>> same-sex marriage is now illegal in maryland. opponents say a lot to happen between now and then. >> campaign crunch time. the latest on the countdown to super tuesday. >> a security scare at the airport by an unlikely individual. who was involved and what happened. >> warmth, cold, windy, rainy. what else can we throw in

there? forecast as we continue. [captioning made possible by constellation energy group] captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- >> live, local, late-breaking, this is wbal-tv 11 news today. >> good morning. i'm mindy basara. >> and i'm stan stovall. thank you for joining us this morning. >> the day is starting out just fine. >> march and april can be unsettled months. that is code for stormy weather. we had a taste of some rain on wednesday. another storm is coming our way. but the radar. -- look at the radar. down into georgia and alabama and moving into illinois, some scattered showers and thunderstorms. it doesn't look like much on radar now, but the stuff will take off and crossed the

mountains to get here. we want to see of the traffic is doing this morning. >> good morning. no rain to deal with the moment. a smooth ride on most of the major roadways. eastbound 100, we have an accident and you may start to see some delays. police activity at greenmount. a delay northbound on the j.f.x. towards the beltway. southbound york in the towson region, we have a water main break. 11 minutes on the outer loop northeast side. 11 minutes on the west side outer loop. 10 minutes southbound from the beltway southwest down towards 32. we start in the white marsh area. southbound traffic moving without delay and continuing to run smoothly at the tunnels. a nice start at york road.

that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> here is what is new this morning. police are crediting help from the community with clearing three recent investigation. attempted first murder on north caroline street back on february 22. louis windsor is in custody in connection with an armed robbery on washington boulevard. kevin folks is accused of robbing somebody on west rogers avenue. 14 people face charges in pennsylvania as part of a cocaine trafficking ring. prosecutors say damien floyd headed up the operation.

the operation delts about $2 million worth of drugs last year and is considered the largest drug network ever identified in county.coun blair there's a shutdown after one of the blast furnaces was reactivated and workers were welcomed back. they did not explain the reason for idling at the plant. ulysses currie has been removed from two committees. this is the senate rules committee and the executive nominations committee. senators expressed concern that he appeared and voted at last monday's meeting and he remains a member of the taxation committee but was removed back in 2010 after his indictment on

felony indictment charges. >> a packed house in annapolis as the governor signs into law the same-sex marriage act. jennifer franciotti is live with what happens next. >> maryland is now officially the eighth state to legalize same-sex marriage. that law is scheduled to take effect on january 1 of next year. opponents are working to get a referendum on the november ballot and put the issue before the voters. they're hoping to surpass the 55,000 signatures needed by this summer. -- 56,000 signatures. even if the issue doesn't make it to referendum, those who support same-sex marriage believe the outcome will still be the same. >> still a little work left to do. it's going to go to referendum. there's no doubt about that. but i think that the -- certainly the advocates, the governor and i, we're going to do everything we can to make sure the marriage equality is the law in maryland, even after

>> there is a deadline to get these signatures. opponents have until june 30 to collect all the petition signatures. jennifer franciotti reporting live. >> lawmakers will hear from county executives about a proposal to shift teacher pension costs to local jurisdictions. teachers are paid entirely by the state of maryland. some of that burden can be pushed on to the county and the city to help cut the cost. >> essene income-tax revenue that the state has been dealing with. now to be given a bill on top of that -- against the state could not keep cutting any more aid so they decided to send us a bill. >> how can it would face an additional $70 million burden if this goes on the books. >> a jury continues deliberating in the mental trial of a patient.

one person is charged with first and second-degree murder in the strangulation death of susan sachs. a baltimore man could spend the rest of his life behind bars convicted of killing a boy and stuffing his body in a closet. it took a jury three hours to convict him. they had been staying at madison's great aunt's house in cherry hill when the attack took place. will be sentenced on april 3. >> the search continues for a person who robbed a woman. the victim -- a man attacked her and took her purse. >> i would say it is a crime of opportunity.

maybe he was looking to see if he could commit this theft. he later committed this theft in the parking lot. >> anyone with information should contact anne arundel police. a security scare at bwi airport. jane hoover said she forgot there was a weapon in a bag. she was arrested and charged and later released. the weapon was confiscated. >> the republican candidates for president will be crisscrossing the country this weekend, looking to woo voters. tara mergener tells us how the stakes are high for the candidates as 10 states are up for grabs in a one day of voting.

>> mitt romney has the edge heading into super tuesday. there are so many delegates at stake. all the delegates stand to gain. after adding two primaries and one straw poll to his tally this week, gop front-runner mitt romney is trying to keep up his winning streak. >> i do not need a lot. i just need you to go out and vote. i want to make sure we win. >> a whopping 419 delegates are at stake super tuesday and the candidates are focusing on states where they stand to benefit most. >> there'll be lots of surprises on super tuesday. >> like romney, rick santorum is zeroing in on ohio, considered a crown jewel on the path to the white house. >> we need somebody who can stand against barack obama and make a clear contrast. >> once again, the battle is spilling onto the airwaves. newt gingrich, whose fate may rest on a victory in his home state of georgia, is being targeted by a romney super pac. >> president reagan is clearing

failing. >> gingrich is expected to launch an attack of his own, with an anti-santorum robocall challenging his conservative record. and ron paul is targeting all of his rivals. >> three men, one vision. more big government. >> another state to watch, tennessee, considered to be a big test of southern strength. tara mergener, wbal-tv 11 news. >> 6:10. 34 degrees on tv hill. a decision by at&t is not sitting well with smart phone owners. >> a controversial of alterialcc drink.

>> good morning. 34 degrees at the airport. awn.ee the first hint of d a nice morning out there. let's look at the radar. that will be an important thing. we have clear skies in the area. as you get into kentucky and tennessee, rain shower activity

is beginning to move into the picture. that is what is in our forecast eventually today, to pick up some rain activity. it will probably be by the end of the day. you begin to see some strong thunderstorm activity expected to develop and it could be bumpy day west of the mountains. winter has ended. how much snow did we have -- 1.8 inches. fifth least snowiest winter. if we get no more snow, it would be the third leased snowiest for an entire snow season of record- keeping in baltimore. is next storm will be a rainmaker -- this next door will be a rainmaker.

frederick is 28. mostly 30's in far western maryland. the storms are beginning to pop- up in kentucky and north carolina. everything moves to the east. the mid-atlantic region will get involved. the severe weather is expected to be -- the highest risk is shaded red -- back into the mississippi river valley. tornado and hail. mostly cloudy skies for us. showers late. 53 to 58 for the high. shower activity getting near the bay by later this afternoon. things will finally clear out. even on sunday we could get caught by something very brief.

sunday looks like a dry day. 60's tomorrow. the rain chance is highest tonight and saturday morning. on sunday, most of the day will be dry. next week we did warm up after a chilly monday. >> thank you. i like how you said least snowiest. not to bet on the roads. on the inner loop at the key bridge, we have a disabled vehicle and that is causing a bit of a backup. in the city, chase street, some police activity. it water main break in towson and southbound york at stevenson lane. watch for delays. this is the key bridge. there is a bit of a delay once you get past the toll plaza. we have a disabled vehicle in

the right lane. 83 at york road moving without delay. a nice start down to the beltway. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> thank you. students will return to class in ohio for the first time since monday's deadly school shooting. parents and students walked to the school on thursday for the first time since the shooting. the alleged gunman faces aggravated murder and a count of felonious assault. another wave of severe weather is on the way to the west. this storm system could bring tornadoes, large hail. a panic scene inside north carolina at high school after an

intruder burst through a window. still ins are seen scrambling down hallways after a deaer came crashing through the window. nobody was injured and the deer did escape safely. >> about 227,000 night lights are being recalled because of an electrical shortages that can cause it took over he at. have been over two dozen reports of the night lights burning. no injuries have been reported. the federal trade commission is investigating complaints about four loko. the year reviewing the amount of alcohol in the drink. some college students were

hospitalized in several states after drinking large amounts of it. parkville bork was drinking this before he became sick and was killed earlier this month -- a parkville boy. 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. at&t makes a move back in anger some smart phone users. jane king has the bloomberg business report. >> good morning. more retailers are jumping on the bandwagon to have you pay for things with your smart phone. walmart and target are working on that right now. they are eager to satisfy the growing demand of consumers, especially younger ones.

customer loyalty at at&t may be waning. at&t is expanding to all of its customers with the old and limited wireless plans. more people are using smart phones and tablets. we did have an up day on wall street. jane king has the bloomberg businesthe bloomberg maryland index rising on gains for under armour. any coach seats --adding coach seats with extra legroom for those who purchased full fare economy tickets. you can buy those seats depending on the length of the flight. 'm jane king for wbal-tv 11 news. >> 34 degrees on tv hill.

a disabled vehicle on the key bridge is causing some headaches. >> the ravens are saying goodbye to some familiar faces. keith mills will join us live. >> 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. we're looking at a smooth ride for most of you on the major roadways. we are tracking a delay just past the toll plaza of the key bridge because of a disabled vehicle. philadelphia road at pulaski highway, a new accident. you may start to see some delays. southbound york road, watch for a water main break in the towson region. we will update you on the key bridge. the disabled vehicle is just past the toll plaza. some delays are leading up to it. this is 83 it york road. not tracking any delays. you will see a buildup in volume for the south at padonia road. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> thank you. it is clear this morning.

good weather bank to take off with. you might run into some weather problems in chicago and the denver area and out in seattle where they have a rain-snow mix . to my be some delays. temperatures are typical across the country. -- there might be some delays. >> good morning. we begin with the ravens and the change in the team from one year to the next. the ravens have told chris carr he will be released. he confirmed that on this twitter account. he was told this time with the ravens is up. he started one game this year after starting 16 games a season ago. the ravens will have $4 million in salary cap space cleared up.

could lead to go lee evans and domonique foxworth. ray rice d.ll be franchised - welcome to march madness. trip to springfield, massachusetts, for loyola. ginnie was named the coach of the year. the for is greyhound's -- coach was named coach of the year. jimmy has done a great job of recruiting locally. a big showdown between patterson and city college. his teammates picked him up. patterson in blue. 16-13 patterson.

george, number 20, up and over. big second-half. he's supposed to go to see in hall. a chance to go out to the semifinals. >> 34 degrees on tv hill. it could create jobs but will cost? result of a new study on franking. -- the result of a new study on this trfracking. this trfracking. >> the best time to check uphi..

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increase by the end of the day. we could see an outbreak of severe weather briin parts of te ohio river valley. we haven't unsell weekend coming up -- we have an unsettled weekend coming up. >> jennifer franciotti has what is next in the fight to get the same sex law repealed. >> the general feeling is that the issue will make it to referendum. not all agree on what the outcome will be. a week after its final passage in the legislature, governor martin o'malley officially 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've waited so long and who have had their dignity demeaned. it was just really special. we worked hard for this day. >> the law is scheduled to take effect on january 1 of next year. >> we have a plethora of churches around the state. >> but opponents are already joining forces, working to get a referendum on the november ballot and put the issue before voters. they are hoping to get the 56,000 signatures needed by the end of june. >> i think what you're going to find is that with even in polling, 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. >> still a little work left to do. it's going to go to referendum. there's no doubt about that. but i think that the -- certainly the advocates, the governor and i, we're going to do everything we can to make sure the marriage equality is the law in maryland, even after the november election. >> opponents have until june 30 to collect those signatures. reporting live, jennifer

franciotti. >> a group is pushing the benefits to allow for racking. it could bring 1800 jobs to the state and bring in more than $200 million in revenue for the state. say there is a dangerous impact on the ground water. >> not quite a merger. let's call a collaboration. that is how it is described, the new allowance. schools can sync -- both sides are still working out other details. >> the way some move through downtown baltimore is about to change. a demolition of the sky walk

over hopkins plaza. skywalks were once all the rage . work begins at the end of march. the d.c. cherry blossoms will be blooming earlier. the cherry blossom festival will be in peak bloom up until march 31. it lasts between 10 to 18 days. the district still has more than 100 of the original trees given as a gift from japan. >> now traffic pulse 11 and insta-weather plus together. >> good morning. sarah caldwell checking on your morning commute. if you take the key bridge, you may want to reconsider. we have a disabled vehicle being cleared and that is causing some delays. the right lane is closed.

25 miles per hour. philadelphia road, we have an accident wrapping up. the left lane is closed because of a water main break. the j.f.x. in pretty good shape into town. nothing significant on the harrisburg expressway. this is the key bridge. the right lane inner loop and it is causing a backup on the bridge. we'll keep you posted. building volume on the west side at security. from liberty down towards 70, things are getting heavier. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> good morning. we're a couple of minutes away from sunrise. we have clear skies this morning. 43 degrees downtown. 10 degrees chillier at the airport. temperatures in the 30's as you get ready to go to school.

we will cloud up and give the grade a c. some rain in the forecast after 3:00 p.m. from the west. maybe a shower west of the bay. >> 6:35. 34 degrees on tv hill. an unusual record set in new orleans as participants take a tumble for charity. >> we are still taking your answers 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.

>> an unusual pair of big cat cubs were born. two cubs, twin -- different species. one father is a tiger. the father of the twin is a lion. they are now making their public debut. isn't that weird?

>> trying to set a world record. 850 people in new orleans shattered the record for human masters toppling. the lineup and the first person topple the second person like dominoes. the looks pretty cool. a hotel chain sponsored the event was donating the matches to the homeless program and other charities. >> let's give that a try. bring your mattress in on monday. >> we will do it over and over. >> 6:39. 34 degrees on tv hill. >> we do need an event like that. we are tracking some delays on the key bridge.

>> there is a big storm development at west of the mountains and that will push into the mid-atlantic region. there is the sunrise this morning. we have clear skies. 32 degrees at the airport.

>> welcome back to 11 news today. 6:42. police are credit help from the committee with clearing three recent gone investigations. there was a nonfatal shooting on north caroline street on february 22. louis windsor is now in custody.

kevin folks is accused of robbing a co-worker on west rogers avenue. a baltimore man has been convicted of killing a boy and stuffing his body in a closet. he was convicted by the jury in the murder of jason mattison. they have been staying at his great aunt's house in cherry hill when the attack took place. he will be sentenced april 3. ulysses currie has been removed from two committees, the senate rules committee and the executive nominations committee. he remains a member of the taxation committee. >> gas prices are dominating the presidential campaign.

tracie potts is in washington without candidates say they will ease your pain at the pump. >> gas averaging almost $3.75 a gallon as president obama tells supporters cleaner cars will bring down the price. >> that will save the typical family $8,000 at the pump and reduce our dependence on foreign oil. >> earlier, he urged congress to get rid of the $4 billion a year washington gives oil companies and gave his most detailed rebuttal yet showing the u.s. making more oil now then when he took office. republicans say the president cannot claim credit for that. >> those decisions were made by his predecessor. he's cut in half the number of leases on federal lands. >> this again is the, i think, deliberate dishonesty of president obama. >> newt gingrich is calling thousands of voters in super tuesday states, claiming rick santorum is no conservative but could be cozied up to labor unions. santorum is blasting romney for

saying he does not support employers opting out of health coverage based on religious objections. romney quickly changed that. turns out romney and santorum will not split michigan's delegates evenly. republicans there decided after the election to give romney more. >> anything to win -- after the fact, break the rules, rewrite rules. that's probably where republicans and conservatives do it. >> michigan's republicans say that is how they always intended to split the delegates. santorum's campaign calls it a back-room deal. tracie potts, wbal-tv 11 news. >> now traffic pulse 11 and insta-weather plus together. >> good morning. sarah caldwell checking on your morning commute. we are still attracting some delays at the key bridge. things are improving. 20 miles per hour. the disabled vehicle has been moved off to the side -- 28 miles per hour. a new accident in aberdeen at

old philadelphia road. 95 looks good out of the northeast. we could see some delays on york road at the towson region because of a water main break. 13 minutes to get you through the outer loop west side stretch. not as bad as we normally see. 10 minutes to travel south on 95 from the beltway down towards 32. this is the key bridge. things are starting to improve. we had some heavy delays this morning. the disabled vehicle is now gone. no problems to report as you make your way from the belt way down towards the city on the j.f.x. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> good morning. clear skies this morning so far. things will start changing. storms develop it out to the west. a few scattered showers and

thunderstorms to reach back into missouri. west of the mountains. later today, some of that rain will be marching eastward towards the bay. our rain chances and clouds will start to increase. we're a few minutes into a sunrise. it is below warmer downtown. away from the city -- white marsh, 38. cockeysville, 37. 34 in columbia. the airport right now, 33 degrees. clear skies right now. some clouds to the north in pennsylvania. low pressure center associated with the new storm is in missouri. everything will move east. the warm front could stall just to the south as the storm moves in. that means clouds and cool

temperatures. then the cold front will move through early on saturday. severe weather threat will be in the mississippi river valley and the ohio river valley and down to the tennessee river valley as the storm system moves toward the mountains. we have an outbreak that occurred just a couple of days ago back in arkansas. a threat for tornadoes is in that severe weather forecast. mostly cloudy for us today. will become mostly cloudy. some rain showers began to move in from the west. high temperatures in the mid to upper 50's today. cooler than yesterday's 60's. the insta-weather futurecast shows by 4:00 p.m., a few showers may be around the area. heavier rains are still to the west of us.

by midday on saturday, most of that is moving out of the area and the skies will begin to clear. part of the weekend will be alright. we could see a sprinkle or a flurry on sunday depending on the temperatures. 50's today. 60's tomorrow. the front may be south of us and we may be in the 50's. rain chance to extend into the midday chances and then it clears out. we may have a flurry or sprinkle on sunday. cloudy. 30's on monday with a warming trend the rest of the week. >> time now for a last look at one of our big stories. cheers and applause as the governor signs the same-sex marriage bill into law. opponents say the fight is not over. jennifer franciotti has more.

>> maryland is now officially the eighth state to legalize same-sex marriage. that law is scheduled to take effect on january 1 of next year. opponents are working to get a referendum on the november ballot and put the issue before the voters. they're hoping to surpass the 55,000 signatures needed by this summer. -- 56,000. even if the issue doesn't make it to referendum, those who support same-sex marriage believe the outcome will still be the same. >> went to the signatures need to be collected by/ >> june 30 is the deadline. >> jennifer franciotti, thank you. >> here is matt lauer with a look at what is coming up next on the "today" show. >> good morning. a severe tornado threat today in some of the same areas that took the brunt of the deadly outbreak early in this week. which states are in the danger zone? a frightening scene.

a jeep driving down a runway as a plane is about to land. people work yet licensed day care records with criminal records. an undercover investigation. a hot new novel become a guilty pleasure for many women. at a much more when we get started. >> 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?

>> we will post more of your answers on the front page of wbaltv.com. 6:51. 34 degrees on tv hill. >> coming up, we'll take a last look at weather and traffic before you head out to start your day.

>> the commute looks pretty good. when it comes to friday, people are over eighit. attracting an accident in aberdeen and old philadelphia road. 31 on the north side.

some of those outer loop delays are just starting to fall into place. southbound york road, the left lane is closed because of a water main break. street towardll the harbor tunnel, it is very light. everything looking good. this is dulaney valley. the north side is running smoothly. >> so many possibilities. >> we might get a bit of everything. we will cloud up this afternoon. by late afternoon, some showers beginning to move in from the west. the highest range chance will be tonight and saturday morning. we cloud up again on sunday. maybe a sprinkle or a flurry. temperature in the 40's on monday. maybe a few flurries.

a warming trend next week and basically dry weather. >> monday will feel like a shock. >> thanks for joining us for 11 news today. >> we will be back with a live update at 7:25. >> have a great day. >> 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 2010, nearly 5% of all

u.s. households accessed emergency food from a food pantry one or more times. that means 5.6 million homes experienced what is referred to as "food insecurity." food insecurity refers to the availability of food and one's access to it. a household is considered food insecure when its occupants live in hunger. that does not mean the family is living in poverty, although many are. joblessness is also a strong predictor of food insecurity. thats why this time in our country's history, the very things we sometimes take for granted -- a pantry full of healthy food like peanut butter, fresh bread, and vegetables -- are not available to our friends and neighbors. so now is the time to look inside our well-stocked pantries and lend a hand to the millions in need. again this year, wbal-tv is proud to partner with the united way of central maryland for this year's harvest for the hungry campaign. beginning march 3 through march 10, leave a bag of nonperishable food items by your mailbox your letter carrier will pick up the food donation and, from there, it'll be delivered to local food banks and pantries. for more information on this

26-year campaign, its success, and how you can make a difference, we invite you to log on to wbaltv.com.