>> if you are a last-minute shopper, you're not alone. >> one week until the fiscal cliff. lawmakers will return from their holiday recess. >> the ravens come back with a vengeance after three straight losses. >> santa has already begun his trip across the world. [captioning made possible by constellation energy group] captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- >> you're watching wbal-tv 11. live, local, late-breaking. this is 11 news today at 6:00 a.m. >> good morning. i am sarah caldwell. >> i am jennifer franciotti. happy christmas eve.

>> things look good for santa. all his helpers' are trying to finish up their preparations. there could be some slippery conditions out on the roads. a lot of clouds building into the mid-atlantic. the rain is reaching parts of southern virginia. this will turn over to an icy mix. look at the temperatures right now. it will not be pure rain. we will see some sleet around baltimore. it will be chilly today. watch out for the slippery conditions. >> so far pretty light traffic. >> 1 accident along greenspring

valley road and spring hill road. watch for an accident and maybe some lanes closed. up to speed on the major roadways. problem free on the j.f.x. traveling south down to coldspring. southbound traffic is not to have the right now. moving well at the harbor tunnel. 64 on southbound 83. this is 895 approaching the harbor tunnel. 295 southbound, 55 miles per hour down towards 100. we will let you know as those problems develop. >> maybe a stressful day as the clock is winding down for procrastinators trying to get the last minute perfect gifts.

>> rob roblin joins us live from towson with more. good morning. >> there are a bunch of folks out there. millions have not finish. 132 million people say they've not finish their shopping. 17 million say they will wait until christmas eve. 17% who have done their shopping say they are spending less this year. 586 million in the economy and more people are spending. >> doing shopping for my ex- husband. we are having the time of our lives. we're shopping for the kids. they cannot see that. >> a reminder -- a lot of stores

are stay open 24 hours a day. some are opening early and staying open late. you may want to check the store hours before you do your last- minute shopping. rob roblin, wbal-tv 11 news. >> thank you. that brings us to our water cooler question of the day. how will you be spending christmas? you can share your response at wbaltv.com and on our facebook page, or send us an e-mail to watercooler@wbaltv.com. >> losing streak? what losing streak? the team dropped their last three straight. the ravens scored early and often yesterday against the new york giants. joe flacco had two touchdowns

and he didn't turn the ball over once. ray rice ran for over 100 yards. he caught his first touchdown of the year. 174 passing yards for the giants. the ravens win convincingly 33- 14. >> reaction from the mother of the man that was killed. the man was found loitering in catonsville. used to comee ref out and then displayed a knife. he had a history of mental illness but was not dangerous. >> the man continued to walk towards the officer with a knife out. the officer discharged the suspect.

>> he is immensely unstable from time to time. >> he was pronounced dead at an area hospital. the officer has to put on routine administrative leave. there was a shooting in southeast baltimore. officers found the victim just before 12:45 sunday afternoon. he is expected to recover. police have not released a motive. >> a body was found at the inner harbor on sunday morning. a passerby discovered the body around 9:30 near pacaratt street. three police officers are being hailed as heroes after pulling a

man from a burning truck. the man most driving on saturday morning when he lost control and hit a light pole. we're told the truck ignited. the man was rescued before the truck went up in flames. >> lawmakers are not getting much of a debate. there are two major debates. we have more from washington from danielle leigh. >> the national rifle association remained defiant in an interview with david gregory. >> if it is crazy to call for putting police and armed security to protect our kids, then call me crazy. >> he dismissed calls for laws. >> i don't think that will make any difference. >> throughout the country, people are responding.

some are buying weapons. ofi'm here to take advantage an opportunity to do something. >> others protesting at gun shops. >> it is insanity. insanity. >> lawmakers weighing how to deal with the issue. they face an even bigger problem -- another stalemate in fiscal cliff negotiations. >> our colleagues are risking the fiscal cliff. >> i think we will fall out of the fiscal tree. it will not be a big deal. >> lawmakers return from their holiday recess on thursday and will have their work cut out for them. in washington, i'm danielle leigh, wbal-tv 11 news. >> 6:08. disney preparing to make a major announcement. >> a terrifying crash police four people dead in ohio.

>> chances are this gadget has made it onto a wish list. >> for all the last-minute shopping, we have a look at the forecast. a wintry mix is on the way. >> we will check on your morning commute and a couple ofhqhqhqhqe

mountains. >> good morning. this is a live look outdoors. it is still dark outside. temperatures in the low 40's downtown. we switch over to the radar picture to see the storm system approaching from the south. a lot of clouds across the mid atlantic. rain moving into virginia. that pink dot is showing the precipitation is now starting to change over to wintry mix. transition.ng that it will not just be a pure rain because the temperatures are too cold.

you can see the storm is bringing in some mild air. 46 in atlanta. event in therain defe south right now. check out baltimore. the precipitation will be moving in as a mix rather than pure rain. it is below freezing at the airport and in just about every area until we get further south. 39 in ocean city. there are a few spots above freezing. this is all a rain event for the eastern shore. as for baltimore, it starts off with sleet and changes over to rain.

the mountains could get some freezing rain today. not much accumulation. it doesn't take much ice to make the roads treacherous. the roads should be pretty ok in baltimore until you get to carroll county. the rain should be clearing off into tonight. upper 20's into the suburbs. pretty nice for santa on christmas morning. sunshine on tuesday. 44 the high temperature. a storm system moving in one state into thursday. it will be a busy day. >> if you're heading out the door, there are a couple of problems. greenspring valley road at spring hill road, there is an

accident. saratoga, watch for a crash. up to speed on the major roadways. 54 on the southbound j.f.x. into town. this is the beltway at reisterstown road. very light volume on most of the major roadways. 95 up to speak at route 24. from the tydings memorial bridge down to the fort mchenry, we are looking good at the moment. 55 miles on 295 approaching 100. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> four people are dead in ohio. the crash happened early sunday morning. investigators say a man was driving with his children when he turned his minivan around and

started driving the wrong way. he hit another minivan. the driver and his son were killed in the crash. president obama attended a service for the late senator daniel inouye. a salute was fired as his coffin arrived. he was the first japanese american elected to both houses of congress. he died of respiratory complications last sunday. george h.w. bush is still in stable condition in a houston hospital. he has been hospitalized since november while undergoing treatment for bronchitis. he still needs to build up some strained before he can be released.

the discharge date has been said -- no discharge date has been set. >> more americans are parting with their money. consumer spending rose .6% in november. the boost shows growing consumer confidence in their personal finances and the country's overall economy. if a tablet device is on your list this year, you are in the company. the number of adults that owns a tablet has more than doubled. we can expect the number of americans with a tablet to skyrocket in the next few years. last year for 34 million americans owned a tablet and that number is expected to jump in the next four years.

disney will unveil something new. we have more in this morning's bloomberg business report. >> good morning. lawmakers are more skeptical a deal will be reached. they are on christmas break until december 27. house republican leaders council a vote on speaker boehner's plan b. did you shop the last few days? $1 billion was spent on free shipping days. the five day work week reported a surge of 53% of spending. some folks held off until closer to christmas because of the

uncertainty going on. food companies are going after people on mobile devices. it rose 51% to more than $120 million. tv ads marketing and healthy food to children were on the decline. disney interactive is planning a new gaming initiative on january 15. the project could be tied to xomething called toyboy a ame with mobile apps. that is biz's news. ellen braitman reporting for wbal-tv 11 news -- that is business news. back to you. >> happy holidays.

>> you, to. >> 28 degrees at the airport. the ravens make the giants look small. >> don't forget to e-mail us your response to our water cooler question of the day. how will you be spending christmas? you can share your response on wbaltv.com, on our facebook page, or send us an e-mail to watercooler@wbaltv.com. >> here is a look at last night's winning maryland lottery numbers.

chances are, you're not made of money, so don't overpay for motorcycle insurance. geico, see how much you could save.

>> now insta-weather plus and traffic pulse 11 together. out, righte heading now the major roadways are shipping out to be very nice. we have one accident. this is in the city at saratoga. watch for closures. moving well. no problems on the area roads. 295 looks pretty good at 175. 55 miles per hour prior to 100 ioon 295. 50 at sandy point checking in ok. in light ride on the span of the

bridge. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> the roads are dried right ry right now. the rain will interact with the colder temperatures. we can see we're starting at or below freezing across the metro area. 32 in catonsville. 30 degrees in columbia. this will start as a mix and changeover to rain. there could be some icy spots on the roads. a bigger concern in the mountains for icy spots. >> the ravens came roaring out of the gates to claim the title of afc north champs.

first quarter, joe flacco tosses to torrey smith. that was a pickup of 43 yards. joe flacco carry it in. they would take an early 7-0 lead. joe flacco to ray rice. touchdown for ray rice. ravens were up 14-0. then we move to the fourth quarter. watch him go, 78 yards. didn't make it to the end zone. the ravens make it to another division title. 33-14. everyone on the board has made it to the postseason. right out of sight baltimore would face indianapolis in the wild-card round. the ravens cannot get a first- round bye.

that is up for grabs right now. the redskins keeping their hopes for a division title alive, clipping the wings of the eagles. 7-6 eagles. robert griffin iii to josh morgan. washington leads. then the handoff to morris. the redskins lead 20-10. a beautiful pass to santana moss. the redskins win. but showalter nears a contract extension with the orioles. -- buck showalter nearest a contract extension with the

orioles. sources say a deal is expected to be finalized early within the new year. the owner is in new york right now and said if he wants to be here, we want him here. >> that is good to hear. a big pop music star grants a wish to the victim of the shooting. shooti hall >> the nation continues to wrap their arms around the grieving community of newtown, connecticut. >> we will update you on any >> we will update you on any promise spots to

but the acidic levels in some foods can cause acid erosion. the enamel starts to wear down, and you can't grow your enamel back. my dentist recommended that i use pronamel,

because it helps to strengthen the enamel. and i believe it's doing a good job. >> you're watching wbal-tv 11. live, local, late-breaking. this is 11 news today at 6:00 a.m. >> good morning. welcome back to 11 news today.

i am jennifer franciotti. >> i am sarah call. thanks for joining us for 11 news today. >> we are watching as moisture moves in from the south. this could start thout as an icy mix. 29 in westminster. we are talking about sleet changing over to rain. watch out for a brief period of some ice around baltimore throughout the late morning. >> just a few hours left before the clock runs out on those who have not finish their holiday shopping. >> several stores are open this morning. >> it is looking good. just a couple of trucks and cars here and there. a lot of people were out in

force yesterday and throughout the country doing the last minute shopping. the spirit was in the year at the towson town market yesterday as last-minute shoppers hit the mall. >> doing shopping for my ex- husband and we're having the time of our lives. this is for the kids. they cannot see that. >> i am pretty sure my husband hasn't shopped yet. [laughter] he is worse than we are. >> there are millions of shoppers that are not quite done. 26 million have not started. 17 million plan to hit the stores on christmas eve. >> i know who i need to buy for but not what i'm going to get. >> 17% are planning to spend

less this year. >> sales this holiday season are on track to top $586 billion. that's the most optimistic forecast since the recession. >> $11.2 billion in sales on black friday. these are very strong results compared to last year. retailers hoping that consumers will come back. >> the advice we got for next year was to shop early. we said that every year. a reminder to check the store hours. some are opening early and some are open 24 hours a day. reporting live, rob roblin, wbal-tv 11 news. >> after the tragic shooting, people continue to shower the

area to show their support. we have that story. >> the number of teddy bears and flowers continues to grow in the center of newtown. people are sharing in their grief. people have stopped by the memorial to show their solidarity. a teacher from poughkeepsie. >> i is had to be here. i needed to be here. we love these people. with of people from everywhere. we do not want this to happen again. >> some are still trying to make sense what happened at sandy hook elementary. >> we love to see them get the support. >> there has been a tremendous

outpouring of love and support. there is not room for any more donations. the news trucks have cleared out and the eulogies have been delivered but the tears still remain. they are getting comfort from strangers. >> there are no words that can heal the pain. we're praying for you and you are in our thoughts always. do not think we forgot. this is not something somebody could forget. >> lady gaga has reached out to daniel borowy. he is a longtime fan of lady gaga. he urged the singer to come

and visit. daniel did receive a package in the mail from his idol including a pair of tickets to an upcoming show. >> now insta-weather plus and traffic pulse 11 together. >> let's take a look at your morning commute. you may want to leave early. rain and mix precipitation is on the way. we have an accident at saratoga streets. the major roadways are doing well. 53 around belair road on the north side. 295 is building and you can see some brake lights down towards 175. 65 on the harrisburg expressway. no problems on the j.f.x. 49 down towards coldspring. 55 on southbound 95 down to the

fort mchenry. 50 at sandy point is running smoothly at this hour. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> thank you. we are watching a storm moving in from the south. the rain is making its way into virginia. possibly some snow into the mountains. we're expecting sleet starting off in baltimore. then we will changeover to rain. we change over to the rain into the afternoon and evening hours. sunny on christmas. more details are coming up. >> 28 degrees at the airport. the end of an era. how many generations this light

display has entertained. >> we are still taking your answers to our water cooler question of the day. how will you be spending christmas? you can share your response at wbaltv.com and on our facebook page, or send us an e-mail to watercooler@wbaltv.com.

>> after a dazzling visits, a

holiday tradition is coming to a close. he has been the toast of the town in denver with this dazzling display of 150,000 christmas lights. he started with one strand but each year and got bigger. he said his age is catching up to him and this committee last year for the display. he says it is time to turn out the lights. that is remarkable. >> this could be the largest santa claus. take a look. companies from the region collaborated on the project. it took 17 trucks and eight

days to mount the structure. that will light the city until january 7. 28 degrees at the airport. coming up, we will check the major stories. >> this is 95 and the white marsh area. >> we are tracking the possibility of an icy mix

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the search continues for a suspect after a shooting in southeast baltimore. if the victim was found just before 12:45 on sunday afternoon. he is expected to recover. police are looking to identify a body that was found in the inner harbor on sunday. a passer-by found the body. it is not clear how the person ended up in the water. detectors will try to determine the exact cause of death. the ravens scored early and often against the new york giants. joe flacco had two touchdowns and did not turn the ball over once. ray rice ran for over 100 yards. ray caught his first touchdown

of the year. eli manning had 174 passing yards. the ravens clan their second straight afc north title. >> it was a great game. be sure you're giving safely. we have more. >> charitable giving tends to go up this time of year. >> we had some charities that were just four main rming. they still need to go through the process. >> be aware of unsolicited e- mails and phone calls. >> you can check out a charity

online, give.org. >> the 20 stantondards get fund raising and effectiveness information. >> the bloat represents how much of your dollar goes towards the cause -- the blue represents how much of your dollar goes toward the cause. at least 65% of your money should go to programs. especially with newer charities, ask questions before you give. >> the charity needs to be registered with the a.g. >> nonprofits need certification from the irs, which can take several months. >> once you've made up your

mind, do not give a cash. use a credit card or personal check. make it out to the charity. >> now insta-weather plus and traffic pulse 11 together. >> if you're heading out on the roads, let's take a look. volume is picking up and we have some weather moving up. up to speed on the north and west side. this is eastbound 70 and still up to speed. 95 out of the white marsh area, traffic is rather liked. the j.f.x. in good shape. 55 on southbound 95 down to the fort mchenry. this is 95 at 395.

problem free at the moment. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> we are watching the icy mix making its way to baltimore. it is moving up into a rich man. there are a few shadings of pink in central virginia as the rain is changing over to an icy mix. the temperatures are caold. we can see what we will expect. let's switch over to the temperatures. we're expecting cold in.peratures to move t 40 degrees in annapolis. this will cause some problems

today. we expect the roads to be a little slippery today. this will change over to rain at this afternoon. watch out for ice in the mountains. this is rain and sleet and changing over to all rain. icy from hagerstown out towards the west. we will be mostly dry tomorrow. that takes us into the seven-day forecast. partly sunny skies on christmas day. we will see a wintry mix once again on wednesday. friday looks dry. it wintry mix possible by

saturday. >> the rush is on. it is christmas eve. rob roblin joins us live from towson. how is looking? >> traffic is picking up a little bit. lots of people were out shopping yesterday. if you have some shopping to do today, you are not alone. 132 million people say they've not finished their shopping. 17 million say they will wait until the last minute. people are spending more. the economy is looking good. a lot of stores are open 24 hours a day and some more opening early and staying open

late. check the store hours to make sure they are open. you may be a little bit surprised. luck and stay warm and keep an eye on the weather. >> are you done with your shopping? >> no. >> there were some hearings in some of your reports. >> ok. i have a lot of requests. most everything is done. i cook a lot. that's my big gift. for the grandkids. >> keeping it simple. merry christmas. >> same to you. >> 6:41.

coming up, we'll look at your answers to our water cooler question of the day. >> we'll take a last look at weather and traffic together before you hea

>> time to get to your answers to our water cooler question of the day. >> this morning we asked, how will you be spending christmas? >> she arrived in orlando and

she is watching us? thank you for staying with us. that is great. >> we will post more answers on our website, wbaltv.com. >> today could be tricky. >> we will have an icy mix. then we will changeover to all rain. then we dry out for christmas. another chance for more ice wednesday into thursday. >> we have been up to speak in terms of delays. there is a accident at saratoga. this is 29 at 108. 55 as you travel south down to the fort mchenry. a nice start at owings mills, problem free into the beltway.

that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. hopefully it will stay that way. >> another shopper still out there. >> be careful. >> be careful about the roads. >> thanks for joining us for 11 news today. >> we will be back with a live update at 7:25. >> have a great day. >> this is a wbal-tv 11 editorial with president and general manager dan joerres. >> we think of our loved ones who are sacrificing their lives for us. for that reason, we share greetings from those in the military to families here in maryland. these will also be available on wbaltv.com. click on editorials. from our family to yours, happy holidays.

>> hi. i want to wish my baby girls and my family and friends back in baltimore a happy holiday. >> i'm stationed in kabul, afghanistan. invite me to dinner next year. take care and enjoy. >> i'm in northern afghanistan. happy holidays to my lovely wife and my son in baltimore, maryland. i love the guys and i will see you soon. merry christmas. >> i love you and miss you. >> i love you and miss you. see you soon and keep smiling.