welcome back to fox 45 morning news on this friday morning. i'm patrice harris. it is friday and that means it's time for you to get in touch with us on our face book page about anything you want to. what stories did we cover this week that you liked or didn't like. let us know and your answer could air in our facebook feedback segment. we want to start the weekend off as right as we can with the storm coming. the first two fans to pot post r code word will win a great prize. we will reveal that code word. so be sure to stay tuned to win. go to facebook fox baltimore to become a fan. our winter blast is coming in later today. many area schools are taking action. here is the list of schools that are closing and some early departures. allegheny county schools, charles county schools, garrett

county, and st. mary's county schools have already decided to close for the day. meanwhile, anne arundel county schools will have to go to school but they will be getting out two hours early. baltimore county schools are dismissing two hours early. caroline and carroll county schools are dismissing 2 hours and 30 minutes early. and se cecil county schools will close at 3:00. howard county schools will close three hours early. montgomery county schools will close three hours early and washington county schools will close two hours early. whenever severe weather hits, log to foxbaltimore.com and our ticker will the closings, traffic, and early departures and it's likely to change throughout the morning so make sure you keep an eye on the ticker.

meanwhile meteorologist steve fertig is keeping an eye on the forecast and he is here to keep tell us what we have in for. we have a winter warning from 10:00 through tomorrow night at 10:00 p.m. even though the storm should be tapering off by tomorrow in the later morning and afternoon hours and light showers after that, snow showers, of course that is. we are looking at intensity of snow, later in the afternoon, winds will be strong at new york and new jersey, and delaware. that is why he we hav we have ar warning there. those winds expected to pick up 15-20 miles per hour gusting to 40 miles per hour in some places. can you see it's at our doorstep to the south and west of, moving further north. it's going to take more of a track toward the east as it moves north. so some of you in the eastern parts of the state where we thought we may see 5-10 inches, we may see now almost 18 inches of snow in many locations there. a lot of places less than. that take a look at the time line, through the day,

2-4 inches beginning at 10:00 a.m. with that snow. again picking up more snow for tonight, 8-12 inches then and overnight. an additional 4-8 a inches tapering off through the afternoon. a total of 18-25 inches. we continue to watch as all of this moisture heads in our direction. we have more coming up in a few minutes. right now candace dold has more in the traffic edge. candace. >> reporter: thank you steve. for amtrak service, this corridor right now from baltimore to philadelphia is a-okay, but most service south from washington d.c. has already been canceled. so we will continue to keep you up-to-date but that is the latest information for you. now also, something to talk about on the mta buses, the commuter bus service all afternoon buses will actually be running 3 hours early. we're in the green there, but again that is early. the marx train camden line has already canceled train 8:52 and

the marx train bro brunswick li, train 857 has been canceled as well. the goo news is other trains will be running but you will find major delays on the rails. as for what is happening on the roadways, so far the coast is clear, no snow to talk about, but inner and outer loop lanes are cruising along up to speed there. the entire stretch from 95 up toward 83, we're looking at an 11-minute ride, 53 miles per hour and 54 miles per hour with just an 8 minute clip from he 83 all the way up toward 795. that is a look at your morning travels, patrice, back over to you. we are just a few hours away from what will be a major winter storm. road crews spent all of yesterday preparing and today it's show time. megan gilliland is live at the baltimore city falls salt yard with more of their strategy.

they have been working hard this winter, megan. >> reporter: they are patrice. we have had a couple of storms under their belt and spent most of the week loading up trucks. but right now silent, the calm before the storm. these crews are at home resting for 12 hour shifts that will begin when the first snow flake falls later this morning. it's a huge job ahead of them. we're talking about a major operation. here in the city over 300 workers will be out in full force. their top priority will be the primary roads first. across our region plow trucks are loaded with salt and strait testrategically located around. highway officials say they are going to use a new weapon this year to battle mother nature today. >> these oshkosh, very large dump trucks that have two plows on them, a front and a side he plow. that's a good reason never to pass a plow truck, because you never know where the blades are.

they could be covered in snow. we may have to bring those into the metro area depending on what happens. >> reporter: if you can stay home, stay out of this mess. if you have to go out, we have tips for you. aaa has narrowed it for 5 tips, dress as if you are going to be stranded. take blanket in your car, food, a water bottle and a good idea to throw in a flashlight. if you are going go warm up your garage, open your garage door. and pack the scrapers and shovels in your car, you never know how much could be accumulating in your area. check your antifreeze and never pour hot water on door locks or windows, if they freeze that could cause them to crack. meanwhile back at salt yard we're expecting a lot of trucks to start pulling into that area. i know it's dark out, but if you see behind me, there's a huge mound of salt and we are total they are expecting to use all of

that during this storm. live in north baltimore this morning, megan gilliland, fox 45 early did h edition. the department of fireworks are asking for your help. they are asking that residents help clear snow away from the fire hydrants. they say the melting snow and thawing ice need a path to the storm drain and that will help flooding in interceptions and basement. that will also help firefighters work faster should they have to go out to a a burning building. you may want to go the grocery store. megan sent us pictures, this was early yesterday. and the store was packed. and later at the same store, the pictures showing that the aisles were even more crowded. we are hoping that things look better at grocery stores this morning, but that may not be the case because people are not only stocking up for the storm but

the super bowl. joel d smith is live at sn oorks santonis'. and we have been talking about snow, i've almost forgotten that the super bowl is this weekend. >> reporter: take a look at the potato chip aisle. not much left. it's a good deal. a dollar a piece, people took advantage of that. if they're going to be snowed in a super bowl weekend, you got to have your chips. let's see what else with rob santoni. good morning, again. >> what have you learned over the years. what moves people, and what time do they come in when they learn that snow is coming. we learned it never gets any easier. there's always a panic. $50 to the weather man and he will say anything. but you know the busiest times, it is typically after work. yesterday it was no.

it was busy all day long but the peak hours were after the rush hour. >> reporter: we have people at the register right now. it's 5:30 is the morning. you guys are open 24 hours usually so people can come in anytime. how does it work for the people who are working for you. it's a busy time. yet it's tough to get people in and out of here for safety reasons for them. >> that is what worries us the most is getting people tonight bust most importantly getting them to work. we do have suvs and we will pick up employees. those that use the bus line when they shutdown the bus line it does get difficult for them to come into their shift. >> reporter: definitely. we know that the potato chips are gone and what else is out of here now and you will get more of soon. >> we are out of not much, really. you are holding that shovel. i think that 5 shovels are left. when they're gone, they're gone. we do a good job restocking and staying ahead of it.

>> reporter: your next shipment is coming in soon. we know that the snow is coming in today and the key is getting the employees in and out of here, because they got to work, too. joel d smith, fox 45 early edition. whenever the storm hits your neighborhood, be sure to send us your pictures to fox 45. you can up load your photos and videos to our website. just go to foxbaltimore.com and click it on the see it, shoot it, send it icon. you can send photos directly from your cell to pics at fox baltimore. one lawmaker wants to wager on internet betting. why some say it should be legal. and snow certainly, you know that is the story, and it's on the way later this morning for the southern

>>welcome back. 5:43 on this friday morning. you certainly have heard us talking about it, the snow that is on the way. it's definitely coming our way for later today. you can he see i can see it herr

computer model, moving for late horning and late afternoon certainly. it's picking up in intensity overnight and into tomorrow when we could see significant amounts of snow out there. we do have a winter storm warning to tell you about and that is for the entire state of maryland. that is for this morning 10:00 a.m. until all the way tomorrow night at 10:00 p.m. this event could be lasting one and a blizzard warning for the southern part of delaware and into new jersey where the winds will be stronger there. right now the winds for us not too bad. as you can see calm. we do expect the winds to pick up in this part of the mid-atlantic region because we have the low pressure center headed in our direction. with the high to the north the pressure gradient will make it 5-15 miles per hour and gusting higher. what we're looking for is the snow to the south and west seeing a little bit of sleet possible to the southern most extreme. i don't think it's going to be a lack to the south and east.

i think it will turn to snow later this morning into the early afternoon and the rest of the counties to the north it looks like plain snow for us. can you see lots of moisture coming in from the gulf of mexico. it's all coming our way and it's going to supply us with plenty of snow it looks like. it's high pressure sits to the north. ta will fly off to the east. the low pressure is going to take a more easterly track and noting the rain to the south and the warmer temperatures, in the middle layers warmer to the south. i think that most of us just snow moving to the east and so, as as a result with the movement, moving from west to east, a little bit more so than we saw earlier with a northerly track up the coast. it look like for example, boston gets out of this. we do not, we get it and we get did right smack through the central part of the state with the highest totals there. you will see 18, 25 inches or

more possible on the west side of the chesapeake bay. still the heaviest area but we are upped the totals on the northern part of the eastern shore, 12-18 inches of snow. in fact we have upped it quite a bit from yesterday's 5-10. 6 or 8 inches or more as you head south of the eastern shore. we are looking at higher totals than expected even to the west side. 35 degrees in baltimore, the same for d.c. as we look at the opportunity ksms, 335in salisbury and we wie temperatures drop off the eastern shore during the daytime an inch of snow. this is not the snow totals. don't get confused. the central part of the state picking up 2-3 inches of snow during the day and the snow totals pick up tonight and overnight. looking to the west 30 degrees with 3-ix inche6 inches during . and tonight additional 10-12-inch of snow. note the winds 15-30 gusting higher.

tomorrow 30 degrees with the snow continuing as much as 4-8 inches of additional snow tomorrow morning before it tapers off. 32 on monday, a couple of days before we see the next chance of snow on tuesday into early wednesday. 34 and 35 for the highs then, and 37 degrees on thursday as we dry out once more. now the second storm not expected to be nearly as strong obviously as the 1 tonight into tomorrow. you can track the storms. sky watch weather is at your finger tips. iradar is available at foxbaltimore.com. can you use fox 45 powerful radar tools to track storms. go to foxbaltimore.com and click oirkon iradar. here is candace dold with the track edge. >> reporter: thank you, steve. this weather is causing problems. baltimore, and philadelphia we don't have reports of any delays, but most service south from washington d.c. has been

canceled. it's completely canceled there. again this is most service. we will continue to keep you up-to-date on that. it's affecting the mta buses, the commuter buses in the afternoon will actually run three hours early today. the marx train there's trouble there on the camden line, train 852 has been completely canceled. on the brunswick line train 857 has been canceled as well. trains will be operating but expect major delays. as for what is happening on the roadways, so far so good, but unfortunately we will have to vaisavor this moment. traveling 695 at the airport. and as for incidents we do have to talk about a new traffic pattern. it's road work that completely shuts down the left turn lane from southbound charles street on to the inner loop direction of 695. to get around all of that, go up to the roundabout at belon a and

hop on to york road and get on back to the inner loop lanes of the beltway. we do want to check in on the bell way check -- beltway checking in at 83, the

what are the odds of finally

legalizing internet gambling in the u.s. it hasn't happened yet, but one lawmaker who sees it as a source of revenue is betting that he can make it happen. but keith dan yalials talk to a gambler who thinks it could be a bad wager. >> when you talk to this man, we will call him john, about what could be very personal. >> cars reposeses and my home is in foreclosure. >> sometimes embarrassing. >> obviously my activities were hidden from my wife and fam hely. family. >> challenge circumstance. this conversation is candid, deliberate, and fast paced. it's easier for him when he doesn't reveal his states or his real name. >> i don't know that you can help yourself but you're certainly powerful less once you get going into it? >> john has been into it for more than 10 years. he is addicted to internet gambling. >> poker, and then online sports

betting as well. >> this is john's story, compulsive gambling on the internet. >> compulsive gambling is a disease or an illness. >> it's and to stall attempts to legalize what some see as troubling behavior. >> it's coming from capitol hill. u.s. repetitive barney frank thinks internet gambling should be legalized and regulated becoming a tax revenue for the federal government. >> many argue that we should respect the freedom of the internet. >> reporter: you won't find the chairman of the finances committee at a poker table, he does not gamble, but frank doesn't want the government tell people what to do with their own money announcing his push for the new legislation in december. >> individuals should be free to make their own choices. it doesn't apply for the individual right of adults to

gamble with their own money. >> reporter: it's a $16 billion industry with the u.s. betters providing half of that revenue. potential federal money that supporters want to keep scott. >> why not capitalize on something that is already occurring. >> reporter: believed to make a difference for state governments. scott is president of the small resource center. he was also among the first in the coalition to support slots in maryland. revenues is leaving the state because it's going to other states. >> reporter: now his approval for frank's bill internet play that could pay. >> i mean the state of maryland gets money in federal funding. objecobviously. federal funding comes into the state of maryland. >> reporter: still there's objections from gambling opponents and indifference. >> just worry of what is in front of me. >> reporter: from someone who has played the game and lost. >> government is not worried are

we going to cause more compulsive gamblers. they just want the money. >> reporter: keith daniels, fox 45 morning news. coming up on fox 45 morning news, how many jobs did the american recovery and reinvestment act really create? we take a closer look. next it looks like the

good morning, everybody. here is the first look at sports. the terps take the caroline and the terps are making no chances with the weather. they are flying one day early to try to beat the h snow. first half game tied at 9, lan den mill bourne intercepts the lazy pass. he had 18, terps by 2. later in the first, knolls is down one, and florida state up by one and then late in the first half, maryland now up by 1. eric hayes feeds vasquez, terps up by 3. but the seminoles make a run late in the half. wraps take it to the half for the hoop. and they trail by 4 at the break. maryland up by 2. vasquez with a nice, past the williams for the 2-handed throw

down. maryland by 4, williams at 14. 2 minutes to go fsu down, solmoan and the libby has the shot down. and that puts it in and ties the game at 54. the terps answer that. vasquez answers it. maryland back up by 2 and 20 seconds left, same score, michael and drives the score, but dino gregory, the basket does not count. they beat florida state on the road, 71-67 the final, sweeping the season series. to the nfl now. depressing news. it looks as if the uncapped season and the following lock out is really going to happen. they're making no progress on a new collective bargain agreement. on a 1-10 scale it's about a 14. these are the basic positions. the owners want to lower the players pay by 18%, sighting

increased cost of doing business. the players want the owners to open their books before they agree to anything. in short a real stalemate. how does steve bouchotte plan to operate his ravens franchise in that environment? even though we hit that finally in this deal, it's not going to hamper us that much because we have 10 guys that we don't have to worry about like he we wouldd have. i don't see it hampering our ability to do things. >> i think that this is an uncapped year. there will be real good players that are going to get cut and we have had a good success with the guys that got cut because of the cap situation that that particular team was in. i think that is going to increase our pool of players. the deadline to get it done