>> a sex offender goes on trial this morning. that story in a live report. >> down but not alpert rick santorum is counting on pennsylvania voters to bring back his campaign -- down but not out. >> the american economy -- getting back to work. >> it will be a good day, another great one like yesterday. how about the weekend? [captioning made possible by constellation energy group] captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- >> live, local, late-breaking, this is wbal-tv 11 news today. >> good morning. i am jennifer franciotti. >> i am sarah caldwell. thanks for joining us for 11 news today.

ava as a check on the forecast. >> maybe today is a good day for people who want to enjoy what spring should be. 46 at the airport. a cold start to the day. as we head into the afternoon, we are right where we should be this time of year. temperatures around 59 at 3:00 p.m. and a high temperature of 60 degrees. you'll see a lot of sunshine. >> it has been light for the morning commute all week because it has been spring break. 64 traveling southbound on the harrisburg expressway. on the north side, 62 over towards towson. problem free on the west side. 10 minutes to go south on 95 towards 32. five minutes on 95 from the 895

split to the fort mchenry. this is the key bridge. looking good so far even to the construction zone. a pretty smooth ride. this is traffic in the fort mchenry tunnel. southbound traffic is problem free in terms of delays. no incidents in howard county. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> a man police once described as public enemy number 1 for sex offenses is about to stand trial. >> his name is nelson clifford and he is accused of three rapes in the city. nadia ramdass is live with that story. >> a man who was once described as public enemy number one goes on trial later this morning. his motive was to break into

homes while his victims were sleeping. evidence linked the man to three rapes in baltimore city last year over a two-month period. authorities think there could be more victims out there. >> he catches them unaware. he typically blindfolds them with clothing, rapes and sexually assaults them. >> the trial is set for later this morning. reporting live, nadia ramdass, wbal-tv 11 news. >> thank you. prosecutors are expected to announce whether they plan to retry a man accused of killing his twin brother. a man is accused in the 2000 murder of his brother. officials will lay out their plan for possible pretrial. -- retrial.

javell heath was killed. anyone with information is asked to call metro crime stoppers at 1-866-7-lockup. callers could receive up to $80,000 reward -- up to a $2,000 reward. >> campus police say a noose was found and then somebody vandalized an elevator by scribbling anti-semitic messages and symbols. some students have been shaken. >> we are in a huge campus but so many people of different races. what are we still having to things to eache other?

>> people are still a director to make comments like that. >> officials say there will not tolerate such behavior. a registered sex offender is back into is troubling ways. michael villa was arrested on tuesday after allegedly trying to record woman. police say he tried to record the three differ went by placing a cell phone beanies the bathroom stall doors. he faces a peeping tom charges. >> a woman said she was roughed up is getting a nearly six- figure apology. back in july of 2009, venus green got into a squabble with police. this was after her grandson was shot and wounded.

police insisted the shooting happened inside their home and they pushed their way in. >> they threw me across the chair and put handcuffs on me and started calling me a name. and they ridiculed me. >> she locked the basement door. she took matters into her own a hands. >> that was my prerogative. they had no search warrant. >> she suffered a separated shoulder in that fight. she sued the department. a jury has a $620,000 after a sheriff's deputy shot their dog.

the sheriff entered the house illegally. the dog now meets lifelong medical care and phases and amputation of its leg. several witnesses are being uncooperative to testify in the second proceeding against travers and tremayne johnson. the johnson brothers' first trial ended in a hung jury. >> there will be a press conference to discuss the status of the jackpot. hopefully it will shed some light. there was a press conference on wednesday by the lawyer of the woman who sort of claims to have the winning ticket. it wanted to tell the media they had nothing to say. he could not say his client was a winner.

>> that is the case. i cannot say that this ticket exists. i would caution anybody for processing that it does exist. >> mirlande wilson has yet to file an official claim with the lottery. >> five northeastern states are up next in the republican primary race. tara mergener tells us rick santorum's home state of pennsylvania is shaping up to be the biggest battleground. >> rick santorum is undeterred, his sights now set on the keystone state.

>> we're going to win pennsylvania. >> rick santorum shows no sign of bowing out. excited. >> it is a battle against barack obama. >> after the clean sweep in wisconsin, maryland, and d.c., rick santorum is rallying voters in pennsylvania. a win could be a do-or-die. >> his fantasy is he wins in pennsylvania and somehow romney stumbles and there's more momentum towards him, and then texas follows several weeks after that. maybe he can win in texas. and maybe there's some momentum. >> please help me defeat barack obama in november. >> mitt romney is also targeting pennsylvania voters. >> we have to get him out of office. he does not understand what is

happening in the country. in part because of what he has been doing wrong. >> he hopes a victory will bring an end to his closest rivals' candidacy once and for all. >> let's get out and vote and get the job done. >> ron paul and newt gingrich say they will stay in the race until the republican national convention in august. tara mergener, wbal-tv 11 news. >> 6:09. 46 degrees on tv hill. red bull may lono longer give you wings. the final autopsy results are in for whitney houston, what investigators found. >> a storm system is moving into the east but it is looking to stay to our south.

>> looks like a nice start at the fort mchenry. the fort mchenry. will update you on the

i can get a smartphone with verizon 4g lte ? it'd be so easy to check facebook, send emails. and the screen is easier to read in sunlight ! the universe is practically telling me to get a smartphone. it's like, "lisa, it'd be super cool if you got a smartphone. also, i like your outfit." thanks universe, let's get me a lucid. come in and say hello to your new, easy to use smartphone. the lucid by lg for only $79.99. verizon.

>> welcome back to 11 news today. 6:13. 50 degrees downtown. you can see the sun is try to

make its way up. we will have mostly sunny skies. will be a pretty quiet day but the temperature is much different. we were in the mid 70's yesterday. places, near 80 degrees. 46 at the airport. 42 in parkton. oakland, currently at the freezing mark. there'll be quite a bit of sunshine today. thin clouds coming in from the west. 60 in central maryland. 57 in ocean city. a few clouds today. it cooler day. the wind is out of the north, 5

to 10 miles per hour. high temperature between 58 and 62. more clouds building it up to our north and around d.c. these are very thin clouds. south of this storm system, we have a threat for severe weather. looks like a slight risk is down to our south in the gulf coast states. we stay away from the severe weather threat. 58 tomorrow for opening day at camden yards. most of the day will be dry. most of easter will be dry. >> we have a problem in the aberdeen area in harford county. an accident along pulaski highway and bel air avenue. watch for some lane closures and possible delays. 62 on southbound 83.

62 on the north side. up to speed over towards towson. 10 minutes to go from about way down to 32 on 95. 895, about eight minutes to travel there. the east side of the beltway is running smoothly. this is traffic near the fort mchenry. a pretty smooth ride around the area overall. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> the cleanup continues in north texas after more than a dozen tornadoes caused widespread damage. thousands remained without power. 800 homes were severely damaged.

a former sheriff will spend some time in jail after being caught on tape trading drugs for sex. the surveillance video shows the former sheriff offering meth to wait now informant. officers take solvent into custody. he will spend 30 days in jail -- of as a state sullivan into custody. detectives found a white substance and the mirror in the hotel bathroom where whitney houston's body was found. she drowned in a bathtub. heart disease and drug abuse were contributing factors. >> there is a quarantine to

protect california's citrus crop from a citrus disease. there is a past that causes a citrus disease that creates bitter fruit and eventually kills the tree. the disease threatens the industry. you could end up paying more at the grocery store. in a half of americans are not taking all their vacation time. americans have an average of 18 vacation days a year. 40% chose not to take half or more of their vacation time in 2011. that brings us to our water cooler question of the day. have you left vacation time on the table because you didn't want to have more work waiting for you when you came back? you can share your response on wbaltv.com, on our facebook page, or send us an e-mail to

watercooler@wbaltv.com. a lawmaker wants to regulate your caffeine intake with energy drinks. jane king has the bloomberg business report. >> good morning. may no longer give you wings. energy drinks can contain three times as much caffeine than sodas. . win in court for mcdonald's a lawsuit has been dismissed. payless the subject of a takeover? the wholesale unit boosted sales 24% last year.

potential buyers will have to take on their debt. a down day for the market yesterday. investors are still concerned about europe's financial picture. the bloomberg maryland index was lower on losses for under armour. barbie is running for office. women can be president -- you can follow her campaign via social media. at the new york stock exchange, i'm jane king, bloomberg news, for wbal-tv 11 news. >> i would like to hear her ideas. >> 43 degrees on tv hill. there is an accident in aberdeen. >> america's pastime makes its prime-time debut for the 2012

season tonight. keith mills will of highlights. >> here is a look at last night's winning maryland lottery numbers. good luck.

mm, these artisan bagels are so tasty. hey, what do you think "artisan" means? it's latin. for what? really, really good bagels. dunkin's new artisan bagels are as authentic as it gets. soft, chewy, and delicious. grab one today.

honey, that's my cup of tea. yours is over there. oops. dunkin's iced tea is freshly brewed to delicious perfection. right now get any size for just 99 cents. >> now traffic pulse 11 and insta-weather plus together. >> that's the you up to date on the roads. we start in aberdeen and route way.pulaski high we

36 street in this city, another accident. everything moving well on the j.f.x. southbound into town. 59 traveling southbound on 795 towards the owings mills area. problem free on the harrisburg expressway. this is 795 at franklin boulevard. traffic moving well down towards the beltway. is the j.f.x. at ruxton road. checking out just fine. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> a bit of a chilly start to the day. temperatures around 50 degrees downtown. 42 in parkton. 43 in westminster. 39 in gaithersburg.

temperatures will be cooler this morning. high temperatures from 58 to 62 degrees. cooler weather continues for opening day for the orioles. now we go to sports with keith mills. >> thank you. good morning. right now the nfl draft begins three weeks from tonight. ozzie newsome and john harbaugh held their annual predraft press conference. the subject of free agency came up. "will you be signing any more free agents?" >> regardless of what the number we are at the cap, the three of us, we have a plan. we talked yesterday and we talked with the cap basically every day.

if there's a good player that could come in and help our football team, will fit him under our cap. >> the ravens always have a plan. the preseason schedule is out. a game at home against the lions. they in the preseason against the rams. the regular season is due out in just a couple of weeks. the orioles open the season against the twins. the old orange bowl was the site of the opener with the marlins against the cardinals. not much to cheer about if you're a marlon's fin's fan. david freese picked up we left

off. kyle lohse had a no-hitter into the seventh. the cardinals win 4-1. round one of the masters is coming up today. who do you guys like? >> rory. >> good choice. o's prediction. >> 102 wins and the world series championship. >> 6:27. what batman really enjoys is bringing smiles to the faces of children. >> a man goes on trial. that story in a live report. >> sandusky heads to court as

his trial begins this morning. >> we will check your morning commute as we check 95 in the area of 395. there is an accident in theac

>> live, local, late-breaking, this is wbal-tv 11 news today. >> good morning. welcome back to 11 news today. i am sarah caldwell. >> i'm jennifer franciotti. thanks for joining us for 11 news today. we have some showers to the south. >> all the showers are moving south of this. 46 degrees at the airport -- all the showers are moving south of us. it will be mostly sunny into the afternoon. a high of 59. temperatures very similar for tomorrow. >> we want to get to the big story.

>> a man the police are accusing of multiple rapes. he is set to stand trial today. >> nadia ramdass is liv. the man once described as public enemy number one goes on trial later this morning. investigators describe nelson clifford as a predator. he has been linked to three rapes in baltimore city last year. >> he has been public enemy number one for a number of years. >> the first was in november. a woman described being raped by a man with long nails. he threatened to hurt her and her children. two days later, a woman told police she was raped at knifepoint, as her attacker threatened to slash her face.

>> we are confident that nelson clifford was the person responsible for these incidents. >> he was already in the dna database. he has a record dating back to the 1990's. he was arrested last year. dna linked him to a third case, and attempted rapes on harlem avenue. his m.o. is to break into a house in the early hours while the victim is still sleeping. >> he catches them unaware. he typically blindfolds them with clothing, rapes and sexually assaults them. >> investigators believe there could be more victims. the trial is set for later this morning. nadia ramdass, wbal-tv 11 news.

>> the governor's bill to harness wind power remains stock in a senate committee. six votes are needed to advance the measure -- remains stuck in a senate committee. consumers would be built to fund government subsidies -- consumers would be billed to fund government subsidies. >> 8 cases of salmonella in maryland. 93 ellises have been reported in 19 states and the district of columbia. a specific food has not been identified as the source. investigators are said to be looking at sushi. >> the caped crusader of gotham

city paid a visit to sinai hospital. ise man behind the mask a baltimore businessman. >> i walked in and i picked her up and held her in my arms. she smiled. her mother said that was the first time she had smiled in months. might be the first time she smiled in all of 2012. that alone is worth the trip. >> he is been traveling around the state as batman. he was pulled over by police last month. his batmobile did not have a proper license plate. >> the government releases the

latest jobs numbers tomorrow and there are indications the economy is picking up. the service industry is seeing a boom in hiring. brian mooar reports from washington. >> the toughest job in america -- finding a job -- is getting a little easier. >> when i first got out of school, it was very hard to find a job. i had to settle for something less than what i wanted. >> now she is managing a restaurant. the restaurant opened as the economy was tanking. the owner sees reason to be optimistic. > there's been a significant dip. >> for the first three months, the economy added an average of 245,000 jobs a month.

the unemployment rate -- 8.3%. the biggest rebound has been in the service industry -- restaurants, hotels, and retail. >> many shoppers are confident going to stores and spending more. that is helping as well. >> what is not helping is the rising price of gas, making it harder for americans who are working to keep what they make. the president will sign the jobs act. it is designed to help small businesses and the jobs they create. brian mooar, wbal-tv 11 news. >> pretrial motions will take place this morning for jerry sandusky. ann shannon joins us live now from pennsylvania with a look at what we can expect today. >> good morning. jerry sandusky is expected to be in court today.

his attorney said he will ask the judge to dismiss all charges in this case. state troopers arrested jerry sandusky and put in in handcuffs after a lengthy grand jury investigation. it is alleged he abused 10 boys and many of its victims are from the charity he started, which was supposed to help disadvantaged youth. he has maintained his innocence. his attorney is expected to order the statute of limitations in some of these cases has expired. arguments are expected to take the majority of the day. that is the story from here from the courthouse. >> thank you, ann shannon. >> now traffic pulse 11 and insta-weather plus together. check of your

morning commute. volume has been on the light side this week. we do have some accidents to mention. pulaski highway and bel air avenue, we have an accident. 36th street, we have an accident in the city. the north and west side are checking out fine. another one on millersville road at route 3 in anne arundel county. we start with 295 at 32. southbound traffic looks very light. this is 95 at 395, checking out just fine. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. ava has a check under forecasts. >> the sun is coming up.

we should see a great deal of sunshine with a high around 60 degrees in central maryland. 57 in ocean city. big forecast for tomorrow. the twins are coming into town. a first pitch temperature around 58 degrees. we cannot rule out a sprinkle any time tomorrow but i do think it will stay mostly dry. >> 6:38. 43 degrees on tv hill. find out the big plans for the p

>> for anyone who suffers through the pain of high heels, this next door was like an answer to prayer. vending find machines that sell flat shoes. the idea came from nightclub goer.lub- >> that is the best story. we brought you the story of the world's smallest popuppyp.

he received 500 adoption requests. she will be an ambassador for rescue dogs. there is a fund in her name in help to build a maternity ward for all the dogs their rescue. >> she's so cute. >> now carlotta is singing the beyonce song. >>

>> welcome back to 11 news today. 6:44. prosecutors are expected to announce whether they plan to retry a man accused of killing his twin brother.

he is accused of the murder of his brother. officials will play out their plans for a possible retrial and a status conference. two brothers are accused of burning a dog to death. some are refusing to testify in the second proceeding. witness was sentenced to six months in contempt. police are asking for your help in solving a murder case. javell heath was killed last month. anyone with information is asked to call mr. crime stoppers at 1- 866-7-lockup. collins could receive a reward -- callers could receive a reward. >> now traffic pulse 11 and insta-weather plus together. >> if you travel in the next few

minutes, not a lot in the way of delays. we do have some incidents to get to. an accident at bel air and pulaski street. south on 95 to eastbound 195, watch for police activity. of down millersville road, a crash clearing -- northbound. traffic is building just a bit in the southbound direction at 32. this is 95 at 395. not tracking any significant delays. still looking good on the j.f.x. into town. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> thank you. it is a little chilly north of the city. 41 in westminster. 50 degrees at the maryland

science center. we expect temperatures to fall a couple more degrees. we will be warming up to 60 degrees in baltimore and annapolis. 57 on long the eastern shore. this is much cooler than what we saw yesterday. we are about 15 degrees cooler. we're back to the average temperature. we can see it mostly clear skies over baltimore. you'll see a mixture of clouds and sunshine. a cold front is down to our south. it is so far south that will knock it in the showers and not any severe weather. it has been bringing severe weather to the southern states for the past couple of days, including in dallas.

that severe weather threat is down to our south. a slight risk from tennessee down to northern florida. general thunderstorms across north carolina. we have a big day tomorrow at oriole park. the orioles play the twins. a sprinkle as possible. a mixture of sun and clouds. it will feel pretty chilly with wins out of the west, at 10 to 15 miles per hour. up to 61 on saturday. minimal chances for rain on easter sunday. for all the gardners, keep in mind these next couple of nights could be near the freezing mark -- from the gardeners. >> time now for a last look at

one of our big stories. nadia ramdass joins us live from the initial court house. clifford has been described as a public enemy number one. he goes to trial later this morning. his motive is to break into a home in the early morning hours while his victim is sleeping. he has been linked to three rapes. there could be more victims out there. the trial is set in just a few hours. nadia ramdass, wbal-tv 11 news. >> when he was arrested in december, investigators linked him to a third case. >> he was sitting in jail and forensics experts linked his dna

and connective that to a third case. that is forensics at its best. >> nadia ramdass, thank you. >> here is ann curry with a look at what is coming up next on the "today" show. >> good morning. new details on whitney houston's tragic death from the coroner's report. what appears to be drug paraphernalia to rob her hotel room -- throughout her hotel room. the huge backlash to a woman's article claiming women hate her for being beautiful. writer.ear from that ry a controversial father shoot

and our children are doing. jay leno's take on ryan seacrest's visit yesterday. >> 43 degrees on tv hill. >> coming up, we'll take a last look at weather and traffic together before you head out to start your day.

>> time now for some of your answers to our water cooler question of the day. >> this was a fun one. this morning we asked -- have

you left vacation time on the table because you didn't want to have more work waiting for you when you came back? >> we will post more of your answers on the front page of our website, wbaltv.com. i think a lot of people are feeling that way. i'm taking time off. >> if they pass for vacation days we did not take -- that happens in some companies. >> sometimes the best rest is when you are home. >> then there are those who forget they have vacation days and don't tournament until the last minute.

>> we thank you for posting your answers. want to look at traffic. this accident in aberdeen on bel air avenue. 36 street in the city, an accident. another one on the ramp to eastbound 195. in durables, watch for a crash clearing at route 3. 50 at sandy point looks pretty good -- in gambrills, watch for a crash clearing air route 3. it's been a pretty easy week. >> we have a cooler temperatures. mostly sunny today. 58 tomorrow. bring a jacket if you're going to opening day tomorrow. minimal chance for showers on easter sunday. we have a better chance early week.

>> it will be a fun game tomorrow. >>if you're looking for more weather and traffic together, be sure to join us this morning for 11 news at 7:00 a.m. on wbal plus. >> there you'll find more local news as well as up-to-date traffic and weather information. you can find it on comcast channel 208, verizon fios 460, and 11-2. >> thanks for joining us for 11 news today. >> we will be back with a live update at 7:25. >> have a great day. >> follow breaking news and weather any time at wbaltv.com, and stay connected with us on facebook and twitter.