[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. >> shaping up to be a nice morning. wewe've not seen a rain like saw yesterday. it is history, moving out of the picture. the skies are clear west of the bay. the skies are beginning to clear on the eastern shore. 54 degrees on tv hill. 59 degrees downtown. it is turning out to be a nice morning. the breeze will kick in from the northwest and it will be a blustery but nice day today. we want to check out the traffic.

>> good morning. a couple of accidents in the past few minutes. southbound on the j.f.x., word of a crash. it is off to the side. king avenue, all lanes are closed in rosedale because of a water main break. watch for delays. accident.f an a no delays on the outer loop opposite the reported accident. 198, watch for an accident in the laurel the city. -- the laurel vicinity. roads are still a little bit slick. no real delays on the west side. that is all of volume and no official delight at frederick.

that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. -- and no official delay. >> 47 people are presumed dead after a russian plane crashed in indonesia. it's happened on wednesday. officials say there are no signs of any survivors. a pedestrian is struck and killed last night at russell street in southwest baltimore appeared the victim was found at the scene not breathing. a man convicted of shooting and killing an off-duty state trooper will receive his sentence. cyril williams may spend the rest of his life behind bars for killing wesley brown. >> president obama changes course and declares his support

for same-sex marriage. this raises the political stakes on an issue where many americans are evenly split. tara mergener has more. >> good morning. president obama is actually the first sitting president to endorse same-sex marriage. it is a controversial move that could impact the election. >> i think same-sex couples should be able to get married. >> that announcement on wednesday. this is a reversal for president obama, who has supported civil unions but said marriage was between a man and a woman. >> i have been going through an evolution on this issue. i have always been adamant that gay and lesbian americans should be treated fairly and equally. >> this is good news for gay- rights activts, but it is not clear how this will play out with other voters. the latest gallup poll shows

half of americans support same- sex marriage. 48% do not. >> i don't favor marriage between people of the same gender and i do not favor civil unions. >> this could help mitt romney with conservatives but hurt president obama in southern states, including north carolina, where voters just approved a ban on gay marriage. >> north carolina and virginia are the linchpins of president obama's strategy. obviously, with that in mind, you don't want to be on the wrong side of the issue, particularly high-profile issues like this. >> the shift will have no impact on current policies and that marriage is an issue best decided by the states. tara mergener, wbal-tv 11 news. >> the new position, says marylanders continue to sort out their own feelings on the issue.

the governor hopes the support of the commander in chief will further the cause. >> marylanders, people who think for themselves react and not because of somebody saying something no matter how popular they might be. >> ultimately the voters always have the progress and the voters have to make the decision. when moving forward in our state. >> that brings us to our water cooler question of the day. how do you think the president's support of gay marriage will impact maryland's potential referendum on the issue? you can share your response on wbaltv.com, on our facebook page, or send us an e-mail to watercooler@wbaltv.com. >> council members are holding the fire chief's fee to the fire. -- feet to the fire. >> budget proposal includes

closing three fire companies and for good. the plant would end the daily rotating closures. there would be no layoffs. 66 firefighters would be reassigned. the fire chief said this is the reallocation of resources. this would not have a negative impact on response time. however, not everybody agrees. >> we have to identify where in this city we can cover the best, identified a company and taken out of the system. >> i think we cannot afford not to. it is not that much money. we cut the taxes. we can pay to protect the houses that we just lowered the taxes for. >> these are not fire station closures. they are fire company closures. >> deliberations resume in the robocall trial of julius henson.

he is accused of trying to suppress the african-american vote by issuing a robocall telling voters that democrats had already won -- hours before a winner had been declared. he said he's being punished. >> in politics, if you want to be in a club or the martin o'malley club, i did not want to be in a club. i just want to help people get elected. >> he blames paul schurick. prosecutors have dropped more than half of the charges against the people accused in an assault of a terrorist. the state's attorney's office has decided to drop 13 of the 24 charges against the suspects.

a tourist was beaten and robbed and this was all on camera. famousember of a daredevil family performed a daring stunt. scene was captured and broadcast live. nik made the crossing with relative ease. he will attempt to walk across niagara falls next month. >> was that a true hitch? everybody all went, "oh!" but he was ok. it was live tv -- it was great

live tv. >> which side of the scale seems to be winning out. >> nature shows an arizona city who is boss. >> we're getting a sneak peek of the preakness hot air balloon festival. >> a couple of accidents we are tracking and a water main break tracking and a water main break blocking

>> good morning. this is a live view from the skycam. the skies of mostly clear. morning andis getting excited for the preakness celebration hot air balloon celebration. we are getting a sneak peek. it is beautiful. so majestic to be here at sunrise. you have helped to bring the festival together. >> there are people working behind the scenes and doing a great job. it is a lot of detail work with this a festival. we have the best balloon-

meister. i want to invite everybody out. i want to tell them about the festival. ballooning in this part of the country is not popular. we're the only place in maryland that does it once a year. people come to the festival and do not know what to expect. 4:00 p.m. people comment and expect to see all 21 hot air balloons. balloons cannot stand up for hours and hours. we will have about five balloons up. we have a couple of the tethered balloons so people can take rides. and later in the day we will have rides where they can fly away. about 6:00 p.m., we will have all the balloons standing

weather permitting. it is all about the weather. >> not everybody gets the opportunity to see it hot air balloon rise up from the ground. you can see balloon launches tomorrow at the following morning. i had never seen a hot air balloon before i came to maryland. this is quite a treat. >> the balloon blow beautiful to watch. it is all choreographed to music. >> your guest mention the weather being critical. everything should be ideal tomorrow. our rain maker is moving out of the picture. we have sunshine west of the bay. things are improving.

it is a nice morning. 53 at the airport. 57 in annapolis. chestertown, 56. 51 in parkton. 50 at frederick. in the 40's in far western maryland. 41 in oakland. here is the satellite image. just a few clouds. most of the action is offshore. some of the clouds in garrett county and was prepared they are not rainmakers. rain tells from 1/4 of an inch to almost 2/3 of an inch. it will be below breezy today. by tomorrow, it will be -things- quiet down considerably.

there is an unsettled weather out to the west. a nice day today. sunshine this morning with partly cloudy skies. there could be a sprinkle. to 29, it willting be breezy. a few scattered clouds in the afternoon. the departing storm. this is the big air of high pressure. we will have good weather. 67 today. 70 on friday. 75 on saturday. all dry. we do pick up some clouds by sunday evening. >> thank you. we will check your commute. not a lot in the way of delays.

we are tracking a few accidents. a possible crash near york road. another one on the northeast corner. we will keep you posted. a bit of a delay on the northeast corner. moving well on the j.f.x.. we'll keep you posted on the construction delays. king cabinet shut down at franklin square drive because of a water main break. -- king avenue shut down. 198 in laurel, an accident being cleared. a bit of a delay northbound on 295 heading up towards 100. the j.f.x. looking good down towards the construction zone. this is traffic in greenspring. traffic moving well towards the j.f.x. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> thank you.

and accused kidnapper charged with murder has committed to the fbi's most wanted list. police say he kidnapped a woman and her daughters from their home in tennessee. police believe he has altered his appearance. visibility was near zero on wednesday afternoon in arizona. high winds ground traffic to a halt and posed a threat to people with breathing problems. a new york skyline landmark is about to get more colorful. the empire state building is replacing their lights. the colors can be manipulated with a computer. the new lights will save 75% of

energy costs and should burn brighter. they should make their debut in the fall. >> hundreds of marylanders will soon be out of work as their jobs shift out of town. acts that avenue will cut about a third of their work force -- saks first avenue. 160 workers in waldorf will soon be getting pink slips at hostess as they struggle to emerge from chapter 11 bankruptcy. the struggles of balance career and family begin in the earliest stages of paris. one in four working moms report they did not take the fall maternity leave all-out by their company. one in 10 took two weeks or

less. americans are dusting off their passports for summer travel scene. --travel season. jane king has the bloomberg business report. >> the annual summer forecast says flights will be a fuller this summer as the economy recovers. more travelers are going globetrotting. the hotel industry may like mac users. mac users are more likely to book a four- or five-star hotel than pc users. on marchting numbers trade balance and weekly jobless

claims later today. stocks continued to decline yesterday over worries on greece's debt crisis. the bloomberg maryland index fell. nearly 4 million mommy bloggers. they're part of an affluent set. the average income is $14,000 higher at four non-blogging mom. at the new york stock exchange, i'm jane king, bloomberg news, for wbal-tv 11 news. >> 6:21. 55 degrees on tv hill. >> bad weather for the birds yesterday. keith mills has highlights from game 6 inmust win sports.

>> 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. a few accidents on the north side. there is one just prior to the bel air road. it is backing up traffic prior to 95 in the outer loop. you may tap the brakes at york.

king avenue shutdown because of a water main break. so far so good on the west side. 198 in laurel, we do have an accident clearing. an update on 83 at the 41st street bridge. building volume in the outer loop as you travel towards the west side. those delays will be in place shortly. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> we have a good forecast. plenty of sunshine. we have a game this afternoon and this evening. upper 50's this evening. all fair conditions. plenty of sunshine. 54 on tv hill. 59 downtown. more on the weather coming up.

>> more on that game. the orioles and taxes will try again today. it looks like the weather will cooperate. they will play a doubleheader today. one admission price for both games. will start one ofwomen cha the games. the yankees lost last night. yankee fans were not happy with that. the capitals and new york rangers are headed to a game 7. last night, the caps beat the rangers in game 6, 2-1. caps in red. alex ovechkin, 1-0 capitals.

jason chimera, 2-0. braden holtby made it stand. braden holtby made 30 saves. but the anguish on his face -- look at the anguish on his face. i'll have another remains the only horse and out at pimlico. he hit the track yesterday. he jogged about a mile. this was the first time he has been on the track since winning the kentucky derby. terrell suggs said he will be out four to six months.

we'll take it. >> 6:27. an act of compassion for a man. >> not everyone is happy about some planned fire closures in the city. are notand's slots showing any signs of a struggling.

>> 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. the rain has finally moved out. still >> a few clouds on the eastern shore. the temperature at the airport, 53 degrees. 59 at the science center in downtown. the breeze is beginning to pick up, 5 to 10 miles an hour from the northwest. today will be a nice day.

>> a heated debate. the council took on the fire chief. >> the suggestion comes because the city is under the gun. jennifer franciotti joins us in the studio with more on the story. >> the permit closures are set to take place in less than a month but not everybody agrees with the plan. several council members are turning up the heat on the fire chief on the budget plans for the fire department. >> we are at bare bones and cannot afford more closings. remember that statement you made? >> i believe that. >> what has changed? >> the plan would end the daily rotating closures. there will be no layoffs. 66 firefighters would be reassigned. the fire chief says this is a real allocation of resources that would increase stability

within the department. it would not have a negative impact on response time. >> we have to identify where in the city we can cover the best, and identify the companies and take it out of the system. >> one council member agrees that rotating closures should end. she does not like the idea of shutting down fire companies. >> i think we cannot afford not to. it is not that much money. we can pay to protect the houses that we just lowered the taxes for. >> the permanent closures are set to go into effect on july 1. reporting live, jennifer franciotti. >> the school chief is asking for flexibility in running a free student tutoring program. provides tutoring at title i schools. the program pays private

companies for the program. >> i think some kids only benefit from tutoring. not every kid does. somehow 20% has to be set aside because we don't spend that money every year. we have to give the back to the state. >> maryland casinos are hitting the jackpot. the american gaming association notes the state of maryland saw some of the biggest gains during the first full year of operation. casino revenue jumped to $155.7 million last year. >> a remarkable act of forgiveness for a church.

the epistle diocese has been offered for give this to the homeless man who shot two women and has offered burial services for him. they say jones was a victim of poverty and a model their offer after the amish community. >> now traffic pulse 11 and insta-weather plus together. >> good morning. sarah caldwell checking on your morning commute. kind of busy especially for folks on the northeast side of the beltway. an accident is taking up the left lane. those delays stretch back to just prior to 95. another accident reported on southbound 95 just prior to the beltway. franklin square drive in rosedale, we have a water main break. the latest on the west side in

place. 35 miles per hour approaching 795. 198 in laurel, the ramp is blocked with an accident. delays on 295. pretty heavy on the northeast corner. this is greenspring. outer loop traffic toward the west side, we will see some delays leading up to reisterstown shortly. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. ava marie is joining us live for the balloon festival. >> good morning. this is incredible. the balloons are coming up. now they are up and about. .'m here with bob you have the number-one re/max team in maryland.

near and dear to your heart. >> i grew up in the area. we encourage all of our friends, families, and associates to come out and have a great evening. >> look at them in the sky. the smallest ones are about 60 feet tall. >> it is an extraordinary evening. it is free. >> it begins at 4:00 p.m. today and tomorrow. you can see balloon launches on saturday morning. i want to check the seven-day forecast. mostly sunny skies. may be an isolated sprinkle this afternoon. we will be keeping an eye on the

wind. a slight chance for showers as we head into senate. when a spectacular site. >> beautiful. lovely. >> and the sun. a woman refused to be stopped. a story you don't want to mess. >> we are still taking your answers to our water cooler question of the day. how do you think the president's support of gay marriage will impact maryland's potential referendum on the issue? you can share your response on wbaltv.com, on our facebook page, or send us an e-mail to watercooler@wbaltv.com.

>> 8-year-old love ipads and that is not exclusive to humans . they're using ipads to communicate with orangutans. there will receive mangoes and peanuts by touching the appropriate key. they are taking to the new technology well. >> a woman took 16 days to complete the london marathon.

she is paralyzed from the waist down because of a horse-riding accident. miles awalke two days day. just amazing. >> incredible. 55 degrees on tv hill. up had come out the top stories. >> it just got busier on southbound 95. an accident as you approach the beltway. >> this morning the sun is out. 53 at the airport. today. get gusty

>> welcome back to 11 news today. 6:44. a pedestrian is struck and killed overnight in southwest baltimore. russellned that buat street. no word as to who was at fault for the accident. deadly car crash kills a man in anne arundel county. the man lost control and struck a tree at 1:45 this morning. no word if speed or alcohol were factors in the crash.

deliberations continue in the robocall trial of a julius henson. he is accused of trying to suppress the african american vote by issuing a robocall. that was before the winner had been declared. he said he's being punished for crossing maryland politics. >> now traffic pulse 11 and insta-weather plus together. >> time to get you up to date of your morning commute. busy on the northeast side of the beltway and not southbound 95. we have an accident that is taking up one lane of that ramp. delays out of white marsh. we have an accident approaching bel air road. down to 25 miles per hour. delays all the way back to pulaski highway. king avenue is shut down

because of a water main break. heading southbound on the j.f.x. toward the construction zone, delays starting to fall into place. 198 in laurel, the ramp is blocked with an accident. 16 to get used to the outer loop west side stretch. 10 minutes on southbound 95 to 32. this is bel air road, the northeast corner of the beltway. this is 95 and white marsh. delays southbound toward the ramp to the outer loop. a busy ride in that area. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. ava marie is getting ready to go. are you tethered? >> we are tethered because we're keeping an eye on the breeze.

this is exciting. come over this way. what is a like to fly a balloon? >> it is thrilling. a beautiful experience. >> how long have you been doing this? >> 30 names. >> what is the name of the balloon? >> kaleidoscope. >> the balloon festival kicks off today. this is an incredible experience. how big is your balloon? >> 76,000 cubic feet. about seven stories high. >> how often do you go look in the balloon?

>> we fly from about may to november. >> we are getting ready for preakness. john, i'm in your hands. >> we have clear skies. that breeze will keep you tethered. 12-knot breeze is about the limit on those balloons. that is reaching the limit on what they can do. 59 degrees downtown. 53 at the airport. sykesville, 52. chestertown, 56 degrees. getting off to a good start with plenty of sunshine. temperatures in the mid 50's

right now. a good start to the school day with plenty of sunshine. the storm has moved offshore. we have plenty of sun. a few clouds may drift in. some slightly cooler air today. we will be in the 60's today. there's a pressure difference and that causes a tight gradient -- pressure gradient. kind of gustly. notice how dry -- kind of gusty. partly cloudy today. there could be a sprinkle. 64 to 69 for the high.

small craft advisory is out. 3 foot shochop on the open wates of the bay. high pressure is the dominant feature. by sunday, a few scattered clouds. late sunday into monday, a chance for some rain. maybe a thunderstorm. 75 on saturday. in morning chill the next couple of mornings. we'll be in the 40's. >> time now for a last look at one of our big stories. some fiery rhetoric at city hall. jennifer franciotti is live with that story. >> it is a hot-button issue for

a lot of people. it includes closing at three fire companies for good and this is not sitting well with some members of the city council. 66 firefighters will be reassigned. this is a reallocation of resources. it will not have a negative impact on response time. not everybody agrees. this is not closing of fire stations. three stations will be affected. >> when on the closures set to take effect? >> july 1. >> jennifer franciotti, thank you. >> here is ann curry with a look at what is coming up next on the "today" show. >> good morning.

president obama announcement on same-sex marriage -- will this help or hurt him in november? an interview with adele. if global search it was a good thing -- if vocal surgery was a good thing. an interview with howard stern. we challenge the princeton crew team to a race when we get started on thursday morning. >> i think i can tell how that will turn out. >> 55 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 to get to your answers to our watercooler question of the day. >> this morning we asked -- how do you think the president's support of gay marriage will impact maryland's potential referendum on the issue? >> we will post more of your

answers on the front page of our website, wbaltv.com. >> kind of busy in the northeast side between 95 and the beltway. we have an accident coming in. another crash approaching belair road. down to 25 miles per hour. king avenue, watch for closures because of a water main break. one more problem eastbound 70. that ramp is shut down. the steel plates have shifted. delays in place approaching bel air road. this is 95 at white marsh southbound. >> we have not seen the sun for days. >> the wind is out of the -- the rain is another picture. 75 on saturday.

we pick up some clouds on sunday. by sunday evening, some rain chances. the middle of next week's, dry as well. this is a typical spring. this time the dry lines up on 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. >> have a great day.