coming back? >> rain is coming back. we had a nice break yesterday. most of today looks ok. by this evening, we get it again. march 1 is the start of meteorological spring. we will get a spring storm system coming through. you can see on the radar and down in the southeastern part of the u.s. around kansas city and back through kansas, there's more activity. in the ohio valley, some severe weather, another outbreak of what they had a couple of days ago in parts of arkansas and illinois. we will see very springlike weather as we go into the weekend. we want to check on traffic. >> i think that was your nice

way of saying you're not a doctor but you can tell the weather. one accident in howard county. this is at rolling hills drive. this could tie you up in howard county. 61 as you make your approach to 795. moving well on the north side. the rest of the major roadways are looking good. five minutes of the fort mchenry from the 895 split. here is a quick live look at traffic. we had a closure at the fort mchenry about 30 minutes ago in the left tube. right now traffic is getting by. 795 at franklin boulevard, problem free at the moment. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11.

>> today marks the beginning of the first full day that same-sex legal in maryland. >> jennifer franciotti has more. >> maryland is now officially the eighth state to legalize same-sex marriage. that lot is scheduled to take effect on january 1 of next year. opponents are working to get a referendum and put the issue before the voters. they're hoping to surpass the 55,000 signatures needed. those who support same-sex marriage believe the outcome will still be the same. >> there is still work left to do. it will go to referendum. i do think that the advocates, the governor and i, we will do everything we can to make sure

marriage equality is the law in maryland. >> there is a deadline to get these signatures. june 30 to collect all the petition signatures. jennifer franciotti reporting live. >> lawmakers are disagreeing over the president's policy of contraception insurance. the amendment that would have allowed insurers to opt out was knocked out by a vote on thursday. republicans point to the u.s. constitution. >> i believe what this does is protect first amendment rights because they would no longer have to offer breast cancer screenings. all the have to do is say, oh, i am really sorry. we believe prayer is the answer. >> politicians debate over birth control.

record gas prices. republicans are pointing the finger at president obama. the president held up a chart and said that domestic oil production is the highest in decades. americans dependence on foreign oil has gone down every year. >> western maryland could be home to 300 natural gas wells. they could employ more than 1800 people. they would produce gas for 30 years. this comes as a state panel decides whether drilling in western maryland can be conducted without risk to the public or the environment. gas prices are dominating the presidential campaign. tracie potts is in washington

with more on how the candidates say they will ease your pain at the pump. >> gas averaging almost $3.75 a gallon as the president says cleaner cars will burn down the cost. >> it will reduce our dependence on foreign oil. >> he urged congress -- he gave its most detailed rebuttal saying the u.s. is making more oil now then when he took office. republicans say he cannot take credit for that. >> he has cut in half the number of federal leases. >> this is a deliberate dishonesty on the part of president obama. >> saying rick santorum is no conservative. rick santorum is blasting met

romney who says he does not support employers opting out of health insurance. mitt romney and rick santorum was not split michigan's delegates evenly. they decided to give mitt romney more. >> after the fact, rewrite rules, a break to rules. sayichigan's republicans that is how we always intended to split the delegates. tracie potts, wbal-tv 11 news. >> 35 degrees on tv hill. students return to class at an ohio high school. >> much of the middle part of the country cleaning up from deadly severe weather and more could be on the way. >> this is 795 south of franklin boulevard. ul

>> good morning. friday morning. 5:09. right now the temperature is 35 degrees. the same reading at the airport and on tv hill. we start to morning with a typical march chill. look at some of the major destinations for air travel. chicago and denver and seattle all have some element of snow or rain in the forecast today with temperatures in the 30's or 40's. a big storm across the essential part of the nation. that is moving towards the mid

atlantic region. by tonight, we will have some of that stormy weather here at home. we will have details in just a few minutes. >> students in ohio will go back to class for the first time since monday's deadly school shooting. t.j. lane is charged in the student's death of three students. parents and students walk to school on thursday for the first time since the shooting. the flag flies at half staff in honor of the victims. people in the midwest are still cleaning out from a deadly tornadoes. area's most at risk for severe weather on the ohio and mississippi valleys. this storm system could bring tornadoes and large hail. >> complaints about the amount of alcohol in a carbonated drink

called four loko. some college students were hospitalized. family and friends say that is what michael trulock was drinking before he became sick and fell out of a car. that brings us to our water cooler question of the day. do you think federal regulators should order changes in either the content or marketing of flavored alcoholic beverages like four loko? you can share your response at wbaltv.com and on our facebook page, or send us an e-mail to watercooler@wbaltv.com. >> 5:11. 35 degrees on tv hill. are you happy or you work -- are you happy where you work? >> a company has a fixed to help keep your in box short and sweet. >> in howard county, we are

tracking an accident. we will let you know if anything we will let you know if anything else is i'm one of six children that my mother raised by herself and so, college was a dream, when i was a kid. i didn't know how i was going to do it, but i knew i was going to get that opportunity one day. and that's what happened with the university of phoenix. nothing can stop me now. i feel like the sky is the limit with what i can do and what i can accomplish. my name is naphtali bryant and i am a phoenix.

>> now traffic pulse 11 and insta-weather plus together. >> good morning. sarah caldwell checking on your morning commute. one accident eastbound 100 at arundel mills boulevard. we are tracking some delays. we have an accident just coming in in the past few minutes. in the b.w.i. airport, a nice start at 195 and telegraph road.

we do have an accident in glenwood in the process of being cleared. we check speed sensors. 57 on the northwest corner. 64 on 95 out of white marsh. problem free at the fort mchenry and the harbor tunnel. both tubes getting by just fine. this is 97 at 100. north and southbound traffic without delay. 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. happy friday. >> thank you. a smooth commute on the rails so far. no delays on the penn, camden, and brunswick lines. light rail and metro subway both on schedule. a diversion that greenmount. i'm kurt kronke.

now back to john collins. >> good morning. we have a good morning to start with generally clear skies. there is a storm out in the west in central missouri. this will be a potent area over the next few days. the next 24 hours. that will be moving in on us. yesterday, 67 at the airport. typical high in early march is 49 degrees. morning lows yesterday in the 40's. 40 in annapolis. 36 in cambridge. 33 on the boardwalk. frederick, 30 degrees. 20's and 30's in the mountains out to the west. we have clear skies. storm activity will be moving

in. we will see an increase in clouds today. a warm front out to the west will start pushing the clouds in. we have a south easterly breeze. temperatures not quite as warm as yesterday. here's the front in the ohio and tennessee valleys and moving on to the east. we expect a moderate risk in parts of tennessee and kentucky and ohio. this is roughly the same area they had some bad weather a couple of days ago appeared the rain chances will extend eastward into the mid atlantic region. increasing clouds today or becoming mostly cloudy. the sunshine will be a morning event. maybe some thunderstorms overnight. we will be in the 50's today. southeast winds for boaters in the bay.

the rain chances will increase on the bay. here we see by 3:00 p.m., the computer indicates rain shower activity to the west. tonight, into tomorrow morning, we do see the rain in the area. by noon, it will start to palau. this is a night time and saturday morning event. we could see some sprinkles in the atmosphere and some snowflakes in the forecast. 56 today. temperatures into the near 60 range. rain chances to mark and tapering off late in the morning. we could see a sprinkle -- rain chances tomorrow. 30's 4 highs. a bit of a warming trend with dry weather next week.

>> about 227,000 night lights are being recalled. this can overheat causing a fire and burn hazards. there were more than two dozens reports of malfunctions. if you work for the government, chances are you're happy with your job. government workers are the happiest, according to a website. they based the study a more than 43,000 independent employee reviews. agriculture with a most unhappy workers. if your e-mail in box is out of control, there is a solution for you. we check it out. >> from pesky spent e-maiam e-me

the clutter can build up. a solution -- short mail. every message is limited to 500 characters or less. spam and other automated messages have to go somewhere else. >> this only allows e-mails from people who are intentionally send the stuff that complies to that. >> does this defeat its own purpose of cutting the clutter by adding one more account to check? >> we have changed the way it

works. >> you can e-mail anybody with an e-mail account. if that person replies with a message that is too long, they will get a reply that says to cut it down. >> what about facebook pages? signs of life for the economy. jobs are growing. jane king has the bloomberg business report. hi, jane. hey, it is friday. >> good morning. how's it may be flashing the strongest signal a sustainable rebound. prices are depressed. buyers are starting to go back into the market. low mortgage rates. foreclosures in maryland fell

14%. we have housing starts on the rise. each new house creates three yearlong jobs. speaking of jobs, the growing number of u.s. companies may experience a higher rate panic in the next few months as they struggle to fill job openings. companies are having trouble finding the employees they need. fewer americans are filing jobless claims. that is one thing that helped push stocks higher yesterday. futures this morning are just quiet and slightly lower. the federal reserve bank of richmond said business activity is on the rise in maryland. wages and spending on equipment. strong dated yesterday on car sales.

chrysler led the way. the chevy equinox is helping out. bump up ine was that bumped a the sale of trucks. the fourth focus will get 10 miles.es i'm jane king reporting for wbal-tv 11 news. i will spend the weekend taking care of my voice. >> at&t customers not happy about the slowing down of the data speeds and now some changes on the way. >> this applies to at&t customers with the old unlimited plans that they no longer offer.

trimming that movie of your phone may not be as reliable. i will tell you what at&t is doing and which airline is offering more legroom in the next hour. >> hot tea and lemon. >> 5:24. 35 degrees on tv hill. the moves might be a good place to go this weekend -- movies. >> don't forget to e-mail us your response to our water cooler question of the day. do you think federal regulators should order changes in either the content or marketing of flavored alcoholic beverages like four loko? you can share your response at wbaltv.com and on our facebook page, or send us an e-mail to watercooler@wbaltv.com.

>> a wild party the gets out of

control for some teenagers. >> something for everyone at the box office. we have a preview of this weekend's releases. >> i am sure the neighbors are exaggerating. >> teenagers throw a hot party project x." they throw a party that gets out of control and turns them into legends. it is rated r. >> i want to see a real living tree. >> "the lorax." tad goes in search of a tree in this dr. seuss adventure. he needs the help of the bo lorax.

it features the voices of ed helms. >> america has produced only three classic writers. >> "being flynn." he is a master storyteller. he abandoned his wife and kid. he loses his wife an apartment and reaches out to a son. it is rated r. that is the box office preview. >> the kids want to see "the lorax." 35 degrees on tv hill. >> maryland becomes the eighth state to legalize same-sex marriage. details are next. >> campaign crunch time.

the latest from the countdown to super tuesday is c

>> 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. this morning is dry so far. >> kind of an extension of yesterday. wednesday we had all that stuff go through. there was some thunderstorm activity. another storm is developing out to the west and will affect us more tonight and tomorrow. today is a transition day. you can see the rain developing back into kentucky. another area bacchant misery = =

another area back in missouri. let's check the traffic. >> a few early morning problems. we will update you. eastbound 100, we have an accident at arundel mills boulevard. be extra careful. southbound york, we have a water main break. another problem in glenwood at rolling hills drive. that's to be out of there shortly. 11 minutes on the outer loop northeast side. same thing on the west side to get down to 795. we will update you on 295 in the southbound direction at 175. volume is building. 97 at 100, north and southbound

traffic flowing without delay. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. mindy and stan, back to you. >> the republican candidates for president will be crisscrossing the country this weekend. >> boaters in 10 states are getting ready to cast their ballots. tara mergener has our report. good morning to you. >> good morning. national polls give mitt romney the edge heading into super tuesday. all of the candidates stand to gain. after adding two primaries and a straw poll to his tally, mitt romney is trying to keep up his winning streak. >> i do not need a lot. i need you to get out and vote. >> 419 delegates are at stake on

super tuesday and the candidates are focusing on states where they stand to benefit the most. rick santorum is zeroing in on the ohio, considered a crown jewel on the path to the white house. >> we need somebody who can stand against barack obama. >> the battle is spilling onto the airwaves. newt gingrich is being targeted by romney super pac. he is expected to launch an attack on his own, challenging . ron paul is challenging all of his rivals. >> one man stands -- >> martin o'malley signs the

same-sex marriage bill into law. jennifer franciotti joins us live to explain what happens next. >> it appears the general feeling is that the issue will make it to referendum but not all agree on what the outcome will be. it week after its final passage in the legislature, the governor makes maryland the eighth state to legalize same-sex marriage. >> we're making history for maryland families, same-sex couples raising children, their children and also couples who have lived together possibly for a long time and want to get married. >> i was so happy for all those people who waited so long have had their dignity -- it was special. we were -- we worked hard for this day. >> we have a plethora of

churches around the state. >> opponents are working to get it referendum on the november ballot. they are hoping to get the 56,000 signatures needed by this june. >> the citizens of maryland are going to stand up for this issue consistently and vote this think that marriage is between a man and woman. >> there is sti do. there's no doubt about that. but i think that the -- certainly the advocates, the governor and i, we're going to the law in maryland, even after the november election. >> opponents have until june 30. >> a jury found a baltimore man guilty of killing a boy and then stuffing his body into a closet. he suffocated and cut jason mattison back in 2009.

he claims somebody else killed the teenager. jury deliberations resume in the trial of the man accused of strangling a patient at a state mental hospital. the jurors were sent home early after 05 hours of deliberations in the case. he is charged with killing a woman back in 2010. he claims he killed her as part of a suicide pact. >> police arrest a woman at the airport after authorities find a loaded handgun. officials say she was traveling to see relatives in massachusetts. forgot she even had the hand back in a bag. >> some relatives she is visiting.

5:37. pregnant women who used the past to try to quit smoking may need another option. >> a carpeted alcohol drink -- why one agency is reviewing four loko. >> eastbound 100, we are tracking a problem. tracking a problem. a pro in addition to the two hundred plus facilities

that the university of phoenix has we have a very progressive online learning environment. we have something called phoenix connect that allows students to have a social network. you can post discussion questions. we have more than twenty thousand faculty members, chances are one of them is online when you need some assistance. i'm ron gdovic, i'm committed to providing my students with a twenty-first-century education and i am a phoenix.

>> good morning. clear skies. 35 degrees at the inner harbor. a very nice morning this morning. a reminder that it is is a little chilly. we still have time in winter although it has not felt like

winter. at the airport, 34 degrees. humidity -- that is a dry reading. the barometer is up a bit and the win is calm. mostly clear skies. temperatures start out in the 30's. we will get cloudy, 53 the afternoon temperature as we gear ready to return from school. rain will be developing by the end of the day, probably after school. we will detail the forecast going into the weekend in just a minute. >> nicotine patches to not appear to help pregnant women who are trying to stop smoking. >> more than 1000 women were elected to. half were given nicotine patches and the other were given a placebo. few women kept up with the

treatment. the patch did not increase the chance they would successfully quit. and should enroll and social media programs that send support text messages. complaints about a carbonated drink. >> four loko. the drink gained national attention after some college students were hospitalized in new jersey and washington state after drinking four loko. that is what michael turlock was drinking in baltimore county. that brings us to our water cooler question of the day. do you think federal regulators should order changes in either the content or marketing of flavored alcoholic beverages like four loko? you can share your response at wbaltv.com and on our facebook page, or send us an e-mail to watercooler@wbaltv.com. >> 5:42.

the ravens start making some off-season moves. >> a connecticut couple celebrating 60 years of marriage this weekend. they get a discount at the new york hotel. >> we are in for an interesting day. we will start out dry but that will change.

>> now traffic pulse 11 and insta-weather plus together. >> good morning. sarah caldwell checking on your morning commute. hopefully your friday started off right. the rest of the major roadways with the exception of this one are looking good. if you're traveling in the next few minutes, you may see some delays. it watermen break on southbound york road in towson.

this one in howard county at rolling hills drive. volume is starting to build. this is the outer loop and that is always here at this hour. this is 29 at 108. north and southbound traffic check natchez fine. 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. >> we're looking at a smooth commute. we have a slight delay on the metro subway, 10 minutes. light rail operating on schedule. the 40's operating with a delay. a diversion at greenmount and a 39th. -- the 40's operating with a operating with a delight. >> a few scattered storms from

the ohio river valley and into kentucky and in south carolina. scattered showers and thunderstorms. this is the start of something that could be a very active day weather-wise in the ohio, tennessee, and mid mississippi river valleys. that will catch up to us later. we have had some good weather so far. the national weather service considers january, december, and february as the winter months. winter is over and spring has started. the average temperature was 40.7 degrees. seventh warmer on record. yet six days or temperatures were five or more degrees below what was considered the normal temperature for the day. an unusual winter.

eels' a little chilly this morning. 34 at the airport. 35 in salzburg. sbury. the temperatures will shoot up rapidly. 20's and 30's in far western maryland this morning. there are clouds up in pennsylvania and in southwest virginia. here's the storm out in the west. this is along the warm front. the storm will advance eastward were the severe weather is expected to occur today. this is all west of us. a moderate risk. that is in the ohio river valley and back into the mississippi river valley. we could hear stories about some pretty strong storms developing and maybe some severe stuff. rain chances extend as far east

of us and that will be general activity. we could hear some thunder. mostly cloudy today. we will pick up clouds today and some rain showers coming into the west. 53 to 58 for the high. we were in the 60's yesterday. we have some rain chances by friday afternoon. by noon time to mark, the rain is pulling out of the picture -- by noontime tomorrow. 50's today. 60's tomorrow. the rain chances will be highest tonight and tomorrow morning. then we will dry out. something could pop on sunday. 30's on monday. then a warming trend with dry weather next week. >> a connecticut couple is

celebrating their anniversary by going to the same hotel where they spent their wedding night. >> the hotel is charging the couple at the same price they paid back in 1952. >> what started out as a blind date turned into a lifetime of love. they celebrate their 60th anniversary on friday. they spent their wedding night at the waldorf-astoria. >> we thought it was elegant. was our wedding night and we decided to go there. >> it was the epitome to go to the waldorf. i could not fathom what a lot of hotels would have charged. $16. >> rooms now are around $300 a

night. the hotel allow them to celebrate for the same price they paid back in 1952. >> that makes it easy to go back for the same price. maybe we can rekindle some memories of that first night. >> the company will be making a weekend out of it. their children and grandchildren will be able to celebrate the milestone with them. >> we respect each other. if we have problems or difficulties, which tried to work them out. >> sometimes you go to bed but a frown on your us faface you have to work out. owels.not take the t

>> 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. it's bring your happiness to work day. campbell's microwavable soups. in three minutes -- the deliciousness that brings a smile to any monday. campbell's --

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>> time to get to one of your answers to our watercooler question of the day. >> this morning we asked -- do you think federal regulators should order changes in either the content or marketing of flavored alcoholic beverages like four loko? >> keep sending us those 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. the ravens roster shovel has begun. chris carr would like more playing time. he will be playing on. he said he spoke with john harbaugh and he said he would be released probably as early as today. he started all regular-season games to six years ago.

it has been a good solid player for the ravens. domonique foxworth and lee evans may also be released. the roster shuffle is on. march madness is here. one regular season left for the maryland's men's basketball team that is sunday against virginia. the women play virginia tonight. the terps will be featuring the player of the year, alyssa thomas. just a sophomore from pennsylvania. she was named player of the year. this was one of the biggest plays of the year. she's a big-time player. recent high school and city in the playoffs. they're big-time players started on the bench. he hits the three.

patterson gets their first lead. nick faust went to city. sit the is now coached by darrell wade -- city now coached by darrell wade. 67-59. >> thank you. teachers and county executives speak out to response to lawmakers debating whether a bill for teachers' salaries should be sent to local jurisdictions. >> seeing teenagers rundown recalls. the teenagers her scampering away from -- what the teenagers are scampering away from. >> i will have details in the forecast. >> there is an accident on

eastbound 100 and we will check out a water main with closures in towson.