>> and i'm stan stovall. thank you for joining us this morning. >> another warm day on tap. >> the record is 82. we will be in the neighborhood. i do not think we will break the record. you cannot complain about the weather. 50 at the airport. we don't expect any trouble for the morning commute. late this afternoon, some thunderstorms will roll out of the mountains and we could see some drift through baltimore. most of the day will be dry and warm with a high temperature around 79 degrees. it is mostly the same kind of stuff. let's check the roadways with sarah. >> good morning. we have a busy start with a couple of problems. eastbound 32 in howard county, an accident. several accidents in the city that we're watching. 1 at northern parkway.

watch for a crash at bel air road. you can see where in the clearing stages on at 95 prior to the split. it is off to the left shoulder. a bit of a delay on 95 southbound coming down towards the split. problem free on the harrisburg expressway down through shawan road and to the beltway. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> a busy week in annapolis as lawmakers wrestled with a number of bills. the biggest is the state budget. >> they could vote on a spending plan. jennifer franciotti is with us in the studio with more on the story. >> the senate gave preliminary approval of that budget yesterday and in a rare move, they agreed on one issue -- agencies affected will be losing

some of their funding based on their inability to provide certain reports. some of those agencies include the department of agriculture, the department of health, juvenile services, the chesapeake bay restoration, and the department of general services. the democratic majority rejected several republican amendments. one would balance the spending plan by freezing funding to 2012 levels. eliminating some tax credits and across-the-board cuts. >> all it is, is paring back the increases for this year. and i think that is part of what maryland's families are looking to see us accomplish here. they are having to do it with their personal budget. >> the senate also approved legislation to raise the income tax rate on all personal income for those who make more than $500,000 a year. a vote today will send that legislation over to the house. reporting live, jennifer franciotti. >> thank you. the governor makes his case to the house and senate about the need to phase in a sales tax on

gasoline. an extra 2% tax each year for the next three years. he said the tax is difficult but necessary. >> none of us wants to pay more at the pump. we don't have to do this. but you know that if we do not, we will pay for that, too. inaction does have a cost. >> preliminary estimates predict the tax would provide an additional $600 million a year for the transportation trust fund. >> the push to put maryland same-sex lot into the hands of voters is under way. it website allows them to collect referendum petitions to repeal the legislation. they will need 56,000 signatures by june 30.

>> right now we're probably at a pace of getting over 100 every hour. >> we want 150,000 so if they decide to throw some away, we will have more than enough. >> maryland's are split about evenly about approving same-sex marriage in maryland. a lot to keep smokers from lighting up in a vehicle is closer to reality. opponents are saying the state is going too far. >> this is not about is it bad to smoke in a car with your kid. it be illegal? eventually it will be a small step to stay, you cannot smoke in your car with kids and will not let you smoke in your home either. >> this is not about big brother. this is about little brother. >> we're talking about police

intrusion. i did not believe this should pass. >> the bill is taken up by the house of delegates. >> you could soon have to pay more for your water if you live in harford county. a measure would raise rates by 4% for wholesale customers. impact pool water d providers. >> a man could spend 15 years behind bars after admitting child pornography. justin bowman was arrested after a co-worker saw him viewing illicit images on a computer. police found other images on his computer at home. >> the first slot machines have arrived in anne arundel county. delivered on

wednesday. the facility will be one of the largest entertainment facilities in the country. nearly 5000 machines as well as electronic table games. that brings us to our water cooler question of the day. how often, if at all, do you plan on visiting the slots parlor at arundel mills? you can share your response at wbaltv.com and on our facebook page, or send us an e-mail to watercooler@wbaltv.com. >> 6:06. 51 degrees on tv hill. good news for the used car business. >> putting on the cliffs at the white house. -- putting on the glitz at the white house. >> next week is greek week. celebration ended with the greek parade. >> we're monitoring a handful of

problems for your thursday morning commute, including an accident wrapping up on 95.

>> good morning. this is a live look outdoors. 58 degrees downtown. you can believe it will get warmer as we head into the

afternoon. almost like a summer like pattern. we're talking about greek week starting this sunday and runs through next week and ends with a big parade. this is the spokesperson for this event. what is great is the greek food. >> it is fabulous. there are greek restaurant specials all week beginning on sunday and gongs to the 25th. we have some examples of food. right now we are in fells point and for a fixed price, you can get a lot of food. >> it is amazing. >> we have two different kinds of stuffed peppers. we have a grilled eggplant. we have lamb chops.

"i eat lamb!" spinach fritters. we have meatballs, crabcakes. we are marylanders. the wind is from cali's port. these special cookies are from meli. you can find out about the specials at baltimoregreekweek.com. the greek independence parade isn't free down on march 25 from 2:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m. it is the grand finale. >> everybody is greek during greek week. you can find the information at baltimoregreekweek.com. maybe some restaurants you did

not know were greek. the radar is showing a storm system coming our way and that will be moving in as we head into the evening hours. these cookies -- >> this is like the honey will cookie.alnut >> you better bring back some desserts. >> just for you. >> the first time my wife saw that movie, she said, that is the story of my life. my poor wife. thank you. you must bring back some desserts. the summer weather will continue for the next few days. the temperatures will stay in

the 70's. there will be sent in possibility of some off and on chances of rain. 65 in chicago. into the great lakes, 60's. back into the 40's behind it. on the eastern port of the country, we have the summer like temperatures. we have some thunderstorms moving across ohio. i think they will hold together. the timing was taken into baltimore late this afternoon or this evening. most of today will be dry. 50 in jarrettsville. a mixture of sun and clouds. unseasonably warm. highs around 80 degrees. we will see a chance for some thunderstorms late tonight. the average high is only 53. the record is 82. we will be in that neighborhood. a chance for a shower or neighborhood tonight.

the seven-day forecast -- we keep the chance tomorrow. there will be plenty of dry hours. 30% chance of rain on saturday. it should be dry sunday, monday, and tuesday temperatures staying in the 70's. >> good morning. there are some problems to watch for. no significant delays. an accident on eastbound 32 at cedar lane in howard county. another wrapping up at howard county and greenspring avenue. this is traffic. this accident is off to the side on 95 at the 895 split. a bit of a delay as you make your way on 95 south down towards the split. this is 795 at franklin

boulevard. no sign of any significant delays but volume is building. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> thank you. a black-tie affair at the white house last night. this was a state dinner honoring david cameron and his wife. this was a star-studded event. john legend performed. a british folk rock band also performed. the leadership at virginia tech was found negligent for those shootings that took place back in 2007. the university was found at fault. the wrongful civil death suit was brought by parents of two students that were killed. a smoother ride for elderly passengers. the tsa will establish special lines for passengers over 75 at

four at different airports. chicago, denver, poland, and orlando -- portland. these are almost exactly the same for children 12 and under. if all goes well, it will be rolled out to other airports, as well. >> i am so going to get you. less than 24 hours before apple's new ipad is hitting the shelves. many apps are getting a facelift that will take full advantage of the improved graphics and full performance. online orders sold out within two days of its launch. when it comes to rental prices, you'll have to leave most of your income.

according to a new study, the average cost for a two-bedroom is $1900 a month. the metro area in connecticut ranks second while honolulu ranks third. it is boom time for a car salesman and changes are coming to google. jane king has the bloomberg business report. >> good morning. accurateget more aker res results when you use google. they will use something similar to artificial intelligence. google wants the search is to think of searches as human. researchers say people are less likely to lie about big things on their resumes posted on

linkedin. say it because your resume is more public on the online site. weekly jobless claims come out an hour ahead of the opening bell. a mixed close for stocks yesterday with the s&p taking a breather. the bloomberg maryland index bit. shopn just a burrs return to showrooms. there was a call % reduction among sellers. spending aggressively on local advertising. i'm jane king for wbal-tv 11 news. >> i can see the wheels spinning in your head while you plot your come back. we will see about that. 6:18. >> he has been a relentless

performance on defense but the ravens what to do without jarret johnson next season. keith mills has more. >> don't forget to e-mail us your response to our water cooler question of the day. how often, if at all, do you plan on visiting the slots parlor at arundel mills? you can share your response at wbaltv.com and on our facebook page, or send us an e-mail to watercooler@wbaltv.com. >> here is a look at last night's winning maryland lottery numbers. hope you have them. 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.

>> now traffic pulse 11 and insta-weather plus together. >> good morning. sarah caldwell checking on your morning commute. here is one accident in columbia. 32.thbound cedar lane at th watch for possible delays. another accident in the city at belair road. this is 895 at moravia road. this is southbound traffic. the left shoulder on 95 just past the split, but you can see there is an accident still clearing. that is backing up traffic prior

to the split. this is the white marsh area. this is the biggest problem or the one having the biggest impact. we will keep you posted on how things evolve. take pulaski highway as alternate. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> it is a beautiful start. the could be some rain moving in late today. 48 in parkton. high temperature this afternoon around 80. late in the day, there's a chance we could see a few thunderstorms. here is keith mills. >> thank you. good morning. the ravens have yet to make a move in free agency. ben grubbs met with the saints and no deal yet. there is number 95, jarret

johnson. his time with the ravens is over. he signed a contract or agree to a contract with the chargers yesterday. he said last night that no hard feelings. the ravens let him know it was time to move on. he said that is the genius of ozzie newsome and that is why the ravens win. retting also signed with the colts -- cory redding out. there is the big hit on hines ward. the ncaa tournament cranks up today. thurmont beat la-- vermont beat lamar. loyola getting ready in pittsburgh. jimmy patsos well aware the

bigger buckeyes are one of the better teams in the country. >> we got to get the game going north and south. they want the game to go east and west. they like to grind it. we got to press and make them play our style. we're not afraid to press them. the kentucky game really prepared us for this. we're playing against a little better athletes than us, but that's ok. >> game time tonight at 9:40. loyola trailed kentucky by four a couple of months ago and lost by 20. the orioles play the tigers today. 11-5, the birds lose to the pirates on wednesday. mark reynolds, his first home run of the spring. he hit 37 last year. j.j. hardy also homered. the birds pounded out three doubles. nick markakis played in his first game. he had surgery in january.

the orioles lose 11-5. the cut the cord with todd heap last year. very tough to see that. >> people second-guess when a popular players go. they still had a monster season. >> you got that right. >> 51 degrees on tv hill. learning from a loss. a family pushes for reform in annapolis. >> the senate will vote on their version of the budget. details are next. >> i am at tara mergener. the gop presidential hopefuls move on to the next round of races. >> sarah caldwell checking on your morning commute. if you travel this thursday morning, 95 southbound, a delay because of an accident. >> baltimore is getting ready to

celebrate greek week. starts on sunday and it ends da

>> 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. another one day but some possible storms? >> there could be some thunderstorms late this afternoon or early this evening. a beautiful morning. will make it up to 79 this afternoon. we will see a chance for thunderstorms after 5:00 p.m. today. we will check the seven-day forecast when we come back in just a few minutes. >> it is back to the campaign trail for the gop candidates for president. >> the candidates are looking towards the next round of races. tara mergener joins us live with that story. good morning. >> good morning.

this is essentially a two-man race. an energized rick santorum moves on to puerto rico, hoping to land another victory. after surprise twin wins in alabama and mississippi, the former pennsylvania senator is scoffing at mitt romney's claim that he needs an impossible number of delegates to take the lead. >> it is pretty sad when all you have is to do math instead of trying to go out there and win it on substance and win it on what americans want to hear about it. >> what happened in alabama and mississippi? >> despite defeats in the south, romney remains the front- with 18 victories so far compared to santorum's 10. >> mitt romney still is the guy with the most votes, the most states won, the most delegates, the most money, the biggest organization, the most endorsements. >> though newt gingrich's lackluster performance has some republicans calling on him to quit and rally behind santorum,

he promises to press on. >> and i look forward to getting to tampa with your help, and i appreciate you being here. >> ron paul is in missouri, which holds its caucuses on saturday. >> he said that romney thinks it is impossible for rick santorum to catch up. >> if you look at the delegate count, mitt romney has 495 delegates. he would need half of the remaining delegates to clinch the nomination. rick santorum has 252 delegates. he would need 66% of the remaining delegates to get the nomination. impossible? maybe not, but the bar is high. >> lawmakers in annapolis are hammering out a budget plan with a few last-minute changes that could affect tax rates.

jennifer franciotti joins us to explain. >> the senate approved legislation to raise the income tax on all personal income for those who make more than $500,000 a year. your withholding funding from certain departments. >> we're serious about the reports, that they have deadlines that they should be meeting them. this is one way of getting their attention. >> holding state agencies accountable. in a rare act of bipartisanship, the senate agreed to withhold some funding from departments that had failed to submit required reports. affected agencies include the department of agriculture, the health department, the maryland technology development corporation, juvenile services, chesapeake bay restoration, and the department of general services, which has not provided a report detailing relocation plans of the housing department to prince george's county. >> they had done really nothing in giving us the information we requested. so that is why we're withholding $500,000 from their budget until they can submit their report to us. >> the democratic majority

rejected several republican amendments, including one that would balance the spending plan by freezing funding to 2012 levels, eliminating some tax credits, and across-the-board cuts. republican efforts to amend the proposed cost of teacher pension shifts to the counties failed. >> all it is, is paring back the increases for this year. and i think that is part of what maryland's families are looking to see us accomplish here. they are having to do it with their personal budget. >> the full senate will vote today on the legislation. they will send it to the house for debate. reporting live, jennifer franciotti. >> thank you. theicia's law would raise age of what is considered a missing child from 14 to 17. the law is named after phylicia barnes, the teenager who disappeared in baltimore.

her body was discovered in the susquehanna river months later. a house committee is considering the bill. >> several people behind bars on drug charges. people were trying to sell prescription drugs to an undercover officer last week. police say a fourth suspect was caught carrying marijuana. the stink netted dozens of bills and hundreds of dollars in netted.the stain and netting >> now traffic pulse 11 and insta-weather plus together. >> we are tracking a few delays. if you head out into columbia, route 32, one lane is still closed. in the city, northern parkway at greenspring avenue, we have some delays forming. 30 minutes after the outer loop

west side stretch. eight minutes to go between 75 and the harrisburg expressway. we will update you on the accident. this is southbound traffic at the split. you can see 95 off to the left shoulder southbound. delays are behind it. delays began around white marsh. you can see brake lights heading southbound down towards the 895 split. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. ava marie joins us live this morning, she is previewing greek week and it looks like you fit the part. >> good morning. we have the dancing, the food, and everything to get greek week started. it begins on sunday. it sounds like a great time. >> it will be so much fun. it begins on sunday. run specials.

go to baltimoregreekweek.com. the grand finale is sunday, march 25, which is greek penn state and will be celebrated with a parade. >> lots of dancing and costumes. >> it begins at 2:00 p.m. on eastern avenue in greek dowtown. it is so much fun and we'll be seeing alpha it's like mine, alpha's like the ladies behind us -- will be seeing outfits like mine, outfits like the ladies behind us. they will be marching. we have the u.s. naval academy marching band. everyone will be dancing. so come and join us. >> what is mine called?

>> it is from near athens. >> it begins on sunday. you can find all the information at baltimoregreekweek.com. you can get some good specials on delicious greek food. a line of storms is moving back -- >> oh! >> which is needed the music. -- we just needed the music. >> they got it done. you guys are too great. we're expecting a warm conditions. maybe a chance for thunderstorms later this evening. another chance for storms tomorrow. sunday looks beautiful. we continue with this warm weather. we go back to the dancing folks.

>> tony taught us. >> the music helps. >> that was fun. has played a serial killer and an evil queen. now she's taken on a new role -- mother.

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.

>> los angeles jury will decide whether nickel and sheraton -- glad sheridan's character was unfairly killed off. said the creature hitter in the head during a disagreement. decision was made months earlier. theron is89 is a charlize a new mother. she has adopted a child. this her first child . >> 51 degrees on tv hill. coming up, we'll look at one of your answers to our water cooler question of the day. >> we have a busy morning rush for motorists on southbound 95.

>> it will feel like summer again today temperature-wise. we have some rain in the forecast. here's a look outside. temperatures around 50. stay tuned. the weather is next.

>> welcome back to 11 news today. a u.s. army private accused of leaking top-secret material to wikileaks could get an idea of a trial date today. bradley manic is scheduled to appear in a military court room later today. -- bradley manning is scheduled

to appear. a lot to stop smokers from lighting up in a car with passengers under the age of 8 is one step closer to reality. this bill that is taken up by the house of delegates. supporters say it is aimed at protecting children against second-hand smoke. others say it goes too far. new allegations of political dirty tricks by john leopold. he either ordered or directed the county police department to vesta gate and keep detailed files on people he saw as his political opponents. some items include divorce and dui listings. also, research on a democrat who ran against him back in 2010. he was indicted on several misconduct charges regarding his directions to police on his security detail.

>> now traffic pulse 11 and insta-weather plus together. >> good morning. sarah caldwell checking on your morning commute. let's get you up to date. here's what to expect in the joppa region. we have an accident at mountain road and we are tracking went along pulaski highway. that one will probably have more of an impact. 40 is an alternate to 95. northern parkway and greenspring avenue, we have a crash. another one at northbound cedar lane at 32. these are drive times. 40 minutes around the outer loop west side. not bad on the inner loop as you travel between 795 and the 83's. we have been tracking an accident. this is 95 at the 895 split. it is off to the left shoulder. watch for delays leading back to

white marsh. south on 83, no problems to report at the moment. a smooth ride from the maryland line all the way to the beltway. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. ava marie is previewing greek week. the energy is contagious. good morning. >> we have had mindy and stan doing the dance. now we're talking about the food. you can get some great specials. we're here at mezze. that is tough to say. >> this is one of the restaurants participating. 14 restaurants are participating from mount vernon to canton to 7 west in towson. go to baltimoregreekweek.com and you'll find out all the specials and everything that is involved.

>> what type of food are the serving up for the special? >> mezze has all sorts of stuff. we have stuffed grape peppers, stuffed grape leaves, eggplant,, lamp chops, crabcakes. and we have a special greek meatballs. put lemon over everything. >> this is so much fun. it begins on sunday. you can find all the information on baltimoregreekweek.com. come try this food. let's check the forecast. a line of storms is moving through ohio.

that will be heading our way and maybe could bring some activity. tony, do you put limits on everything? -- do you put lemon on everything? cereal. on my seri that food looks fantastic. i have been to that restaurant. we'll talk to during the 7:00 hour on the digital channel. greek cornflakes. the jet stream is shifting into the southern part of canada. i did not see this weather pattern breaking up until the end of next week's. temperatures will stay above average. temperatures on not going to

move. 30's and 40's across the rocky mountain states. 60's on the east coast. 65 in chicago. we're watching some thunderstorms. this is an impulse moving across ohio. these storms may drift into baltimore later today. until then, it will be a warm and pleasant day. 48 in parkton. 50 in jarrettsville. a mixture of sun and clouds. there is a chance for a shower or thunderstorm this evening. high temperature in the upper 70's to around 80 degrees. the record today is 82. we will be in the neighborhood. a chance for a shower tonight. temperatures drop back into the 50's. into the weekend, a chance for rain on friday, 50%.

could be a couple of showers on st. patrick's day. then it clears out and would keep the temperatures in the 70's through the beginning of next week. not too bad. >> time now for a last look at one of our big stories. lawmakers are finding some common ground when it comes to drafting a budget. but you may not like what they have come up with. jennifer franciotti is live to explain. >> the senate gave preliminary approval of that budget yesterday and in a rare move, they agreed on one issue -- agencies affected will be losing some of their funding based on their inability to providesome of those agencies include the department of agriculture, the department of health, juvenile services, the chesapeake bay restoration, and the department of general services. the democratic majority rejected several republican amendments. one would balance the spending plan by freezing funding to 2012 levels. eliminating some tax credits and across-the-board cuts.

>> we know that the senate gave approval for an increase in the income-tax rate. >> the state income-tax would go up across the board. for those making more than $500,000, the tax rate would increase and the moves did come as a surprise to some republican senators. >> jennifer franciotti, thank you. >> here is ann curry with a look at what is coming up next on the "today" show. >> good morning. fallout from the resignation of a vice president at goldman sachs. says the bank puts money over his client's best interest. a key hearing in the case of a soccer mom accused of running an escort service. for attorney wants her to serve house arrest at his apartment.

the death of three horses has led to the cancellation of "luck" and calls for a criminal investigation. our fascination on looking younger -- is it finally changing? in-your-face is 90 years old as we get started on a thursday morning. >> time to get to one of your answers to our watercooler question of the day. >> this morning we asked -- how often, if at all, do you plan on visiting the slots parlor at arundel mills? >> we will post more of your answers on the front page of

wbaltv.com. >> 6:53. 51 degrees on tv hill. >> coming up, we'll take a last look at weather and traffic before you head out to start your day.

>> 95 and 895. >> we're looking at heavy delays on 95 back in the white marsh area. we start with the accident. it is gone on 95 at the 895 split. there is a problem for the south on 895. there is an accident and you can

see all lanes are shut down. this will back up traffic even more on 95. another accident on the west side at edmondson avenue. that is pretty much at haven't a major impact. outer loop delays forming. >> more warm weather today. >> upper 70's today and may be near 80. we could see if you thunderstorms later today. most of the day will be fine. maybe some rain tonight and tomorrow. you cannot complain about the seven-day forecast. >> we will dance after the show. >> thanks for joining us for 11 news today. >> we will be back with a live update at 7:25.