it was closed for several hours overnight. ink had spilled when a tractor- trailer overturned. that ink is not harmful and nobody was hurt. >> good morning. i'm mindy basara. >> and i'm stan stovall. >> what a mess overnight. >> all lanes are open. we have a closure of 95 at the 895 split and that reopened about 30 minutes ago. we will keep you posted on travel and that area. we have a problem in anne arundel county along route 3. it is shutdown so use extra caution. we're looking pretty good at this hour as we check the west side, 59 past 795. 70 in towards the beltway is

problem free. harrisburg expressway, a nice start at padonia. so far so good at the j.f.x. and the north side of the beltway. this is 95 in the white marsh area. things are flowing out fine at the white marsh area. the north side of the beltway at providence is moving well. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> good morning. the weather is not a big deal. a couple of sprinkles but not enough to slow down the traffic. you can see the sprinkles. the rain will pick up in intensity. let's look at the temperatures. 38 at the airport. there are some light rain showers. we should add about 10 degrees this afternoon, 48. off and on rain showers are likely through this evening. the best chance for rain will be into this afternoon. we'll talk about the possibility of some snow over the weekend in

just a few minutes. anymore.ave my goatee >> hundreds of customers in southwest baltimore are waking up without gas and heat. >> crews were working on a water main break when the gas line was damage. jennifer franciotti is live on the scene this morning. what is the good word? >> i can tell you that overnight crews did spend some time beginning to flush the water out of the lines. they went door-to-door getting inside and shutting off the gas. they had to do that before they could flushed the lines. the flashing has begun. our crews did catch up to some b.g.e. crews and police officers that were going into an

unoccupied buildings. there are some vacant structures. they had to make sure gas was turned off to wall those structures. there was a temporary shelter set up for folks last night. most folks were trying to make do. >> i have the microwave and five bowls of water this morning to give my daughter a bath. it was ridiculous. >> no word on how long that will take to flush the water out of the lines. hopefully by daylight there will be getting back into the homes to turn the gas back on. that will be welcome relief for residents in this area. jennifer franciotti, wbal-tv 11 news. >> the debate continues in annapolis over the same sex marriage bill.

supporters are looking to lock in the votes they need. hogan says he will not support the legislation. a final vote could be taken tomorrow. the joint ethics committee has finished its investigation of senator ulysses currie. he fell to report a consulting agreement he had with shoppers warehouse. there are recommended disciplinary action and will be sent on to the senate. he could face a reprimand or censure. a former aide to governor bob ehrlich convicted on fraud charges will learn his fate today. sen st. is cattle for paul schurick -- did sing is is scheduled for paul

schurick. russell is the voice on the robocall. >> imagine being refused for having a tattoo or a piercing. that is the possibility it won iowa town. in and make a policy -- they may have a policy about displaying tattoos or piercings. it comes down to a rate of the people. -- it comes down to a people.the peopright of the >> there is a thin line between ps preserving the family

friending feeling. that brings us to our water cooler question of the day. do you think it is appropriate to ban tattoos or piercings on a public park or schoopool? you can share your response at wbaltv.com and on our facebook page, or send us an e-mail to watercooler@wbaltv.com. kate amara has more on washington about a done deal. >> house and senate negotiators have finalized a deal on the payroll tax cut. >> we do have an agreement and we're moving forward. >> it is good for the country. >> the measure will extend the payroll tax holiday through the end of the year and renewed long-term unemployment benefits. >> americans will now maintain

their payroll tax cut. folks that lost their jobs will receive unemployment benefits. >> the deal prevents big cuts in medicare reimbursements to doctors. this is legislation that impact millions of americans. >> the typical american family will see $40 in every paycheck this year. >> this is a top priority for the president who is eager to sign. >> as soon as congress sends me that to my desk i will sign it right away. we're going to get that signed. >> that was kate amara reporting. 38 degrees on tv hill. more than a dozen texas christian students will not be in school today after a drug bust. >> the investigation into the >> the investigation into the

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.

>> welcome back. 44 degrees downtown. the temperatures are not going to move much today. we have some clouds and rain showers hanging around. the rain is not going to be a huge deal. there are some light rain showers and sprinkles along 83 and the beltway. the rain will pick up in intensity as we go through the day. 38 at the airport. 35 in parkton. off and not rain showers with a high temperature in the upper 40's this afternoon. the best chance for a steady rain will be later today.

>> thank you. about 17 texas college students polled on the school after being caught during a drug bust in fort worth. they were selling cocaine and prescription drugs. there was a six-month investigation that led to the boss. all of them have been removed from school and are subject to expulsion. man known as the underwear bomber goes back to court today to learn his fate. he tried to block a flight on christmas day in 2009. >> the investigation continues into the death of whitney houston. her cause of death is listed as deferred on her death

certificate. are subpoenas for medical records and prescriptions. be a eulogy during her funeral. >> 5:11. 38 degrees on tv hill. what may be the most dependable vehicle out there. ns comfort is moving on. >> there is a problem

>> now traffic pulse 11 and insta-weather plus together. >> good morning. sarah caldwell checking on your morning commute. overnight we had some lanes closed on 95 south with a nasty accident. that has now reopened. there is a closure in gambles. route 3 is closed in both directions. 97 looks good -- there is a closure in gambrills. speeds around 64 as you make your approach to 32 in howard county. so far so good on the north and west side. this is 95 in the white marsh area. everything flowing smoothly in the southbound direction. the north side checks out just fine at providence even though we have more volume in the outer loop starting to pick up there. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. now let's get the latest on the buses and the trains. for that we go to kurt kronke of the mta system. good morning.

>> good morning. we have on the marc trains, on time commute. light rail and metro subway on schedule. the 51 bus is diverting at baltimore. the one bus diverting at fort and lawrence. i'm kurt kronke. now back to tony pann. >> good morning. we have some rain shower activity. it is not a big deal. some rain showers around the beltway. give yourself a couple of extra minutes. the best chance for a steady rain will move and later this afternoon. you can see the rain back in kentucky and ohio. the heavy stuff will move and later this morning and into this afternoon. the temperatures are above freezing. that is good news. 34 in rising sun.

38 degrees at the airport. off and on rain showers. high temperature will climb into the upper 40's. the wind at 10 to 15. rain showers will come to an end early. temperatures drop back into the 30's. we should have some quiet weather on friday. there is the possibility of snow on sunday into sunday night. low pressure will be developing down into the gulf of mexico. this is a good spot for us to receive snowstorms. the computer models have been split with this storm. some of drag it across the carolinas and out to sea. other models were taking it up the coast. that is a good track for some snow for us. the consensus is leaning more towards is blue track.

we get our first significant snow event of the season this weekend. there is the possibility on sunday. presidents' day weekend has that history of producing snow in baltimore. it will be a nice day on friday. if we do get the storm, it will be on sunday. rain or snow with a high temperature of 38. >> a food fight in a north carolina school is causing controversy this morning. the lunch was taken away from a 5-year-old. he had to eat cafetorium chicken nuggets. the school said the lunch was held it was missing a key part of what is considered healthy under state guidelines. >> we're not the lunch bag

police. if we observe that a child that brought that lunch is missing a key component of the healthy meal, we simply say if it is mill, here is the milk, you may have it or not -- if it is milk. >> this incident is being looked into. >> u.s. home builders grow more optimistic. it was at its highest level since may of 2007. builders expect sales to pick up in spring when the buying season begins. some latches boaters have a reason to drive happy. -- some lexus owners.

it is the most dependable vehicle out there. american made cars are ignoring the quality gap with japanese- made vehicles. general motors is expected to announce a net profit of around $8 billion. that will be the best in their history. a bailout helped save the company. air fares and foreclosures are on the way up again. jane king has the bloomberg business report. do you have any good news this morning? >> i will look for some. kind of hard to find this morning. we knew last week that we would probably see this. foreclosures are back on the rise. bank repossessions rose 8% last month compared to december.

filings soaring in maryland. that trend is expected to continue. a lot of banks put the foreclosures on how hold. americans may be getting more financially responsible. just over half of americans expect a state or federal tax refund this year and a majority plan to save at least part of that are used for necessities like food or utility bills. weekly jobless claims numbers are housing today as well as wholesale producer prices. yesterday was the worst day of the year so far i'm concerned that greece will miss a debt payment. more airline price hikes. one-way fares went up on most flights by $5 and that includes airtran flights.

competitors may match that increase. american did so yesterday afternoon. i want to clarify something. proper, is adding water to its juice. they have some products that use less juice. it is those products that will be affected. i'm jane king reporting for wbal-tv 11 news. back to you. orange juice is very important in the morning. >> people love that new-car smell but a product that is on healthy for you -- that is unhealthy foryou. >> that new-car smell may not be good for you. >> thank you, jane.

>> 38 degrees on tv hill. we know the details behind a new deal that will bring the grand prix back to baltimore. >> don't forget to e-mail us your response to our water cooler question of the day. do you think it is appropriate to ban displaying tattoos or piercings from a public park or pool? you can share your response at wbaltv.com and on our facebook page, or send us an e-mail to watercooler@wbaltv.com.

>> the usns concert will set sail from baltimore. it will move to virginia to lower costs. the relocation will affect some 40 workers. the governor martin o'malley is

looking for opportunities to keep the ship docked right here in baltimore. you can go behind the scenes and see photos of the hospital ship on wbaltv.com. >> good news to some and bad news to others. a new deal to bring the grand prix back to baltimore. some safeguards include an amusement tax and the community from the price of tickets sold. >> it is important for the race. there's so much great exposure for the city. >> an agreement that least 35% of workers come from baltimore. 5:26. 38 degrees on tv hill. a tragic accident in a towson

parking garage takes the life of one man. >> hundreds of residents without gas in southwest baltimore could see some relief today. >> prosecutors wrapped up their case in the murder trial of george huguely. lowell melser it fills a cent on what is expected in court today -- fills us in. >> a chance for snow over the weekend. >> we had some closures on 95 and we will talk about an accident in gambrills and some

>> 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. rain moving in today? >> it will probably pick up in intensity later this morning. we can see the light rain showers and sprinkles up and down 83 and 95 into harford and cecil counties. the rain will catch up to everybody eventually today. the high temperature of 48. not that bad temperature-wise. warm enough to keep all liquid. we keep get our first significant snow event this weekend. >> i just woke up. >> the accident on southbound 95 has been cleared. there was an overturned tractor trailer carrying ink. in gambles, route 3 is shutdown because of an accident -- in gambrills.

some of fire activity at baltimore street and pulaski. king pretty good on the north and west sides -- looking pretty good. 95 south of the beltway, southbound traffic looking in little heavy. everything is open. 795 southbound is building from franklin boulevard. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> it is another day without natural gas for residence in southwest baltimore. >> b.g.e. is aiming to complete all the repairs but later tonight. jennifer franciotti has a look at the repair efforts. >> good morning. crews were ready to pump the water at 11:00 p.m. last night. they could not because there was gunfire in the area. there were not able to get back

in until 1:30 this morning. this is rachel from b.g.e. >> we have pond over 3,000 gallons of water since 1:00 this morning and we're still making progress. >> how will you be able to tell when the water is out? >> we're monitoring the pressure. once we think we got most of the water and debris out, we send cameras down into the pipe. >> the goal is to start realizing the pilot lights today. >> that is correct. then we can begin to introduce the flow back into the gas main. then it will go to each house and to relate their appliances. -- to relight.

>> we have multiple crews on the streets going door-to-door. we have brought in crews from pennsylvania that are teaming up with our b.g.e. crews. >> this began with a dpw situation. >> there was a water main leak. a piece of asphalt fell onto our gas main and struck our gas main and that is how the water got into the gas main system. >> this has been a painstaking operation. >> we have been working around the clock. >> thank you for joining us. we will change locations where we can see some of the b.g.e. crews working to flush that. reporting live, jennifer franciotti, wbal-tv 11 news.

>> 95 southbound is open after being shut down for hours overnight. it took more than six hours to clean up the scene caused by an overturned tractor trailer. the driver may have been under the influence of all of the time. nobody was hurt. police are investigating a crime attended in towson. timothy bartholomew fell from the fourth floor after an automatic car elevator fell. this happened on monday along washington avenue. first responders found a car elevator flipped upside down when they arrived on the scene. he was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead. that was touted as a state of the art facility. one person suffers burns after a

fire for seniors. this happened near charles and center streets. four other people were treated for smoke inhalation. the fire began on the 16th floor. >> it registered sex offender who disliked his friends girlfriend is convicted in stabbing them both to death. he entered an alford plea to two counts of murder yesterday. police say the crime happened back in may in oakland, maryland . testimony comes to an end in the trial of george huguely. >> the case is centered around the idea of domestic abuse. lowell melser has a preview. >> we're feeling a shift in the

landscape here. the commonwealth rested its case yesterday. the defense took over: a number of scientific witnesses to the stand. we expect to hear from more scientific witnesses today. women get to hear from george huguely's father who could shed new light on this case. there are about 25 witnesses the defense could call. the judge says he has no problem going into saturday. we will have a complete detailed route of tonight at 5:00 and 6:00 p.m. lowell melser, wbal-tv 11 news. >> a man who shot a beauty salon owner in the head could spend the rest of his life in prison. he is convicted of first-degree attempted murder and other charges after the robbery and shooting at the blessed productions hair salon.

he walked into the salon and took money from the purse and shot her in the head four times. remarkably, she survived. >> more than 100 middle schoolers cause some problems for police in northeast baltimore. a fight broke out on wednesday evening. were a dozen arrests. school officials are working on separate dismissal times for those schools. probably a good idea. >> 38 degrees on tv hill. determining whether someone has prostate cancer and have gone easier. >> a test that could determine a risk for stroke. >> don't forget to e-mail us your response to our water cooler question of the day. do you think it is appropriate to ban displaying tattoos or piercings from a public park or pool? you can share your response at wbaltv.com and on our facebook

page, or send us an e-mail to watercooler@wbaltv.com. >> another accident in anne arundel county that is affecting arundel county that is affecting westbound 50.0. 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.

>> welcome back. 44 degrees downtown. temperature-wise, it will not move much today. we have some clouds and rain showers in the forecast. most of the rain is light out there and east of baltimore. a few sprinkles up and down 83. western suburbs, nothing going on. the rain will catch up to everybody at one point or

another today. we will come back and check the seven-day forecast going into the weekend. could be some snow. >> assessing the walking speed of patients could determine the risk of stroke later in life. >> in a steady, those with a slow or walking speed were more likely to develop dementia over the next decade than faster walkers. those foreal was no such link those under 65 -- there was no such link for those under 65. >> the high psa is an indicator for prostate cancer. the new test may determine whether a patient needs another

biopsy. this uses a urine sample. in a steady, the test could predict a negative biopsy 90% of the time. this will help reassure patients and that another biopsy is not necessary. >> 38 degrees on tv hill. linsanity, lincredible -- how jeremy lin keeps the show rolling for the new york knicks. >> tax free weekend co

we are tracking a new accident. that looks pretty good north and southbound. we have it southbound closure at route 3. we had northbound lanes closed but they have been reopened. good news. baltimore street at pulaski street, we have fire activity in the city. so far so good on the j.f.x. into town. this is traffic at 50 at 424. no sign of any delays with this accident. we will keep you posted and let you know. seven the west of the beltway, eastbound traffic is starting to build. we will keep you posted on any new problems. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. now let's get the latest on the buses and the trains. for that we go to kurt kronke of the mta system. good morning. >> good morning. we have a delay on the marc trains penn line.

camden and brunswick trains are on schedule. a diversion on the buses -- the 20 bus diverting at baltimore and plastic because of fire activity. i am kurt kronke. -- at baltimore and pulaski. >> we have some rain to talk about and maybe a touch of snow. first we say good morning to ava marie. she is out appliance shopping. >> you may have an appliance that is ready to take a direct nap. this is tax free weekend in baltimore. i'm here with howard of pikesville. this is your 85th year in business. >> three generations. >> this is a hometown store. how does this work?

>> the state increases the rebate for buying energy efficient appliances. if you bite super energy efficient appliances, it is anywhere from $100 to $150. this on top of not paying sales tax this weekend is a real incentive. >> that really adds up. you're saving $60 and that can add up. this is one of the ones that is eligible for the rebate and the sales tax exemption this weekend. >> this is an example on out it can change which normally buy. these have been extremely popular. this is just over $500.

the use of a lot less water. it uses $11 worth of energy in a year. >> that blows my mind. >> that is based on doing eight loads in a week. compare this water to a normal top-loading washer where people are used to paying $4 nowadays. -- $400. .ou're paying just over $500 but by the time to pay sales tax, you're pay more for the other washer. >> you have a chance to buy a great a plants at a discount. everybody wins this weekend -- you have a chance to buy a great appliance. more rain is on the way.

it sounds like a good deal. you get an energy efficient washer and a great price. >> thank you, ava. weather-wise, it is a little murky. nothing but a light rain showers and sprinkles. you can see heavier rains back into the ohio valley. that is heading over towards us. a good idea to take an umbrella. the morning commute should not be too bad. 35 in parkton. off and on rain showers. the best chance will be late this morning and this afternoon. high temperature between 45 and 50. temperature will drop back into the 30's tonight. low pressure on friday in the

gulf of mexico. that is a good spot for us to get a snowstorm. the computer models have been split. any were taken this south of us . some were taken this with the blue track. i think the chance for a snow yvette will increase on sunday -- for a snow chance. the seven-day forecast looks like this. off and on rain showers today. thickening clouds on saturday. right now the best we can say is a chance for rain or snow on sunday depending on the exact track of the storm. it should clear up on monday and we have history on our side. presidents' day weekend has produce some good snow in maryland.

>> 38 degrees on tv hill. coming up, we'll look at one of your answers to our water cooler question of the day. >> here is a look at last night's winning maryland lottery numbers.

>> time to get to one of your answers to our watercooler question of the day. >> this morning we asked -- do you think it is appropriate to ban displaying tattoos or piercings from a public park or pool? >> that is from a justin. keep sending us your responses. we will read more of your responses in the next hour and post all of them on the front page of our website, wbaltv.com. >> good morning. atsanity continues i madison square garden. jeremy lin and the knicks put their six-game winning streak on the line. played a key role in the latest win.

number 17 in your program. lincredible. just lin, baby. he scored the first basket of the game. pointsished with 10 ba and 13 assists. ob from lin.from la the knicks were up 25. check this out. said event in a row for the knicks -- seven in a row. a big night for ernie gramm. he went to dunbar high school. he will have as maryland jersey race to the rafts at the comcast

center -- raised to the rafters. the terps want to get closer to the .500 mark. they are playing without pe'shon howard. it is a huge loss. >> we were starting to get it. it is disappointing. i feel for the team. i thought we were starting to be a lot better than everybody thought we were going to be and that we had a chance to win a lot of games. >> 9:00 p.m. tipoff tonight. >> thank you. no more king kenny bars from mars. -- candy bars.

>> a couple behind bars. and have ained live close look at traffic tieups included an accident in anne arundel county. >> we have some rain showers to talk about and maybe some snow this weekend. >> it is a mess in anne arundel county. details are coming up.

working in public relations is not for the faint of heart. i love what i do, i enjoy the work, but it's a very hectic pace. strayer university met my needs in terms of my family, my work-life balance. the fact that leading companies are hiring strayer graduates is impressive, but it's not surprising. these companies want us so badly. i'm felicia blow, and i earned my mba from strayer university. >> b.g.e. crews are making slow progress here in southwest baltimore.