>> mega dreams could be made tonight. i'm nadia ramdass live with all the mega millions excitement coming up. >> g.o.p. hopefuls get ready to face off in another round of contests. i'm tara mergener in washington, why wisconsin is the big prize. >> and talk about sinking it from way downtown, this is an amazing trick shot you have to see to believe. >> hey, nice job on the way there. we've made it to another weekend, but will rain ruin your plans? 11 news today continues right now. [captioning made possible by constellation energy group] >> good morning, and happy friday. i'm jennifer franciotti. >> yeah, tgif. i'm sarah caldwell. thanks for joining us for martin luther king. >> you guys are both ready for

espn now. you're doing the "way downtown," and final four analysis with keith mills. i mean, i'm impressed with you guys this morning. >> right. >> we need to work on our final four analysis. >> i think so. we need stan back to do sports. >> it was a funny moment. i was watching it, and yes, you guys -- who are you going to pick? i could see you guys searching the databank in the back of your head. >> in the 5:00 hour, you can't ask questions like that. when it's still 5:00, no. >> all right. >> thanks for jumping in with the save over there, mr. quiet over there. >> i was just enjoying the scene. anyway, weatherwise, easy one, quieted commute, but it is cold. 37 at the airport. it's in the low 30's in the northern suburbs. might be even a little bit of frost up near the pennsylvania line and back into parts of carroll and frederick counties. we're going to make it to 59 this afternoon. clouds will thicken up, but i think it's going to stay dry during the day. i'll have the seven-day in just

a few minutes. >> the morning commute will be dry. let's see what's going on on the area roads. a problem in the city, an accident right at patterson park and lombard. other than that, doing pretty well. we're at 57 miles per hour on the west side outer loop past 75 down toward i-70. 63 coming through the parkville region over toward the harris bug expressway, and we're at 62 coming down toward howard county. here's a live view of traffic in the area of harford road going away from us. outer loop traffic still moving fairlyell, but definitely building in volume closer to the west side. a live view of traffic, and that's an area of 95 at mountain road, 152 coming down from harford county. problem-free at the moment down toward the fort mchenry. harbor tunnel traffic checks out fine too. that's the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> here's a look now at some of the stories that developed overnight. howard county fire crews respond to a freight train derailment in jessup. fire and rescue officials say shortly after 2:00 this

morning, two empty freight trains collided as they were moving to maneuver on dorsey run road. five cars derailed, bringing down several telephone wires. at this hour, there's no reports of any power outages or disruption in phone service. and city officers respond to a stabbing in west baltimore. just about 12:30 last night, police arrived to investigate the stabbing of a 50-year-old woman. there's no word this morning on her condition. and d.n.a. evidence recovered hundreds of miles away has helped convict a man for rape in frederick eight years ago. a jury has convicted 28-year-old nareed walker for the 2004 attack of a woman under a downtown frederick bridge. police had no suspect in that case until walker submitted d.n.a. to police in tennessee in 2010 after being arrested there on robbery charges. now he faces the possibility of life in prison when he's sentenced on may 8. >> our big story this morning, big dreams of a big jackpot, as mega millions grows to a record

smashing half a billion dollars. 11 news reporter nadia ramdass is live in northwest baltimore with more on the jackpot fever. nadia, you don't have your ticket yet, do you? >> no, i am planning to get that right after work, trust me on that one. and you know what? the excitement is so contagious. can you blame me? with so many people around the country buying tickets, the jackpot could climb even higher than $540 million. and with all this excitement, it's no surprise that mega millions has reached a fever pitch. now, the soda pop shop in catonsville has already sold about 1,300 tickets this week alone. the mega millions jackpot is worth an estimated $540 million. after taxes, when everything is said and done, the winner could walk away with a lump sum of nearly $260 million, or a yearly payment of $13.8 million. but the odds of getting your hands on all of this money are very, very slim. officials say the odds of anyone winning the mega

millions jackpot is one in 176 million. experts say you have as great a chance of having a shark bite you or becoming a sanity than winning the jackpot. >> well, i wasn't counting on being canonized anyway, so that means my odds are even better. >> you see the odds stacked up against you? >> i'm going to stay very optimistic about my winning, that's for sure. keep in mind, ticket sales end tonight at 10:45, and the drawing is soon after on 11 news at 11:00. reporting live in northwest baltimore, nadia ramdass, wbal-tv 11 news. >> all right, thanks so much, nadia. you can watch the largest mega millions drawing ever right here on wbal-tv. we'll have the live drawing exclusively on 11 news tonight. and that brings us to our water cooler question of the day. will you be buying more mega millions tickets than usual for tonight's record-breaking jackpot? share your response on wbaltv.com, on our facebook page, or since an email to

watercooler@wbaltv.com. >> after nearly a year postponement and delays, a jury of nine women and three men has been seated in the retrial of twin brothers accused of setting a pit bull on fire. prosecutors say evidence, including video and witness accounts, shows travers and tremayne johnson were behind the death of a dog, later named phoenix. defense attorneys say the city botched the crime scene from the very beginning and succumbed to public pressure. the brothers' first trial ended in a hung jury. hundreds of people turned out on the campus of morgan state university in solidarity for slain florida teen, trayvon martin. many students dressed in hooded sweatshirts, like that worn of martin when he was shot and killed by a neighborhood watch patrolman last month. last knit's rally was the latest in a nationwide series of protests calling for justice. >> and all of you are proud students of morgan, and that's why i'm here to send a message

that we are not suspicious. >> and one month later, police have yet to decide if they'll file charges against george zimmerman. he's the patrolman who claimed self-defense when he shot and killed martin. >> a toddler is recovering at johns hopkins children's center after being struck by an unmarked city police car. sky team 11 was over the scene around 3:00 thursday afternoon near the intersection of south highland avenue and leverton avenue in highlandtown. police say it appears the child ran into the street between two cars and was then hit by the police car. the child's injuries are not thought to be life-threatening. in east baltimore, fire investigators continue to search for whatever set off a two-alarm blaze. it broke out just before 7:00 yesterday morning along the 400 block of east biddle street. crews also had to battle the wind to get the fire under control t. may have caused the fire to spread. no reports of any injuries.

>> in this morning's commitment 2012 report, it's the last weekend of campaigning before voters in maryland, the district of columbia, and wisconsin cast ballots for the republican that they want to see take on president barack obama in the fall. 11 news washington into rowe reporter tara mergener tells us while candidates are looking to do well in each contest, one state in particular is shaping up to be the big prize. >> jen, rick santorum is not even on the ballot here in d.c. he's focusing on wisconsin, which could be make or break. >> why would we ever vote for someone who's just like obama? >> more ads -- >> in 20 years in washington, santorum voted to raise the debt limit five times. >> more campaign rhetoric. >> so, if we're looking for the reagan conservative in this race on the economy, there's one clear choice. >> g.o.p. hopefuls are ready for the next round. >> i have a big day coming up next tuesday, with elections in wisconsin, maryland, and the

district of columbia. >> and mitt romney is on a roll. in d.c., the former massachusetts governor is expected to coast to victory in tuesday's primary. >> thank you for welcoming me here. >> in maryland, polls show a double-digit lead over rick santorum, but the day's biggest prize, wisconsin. >> we're going to be working hard here in wisconsin. >> shaping up to be santorum's last chance to stop romney, who leads here, too. >> thank you all very much for coming. >> and on the heels formal endorsements from the bush family -- >> barbara and i are very proud to fully and enthusiastically endorse and support our old friend, mitt romney. >> another high-profile republican endorsement is set for today, from wisconsin representative, paul ryan. >> and newt gingrich and ron paul are still on the campaign trail, both making stops in wisconsin. in washington, i'm tara mergener, wbal-tv 11 news. >> thank you, tara. meanwhile, in the maryland general assembly, the house of

delegates has gin preliminary approval to legislation clearing the way for a wind turbine farm off the coast of ocean city. the bill requires consumers to pay $1.50 surcharge each month to help subsidize the development of wind energy. the monthly fee for commercial and industrial customers was cut back to 1.5% and won't go into effect until 2017. a final vote on the bill is set for later this afternoon. also under consideration today -- a house bill that would forbid employers from forcing employees or job applicants to give up their pass words to email or any social media. the bill sponsors say an employer can still search online for information about a worker, including looking at a facebook wall or twitter page, but no one should be forced to offer up their privacy. the senate has already passed a similar bill. >> time right now is 6:10, 37 degrees here on tv hill. coming up -- we could be paying the price for getting rid of the pink slime. details in this morning's bloomberg business report.

>> also, one of the biggest big box stores in the business is about to get a little smaller. what's behind the shrinking of best buy? >> and an amazing fire destroys a business in southern virginia. we'll tell what you it was that's gone up in smoke. >> and it's a chilly but dry start on this friday morning. we do have rain in the forecast. i'll show you that. stay with us. >> and here's a look at traffic. 95 coming out of the white marsh area. we'll update any problem spots.

>> welcome back. 6:14, 45 degrees downtown. things are pretty quiet right now, but wive a little rain in the forecast for this evening and tonight. up until that time, the weather should be just fine. it is a cold start, but we'll make it into the upper 50's this afternoon. high pressure in new england, and that's keeping things quiet for now. but there's an area of low pressure in the mississippi valley racing here. you can already see the high, thin clouds. the skies look clear for most of the night, and that's what allowed the temperatures to drop. as we head through the morning and afternoon, you notice the clouds thickening up. the rain isn't far behind. we've got showers across ohio, west virginia, western pennsylvania. most of this is going to fall apart, at least the leading

edge of it. you can see the trend for that rain to start moving east there, and again, it should arrive sometime this evening, probably after 6:00. i think we'll stay dry up until that point. kind of chilly in the northwest suburbs. 32 in frederick. if you're watching us up that way, you guys might have a little frost on the windshield to start the day. 37 at the airport. it's 42 degrees in rock hall. the forecast for today, crousing clouds, a chance for rain showers this evening, but dry during the day. high temperatures in the upper 50's to around 60 degrees. and for a change, that's right around average for this time of the year. we haven't said that for a while. average high is 59. record for today, 89, set back in 1998. overnight tonight, mostly cloudy skies. i think some of that rain will catch up to us during the overnight period. temperatures will drop back into the 40's. seven-day forecast stacks up like this -- as we go into saturday, we'll see a chance for rain showers, but i think it will be mostly in the morning. if you have outdoor plans on saturday, try to do it as late in the day as you can. 58 for a high temperature. even if you get into the rain

on saturday morning, it's not going to be heavy. sunday looks like a decent day, 62. then it warms up, upper 60's and low 70's monday and tuesday. a chance of a thunderstorm in the afternoon on tuesday. that will cool things off again by the middle of next week. all right, the time is 6:16. let's see what's happening on the roads. here's sarah. >> let's check it out. we have one problem of note coming in in the city along patterson park, an accident there. other than that, still looking good on the west side. traveling down from liberty, 62 on the north side through parkville over towards towson, continuing to move well on the j.f.x. into town. speeds at around 65 traveling down through howard county on 95 past 100. here's a live view of traffic. an update on sandy point in through the toll plaza, problem-free. no delays on the bay bridge. 95 coming out of white marsh, traveling without delay till you get closer to the beltway. and that's the latest on traffic pulse 11. jen, over to you. >> taking a look at some of our

top stories this morning -- a pennsylvania judge has delayed the child sex abuse trial of former penn state assistance coach, jerry sandusky. he cited various contingencies pushing the date to early june. sandusky faces 5 counts of child -- faces 52 counts of child sex abuse. a fire in southern virginia consumers a furniture plant. nearly 100 firefighters were called. at one point, embers across the river endangering several nearby homes. one firefighter had to be treated for heat exhaustion. investigators don't suspect foul play, and the cause of that fire is still under investigation. you're not going to want to miss this video. from dudeperfect.com comes a shot to literally top all shots. for their 100th video, the guys went all out, riding high in a goodyear blimp. you see there, oh, swish! they're going to do it.

come on slam scram let's watch what they do! holy cow! whoa. that was amazing. the dudes made a seeming the impossible shot right there. they've done other incredible shots, from nose bleed seats at basketball arenas, from a giant sling shot, and even fired one from a bow and arrow. >> that was very impressive. in this morning's consumer alert, looking to cut costs? the world's largest consumer electronics chain is closing some stores. best buy says it plans to close 50 big box stores nationwide to concentrate on its smaller best buy mobile outlets. the move will cut $800 million in costs. the news comes as the company reports a fiscal fourth quarter loss. best buy will open 100 small mobile locations in 2013. speaking of google, it may be

coming out with its own tablet. a government official says the pink slime controversy could lead to higher beef prices for you. 11 news reporter jane king has those stories in this morning's bloomberg business report. >> good morning. consumers may soon be paying for more beef. texas governor rick pr i says that's -- rick perry says that's because of misinformation. he says retailers who stop using the product, coupled with a record drought in texas, which is impacting the size of the cattle herd, is a formula for a fairly significant price hike in beef. meantime, google trying to jump into the tablet market. "the wall street journal" says they'll sell co-branded tablets directly to consumers. sources tell "the journal" it may sell devices from a variety of manufacturers, as google won't actually make the devices. one thing we're keeping an eye on today, a report on consumer spending. the economy is in recovery mode. economists forecast it will show a rise in spending in february, especially for cars as the job market improves. and yesterday, mixed close for markets. some healthcare stocks

finishing higher on speculation the supreme court will overturn aspects of the affordable care act. and the bloomberg maryland index lower on losses for under armour. the three stooges invading six flags america. in a partnership with 20th century fox, it's promoting the upcoming film, "three stooges" with an april stooge day on april 1. six flags offering a discount for a package of three general admission tickets for $99. you can only buy it online. at the new york stock exchange, i'm bloomberg's jane king for wbal-tv 11 news. >> in this morning's education alert -- the number of students enrolled in maryland colleges is expected to jump 20% over the next decade. what does that mean for maryland students? the board of regents says schools will be forced to raise the price of things like meals and parking and dormitories. students say they already pay enough, and they'll move off campus just to save money. but the regents say it's the cost of doing business. >> every year, it costs more to

turn the lights on. we need to make improvements to the dorms, make improvements to the apartments. overall, i think we've done a very good job of keeping those costs as modest as possible, keeping those costs down. >> and the cost of tuition also expected to go up next year. >> the time is 6:20, 39 degrees on tv hill. still ahead -- we'll take another look at your morning commute and some problems in the city. >> and they seem to be a problem during the regular season, but it's fun to watch the orioles play the yankees in the grapefruit league. keith mills has highlights, and he joins us live. >> and meantime, here are last night's maryland lottery numbers. good luck.

>> welcome back. let's take a look at your morning commute, see what you can expect. one accident of note, right there in the city at patterson park and government street. -- and goth street. no problems down to edmonson. 59 on the north side between 95 and the harrisburg expressway, no problems. if you want to head south right in the area of shawon road, 62 miles per hour all the way down toward the beltway. here's a live view of traffic. we'll update 50 at sandy point, the bay bridge is looking good at this hour, as well as the rest of the area bridges. we'll switch over to a live view of traffic in the area of

95 at white marsh, and we're not seeing much of a delay there, but volume is building south of white marsh down toward the beltway. we'll let you know when those delays start to develop. that's the latest on traffic pulse 11. tony, over to you. >> good morning, everyone. we're off to a quiet start. it's a little cold, but there's nothing going on, and that's a good thing. let's take a look at the current temperatures. 52 in frederick. could be frost out there. 37 at the airport. it's 45 downtown. the forecast for today, increasing clouds. it should stay dry during the day, but we'll see a chance for rain showers this evening and overnight. the high temperature right around 59. we'll check the seven-day forecast when i come back. but first, here's the man, keith mills. >> thank you, tony. good morning, everybody. opening day for the orioles, one week from today at camden yards, as the birds open with the minnesota twins. last night in tampa, they played the yankees for the second time this year. they beat them again. birds 2-0 against the yanks this spring.

buck showalter happy with the start from jason ham -- jason hammel. raul ibanez did miss this baby, and hammel left with the 3-1 lead. that's because wieters and hammel did the job offensively. reynolds with the bloop. wieters with a double and triple. he's 10-13. in the ninth, ronny paulino with a chopper. 4-3, the ols win. five more games in sarasota, one in norfolk, then back to baltimore for the season opener one week from today. huge weekend of men's college lacrosse. john hopkins plays north carolina at the meadowlands tomorrow. the blue jays rank number one. while fourth-ranked loyola at home. the buckeyes' basketball team in new orleans for the final four. the lacrosse team in baltimore against the red-hot loyola greyhounds, ranked fourth in the country and a perfect 8-0 this year. the greyhoundses have been rock

solid on both ends of the floor, and the coach hopes his team can continue their solid play tomorrow against ohio state. >> we're playing good, solid defense on one end of the field, and, you know, we're at our best when the ball hits the ground, and defensively we're either making some saves or knocking the ball to the ground. and then that gives us the ability to run. we've always talked about trying to be a team that can run, but this year, really, it's coming together at the other end. >> maryland and virginia tomorrow as well. ok, take two now. final four, ladies, who do you like? >> i picked kansas last time. i'm picking kentucky. >> i'm going with kentucky. >> so at noon you'll pick ohio state? >> she's consistently inconsistent. nothing wrong with that. >> trying to follow along. just trying. >> 6:27, temperature is at 37 degrees on tv hill. coming up -- an argument over trees leads to a deadly

confrontation. that story is coming up. plus -- >> it's the largest jackpot ever. i'm nadia ramdass. we're talking mega millions in a live report. >> and in the dead of the night, hundreds of maryland's best and brightest are shipping out in service of their country. we'll hear more from them, when we'll hear more from them, when 11 news today continues.

>> good morning. welcome back to 11 news today. i'm jennifer franciotti. >> and i'm sarah caldwell. thanks so much for joining us. tony, lots of lawn mowing to do, especially for you this weekend. hopefully it won't be a washout. >> when do you think i'm going mow the lawn? i'm not doing any of that stuff. anyhow, weatherwise, we have a little rain friday night into saturday morning. up until that time, the weather is going to be fine. it's cold right now. the temperatures are in the low 30's in some of the far northwest suburbs. we'll warm up quickly this morning, but clouds will thicken up as well. high temperature expected near 59, and again, this evening and overnight, there is the chance for rain. we'll talk about that in the seven-day forecast in just a few minutes. >> all right. it's the largest mega millions jackpot ever, and thousands of people across the state are hoping to become overnight

millionaires. >> this week's record-breaking jackpot is worth an estimated $540 million and could climb even higher. 11 news reporter nadia ramdass has the story. i'm all choked up. >> i can't blame you, it's $540 million, my goodness. with so many people around the country buying tickets, the jackpot could climb even higher than $540 million. mega millions has reached a fever pitch. >> for $10 worth, oh, my god, i couldn't pass up the biggest jackpot ever. >> the jackpot is worth an estimated $540 million. after taxes and when everything is said and done, the winner could walk away with a lump sum of nearly $260 million, or a yearly payment of $13.8 million. but so much money on the line, people like michael are already thinking about how they would spend all that money. >> help my niece get money for

college, help my sister get a house. >> the sodse apop shop in catonsville has already sold more than 1,300 this week. tickets are also high across the country, which means more people are interested in playing, and that could make the jackpot even higher. >> it's a long shot. but i figure, oh, well, let me try. >> a long shot indeed. the odds of anyone winning the jackpot is one in 176 million. you actually have a better chance of getting bitten by a shark or even becoming a saint. >> well, i wasn't counting on being canonized anyway, so that means my odds are even better. >> and for those who have yet to buy their winning ticket, keep in mind, ticket sales end tonight at 10:45, and the drawing is soon after. reporting live from northwest baltimore, nadia ramdass, wbal-tv 11 news. >> a baltimore county man hoping to have a vehicular manslaughter conviction wiped from his record is going home

empty handed. matthew miller hoped to reduce his conviction in the 2007 death of 18-year-old kevin ryan to probation before judgment. but because of the nature of the offense and strong opposition from the victim's family and the community, the judge refused miller's request. >> i felt sorry, and i accept his apology. i just think, in this case, he let his lawyer lead him too quickly to this motion and try to force it. and i think you can forgive people over time, but it's hard to do when it's jammed down your throat. >> the probation before judgment would have erased miller's felony conviction and expanded his employment opportunities. a fight over trees has turned deadly in allegheny county. state police say an ongoing dispute over property lines reached a boiling point between alexander and dennis on thursday night. this after three trees were cut

down and put no trespassing signs on the stump. when he was confronted, police say he shot him in the chest. he died of his injuries. he's charged with manslaughter and is being held on $300,000 bail. >> it's been a long day already for the men and women in the maryland national guard's 175th operations and maintenance wing. that's because, just after midnight, about 300 of the unit packed up for deployment to afghanistan. they'll arrive at bagram air base in afghanistan, serve as ground support staff. it's never a routine deployment, as the master sergeant will tell you. this is his 10th time going overseas. >> this is not my first rodeo, so i know more or less what this expect. you always have the little sense of anything could happen, but we've got a bunch of good guys here that we know will take care of everything, get things done, get things done right and safely.

>> well, these guard members will be deployed anywhere from 90 to 180 days. to them, we say good luck and please come home safe. >> time now to take a look at your morning commute, see what's going on on the roads. looks like we have an accident still clearing right there in the city at patterson park and goth street. other than that, we continue to move well. it's friday, so we tend to have a little bit less volume until later on in the morning rush. we're at 51 there on the west side. 58 on the north side. 63 as you make your way south on the faceburg expressway at shawon. those speeds continue from the maryland line all the way down to the beltway. so far, problem-free on the j.f.x. into town. here's a live view at traffic at 50 and sandy point. the bay bridge checking out just fine. no problems at the toll plaza there. we'll switch over to a live view of 95 coming in toward the fort mchenry tunnel. coming toward us is southbound traffic out of the toll plaza. we're looking at a nice start there, a smooth ride as well at

the harbor tunnel. that's the latest on traffic pulse 11. town has a check on your forecast. hi, tony. >> good morning, everyone. things are pretty quiet. it's cold, but there's nothing going on, and that's a good thing. 37 degrees at the airport right now. even colder in some of the northwest suburbs. the forecast for today, 59. clouds will thicken up as we head into the late afternoon. there could be rain this evening and overnight. some of those showers will probably last into saturday morning. i think it will clear up late in the day on saturday with a high near 58. 62 on sunday. we're back into the 70's by tuesday of next week. there could be scattered thunderstorms at that time, so not the best forecast going into the weekend, but it's certainly not going to be a washout. >> thank you, tony. 6:36, 37 degrees on tv hill. still ahead -- it's sure one of the cutest little fur balls we've ever seen. there's a reason we're telling you about this little guy. >> and we're still picking your answers to our water cooler question of the day. will you be buying more mega millions tickets than usual for tonight's jackpot?

share your response on wbaltv.com, on our facebook page, or send us an email to watercooler@wbaltv.com.

>> a new polar bear cub is melting the hearts of german zoo goers. this is anori. he's charmed audiences for years before his sudden and untimely death. that was last march.

so, anori was born on january 4 and is now walking around in her pen under her mother's watchful eye. isn't she sweet? >> she's adorable. the chicago area's brookfield zoo has a furry dafplgse we're going to show you this kitten born on february 14. after a fairly rough start, the 6-week-old is now responding well to being hand fed. they're half the size of domestic house cats and are the smallest of an can felines, and there's only about 60 on display in north america. wouldn't you like take that little guy home? >> oh, my goodness, that is the sweetest little kitten. >> fit in the palm of your hand. >> lots of markings. very nice. >> adorable. he's so cute. >> well, the time right now is 6:39, 37 degrees on tv hill. still ahead -- we'll have a look at our top stories and some of your answer toss our water cooler question of the day. it's all about the lottery. >> we'll also check out the morning commute. this is green spring. going away from us is inner

loop traffic. not bad at all. >> and it's going to be a beautiful sunrise in just a few minutes. the clouds are going to thicken up over the next few hours, and rain is on the way. we'll talk about that. ♪ beth! hi! looking good. you've lost some weight. thanks. you noticed.

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>> welcome back to 11 news today. it's 6:44. for the first time since taking office, governor martin o'malley has commuted the life prison sentences for two inmates. mark grant was sentenced to life when he was 14 for a fatal shooting during a robbery. he's had his sentence commuted to a term of life with ought bull 45 years suspended. and tamarus settles was convicted of felony murder in the slaying of a man that her boyfriend killed during a robbery back in 1984.

and after nearly a year of postponement and delays, a jury of nine women and three men has been seated in the retrial of twin brothers accused of setting a pit bull on fire. prosecutors say evidence, including video surveillance and witness accounts, shows travers and tremayne johnson were behind the death of a dog who was later named phoenix. according to the defense, attorneys say the city botched the crime scene from the very beginning and succumbed to public pressure. the brothers' first trial ended in a hung jury. and city officers respond to a stabbing in west baltimore, just about 12:30 last night. police arrived at the corner of north longwood street to investigate the stabbing of a 50-year-old woman. no word on her condition. >> all right, let's check what's going on on the roads. several accidents since we checked in with you last. there are some in the area of route 24 and edgewood road. that's the latest coming in to us, and police are arriving on the scene there as we speak. also, southbound 95 right at

the fort mchenry toll plaza, watch for an accident that could tie things up as you make your way south. patterson park, there's an accident in the city, so we're getting reports of a spill in howard county right at highland road and brighton dam road. around 35 on the west side now, so between 70 and edmonson, you're looking at a slowdown in the outer loop, but not too bad overall. the north side continues to run smoothly. live view of traffic, and an update on 83, southbound traffic looking good. in fact, from the maryland line all the way down to the beltway, we're not showing any delays. we've been checking our speeds, and not much in the way of delays there. looking good at green spring going away from us towards the j.f.x. once you get on into town, problem-free all the way down toward 28th street. and that's the latest on traffic pulse 11. tony, over to you. >> good morning, everyone. so far, so good. it's a quiet start. we'll see the clouds thicken up over the next couple of hours. but in the short term, we've got high pressure anchored over new england that's going to

keep this stuff away from us for a while, but there is an area of low prurp in the mississippi valley that's heading eastbound, and that's eventually going to give us a chance for rain starting tonight and probably into tomorrow morning. and you can see the high, thin clouds kind of streaking out ahead of that system. skies will be clear for most of the night, so that's why they've had a chance to drop off and get so cold late last night. it's in the low 30's in our northwest suburbs. rain isn't far behind. you can see showers across west virginia into western maryland, western pennsylvania. this first batch of rain i think is going to fall apart, at least the leading edge of it, so we'll get through the day today dry with clouds thickening up, and we'll hold off the rain until probably after 6:00 or 7:00 tonight. 37 at the airport, but down to 33 in taneytown. 32 in frederick f. you're watching up here in the far northwest suburbs, you guys might see a little frost on your windshield. 46 in annapolis. it's 42 degrees in rock hall. the forecast for today, increasing clouds, a mix of sun and clouds, a chance for rain showers this evening, but dry during the day. the high temperatures will be in the upper 50's. and for a change, that's right

around average for this time of the year. the average high is 59. the record, 89 set back in is the 98. we haven't said average temperatures for a while. we've either been way above or way below. mostly cloudy tonight, a chance for rain showers. temperatures will drop back into the 40's. the seven-day forecast going into the weekend, not the best start for us. we're going to see a chance for rain to begin the day on saturday. it will be a light rain. if you have outdoor plans on saturday, try to do it as late in the day as you can. i think the rain will taper off as you go into the middle of the afternoon. 58 for a high temperature. sunday looks like a decent day, 62. then it gets warm again, upper 60's and low 70's on monday and tuesday before another front cools us off into the 50's by thursday of next week. >> and taking a last look at our big story, mega millions mania hits maryland as the record-breaking jackpot now over half a million dollars, and it gets drawn tonight. 11 news reporter nadia ramdass

joins us live from northwest baltimore with that story. hey, nadia >> hey, jennifer, and excitement is contagious. with so many people around the country buying tickets, the jackpot could climb even higher than the $540 million. and with all this excitement, it's no surprise mega millions has reached a fever pitch. now, the soda pop shop in catonsville has already sold about,1,300 tickets this week alone. the jackpot is worth an estimated $540 million. after taxes, the winner could walk away with a lump sum of nearly $260 million, or a yearly payment of $13.8 million. but the odds of getting your hands on this money are very slim. officials say the odds of anyone winning the mega millions jackpot is one in 176 million. experts say you have a greater chance of having a shark bite you or becoming a sanity than winning the jackpot. now, time is of the essence. ticket sales end tonight at 10:45, and the drawing is

shortly after. reporting live from northwest baltimore, nadia ramdass, wbal-tv 11 news. >> all right, thank you, nadia. time now for a look at some of your answers to our water cooler question of the day. >> this morning, we asked, will you be buying more mega millions tickets than usual for tonight's record-breaking jackpot? >> i bought twice as many. i understand it doesn't really improve your chances. however, it does prolong the expense of whether you have going to have more money, family and friends than you've ever known before. >> jerry writes, yep, i bought more than usual, although i wanted to increase my chance at a piece of the huge jackpot. >> and katie writes, i typically would not, as i never win anything. however, within the last two day, i had a dream that a friend was pregnant, and she is! i had a feeling about a potential job opportunity, and it's coming to fruition. they say things happen in threes, we shall see. yes, we shall. we'll post moreness answers on the front page of wbaltv.com. >> katie's got the odds working with her. >> i know. i love t. >> 6:49, .degrees on tv hill.

>> stale head -- we'll have a last look at weather and traffic before you head out.

>> you might be wondering why both stan and mindy are off this morning. it's because they both had a very late night in an event in stan's honor. it was recognizing his accomplishments as one of the 50 most influential people in maryland. >> yeah, good job, stan. we're so psyched. two of his closest colleagues were there for the celebration. >> donna hamilton here, mindy basara, and we're here at a reception for very influential

people. there are some incredibly important people here. i mean, really impressive individuals. 50 most influential people in maryland, right? >> exactly. and guess what. >> one of them is stan stovall. >> our 11 news' stan stovall, he's right here. hey, congratulations. >> thank you, donna. thank you, mindy. i appreciate it. i appreciate you guys being here. >> how are you feeling right now? >> i did get you guys off work, didn't i? >> no, i feel honored. i was telling folks that, this is really a testament to, if you live long enough and you work hard enough or enough years, event we'll somebody's got to recognize you for doing something. >> someone is going to notice. >> no, i'm very appreciative to both "the daily record," stevenson university. it's very kind of them much >> congratulations to you. >> congratulations. >> thank you. thank you both. >> go enjoy your party. >> party of the reason why i'm here is because i have such a great team. my morning wife and evening wife, we're a good team. that's what makes it work. >> thank you for the props. >> go have fun with your party. we dragged a way.

>> did you have any idea he was that influential? >> i had no idea he was that important. >> that's crazy. have you ever asked him to use his influence for you? >> well, i might now. >> i've got a parking ticket. >> i know, i've got lots of parking tickets. >> let's check it out. >> we could find out, i don't know. >> i know him, too. >> ok. >> you should have stayed right there on the shot with them. >> hilarious. >> all kidding aside, consummate professional, just a great human being, so congratulations, stan, really. >> what an honor. >> all kidding aside, it is well deserved. all right, let's take one last look at the forecast before we get out. temperatures are kind of cold right now. it's in the low 30's in the northwest suburbs. you're going to notice that. there could even be a little frost on your windshield up in frederick and carroll county. it's not that cold around baltimore. we're going to make it to 59 this afternoon. clouds will thicken up. a chance for rain showers tonight and into saturday morning, and then it should clear up for the rest of the weekend. not the best forecast for the weekend, but it's not going to

be a washout. >> use your influence. >> i shall. i don't know if i have that kind of influence, maybe stan does. >> he knows one or two people. >> let's see what's going on on the roads. right now, we have an accident that we're tracking at route 24 and edgewood road there in harford county. another problem further south that could be cleared, just in the past few minutes, southbound 95 right at the fort mchenry toll plaza. patterson park -- it's happening to me now -- there's an accident in the city. and then we also have a spill of some sort in highland right at highland road. let's see what's going on on the west side. 33 miles an hour down toward i-70. delays forming there, but still moving well on the north side. a quick look outside if we have time. yeah, a couple of cameras. 95 at the tydings memorial bridge, looking good. no delays and no construction. and 50 right at 97, great shape at this hour. >> and if you win, golf clubs for you? >> well, that will be the first for you. >> guitar for my husband. >> really long vacation. >> all right. >> and if you're looking for

more weather and traffic, join us for 11 news at 7:00 a.m. on wbal-tv plus. all you'll find more local news and updated information. >> thanks so much for joining us for 11 news today. >> we're back with a live update at 7:25. >> have a good one. >> this is a wbal-tv 11 news editorial from president and

general manager, dan jarus. >> the season ended on tuesday, a few games short for the lady terrapins. a top 10 team again this year, the university of marand women's basketball team made the college community and the state proud. their strong performance cemented the team's place among the nation's elite. off the court, the coach has also cemented her position as a warrior mom. with her son, tyler's dfings leukemia in 20 10, the coach made it her mission to made sure her son has what he needs to fight the disease. she lobbied congress to do its part to provide cancer-fighting drugs for patients when shortages threatened recovery. she has looked to raise money and awareness of childhood leukemia with team tyler, a nonprofit foundation grown out of the respect and love former and current players have for their beloved leader. she's not just the coach we all want our children to play for, she's an example of the person we want our children to be. she is tough, yet disciplined,

compassionate and determined. with a coach like that, the lady terrapins will remain winners. with a mom like that, tyler and his twin brother, marcus, 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.