hour, former massachusetts governor mitt romney and began a town hall meeting in baltimore county. >> this is his first campaign stop in maryland. some of the question so far, how do we get lower gas prices, cut back on taxes and reform health care? shelton dutes is monitoring the meeting inside and lowell melser is on crowd control. we begin with shelton dutes. >> crowd out here is starting to clear out of the american legion hall. mitt romney is still on stage, greeting some of the supporters. that town hall just wrapped up a couple of minutes ago. the topic of conversation, lot of people were concerned about the economy, for obvious reasons. mitt romney says he plans to urge job growth and the economy by restoring economic freedom for americans.

he cited his experience in the private sector as a way of improving the economy. this was a town hall format for the meeting here at the american legion. you can see there is still a crowd out here in arbutus, but the room was much more packed about five minutes ago. we heard that more than 500 people showed up and some had to go to an overflow room nearby. they took a lot of questions from people in the crowd, everything ranging from the economy to health care to foreign policy. coming up at 5:30, we will hear the former massachusetts governor's response to health care and what he would do to improve it. we are live inside the american legion post, shelton dutes, wbal-tv 11 news. >> it was standing room only in the american legion hall, but the line formed very early this morning. lowell melser has been right there with the crowd all morning.

>> there were several hundred of these mitt romney supporters out here and listening to that town hall meeting. right now they are set in place. they are waiting for him to leave through the side of the building. folks came as early as 11:00 to see the republican candidate, and they came in full force. on the streets of arbutus, you would never know presidential hopefuls coming to town, but for mitt romney supporters, it was pretty exciting. >> he recognizes the everyday working people. i think is so great. >> history shows that gop presidential campaigns -- candidates rarely campaign in maryland.

romney is hoping to show that he deserves the state's 37 delegates. >> i just wanted to see the other side. i need to see somebody else's outlook on this whole campaign. >> the line wrapped around the legion post building. most to came out to sea romney speak at the town hall style meeting already had strong beliefs about his politics, and were even more impressed that he decided to stop and maryland. >> i wanted to hear what he has to say, does the opportunity to be here. >> others were simply looking at romney for a change. >> my dad was a lifelong member. i think he would not be happy at all with the direction of this country and i think mitt romney will make some very positive changes. i am excited to be here.

>> i am agreement -- i am in agreement with him and almost every level. to get the president that we have in the white house now out. >> the republican primary is april 3 and there are 37 delegates up for grabs. coming up at 6:00, with maryland of virtual shoo them for romney, why did he decide to come here? we talked to some political analysts to find out. lowell melser, wbal-tv 11 news. >> you can compare the candidates and your decision in a couple of weeks. sign up for free breaking news e-mail alerts on wbaltv.com. >> only one lane of traffic is getting by a long 70 east in howard county. crews have been dealing with an accident involving an suv and pick up troops -- and a pickup

truck. emergency crews were busy this morning in baltimore county, trying to contain a leak from a 10,000 gallon tank. it happened a long ebenezer road and railroad avenue in white marsh. it spilled about $200 before it was contained. they believe an act of end up -- an act of vandalism contributed to the accident. >> an annapolis man is in police custody tonight, accused of trying to kill his mother with a hammer. robert benscoter allegedly used a hammer to strike his mother repeatedly in the head and torso. luckily she was able to get help from a neighbor. happened just after 8:00 last night on hazelnut court. after 90 minutes of intense searching, authorities finally

found benscoter hiding in the woods. breaking news yesterday at 5:00, the triple stabbing at a town home in owings mills. tonight police are releasing some new details. a car pulled up to that town hall of around 3:45 yesterday afternoon. we are told several people got out, walked up to the home, and a fight broke out. shots were fired, and at least one bullet struck the suspects' vehicle. three people had to be taken to hospital for treatment. the incident remains under investigation. >> cloudy skies, a little bit reluctant to burn off today after some earning -- after some morning fog. still running well above normal. dry weather around the baltimore area and temperatures in the upper 60's to around 70. fairly uniform temperature patterns across the region under cloudy skies.

just to the south, showers and even thunderstorms breaking out on the lower eastern shore. up toward dorchester county as well. some scattered thunderstorms on the lower eastern shore. it looks like it was a way from baltimore, but it looks like we'll have to deal with the fall begin tonight. warmer temperatures are headed our way, but some unsettled weather for the weekend. >> now to order than expected punishment for one of the nfl's premier teams after an ongoing investigation. the new orleans saints go into the upcoming season without a head coach. gerry sandusky has all the details. >> roger goodell has established himself as a man who takes rule seriously and hands out punishment to rule breaker severely. he lived up to that reputation today when he handed out unprecedented penalties to the new orleans saints, starting

with the head coach, who was suspended for the whole upcoming season. he is accused of having a bounty system that paid players for delivering eagle -- illegal hicks to opposing players. -- illegal hits. the saints general manager in fits and eight game suspension. the former defensive coordinator, greg williams, gets an indefinite suspension, reviewable after the 2012 season. all suspensions are without pay. they must pay a half million dollars in fines. this becomes the most long- lasting and far reaching punishment the nfl has ever imposed on one team at one time. after the nfl has concluded a review with the players' union. roger goodell has sent a memo to

each team. it must now certify in writing that it does not have a paid for performance or bounty system in place. while the saints try to figure out who will run the team this season, the new york jets appear on the verge of finding out who will take their snaps this season. the jets and broncos have agreed to a deal that will send tim tebow to new york for a fourth round and then a sixth round pick. it could require the jets to send $5 million to denver as well. the commissioner underscored today that the unprecedented length of the suspension he handed out came because each executive in question lied to the commission when initially questioned about the bounty system. we'll hear from roger goodell tonight at 6:00. >> still ahead, a baltimore county firefighter trying to save the lives of others ended

up losing his own. >> a special investigation team releases its findings in the death of marked falkenhan. >> the baltimore fire fighters union is not happy about a proposal to shut down three fire companies. i am kim dacey, and i have details coming up.

x the baltimore mayor says her proposed budget for 2013 eliminates furloughs for city employees. the cause for concern tonight, the plan will close three city fire companies. kim dacey has more on that story. >> according to the budget, there will be no layoffs associated with these closure, but cuts in staffing through attrition. the firefighters' union is not happy about this proposal. baltimore is going into fiscal year 2013 with a $48 million budget gap. to help close it, mayor stephanie rawlings lake is proposing to permanently shut down three fire companies in the city. for the past several years the department has dealt with

rotating closures. >> is not specific to baltimore. is unpredictable. >> the mayor says the permanent closures would eliminate three companies, not shutdown entire fire stations, and it would end the rotating closures. >> it would provide some permanency, reliability, and predictability. it allows the department to plan every day, whatever de of the week is, for those closures so they can respond more efficiently to the calls. >> is even more detrimental than rotating. >> of baltimore firefighting union does not agree it is better than the rotating closures. >> you are gambling with citizens' lives and fire men's lives. i think is absolutely disgusting.

>> hoffman says he would like to sit down with the mayor and fire chiefs to discuss these closures. chief clackum is the one who will decide which three companies will shut down. >> after more than 14 months after baltimore county firefighter died in the line of duty, an investigation team has released a final report on the details surrounding his death. it includes a detailed analysis of what happened on january 19 of last year. 43-year-old mark falkenhan responded to a for alarm blaze at an apartment in hillendale. the report suggests a change in practice, including repair project requiring all fire personnel to have radio contact when entering a dangerous situation. it also recommends additional training for a mayday procedures. we'll have more on that coming

up tonight at 11:00. >> maryland senators are considering a bill that would require hospitals at an abortion providers to report the number of pregnancies they terminate. the bill mandates the state department of mental health and hygiene collect every nation on the raged -- age, race, and marital status of women in maryland, and the number of prior pregnancies the patient has had, as well as an explanation of the outcome of those pregnancies. >> women have died in maryland and been severely injured. it makes sense to have information about complications, gestational age, repeat abortions. all these things are important for whence help. >> the cdc says keeping these statistics is an important. in 48 other states have similar laws on the books.

>> doctor said that have completed a full facial transplant on tuesday by team of physicians. the hospital is only the second in the nation to perform a full face transplant. more details about the procedure and the patient will be revealed some time next week. >> bring can mean misery for allergy sufferers, but breathing and salt particles could help. -- spring can me misery for allergy sufferers. a treatment last about 45 minutes. there are also at home devices that could do the trick. they look similar to humidifiers and cost just under $100. >> now, your insta-weather forecast with chief meteorologist tom tasselmyer. >> cloudy skies and bud dry weather run the baltimore area this afternoon. to the south and east, clouds are producing showers and

strong thunderstorms in some locations. in southern delaware we see some heavy showers and storms drifting north. up into sussex county in southern delaware, starting to get into parts of dorchester county as well. the storms appear to be weakening on their track north. for while it looked like there could be some storms there. for now, though storms or not a direct threat to baltimore. they will weaken and fall apart as the evening wears on. generally dry weather, although cloudy around here. the more active the weather gets -- there was a tornado reported in eastern north carolina earlier today. it is all fairly quiet around here, so far. temperatures are still well above normal but not as warm as they have been. around 70 in the

baltimore area. the early-morning fog and clouds not burning off as quickly. calm winds and lows of 53-61. the normal high as around 55 degrees or so. below is tonight are warmer than a typical afternoon high. it is does really upside-down as far as temperatures go. augusta, maine, at 81 degrees. that is incredible in march. we will get into -- the southerly flow is pushing the warmth all the way up into maine and eastern canada. 85 degrees right now in chicago. they have been breaking records all week long. this storm over the southern plains as all wound up an ending in our direction. look at the cold fronts associated with it -- inching in

our direction. the rain has been very heavy ahead of that system coming from the gulf coast. a couple of tornadoes reported in louisiana and mississippi and some of the heavy thunderstorms developing out ahead of that storm. in the last 24 hours, some very heavy rain from louisiana into parts of missouri. up to 6 inches of rain or more in the past 24 hours. it is a slow-moving syem that will not get here until the weekend. tomorrow will be like today, a little bit of sunshine breaking through in afternoon. it will likely be a little bit warmer, 73-78 degrees. waves averaging about 1 foot and a water temperatures around 50. 65-70 degrees for the next couple of days, and showers may get in here for the weekend.

right along the shore of the bay will be a little bit chillier due to the bay water. inland locations will get closer to 80 after some early morning fog. look for partly cloudy skies on thursday and friday. the forecast continues the same pattern into friday. showers and thunderstorms chances go up 60% and that starts to knock the temperatures back a bit. we could be back in the 30's again by tuesday or wednesday of next week. >> the water main break in west baltimore and in nearby hospital. >> it looks like we will be dealing with traffic delays for the next few days. what areas to avoid, when we come back. >> coming up,

x. it your driving in west

baltimore the next few days, you might want to avoid a few streets. crews are working on repairs. it happened around 3:00 this morning and the hospitals still open, though they have little water pressure. >> the s.a.t. is a very important test for college-bound high schoolers. 19 students are being forced to make up for a mistake by the testing service. tim tooten has the story. >> the college board is taking part of the blame for what it called an administrative irregularities. it is requiring students to take it again. this is not sitting well with students or their parents. >> instead of the results he received in the e-mail, they

claim there was an irregularity and therefore they have to take the test again. >> his son was one of 19 baltimore county students who received the same e-mail. it referred to the test given to the students at the school on march 10. a spokesman for the international testing service said in a statement, cortes had a procter the proctor had overtimed certain sections of the march 10 test. since some of the students for given extra time, it was outside normal rules and conditions, making the score is invalid. >> the gentleman i spoke to on the phone was very sympathetic. but he did i give me a satisfying answer.

>> they obviously trained at this individual to supervise the test. >> students will head back to retake the test over the weekend, but this parent says he sees a double standard in playing. students to pay to get someone else to take the s.a.t. keep their scores, and the others -- >> they are just giving them this punishment. >> punish many said they did not deserve. >> a spokesman says the district is satisfied the procedure was followed by the college board. students to choose to retake the s.a.t. this weekend. >> when you say the students who have other people take the test for them get to keep this

course, you mean those who do not get caught at that. is that what you mean? >> the story was all over tv about how one guy had someone else take the test. >> they cannot keep those course, can they? >> the scores were actually passed on to the school, but they could not identify them. >> a big concern, though. >> how would you like to buy or rent? more about the city's plan to lease out more than a dozen historical landmarks for private use. >> what the former massachusetts governor had to say >> what the former massachusetts governor had to say

>> live, local, late-breaking. 11 news at 5:00 in hd continues now. >> kellen, governor, soon to be president, mitt romney. >> for the first time in a long 37 delegatesd's have little significance in the presidential election. >> mitt romney wrapped up a town hall meeting at the american legion post were was standing room only about a half-hour ago.

shelton dutes has coverage on it. first of all, what were some of the biggest issues that people were bringing up? >> the economy was on a lot of people's mind during the town hall and even while they were waiting in line. they want to find out about lower gas prices, job growth, and just helping the economy in general. take a look at some video from earlier this afternoon of the energy here at the american legion post as mitt romney was coming in here to address supporters here in arbutus. it was a town hall format meeting. romney took questions from the crowd. the economy dominated a lot of that conversation. we heard from one nurse practitioner who said she is adamantly opposed to obamacare. she asked the former governor what he would do to reform health care, and here is what he

had to say. >> let's change the tax code so you get the same deduction your employer got. that way you can buy your own insurance, and by the way, you can pick policies that work for you with the kind of coverage you want. what i am afraid you will see with obamacare is a government bureaucrat telling you what you have to have in your policy but treatments and procedures have to be provided or can be provided, ultimately telling you what you can and cannot have as treatment. >> you are taking a live look inside the american legion post where the town hall was held. the governor stay behind to meet with supporters. coming up at 6:00, a lot of people are talking about the economy. we will hear from the former massachusetts governor about his plans to improve it. shelton dutes, wbal-tv 11 news.

>> his top rival, creeks santorum, is turning its focus to louisiana this week. he says he would be more aggressive and his opponents in achieving budget savings in doing what it takes for increases. as for last night loss in illinois -- >> the establishment was comfortable with the status quo, with mitt romney. >> senator john mccain is calling for republicans to unite behind him. he picked up the endorsement of former florida governor, jeb bush. >> the proposed budget for 2013 closes of $48 million budget deficit while eliminating furloughs for employees. the plan would close three fire companies.

the baltimore fire fighters union said the closures will increase their response time, and that will be a threat to safety. within 14 months after firefighter died in the line of duty, the final report comes out about the details of his death. 43-year-old mark falkenhan spawned it -- responded to a blaze on the first floor that was started because of an unintended -- an untended stove. an annapolis man is in police custody tonight, accused of trying to kill his mother with a hammer. robert benscoter is now charged with murder after police that he used a hammer to repeated the strike his mother in head and torso. after 90 minutes, authorities

found benscoter hiding in the woods. his mother is listed in serious but stable condition at the hospital. >> a standoff between police and the suspect in the violent shooting spree. we learn more about the man and one he says he did. >> coppin maryland is getting in on the action. that story, coming up at 6:00. >> of predict on in the first time could be just a simple seminar way. find out how you could call one of these houses home. of these houses home.

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>> covering the nation tonight, take a look at this gas station crash and fire, caught on camera in miami beach, florida. it ran right into a gas pump at the station. people running frantically, trying to get out of the way. luckily, no one was hurt and the

flames were contained to just that one pump. >> covering the world tonight, all eyes in washington are on afghanistan. secretary of state hillary clinton's diplomatic efforts are being undermined. testing the patience of two war- weary nations. there are rumors in afghanistan that days before the slaying, american troops threatened retaliation for bombings. >> certainly there are no need threat -- no threats of retaliation by american soldiers. >> the lawyer representing staff les said he wases

suffering from headaches prior to being shipped off to afghanistan last year. a suspect has been talking to police and their profile has been emerging. we know his name is mohammed merah. he says he has been training with al qaeda in hostile territory. police are telling him they are cutting off negotiations. we will continue to keep an eye on the situation. >> ravens wide receiver anquan boldin is going long. >> he is heading to africa. find out why he is going now. >> hoping to make it safer for maryland first responders. that story, coming up. >> mild temperatures and a few showers on hd doppler in parts of maryland. check out the seven-day forecast, coming up next. cloudy skies and temperatures near 70.

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dax coming up at 6:00, republican presidential candidate mitt romney is in town. what he had to say to marylanders. he is making another appearance in the state. details on his new ad campaign and why they are not being considered noteworthy. a closer look at the measures at annapolis designed to protect maryland's environment.

>> anquan boldin is heading to ethiopia. he is traveling with a wide receiver for the international -- for the arizona cardinals. they will meet with ethiopian athletes. he released a public service announcement to raise funds for east africa. drought is affecting 30 million people in that region. >> there is a new bumper sticker you'll be seeing a lot of. it is part of a campaign to make motorists aware of the move over law. here is rob roblin. >> the new law went into effect in october 2010, but apparently many marylanders don't even know about the law. you are watching motorists breaking the law.

we sat with a state trooper with her emergency lights on. >> the law requires the driver to move over and clear the lane, creating a safety barrier for firefighters or police on the side of the road. >> as you can see, most motorists did not move over or slowdown. that is why today, police organizations across the state held a press conference to make motorists aware of the move over law. >> we need motorists to move over when we make these traffic stops. sometimes we cannot control where the stop is at. this will help officers make our police departments say for and motorists who is stopped safer, too. >> a came over this morning and there was a trooper parked on the side with his lights flashing. there was plenty of room on the left-hand side, and no one knew dover. it is just making everyone

aware, and making these officers a little bit safer. >> i noticed there was a vehicle that was not moving more and it was coming in our lane. just before they struck our vehicle, which jumped over a barrier wall that was next to us and the driver struck the back of our patrol vehicle and pushed it into the vehicle in front of us. >> m. gibson help get the move over campaign started by writing a letter to the governor. >> i think they are does not aware of the law. they just keep writing by and i have not seen one of them move over yet. >> police and emergencies responders will be safer doing their job. >> now, your insta-weather forecast with chief meteorologist tom tasselmyer. >> i have been keeping an eye on

some rain down on the lower eastern shore, drifting to the north and norris -- north and northwest, but showing signs of weakening. it does not look like it will get up here, but we will keep an eye on it. light shares might make it up to cambridge. you can see the draft to the northwest the farther south you go, the more significant the storms are. southern virginia, some mornings being issued down there. eastern north carolina, a car that it was spotted in washington county of eastern north carolina. temperatures will way above normal, not as warm as we have seen recently, but still 68 degrees at the airport. the normal life is 55. almost 90 degrees on march 21

back in 1928. contrast that to nearly 10 inches of snow that came down a budget came down in late march in 1964. around our region will not get much rain. it predicts the fog was reluctant to burn off today. the broader white cloud we see down here are the showers through the of the afternoon. 70 in cambridge, 70 in easton, 64 in hagerstown. 59 degrees in oakland. los 60's for the low tonight in baltimore, warmer than the normal high. temperatures have mated to summerlike levels of the way up into maine thanks to high pressure of the mid atlantic coast on pushing that warm air all the way up to maine. big storm sitting in over parts of east texas and oklahoma. it looks like you get here over the weekend and perino shares and storms that have been

breaking out ahead of it. louisiana into arkansas into southern missouri over the past couple of hours, and 3-6 inches of rain in some spots. we will keep an eye on that system. it has been fairly active that looks like it will arrive over the weekend. partly cloudy tomorrow afternoon. clouds breaking a little more significantly tomorrow afternoon. baltimore harbor water temperature all the way up to 67. patchy fog in the morning in the mountains with a little more sunshine out that way. it looks like some wet weather will get to the mountains over the weekend. eastern shore, cloudy to partly cloudy, nearly 80 degrees toward the interior on friday. upper 7's on the lower eastern shore, but a little bit chillier on the beach. of near 80 degrees friday, then some showers and storms over the

weekend. next week, a little bit more normal. >> mays chapel will soon become home to baltimore county's newest public elementary school, despite opposition from some in the county. school board members voted unanimously to approve plans to build a new school in st. mary's mays chapel part. opponents were concerned about parking and traffic in the area. baltimore city officials are moving forward with a contract that will sell or lease about 15 historic buildings in the city. the contract was approved with an annapolis based firm to determine the market value of the buildings, including the civil war museum. city officials believe the landmarks are underused and could be turned into capital enterprises. accentor barbara mikulski had the floor all to herself today in washington d.c..

she was recognized in the longest serving woman in history of the u.s. congress. there were remarks on her history. >> it is my honor and pleasure to rise. i am now the longest serving women in the congress of the united states ever. >> she is a democrat and has been in congress since 1977. congratulations. there is something people in maryland will be seen this election year that we have not seen in a while. >> we look at who is paying for the ads, coming at new at 6:00. >> if you are looking to buy your first home in baltimore city, the edison community could help. details are next.

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hundreds more in your wallet year after year. feed me! saving you money -- now, that's progressive. call or click today. >> apple is responding to reports from consumers that the new ipad is more like a heating pad. it can hit 116 degrees wall plug in and running a game. that is 12 degrees hotter than the ipad2.

they did not believe it is a threat to consumer safety. officials said that while the he is uncomfortable, it does not warrant a full recall. sales of existing homes dropped last month. the national association of realtors said home sales fell 0.9% to an adjusted annual rate of 4.59 million. a stronger job market helped make the best quarter for sales and five years. some economists say that 5 million mark is needed to have healthy home sales. one factor is the rising cost of rent. one company says people are having a difficult time setting up enough money for a down payment to buy a house, which means they are not looking to buy right now. plus, at his whole lot harder to get a mortgage than it used to be.

the website says buying a home is more affordable than renting. home ownership is the goal of a program this weekend offering open houses, information, and thousands of dollars in incentives. jennifer franciotti has details. >> coretta could not be happier with her new home in the bellaire edison community. it came from utter devastation. she lived in the mt. pleasant apartments, struck by a tornado in november 2010. >> half of my stuff went out of the roof. >> after losing nearly everything, she lived in tempory housing for nearly a year before deciding it was time to buy. >> i was scared.

my friends kept pushing me to go for it. >> go for it she did, thanks to a local home buying program. the organization rehabs homes in neighborhoods on the bubble, giving them a boost and providing resources and advice for people like loretta who want to own a home. >> we sold about half of them and the rest are under construction. >> we help them get into homes like these. >> healthy neighborhoods is hosting a homebuying seminar. you can get information on up to $6,000 in closing costs. >> we are featuring the houses that we have. there will be open houses everywhere so people can go inside and look. they are energy efficient. >> the free event is from 10:00 until noon.

this is what put loretta on the path to her three-bedroom home. >> it is such a relief. anybody who is trying are thinking about it, and do it. >> jennifer franciotti, wbal-tv 11 news pickwick that is all for us at 5:00. here is a look at what is coming at new at 6. >> i am live in arbutus with more on mitt romney town hall meeting. >> his super pac is now at work in maryland. what it says about maryland's role in this presidential race. >> the new city budget would eliminate three fire companies. i am kim dacey, with reaction from the firefighters union, straight ahead. >> live, local, late-breaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news at 6:00. >> our big story at 6:00, republican presidential candidate mitt romney made a

stop in maryland. he spoke at a town hall meeting in arbutus. >> we have live team coverage. lowell melser spent the day talking with supporters. shelton dutes with what the kennedy had to say to his supporters. >> the town hall has wrapped up about an hour ago, but mitt romney stuck around to greet supporters inside the american legion post and outside. health care, foreign policy, and the economy were topics he talked about. this was a town hall set up, so mitt romney took questions from the crowd throughout the session. people ask questions about the economy, foreign policy, health care. mitt romney cited his experience in the private sector, saying he knows what ites