the forecast as we continue. [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'm mindy basara. >> and i'm stan stovall. thanks for joining us for 11 news today. i apologize for the confusion about the weather. >> it is cool to carry an umbrella. you can wear a top hat. everybody should do it. we got some rain yesterday. it helped out with the pollen. 48 right now at the airport. we have some clouds left behind. it is still raining at the beach. there could be some fog or drizzle. mostly sunny today. it will turn out to be in a state with high temperature of 68.

first we say good morning to sarah -- it will turn out to be a nice day. >> northbound route 29, we have an accident. that to be blocking some lanes. patapsco avenue at 10th street in the city, we have a crash being clear. another one at hillsdale road. much further south north on route 3, there is a crash in crofton. number brown solomons island road, an accident in the edgewater the city. looking good across the bay bridge. 83 at york road looking heavy. this is southbound traffic. this is 95 at the fort mchenry. no delays to report in through the tunnel. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11.

>> it is a controversy that has been bubbling up for a month. doubling the body tax to pay for city school renovations. >> it appears we're no closer to a decision on this matter. jennifer franciotti is live at city hall with that story. >> committee members say they are far from ready to send this for a full vote. the taxation committee failed to take a vote. the hopes of collecting about $23 million to improve city schools. many opponents say they do not think the bottle tax is the way to support city's schools. there is a concern that this could encourage spending outside of the city. >> 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. >> council member carl stokes says he is not sure when the committee will take a vote. they will consider some alternatives. jennifer franciotti, wbal-tv 11 news. >> a tip into illegal drug activity has led police to a suspected dog-fighting ring. detectives discovered eight dogs and medications used to treat injured animals. the dogs are now being cared for and they are in relatively good condition. >> there are two that have some

scarring on their faces, just a little bit of scarring. overall they are pretty healthy. >> there-year-old johnnie taylor -- 30-year-old johnnie taylor is charged with animal cruelty and drug possession. >> 7 murders committed over the last five days. the latest happened on belair road. a person drew a gun and shot and killed a person. the suspect managed to escape. police believe the victim was specifically targeted but they have not said why. >> another scandal involving the u.s. military in afghanistan. new photos are showing troops

posing with the dead. tara mergener has more on the fallout from the story. >> good morning. military officials are apologizing this morning. the white house called the behavior reprehensible. a warning -- these photos are graphic. the pictures were published by "the los angeles times." the photos showed 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 will be fully investigation.

the investigation has already begun. >> other incidents in afghanistan include a video of marines urinating on taliban corpses and a staff sergeant charged in the massacre of afghan villagers. meantime, a recent "washington post" poll shows support for the war is at an all-time low. some experts say the white house should accelerate the withdrawal. >> this shows how poorly things are going and why we need to leave. >> pentagon officials did ask "the los angeles times" not to release the photos. they cited fears of a backlash against u.s. forces. >> what about reaction to those photos? >> we haven't heard much from anybody in the afghan government. there is no electricity and no internet in these rural areas.

there was no major newscast with there is electricity about this. >> tara mergener, thank you. >> the clock is ticking towards the maryland doomsday budget. the state education association revealed a doomsday clock after office in annapolis. the budget would have a disastrous effect on schools. >> these cuts would be deeply detriment to our schools, our employees, and our community. seen how cuts can negatively impact our students. that is what the doomsday budget would do. >> counties could face a downgrade in their bond rating. that brings us to our water cooler question of the day. do you think a special session should be called to address the budget, or should the so-called

"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. >> some good news for homeowners. maryland's property tax rate is holding steady, at least for now. the rate will be held at 11.2 cents. the treasure expressed concern that down the road. it may be necessary to raise the rate to 13 cents. walter baker died this week at the age of 85. baker represented five counters on the eastern shore from 1979 to 2002. mike miller says he believes baker's legacy was that he worked hard to make sure

students have the opportunity to go to college. >> 50 degrees on tv hill. more people are turning their smart phones into their virtual wallet. >> the first heads are rolling in the wake of the secret service sex scandal. >> some say a penny is worth a million dollars. >> we're getting ready for baltimore green week. details in just a few minutes. >> sarah caldwell checking on your morning commute. volume starting to build. weç]!?

>> good morning. this is a live look at city hall. 53 degrees downtown. a beautiful start to the morning. some areas are starting off with fog. i am live that george hill park inside the tree nursery. i'm here with charles murphy. you're the operations manager baltimore.timotree >> this is the site of on saturday.-fest

people can come out and get excited about green week. >> we're kicking off the green week. >> baltimore green were supporters with city agencies like rec and parks to get the word out. >> they host a lot of events and it starts off with eco-fest. >> there will be tons of different vendors. you can find out about different products and different situations throughout the city. from 12 until 5:00, there will be tons of different things to do. food to eat. it will be a great time. >> sounds like a good time. let's get a quick check of the radar. showers and exiting the eastern

shore. we will go back to tony. i can imagine how much fun it will be on saturday. >> you could do some meditation in the corner. good stuff. good to take care of the planet. someone asked what i thought about global warming. i said it doesn't matter. everybody wants to take care of the planet. just take care of the planet. >> this is a great week to begin that awareness. >> thank you. the skies are clearing this morning. it will turn out to be a nice day. that storm is moving off the coast. we got a good soaking rain yesterday and will get more rain over the weekend. the clouds will break up and we will wind up with a mostly sunny

day. upper 40's and low 50's. 48 in parkton. take a light jacket during the day. a mixture of sun and clouds. becoming mostly sunny. high temperature in the upper 60's this afternoon. it will be a beautiful sunrise in just a few minutes. their book clouds and 10 knots -- variable clouds on the chesapeake bay. tonight, mostly clear skies. chilly but not cold. upper 40's in most areas. another nice day tomorrow. 73. will need some rain and we will get it. a cold front goes through on saturday afternoon with scattered thunderstorms. a coastal storm on sunday. it will be when the and chilly with off and not rain showers on

sunday into monday morning. temperatures around 60. 6:15. >> good morning. not completely problem free on this thursday morning. two problems in anne arundel county. we have an accident at 214. the right lane is closed. northbound route 3 at crawford boulevard, another accident. 97 looks good to and from 50. crash at beech avenue appeared the j.f.x. running smoothly through the construction zone. a sluggish spot in the outer loop as you get closer to baltimore national pike. the north side checks out fine. the harrisburg expressway, volume is building in the southbound direction at york road. problem free on 95 at the fort mchenry. a nice start at the harbor tunnel. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> thank you.

three members of the secret service are leaving the agency in the wake of the recent sex scandal. one supervisor was removed for cause. a third has resigned. the three agents were not identified. they were caught with prostitutes. any judge in the case against george zimmerman. the judge removed herself from further proceedings because her husband work with the attorney that is providing commentary for the case on a cable news network. has pleaded not guilty in the death of trayvon martin. expected to fetch over $1 million at auction.

was a prototype -- it was a prototype. online at bidding has already begun. >> you might expect young adults do have some debt from student loans. people are paying off those loans well into their golden years. $36 billion in student loans is still owed by people over the age of 60. some singers are having their social security payments garnett's to pay back those loans -- some seniors. more air carriers are jumping on the delta's price type bandwagon. jane king has the bloomberg business report. >> delta airlines is hiking

fares. u.s. airways and united matched the hike as much as $20 roundtrip on last-minute booking. more job cuts for american airlines. there will outsource the jobs at seven u.s. airports. 13,000 positions american wants to cut as they restructure under bankruptcy. jobless claims an existing house sales. stocks took a step back yesterday. the bloomberg maryland index did rise yesterday. ebay is the stock to watch. the company has been expanding with more offerings for mobile devices. there paypal unit doing especially well. earth day is sunday.

46% of shoppers are more inclined to buy a product if it is eco-friendly. at the new york stock exchange, i'm jane king, bloomberg news, for wbal-tv 11 news. >> 6:20. 50 degrees on tv hill. can the orioles continue on their high streeot streak? >> 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. we're looking at a smooth ride and most of the major roadways. this is an accident in edgewater 214. getting down to the right lane in each direction. the right lane is getting by and delays are expected. northbound route 3 at crofton boulevard, this one is gone. in the city, there is an accident we are tracking. continuing to move well on the j.f.x. no delays southbound 95 from white marsh. 29 at 108 moving without delay in ellicott city. 795 looks like it is building at

franklin boulevard down towards the beltway. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> good morning. we have some low clouds and fog in some areas. that should be burning off. 36 at the airport. -- 46 at the airport. take a light jacket. it will turn out to be a nice day. it will become mostly summit with a high near 68. we will check the seven-day forecast going all the way into the weekend. here is keith mills. >> thank you. good morning. the orioles sent white sox wrapped up a series this afternoon in chicago. jason hammel will start for the orioles. 8-1, the white sox win. endy chavez off jake peavy.

1-0 orioles. that would be the only orioles run off peavy. the white sox take the lead. a.j. pierzynski hits the foul pole. they at four more in the sixth -- they add four more in the sixth. that was a ground rule double. 8-1, the white sox win. you can see the movement on that paitch. the end of an era. pat summitt will step down as the head coach of tennessee. helped elevate college basketball to the status it is

today. she was diagnosed with early onset alzheimer''s. over 1000 wins. dana johnson played for her. a wild game last night in philadelphia. the flyers look to sweep the penguins only to get blown out in their own building. penguins in white. they take the lead. jordan has the hat trick. the caps and boston tonight. kyle bolar will work out at owings mills as the ravens look to add some depth to the quarterback position. >> very interesting.

50 degrees on tv hill. a prominent baltimore late is getting a facelift -- a prominent baltimore lady is getting a facelift. >> tracking an accident along solomons island road and will check on the major roads for delays. >> baltimore green week is coming up next week. we will have@

>> 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. tony pann has a quick check of the forecast. >> the rain helped out with the pollen count. this morning, it is way down because of the rain. the weather bank is going to improve as we go through the day. it will be mostly sunny this afternoon with a high near 60.

we will check the seven-day forecast going all the way into the weekend. >> it was a highly piece of legislation two years ago in city hall. >> the city looks to double its bottle tax. jennifer franciotti has more details on the story. >> after two hours of debate last night between supporters and opponents, the committee in charge failed to take a vote. >> maybe i should think about another city. this city does not care about its kids. >> 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 from two cents to five cents with the hopes of collecting $23 million. that money would go to improve city schools. the mayor brought attention to the conditions of many city schools during her tour of a

middle school. the testimony of this third- grader was very telling. >> we have bad things. some people hold it all day. the water fountains don't work. all those who say to stop taxes, you're wrong because we need it. >> most opponents say they support improving city 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 parents and children to be begging for dollars.

if we want to put $7 million into a race of private investors, 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. >> a pair of home invasions in baltimore county has police looking for several suspects. the first happened on village mill court in owings mills. three men ransacked a home. the second incident happened last thursday in essex. were ordered back inside and demanded money. police believe these incidents are not related. call baltimore county police if you have any information. >> students have four fewer days

to count. the school year will end codger days earlier. the last day is friday, june 8. >> the latest item on the city's to-do list. the statue is nearly 200 years old. the original sculpture will be moved to an art museum and a reproduction will be put in its place. this will be paid for with capital funds. >> now traffic pulse 11 and insta-weather plus together. >> good morning. sarah caldwell checking on your morning commute. we have some problems that we are tracking. we start in edgewater. only the right lane gets by at 214.

looking at a bit of a slowdown developing on 295 in the southbound direction prior to 100 some. delays at beech avenue in the city. delays forming on the west side beginning near 70 in the outer loop. everything's looking good at the north side. the rest of the major roadways leading up to the beltway are problem free. moving well on the j.f.x. to the construction zone. heavier on southbound 795 coming down from franklin boulevard. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. ava marie joins us live from druid hill park previewing baltimore green way. you are dressed just like you should be. it is beautiful behind you with all that green. >> i got a chance to wear my new

rain boots. green week kicks off this weekend with eco-fest. is brings community awareness to help halt the environment. you can go tto find those event. some free trees that the city is looking to give away. we will talk about that information in just a few minutes. let's get a look at the seven- day forecast. we're seeing some fog this morning. high temperature near 68 degrees. low 70's as we had through friday. some rain chances of this weekend. we do need the rain. most of the rain should hold off until the afternoon and nighttime hours. we could use the rain.

>> thank you very much. 48 degrees on tv hill. the end of an era as a legend passes away. >> we are still taking your answers to our water cooler question of the day. do you think a special session should be called to address the budget, or should the so-called "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.

>> the entertainment world is mourning the loss of dick clark. >> he died after suffering a massive heart attack. we have more on this death and legacy. >> fans visited his start to pay tribute to this american icon. >> new year's eve whenever be the same again. >> words of praise from ryan seacrest, honored clark. >> i know he is in a better place saying, let's go on with the show, ok? you got it, boss.

>> he became host of "american bandstand." it showcase white artist and african-americans, as well. in 97 to come he created new eve.s rockin' in 2006, made a triumphant return. >> it was a long, hard fight and continue to ring in the new year, reestablishing his credentials as an american icon. >> he is an incredible icon. >> a very nice man. >> 50 degrees on tv hill. >> we will look at your morning

commute. there are some problems on the roads including one at the fort mchenry. >> we have more rain in the forecast for the weekend. a live picture of pimlico right there. the clouds are breaking up and it will turn out to be a nice day.

>> welcome back to 11 news today. 6:44. a tip into illegal drug activity has led police to a suspected dog-fighting ring. this happened and eight dogs were discovered and medications

used to treat injured animals. johnnie taylor is now charged with eight counts of animal cruelty and drug position. the dogs are being cared for and they are in relatively good condition. a student has been ruled competent to stand trial. alexander sought was taken to a hospital for psychiatric evaluation after his arrest back in march -- alexander song. he says he is feeling fine. it will take months to bring this case to trial. crabs had an easier winter this year than last. answers are expected this morning when the government makes an announcement about the crab fishery. they expect the number of crabs killed this winter to be lower than the number from last year.

>> now traffic pulse 11 and insta-weather plus together. >> we had a disabled vehicle southbound 95 just prior to the tunnel. some accidents in the city. one at loch raven boulevard and 33rd street. we start in edgewater at solomon's island road. it down to the right lane only in both directions on 214. some delays forming on 295 approaching 100. same situation on the west side. 38 miles per hour beginning down towards edmondson. up to speed on the north side. this is 95 at the fort mchenry. southbound traffic has returned to normal. a delight southbound on the j.f.x. at coldspring lane. watch for the left lane closure.

that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. ava marie is tweeting about her boots. let's see them. >> they want to see the red boots. we have not had any rain. we're talking about baltimore green week. i'm here with charles murphy, the operations manager here. this is your kingdom. >> this is our home for all of our trees until they go out into the city and get planted. >> people can get involved and they can volunteer at the tree planting. >> there will be tree planting at frederick douglass high school beside george hill park. everybody can volunteer and come over to eco-fest afterwards and

plant a tree. >> people can find more information online. you'll be having a free tree giveaways. >> treebaltimore.org will inform everybody about the giveaways we're having as well as the plantings this spring. >> let's check the radar. the rain is exiting offshore. we will back to tony. the sun is coming up. it is beautiful at the park. we do need the rain. >> this is kind of important. the discussion about global warming and climate change has become a political discussion instead of a scientific one. we have to take care of the place that we live. we should be participating in events like this.

thank you. do you agree? >> well said. we have earth day and we have a week to bring the awareness and passed it down to the younger generation's. >> thank you. here is the story. the storm is moving off the coast. the rain helped out what the pollen. the pollen count is way down. the further the storm moves off the coast, the more the clouds will break up. it is chilly to start. we have some fog in some neighborhoods. it should be burning off pretty quickly. a mixture of sun and clouds. becoming mostly sunny and pleasant with a high temperature into the upper 60's. if you take the boat out, better

today. the seven-day forecast -- it should be a nice day tomorrow. a mixture of sun and clouds. 73. we will see a cold front on saturday afternoon with some scattered thunderstorms. a storm will come up the coast on sunday into monday morning. that should give us another soaking rain. breezy and chilly with highs in the upper 50's to around 60. >> time now for a last look at one of our big stories. city hall has yet to come to a decision about doubling the bottle tax. jennifer franciotti at joins us live with more on that. >> good morning. the committee says they don't know when the vote will go to a full council. they spend two hours debating.

they are not ready to take a vote on this issue. the bottle tax would jump to five cents. many opponents say they support improving city schools but they do not think the bottle tax is the answer. they think the increase would hurt small businesses and encourage people to spend money outside of the city. >> thank you. >> here is matt lauer with a look at what is coming up next on the "today" show. >> good morning. coming up, the emotional tributes are pouring in for dick clark who died on wednesday at the age of 82. we will look back on a remarkable career with some of the people that knew him best. new fallout in the prostitution scandal involving members of the secret service. three employees have been forced out. we learn more about what

happened inside of a hotel room. a young woman has become a hit. she has an incredible way of using make up to cover her acne. banned train will be here to perform for us live as we get started by thursday morning right here on the "today" show. >> 50 degrees on tv hill. coming up, we'll look at one of your answers to our water cooler question of the day. coming up, we'll take a last look at weather and traffic together before you head out to start your day.

>> a school closing this morning. there is a water main break but staff still has to report. but on some of those boats -- put on some of those boots that a the hva has on. >> that brings us to our water cooler 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?

f>> we will post more of your answers on the front page of our website, wbaltv.com. >> we just got to this new accidents. there is one lane closed on 95. northern parkway at rogers avenue, an accident there. delays in place on the j.f.x. 214, one lane despite in both directions. 95 out of the northeast. this is the west side at old court road. this is the j.f.x. that delay has formed southbound down towards the construction zone. it starts prior to northern parkway. >> it will turn out to be a

pretty nice day. we still have some cloud cover. it will become mostly sunny with a high near 68. a good chance for rain over the weekend. >> 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. >> 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. >> maryland ranks third in the naon for complaints filed for fraud and ninth for identity theft complaints, according to the federal trade commission. for that reason, wbal-tv 11 is proud to join the greater maryland better business bureau for its third annual bbb shred day. local residents and businesses can bring up to three boxes of personally identifiable documents for free on-site shredding. documents with sensitive personal information -- such as social security numbers, address, and signatures -- will be shredded in one of six commercial trucks that have a capacity to destroy 8,000 pounds of paper. the trucks will be located at arundel mills marketplace behind hh gregg on arundel mills boulevard, and on town center drive behind the avenue in white marsh on saturday, april 21, from 8 a.m. until noon. early arrival is suggested, as the trucks could reach full

capacity before noon. it is better to be safe than sorry. sorry.

oh yeah, this is what a weekend getaway should feel like. and does. if you're here that is. feel the fun. feel the hamptonality.