> so the assessor determines these values based on the sales that occurred, especially the residence properties on sales that occur from january to about september 30. >> there is a three-step appeals process that residents have to go throat if they do want to make an appeal. it has to happen within the first 45 days of getting their first property-tax assessments. we'll have more on the appeals process coming up live at 5:30. >> 51 degrees on tv hill. >> as soft-drink company is helping to ocean city stay liquid. >> returned to a large rodent to

give us the long-term weather forecasts. it is groundhog day. >> health care for the homeless is holding their annual benefit. it is happening tonight. you could win two tickets. >> there is one accident of

>> good morning. we're back with a live view of city hall. at 53 degrees right now. big changes are on the weight in the seven-day forecast. i am live that health care for the homeless. we are talking about their big fund-raising event tonight. this is about everything a child. this is tracy watson. you say you have been involved with this event for quite some time. >> since the beginning, 22 years ago. it is a great night. people come out and it is a lot of fun. >> what kind of items we've been having at the event? >> every year we have a

chocolate-covered strawberries. this year we decided to do something to sayvory. we'll do muscles and we will have a chocolate strawberries on this side. >> there will be an auction tonight. >> we're auctioning a dinner for 10 : " appetizer, a dinner, and desert. it is from us, watch and caterers -- we're auctioning a dinner for 10 which includes an appetizer, dinner, and desert. >> the reiter is showing there are some showers across the area. -- the radar is showing.

we're in a chocolate mood. we will come back and i'll get to taste some. >> that is a great event. you met punxsutawney phil and person. tell the viewers how you net met phil. >> and my former job -- at my former job. they brought fell into the studio -- they brought phil into the studio. >> we have some rain south of baltimore. around annapolis and the lower eastern shore, you'll see some in to start the day. more rain back around the mountains. it will take to the morning

hours to get this rain out of fear. there is some cloud cover in central pennsylvania near punxsutawney. there'll be a tough call as to whether he sees his shadow. 50 degrees at the airport right now. the cold air is moving southbound. i think after the rain is gone will get some sunshine to break to the clouds and the temperatures will respond. the colder temperatures up north. upper 20's and low 30's tonight. it will be dry on friday and saturday. we will see a chance for some rain on super bowl sunday. in my be cold enough for some snowflakes to mix in -- it may be cold enough. it will clear up on tuesday and

wednesday. >> some light rain around the area and not having a major impact on your ride. we have an accident near b.w.i. airport, no longer any problems. up to speed on 395 into 95. the topside and the west side moving without delay. a nice start at the fort mchenry -- down towards the fort mchenry and the harbor tunnel looks good. this is southbound traffic of 97 at 100. a smooth ride so far in the glen burnie area. this is 95 at 100 in howard county and looking good down towards the capital beltway. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> employees should not expect to see a pay raise any time soon -- federal employees.

it would not apply to military personnel. house republicans are expected to use this vote on the extension of the payroll tax cut. a military judge will consider a request to delay a trial in the 2009 shooting rampage at fort hood. he's charge of 32 counts of attempted murder. all eyes on a small town of punxsutawney, pennsylvania this morning for groundhog day. this is a live picture as folks get ready from the gobblers not. if he sees his shadow, there is another six weeks of winter. it feels a warm that it would feel like the beginning of winter. we will bring that live on our 7:00 a.m. show.

>> to not go looking for pepsi if you attend any events in ocean city. coca-cola is becoming the official soft drink of the town. they signed a five-year agreement making coca-cola the exclusive beverage holder. coca-cola will be the only soda sold. this replaces the current contract held by pepsi. if you're planning a super bowl party, plan to spend more money for food. here's what they found. the cost of hamburgers is up 65%. the cost of chicken wings is up 39%. pizza prices are looking pretty good. many people are selling pi

zzas for between $10.14 dollar . that brings us to our water cooler question of the day. have rising costs forced you to cut back on your super bowl celebrations? you can share your response at wbaltv.com and on our facebook page, or send us an e-mail to watercooler@wbaltv.com. burritos are here to stay for chipotle. jane king has the bloomberg business report. >> good morning. the move to electronic textbooks sounds like a great idea, right? yesterday, are duncan unveiled guidelines for schools to make the transition to digital textbooks. the problem is cash-strapped schools to make it happen.

higher prices for triple what are here to stay -- higher prices for the chipotle are here to stay. we will get numbers on weekly jobless claims on wall street. we did have a higher day for stocks yesterday. there was optimism that greece would get a financing deal. the bloomberg maryland index was up. travelers are attached to their hotel loyalty programs. 73% would choose loyalty programs over their cells. they thought it would outlast their marriage or their current job. i'm jane king for wbal-tv 11 news. >> 51 degrees on tv hill. two overtimes for the terrapins

last night. keith mills will tell us if the terrapins were able to come back. >> here is a look at last night's winning maryland lottery numbers.

denny's new sizzlin' skillets are here for a limited time. so strike while the iron's hot. starting at $4.99. only at denny's. america's diner is always open.

>> now traffic pulse 11 and insta-weather plus together. >> good morning.

let's check the area roads. we have some light rain. not having a major impact. no problems on 395 in towards conaway. everything running smoothly as you make your way around the beltway -- in towards conway. 51 as you make your way towards the fort mchenry. everything running smoothly on 95 in and out of cecil county. 59 miles per hour in harford county. this is the key bridge. no major delays. everything running smoothly in the outer loop. 895 checks out just fine north and southbound. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> good morning. some light rain to start the day. nothing of any consequence. some light rain over towards annapolis. nothing going on north and west

of baltimore. a wide range of temperatures. 50 at the airport. i think the temperatures will bounce around this morning. the rain will come to an end this morning. we will come back and check the forecast for super bowl weekend. here is keith mills with sports. >> good morning. we count down to the super bowl. we're still digesting an interesting state of the ravens press conference. ozzie newsome said the most pressing needs is the offensive line, why receiver, and pass rusher. questions were fielded. bichette hit defended joe flacco and said his best years are coming -- steve bisciotti

guaranteed that race would be around. he talked about his range of emotions after the loss to the patriots and the ravens 13-5 season. >> i'm proud with what we're giving to baltimore. i'm proud of the product that we're giving to baltimore. but, yeah, this is a business. i have told you that in the past if it wasn't the elation that you get from winning, nobody would subject themselves to this kind of pain and suffering. experience those wins and you remind yourself that with the good comes the bad. so a lot of pride. a lot of pride and a lot of disappointment. >> ozzie and steve defended cam cameron and said that joe flacco is a winner. college basketball. maryland at miami.

coach mark turgeon was ejected. this went to two overtimes. nick faust the drive. this was called an offensive foul. this triggered a big time maryland run. the game goes to overtime. in the second overtime, miami takes control. miami wins in double overtime. angelo dundee, legendary trainer passed away yesterday at age 90. >> 51 degrees on tv hill. a police officer taken off the job. >> property owners in baltimore city get some bad news. their tax assessments are down. >> some good news on the area

roads. roads.

>> 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. not as nice today but still warm. we're hard to please these days. >> we have some rain to contend with this morning. we will start out in the 40's. the temperature is not going to move much. a chance for showers this morning, mostly south of baltimore. we will check the forecast for super bowl weekend when i come back in just a few minutes. >> changes are the value of your property has dropped -- chances are the value of your property has dropped. >> jennifer franciotti has more on the story. >> it is frustrating for property owners in baltimore city. this is happening to people

everywhere. last night residents and council members had a chance to talk to assessment experts and ask questions. nationwide, new-home sales hit a record low in 2011, and property values on most homes in baltimore city dropped by nearly 20% in the past three years. >> some believe that the assessment is uneven, which translates to unfair. >> as chair of the taxation finance and economic development committee, councilmember carl stokes says he's heard from dozens of baltimore city residents who are concerned about their property tax assessments. >> who are calling and saying their property is valued too high compared to the properties next door to them. >> stokes called an informational hearing on property tax assessments at city hall, where representatives from the state department of assessments and taxation explained how they came up with the numbers. >> the assessor determines these values based on the sales that occurred -- especially the residence properties -- on sales that occur from january to about september 30. >> the appeals process includes three steps. first, an informational hearing where residents were able to

present evidence to prove than an assessment is inaccurate. this must be done within 45 days of receiving an assessment. then if residents disagree with the outcome of that hearing, they can appeal to the property tax assessment appeal board within 30 days. and finally, residents have another 30 days to appeal to the maryland tax court, an independent body appointed by the governor. the deadline for appeals is february 10. property owners in the state of maryland do have a bill of rights, and you can find a link to that on the home page of our website, wbaltv.com. reporting live, jennifer franciotti. >> thank you. a police officer is suspended after allegedly attacking a suspect during an arrest. the incident happened during a traffic stop in west baltimore in 2010. he was given probation on charges of second-degree assault. he will remain suspended pending

an investigation. >> a jury returns for a second day of deliberations. prosecutors claim lee stephens and another inmate stabbed to death an officer. stevens faces the death penalty if convicted. four officers in hagerstown are recovering from injuries they suffered while trying to hold down an inmate. the inmate attacked one of the officers. the officers became exposed to pepper spray portrait of a local clinic. >> a baltimore man is it medical pioneer. he had to travel to another country. lisa robinson has more. he just returned from the trip

of his life to save a life. >> he was diagnosed with a rare cancer that was inoperable. he was forced to leave the country and go to europe. >> you should not have to travel that far to get a surgery like this done. >> his family spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to get the surgery. his mother traveled with him. >> we're from america. they consider america the greatest country in the world. we had to go to their country to get help. >> why he couldn't get the surgery here in maryland, even though the technology comes from the u.s. i am lisa robinson. >> now traffic pulse 11 and insta-weather plus together. >> good morning. sarah caldwell checking on your morning commute. a let's see what is going on. one accident -- a bicycle was involved on joppa farm road in

the joppatowne region. be extra careful as police are responding. everything looking good on pulaski highway. no problems on 24 in and out of bel air or edgewood. problem free at the moment on 95 down towards the fort mchenry. so far so good at the harbor tunnel. we start at the key bridge. we have the construction project in the inner loop at the curtis creek drawbridge. two-way traffic pattern working. so far so good. this is 895 at the harbor tunnel. southbound traffic looks pretty good. no delays at the toll plaza. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. now we check in live with ava marie to talk about a great cause and chocolate is involved. >> good morning. we're live at health care for the homeless and talking about their big charity event.

this is all about chocolate and happening tonight at the waterfront marriott. this is a sold-out event. i have two tickets in my hands and you can win these. just go to chocolateaffair.com and make a 50 doubt the nation and you are entered to win these tickets -- and make 8 $50 donation. this is one of the desserts that will be served. we will have details when we come back. my mouth is watering. we are seeing temperatures in the 40's. we have a slight chance for rain this morning. calling down into sunday. --

cooling down into sunday. we should be drying up for the event tonight. >> i don't think we'll get those samples. >> 51 degrees on tv hill. the entertainment world is stunned by the sudden death of the man who brought music lovers peace, edsall, and salov. l. >> we are still taking your answers to our water cooler question of the day. have rising costs forced you to cut back on your super bowl celebrations? 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.

share the love with a delicious chocolate heart donut from dunkin'. spread the donut joy today.

>> some sad news. his voice was the embodiment of &b.edsoul and r john cornelius was found dead with what appears to be a self- inflicted gunshot wound. people remember him as the host of "soul train." he was 75 years old.

>> town of hoboken is st. forget about it for a spinoff of "the jersey shore." they wanted to film the cast in the town best known as the hometown of frank sinatra. the group said they're being unfairly stereotyped. >> interesting. 51 degrees on tv hill. >> we are tracking an accident in joppatowne and we will check the major roads for delays. >> there is some light rain out there this morning. we will check the forecast for super bowl weekend. it is dry in baltimore city. stay tuned. the w

>> welcome back to 11 news today. a busy night for police as they handle four shootings. the first happened about 6:30 with police responding to the shooting of a man. then a victim was shot in the shoulder an hour later near east patapsco avenue. a third victim was shot around 10:30 on spring hill road. man was found shot in the back. one man is dead after a shooting in northeast baltimore. a presidential historian accused of stealing rare documents is expected to change his plea this morning.

83 arraignment is scheduled later today -- a re-arraignment is scheduled for later today. prosecutors claim he and his assistant had about 80 presidential artifacts when they were arrested in july. are you planning a super bowl party? if so, plan to spend more money on food. prices were compared on popular super bowl party food. the cost of hamburger is up 60%. chicken wings are up 39%. on?ow will you go >> i'm not sure. pizza prices are a good deal, $14.en ,10an$10 and

>> that brings us to our water cooler question of the day. >> this morning we asked -- have rising costs forced you to cut back on your super bowl celebrations? >> we will post more of your answers on the front page of wbaltv.com. >> now traffic pulse 11 and insta-weather plus together. >> good morning. sarah caldwell checking on your morning commute. client is starting to create some delays. we will update you on those in a moment. in joppatowne, watch for an accident at joppa farm road. you can see the slowdown is developing on the north side outer loop around harford road. tapping the brakes on 795, 33 miles per hour. the j.f.x. is in good shape. 56 at padonia road. delay-free down to the beltway.

problem free on the rest of the major roadways that lead up to the beltway. this is southbound traffic and looking pretty good. volume starts to build as you get closer to the beltway. outer loop traffic is coming towards us and nothing out of the ordinary. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. ava marie is talking about a great cause that involves a chocolate. >> good morning. we're talking about the sweetest night in baltimore happening tonight and benefiting health care for the homeless. the event will be at the marriott downtown at the waterfront. this is a chocolate affair. i'm here with a restaurant that will be involved, the wine market. you are the general manager. this looks amazing.

>> we have a bite sized portions of eight signature desert. i have broken it down into two basic components. we creep the crust. you have to pulse the peanuts to get them to crumble. mix butter and sugar. pressed that into the bottom of the metal baking dish after a brush with butter. bake it for about 20 minutes. pull that out and let that sit. top.hocolate been ngoes on chop that down into smaller pieces. put back in a double boiler with about a pound of butter.

let that cooldown. add soe granulated sugar and heavy cream -- add some. spread over the top of the crust and let that cooldown and pop it in the freezer. >> the event is sold out but they're two tickets available. go to chocolateaffair.com and make a donation. we do have showers mostly down there annapolis. we're running out of time but have to try this. >> that is not fair. if you put that much butter and chocolate on anything, it will work. leather. do shoot the othoe

you can still get tickets. >> chocolateaffair.com. >> what? say it again. >> chocolateaffair.com. >> thank you, ava. we do have some rain. most is south of baltimore. more rain is coming out of the mountains. we will see another batch of rain in a couple of hours. it will clear up as we move into the afternoon. there's still a thick cloud deck around punxsutawney in pennsylvania. it will be iffy weather the groundhog will see his shadow. 46 in catonsville.

colder in the northern suburbs. that cold air will be working down towards baltimore. i think everybody will stay in the 40's north of baltimore. a chance for rain to start the day. mostly clear skies tonight. temperatures drop back into the 20's and 30's. it should be dry tomorrow and saturday. 48 on friday. super bowl sunday, a chance for some rain. it might be cold enough for some snow flakes to mix in. it would just be a mix. it will clear up by the middle of next week. >> homeowners watched their property values continued to drop.

jennifer franciotti is live at city hall with more. >> good morning. property values for most homes in baltimore city dropped about 20% over the past three years. carl stokes held a meeting last night to talk about experts about what the situation is and how they came up with the numbers. anyone who would like to appeal has to do so within the first 45 days that the assessment came to them. pepper is the deadline and february 10, next friday. this is a three-step appeals process. there is a property owner's bill of rights and you can find a link on our website, wbaltv.com. residents are frustrated and voicing their concerns. jennifer franciotti, wbal-tv 11 news. >> 51 degrees on tv hill. >> coming up, we'll take a last look at weather and traffic before you head out to start

your day.

>> one problem in harford county. >> joppa farm road, watch for an accident. you can see the delays on the north and west side. eastbound 70 coming towards 29. this is 95 at white marsh. not bad at all. delays start to form at the beltway. assisted beltway at baltimore national pike. >> e mild outside -- pretty mild

outside. >> cool the yesterday. -- cooler than yesterday. i don't know if i trust phil. i have a more reliable source. i'm fully with the control room -- i am fully with the control room. it is either ava or the farmer's almanac. phil is third on the list. >> we leave you with live shots from punxsutawney,un

>> this is a wbal-tv 11 editorial from president and general manager dan joerres. extended overays the chesapeake bay. almost $3 million was raised for maryland special olympics. we were proud to be sponsors of the 16th annual poll bear plunge -- polar bear plunge in annapolis. some 10,000 friends and supporters cheered the participants. for some, it was the first time. even the weather cooperated. the enthusiasm of the crowd carried the entire weekend. school teams jump in every hour.

the proceeds go to marylanders with disabilities so they can participate in 20 different sports. this is one of the largest fund raisers in the state and this is something we can all do. it is not too late to make a donation. go to wbaltv.com and click