>> emotional testimony in the lacrossethea uva player. >> a lightning rod for the presidential election. tell us what you think. >> what about the chance of wintry weather for the weekend? the forecast as we continue right now. [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. tony was disappointed with yesterday. >> i have been disappointed with the entire winter. may be something interesting

coming up on friday and saturday. we have a few clouds left behind from the storm yesterday. 31 at the airport. a touch of the wind chill. it feels like it is in the 20's. mostly sunny is our forecast for today. we will come back and look at the forecast going into the weekend. >> good morning. tracking a new accident on the west side. outer loop at frederick road. that accident is off to the side but create a delay. we will continue to monitor that for you. 59 over towards the harrisburg expressway. 83 looks pretty good. be careful as you travel out there. 59 on southbound 95 out of the northeast. harbor tunnel traffic looks

good. westbound 50. just prior to the capital beltway, all lanes are closed. you can get by on the shoulder. this is frederick road. you can see this is passed the accident scene. delays stretch back to 70. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> testimony will resume in virginia in the murder trial of george huguely. >> there was emotional testimony yesterday from the family of yeardley love. lowell melser tells us what we can expect today. >> yesterrday we got a lot accomplished here as a jury was sat. we heard opening statements. eight witnesses were questioned. the last person questioned was an officer chan from the police department. he was a first responder on the

scene. he was accompanied by an officer blackwell, who we expect will take the stand first thing tomorrow morning. it is anyone's guess. as far as other witnesses that could be called, looking at the commonwealth's list, we noticed a number of detectives. it is possible they could be called and questioned in this case sometime later this morning. as far as any other updates, we will have them coming up at 5:00 and 6:00 this evening. lowell melser, wbal-tv 11 news. >> the jury selection is about to undergo some changes designed to make things easier. prospective jurors can go online to fallout the questionnaire. those deemed qualified will be allowed to change report date online. they want to make jury duty as easy as possible.

a bus driver and its to molesting a woman with down's syndrome. he pleaded guilty to third degree sex offense. took the victim to cecil county where he assaulted her. >> it will be another two weeks before the julius henson has his day in court. he is accused of making a robocall that prosecutors say try to suppress the african- american vote. a judge has postponed that case after it would is became sick. two people are recovered after an accident in southwest baltimore. and officers suffered minor injuries when his cruiser had a pall on wednesday night -- hit a pole. it is unclear how the injuries

happened. the investigation continues into a deadly crash in baltimore county. is was in perry hall at 4:00 p.m. on wednesday afternoon. person died and another is listed in serious condition. >> the white house says the president is trying to protect women. some say he has gone too far. they want to roll back the controversial policy of forcing religious groups with health insurance plans to cover birth control. this is turning the issue into election-year fodder. >> our catholic institutions that serve this nation well are being told you who find these things offensive, you should pay for them.

>> the battle over birth control coverage should get heated in three weeks when kathleen sebelius testifies about the new rule in a hearing on capitol hill. that brings us to our water cooler question of the day. what do you think of the mandate that all employers, including religious institutions, provide access to birth control in their health care coverage? you can share your response at wbaltv.com and on our facebook page, or send us an e-mail to watercooler@wbaltv.com. >> proposed legislation to encourage reporting child sexual abuse. nancy jacobs wants to change the planned plant she is pushing for a bill that makes it a crime for pressure to fail to report suspected child abuse or neglect.

>> we want to be able to save a child who was been a victim of abuse. because many times it goes unreported. >> on the bill, a person could face a year in jail and a fine. >> 6;07. -- 6:07. changes coming to your local panera. >> a local being caught on tape -- a local beating caught on tape. >> there are nine genies behind me. >> at 20 miles per hour on the west side. west side.

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

>> good morning. we're starting out in the low 40's. we have some clouds in place right now. we have some leftover icy sports. we're talking about disney on ice -- some icy spots. they are celebrating 100 years of magic.

starting the show with genie from "aladdin." we are seeing their starting their show with "never had a friend like me." having too much fun. here we go. there is so much to see. all of your favorite characters from disney. they have their opening night last night. tickets are still available at ticketmaster.com. 1-800-551-seat. too much fun. kids along.aloing your we have mostly dry conditions.

we will go back to tony in the weather center. >> isn't that cool/ does that mean you get nine switchwitches? that is a wonderful show. it is amazing what they do want ice skates. carroll county, two hours delay for school. these are some numbers we took in from yesterday. two inches in manchester. there could be some slipping and sliding in the far northern suburbs. inch and a half in columbia. a trace at the tv station. we have some clouds left behind a couple of hours ago. we will enjoy the sunshine for the rest of the day. it will turn out to be nice this

afternoon. 31 at the airport. 29 in parkton. there could be some rephrasing going on if you had some snow in your neighborhood. mostly sunny is our forecast. mostly clear tonight in the 20's. we could see more snow move in this weekend. an arctic front is moving through on friday. we should stay dry during the day. maybe some snow in western maryland. we should see some significant snow at friday night and saturday morning. this could be more potent than the storm that went through yesterday. to clear out in the afternoon -- it should clear out in the year

after noon. 48 tomorrow. snow in the morning on saturday. ondy and cold bank o sunday. back into the 40's next week. >> there are signs the icy roads are impacting your ride. bees down to 16 miles per hour as a result of the accident -- leads down to 60 miles per hour -- speeds down to 16 miles an hour. the left lane is blocked prior to the toll plaza. this is the accident scene. the left lane is closed on southbound 895.

backing up traffic out of the area. this is baltimore national pike. those delays in place because of the accident at frederick. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> washington state will soon become the seventh state to legalize same-sex marriage. measure was passed after the senate approved it last week. california's voter backed ban on gay barge was ruled unconstitutional -- californ a possible hate crime. a group of men began shouting anti-gay slurs and began beating a man. the only thing there remains the

same at 1 los angeles elementary school is the walls. a new staff has been replaced as the school board investigates two teachers in a sex abuse scandal. the school was shut down so the existing staff could be replaced. was a bold step to reshape parents' confidence in the school. >> have a question for the irs about taxes? there is an app for that. it is designed to provide easier access to information. you can check on the status of a refund and received simple reminders in tax planning and preparation. the app is free.

interest rates have gone down on car race and mortgages. -- car rates. tall 0.70% was the average interest on credit-card -- 12.78%. consumers will continue to see higher rates on credit cards than on other loans because they remain riskier. changes at panera. jane king has the bloomberg business report. >> good morning. a new passenger screening program to make check-in more convenient for some travelers. is being expanded to 28 airports, including bwi. passengers would no longer have to remove their shoes and belts.

panera brad will expand table service at more of its locations. their focus will be on their purpose damages, which have been hot sellers. inflation is not going away. sharp price increases for beef. quarterly results from duncan brands. we'll also hear from expedience. the prime minister for greece work on specific terms on another bailout. the bloomberg maryland index was off fractionally lower. i'm jane king for wbal-tv 11 news. >> 6:18. 33 degrees on tv hill. carroll county has a two-hour

delay. can check the delays on our website, wbaltv.com. >> the blue devils to take on the tar heels. keith mills will have highlights. >> don't forget to e-mail us your response to our water cooler question of the day. what do you think of the mandate that all employers, including religious institutions, provide access to birth control in their health care coverage? 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. slick. little there is an accident off to the side of frederick road. delays are in place. 22 on average. 57 on southbound 55. moving well out of the northeast. we do have an accident in the left lane southbound prior to the harbor tunnel toll plaza. something to keep in mind. this is 895. you can see delays coming out of the harbor tunnel. some

residual delays. harbor tunnel not the best bet. this is baltimore national pike. very heavy because of an accident at frederick. an accident westbound 50 just prior to the capital beltway. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> good morning. things are nice and quiet this morning. there could be some icing in some of the northwest suburbs. 35 in the city. mostly sunny skies today. high temperature around 45. we have some snow in the forecast. we will talk about that in just a few minutes. here is keith mills. >> thank you. we begin with college basketball and another classic north carolina-duke game.

last night, mike krzyzewski's team struggled of late. roy williams in his ninth year at north carolina. duke hit the last three to win. freshman austin rivers at the buzzer. 85-84. he is the son of doc rivers. that is how he celebrated. that was the play of the game. the celtics play the lakers tonight. what a moment. maryland plays duke on saturday. is danny o'brien a quarterback?

he was the acc rookie of the year. last year he shared time with c.j. brown. he said honest with workout that i'm still a terp. time will tell. time for college lacrosse. preview of the upcoming season. don zimmerman is at umbc. navy is at home against mvi. mvi. maryland against harvard. a sign that spring is here. spring is coming. spring training, a week from saturday. >> 33 degrees on tv hill. turning out the cream of the

crop. >> maine is up next. this small state could mean for the republican picture. >> we continue to see delays on the west side. we will check some the rest of the roads for problems. >> disney on ice is back in town. town. your favorite stories achoo! the seasons change,

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>> live, local, late-breaking, this is wbal-tv 11 news today. >> good morning. welcome back to 11 news today. i'm jennifer franciotti. >> i am mindy basara. thank you for joining us this morning. >> we could have more fun on friday night and saturday morning. today will be nice and quiet. the clouds have cleared out. temperatures are below freezing in most areas. there could be some rephrasi

freezing. we will check the seven-day forecast when i come back in just a few minutes. stay tuned. >> maine is the next leg in the republican presidential race. >> they are in the middle of a weeklong caucus. kate amara has more. >> mitt romney and ron paul both campaigned in maine back in 2008. maine is the next state to weigh in on the republican race for the white house. mitt romney and ron paul are the heavy favorites. romney is looking to snap back from his trio of losses on tuesday. >> senator mccain, after winning florida, he went on to lose 17 or 18 contests after that, but was able to put the delegates together by focusing on the process of gathering delegates, as we will.

>> ron paul is hoping for a strong finish on saturday. he is scheduled to return to maine tomorrow, his second visit in thlast few weeks. >> because we have so much energy and interest, we really do very well in the collection of the delegates. but of course it's going to take awhile to actually prove how many delegates you're going to get. >> rick santorum's breakthrough performance on tuesday pushed him up to second place in the overall delegate count. he is heading to california this weekend to raise money. >> these last couple weeks have been frankly the best two weeks we've had at the campaign fundraising-wise. >> meanwhile, newt gingrich was in ohio, working toward a rebound, his second straight day of campaigning in this super tuesday state. >> i like the idea that the world's counted us down before. we're just regrouping. >> the maine gop will announce its caucus winner on saturday night. kate amara, wbal-tv 11 news. >> what the pundits saying/

>> for a state that doesn't have an impact, the results could this time around. a win by anyone other than mitt romney will add to the narrative that he just cannot win. >> kate amara, thank you. some >> maryland lawmakers are pushing to change the way the state deals with similar cases by targeting those who turn a blind eye to the abuse or fell to take appropriate action to see it stopped. everyone has a civic duty to report suspected child abuse and neglect. however, the state doesn't have the power to prosecute when the law isn't followed. harford country republican senator nancy jacobs is shepherding a bill that makes it a misdemeanor crime for a person to knowingly fail to report suspected child abuse or neglect, punishable by a $1,000 fine and a year in jail.

>> we want to be able to save a child who was been a victim of abuse. because many times it goes unreported. >> child advocates support the legislation. >> so people will be on notice. and they will realize that they have a duty, not just an ethical duty to report, but also a legal obligation. >> maryland law says a person shall -- not must -- contact social services or the local police if child abuse or neglect is suspected. the current law also exempts attorneys or clergy from reporting if they become aware of it through privileged communications. the legislation does not strengthen the language. deborah baldwin's daughter, a cheerleader, was assaulted by a referee, and her coach, when told about it, declined to do anything. >> we are required by law to send our children into schools where we expect them to be safe. there should be a law that requires the teachers to protect our children from these situations.

>> one state senator is thinking about tanning -- the indoor kind and the impact on teenagers. a bill will the proposed that would prevent teenagers from using tanning beds. he expects opposition from tanning salon owners who said such a ban would cripple their business. >> for a fourth straight year, maryland students have the highest advance placement exam scores in the nation. statistics show there performing even better. they earned a 3 or higher on the exam. there are plenty of reasons why students are taking and passing ap courses. >> those students who take an ap

course generally do better. they've taken college types of test. the expectations of them has been raised. >> maryland got high marks for tripling the number of low- income statestudents taking the exam. there's more on a website, wbaltv.com. >> now traffic pulse 11 and insta-weather plus together. >> we're seeing signs that the volume is picking up, especially on the west side. we had an accident at frederick. redound to 14 miles per hour. 83 is still in pretty good shape coming down from the maryland line down to the beltway, the 62 miles per hour. 97 southbound, 61.

look at quick live traffic. this is the white marsh area. southbound traffic is looking pretty good. it is getting sluggish as you make your way closer to the beltway. delays in place because of the accident at frederick. all that volume is coming into play. there's some ice in many spots north and west of the city. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. ava marie joins us live. disney on ice is in town. >> i'm alive at 1st mariner arena. is the a nice celebrating 100 years of magic -- disney on ice is celebrating. we're starting a preview of the "toy story" ensemble.

we have woody and buzz lightyear. i love the costumes. the makeup is incredible. i love to see the choreographing on the ice. we all love the stories. we love to live the stories. jessie is coming out. here's a chance to see the show quick.rrereal tickets are still available. come out with your family. dry tomorrow. a chance for snow on saturday.

it will returning much colder. >> thank you. carol can schools, -- carroll county schools, two hour delay. >> my daughter is so happy. >> 33 degrees on tv hill. look at what is lurking on this icelandic waterway

>> i slant is heating up -- iceland is heating up over a creature that looks like a swimming worm. the legendary creature is the most well-known monster in icelandic folklore. ke.e claim the footage is fa >> creepy. a real life free willy moment. a man was intimidated coming to the aid of this killer whale whose dorsal felt became caught up in a fishing net. the well seem to sense his intentions were good -- the

whale seemed to sense his intentions were good. he swam to safety. >> he was very brave. 6:40. still ahead, your answers to our water cooler question of the day. >> heavy delays on the west side. >> we have more snow in the seven-day forecast. a beautiful sunrise. stay tuned. stay tuned. the weather is next

>> welcome back to 11 news today.

a dramatic first day of testimony in the trial of the george huguely. prosecutors painted a picture of a turbulent and often violent relationship culminating in e- mail before her murder we wrote, " i should have killed you." it will be another two weeks before julius henson has his day in court. prosecutors say he tried to suppress the african-american votes. a witness became sick so the judge delayed the trial. a controversial policy to cover birth control. the catholic church had hoped to get a waiver. this is turning the issue into

election-year fodder. kathleen sebelius will testify about the new rule in a hearing on capitol hill. that brings us to your answers to our water cooler question of the day. >> this morning we asked -- what do you think of the mandate that all employers, including religious institutions, provide access to birth control in their health care coverage? >> we will post more of your answers on the front page of wbaltv.com. >> now traffic pulse 11 and insta-weather plus together.

>> time to get you up to date on your morning commute. on the west side, that is the t.aviest bouspo we have some delays and we're down to 15 miles per hour. in the eastbound is not affected. nothing happening at 29. 63 traveling southbound on 95 through howard county. 97 in pretty good shape. no problems on 100 at this time. this is 795. southbound traffic getting heavier as you get closer to owings mills as a result of the west side delays. this is the pace of things down from 795 towards edmondson. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. let's get the latest from ava marie joining us from the 1st

mariner arena. i know you're having fun. >> everyone loves to channel their inner princess. is the ice began last night -- disney on ice began last night and runs through sunday. you play multiple roles in the show. this is incredible. >> a great mix of characters. >> what are we seeing behind us? >> this is the "finding nemo" part of the show. this is about the friendship and it is great. >> disney on ice is known for incredible costumes. >> we have a very detailed

costumes in the show. you will not be disappointed. you'll see your favorite characters. >> that is just incredible. i cannot imagine trying to skate. >> most of us come from competitive careers were the costumes are fitted for you. we have adjusted to this and it maintains the magic. >> multiple chances to see the show. come see the incredible nebo costumes. i think i have our constant for the next halloween party. you can be the shark. >> he was cool. thank you.

it is a wonderful show. i'm sure there will be more characters coming out. here's a view of the storm we had yesterday. inch and half of snow in columbia. two inches of snow in manchester. most fleet rain south and east of town -- mostly rain. the skies are clear right now. will enjoy it plenty of sunshine today. 26 in taneytown. freezinguld be some rephrasi if you have some snow in your house. 45 is the high temperature today. mostly clear and cold tonight as temperatures drop into the 20's. we will be watching an arctic

front on friday. there could be some precipitation on friday evening. low pressure will zip up the coast on saturday morning. another chance for some snow. a good chance for some snow and this looks more significant than the storm the came through yesterday. we will keep an eye on this. thing should clear out into the afternoon and evening on saturday. a chance for snow friday night and saturday morning. good chance for some snow on friday night and saturday morning. sunday will be a breezy and snow. it will feel like it is in the 20's for most of the day. >> in the midst of the gerry

sandusky abuse situation, -- current state law does not allow -- nancy jacobs is shepherding a bill that makes it a misdemeanor crime for a person to fail to report suspected child abuse or neglect. many lawmakers consider this bill of good intentions and it needs more study. >> here is matt lauer with a look at what is coming up next on the "today" show. >> good morning. breaking news that will affect millions of kids. report that president obama will free 10 states from the no child left behind law. new details on the deadly fire ell.by judge powejosh pow

you'll be surprised when we showed just how easy it can be for criminals to buy guns legalese and without a background check. have a hidden camera investigation. former white house intern who says she was jfk's mistress. that a much more as we get started on a thursday morning. >> at 33 degrees on tv hill. >> coming up, we'll take a last look at weather and traffic before you head out to start your day.

>> what is the latest on the vehicle fire? >> northbound 29. watch for possible delays forming. there was an accident at frederick and it is affecting traffic on southbound 795. an accident at franklin square drive in rosedale. this is 29 at 32. no sign of delays here. this is old court road. that is the pace of things from 795 and that continues down to edmondson. i apologize in advance. >> that was nothing yesterday. that was like an appetizer.

a little more significance no possible on saturday. klaus will thicken up tomorrow -- clouds will thicken up tomorrow. we will let you know how much know we are expecting. >> thanks for joining us for 11 news today. >> we will be back with a live update at 7:25. >> have a good one. >> 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. >> in an attempt to raise $613 million for transportation projects, governor martin o'malley is proposing the application of the state's 6% sales tax to gasoline purchases. the additional sales tax would be phased in at two cents each year for three years. admitting the tax hike will not be popular, the governor noted the severe traffic problems on maryland's roads and bridges that could be corrected with funds from the tax increase. some lawmakers would like to make a firewall that prevents funds from being used for anything other than transportation issues. a gonzales poll of maryland voters showed 76% oppose a gas tax hike, despite the fact that this will be the first raise in 20 years. with a billion-dollar budget gap, the governor and the legislature are looking for ways to address the deficit and continue to provide quality services to residents. winning approval for tax hikes will not be easy, but it will be necessary for our legislators to get over the partisan

politics and do what's best for all of maryland whether it's tax cuts, tax hikes, or creative ways to generate revenue, it is incumbent upon our elected officials to make good and prudent decisions. it's not about party loyalty or the next election cycle. it's about keeping maryland strong.