. mostly sunny day today. a breeze coming out of the north. high temperature of 75 degrees. we will check the seven-day forecast going all the way into the weekend. first we say good morning to sarah. >> good morning. not bad. a nice start on the major roadways. 55 on the west side traveling down towards baltimore national pike. southbound 795, no problems from franklin boulevard. 64 on southbound 83 towards the beltway. speeds around 62 on 95 out of the white marsh area. harbor tunnel traffic looking good. this is the north side at dulaney valley to and from the harrisburg expressway. looking good as to switch over to the j.f.x. at north avenue. no delays.

a light morning so far. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> police say a couple held a girl as a sex slave inside their home. >> jennifer franciotti is live with the details. how did this happen? >> one word -- the internet. they met the girl online. she ran away from home. 48-year-old john blaes and margret jones have been charged with distributing child pornography. the girl was forced to call them master and miss and the couple took care of the girl from july to november of last year. the girl was able to contact her mother online. the couple took the teenager to tennessee to visit her mother. the child did leave with the couple without her mother's

knowledge. a child psychologist said she lacked the emotional development to know better. >> this is why it legally or any way looking at it and adolescent cannot make decisions for themselves without their parents' approval and consent. >> court documents indicate police found pictures of the girl in various states of bondage and sexual attacks. >> two boys admitted to killing and hiding a girl learn their fate. they said the accident shot a girl in the chest back in march. the 13-year-old will be placed in a treatment facility. the 12-year-old will be court monitored while living with a relative. they do not believe the punishment fits the crime.

>> she was killed and not calling the authority and not calling anyone for help, dragging her body outside and throwing trash on it. >> both sentences are for an indefinite period of time. a police sergeant faces charges this morning. argent dennis workley is charged with perjury and misconduct -- sergeant. a woman staying in the home said police look for drugs and guns and destroy christmas gifts before leaving. >> a special budget session -- there will be a second session this summer. the house gave final approval

for a budget package. it raises the state income tax for some and increases the sales tax on tobacco products other than cigarettes. the budget do over was needed to avoid painful cuts. >> we have been able to make the cuts and do the tough things on revenues to balance the budget, but we have been able to maintain our priorities. >> it is likely the governor will sign the bill on tuesday. that brings us to our water cooler question of the day. do you think a second special session needs to be called to address gambling in maryland, or can this wait until next year? you can share your response on wbaltv.com, on our facebook page, or send us an e-mail to watercooler@wbaltv.com.

it is the kind of campaign most people are used to seeing. there's something else playing a prominent role in the debate. tara mergener joins us live with our report. good morning. >> good morning. thanks to looser campaign finance laws, super pacs will have a big voice in the presidential race, waving a limited amounts of cash to support their candidates. less than six months before the general election, the race is predictable down and dirty. >> republicans have found a nominee for president who has promised to rubber-stamp the agenda if he gets a chance. >> people who weapon hurt are the american people. that is why we will get him out of office. >> starting today, an independent group ups the ante,

launching a 25 million-dollar campaign targeting president obama in tenant dollar grant states. >> president obama made a series of promises that he was going to do it that we believe he has not delivered on and somebody has to hold them for account to account for these failures. >> the president has a major super pac in this corner, too. >> we're trying to talk to all voters so that people have a sense of who mitt romney is and where he comes from. >> it would note to scoop up support in key states is closing. -- a window to scoop up support. the campaign will grow more and negative as the campaielection s

near. >> what has changed in the past four years? >> first amendment provides corporations and unions the same political free speech rights and individual has. it is ok for them to use general treasury funds for election expenditures. >> tara mergener, thank you. >> 64 degrees on tv hill. maryland takes center stage for the g 8 summit. records showal r a number of injuries and following the incident with trayvon martin. >> this is 895 number of charles street. something is going on there t

>> welcome back. 5:10. temperatures in the 60's right now in the city. we had a cold front go through a couple of hours ago. all is quiet on this thursday. that is a good thing. it will turn out to be a nice day. 65 at the airport. 55 in taneytown. 54 in hagerstown. mostly sunny skies. we will make it up to 75 this afternoon. we will check the seven-day forecast going all the way into the weekend. >> closing arguments are

scheduled in the john edwards campaign finance trial. the government will begin with its closing argument this morning. the defense will follow and the government will have eight or bottle. the judge expects to tell the jury what to do. george zimmerman said he had several injuries. he had two black guys. he was treated by his family doctor for is injuries and did not go to a hospital e.r. he claims self-defense. >> world leaders began arriving for the g 8 summit at dulles airport today. the location of the summit was changed from chicago to camp david. president obama says camp david

would better facilitate a free- flowing discussion among the leaders. >> 64 degrees on tv hill. saying the by to unlimited data plans. >> keeping up with their cars maintenance is a good way to avoid problems. >> traffic is not moving southbound on 895. we will check for problems on we will check for problems on the

>> now traffic pulse 11 and insta-weather plus together. >> good morning. a problem this morning on 895.

you may want to take 95. all southbound lanes are blocked on 895 because of a vehicle fire. checking out the west side, a 59 miles per hour at baltimore national pike. continuing to move well on the harrisburg expressway. traveling south on 95, a smooth ride at white marsh, 64 miles per hour appeared that right continues down to the fort mchenry. this is the fort mchenry. southbound traffic is a little heavy as folks consider the fort mchenry as their alternate. this is 895. they have managed to get the vehicle fire off to the side. traffic is once again moving. some delays out of the tunnel. 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 nicely on the marc trains. no delays on the penn, camden, and brunswick lines. light rail on schedule with shuttle buses between timonium and hunt valley. metro subway on schedule. the 22 bus operating with a delay. let mta show you the way to the preakness. call for more information. i'm kurt kronke. now back to tony pann. >> thank you. it will be a nice day today. the wind has shifted around to the north. you can see the report from the airport. a couple of clouds hanging around. off to the north and west, we have temperatures dropping off into the 50's. 55 in taneytown. that cooler air is sliding down

towards baltimore. the temperatures in the great lakes are in the 40's. 48 in chicago. some of that colder air will work its way into baltimore tonight. the front is going off the coast. we have some cloud cover behind the system. it will be a dry day. this front will stall off the coast. that could create a little bit of a problem going into preakness weekend. high pressure will take control. mostly sunny is the forecast for today. high temperature in the mid 70's. it will be choppy on the bay. wave heights around two feet. small craft advisory is in a fact. temperatures will drop into the mid 40's into the colder northwest suburbs.

you can open the windows or turn the air conditioner off. or turn the heat down. it will be a nice day on friday. 76. preakness weekend, the system will be stalled off to the coast. low pressure and we have a 30% chance for some showers in the afternoon on preakness saturday. it will not be a big deal. high temperature of 74 degrees. >> 48 is chilly. verizon customers with unlimited data might want to enjoy it while at last. the plant to switch to tier plans. this impacts people who are grandfathered with an unlimited plan. as many as one in 20 crashes

could be related to tire-related problems. under aninflated tires were the biggest problem. three times more likely to be involved in a crash, so check your tires. turn into credit cards to help with finances. some tips to stay on track. >> the dream job and the dream salary will not come right away. some may turn to credit to bridge financial gaps. credit standing can affect credit leasing and car loans. getting off to a solid start can be simple. >> i think the most important thing -- it is fine to get a credit card. but pay the balance off every

month. >> young people can find themselves with a lot of offers. don't be flattered -- millions of others will get the same offers, too. >> read the fine print and don't get a card unless you need one. >> key points include the interest rates and any fees. learning this not stop at graduation. ask for help on the topics that will define their financial lives. to the ftc tells sketch yeers shape up or ship out. ford is taking on prius with your own top-selling hybrid. jane king has the bloomberg

business report. >> ford dealers taking orders for the ford hybrid. skin is the toyota prius -- this is the toyota prius a run for their money. ford says it gives better fuel efficiency. foreclosure filings plunging to five-year lows. recovery is slow in baltimore. 20% in the baltimore area. futures this morning are a little bit higher. same old same old. more losses over concern of greece's debt crisis. sketchers will pay a fine.

the statement said they met claims about benefiting cardiovascular health. in response, the company denies the allegations. the settlement involves 44 states and the district of columbia. a portion of the settlement will go to customers who purchased those shoes. at the new york stock exchange, i'm jane king, bloomberg news, for wbal-tv 11 news. >> many americans are getting reacquainted with their kitchens. >> not such a bad thing. eating out is seen as more of a lecture. more americans are opting to cook more meals at home. what verizon is doing to its unlimited data plans that is making customers angry. >> thank you. >> surprising how many people

think eating out is the norm. >> 5:22. the field is set for the preakness stakes. >> don't forget to e-mail us your response to our water cooler question of the day. do you think a second special session needs to be called to address gambling in maryland, or can this wait until next year? you can share your response on wbaltv.com, on our facebook page, or send us an e-mail to watercooler@wbaltv.com.

>> high hopes for the future behind the new team for the baltimore grand prix. tickets will be sold later this month. michael andretti said he is confident the race will become a world-class event.

>> i would not be doing this unless i felt confident we will make everybody happy. will would make everybody happy? i don't know, but we'll certainly try. >> the countdown to the previous rules on with the annual alibi breakfast where they celebrate the preakness and make some interesting race predictions. one thing they don't have to predict is the post position. the 11 positions were drawn up last weekend. i'll have another will start from the number 9 post. keith mills will love more in sports. -- keith mills will have more and sports. we will will have live coverage of the preakness states and will race livebyou the big

on saturday. >> a girl used as a sex slave. we have more details. >> city officials say two former meter readers turned in some false numbers and the city plans to make up the difference. >> we have some beautiful weather coming up in the next few days. >> sarah caldwell checking on your morning commute. we have a problem on 895 at the harbor tunnel. harbor tunnel.

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>> 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 will be a beautiful day today. a question about preakness weekend. let's not talk about that yet. we had a cold front go by a couple of hours ago. the humidity is going down. 65 degrees at the airport. the cooler air will be sliding in today. will make it up to 75 today. mostly sunny with the temperature in the mid 70's today. we will check the seven-day forecast going all the way into the weekend. >> we're not completely problem free on the roads. we have a problem on 895 in the southbound direction. you might want to consider the fort mchenry. we have a vehicle fire that is taking up the right lane just after the toll plaza. watch for that to impact your ride. eastbound 70, reports of an accident and a vehicle fire.

we're doing well otherwise. no problems on the west side. 63 on 97 towards 100 in the glen burnie area. the rest of the major areas so far corporation. this is 70 at 29. watch for the problem on 70. this is 895 in the southbound direction. fire department on the scene. it is causing a busy situation out of the harbor tunnel. take the fort mchenry as your alternate. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> police say a couple is accused of holding a girl as a sex slave. >> now the couple is facing charges. jennifer franciotti joins us live with details on this case. how did this all began? >> it began in july when the

girl ran away from home. the broader to park filled with they were forcing her to be their sex slave. the couple met the north carolina teenager online and brought her back to their home. >> there were involved in sexual acts and sexual images were produced. >> john blaes and margret jones were charged with producing and distributing child pornography. court documents allege the girl was forced to call them master and miss. >> they do treat these children the best they can so the children remained be halted and immigration it to them. at some point they feel like they're composite. >> at one point the couple took the girl to tennessee to see her

mother. the mother reported the information to police. the couple was arrested. the child left with the couple without the mothers permission. a child psychologist says she lacked the information to know better. way looking at it, adolescents cannot make decisions for themselves without their parents' approval and consent. >> officials say it is so important for parents to keep an open dialogue with their children. >> when they do run away, their risk of being in a exploited situation increases dramatically. we want to let them feel secure enough so they can talk to us. >> police found evidence in various stages of bondage and sexual acts. >> the owner and operator of the baltimore county pain clinic are

both in jail this morning, accused of running a pill mill. undercover agents had been posing as would-be patients that were provided with large quantities of narcotics without a legitimate need. the i-team in seoul this firsthand. you can see more at wbaltv.com. >> you could be paying more on your next order bill. workers hired last year were turning in a false numbers on their readings. this happened in at least two neighborhoods. the problem was discovered in december. they are reissuing new bills. the governor waste no time about a special session later this summer. the special session for the

state budget ended on wednesday. the governor will likely sign the bill tied to the budget next tuesday. there is no date for the second session on expanded gaming. that brings us to our water cooler question of the day. do you think a second special session needs to be called to address gambling expansion in maryland, or can this wait until next year? you can share your response on wbaltv.com, on our facebook page, or send us an e-mail to watercooler@wbaltv.com. >> today begins the first full day of service for the new leader of the catholic community. was an installation mass -- there was an installation mass yesterday for william lori. >> faith is public. faith is meant to be spread far and wide and acted upon through

church institutions and in the witness of individual believers. >> he succeeds cardinal william o'brien as the archbishop of baltimore. one of his responsibilities will be overseeing 70 catholic schools in and around the baltimore area. students watch the installation ceremony. they learned more about the current leader. you can watch the mass in its entirety on wbaltv.com. you to watch the homily by the archbishop in its entirety. 64 degrees on tv hill. coffee is a popular drink for people to start their day. >> coffee can help you live ill little longer. research is think there's a link to coffee and longevity.

>> the traffic is getting busy, especially for motorists on 895. especially for motorists on 895. [ male announcer ] everyone at southwest airlines works together for one goal: to get you where you're going. and with flights all over the country to choose from, it's a good thing we love our work. and now we're excited to take you to the beaches of northwest florida.

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>> welcome back. 68 degrees downtown. much cooler in the suburbs. we had a cold front go by. i would take in light jacket this morning. let's look at the numbers. theeratures in the 50's in mountains. 54 in hagerstown. that is sliding down towards baltimore. mostly sunny skies. it will be breezy. cooler but nice. high temperature of 75.

we will check the seven-day forecast going all the way into the weekend. haverugs called stanttins been touted for their benefits. >> a steady involves exploring the human genome. as people with higher hdl did not have an altered risk for heart disease. we know that coffee gets us up in the morning. >> could drink coffee help us live longer? coffee consumption was associated with a lower rate of early deaths including those due to heart disease, diabetes, and injuries and accidents.

the reason behind the link is not clear. more study may be needed. the key may be the anti oxidants. coffee may make you live longer. we're back where we started. >> 64 degrees on tv hill. the orioles needed extra innings to finish off the kansas city. keith mills will have the highlights. >> it seems we're headed for some nice weather, possibly through the weekend. tony has the forecast. -[ sneezes ] -what are you waiting for? -my allergy medicine to work. -allegra is fast. [ female announcer ] only allegra combines fast, non-drowsy, 24-hour relief. -gotta go. - [ female announcer ] allegra. fast and non-drowsy relief.

>> now traffic pulse 11 and insta-weather plus together. >> good morning.

sarah caldwell checking on your morning commute. some good news to report on 895 southbound. we had a vehicle fire. that has now cleared. the fort mchenry or harbor tunnel are looking good. eastbound 70, we have a vehicle fire. that could impact your ride. on to the beltway, a smooth ride on the west side. 65 the traveling southbound on 95 through howard county. this is the key bridge. the east side of the beltway checks out just fine. we switch over to 895. we had some heavy traffic leading up to the toll plaza. everything moving well out of the harbor tunnel. 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. >> we're moving along nicely. we have the delay on the 22 bus. light rail on schedule.

shabazz is in place between timonium and hunt valley. metro subway is on schedule. no problems on the penn, camden, and brunswick lines. the mta is your best ride to the preakness. i'm kurt kronke. now back to tony pann. >> thank you. we have some beautiful weather to talk about. first we say good morning to ava marie. she is back out at pimlico. you'll know a lot about horse racing. >> i am hoping to put some money on some horses. we're live outside the stakes barn this morning. it is a more active today. the horses in the barns are not just the ones in the preakness. horses here.re cour

a flight came in yesterday. tiger what is being held that sagamore farms. he's the local contender from maryland. he will likely come over the day of the race. not quite sure -- everybody is speculating why another horse came to early. we got to see d. wayne lucas. he is the owner with optimizer. it is basically down to all have another and bodemeister -- i 'll another.ave we're expecting to talk with

some of the trainers this morning. what we're expecting for saturday. it is still a star system trying to develop off the coast. most models are keeping it off to the coast. the really part of the day will be great weather. areas of fog and partly cloudy skies. we will go back to tony. we been fighting about whether to keep the rain chance is in -- we have been fighti. >> the computer models are basically split. with a slight chance for preakness. it is not a big deal. it will not wash out the entire day. thank you. we'll talk to next half-hour. 65 degrees at the airport. it will be nice the next couple of days. a cold front came through.

the wind has shifted around to the north. 60's in baltimore. 57 in mount airy. the cooler air is sliding down towards us. acrosstures in the 40's bows to the great lakes. 48 in chicago. overnight, which he did into the 40's here once you get away from the city. here is the front going off the coast. we will see mostly sunny skies. there precipitation around us. the nearest death is in the carolinas. the computer models are having trouble deciding if this will be far enough off shore up for us to miss the rain. in the short time it will be nice. mostly sunny skies and a little breezy. high temperature between 72 and 77. in my be a little choppy if you

take the boat out. small craft advisories in effect. tonight, mostly clear skies and almost chilly for this time of year. we will drop back into the mid 40's. tomorrow, that front will be stalled south of us. high pressure will give us another nice day. it all depends on where this front will end up. a slight chance for some rain on saturday. sunshine and 76 tomorrow. a slight chance for rain on saturday. sunday, monday, and tuesday, it will be unsettled. not a washout situation at this point for preakness saturday. >> thank you. 5:49. 64 degrees on tv hill. the field is set for the

preakness. keith mills has the starting positions. >> lottery lotterhere is a lookt night's winning maryland lottery numbers. [ boss ] okay, okay.

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>> time to get to your answers to our watercooler question of the day. >> this morning we asked -- do you think a second special session needs to be called to address gambling expansion in maryland, or can this wait until next year? 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. >> now 11 sports with keith mills. >> what would you want to put gambling at a racetrack where there's already gambling? the orioles down to the last out. they win it in the 15th. 4-3, the orioles beat kansas city. adam jones comes a big again.

ure team had won foour straight. alex gordon down the line. he had no chance at that. 3-1, kansas city. top of the ninth. wilson betemit makes it 3-2 with one out. two outs. tying run at second. a drive. he comes up throwing. he beats the tag to keep the game alive. the bullpen was unbelievable. adam jones off of nate adcock. a couple of weeks ago, jones hit

a home run to beat the red sox. 4-3. jim johnson saves in four kevin gregg. we found that in the sky. orioles 10 games over .500 and still tied for first . . the practice field is set. bodemeister and i'll have another of the favorites. tiger walk, teeth of the dog, both local connections. creative cause. i'll have another. optimizer.

cozzetti. you watch the race right here on wbal. the lakers looking for a win. game two last night. the lakers did not play well enough. for the quarter -- fourth quarter. the game is tied. the thunder come back. kevin durant had 22. steve blake is with the lakers. this is for the win. he usually hits that. the lakers lose. how about adam jones? no question about it. >> and backside blunder.

is that didn't deliver what they promised -- shoes that didn't deliver what was promised. >> sewage backs up in baltimore. >> how one man wears his watch with no respect and. >> we have some nice stop to talk about weather-wise. things may change over the weekend. >> we have been monitoring some early morning problems. a problem on 70. a problem on 70. we will update

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a couple is accused of using a girl as their sex life. >> super pac means super spending. what it could mean for the race for president.