day. >> 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. >> we had some light rain this morning. >> we will be in the 70's today. a complicated day weather-wise. we see the rain that went through last night. you guys on the eastern shore will see some rain for the next 30 or 45 minutes. it is dry crumbled more. 60 degrees at the airport. -- it is dry around baltimore. after 3:00 p.m., we could see some scattered thunderstorms develop. we're getting towards that time of year. we will come back and check the

seven-day forecast going into the weekend. >> good morning. not a bad start. the rain could impact things. here's the key -- drive slowly. here's what is going on. the west side is looking good as you make your way down towards baltimore national pike. a smooth ride on the harrisburg expressway coming down to shawan road. the j.f.x. looks good. southbound 295, 57 down past 100. 11 minutes on the outer loop side. look at quick live traffic. 95 from the white marsh region. volume is picking up southbound. this is traffic on the j.f.x. at ruxton road. no problems to report into town. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11.

>> the gop contenders for president are looking to find a sweet home for the message in alabama and mississippi. >> tara mergener joins us live with more on how today's primary could impact the rest of the campaign. good morning. >> good morning. according to the tolls, no one is a shoe in in either state and today's outcome could be deemed changer. -- could be a game changer. with the stakes high, the candidates are making pitches via land -- >> it is great to be here in alabama. thank you! >> mail, and media. >> mitt romney -- >> rick santorum. >> as front-runner mitt romney urges voters to speed him toward the nomination -- >> hi, there. how are you this morning? >> his wife is on the campaign trail trying to give him a boost. >> i think it's really time for

us all to coalesce and recognize that the battle now is against obama. >> a surprise win in either state would be a breakthrough for romney, easing doubts about his chances of rallying conservative support. two new polls show romney in a statistical tie with newt gingrich, with a lead in both states. this may be a make or break round for the former speaker, who's banking on southern support to keep his campaign alive. >> and let the american people choose between $10 a gallon and $2.50 a gallon, and i think it will make for a very clear race. >> but rick santorum is also aiming for the knockout blow to prove conservatives are on his side. >> i'm very competitive. but i think we've got the best -- making sure we get a conservative nominee in the fall. >> and ron paul is not campaigning in either state. he is focusing on today's caucuses in hawaii. >> there has been talked about the president's approval ratings.

>> apparently the gop front runners are closing in on the president. according to a new poll, mitt romney would lose to president obama by just three points. rick santorum will lose by just four points. the narrowing gap may be due in part to president obama's shrinking approval rating, down at nine points in the past month. >> tara mergener, thank you. a western maryland man will spend 33 years behind bars for his part in a child pornography network. he pleaded guilty to one count of child pornography. he used file sharing technology to distribute tens of thousands of illegal images and videos to more than 70 other users.

>> a university student remains imprisoned after posting threats about an online shooting rampage. students reported screaming coming from his dorm room. police determined that he was not a danger at that time. he posted the threats on several websites. anonymous callers called him the post. >> it the police have lost track of him, that would cause the police to send out an alert to campus. at no time was that the situation. police new is exact whereabouts. >> there were no weapons found when he was arrested. the staff sergeant is stations in a washington state. we're told he enlisted soon after the september 11 attacks

and was deployed three times to iraq. he was treated for a brain injury after a vehicle rollover accident. he has no history of behavioral problems. a violent retaliation could be coming from the taliban. that is the opinion of dutch ruppersberger. kim dacey joins us with his reaction to the violence. >> the shooting of those 16 people in afghanistan could translate into the deaths of american troops. he said he is not surprised that the taliban is using the shooting spree as a call to seek vengeance on americans. ruppersberger believes that instead of striking stateside, terrorists will target members of the u.s. military serving in afghanistan, just as we saw last month after american servicemen accidentally burned copies of the koran. after the shooting spree by a lone american soldier, anti- american outrage is building in afghanistan, and ruppersberger is fearful that other american

soldiers may pay for the actions of a disturbed comrade. >> this really will set us back, because this is the taliban and people don't like us saying, that is what americans are for. they kill women and children. >> congressman ruppersberger doesn't think the taliban will single out targets here in the states as a result of the shooting spree. he believes our biggest threat here at home is still what he calls lone-wolf extremists. kim dacey, wbal-tv 11 news. >> thank you. a man is waking up behind bars for allegedly stabbing his daughter's boyfriend to death. police say and that was stabbed to and then took a cab to a nearby hospital where he died. formal charges have yet to been charged against the suspect. a man could face life in prison after admitting to stabbing a blind man to death last summer. he has pleaded guilty to first- degree murder in the death

patrick ward during an attempted burglary. he will be sentenced may 23. >> the state budget is officially in the hands of the full senate. the spending plan is slightly different than the one submitted by governor o'malley. it contains a controversial measure. county income taxes could be withheld and then distributed directly to school boards. a flat feet onto water bills to pay for bay cleanup. smokers, listen up. a bill to keep from lighting up in your own car if you have young children. police could pullover a driver if somebody is traveling with a

passenger under the age under8 while smoking. >> 6:08. 55 degrees on tv hill. some say the job market is turning around. >> folks in the northwest are used to rain, but not like this. >> empowerment or exportation? an unusual plan to give homeless people a job. >> ava marie talking about a program that helps you train for it cycling ride. >> as far as the rose, they are little wet -- as far as the

>> good morning. we still have some clouds out there. most of the rain is clearing out of the city. a mild starts today. we will have details on the forecast. we are talking about a program that allows you to train for a cycling ride. 15 weeks to train and its benefits crones and colitis and

this is called the team challenge. this is a cycling event. we're live in columbia and talk about what you might need to train for a bicycling event. katie is the coach for this program. a helmet is very important. >> a helmet will save your life. any, will be the same level of will be- any helmet the same level of safety. >> arrieta properly is key -- wearing it properly is key. >> it will set level. so i can show you.en show yo >> katie will put on the hydration. >> make sure you stay hydrated.

this is the camelback option and you carry it like a back pack. or just a generic water bottle. >> very good. we will talk about this all morning. they have a meeting tomorrow night in timonium at 7:00 p.m. at rei. let's check the forecast. we're showing most of the rain exiting at the eastern shore. we'll go back to tony in the weather center. this will save my life. >> all the women said, don't put that on now. 50 miles is a long bike ride. have you ever done 50? >> i did about 30 and i did not train for it. you have a coach that helps you

through the program. this is all for a good cause. >> thank you. that is a long ride. 60 degrees right now. 56 in catonsville. a mild start. we did have some rain last night. you can see the rain going across the baltimore area. there could be some rain along the lower eastern shore counties. you can see the back edge of the clouds approaching from the west. i think we will have sunshine approaching. there is a cold front waiting in the great lakes that will move in. sunshine will create some instability. that will add energy to the atmosphere. we could see a couple of the thunderstorms late this afternoon. some springlike thunderstorms are possible. most of the day will be dry and

warm with high temperatures in the 70's. the average high is 53. the record for today is 85. 70's is pretty good. clearing tonight with temperatures around 50. beautiful weather coming up on wednesday and thursday. low to mid 70's and 20 degrees above average. maybe some rain on friday night. and looks like it will clear up over the weekend. partly sunny on st. patrick's day. 6:16. >> it is wet in spots. 53 past baltimore national pike. we're moving well on the harrisburg expressway. no delays to report at the moment. 48 on southbound 95 coming down towards the fort mchenry. we are seeing some concession to

the construction zone at the curtis creek drawbridge. 62 on southbound 95 in howard county. no problems on 295. we'll update 95 out of white marsh. southbound traffic looking pretty good although volume is building. this is the beltway and greenspring. looks like traffic is in great shape. a smooth ride on to the j.f.x. into town. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> a girl and the school bus driver or killed in an accident in indianapolis. the bus struck a bridge abutment and they are not sure why. two of the students were injured. look at these conditions as a dust storm just out a highway in washington state. sections of highway 97 were

closed for several hours. several vehicles were involved in the pileup. one person was taken to the hospital with minor injuries. we could see someone across the finish line after 10 days and more than 1,000 miles in alaska for the end of the idea i tarod. the winner will receive $50,000 and the new truck. >> two of the biggest names in cyberspace are taking each other to corporate yahoo! is suing facebook on claims of patent infringement. the suit list 10 areas where yahoo! claims facebook violated their patents, including messaging yahoo! to try to

force facebook into licensing fees they say they will defend the company a plan to put the homeless to work is raising some eyebrows. homeless people are being paid to be used as mobile hotspots. they have a t-shirt that sports a logging code. the homeless person gets to keep some of that money. some field exploits the homeless. that brings us to our water cooler question of the day. what do you think of a plan to use homeless people to serve as wireless hotspots on city streets? you can share your response at wbaltv.com and on our facebook page, or send us an e-mail to watercooler@wbaltv.com. it seems more women are willing to take money over a perfect body. the jobs market is showing signs

of improvement. jane king has the bloomberg business report. >> u.s. employers are back in hiring mode. a new survey shows the majority of its 18,000 respondents saying they plan to add workers from april until june. a number of workers planning to drop the job acts is on the decline. women are better positioned in the jobless recovery. the jobless rate was the same in january a. it fell adjusted it for women. the promise for men are getting worse as they do not have the skills for today's labor force. a maryland casino gearing up to open its doors in june and they still need workers. they are hosting a job fair this saturday at the maryland live employment center in hanover.

markets higher for the most part yesterday. investors weighing whether a chinese slowdown will lead to an easing in monetary policy. the bloomberg maryland index was down a touch. jennifer aniston has an admired body. 80% of women would rather take $10,000 over having her hot bod. only 40% of women have enough cash to cover their bills. i'm jane king for wbal-tv 11 news. >> i would take the money. >> show me the money. >> 55 degrees on tv hill. >> the orioles continued to search for someone to lead their pitching staff. keith mills tells us if anyone

is stepping up to the plate. >> 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. . a few things coming in the city.

an accident at pratt street. another crash at loch raven. the j.f.x. looking good. problem free on the west side. 45 on the outer loop at 40. south on 95, 62 in howard county. a nice start on the b-w parkway if you travel to the airport. it looks pretty good here at sandy point toll plaza heading to and from the eastern shore. this is the key bridge and we're moving well. no sign of delays. watch for possible delays at the curtis creek drawbridge construction zone. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> we had some rain last night but things are pretty dry. you can see the rain pushing off the eastern shore. 60 at the airport. 57 in westminster. we'll see sunshine break to the cloud deck. some scattered thunderstorms

could develop. high temperature, 74 degrees. we'll come back and check the seven-day forecast going into the weekend. here is keith mills. >> thank you. good morning. the ncaa men's tournament begins tonight with two games in dayton. in women, maryland is seeded number two. they will play navy at home at the comcast center. navy is seeded 15th. the loyola greyhounds are seeded 15th in the men's division. the coach told his team they have nothing to lose. the key to survival is surviving the first few minutes of the game.

>> if you can withstand the first few minutes, you have a shot. this is one of the big events of the country. the super bowl is the biggest. take a chance. :40 thursday night game time. the orioles in spring training. here's a strikeout. run in threene innings. this is a blast off the right- field wall. kelly johnson scores. birds had three hits. joe mahoney with the only run. the orioles are 4-4 this spring.

nfl free agency begins at 4:00 p.m. today and will keep an eye on ben grubbs and see what happens. >> 55 degrees on tv hill. a scare in the sky cents a plane back to bwi. >> congressmen dutch ruppersberger weighs in on the deadly shootings in afghanistan. i have details. >> a medical breakthrough could mean a less painful way to treat mean a less painful way to treat a heart a heart

are you guys okay? yeah. ♪ [ man ] i had a great time. thank you, it was really fun. ♪ [ crash ] i'm going to write down my number, but don't use it. [ laughing ] ♪ [ engine turns over ] [ male announcer ] the all-new subaru impreza®. experience love that lasts. ♪

>> 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. is rain going to put a damper on these warm temperatures? >> most of the rain is gone. we could see more thunderstorms develop later this afternoon. the sunshine will break out. high temperature of 74 degrees.

there could be a few scattered thunderstorms developing. we will check the seven forecast in just a few minutes. >> thank you. the taliban is vowing to avenge the deaths of. >> dutch ruppersberger believes terrorists are working on ways to fight back. kim dacey joins us in this to do with the details. good morning. >> congressman dutch ruppersberger serves on the house intelligence committee and says the shooting of those 16 people in afghanistan could translate into the death of more american troops. u.s. officials say an army staff sergeant acted alone, gunning down nine children, three women, and four men, killed in the middle of the night this weekend. >> this really will set us back, because this is the taliban and people don't like us saying, that is what americans are for. they kill women and children. >> maryland congressman dutch ruppersberger serves on the house intelligence committee. he is not surprised that the

taliban is using the shooting spree as a call to seek vengeance on americans. >> they'll look to kill americans. look to kill nato. >> ruppersberger believes that instead of striking stateside, terrorists will target members of the u.s. military serving in afghanistan, just as we saw last month after american servicemen accidentally burned copies of the koran. military officials say the recent shooting spree was carried out by a husband and father who had served three tours of duty in iraq before deploying to afghanistan this year. ruppersberger says the serviceman was flagged for mental illness, but continued to serve after he passed a personality test. >> a lot of people in the military don't want to go and get help, get mental help. and because -- they are afraid it might affect their promotions or their ability to proceed or move forward in the military. that is something we have to look at. >> meanwhile, as anti-american outrage builds in afghanistan, ruppersberger is fearful that other american soldiers may pay for the actions of a disturbed comrade. congressman ruppersberger doesn't think the taliban will single out targets here in the

states as a result of the shooting spree. he believes our biggest threat at home is still what he calls lone-wolf extremists. kim dacey, wbal-tv 11 news. >> thank you. police are searching for a suspect in a violent home invasion. a woman said somebody knocked on her door around 8:00 p.m. on saturday night and forced his way in and took her purse. police are asking anyone with information to call metro crime stoppers at 1-866-7-lockup. >> a man will spend a year-and- a-half behind bars. the man pleaded guilty back in january for first-degree assault. the clerk needed eight staples to close a wound in his head. some scary moments for people aboard a delta flight. the flight had to make an emergency landing. the flight had just taken off

around 5:00 p.m. last night when there was a precautionary alert for smoke in the cockpit. the plane turned around and landed safely. >> a startling statistic concerning rabies. there has been as many cases of rabies in 2012 as was seen in all of 2011. it is not known if the mild winter me of played a role. residents are urged to get their pets vaccinated. >> is a close to the public but it could be another three years before baltimore's washington monument opens for business. they have entered a partnership with the city to repair the unstable balcony and damaged fans and restore the surrounding park. they hope to reopen the monument by 2015, just-in-time for its 200th anniversary celebration.

>> a new procedure to open blocked arteries and evaluate blood flow is making it easier for doctors. previous procedures entered through the groin but this new procedure enters to the rest. >>-- through the wrist. >> this may lead to improved survival in certain groups of patients who are treated for heart attacks. >> the procedure is helpful for people with back problems. in most cases they're sitting up and eating after the procedure. >> now traffic pulse 11 and insta-weather plus together. >> good morning. sarah caldwell checking on your morning commute. right now we're tracking a few problems in the city. we start at loch raven road.

another accident at pratt street. further south, some of the road, we are tracking a new accident. -- sudley road. 30 minutes to get you from top to bottom in the outer loop. 11 minutes in the -- between white marsh and the beltway, of volume is starting to pick up in the southbound direction. this is baltimore national pike. you can see how heavy volume is in the outer loop. that stretches from security down to baltimore national pike. this portion of the beltway, we're seeing construction delays. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. ava marie joins us live this morning from howard county and giving us the latest on bikes. my bicycle has two flat tires.

>> you have to listen up this morning. there are some different neat things you can pick up. 14 weeks to train and to benefit the crones and colitis foundation. even beginners can get involved. >> people at all levels. we train them to ride a 50-mile race. >> that sounds like a lot. there will be meetings coming up. >> we have a meeting tomorrow at 7:00 p.m. in timonium at rei. >> all this information is on the website. hallenge.org.

this all benefits the crones and colitis foundation in the mid atlantic. the seven-day forecast is showing great weather for outdoor activities. there will be period's of dry weather. >> thank you. 55 degrees on tv hill. >> there you go. >> we feel like hugs. we will explain. >> we are still taking your answers to our water cooler question of the day. if we still have a job when we come back. what do you think of a plan to use homeless people to serve as wireless hotspots on city streets? you can share your response at wbaltv.com and on our facebook page, or send us an e-mail to watercooler@wbaltv.com.

>> most the time it takes a my mental accomplishment to enter the record books. five couples have set a new record for hugging. they stood on a platform and hugged for 25 hours straight.

>> this would be more difficult to do. just be glad that you're not paying for folks in latvia to reach out and touch someone. they talked on the phone for 54 hours and five minutes. that beats the old record of 43 hours. the judges made sure that nobody stopped talking or fell asleep. what did they talk about? they have to submit the topics of their chat and they have to stick to it. they talked about the universe and to childhood memories and i'm sure tony could talk about global warming. >> i wonder if they could have the shortest conversation record. my husband would win that. coming up, we'll look at one of your answers to our water cooler

question of the day. >> my wife was the old record holder. talking to your sister again? we could see some thunderstorms this afternoon. here's a look outside. cloudy skies and dry conditions. it is already 60 degrees.

>> welcome back to 11 news today. police are investigating a fatal accident in shady side. the toys say a woman was killed at muddy creek road. there was report of a camper that caught fire in the woods near their. police are looking to the chance

that they are connected. a man is like not behind bars for allegedly stabbing his daughter's boyfriend to death. a man was stabbed and then took a cab to a nearby hospital where later died. formal charges have yet to be filed against the suspect. some scary moments for folks on board a delta flight as the plane makes an emergency landing. airport officials say the flight had just taken off just before 5:00 p.m. yesterday when the pilot issued an alert for smoke in the cockpit. the plane turned around and landed safely. no one was injured. >> now traffic pulse 11 and insta-weather plus together. >> good morning. we are tracking some problems for your morning commute. we start in pikesville at walnut avenue, an accident.

another once at 25th street and loch raven road. in west river, there is an accident in anne arundel county. a lot going on. we continue to run smoothly on the major roads. if you delays fall into place. volume is picking up. this is baltimore national pike. this is the west side from liberty down towards 40 you will see some delays. this is the beltway through the construction zone. the inner loop is closed at quarantine road -- at the curtis creek drawbridge. be advised. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. ava marie joins us live from columbia talking about bikes. those were the day when i had my banana seat. i miss that bicycle.

>> they have shorts that padding in them. we're talking about and endurance cycling event 14 challenging benefiting crones and colitis, 50 miles and they will help you train. we are talking about what you would need to train for such a big event. that is a lot of time on a bicycle. it need to be putting some nutrients into your body. >> the to make sure you're putting something to keep you moving forward and especially if you're sweating. carry water with you and to put electrolux back again -- electrolytes back into your body. this is good for a longer distance and gives you some carbohydrates and protein to keep you moving.

their nutritional supplements. this is almost like molasses in consistency and is sweet and gives you a car but hobert boost. -- carbohydrate boost. all kinds of products to keep you moving. >> you need to think about putting those extra nutrients back into your body if you're running more than 45 minutes. you can sign up for this cycling event. there is a meeting tomorrow night at 7:00 p.m. at rei. let's check the forecast. the rain is exiting to the east. a chance for thunderstorms into the afternoon. we will go back to tony. this is all great stuff. >> sarah said the steep snickers stuff.

you're good to go. >> that sounds good to me. >> that sounds better than the organic stuff. thank you. it is a long ride, 50 miles. 60 degrees at the airport. a mild start for us. we did have some rain last night. most of that is gone. we have cloudy skies around baltimore. that will change over the next couple of hours. you can see the back page of the cloud deck coming through. the sunshine is a good and a bad thing. temperatures will jump up this afternoon. there's a cold front out of the great lakes. that will bump into the instability that the sunshine will create and we could see if you thunderstorms along the front. until 3:00 p.m., the weather

will be fine. then we could see some thunderstorms develop. a mixture of sun and clouds. a chance for a shower or thunderstorm this afternoon. high temperatures in the 70's. the average high is 53. we will not break any records. the record is 85. into the 70's this time of year, that is pretty good. clearing overnight. temperatures drop back into the 40's. beautiful weather bank tomorrow and thursday. 73 on wednesday. 75 on thursday. maybe some rain late friday. it will clear up over the weekend. partly sunny skies on saturday with a high near 68. not bad. >> time now for a last look at one of our big stories. concern over possible backlash

following a deadly attack on civilians in afghanistan. kim dacey joins us with more. good morning. >> the shooting of those 16 men, women, and children in afghanistan could translate into the deaths of american troops, according to congressman dutch ruppersberger. he said he is not surprised that the taliban is using the shooting spree as a call to seek vengeance on americans. ruppersberger believes that instead of striking stateside, terrorists will target members of the u.s. military serving in afghanistan, just as we saw last month after american servicemen accidentally burned copies of the koran. after the shooting spree by a lone american soldier, anti- american outrage is building in afghanistan, and ruppersberger is fearful that other american soldiers may pay for the actions of a disturbed comrade. he believes our biggest threat is what he calls loan will extremists. kim dacey, wbal-tv 11 news. >> -- lone wolf extremists.

the man is a father and husband. the soldier was flagged for mental illness but continued to serve after he passed a personality test. >> kim dacey, thank you. 6:53. >> coming up, we'll take a last look at weather and traffic before you head out to start your day.

>> time to get to a couple of your answers to our water cooler question of the day. >> this morning we asked -- what do you think of a plan to use homeless people to serve as wireless hotspots on city streets?

>> we will post more of your answers on the front page of wbaltv.com. >> it is an interesting concept. >> we have a few problems out there appeared in pikesville, lot avenue, we have an accident at bedford road. another accident in this city on 25th street and loch raven road. you can see some yellow on our map on the north and west out and on southbound 95 coming out of white marsh. this is baltimore national pike. you can see those delays falling into place. this is quarantine road and that its construction-related. >> i don't think anybody- a littlte wetness.

>> later this afternoon, there could be a few scattered thunderstorms. it will be dry until then with a high temperature of 74. the average high temperature is a 53. >> if you're looking for more weather and traffic together, be sure to join us this morning for 11 news at 7:00 a.m. on wbal plus. >> there you'll find more local news as well as up-to-date traffic and weather information. you can find it on comcast channel 208, verizon fios 460, and 11-2. >> thanks for joining us for 11 news today. >> we will be back with a live update at 7:25. >> have a good one. >> follow breaking news and weather any time at wbaltv.com, and stay connected with us on facebook and twitter.

girl: i want to tell you about my friend. his name is ben. ben learned about a homeless boy who had an infected tooth, and the boy died. that made ben really sad. he wrote a law so every kid can see a dentist. we have special dental van that goes from school to school. he even helps make sure we learn how to brush our teeth. he's my friend, ben. i hope he's your friend, too. i'm ben cardin, and i approved this message.