live in a loving, caring, and committed home that is protected equally under the law. let sign the bill. >> history was made in annapolis today as governor martin o'malley signed the same sex marriage bill into law. >> that measure legalizing same sex marriage in maryland. kai reed has a closer look at today's events. >> lots of tears, hugs, and tears in annapolis tonight as the governor signed the same sex marriage bill into law. the legislation still has a lot of obstacles in its path. a week after its final passage in the legislature, governor martin o'malley officially makes marylanders the eighth state to legalize same-sex marriage. >> we are making history today for maryland families, same-sex couples raising children, their

children, and also couples who have lived together possibly for a long time and they want to get married. >> i was so happy for all those people who have waited so long and had their dignity and demeaned. it was just really special. we have worked hard for this day. >> the lot is scheduled to take effect on january 1 of next year. >> we have a plethora of churches around the state. >> opponents are ready joining walsh's, hoping to get a referendum on the ballot and put the issue before voters. the hope to pass the 56,000 signatures needed before june. >> the citizens of maryland are going to stand up for this issue consistently and vote this thing that marriage is between one man and one woman. >> it will go to referendum. there is no doubt about that. i think we are going to do

everything we can to make sure that marriage equality is the law in maryland, even after a november election. >> opponents have until june 30 it to collect the petition signatures. >> it was a spirited discussion of the bill's passage on our facebook page. from smith, equality is not just good for some, it is meant for all. everyone should be entitled to these rights. i will vote no if this makes the ballot. >> it amazes me out judgmental people are. you can check out our rafts and an interactive timeline of same- sex marriage from 2004 in massachusetts to today's ceremony in annapolis. >> some disagreement over the president's policy on contraception insurance. the senate does not agree with the part that requires insurance

to cover the costs. the amendment that would have allowed employers and insurers to opt out was knocked out by a 51-48 vote. republicans point to the u.s. constitution, all democrats say it is too broad. >> i believe what this does is protect first amendment rights. >> they would no longer have to offer breast cancer screening, cervical cancer screening. all that to do is say i am really sorry, we believe prayer is the answer. >> now on to the price of gas. who's to blame for these record prices? today mr. obama turned to around with some record numbers himself. today new hampshire he held up a chart, mocking republicans, and told a crowd that domestic oil production is the highest in decades. he added american dependence on foreign oil has gone down every single year.

consumers are still shelling out bucks at the pop. -- at the pump pickwick some industry analysts say one factor has the potential to push it past $4 overnight. kerry cavanaugh has the latest. >> if you feel like you are getting gouged at the pump, many economists they can blame circumstances halfway across the world. many analysts a conflict in the middle east is the main reason you are paying more these days. most agreed the long-term answer lies in finding alternative energy sources here at home. a trip to the pop-up will displace -- a pump. the average price of gasoline has been going up for three weeks straight and is more than 30 cents higher than at this time last year. it is putting pressure on some local businesses.

>> we have to be aware of where we are sending our guys. we cut back were can. >> one economist says american refinery disruptions are partly to blame but he says unrest in the middle east is the biggest factor driving up prices stateside. >> we are looking at high gas prices because any news headline like you saw today is going to ratchet up oil prices. >> he believes there is only one way to stabilize prices. >> the only thing the president has available him beaten him is to release a substantial amount of the strategic oil reserve. >> he says that is unlikely an unfortunate, a lot of the president's decision to block expansion of the keystone oil pipeline from canada. >> it is bringing in more supply rumps politically

friendly areas. >> consumers are not interested in the political wrangling. he is spending more time on his bike. if oil prices continued go up, and natural gas prices are trending down. kerry cavanaugh, wbal-tv 11 news. >> speaking of oil and gas, western maryland could become home to 365 national -- natural gas wells. according to the maryland petroleum council, it could include more than -- could employ more than 1800 people. it could produce gas for more than 30 years and more than $200 million in revenue for the state. the state panel will decide whether or not drilling in western maryland can be conducted without risk to the public or the environment. a robbery took place run out of

a school in anne arundel county. police responded to chesapeake academy around 10:00 yesterday morning. a man attacked a school employee and took her purse. the suspect was in the building just moments before that attack. >> he went into a school and ask for some brochures enrollment information. he later committed the theft in the parking lot when he saw this employee approaching another entrance. >> if you have any information on this, you are asked to contact anne arundel county police. this man of silver spring was arrested after police said he broke into university of maryland dorm room and assaulting a female student. he went inside the cumberland hall and the salted and 18-year- old and try to take some of her property. >> a deputy is charged and two men arrested in harford county after an alleged breaking and

entering. authorities say police heard screams from inside the home along the 1800 block of john drive and edgewood. we are told that to the three suspects were arrested and the third broke through a window to escape. police say that is when the deputy was injured. >> our deputy was severely cut in his arm-wrist area. as the individual was bleeding, he drove out the plate glass window. >> you could tell he was hurting. i saw another deputy carrying his holster and whatever else he had on him into another car. >> the deputy has been released from hospital but authorities say he will need to return to have more surgery on his arm because of the severity of the cuts. the search continues for that third suspect. a 71-year-old woman on her way to visit family was arrested yesterday at bwi thurgood marshall airport when security

officers found a loaded handgun in her back. she said that she simply forgot she had the dawn. she was arrested and charged but she was fully cooperative with authorities. a man convicted of killing a 15- year-old boy and stuffing his body in a closet. he suffocated and cut jason madison in 2009. he admitted to being part of the crime and said that someone else committed -- killed the boy. jury deliberations will start back up tomorrow to decide the fate of a man charged with strangling a fellow patient at a maximum-security state mental hospital. a howard county judge sent the jurors home early after five hours of deliberation. the man is charged with killing a woman in 2010.

he claims he killed her as part of a suicide pact. prosecutors say saks wanted to live. >> why students in ohio return to school today for an emotional procession, three days after the shooting rampage that left three of their classmates dead. 17-year-old t.j. lane was charged as a juvenile with three counts of aggravated murder. students are learning to cope with the deaths of three classmates. >> it is going to be different. i usually see them in the hallways, their smiles and laughter and everything. it is not going to be there anymore. >> classes are scheduled to resume tomorrow morning. >> the day after deadly tornadoes, the cleanup continues. >> there is concern about another wave of storms and targeting tornado alley.

we have more on how they are picking up the pieces in harrisburg, ill.. >> nightfall cannot mask the devastation here. broken glass is scattered for miles, remnants of communities and lives torn apart. earlier, the sounds of survival echoed through harrisburg. crews pulling out or pauling of debris, though many here cannot clear away the chilling images of the deadly storm. >> i am nervous, shaky, i am tired. have words foren everything that i feel. >> words cannot really describe the overwhelming sense of loss. at least 13 dead across five states, six of those victims from harrisburg. or than 100 injured in the storms. now as survivors search for what was left behind, they must also worry about the latest forecast, which includes the possibility

of even stronger storms in the next 24 hours. >> we do not want to go through this again. >> many battered by the tornadoes but determined to rise from this mangled mess. >> my husband said, i will ask you this question. do you want to build it back? i said sure, we have been here since 1972. we are not going anywhere. >> even though so much here is now gone forever. >> it is not a merger, but an alliance. the future for university of maryland college park and university of maryland baltimore. >> the forecast for friday and y

the university of maryland college park and baltimore did not agree to an demerger, but to an alliance instead. they will maintain their own identities. both sides are still working out the details, but officials say the collaboration will allow students to get the best possible education. the new children's center at sinai is set to open in just a few weeks. the high-tech facility has an me.erwater theate the rooms feature a lot course to keep valuable items for parents, and improved lounge, and a refreshment area. has 26 private rooms and will offer patients and their families and much more comfortable experience. >> this is a tough environment. when kids are hospitalized, it

is typically for difficult things. >> patients will begin moving into the rooms on march 9. >> what was once considered state of the art in the 1960's is now regarded as a hindrance to urban life. city officials are taking aim at several of the city's skywalks. we have more on the demolition. >> hue are looking at the evolution of curb appeal. the 1960's and 1970's, skywalks were all the rage. in 2012, considered an impediment to street level retail. >> we are looking at ways to open up the plazas and make them more inviting. >> on thursday, mayor stephanie rawlings-blake kicked of demolition of the sky walks over hopkins plaza. work starts at the end of march and should take 6-10 months.

>> we are encouraging workers and families to walk on our streets and utilize hopkins plaza at lunchtime and on the weekends. >> planners say remove the sky wall, and you reconnect pedestrians with walkability. >> it is important to keep reinventing and downtown. >> it could be the start of a trend. plans are in the works to look at taking down to other pedestrian bridges near the inner harbor. >> nearly four hundred thousand dollars was approved to study demolition, to bring new life and more footsteps downtown. >> now, your insta-weather forecast with chief meteorologist tom tasselmyer. >> we keep this season is nice and even in the weather department.

we divide the year into three month segments and you get the meteorological segments. for this winter, it turns out to be the seventh warmest on record for those three months in baltimore. a lot of these records are pretty old, going back to the 1800's and early 1900's. 1931 was the warmest. this year we averaged over 40 degrees for the entire winter months. not much snow to go along with that warm air. this year the fit on the list as far as that least snowy winters in those three months. just 1.3 inches at bwi marshall. the next couple of weeks, we will have to see. there still could be some snow around. we have set some new lows for the day.

bwi marshall is at 46, the low for the day peak. a mostly clear sky for most areas. it is going to get cold, low 30's in the suburbs and low for's downtown. a big storm of here and moving through new england. they got a blast of winter today. the storm is leading in and all eyes are on the next system here. the potential for more severe weather from that developing storm, looks like it will be pushing into the same areas here. a lower ohio valley and the mississippi valley. this region could be targeted for more rough weather along that front as it moves to the east. a moderate risk of severe

thunderstorms to borrow from southern ohio to northern alabama. a slight risk even into some of the appellations just to our west. we will -- some of the appalachians. a chance for a lot of thunderstorms to develop, sell the baltimore and down into virginia and the carolinas. the front will be followed by a blast of cold and there may be some snow showers around here by monday evening going -- sunday evening going into monday. east wins on the bay with waves of about 1 foot. this notice to mount on saturday. they may get some accumulating snows in western maryland saturday night into sunday. thunderstorms in the morning on saturday. it will stay relatively mild through the first part of the weekend, and then much colder air arrives for sunday and

monday. back in the 60's with some storms on saturday. a blast of cold with blurry sunday night into monday. monday's high of only 38. >> the ravens get ready to make room on their roster and under the salary cap. which players will likely get moved off the roster, next in sports. >> the maryland lottery, let yourself play. tonight's jackpot has an estimated annuity of $1,200,000. 5-7-15-14-10-30. if no one matches all six numbers on one line of a ticket, the jackpot climbs to

$1,250,000. the next draw his monday night at 11:22 here on wbal-tv 11. at 11:22 here on wbal-tv 11.

you can always expect more. like more on demand shows and movies than ever. and more ways to discover them too. plus more speed from america's fastest internet provider. so you can run more devices at the same time. ♪ feel a firework [ female announcer ] and best of all,

it keeps getting better. no wonder more people choose xfinity over any other provider. ♪ love can be so mystical ♪

>> an amicable split. the ravens will release carr in the coming days. they told him the time -- his time with the ravens had come to an end. he started only one game this past season.

it will free up almost $4 million in salary cap space. the free agent market opens march 13. ravens linebacker jarret johnson can likely expect a call from coach >> ryan. he reportedly wants johnson in new york. ray rice has the same status for the moment. the cincinnati bengals wide receiver rahm simpson may defy gravity as he shows on this highlight this season. he does have to adhere to all the rest of the loss. today he pled guilty to drug related felony charge in kentucky. next month the judge will determine the punishment.

simpson could face 60 days in jail and can expect to help these suspension from the nfl. today thomas was named women's player of the year. she becomes only the second sophomore ever to win that award. she averaged seven points in dick's 17 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. that has become one the biggest highlights of women's basketball this season. patterson remains on track for return trip to the finals. the regional semifinals, 67-59. second quarter, patterson playing catch-up. in the corner for three, 16-13 clippers. off the rebound, one dribble, one pass. george finishing it off.

check out this move. over, under, around, and patterson goes on to win, 67-59. conference tournament time arrives for laurell with a trip to the n.c.a.a. tournament on the line. the metro red planet athletic conference named him coach of the year today, finishing his best regular-season and more than two decades. he led to greyhound's to a 21-8 record in the regular season. if the helms win the tournament, they will make their second trip ever to the n.c.a.a. tournament. conference tournament play begins and ends for the men's team tonight.

binghamton brings the retriever season to a close, 73-67. >> are you finished now? >> red light, green light. >> we have a look at the forecast right after this. forecast right after this.

[ male announcer ] everyone at southwest airlines works together for one goal -- to get you where you're going. and with flights all over the country to choose from,

it's a good thing we love our work. and now we're excited to take you to the beaches of northwest florida. fly nonstop from bwi airport to panama city beach. book all of our destinations only at southwest.com. >> it is kind of hard to see the weather and and because it is dark.

tomorrow, thunder tomorrow night and saturday. we will keep an eye on the radar. it will turn much colder with flurries and snow showers sunday evening into monday, with highs only in the 30's on monday. slightly warming up into next week. >> that is all for 11 news tonight. [captioning made possible by constellation energy group] captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org--

>> announcer: it's "the tonight