>> i'm not ashamed to say i called stan. >> we coordinated. >> you guys leave me out all the time. 80 degrees yesterday. the average high temperature is a 53. we'll get up to 76. we have clear skies and loss of sunshine in the forecast. about as nice as it gets. high temperature of 76 degrees. we will come back and let you know if this is going to last. >> good morning. we have one problem for the north at the delaware tolls. in cecil county, there is an accident involving a tractor- trailer and delays are forming in that area.

as far as 95 out of the white marsh area, no problems heading down towards the fort mchenry. number -- on the north side, 60 miles per hour over towards the towson region. problem free on the west side. the rest of the major roadways so far running smoothly and that includes 97 in the area of glen burnie. this is 95 at 279 in the elkton region. watch for delays heading towards the delaware tolls. we are problem free into town on the j.f.x. at ruxton road. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> police find the suspect of a deadly shooting in montgomery county dead inside a home. the original and shooting happened in kensington on tuesday morning. police say a man allegedly shot

a woman during a domestic dispute inside the van and pushed her outside the van and kept driving. he apparently shot and killed himself. a man is in the hospital after an officer opened fire in cecil county. troopers say they saw a man with what appeared to be a silver handgun. they ordered christopher thomas to drop the gun. one trooper fired several shots heading thomas in the legs -- hitting thomas in the legs. >> a big night for rick santorum. tara mergener is live with this

morning's report. good morning. >> good morning. mitt romney was hoping the raises would help propel an to the nomination. he was upstaged by rick santorum. >> we did it again. >> rick santorum sweeps primaries in alabama and mississippi. >> everybody is talking about all the math and all the things that this race is inevitable. >> boosting his claim as the conservative alternative. newt gingrich is resisting pressure from the santorum camp to about and downplayed his loss as a bigger problem for mitt romney. >> the elite media's efforts to convince the nation that mitt romney is inevitable just collapsed. >> we have work to do. >> mitt romney did not speak to

supporters after the results. he said his prospects were better than rick santorum's to clinch the nomination. >> he is far behind in the popular vote count. look at the delegates. it is a difficult road for him. >> ron paul did not invest time in this state. he has yet to win a state. >> rick santorum did not make much of a dent in the delegate lead. >> mitt romney got 22 delegates. symbolically, this is a big deal but it did not do much to close the delicate gap. mitt romney still has about twice as many. >> tara mergener, thank you.

>> we know that gas prices are on the rise. if the governor gets his way, they can be even higher here in maryland. jennifer franciotti has with what the governor is trying to do. good morning. >> the governor is not giving up his proposal to raise the gas tax. he is going to testify before house and senate committees on the issue about his plan to raise it 6% over a three-year period. drivers are choosing to take mass transit. mta is reporting bus usage is up. more people are choosing alternatives to driving. they have seen about a 10%

increase across the board since january of last year. >> it is a lot more affordable for people to get on the public transit system than to try to get out on the roads. >> when it comes to the price of gas, there is at least three different stations. $3.75 at the gulf station. the lesson is if you see it below $3.80, stopped and fill up because gas is up 11 cents from last week. jennifer franciotti, wbal-tv 11 news. >> thank you. that brings us to our water cooler question of the day. do you support the governor's plan to phase in the state sales tax on gasoline to help balance the budget? you can share your response at wbaltv.com and on our facebook page, or send us an e-mail to watercooler@wbaltv.com. >> the budget battle continues

in annapolis with house republicans offering an alternative. they do not plan to raise taxes or to increase fees. the alternative plan does include more than $500 million in cuts. >> it is not a revenue problem. we spend the we have to tax to backfill. >> the gop caucus will try to get the proposal included. linde added 5000 new jobs in january -- maryland added 5000 new jobs in january. they credit the warm winter for job growth in construction. 61 degrees on tv hill. rod blagojevich will make a final announcement before heading west to present.

>> president obama gives a foreign leader a tour of middle america. >> this is 95 north of the beltway. more on weather and traffic when we come back.

>> welcome back. 5:10. 63 degrees downtown. clear skies right now. temperatures are a little cooler in the suburbs. it is a pretty mild start for us. 55 in frederick.

53 in annapolis. lots of sunshine today. it will be warm with a high temperature of 76 degrees. it will be cooler near the water. the seven-day forecast is coming up in just a few minutes. >> jury deliberations begin today in the case of a former rutgers university student accused of using a webcam to spy on his roommate. the jury heard closing arguments on tuesday. he is charged with 15 counts of invasion of privacy. the roommate committed suicide in september of 2010, days after the alleged incident. rod blagojevich will address the public one final time before heading to jail. he will give his final farewell

statement outside his chicago home. he must report to colorado tomorrow to begin serving a prison sentence for corruption. >> president obama welcomes david cameron to the u.s. showing some of the madness our country has to offer appeared they had a front row seat to a basketball game last night in the opening round of the ncaa tournament in ohio. >> 5:12. 61 degrees on tv hill. keeping your kids clean and entertain. an international show it seems to have the ball. >> the company is ditching the hard copies of the encyclopedia britannica.

>> an accident at the delaware >> an accident at the delaware toll your home and auto policies and save. don't worry, tiny people. flo is a gentle giant. bundle home and auto at progressive.com.

>> now traffic pulse 11 and insta-weather plus together. >> good morning. sarah caldwell checking on your morning commute. not a lot happening at this hour. 95 looking pretty good in this area. towards the delaware state line, watch for an accident at the delacorte told plaza northbound on 95. you are forced to use the cash plans right now. it is expected to be there until the 9:00 a.m. hour.

looking pretty good on the north side. 59 over towards towson. the 83's checking out just fine. so far so good on 70 in towards the beltway at speeds around 66 on southbound 295 heading down towards 100. this is 95 through the elkton area. no delays here. closer to the delaware state line, we may see delays. this is the j.f.x. at ruxton road. no problems to report from the beltway down into town. 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. >> 8 few bus delays including the 13, 20, 55 buses operating with delays. the 61 bus diverting because of construction.

light rail and metro subway both on schedule. marc trains on time. now back to tony pann. >> thank you. we had a cold front go by last night. we had 80 degrees yesterday. that front is sliding off the coast. we will be in the 70's today. you can see that cooler air in new england. temperatures in the 30's and 40's. that air will slide east and not south. our current temperatures reflect that it is warm. 53 in parkton. 61 in westminster. 63 downtown. the skies are clear. we will enjoy it a lot of sunshine today. maybe a few clouds will move and

this afternoon. sunshine is our forecast and warm. high temperature between 73 and 78 degrees. the record is 83. mid to upper 70's is pretty good. temperatures drop back into the 40's tonight in most neighborhoods. the jet stream is way up into canada. high pressure off the east coast. occasionally there will be storms passing by in the jet stream that could give us a chance for a shower or thunderstorm. no big areas of rain are coming in and it will stay warm. 77 tomorrow. a shower or thunderstorm on friday. maybe a shower on saturday. 68 on saturday. mid 70's by the beginning of next week.

>> general motors is recalling nearly 3700 buick regal sedans because the parking lights failed to activate. this may cause an increased risk of a crash. buick is expected to contact owners this week. encyclopedia britannica -- the company will stop production. they will focus on their digital encyclopedia. the printed books represent less than 1% of their total sales. you hatehated -- don't it when you have to slice an avocado by hand? the latest devices on display. >> gone are the days of sack

lunches. this makes it easier to bring leftovers and salads to work. >> you can pop it open like this and the ball is 72 ounces -- and the bowl. >> this new avocado slices gets the job done in seconds. >> you can cut it right up. >> it is getting less expensive. >> this is the slow juicer and provides more value and more nutrition. >> if you prefer a smoothie, -- >> this changes the direction. everything gets pulled down into the blade.

>> after the cooking is the cleaning. >> you turned it on. >> no more having to find storage space for your storage bin. >> the letter acts as a little or a tray -- the lid acts as a lid or a tray. >> it will entertain with a light show. >> i need one of those. furniture sales are booming as the economy recovers. bank stress tests are out. was a monster rally in the market yesterday. jane king has the bloomberg business report. >> good morning. talk about a big rally.

these stress tests -- the results that give is a huge day yesterday. the federal reserve did them to find if the banks were strong enough to survive a severe economic downturn. the results are in. citigroup, allied, and that life failed the tests. jpmorgan chase coming off with flying colors. they will hike their dividend by 20%. chase also announcing a stock buyback. futures this morning are calm. news from jpmorgan chase -- milder weather brought the shoppers alpert we had good economic news yesterday.

more americans stretching out on a new sofas. sale of furniture is up. ethan allen is expanding. the wild card is gas prices. an economist says higher prices may start to dissuade consumers from extensive discretionary purchases. i'm jane king for wbal-tv 11 news. back to you. >> it is starting to feel like summer. i understand some hotels may not be offering access to their puools? >> when you book a room, you want to ask about access. there are regulations that go in place tomorrow that may prevent you from doing just that. hirewant disney's plan to

more military veterans. >> thank you. >> 61 degrees on tv hill. a mother tries a public form of punishment after her daughter is caught shoplifting. >> don't forget to e-mail us your response to our water cooler question of the day. do you support the governor's plan to phase in the state sales tax on gasoline to help balance the budget? you can share your response at wbaltv.com and on our facebook page, or send us an e-mail to watercooler@wbaltv.com. what's better then a s'more?

a warm s'more cookie in a skillet with a scoop of ice cream. ahh, the great indoors. just $4 on our 2-4-6-8 value menu. only at denny's. like congestion, runny nose, itchy nose and sneezing can hit you year-round, indoors or out. prescription nasonex is clinically proven to help relieve nasal allergy symptoms any time of year. [ female announcer ] infections of the nose and throat and slow wound healing may occur. do not use nasonex until your nose has healed from any sore, surgery or injury. eye problems, including glaucoma or cataracts may occur. have regular eye exams. nasonex can increase your risk of getting infections. avoid contact with infections like chicken pox or measles while using nasonex. side effects may include

headache, viral infection, sore throat, nosebleeds, and coughing. nasonex is there for you, anytime of year. ask your doctor if nasonex is right for you. >> a new orleans mother make sure everybody knows her daughter is accused of shoplifting. >> we have the details. >> whenever she walks out of the

house, you can bet she will have on this green t-shirt. >> if you'll embarrass me by stealing -- reads ---shirt >> i refuse to have a thief living with me. >> mother made the t-shirt. she said she was sick to our stomach. >> this was her first offense. i did not want to go back to pick up my child from jail. do you think she's being hard on you? she says she is embarrassed but she understands her punishment is out of love.

her father was murdered back in 2006. the mother says she is no trust but to practice tough love. >> somebody is getting killed or somebody is going to jail. it is always something. i don't like children to be a statistic. i can't. >> before mom. >> 5:28. >> still ahead -- >> with gas prices on the rise, the governor will try to tell state senators and house members what a gas tax is still a good idea. >> it will be a warm day today. we will check the seven-day in just a few minutes. just a few minutes.

>> 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 is hump day. >> i'm getting a little worried. i almost turned air-conditioner on yesterday. >> does that mean it will keep getting exponentially -- 150 this summer? no, that's not what it means. march can bring all kinds of weather. we had 12 inches of snow on the state in baltimore. >> we will take the 80.

>> 57 degrees at the airport. the average high temperature is 53. we are already above that mark. yesterday we had 80, today, 76. no humidity. we will check the weekend forecast in just a few minutes. >> a problem up but the delaware toll plaza. there may be some delays forming. there is a tractor-trailer accident and that is taking up the e-z pass lanes. it is expected to be blocked until 9:00 this morning. watch for delays in developing from cecil county up into delaware. so far so good on 95 south. everything running smoothly on the north side. 60 miles per hour over towards the harrisburg expressway. moving well on 95 through howard

county in the area of 100. this is 95 at 279. no sign of delays. this is security and the west side is building in of volume. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> the governor will try to sell lawmakers on its proposed gas tax later today. >> this comes as gas prices are forcing marylanders to find other means of transportation. jennifer franciotti has more on the story. >> this is going to be a tough sell for the governor. he said he is open for negotiation. he wants a decision by the time the session ends. the price of gas is passing $4 a

gallon and people are turning to mass transit. there is less elbowroom on buses. the same goes for light rail. >> the bus fares are cheaper than a gallon of gas. >> more people are choosing alternatives to driving. they have seen about a 10% increase across the board since january of last year. >> it is a lot more affordable for a lot of people to get on the public transit system than to try to get out on the roads. >> the average price is $3.82. that is an increase from last month. that is money that this commuter would rather keep in her pocket and take with her on the bus. >> at least $200. at least. for parker and the gas. ae bus only cost me -- i'm of

certain age so i get a discount. >> gas prices start to surpass the $4 a gallon mark, economists worry about the impact on our fragile economy. >> the more impact that will have all the prices of other goods. i'm concerned and this is one thing that could cause this to be crippled. >> as for what the governors gas tax proposal would mean, an average of 18 to 21 cents after over the next three years. jennifer franciotti, wbal-tv 11 news. >> thank you. that brings us to our water cooler question of the day. do you support the governor's plan to phase in the state sales tax on gasoline to help balance the budget? you can share your response at wbaltv.com and on our facebook page, or send us an e-mail to watercooler@wbaltv.com. >> a baltimore man will spend 55 years in prison for shooting a

boy. he had been convicted of attempted murder in the shooting. prosecutors say he shot at a man who the previously argued with. that man ran into a house and push the child to the ground to protect him. the intended victim was not hurt. a man remains in the hospital this morning. this happened 9:00 on tuesday night near ashland avenue. officers found the unidentified man suffering from several gunshot wounds and is listed in critical condition. no word as to a suspect or a possible motive. >> any type of theft. -- a new type of theft. criminals are targeting tide laundry detergent.

the accomplice is seen on a security tapes selling the turgid to a exelosalon. >> another honor for barbara mikulski. the senator will be recognized as the longest serving woman in the history of the u.s. congress. she is in her fifth term as senator. she became the longest serving woman when she was sworn in and this saturday she will surpass rep rogers as the longest serving woman in all of congress. she was first elected back in 1976. congratulations. 61 degrees on tv hill. repeating a certain kind of berthing style -- birthing style could be safer for some women. >> sarah caldwell checking on

your morning commute. north on 95, we have some problems because of an accident at the delaware toll plaza. ♪

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weekend. >> a planned repeat c-section be the safest option for mother and baby. >> those who underwent a plant repeat c-section had less bleeding than women who gave birth vaginally. doctors are calling for more research on nontraditional forms of pain relief during childbirth. >> the biggest potential for side effects were medications. was less evidence to approach is like a tacky pictuacupuncture. >> how about yelling and your husband? 5:41.

61 degrees on tv hill. the madness has started in basketball. >> tony says you can expect another warm day but less rain than yesterday.

>> we have some breaking news. a strong earthquake has shaken northern japan. the japanese meteorological agency said the earthquake had a magnitude of 6.8 any sonometer of about half a meter was expected. this is the same region that was damaged by last year's earthquake and tsunami.

>> now traffic pulse 11 and insta-weather plus together. >> good morning. sarah caldwell checking on your morning commute. if you are travelling towards delaware, in the northbound side of the toll plaza, we have some lanes closed. there is a tractor-trailer accident and it is not expected to be cleared until 9:00 a.m. everything's looking good on 95 towards the baltimore beltway. problem free on the west side from liberty down towards 70. 10 minutes to travel south on 95 down towards 32. five minutes to go south on 95 to the fort mchenry. let's give you up to date on the camera on 95. no sign of delays. you may see some northbound delays as volume picks up.

this is the beltway at security and so far everything looks good. this is the beltway at the b-w parkway and everything looks good at the moment in terms of delays. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. now let's get the latest on the buses and the trains. for that we go to kurt kronke of the mta system. good morning. >> good morning. the five, 13, 16, 20, 35, 52, 54 buses operating with delays. a diversion at edmonton and swan. metro subway unsigned. no delays on the penn, camden, and brunswick lines. i'm kurt kronke. >> thank you. good morning. we had a few scattered thunderstorms yesterday. we managed to get up to 80 degrees yesterday. we will see some slightly cooler air. we will stay in the 70's today.

there is some cold air behind that front. 57 at the airport. 53 in parkton. we have clear skies and nothing to talk about weather-wise at home. you will see sunshine today. maybe if you high, thin was beclouds in pennsylvania. they could drift down towards us -- maybe a few high, thin wispy clouds. sunrise is morning at 7:18. the average high is 53. we will be about 25 degrees above average this afternoon. we will not break a record. no record but mid to upper 70's is pretty good. mostly clear tonight. temperatures will drop back into the 40's. we stayed in the 50's this morning. i don't see any big changes for

the next seven to 10 days. the downstream is way up into southern canada. all the warm air is pumped into the mid atlantic. there are some storms are rippling through the jet stream which would give us a chance for some rain, but no big events. the forecast goes like this. will make it up to 77 tomorrow. dry on thursday. a chance for some showers or thunderstorms on friday. some lingering showers on saturday. it does not look like a washout situation. weekend.70's over the back to the mid 70's next week. >> march manas picked back up to date with the second half of the first quarter games in ohio -- march madness takes back up

again. >> we have more. >> the teams are showing up. across the country, and it is game time. >> march madness is second to none. >> nothing like this seems to capture the emotion or the attention of millions, many who are supposed to be at work. and brackets to a sneak peek at games. 2.5 million fans will focus on the tournament. employees will be paying $175 million to distracted workers. most are checking scores of other smart phone or tablet. some 10 to develop a scratchy throat or any other march malody.

some call in sick to watch the games. some take the time off. >> i use to take half a day off. sometimes i take a half-day on the third and fourth rounds. >> for many, a full-time pursued. everyone has their own method for filling out a bracket. experts say you have a better chance of winning three consecutive powerball drawings. the unpredictability seems to be a big part of the draw. >> you lose when you're done. it is do-or-die. i love it. >> a love that many cannot let go, even at work. >> i'm doing the bracket for the first time.

i'm letting my children pick the winners. i do not know anything about it . 61 degrees on tv hill. coming up, we'll look at one of your answers to our water cooler question of the day. >> here is a look at last night's winning maryland lottery numbers.

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.

>> time to get to one of your answers to our watercooler question of the day. >> this morning we asked -- do you support the governor's plan to phase in the state sales tax on gasoline to help balance the budget? 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. they call it march madness for a reason. the ncaa tipped off last night with two of the four games. some kentucky was down 16 points and they came back to win.

second game, even a bigger comeback. neither of these guys could believe it. iona in green. 25-point lead in the first half. one minute left to go. three.hhits the he drives a gets the foul. byu comes back to beat iona. there will play a marquette in the next round. top that, nfl. vincent jackson signs with tampa bay. -- wayne stays with the colts -- reggie wayne stays with the

colts. the new coach would love to have his veteran leadership in the locker room. ben grubbs is expected to visit the saints today. we got a scoop from michael. the orioles and the pirates today. the birds and rays played to a tie. navy and towson. a new coach. tigers in the white. five unanswered goals for navy. navy wins 10-6. tony romo for the courage award.

>> thank you. word about the future of your dvd -- worried about the future of your dvd? >> dr. nancy grasmick is making a return to education. >> how would you like to get a taste to spend a night in a famous prison? you can book yourself and. >> that is not in my top-10 list for vacation destinations. weather-wise, things will be nice again today. >> off to a pretty good start on most of the major roadways. number i 95 up towards delaware, we have an accident at the toll plaza.