downs. 38 at the airport. it will be pretty cool out there. 51 my lunchtime.-- 51 by lunchtime and chilly once again tonight. the warm-up does come just-in- time for the weekend. >> tracking some problems. this one for about an hour. southbound 702 in essex because of an accident involving a bus. outbound lanes are shut down -- southbound lanes are shut down. the left lane getting by on the east side of the beltway. some of fire activity in the moncton region at jarrettsville plight.

orleans near broadway in the city is closed because of the johns hopkins building dedication. everything will reopen tonigheot is is traffic coming towards the bay bridge and we are not tracking any delays but volume is starting to build on the other side of the bridge. this is franklin boulevard and a buildup of volume southbound. things start to build prior to the beltway. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> falling in nationwide sea of protest, a man has been arrested for killing trayvon martin. >> the special prosecutor said there is enough evidence to charge george zimmerman with murder.

tara mergener has more. >> florida officials have charged george zimmerman with second-degree murder, and federal charges could also follow. >> i cannot share where current efforts will lead us. in this investigation, we will examine the facts and the law. >> that promise from eric holder. george zimmerman was charged with murder. >> we are charging george zimmerman with murder in the second degree. >> he is accused of shooting trayvon martin in february. martin's parents had this reaction. >> we just wanted an arrest. and we got it. and we say thank you. >> this is just the beginning. we have a long way to go and we have faith.

>> there has been a lot of information flowing. a lot has been premature and maybe inappropriate. >> we're confident all of his medical records, when they come to light in the court of law, will exonerate him. >> a second-degree murder conviction in florida carries a charge of 25 years to life without parole. >> this case has put "stand your ground" laws in the spotlight. there's controversy over these laws. >> people can use deadly force if they feel their lives are threatened. about 25 states now have this law in some form. critics say it encourages vigilantism. and it discourages accountability.

this.hear more about >> tara mergener, thank you. maryland is not one of the states with the "stand your ground" law. those laws need to be repealed or form, according to governor bloomberg -- michael bloomberg. >> these laws have nothing to do with the exercise of the second amendment rights. >> that brings us to our water cooler question of the day. do you think states with "stand your ground" laws should allow them to remain on the books? you can share your response on wbaltv.com, on our facebook page, or send us an e-mail to watercooler@wbaltv.com. >> a man is recovering after being shot multiple times. police say it happened wednesday evening near east chase street.

the victim is being treated for non-life-threatening injuries. no word as to a suspect or a possible motive. new details surrounding a church fire in dundalk. 11 news is told it was deliberately set. jennifer franciotti has more. >> good morning. that fire happened here on tuesday night at the pleasant zion baptist church in dundalk. fire investigators say this fire was intentionally set. officials say there was evidence at the scene that led them to classify this as an arson case. the fire cost about $400,000 worth of damage. members will not be able to meet here for the foreseeable future. the archdiocese of baltimore has offered the church a nearby facility to use. they are still deciding where to have sunday services. >> i will leave it in the lord's hands.

i can do anything about it. he fights my battles. >> nobody was inside the church at the time of the fire. >> right now police have no suspects or motives in this case. they are asking for the public's help, and a reward is being offered. jennifer franciotti, wbal-tv 11 news. >> thank you. after three years, travers and tremayne johnson are found not guilty. the jury deliberated for only an hour before reaching that verdict. they said prosecutors to not present a strong enough case. lied and they lied and the ways it all the tax people's money. grateful. >> gregg bernstein said he

respected the jury's decision but was disappointed in the outcome. the woman accused of throwing bleach in walmart has been banned from the store for five years. theresa jefferson will not be able to enter any walmart until 2017. plan guilty last year -- she pled guilty last year. >> a man will spend 20 years before bars. police say sean schleigh forced a boy into a bathroom, and one. shoving a sock down his throat. a man is in police custody after allegedly sexually assaulted a woman after posing as a police officer. police say he picked up the woman in an unlicensed cab last

week and told the woman he was a police officer. then he drove to a dark area and reportedly attacked her. faces numerous sexual attack charges. >> the bank has been robbed in harford county along pulaski highway. the suspect walked in on tuesday afternoon and demanded money. anyone with information should contact detectives. investigators are offering a reward for information that leads to an conviction. >> 40 degrees on tv hill. if your teenager is having a difficult time finding a job this summer, they probably are not lying. >> a high-speed chase and a gun

battle. >> if you want to upgrade your verizon cell phone, gear ready to dig deeper. >> the skies are mostly clear. eight warm-up is coming up in the seven-day forecast. >> we are monitoring an accident in essex along

>> welcome back to 11 news today. 6:12. 45 degrees downtown. that is a beautiful shot of the skycam looking over the inner harbor. hardly a cloud in the sky. pretty chilly across the area. 40's downtown. 38 at the airport. 36 in gaithersburg. 37 degrees in parkton. ocean city, 38 degrees. warmer downtown in ocean city. we will have a lot more sunshine then will we saw yesterday. temperatures are pretty cool. about 59 for the high around baltimore and annapolis. 59 in southern maryland. low to mid 50's in southern

pennsylvania. in the 40's in the mountains. pretty breezy today. winds of about 10 to 20 miles per hour. it makes it feel like it is a couple of degrees cooler. chilly once again tonight. temperatures into the 40's downtown. into the 30's in the suburbs overnight. some areas could be getting near the freezing mark. we encourage people not to plant their gardens to soon. hardly a cloud in the sky from ocean city over towards baltimore. they got some snow in garrett county yesterday. a light snow for the majority of the day. baltimore saw sleet, partially frozen raindrops that fell yesterday. no concerns of sleet today as

high pressure builds in. this high pressure will stick with us for the next couple of days. 60 for the high in new york city. 68 in denver. a lot of sunshine in the east. the warm-up will be coming our way into the next couple of days. 72 on saturday. partly cloudy skies on saturday. a few more clouds as a storm system passes by to our north. low 80's as we passed early into next week. >> not so good if you travel on southbound 702. we have some closures that remain in effect. a charter bus went into a median. we have southbound closures and delays in that area.

eastern boulevard, there are some delays, 33 miles per hour because of an accident. orleans remains closed near broadway because of the johns hopkins hospital building dedication from 3:00 until 11:30 , and everything will reopen f tomorrow. 95 in howard county, southbound at 32 is building. this is traffic in the area of 295 and 175. northbound traffic looking pretty good. not tracking any southbound delays. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> thank you. a police pursuit in southern california turned deadly after officers opened fire on the suspect.

the driver stopped the car, jumped out and pointed something at the officers. officers opened fire and killed the suspect. connecticut is close to getting rid of its death penalty. they voted to abolish capital punishment. the measure now goes to the governor's desk. charles manson will not be getting out on parole any time soon. his 12th bid for parole has been denied. will not be eligible for parole for another 15 years. was convicted for a series of gruesome murders in the los angeles area. >> if you have a verizon cell phone come gear ready to pay more the next time you want to upgrade your phone.

they will begin charging $30 every time a customer wants to upgrade to a new phone. the new fees go into effect on april 22. some doctors are supporting getting mcdonald's out of hospitals. letters were sent to nearly two dozen hospitals that had mcdonald's in their facilities. mcdonald's is not the only fast- food restaurant that is located in a hospital. they are focusing on a mcdonald's because of their industry-leading status. there was a stock slide. how the middle class is hurting overall. jane king has the bloomberg business report.

>> good morning. investors may have breathed a sigh of relief yesterday. s&p halting a five-day decline. the bloomberg maryland index was also higher. we'll see if google comes up with a surprise at what larry page has to say about growing competition from facebook. on women are winning the battle against unemployment more frequently against young man. 110,000 more teenage women were employed compared to last year. gains in service and retail jobs while jobs in construction lagged behind. economists say employees making

above average wages like doctors along with those at the extreme have seen major gains in hired since the jobs recovery began in 2010. middle income jobs are not faring as well. of the reason is advancement in technology that reduce demands for middle skilled jobs. at the new york stock exchange, i'm jane king, bloomberg news, for wbal-tv 11 news. >> 6:19. a row closure is causing delays -- a road closure is causing delays in essex. >> keith mills will have highlights in sports. >> don't forget to e-mail us your response to our water cooler question of the day. do you think states with "stand your ground" laws should allow them to remain on the books? you can share your response on

wbaltv.com, on our facebook page, or send us an e-mail to watercooler@wbaltv.com. >> here is a look at last night's winning maryland lottery numbers.

>> now traffic pulse 11 and insta-weather plus together. >> good morning. sarah caldwell checking on your morning commute.

the major roads continue to look pretty good in terms of delays. we have some delays southbound on 702. all lanes are closed in the southbound direction. a bus accident continues to be cleared. inner loop at eastern boulevard, a 24 miles per hour because of an accident. orleans is closed near broadway because of the johns hopkins hospital building and dedication. everything will reopen later tonight. 11 minutes on the outer loop north side. a bit sluggish spot developing around 70, 12 minutes to get you through that stretch. no delays on the north side. this is security. out of the traffic is looking like delays are forming. -- outer loop traffic.

that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> we have dry conditions so there's no concern for rain on the roads. mostly sunny skies but still cool. high near 60 degrees this afternoon. we have a small craft advisory in effect if you're out on the bay. better at building conditions this weekend -- better at building conditions -- better boating condition is. >> the orioles wrapped up their first homestand of the year. they got swept by the yankees. the orioles got swept by the yankees. they cannot come up with a clutch hit late. a storm delayed the game for about 20 minutes. curtis granderson, 2-0.

jake arrieta settled in and pitched well. robert andino, great at-bat. jake arrieta gave the orioles a chance to win. he retired nine yankees in a row at one. mark reynolds, two-out double. 4-2 orioles. jake arrieta left with a lead. this goes past reynolds. 4-4. 4-4 in the ninth. in the 10th, nick swisher, that is a two-run home run.

the orioles are off today and in toronto tomorrow. brian roberts continues to work out. he was taking batting practice yesterday. he said he feels 1000 times better. we'll see if he is in uniform and the next couple of weeks. caps in boston to begin their playoff series against the bruins. the playoffs began last night. pittsburgh and philadelphia. pittsburgh was up 3-0. philadelphia wins in overtime. tough way to start for the orioles. >> thank you. >> 41 degrees on tv hill.

much more to come. >> water continues to drain out of a church that investigators have ruled an arson fire. i'm jennifer franciotti. >> as it traffic was backed enough, they're ready for more headaches on the j.f.x. >> we do have headaches in essex. 702 is blocked@

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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. >> live, local, late-breaking, this is wbal-tv 11 news today. >> good morning, everybody. welcome back to 11 news today. i'm stan stovall. >> and i'm mindy basara. thanks for joining us for 11 news today. another chilly and windy day on tap? >> we are starting in the 30's this morning. a steady climb to about 59 for the high temperature. sunshine but still breezy. we expect temperatures to warm into the seven-day forecast.

>> a fire that destroyed a dundalk church was no accident. >> jennifer franciotti joins us live from the scene with more on the investigation. good morning. >> good morning. this is the pleasant zion baptist church here in dundalk. the fire happened on tuesday night. this morning, we can still see water poured out of this church. that is a good indication of how much they used to put the fire out. investigators say this fire was intentionally set. he has a strong message for who burned down his church. >> i said -- be careful. the lord is looking on you. >> on tuesday night, crews responded to the pleasant zion baptist church for a reported fire at that church. they are not releasing the

specifics of the investigation. officials say there was evidence that led them to classify this as an arson case. the fire caused about $400,000 worth of damages. members will not be able to meet here. >> if this is like a loss somebody in the family -- it feels like i lost somebody in the family. >> i was born and raised here. this is my second home. >> the archdiocese of baltimore has offered a nearby facility. they are still deciding where to have sunday services. >> i will leave it in the lord's hands. i cannot do anything about it. he fights my battles. >> nobody was inside the church at the time of the fire. police have no suspects in this case. they are asking for the public's help. a reward is being offered for information leading to an arrest. jennifer franciotti, wbal-tv 11 news.

>> a man has been charged with a deadly hit-and-run crash. david french turned himself in for the death of beverly moore. she was crossing a road when he tried to go around another vehicle that stopped to let the woman cross pier that is when he struck -- that stopped to let the woman across. that is when he struck moore. >> things are about to get worse on the j.f.x. road crews are closing one lane in each direction so crews can make some emergency repairs to drain pipes that are beneath the surface. >> the problem area is north of the 29th street. it will be south of 41st street.

>> the repairs could take as long as two months to complete. we have mapped out some alternate routes. log on to our website, wbaltv.com. and listen to sarah. >> now traffic pulse 11 and insta-weather plus together. >> new issues at the moment on the j.f.x. a smoothes ride into town -- no issues at the moment on the j.f.x., a soth ride into town. an accident at eastern boulevard on the east side, 23 miles per hour. southbound 702 remain closed because of a bus accident. the northbound lanes do get by.

orleans is closed in the city. we will update some of our cameras. building volume in the southbound direction in ellicott city heading down towards the d.c. area. this is the beltway at security, building big time. those delays from liberty down towards edmondson. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> you will need a light jacket as we start the day in the 30's and moving towards 59 for the afternoon high in baltimore. 40's in parts of the mountains. the wind will be 10 to 20 miles per hour. high pressure does build in. 72 on saturday. sunday could get near 80 degrees. a storm system passes up to our north. better rain chances into next

week. we stay pretty warm in the 70's and 80's. >> 41 degrees on tv hill. you could say this dog is a real skate rat. >> cool. we are still taking your answers to our water cooler question of the day. do you think states with "stand your ground" laws should allow them to remain on the books? you can share your response on wbaltv.com, on our facebook page, or send us an e-mail to watercooler@wbaltv.com.

at bank of america, we're lending and investing in the people and communities who call baltimore home. from funding to help a local business expand their operations... to financing for an organization which provides affordable housing for artists... and partnering with a local hospital to help expand patient care. because the more we do in baltimore, the more we help make opportunity possible.

>> it looks like the end of the cow break for it,ne during the town of patterson, new jersey, to an urban rodeo ring. a police car got dented. she is headed for a sanctuary in upstate new york. got a reprieve. >> a bulldog enjoys skating.

she loves the skateboard. now she does it daily. that is a dog-cam. he's the inspiration for the logo for the cleveland browns. >> if i had four legs, i could skate board that well. 41 degrees on tv hill. >> will have an update on delays around the area. a couple of accidents to watch for. >> the skies are mostly clear. the forecast when we return which does i weather as we head into the weekend. 38 at the airportrt.

>> welcome back to 11 news today. 6:42. after three years, travers and tremayne johnson are found not guilty. the jury that heard the case deliberated for only an hour before reaching the verdict. they said prosecutors did not present a strong enough case. gregg bernstein said he was disappointed in the outcome. man allegedly sexually assaulted a woman after posing as a police officer. police say he picked up a woman last week and told the woman he was a police officer.

they drove to a dark area and he attacked her. the woman was able to get away. a woman has been banned from setting foot into any walmart store for the next five years. theresa jefferson pled guilty to second-degree assault. she got into a fight in a walmart and poured bleach on her. >> the field has narrowed but the top candidates seem to be honing in on women and the economy. tracie potts has more from washington. >> the presidential announcement endorsement will be announced today. the obama campaign has been attacking mitt romney.

>> planned parenthood, we'll get rid of that. this is a president who has some explaining to do to the women of america. american policies have failed women. >> this ad, trying to turn the focus back on the economy and the president's energy policy. the right has accused president obama of class warfare. leaders must pay a tax -- we cannot afford to spend more money on wealthy americans that don't need them. >> the president made that point in front of a room of executives and their supporters. tracie potts, wbal-tv 11 news. >> now traffic pulse 11 and insta-weather plus together. >> if you travel in the next few

minutes, there are some delays in the next few minutes. on the east side of the beltway, a 32 miles per hour at eastern boulevard. the left lane gets by only. outbound 702 remain closed in essex. a couple of other things to watch for. and accident approaching 29. fire department activity on lafayette. continued closures on orleans near broadway until 11:30 tonight. so far so good on the j.f.x. looking good as you approach northern parkway. delays in place on the west side beginning at 795 down towards edmondson. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. ava as a check on your forecast.

>> the skies are clear but the temperatures are still pretty chilly. 38 at the airport, 45 downtown. 37 in westminster. low 40's along the eastern shore. 30 degrees in oakland. we start off cool. we will have a hard time bouncing back into the afternoon. 6 degrees this afternoon. 57 into southern pennsylvania. temperatures may be in the 40's in parts of the mountains, especially above 2,000 feet. grab a jacket as you head out the door. the wind will finally start to calm down tomorrow.

we have a small craft advisory with waves about two feet. the satellite is completely clear with a few clouds over garrett county. the high pressure system will bring sunshine and warmer temperatures and lighter wind. we will see better outdoor weather over the next few days. expect 60 degrees in new york city. 85 in tampa with sunshine. seattle will see a couple of showers. 65 on friday with sunshine. 72 on saturday. near 80 degrees on sunday. a storm system passes to our north. better chance for rain next week but temperatures stay pretty mild. >> time now for a last look at

one of our big stories. a fire has turned into an arson investigation at a church. jennifer franciotti joins us live with more on that story. >> that fire happened here on tuesday night at the pleasant zion baptist church in dundalk. fire investigators say this fire was intentionally set. they are not releasing the specifics of the investigation. there was evidence at the scene that led them to classify this as an arson case. the fire cost about $400,000 worth of damage. members will not be able to meet here for the foreseeable future. the archdiocese of baltimore has offered the church a nearby facility to use. they are still deciding where to have sunday services. the water continues to pour out of this building. that is an indication of how much they had to use to get the fire under control. we had red flag conditions on

tuesday. >> the police have any suspects? >> they do not and are asking for the public's help. anyone with information is asked to call police and there is a reward in this case. >> here is ann curry with a look at what is coming up next on the "today" show. >> good morning. complete coverage of the arrest of george zimmerman, a month and a half after the shooting death of trayvon martin. what is he saying about the murder charge against him? we'll get reaction from trayvon martin's parents when they also join us live. a school bus driver suffered a heart attack. the five forbidden foods you should be eating to stay fit and healthy. they're a new woman in prince harry -- is there a new woman in

prince harry's life? >> 41 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. ♪ so, this is delicious

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>> time to get to one of your answers to our watercooler question of the day. >> this morning we asked -- do you think states with "stand

your ground" laws should allow them to remain on the books? >> we will post more of your answers on the front page of our website, wbaltv.com. >> switching gears to traffic. >> there is an accident on the side and one in essex. on the left lane gets by. southbound 702 is closed. take back river nexck as your

alternate. watch for closures because of fire activity at lafayette avenue. closures on orleans remain in effect until tonight. the j.f.x. looking pretty good at the moment. no problems to report. you'll see heavy volume on the west side. those delays now plays from 795 all the way down. >> i've heard people complaining high and low about cold temperatures in spring. >> it is kind of fun to complain about the weather. we have seen a dip in the temperatures just like we do in spring. now we're on the down. we go up to 72 on saturday, 80 degrees on sunday. i'm sure people will be complaining. we expect warmer temperatures into the weekend. we stay mild all next week.

>> as long as there's no snow in the forecast. 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.

>> this is a wbal-tv 11 editorial, from president and general manager dan joerres. >> there is no confetti as the general assembly came to a close with little fanfare. the session did not accomplish its most important goal -- a balanced budget. legislators failed to reach a compromise by the deadline. lawyers now have a so-called doomsday budget with five larger million dollars -- $500 million

in cuts that nobody wants. there would be an across-the- board cut in aid is the spending and local law-enforcement grants would be eliminated. what did get done in annapolis this year? they doubled the flush tax. they approved a framework for the health insurance marketplace so individuals could purchase coverage. maryland became the eighth state to legalize same-sex marriage. it will take a special session to revise the budget plan. it will cost taxpayers toy thousand dollars a day to bring the legislators back who could not get the job done in 90 days -- it would cost the taxpayers $21,000.

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