this is 11 news today at 5:00 a.m. >> time to abandon the practice and move ahead with an approach to crime that works. >> lawmakers move issues closer to becoming law. jennifer franciotti will have details. >> how do trust another doctor? how do you trust anyone in that type of position with your body, with your life for 11 years and not know who they are? >> struggling with the truth about the former johns hopkins doctors accused of recording patients. >> i believe that she can help turn the page on the chapter we have had on this county. >> it is time to follow the

leader in anne arundel county. >> good morning. i'm mindy basara. >> and i'm stan stovall. thanks for joining us for 11 news today. it is friday, february 22. >> 5;01. time for traffic and weather together on the 1's. >> we will see a mix of all kinds of weather coming in this afternoon. 29 at the airport and mostly cloudy. i think we will stay dry into lunchtime. then we will see a mix of light rain, snow, or sleet developing. temperatures will be above freezing. a high near 38. we will check the seven-day forecast coming up in just a few minutes. >> good morning.

a busy overnight in terms of accidents. this crash was cleared on northbound 83 just past middletown road. you might still see some delays in that area. no delays at the moment north or southbound. 55 on the north side. past park heights, we had a fatal accident. all that has been cleared. right now it is in much better shape. 12 minutes on the west side. 72 at 29, light volume. the rest of the roads around the airport are checking out just fine. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> two big votes in annapolis moving forward on the death penalty and gun control.

lawmakers worked late into the night. >> is the next step? >> both issues will now go to the full senate. most of the amendments last night failed including one that would have allowed the death penalty in cases of dna pane evidence. a court ruled the state didn't have the proper protocols. supporters and opponents are expecting heated debate on the senate floor. >> i believe there are people that commit such heinous crimes who deserve not to live. that is why i will be voting against. >> it is networking for families or victim's family members or four when the wrong person gets

sentenced to death. it is time to abandon the practice and move ahead with approaches to crime that work. >> gun-control measures are also going to the full house for debate. the house approved a bill making it easier to hold all dog owners accountable for bites caused by their pets. jennifer franciotti, wbal-tv 11 news. >> a bill to legalize marijuana is now in the house of delegates. it would create a system to regulate and tax the drug like alcohol. the bill would create an added tax with proceeds going to prevent alcohol and drug abuse. that brings us to our water cooler question of the day. do think maryland should

legalize marijuana for adults 21 and older? you can share your response on wbaltv.com, on our facebook page, or send us an e-mail to watercooler@wbaltv.com. >> anne arundel county swears in john leopold's replacement. laura neuman will be the new leader. our cameras caught her visibly overwhelmed. it's been an anne arundel county resident for 20 years. she convinced loyola university to let her into their mba program. she was a rape victim. she says the case was quickly assault and now she is the head of an anne arundel county. >> i think it is time for a new

face in anne arundel county. i will serve the community well. >> you have an amazing story. >> it has been an interesting story. i wouldn't change anything. >> she replaces john leopold. you can visit our web site to read more, wbaltv.com. >> police say more than 300 people have contacted have contacteddr. nikita levy. he is accused of photographic female patients without their knowledge. police say he used all types of surveillance equipment including a pen camera. one woman said dr. levy played a

major role in saving her sister's life. >> he basically saved her life. she is have a tough time. that is all she could think about. >> police are still working on this case and the investigation could take months. >> 5:07. the decision is expected in the hearing for oscar pistorius. here's 70 at route 29. there's a car. volume very light at this hour.

>> a south african magistrate my hand down a decision on whether oscar pistorius will be freed before trial or have to remain in custody. he is charged in the killing of his girlfriend, reeva steenkamp. he said the shooting was an accident. a very chaotic evening ends with a shooting and a car crash in las vegas. if progress on to the vegas strip. that is when shots were fired by

two cars. one of the cars crashed into a taxi. of three was one people killed in that accident. >> take a look at some of the worst of the storm in indianapolis. icy conditions are expected to be around for this morning's commute. a plane got stuck in the snow for a couple of hours. >> now weather and traffic together on the 1's. any scenesdn't see like that in baltimore. we could see some snowflakes this afternoon. it will be dry for the morning commute. 29 at the airport. the school day forecast -- no problems expected this morning,

chilly and cloudy. ix of raine a light mak and snow this afternoon. >> good morning. looking better than it did overnight. two serious accidents have been cleared. running smoothly of mount carmel. everything up to speed. 11 minutes on the north side. 12 minutes on the west side outer loop. eight minutes on 95 down towards the split. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> get sarah some tea. no meat for lent. fish is a popular dinner option.

>> the label for fish might not matter. >> mattel is hoping to get mothers to understand boy

>> welcome back. 5:15. 33 degrees downtown. it will be dry for the morning commute.

things will get a little dicey as we go towards this evening. we drop into the 20's outside the city. 26 in parkton. the temperatures should climb above freezing before the precipitation starts this afternoon. the clouds or thickening up. maybe this morning some sunshine can break through early. the storm system is getting close. that is a good sign for us. that means anything that develops should be light. we will miss the accumulating snow. that will be in chicago and milwaukee. there will be some snow in the mountains west of baltimore. that is not to say there could be a coating of snow in places

around baltimore. the temperature will be above freezing. mostly cloudy this morning. a combination of light rain or snow will develop this afternoon. mostly rain tomorrow. high near 42. dry weather on sunday with temperatures in the 40's. >> good morning. we have recovered from serious accidents overnight. there was a fatality and we have video. this was in the pikesville region just past the park heights exit. it did involve a tractor- trailer. one passenger was ejected. a very serious accident. everything is now clear on the northwest corner of the beltway. we're up to speed on 295

traveling southbound down towards 100. 95 in howard county, so far so good. problem free on the west side outer loop. 12 minutes down towards edmondson. seven minutes from 895 down towards the fort mchenry. everything moving well on the harrisburg expressway. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> fears of salmonella cost two companies to recall their pet treats after denver facility. among the brands are call wrote deli.l and nature's

the listing of the recalled produce, a visit fda.gov. can return the streets -- you can return the treats for a full refund. more than 1200 seafood samples were collected in 21 states. dna testing was done and the most commonly misled fish was snapper. it turned out to be rockfish or tilapia. >> that is pretty surprising. mattel is hoping to bridge the gap between fast cars and mommy bloggers. jane king has the bloomberg business report. >> good morning appeared the

daytona 500 is this weekend. general motors hoping danica patrick will bring hope something more than a winner's trophy. hoping the race will bring more attention to engineering and better cars. matchbox cars are a billion dollars a year business for mattel. they're teaming up with mommy bloggers to get them to understand boy taurus. even plans to dedicate part of the hot wheels website to that. hewlett packard stocks dropped on more jitters over europe's economic picture. the region is still struggling to recover from the recession. the deadline is looming for automatic spending cuts to kick in on march 1. a government nutrition program allows kids of low income

families to get free health the food. administrators would have to trim their caseload by more than half a million applicants nationwide if congress and president obama don't come to an agreement. i'm jane king with the bloomberg business report. >> now weather and traffic together on the 1's. >> it is a chilly start but we don't expect any precipitation this morning. 29 at the airport. we should make it into the upper 30's this afternoon. we will see a light rain and snow developing this afternoon. i don't think it will be a big deal. heavy snow in chicago. nice weather in dallas. we will check our seven-day forecast in a few minutes. >> a much better ride that was

overnight. we had some serious problems, one of the northwest corner of the beltway. moving well at padonia road. the earlier accident has been cleared from middletown road. we're up to speed on the outer loop north side. a nice start on 95 in howard county, moving well down to the capital beltway. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. back to you. >> thank you. 5:22. >> running at a time and still no deal. what we can expect over the next seven days. >> don't forget to e-mail us

your response to our water cooler question of the day. do you think maryland should legalize marijuana for adults 21 and older? you can share your response on wbaltv.com, on our facebook page, or send us an e-mail to watercooler@wbaltv.com.

>> time is running out to avoid the sequester that could have an impact on each and everyone of us. >> hallie jackson has the latest. the deadline is fast approaching. >> one week away. nobody is on capitol hill. politicians on monday morning will be back. the half to get down to work to

figure out how to avoid the cuts. the cuts could cost 750,000 estimated jobs and slow down the economy. president obama is still keeping up public pressure on republicans. he had good conversation with gop leaders like john boehner and mitch mcconnell. both sides are at an impasse. we expect a lot of governors to weigh in. some will be talking with the president at the white house in the next couple of days. >> what kind of effect will have in baltimore? >> you could see it longer lines at the airport, potentially shorter hours. the smaller airports may have a problem with that. a lot of workers could be

furloughed if the cuts go through. people will see less money from unemployment. issues with the border control in more southern states along the border. you could see shorter hours at national parks. >> hallie jackson, thank you. >> 30 degrees at the airport. >> big bills and big discussions in annapolis. in annapolis.

>> you're watching wbal-tv 11. live, local, late-breaking. this is 11 news today at 5:00 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. >> today could be the day a magistrate decides if oscar pistorius will go to jail before his trial or avoid going to prison. he is charged with one count of premeditated murder against his girlfriend. >> laura neuman was elected as the next executive in and around the county. >> today is national margarita day. >> we will celebrate afterwards. [laughter] is it a good day for margaritas? >> it is going to be tried this morning -- dry this morning.

it will not be a big deal. it will stay dry through the drive time. we will see light snow or rain. i emphasize the word "light." the roads should be all right. not a great start to the weekend. next week it gets chilly. i don't see an early spring in maryland. it will stay cold through the beginning of march. >> the major roads are ok now. we had some problems overnight. 55 on the beltway and running smoothly on the west side, at 12 minutes from 795 down towards

edmondson. 95 south of 100 is looking good. 97 southbound, 63 miles per hour down hour32. 95 from the 895 split, 7 minute travel time. no problems on the harrisburg expressway. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> a major step forward for key pieces of legislation in annapolis. lawmakers approved several bills. >> jennifer franciotti joins us live with this morning's big story. which issues did lawmakers vote on? >> there were grappling with issues on gun control and the death penalty.

a senate committee is one step closer to repeal the capitol and punishment and focused on six amendments to the bill. most of them failed. another allowing the worst of the worst offenders. the debates ended with the expected 6-5 vote in favor of taking the bill to the senate. the swing vote opposed repealing the death penalty in the past but now says the system is broken. >> the emotion for me is different than the legal. i don't think that we can continue to have this state involved in these executions. >> a committee has approved a sweeping gun-control measure. they voted 7-4 in favor of the bill. the legislation would prohibit

somebody from owning a handgun if they have been committed for mental health reasons. the house approved a bill making easier to hold dog owners accountable for bites caused by their pets, this removes singling out pit bull as a dangerous breed. this measure increases protections for dog bite victims. that measure will go to the senate. a heated debate expected on the full senate floor for gun- control. jennifer franciotti, wbal-tv 11 news. >> a woman will spend six years in prison. anastasia olouch pleaded guilty to abusing a man she was hired to care for. security cameras caught one of the beatings. she fled to kenya before she was

to stand trial. >> fire officials are still trying to determine what sparked a deadly house fire. this video shows a firefighter carried a girl away from the home. she was one of three who survived the fire. her twin sister and her father died in the fire. the home had no working smoke detectors. >> a new survey shows fewer principals and teachers are satisfied with their jobs. more than half said they were working under a lot of stress at least three days a week. nearly all gave high marks to their fellow educators. >> the university of maryland

has a knack for getting prominent speakers. the dali lama will deliver a lecture on may 7 at the comcast center. he has been a compelling voice of peace during turbulent times. no information on how to obtain tickets. retirement at age 48 for the newest multi millionaire. she wants to remain anonymous. the jackpot was $26 million. she will take home $12.6 million after taxes. she plans to retire. >> congratulations. 5:36.

you can make kids eat healthier choices, or can you? >> who talk more, men or wom en?

>> i will sitter like a cheshire cat because of the story. who will carry the conversation? >> that is right. the could be a medical explanation as to why women talk more than men.

there were a much higher levels of a protein in the brains of women. the protein is tied to language and vocalization. more of the protein was found in girls. women speak about 20,000 words a day, compared to 7000 words for the average man. >> that is your story and you're sticking to it. i will try to get to this story in less than 7000 words. simple changes in cafeterias affected children going through the lunch line. fruits and vegetables appeared more attractive and were easier to reach.

students were 30% more likely to take fruits when these changes were made in schools. more kids finished their whole serving. >> now weather and traffic together on the 1's. >> live skit you up to speed on the major roadways. not badly at all as far as delays and not tracking any incidents at the moment. 55 heading over towards 795. 12 minutes on the south side traveling. 64 on the harrisburg expressway. getting back to normal after an earlier accident just past middletown road. this is 95 from the 895 split to the fort mchenry. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> i don't feel like talking this morning. cloudy. cold. snow.

sleet. that is it. i'm done. cloudy skies right now. we should stay dry this morning. the chances for some rain or snow will increase this afternoon. a quick look at the bay forecast. wave heights around 1 foot. >> tony never stops talking. he is the exception to that story. >> some changes are coming to m&t bank stadium. >> a look of the host for this >> a look of the host for this year's oscars i'm drinking dunkin'. i'm just in love with the flavor.

i get mine black. i don't want to take away from that pure taste. so smooth, no bitterness. it's awesome. there's no other taste like it. america runs on dunkin' coffee.

>> good morning. sarah caldwell checking on your morning commute. we start out with the north side, 55 miles per hour.

12 minutes on the west side from 795. 60 on 795. south on 83 down from mount carmel, looking pretty good, 64 miles per hour. there were some problems last night near middletown road. that has been cleared. southbound traffic is picking up in volume. seven minutes from 895 down to the fort mchenry. mass transit, everything is running on time. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> good morning. should be ok for the morning commute. 29 at the airport. 24 in taneytown. 29 in chestertown. the precipitation is still back

in the mountains. this big storm is falling apart. the precipitation is breaking up over the mountains. we will miss the big snow with this storm. that has been the case the entire winter. notice the computer model does develop some snow in the mountains over western maryland. we could see a coating in allegany and garrett count ies. i think the temperature will be above freezing by the time it gets here. a winter weather advisory will probably not be offered. later today, a mix of rain, snow, or sleet. that mix will continue tonight.

we will drop back into the 30's. a good chance for rain on saturday with a high near 42. it will clear up on sunday. chilly all the way through the middle of next week with highs in the 30's. >> you might notice a few changes at m&t bank stadium. >> the team has a $35 million renovation plan. there'll be new hd video boards and other features. >> i think the outside of our stated are attractive and nice. they fit well with the warehouse building. then you come inside the stadium and it looks like you're in a different world. >> team stores will be expanded

and streamlined. concession stands will feature open kitchens and more menu options for fans. >> you may recognize some of these faces. many of us painted ceramic bowls. donations go to homeless shelters and summer camps for homeless children. the campaign has raised nearly $150,000. you can learn more on our website, wbaltv.com. time to get to your answers to our water cooler question of the day. >> this morning we asked, do you think maryland should legalize marijuana for adults 21 and older? >> and lead you said yes -- a lot of you said yes, like dave.

keep sending us those responses. >> the academy awards airs this sunday. >> this year's host is mostly known for his voice. mark carter has more on his first run at the oscars. >> john at the oscars were none of the movies you saw this summer will be mentioned. i met a girl. >> an attempt to shake up the ceremony. >> the pressure to make it funnier puts you in a risky spot. >> the host was largely a behind-the-scenes talent, writing voices for is series " family guy." double duty as the director of

"ted." love with a hosting stand -- along with the hosting stint on "saturday night live." >> he is taking a big risk. >> i might wear 1 blackstock and another sock of a different fabrics. >> these are five people who are the very best at sitting in a chair watching other people make a movie. >> he has to go out there by him self and knock it out of the park and that is a challenge. >> he is prepared for major scrutiny. >> even if the sprouts wings and levitatessprouts"added tim a weekly" -- "entertainment

weekly" will still go "eh." >> i think he is funny. >> 5:51. could michael phelps go deep with the orioles? >> time for traffic and weather together on the 1's. potty-train is running? -- how are the trains running? >> no problems. 55 on the northwest corner. north side looks good at harford. traffic is pretty light in terms of volume. 55 on 95 south down to the fort mchenry. you can see volume building at 175. so far so good to and from the

bay bridge. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> good morning. cloud cover this morning. 29 at the airport. 26 in parkton. we will see a mix of light snow and rain developing. i don't think it will be a big problem on the roads. here is a look at last night's winning maryland lottery numbers. stay with us.

>> good morning. danica patrick is no stranger to the spotlight. she is been on the cover of magazines and the subject of countless tv and radio stories. nothing she says can compare to

the attention she has gone since winning the pole for the for5daytona 500. she stayed out of trouble and others did not. hamlin crashes and there is a chain reaction. harvick wins the first race and danica patrick stays at a troubled and will start first in sunday's race. high school basketball. the baltimore catholic league tournament continues tonight without the number-one seed. st. francis was upset by mount carmel in the first round of the tournament. st. francis in the white. st. francis by eight. mount carmel would not go away.

they trailed by two at the half. he is going to north carolina at greensboro. mount carmel win it. the move on to the sector round of the baltimore catholic league tournament. the finals are at loyola university. the orioles play their first exhibition game tomorrow against the twins. michael phelps was a special guest in camp. he showed up in his orioles jersey and took batting practice. he was in florida to shoot a tv show. he is savoring his time on dry land. >> this is a first-time coming out and taking batting practice and joking around with the guys. i had a great time. i want to have a home run but i

fell short. i guess i have a new goal. i had a blast today. it looks like they're having fun getting ready for the season. >> we will be right back.