>> a wild chase and skyteam 11 has the exclusive video. >> can these warm temperatures last through the weekend? [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'm mindy basara. >> and i'm stan stovall. thanks for joining us for 11 news today. >> mild outside this morning. >> the temperatures will get even warmer into the weekend. it was warmer earlier this morning. now the temperatures are starting to fall. 39 degrees at the airport. we have mostly cloudy skies. colder air is moving in behind the cold front. we'll see some sunshine into the

midday. kind of a complicated pattern. highs in the upper 40's to the low 50's. >> good morning. not an ideal start. we have several problems. northbound 83 is shutdown between belfast and mount carmel. take york road as your alternate. a problem on route 99 in ellicott city -- that is bethenyk road to definite la lane. take 70 as your alternate. 70 is moving well, 63 eastbound into the beltway. 795, so far so good from

franklin boulevard as you make your way down to the beltway. we have an accident in anne arundel county. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> for the fifth year, maryland has been named the number 1 school system in the nation. >> tim tooten has reaction. >> maryland received a final overall grade of b-plus, the best in the nation. >> we are delighted that maryland has been identified as number one. >> judy is in charge about what students are learning across the state. she says there's enough credit to go around. >> stakeholders have worked

together to make this the number one school system in the country for the fifth year in a row. >> would you say there's room for improvement? >> the work is not done. the focus is on eliminating the achievement gap. every parent, educator, and child deserves to have the best school in his or her community. >> maryland received nothing lower than a b grade in a number of academics categories. how tough is it to remain number one? >> we're committed to making sure the children of maryland have the best education. can we say we will always be number one? of course not. but we will always strive to be number one.

>> tim tooten, wbal-tv 11 news. >> tim love much more at 5:00 p.m. -- tim will have much more coming up at 5:00 p.m. >> and rock council has 45 new board-certified teachers -- and around the accounting now has 45 new board-certified teachers. >> it is the highest teaching credential in the nation that you can earn. >> the board acidification is valid for 10 years. >> schools is out for more than 1000 students across maryland. a trade school has shut down

without warning. jennifer franciotti has more on that story. >> not even an e-mail. the students came to class yesterday not knowing their school would be shut down. there was a note posted on the board. the school has branches in colombia and silver spring. about 1200 maryland students were enrolled. >> we here are committed to ensuring that they complete the training that they intended to complete when they enrolled. it is important they get the skills they need to get the jobs they need. >> they will be working with students to find them another trade school to go to.

those who paid out of pocket will be reimbursed for re trust fund that the school was required to pay into. jennifer franciotti, wbal-tv 11 news. >> a tractor-trailer accident shut down part of the baltimore beltway. we received this picture of the crash. you can see the overturned tractor trailer. both sides of the beltway were shut down to clean up a fuel spill. new details into tuesday night's beltway crash. a driver cut across traffic to reach an exit ramp. it crossed several lanes and ran into an oncoming tractor- trailer. the suv was sent into a jersey

wall. both drivers were taken to the hospital as a collision. there was a collision near oriole park at russell and greene streets. >> a driver verred into it works own hitting and killing two workers -- a driver veered into a work zone. both workers died at the scene. police say the driver was not hurt. there was a high-speed chase that began just before noon in northeast baltimore. police say alycia hoffman struck two officers with her car before

making a getaway. >> at one point it became evident that it was a public safety risk to continue. they let the helicopters take it. >> the injuries to the officers were non-life-threatening. alycia hoffman faces assault on police charges. police say marcus evans was one of two men attacked kenneth shaw. shaw says he was the victim of a hate crime because he is gay. >> a confessed arsonist will learn his fate this morning. he could face up to a year in prison after setting seven fires

in columbia. those fires to close to half a million dollars in damage. >> 39 degrees at the airport. changes coming to 911. >> an abrupt end hearing in the colorado massacre shooting. >> how you can save your favorite monopoly peaciece. >> i always liked the thimble. the clouds will return. >> a busy start to your thursday morning commute. route 99 is closed i

>> welcome back to 11 news today. 6:12. 38 degrees at the airport. .owntown is in the mid 40's we have some clouds overhead. those clouds leftover from a cold front that came through yesterday. we are starting to see the wind

turned out of the north and west. 6 miles per hour in westminster. you can see the overall trend. slightly cooler weather through the morning. we have 39 at the airport. 47 downtown. 36 in parkton and in york. expect the temperatures to fall. cloud still hanging around from what is left of the cold front. the clouds help to insulate the atmosphere. these clouds will break apart through the morning. sunshine for a brief period.

the temperature is still milds. normally where close to 40 degrees. the cold front will be moving offshore. more clouds increase. texas rain across and into kentucky. this will cause some flooding concerns down there. we will see increased chances as well. 50 degrees tomorrow. 30% chance for rain friday afternoon. 62 on sunday with a chance for showers. rain chances increase into tuesday. >> good morning. starting out on a busy note.

the shoulder is squeezing by northbound 83 between belfast and carmel. there isn't overturned tractor trailer -- there is an overturned tractor trailer. so far so good on 70, 65 miles per hour. that is a good bet as an alternate to 99. a lot going on on 99. another accident in anne arundel county. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> a judge could decide today whether james holmes will stand trial. the preliminary trial came to an

abrupt end on wednesday. they maintain he is not competent to stand trial. jerry sandusky is expected to attend a hearing today in pennsylvania. lawyers argue that were overwhelmed with prosecution materials. hollywood announces their cream of the crop as the academy award nominees are revealed live. among the films generally the most buzz include "lincoln." that brings us to our water cooler question of the day. what do you think was the best motion picture of 2012? you can share your response at wbaltv.com and on our facebook page, or send us an e-mail to

watercooler@wbaltv.com. >> out with the old and in with the new. 2013 is expected to be the year of the tablet. there are wide variety of brands on the markets. sales should outpace laptop sales. one of these classic pieces is about to be forced into retirement. there is a save your token page on facebook. which ever to open it gets the

least amount of votes goes directly to jail. it will be replaced by a robot or helicopter or a robot. you can vote up until february 5 . fcc is looking to make changes to the 911 service. jane king has the bloomberg business report. >> new law is expected to be announced today. one rule prohibits banks from offering deceptive teaser rates . they have to take more steps to make sure borrowers can repay. these rules are expected to take effect january of next year.

destruthe fcc calling for a backup power to be a requirement for phone companies including verizon. as for the markets, futures of this morning are quiet. we do get the weekly jobless claims. investors were more optimistic about the fourth quarter earnings season. now you can get cash for hay. the drought has pushed up prices to near record highs. those bales are a target for thieves. i grew up on a farm. eavy.stuff is have th

back to you. that is kind of obvious. >> hard to stick around with a big bale of hay. >> 6:20. a question the ravens will have to answer if they want their road to new orleans to continue. >> here is a look at last night's winning maryland lottery numbers. [ telephone rings ] good evening, this is flo. [laughs] yes, i'm that flo. aren't you sweet! licensed phone-ups available 24/7.

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>> now insta-weather plus and traffic pulse 11 together. >> good morning. we have a new problem at pulaski highway. there is a car fire. northbound 83 remains closed between belfast road and mount carmel. only the shoulder is squeezing buying. everything moving well southbound. a problem in ellicott city. 99 is closed because of a downed pole.

795 in great shape at this hour. the rest of the major roadways looking good including 50. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. off the dayrting with some clouds. 39 at the airport. 47 in downtown baltimore. 36 in parkton. we expected clouds to clear out for the morning. clouds increase for the afternoon once again. some areas will stay in the 40's in the day. we're warming up for the weekend. >> good morning. interesting scenario for the ravens on saturday. the temperature is in the teens

and the point spread is almost in the teens. denver is 10-point favorites to beat the ravens. peyton manning hasn't lost to the ravens since 2002. nine straight wins. manning takes nothing for granted when playing the ravens defense. >> baltimore has great players and gat coaches. it is the great combination. they can give you every blitz in the book. they have such good players. >> there ravens did a good job against peyton manning the first time. a playoff addition of "ravens report" friday night at 7:30.

college basketball. maryland 1 after its 14th straight win. 65-62, they lose to florida state. maryland had won 13 and narrow. maryland took the early lead. one second left. watch white refused to quit. puts it in off the glass. nick faust answers. the lead is one. the best player misses this free throw. maryland has a chance to tie.

this three-point it is blocked. florida state wins it. broncos.bash them >> which hot-button proposals are most likely to become law. >> more shakeups to the president's cabinet. who is sent and who is out? >> a trade school suddenly >> a trade school suddenly ♪ sunlight says get up and go

♪ mountain-grown aroma coming through ♪ ♪ a new challenge waits for you ♪ ♪ ♪ jumpin' into something new ♪ you really see all you can do ♪ ♪ ♪ the best part of wakin' up ♪ is folgers in your cup

>> 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'm stan stovall. >> and i'm mindy basara. thanks for joining us for 11 news today. a complicated forecast today. >> nothing you have to be concerned about.

we i started off with some clouds -- we are starting off with some clouds. temperatures are falling across the region. mid 40's knew the pennsylvania line. increasing clouds into the afternoon. temperatures near 50 degrees later today. >> president obama is expected to make more changes to his cabinet. >> he will announce his pick to be the next head of the treasury department. hallie jackson joins us live this morning. who is the like the person to get that job? >> it likes it is going to be

jack lew. the president will make that announcement at 1:30 this morning at the white house. >> i have an important personnel announcement to make. i am kidding. cabinet isnt obama's in the midst of a shake-up. >> he has helped to streamline the government. >> he was the budget director. >> wolfe street likely to this as a doubling down -- wall street will likely view this as a doubling down. >> lew would join john kerry at

stake, chuck hagel 4 defense. three other cabinet members say they will stay on including kathleen sebelius and our action secchi. solis is stepping down. no word on who will replace secretary solis. one senator has voice some concerns about lews. >> there has been some concern about a lack of diversity. >> especially when it comes to women. state, defense, treasury -- they are going to be filled by white men.

the white house points to its record.ome >> hallie jackson, thank you. >> it is now time for legislators in annapolis ticket down to business. they will handle a wide friday of issues including gun control, taxes, and fracking. >> it is done in other states and completely legal. it doesn't affect maryland's bond rating at all. >> some predict gun control is most likely to pass during the session. the repeal of the death penalty

law. it fell short by just a handful of votes. tighter qualifications were imposed to the existing laws. two cases have yet to go to trial. >> more than 1000 maryland students have no place to go this morning after the incident suddenly shut its doors. jennifer franciotti tells us what happened. >> the american career institute had branches in baltimore, columbia, and silver spring. news is they've found out the school is closed. >> we are students that were working hard in our careers, working hard for our education. we came to school to get this.

>> this was a letter that was posted on the front door on wednesday as students were heading to class, informing them that the private trade school was shutting down. >> i was really learning and getting into the class. i was really learning. to have it stopped suddenly is frustrating. >> the school has branches in columbia and in silver spring. 1200 maryland students were enrolled in courses. the higher education commission monitors the financial records. >> information would typically signal whether there were any problems. we did not see any of that. >> what happens to the students? according to the commission,

they will organize transfers to similar trade schools without losing their credits or records. >> we here are committed to ensuring that they complete the training that they intended to complete when they enrolled. we think it is important they get the skills they need to get the jobs they need. >> students can also be reimbursed their tuition. we're told students who paid out of pocket will be reimbursed from a trust fund which the school was required to pay into. there is enough money to pay back all of those students. jennifer franciotti, wbal-tv 11 news. >> now insta-weather plus and traffic pulse 11 together. >> tracking a handful of problems that could impact your morning rush. let's give you an update. route 99 in ellicott city, we

have closures along woodstock road because of an overnight accident. take 70 as your alternate. 70 is moving well east and westbound at the moment. northbound 83, worked in the northbound lanes because of an overturned tractor trailer. watch for delays heading northbound. another problem for the north at gateway drive and pulaski highway, a vehicle fire in the joppa region. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> starting off with clouds. temperatures in the upper 30's. we could see some clearing and our high temperature of 51 with increasing clouds. a brief window of sunshine

today. 50 degrees tomorrow with clouds. saturday looks mostly dry. 62 by sunday with a chance for showers. showers increase into tuesday. >> 39 degrees at the airport. take a look at this. what kind of an animal do think it is? it created a scare. >> we are still taking your answers to our water cooler question of the day. what do you think was the best motion picture of 2012? you can share your response at wbaltv.com and on our facebook page, or send us an e-mail to watercooler@wbal

>> 911 switchboards were lighting up after neighbors called swearing they saw a small lieon. it wasn't a big cat. it was a labradoodle with a haircut. they saw the bushy mane. some were diving for cover.

>> that is very cute. the public will get their first look at the latest panda cub at the san diego zoo. he is ready to venture out into the public. the cuddly is a huge boost to panda conservation efforts. he is on loan from china. >> all together now -- >> ah! >> they are so cute. >> several accidents to bring it up to date down with

>> welcome back to 11 news today. 6:44. a late-night tractor-trailer accident just down part of the baltimore beltway. we have this picture of the crash on the outer loop of the beltway. crews had to shut down both sides of the beltway to clean up fuel. charges are pending against a driver that went into a work zone that hit and killed two workers. police say luis tadeo and victor jackson were setting up cones.

both workers died at the scene. maryland has been named as the number 1 school system in the nation. there received a final overall grade of b-plus, which was the best in the nation. there is always room for improvement. more on the story coming up at 5:00 p.m. >> now insta-weather plus and traffic pulse 11 together. >> good morning. sarah caldwell checking on your morning commute. let's bring you up to date. word of an accident northbound 97 just past 50. you will find delays on 50 and 97. near woodstock road, route 99 is

still shut down in ellicott city. northbound 83 past belfast, and overturned tractor trailer. lanes of travel or impaired and that area. watch for a car fire on pulaski highway in joppa. we have a water main break in the city. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> we started off the day with a lot of clouds. they have been hanging around the central part of the state and building back into the north. we are starting off fairly mild. a northwest wind of six miles per hour at the hour. we expect temperatures to fall into the upper 40's.

39 at the airport. 36 in parkton. 47 degrees downtown. we will see some clearing and then increasing clouds. high- temperature from 49-53. heavy rain is hitting texas and louisiana. some places in northern louisiana saw four inches of rain. that will cause some flooding concerns. we are staying out of this mix for now. mild air continues into the weekend. very cold conditions on saturday

for the playoff game with the ravens. temperatures will fall into the teens. the game is at 4:30 our time. that will be the warmest part of the day. we will expect some chilly winds as well. 50 degrees on friday with mostly cloudy skies. saturday looks mostly dry. look at the temperatures this weekend. up near 60 degrees. >> time now for a last look at one of our big stories. class biz biz for maryland students attending a trade school -- class dismissed for maryland students. >> this is a trade school with

three branches in maryland. these students did not find out about this until they came to school yesterday morning. they found a note that was posted on the front door which said they could not access additional credit and this was part of the reason behind the school closing. the school closed its doors. that affected about 1200 maryland students. we're told that they will be working with the students to find them another trade school to go to. the aci did pay into a trust fund and that will allow students to be reimbursed for their out of pocket expenses. wbal-tv 11ranciotti, nunu n news.

>> thank you. here is savannah guthrie with a look at what is coming up next on the "today" show. >> the flu is spreading across the country. we are live with what you can do to keep your family healthy and safe. the race to save a pod of whales. we will have the latest on this desperate attempts to free them. 12 strangers that lost more than 1,200 pounds. we are with them as they meet for the first time. plus the oscar nominations when we get started. >> 6:51. 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 weather and traffic together before you head out to start ♪ that aroma calls to you

♪ time to jump in to something new ♪ ♪ ♪ the best part of wakin' up ♪ is folgers in your cup to make peanut butter so deliciously creamy. ♪

it can even be a game changer. that's why choosy moms and dads choose jif. >> time to get to your answers to our water cooler question of the day. >> this morning we asked, what do you think was the best motion picture of 2012? >> with that a lot of different answers the most of you said you liked "lincoln." >> we also heard "the dark rises." >> i have seen "lincoln."

>> northbound 97, an accident. that will impact southbound traffic as well. route 99 is closed because of an overnight accident. northbound 83, all lanes are closed past belfast road. delays are expected in that area. 295 in pretty good shape. >> today's temperatures doing pretty well. >> 51 this afternoon with mostly cloudy skies. near 60 on saturday and sunday. >> 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. >> you can liken it to johnny u.'s last game at memorial stadium -- a day of unforgettable memories that started with one last dance. when ray lewis came out of the tunnel for sunday's playoff game against the indianapolis colts, it began what the all-pro has dubbed his last ride, and if that game was any indication of how electric the ride will be, fans are in for one of the great send-offs of all time. from the start, lewis was bigger than life in a city with a mount rushmore of sports legends, anchored by one of the greatest to ever play football, johnny u. drafted by the ravens 17 years

ago, lewis has come to embody the hard-worn pride of the fans who wear his number 52. during that time, few have done more for charm city than lewis -- and we are not just talking dollars and cents. while he has contributed in many ways to families in our community -- lewis' backpack giveaway is a highlight for school children that would have little if not for the generosity -- he has helped put baltimore football back on the map. and on tv. flock to see perhaps the greatest linebacker of all time . he became a friend to many any person of regard to all in our community. from all of us, we thank you for

your support of our city and the legacy you leave behind. sofa... desk... you know what? why don't you go get some frozen yogurt. i got this. you're so sweet. you got this, right? i do got this. let us get everything off the shelf, and to your home.

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