we have some cloud cover left behind but no rain. there might be some fog or drizzled in some spots. the sun will come out and it will turn out to be a decent day with a high temperature of 68. we'll come back and check the forecast for the weekend. >> good morning. a couple of early morning problems to watch for. we start on the j.f.x. near coldspring road. there is an accident that is taking up the right lane. this could create some delays. will update you in a moment. some other accidents in the city. there is one at pratt street and another at hillsdale road. the roads are little wet. this is the topside of the

beltway leading up to york road. outer loop traffic looks pretty good at the moment. this is the j.f.x. leading up to the accident scene. no delays leading up to the accident at the moment. the volume is still light. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> the delayed decision of proposed bottle tax increase to baltimore city. >> jennifer franciotti joins us live from the city hall with the latest. >> good morning. this is something being considered by the committee of taxation. they are saying they are not ready to take a vote on this issue. there was two hours of debate last night. the committee said they are not ready to take a vote. the bottle tax would jump from 2 cents to 5 cents.

opponents say they support improving city schools but they do not believe it the bottle tax is the answer. this could encourage spending outside of the city. >> i would like to have everybody here take an oath that if she supports this that will guarantee there will buy your sodas or pay a $25 fine. >> it is a simple thing for workers. lost sales means lost hours means lost jobs. >> committee chair says he does not know or if the council will take a vote on this situation. alternatives are being considered. jennifer franciotti, wbal-tv 11 news. >> police are investigating an alleged dog-fighting ring in baltimore.

eight dogs were discovered in a home. animal control remove the dogs from a home on tuesday night. johnnie taylor is charged with eight counts of animal cruelty and drug possession. police say they will continue to investigate potential animal cruelty cases in baltimore. >> who wants to see an animal suffering? themayor's office and state's attorney's office are partnering up to make sure that we do investigations and if there's anybody involved in these activities that they are investigated and brought to justice. >> the dogs are now being cared for and they are in relatively good condition. longer tripong you

home for some commuters last night. emerges the crews put out the flames. no one was hurt but a nearby house trained became disabled. a rescue train was brought in. 500 students are expected to rally today. they want governor o'malley to call lawmakers back for a special session. state employees started counting down until the budget cuts take effect. there was a doomsday clock in annapolis to call attention to what could result from a drastic budget cuts that could go into effect in july. >> these cuts would be detrimental to our school and our community. we have seen how cuts to our school can negatively impact our students.

that is what this doomsday budget will do. >> counties could face a downgrade in their bond ratings if lawmakers don't fix the current situation. that brings us to our water cooler question of the day. do you think a special assessment should be called to address the doomsday budget? wbaltv.com, on our facebook page, or send us an e-mail to watercooler@wbaltv.com. -- you can share your response on wbaltv.com, on our facebook page, or send us an e-mail to watercooler@wbaltv.com. >> another scandal this morning involving the u.s. military in afghanistan. photos of troops posing with the dead. tara mergener has fallout and the reaction. >> good morning. military officials are apologizing this morning. the white house called the behavior reprehensible. these photos are graphic.

the pictures were published by "the los angeles times." an american and afghan troops holding up the severed legs of a bomber. >> this violates both our regulations and more important our core values. >> 18 photos were taken of members of the airborne division, turned over to the newspaper by a soldier who said he wants to draw attention to the breakdown of leadership and discipline. >> i expect the investigation is already begun. >> other incidents in afghanistan including a video of marines urinating on taliban corpses and a staff sergeant charged in the massacre of afghan villagers. a recent poll shows support for

the war is at an all-time low. >> this shows how poorly things are going and why we need to leave. >> pentagon officials did asked "the los angeles times" not to release the photos. tara mergener, wbal-tv 11 news. >> thank you very much. >> 50 degrees on tv hill. fans across the country and around the world are remembering the late dick clark. >> the space shuttle will dock is final resting spot today. >> this is to build flight at b-

>> welcome back. 5:10. 53 degrees downtown. we'll start out with some low clouds and fog and some drizzle. i think the sun will break through later this morning and we will wind up with a decent day. take a light jacket with you. 48 in taneytown. 53 in annapolis. we will start with the low clouds and maybe some fog and drizzle. it will be mostly sunny this afternoon with a high of 68. we will check the seven-day forecast going all the way into the weekend. >> the secret service says three people are leaving the agency

following the prostitution scandal. one supervisor will retire. another will resign. 11 agents were sent home after news of the scandal broke. will have more coming up at 5:30. the space shuttle discovery will be formally welcome today in chantilly, virginia, this morning. the shuttle hits a ride from florida. officials from the smithsonian will take part in the ceremony. >> dick clark is being remembered by generations this morning. he passed away wednesday evening of a heart attack. he moved to philadelphia where he launched "american bandstand." he helped america ring in the news year.

dick clark was 82 years old. >> 50 degrees on tv hill. how to get rid of electronics sitting around a house. >> some simple steps for staying on a budget. >> we have an accident on the j.f.x. in the northbound

>> now traffic pulse 11 and insta-weather plus together. >> good morning. sarah caldwell checking on your morning commute. kind of busy for this hour. the roads are a little bit wet.

northbound j.f.x., dealing with an accident that is taking up the right lane. pratt street, we have a crash being cleared. another one at patapsco avenue and 10th street. another at hillsdale road. the major roadways looking pretty good at the moment. we start of the north side of the beltway. building through the towson region. this is the j.f.x. at coldspring lane. you can see the flashing lanes. that is the northbound accident. delays could happen because it is coming out of the construction zone. watch for the right lane closure. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. now let's get the latest on the buses and the trains. for that we go to kurt kronke of the mta system. good morning. >> good morning. a few blessed diversions. the 22 bus is diverting at

bayview boulevard. light rail and metro subway on schedule. on time service on the penn, camden, and brunswick lines. the mta invites you to their annual rodeo this saturday at the reisterstown plaza natural parking lot. i am kurt kronke. now back to tony pann. >> thank you. we had a storm system comes through yesterday with a good soaking rain. we had more rain than i thought we were going to get. it helped out with the pollen. now the atmosphere is a little cleaner. you should feel a touch better this morning. this is the last of the rain pushing off the delmarva beaches. eventually the skies will clear. there could be some fog and drizzle left behind for the next couple of hours. that storm will move offshore

and it will turn out to be a nice day. upper 40's and low 50's right now. 53 in annapolis. we'll start with the low clouds, the fog and the drizzle and the sun will come out. high temperature of 68. not too bad. if you take the bothe, variable winds -- if you take the boat out, variable winds. most clear but not cold for this time of year tonight. we will be watching a storm system coming out of the ohio valley. this will help us get out of this drought situation. to mark should be dry -- tomorrow should be dry. showers and thunderstorms will be likely on saturday. maybe a big storm will move up

the coast on sunday and monday. another chance for rain with that. 72 on saturday. a chance for rain on sunday into monday morning with a coastal storm. breezy in chilly with highs around 60. it to clear up around tuesday and wednesday. -- it should clear up around tuesday and wednesday. >> some tips to help you stay on budget. learn to distinguish between wants and needs. spending.asonal resist the urge for big spending if it will break your bag. women make seven 7 cents for each dollar that men make --

women make 77 cents for each store that a man makes. if you have electronics you are looking to get rid of, we have more. >> april 22 is earth day. people plant gardens or cleanup letter. itter. the latest list of ways you get rid yourself of those old electronics sitting around your house. what if we told you can earn some green for going green. try selling your electronics. sites like amazon are teaming with potential buyers. some retailers will let you trade your unwanted products in exchange for a gift card. best buy, target, and british

shack such programs. why not donate anything that is in good working order to a charity, so someone else can use it? certain charities only except certain items. getty receipt and you can declare your donation of your taxes. if you're gadget no longer works, bring it to the recycling center. mother earth will thank you for keeping your big screen tv out of a landfill. you still use all of your old gadgets. >> i will listen to my eight track after i get off this morning. jane king has the bloomberg business report. everyone still does not use an 8-tracki?

>> we have some breaking news involving a maryland-based company. human genome sciences is based in rockville. they have an unsolicited offer to buy the company. they do genetic research. we will continue to watch that today. first quarter profits shot up 73% 4 taco bell. they have some breakfast items and pricier burritos. bp attorneys presented a judge with a class action settlement yesterday. it was designed to involve billions of dollars in claims from the mexico oil spill. bp will pay nearly $8 billion to

settle those claims. the judge is considering this by the end of the month. wall street's looking whether they will announce any job cuts. futures are looking looking to bounce back this morning. there was a setback yesterday appeared the tech companies or disappoint investors. bad loans surged in spain. business is booming for marriott. they own the ritz carlton. more bookings for business groups. business travelers tend to spend more on food and other services. at the new york stock exchange, i'm jane king, bloomberg news, for wbal-tv 11 news. back to you. >> you have word that american airlines continuing to cut jobs. >> the job tax keeps falling at

american airlines. looking to shed non union jobs. some carriers have followed delta's lead. they are hiking airfares. >> thank you. >> 5:23. 50 degrees on tv hill. one of the best hospitals in the country. >> don't forget to e-mail us your response to our water cooler question of the day. do you think a special session should be called to address the so-called "doomsday budget"? or should the doomsday budget be allowed to stand? you can share your response on wbaltv.com, on our facebook page, or send us an e-mail to watercooler@wbaltv.com. you're the best mom ever.

thank you, sweetie. oh... ♪

♪ >> mercy medical center has been

named one of the top 100 hospitals in the country. adherence to clinical standards of care. mercy is the only hospital from a maryland to make the list. >> we cannot in the top 100. we were in the committee teaching hospitals. that was our category and we are the only hospital in maryland to be named to this year's list and we're proud of that. >> congratulations. nearly 2900 hospitals were included in the survey. >> and folks like saying mercy. some vacation coming sooner than expected for students in baltimore county. the last day of school will be friday, june 8. school year is being shortened because they did not have to use all of the snow days that were

built into the calendar. >> parents are panicking. 5:26. 50 degrees on tv hill. >> a few hundred students are set to protest today, calling for a special session in annapolis. >> note movement in the bottle tax proposal -- no movement in the bottle tax proposal. >> at least three secret service agents have lost their jobs. i will have the latest. >> we are looking for to some nice weather over the next several days. we will check the seven-day forecast going all the way into the weekend. >> we have several accidents,

@

>> 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. it is national high 5 day. >> is it really/ >> i had to study it was pajamas day yesterday. we found out it was high 5 day. >> my producer is a genius. good job. >> i trust mike. let's talk about the weather. cloudy right now. we have some of drizzle and mist. it will turn out to be a nice day. 50 degrees at the airport. take a light jacket with you. it will turn mostly sunny by the afternoon with a high of 60 degrees. it is little murky at the present time.

we got some rain yesterday. >> to mar is make fun of tony pann day -- tomorrow is make fun of tony pann day. >> you are in trouble now. >> the major roadways are cooperating. we have an accident on the j.f.x. after the construction zone. the left lane is taken up with the construction. the right lane is closed with the accident. the tow truck is on the way. watch for a crash at pratt street. another at patapsco avenue at 10th street. another at hillsdale road. this is the j.f.x. you can see flashing lights at the top of your screen. we will continue to monitor that for you. this is 95 at mountain road. continuing to run smoothly.

the roads are still drying out, so take the time. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> still no decision from the baltimore city council on the proposed bottle tax increase. >> members say they are not ready to vote on the tax. jennifer franciotti has the latest. >> good morning. after two hours of testimony, the taxation committee says they are not ready to take a vote. >> maybe i should think about another city. >> the committee is not prepared to take a vote at this time. i don't know if the council is prepared. >> the bottle tax would jump to 5 cents with the hopes of collecting $23 million. the mayor brought attention to the conditions of many city

schools during her tour of the middle school. the testimony of this third grader was very telling. >> we have bad things. some people hold it all day. the water found do not work. -- the water fountains don't work. we need it. >> most opponents say they support improving city's schools but they do not think the bottle tax is the way to go. they think it would force folks to shop outside of the city, where drinks would be cheaper. >> i would like to have everybody here take an oath that if they support this, that will guarantee they will buy your sodas or pay a $25 fine. >> it is a simple thing for workers. lost sales means lost hours means lost jobs. >> i don't think we should ask

our children to be begging for dollars. we can do that without asking anybody to have a bake sale for us. >> carl stokes says he is not sure when the council will take a vote and they are considering alternatives. jennifer franciotti, wbal-tv 11 news. >> many students are expected to rally. they want the governor to call back lawmakers for a special session and avoid cuts to the school. employees began counting down the minutes until the budget cuts take effect. there is a doomsday clock in annapolis. they are trying to call attention to what could result from a drastic budget cuts. that brings us to our water cooler question of the day. do you think a special session should be called to address the doomsday budget, or should the

doomsday budget be allowed to stand? you can share your response on wbaltv.com, on our facebook page, or send us an e-mail to watercooler@wbaltv.com. >> a student accused of threatening a shooting rampage is ruled competent to stand trial. he says he's feeling much better. he was taken to hospital for psychiatric evaluation after his arrest back in march. he posted messages online saying he planned to kill enough people to make national news. no weapons were found after a search. it will take months for this case to make it to trial. >> 3 secret service employees have lost their jobs. one woman is speaking out. tracie potts has the latest. >> one agent has retired.

one is being fired and another resigned leaving eight under investigation. now there is reaction from the campaign trail. >> i would clean house. that is the right thing to do, to remove people who violated the public's trust. >> a self-described escort says a fight erupted went one agent paid $30 than the $800 they had agreed on. they settled on $225 after police got involved. no hearings have been announced. four investigators are on the case. >> if heads don't roll any bureaucracy that has something wrong, nothing is going to change. i think you'll find that these people, their heads will roll. >> nothing appears to have been compromised. sources say there were no guns

or schedules in the agents' rooms. investigators are looking into possible drug use. some agents have agreed to take polygraph tests. tracie potts, wbal-tv 11 news. >> that is quite a mess. a new study shows a vitamin c might help lower blood pressure. >> staying healthy into old age and keeping your mind sharp. we will explain. >> good news on the accident on the j.f.x. the j.f.x. i love when i get to do a morning talk show. i'm always talking about t.j.maxx. i tell people how to look like a million bucks

without spending it. fashion direct from designers. savings direct to you. t.j.maxx. let us make a maxxinista out of you.

>> welcome back.

5:39. 53 degrees downtown. a cold start for us on this thursday morning. it will turn out to be a nice day. to start with, we have some low clouds and a little bit of drizzle. 50 at the airport. 50 in frederick. becoming mostly sunny. you'll see sunshine by the senate to do. a high temperature near 68. we will check the seven-day forecast going all the way into the weekend. stay with us. >> physical activity in any form can help keep our minds sharp as we age. >> more than 700 older adults were fall. those that were the least physically active were twice as likely to develop alzheimer's disease. even gardening counted.

large doses of vitamin c. it might lower blood pressure. >> researchers in baltimore analyzed data from nearly 30 studies. adults with the highest vibrancy intake had lower blood pressure levels. there were taken five times the recommended daily allowance of the vitamin. more studies are needed before they recommend the violent for blood pressure control. >> 50 degrees on tv hill. the caps are back in action tonight. keith mills will have a preview. a blowout in another playoff matchup. >> birthday is coming up this sunday. it is time for baltimore green week -- earth day. >> tony says it will be a cold day but it should state dr

>> now traffic pulse 11 and insta-weather plus together. >> good morning. sarah caldwell checking on your morning commute. it is looking pretty busy in terms of incidents. northbound 29, that is the latest crash in howard county. several in the city. patapsco avenue and 10th street. another one at pratt street. --ther at hill's their road other at hillsdale road. a problem in edgewater. watch for delays. everything looks good across the bay bridge. this is the j.f.x. near coldspring lane. no delays to report north or south down. a smooth ride in the glen burnie area. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. now let's get the latest on the buses and the trains. for that we go to kurt kronke of the mta system. good morning. >> good morning.

moving along smoothly on the rails with no delays on the penn, camden, and brunswick lines. light rail and metro subway on schedule. the 30 bus is diverting at edmondson and swat because of construction. now back to tony pann. >> -- edmondson and swann. let's say good morning to ava marie. she is going green this morning only she is wearing red. >> good morning. i thought i would blend in. we're talking about birearth day. i'm with charles murphy. we're inside the tree nursery. this is where the city gets many of its trees. >> we house and care for all of the trees before they get

planted. >> a free giveaway for baltimore green week. >> there multiple occasions throughout this spring. the first will be this saturday at shoppers that the mondawmin mall and will be in druid hill park from 12:00 until 5:00 p.m. true baltimore.org of all the locations. >> simple enough. i want to show the trees you'll be giving away. >> they are about a year or two old. >> they look like little charlie brown trees. >> there will grow into a magnificent trees. >> even i could pick this tree up. i put that in the back of my car.

>> we can take them around the farmers' markets so everybody can get a trade. ee. >> this is great for the community. >> exactly. you have all the great benefits of clean water and clean air. the biggest thing is the committee. the committee coming out and helping to plant a tree and everybody gathering together and planting. >> it is fun to watch it grow. you can find more information at treebaltimore.org. we still have some fog and drizzle to watch out for. the director says i look like i'm about to cover a hurricane. >> get shot of those boots.

are you expecting a flood? you will be ready for the beach when the hurricane comes up the coast. >> this is the most rain we've gone in some time. >> you look like the morton salt girl. the storm is pulling off the coast. we got more rain out of this than i thought we would get. needed the rain. it got rid of the pollen. the pollen count was way up yesterday. you probably feel better if you suffer from allergies. it will take a couple of hours for the clouds to move. it will turn out to be a nice

day. wish to make it into the upper ups -- we should make it into the upper 60's. high temperature between 65 and 70 degrees. if you take the boat out today today.ess choppy tonight, clear and chilly. temperatures will drop into the upper 40's. tamara, a storm will be coming out of the plains states -- tomorrow. this front will go through on saturday night. low pressure will develop along the front and run up the coast on sunday. the tail end of the weekend will be wet. 73 tomorrow. partly cloudy skies. scattered showers and

thunderstorms are likely on saturday. a good chance for rain on sunday into monday as the storm comes up the coast. high temperatures around 60. it to clear up on tuesday and wednesday. >> thank you. 50 degrees on tv hill. coming up, we'll look at one of your answers to our water cooler question of the day. >> here is a look at last night's winning maryland lottery numbers.

>> time to get to one of your answers to our watercooler question of the day. >> this morning we asked -- do you think a special session should be called to address the budget, or should the so-called "doomsday budget" be allowed to stand? keep sending us those responses. we will read more of your responses in the next hour and post all of them on the front page of our website, wbaltv.com. >> good morning.

long night for the orioles and tommy hunter. 8-1, the white sox win game 3 of the series. jake peavy stops the orioles co. there is matt wieters. endy chavez doubles. jones scores. jake peavy did not allow another run. a.j. pierzynski hits the foul pole. jake peavy won the cy young. this is adam dunn. that broke the game open. final game of the series is this afternoon. jason hammel will be pitching.

the stanley cup playoffs continue in d.c. the caps and boston will play a game four. the flyers looking to sweep the penguins. the penguins tied the game. they take the lead. he squeezes it in. on.route i is they scored eight goals in a row. the flyers scored 20 goals in the first three games. the ravens plant working out kyle bolar later. dennis dickson also expected to work out. kyle bolar was once the starting quarterback -- kyle boller.

things didn't work out here or an open. this is to provide that for tyrod taylor so both of those guys don't throw their arms out. >> tyrod needs more playing time. >> kyle will not be the starting quarterback, i guarantee you. >> a penny is worth a penny, right? >> she is one of the greatest basketball coaches of all time. now she's stepping away from the game she loves. keith will have more on the departure of pat summitt. >> wanting to restore a memorial. >> we have some sunshine in the forecast over the next few days. >> we have several accidents to

tell you about. one on 29. will update you on the impact it is having, coming up.

>> the future of the bottle tax in limbo in baltimore city. >> another misstep by the u.s. military in afghanistan. the latest on the scandal is coming up. >> police went to this house looking for drugs. >> the rain clouds have moved >> the rain clouds have moved off for the time