about. >> they're still celebrating. derek valcourt has the story. >> reporter: as their success begins to sink in, the thing they are most grateful for is the bye week extra wrest. >> hand off to ray rice. and he's off to the races. rice will take it all the way. touchdown ravens. 70yards. >> reporter: the last of 16 hard fought regular season games is the ravens crowning achievement for now. ray rice broke free for two long touchdown runs and a critical win in cincinnati. capping a 24-16 victory, a 12-4 record a division title. home field in the play offs, and a bye to rest.

>> winning the division is huge, but this bye week is going to be great. we're going to come back full strength. and the ravens at full strength is a great team. >> reporter: true greatness is determined at play off time and the ravens are in it for the fourth straight year. the hope and expectation is that they take it all the way to the super bowl this year. somewhere -- >> every year is special. i think this year takes on a different character for the ravens in the last three years. but right now this is the most special. this is the one we're in. you know this is the one we have high hopes for. >> reporter: well the players had the day off but harbaugh told us that about half the team still showed up to work to lift weights and review their game tape from their victory over the bengals. and what is left for the team is practice on wednesday, then practice on thursday, then

await the weekend to find out who will play in the play off game. who will come to town will it be houston, denver or pittsburgh. denise back to you. >> complete coverage continues live on m & t stadium. >> reporter: hello denise, hi everyone at home. this just in, it is the official ravens play off poster. they just delivered it to the wjz newsroom. the ravens will begin censoring their logo. and fans tell me they could not be more fired up. at the sports shop in townsend, 7-year-old kevin faulkner is on a mission. >> i wanted to get a ray lewis shirt, a jersey of ray lewis. >> reporter: she's not alone. stores are packed with fans stocking up on play off gear.

>> we have ravens socks, scarfs, whatever you need we have it. >> reporter: this just hours after the ravens clenched the afc north title with a victory over cincinnati. >> you should be worrying about preparing for whoever they're going to play. >> reporter: on 105.7 the fan all the talk is on the home field advantage. on the fan cam. >> it's all about the ravens this year. they have a great team. i think they're going to do it. >> this team wins super bowls and championships. >> reporter: the ravens are super bowl bound. >> a very good chance. >> they are a very good team. they are in the play offs. they have a great record too. >> as for cameron, she went with g sizzle. and will be watching as the team inches closer to the super

bowl. >> go ravens. >> reporter: now we should mention, we're going to show you the sign again, this is the official ravens poster for the play off. i want to tell you a few thousand tickets for the play off game here at m & t bank stadium will be available for the public starting tomorrow. they can be purchased on ticket master or at baltimore ravens.com. don't bother coming down here, they will not be available at the ticket office here at the stadium. again, tomorrow there will be tickets available at 10:00 a.m. we're live at m & t bank stadium. i'm jessica cartalia. >> and the wjz sports team is keeping you updated on our

website. so the ravens will play in two weeks. speaking of the steelers they will take the field this sunday in denver this sunday. you can watch that on wjz. baltimore has achieved something that hasn't happened in 34 years. fewer than 200 murderers. many are wondering if the city has turned the corner on its violent past. mike hellgren has the crime numbers and what they mean. >> it's a real milestone, vic. but the numbers are still way above washington, d.c., new york and philadelphia. what police here say they are doing is continuing to target repeat violent offenders. crime tape and bullet markers prove far too common. as the number of murders marched through 400 a year. but violent crime has dropped

in recent years. >> you think it's a significant threshold to be below 200? >> for this city yeah, yeah for sure. >> especially here in the highland, we see a lot of gunshots. it seems more quiet now. >> reporter: but not everyone is so the sure. >> i think it's the same basically. i really do. you have to try to protect everyone at the same time. >> till people can look out their window from the place that they live and feel that sense of security, we haven't gotten the job done. >> reporter: a city says violent crime is down 6%, murders down 12% last year. but the news isn't all good. total crime is actually up 12%. fueled by an increase in property crime up 4%. incidents like car break-ins. >> if you would give the teenagers and young people something to do they would not

have time to commit crimes. >> and cutting them out and eliminating them from being the source for ou violence. >> hoping to receive this reduction for the new year. reporting live at headquarters, mike hellgren. wjz eyewitness news. >> mike, thank you. coming up new at 6:00, we'll tell you which state the commissioner says provides more illegal guns than any other. baltimore police are already busy investigating a shooting that left a 13-year- old critically injured. andrea fujihi is live. >> reporter: police are still looking for the shooter now. it happened just before 6:00

p.m. they found a boy on the ground. he suffered gunshot wounds to his hand, arm and stomach. he was rushed to a hospital in critical but stable condition. and right now it's unclear if police have any leads on the gunman. denise-- >> thank you, andrea. anyone with information is urged to call detectives. dozens of family spend the evening without water. ruptured pipes are affecting customers. if your water remains discolored you should call public works. the winter temperatures are back, outside right now is chilly, partly cloudy and this cold air is here to stay for a while. bernadette woods is tracking the current conditions. >> reporter: good afternoon if you weren't with us last year. and the year has arrived with cold air. we had a couple of flurries out there and snow showers. now a lot of that is dying down. but don't be surprised if you

see a few if you're out and about within these overnight hours. look at all the 30s all the way down to the ocean. even 20s out in the mountains. we're about 15 to 20 degrees colder. look at oakland 30 degrees colder than what we were at this point yesterday. and it's getting much colder. lost on a mountain. that's how one maryland hiker rang in the new year. derek valcourt tells us how technology helped save his life. >> reporter: this may look like just a blank white screen but it's an app that turns an iphone into a flashlight. and it may have saved one man who got stuck on a hiking trail. >> reporter: on new year's eve day, casick and his dog boo set up for their first ever hike. he started in the black trail,

moved to the yellow trail but somehow ended up in a blue trail. >> at what point did you realize you were lost? >> i told my wife i wasn't lost but i guess i was. >> reporter: his cell phone was not helping him. but casick still had his signal and a flashlight app. here's where that flashlight app came in, when the rescue helicopter flew by, casick was able to flash it up in the air and rescuers sent in help. >> reporter: what lessons do you take from this? >> flashlight in the back. always be prepared. i got home about 9:30, we still we believe -- still went to

the party. when i showed up, the guy who was at the door had a flashlight to guide me in. >> reporter: the event did not stop him from coming out, he came out and took another hike sunday. and says he plans to continue his hikes. >> it's always important to take your cell phone with you on long hikes and make sure someone knows where you will be hiking. coming up, the final push in iowa, how republican candidates are trying to win over voters just one day before the caucus. who is the san francisco arsonist? police are trying to crack down on the person. grab your heavy winter jacket and prepare for this blast of cold air. bernadette has more in her updated forecast.

[ male announcer ] get ready for some deli-style delic-ious-ity: the subway big hot pastrami melt. take a moment to ponder tender cuts of pastrami, piled sky high atop your favorite freshly baked bread with spicy mustard, pickles and melt-a-licious cheese. okay, enough imagining how this fresh toasted number would tantalize your taste buds -- it's time to actually experience the subway big hot pastrami melt, built by the sandwich experts the way you love --

to per-fec-tion. subway. eat fresh. five households in canton are out of their homes in evening. alex demetric reports. >> reporter: the fire went to three alarms because it was spreading from house to house in canton. >> first house on the street there was a bunch of black smoke coming out of that house. the second house i could see flames from the window. >> our firefighters had to cut a trench between the homes to stop the fire. >> reporter: the fire started on something similar to crown

molding on the outside of the home. >> we're from california and we're not used to living so close to the next home. the first floor is demolished. the second floor is all smoked. >> reporter: the home where the fire started had roof done work right before the fire started. >> if that's the direct reason the fire started we're not sure. >> reporter: these houses will remain condemned until repairs are made. >> i was told it might take three or four months before i can move in. where do you live for two or three months and feel comfortable. there's not like going home. >> reporter: alex demetric.

>> reporter: roughly a dozen people were displaced. you can see flamed consumed a building this morning in darlington. firefighters spent hours securing the scene, no one was hurt. if you're waiting for someone to come home, let's check on the roads. >> reporter: we do have minor delays. if you're traveling northbound. on the north side interloop break light there is as you make your approach to harper road. but smooth sailing as soon as we get through. as far as accidents go, york road. emmerson bypass, and we have police activity, kenwood avenue and lilian hope drive. as far as your drive times go, traveling on i85. 11 minutes to get through, let's now take a live look as you can see. not very difficult drive for

you there, 95 top of the fort mchenry tunnel. there's the look at park heights. everything moving very well. this traffic report is brought to you by subway. introducing the big pastrami sandwich. flavor packed pastrami, pickles and bubbly cheese. holiday vacation ends early for some students. as andrea fujihi explains, in some schools it wasn't without opposition. >> reporter: after more than a week off, howard county students including those at cradle rock elementary middle are back to the grind. even though most their peers in other counties and cities are

still on vacation. besides students, some parents off for the holiday questioned the decision. >> we expected to be off together. my family was surprised they had to go back to school early. >> reporter: so the howard county schools sent out an explanation. the letter went on to say that in approving the 2011-2012 calendar, the board of education chose to open schools on january 2nd in order to end the school year as early as possible. >> certainly some students want to continue their vacation. as well as staff members, it's mixed reviews. but everybody is smiling and back to work. >> reporter: but for many parents who had the day off, having their kids at school was a holiday in itself. >> when they go to school then you can get time to finish everything you couldn't finish. >> reporter: some private schools around the state also opened today and starting tomorrow all public schools are

back in class. vick. >> let the whining begin. i may have done a little whining myself actually. but it's 2012. >> this is seasonal for us. we're sitting at 37 degrees. but this is a transition to even colder air the next two days and we'll let you know how cold coming up when we return. . (sighes)... finding your perfect car is easy at carmax because we carry only the highest quality used vehicles. and at carmax dot com, you can choose from nearly 30 thousand cars with most available for transfer to the store nearest you. so come find the one for you today... at carmax. busy day!

♪ [ male announcer ] combine a pnc cashbuilder visa credit card with a pnc performance select checking account and get up to 1.75% cash back for just about every purchase. learn more and apply today at pnc.com/cashbuilder.

people are getting a chance to wear those new coats that he got for christmas. >> there you go. >> the ear muffs and the scarves and the gloves for at least the next two days you're going to need them because really cold air is coming your way. especially compared to where we've been. we have had a few snow showers and flurries coming up along those gusty northwest winds that are bringing in the cold air. earlier we started out with the sunshine, the clouds filled up. then here came the snow showers and flurries. things are starting to quiet down a little bit right now but still could see a few in the overnight hours. a winter storm warning is in

effect through tomorrow. until the winds shut off in their collection with the lake. we're going to see snow piling up for some of the ski resorts could get up towards of eight to 10-inches of snow. for the rest of us we're just feeling the chill. gusty northwest winds about 10 to 15 miles per hour have been gusting over 20 miles per hour. but this past hour we're looking at 28 in dc, 22 miles per hour in baltimore. and here is where the temperatures lie. 37 in baltimore, 30 in dc. 30 to the ocean compared to yesterday at this time, we were about 15 to 20 degrees colder and 23 degrees colder in oakland. this is just the beginning. here's the cold air coming straight down from canada and we have a lot of single digits in this area. this cold air does get out of here pretty quickly. here's the storm bringing everything in. you see all of those snow showers and flurries out there just scattered around. they will die down overnight in a lot of cases. some of those western facing

slopes in the mountains will continue to see the snow coming in. until the winds shut off and turn back around to the south. that's on wednesday when we're going to see that change. going to be cold but after that the temperatures will start to rebound after we cut off that connection with the arctic. the forecast comes together like this. when you're heading out in the water, advisories in effect with winds very gusty. we're going down to 23 degrees. it'll be windy, tomorrow we really don't recover much. we only go to 32 for our high. so we were in the 60s to 50 degrees for the weekend. tomorrow our high is going to be around freezing, so big hit right there if you're going back to school or work. if you weren't at one of those schools that went back today. you're going to want to bundle up. >> those were the highs and the lows will be really chilly. >> okay, we're ready. coming up, a lucky break

for a family trapped in their car. who came to their rescue after they plunged in their car into a river. an a hostile gesture, why iran is ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

it's 5:28, cloud did and

windy. here are some of the stories people are talking about tonight. a tragic start to the new year in bethesda when a car accident claims two young lives. monique griego has more on what happened. >> reporter: it happened just before 3:00 a.m. new year's day on jones bridge road near lancaster drive in bethesda. >> i heard screeching, then the crumbabling of metal, i just thought i hope nobody gets hurt. >> reporter: people who live near jones bridge road say it's no stranger to fatal wrecks. >> the curves are deceiving because they do not look severe but throw drivers out.

now police are trying to piece together what could have caused such a horrific crash. >> speed, alcohol related, distracted. all those could be factors in any collision and they are certainly looked at in every fatal collision. but i can't speak about the specifics on this one. >> reporter: monique griego. >> the driver of the suv was brought to baltimore shock trauma in serious condition. the two other passengers had less serious injuries. another accident that's under investigation, police believe a woman lost control of her car and hit a tree on cuba road. the 53-year-old woman died at the scene of the crash. police are trying to determine the cause. police are investigating a series of fire attacks in new york city as possible hate crimes. andrea fujihi is in the newsroom with more. >> reporter: police believe the attacks are targeting muslims.

the damage was minimal, but dozens of worshipers that gathered for a new year's dinner were shaken up. michael bloomberg and the council of american muslims are speaking out. lauren reports from west hollywood. >> reporter: los angeles police arrested this man in connection with more than 50 suspicious car fires set in less than a week. including about a dozen new blazes overnight. >> that person is being interrogated, there's been no fires since we detained this individual. >> reporter: the unidentified man was picked up this morning in los angeles. a mini van that may long to the man in custody was towed away. >> the driver resembled a person of interest seen in a video tape released by the

arson task force. >> reporter: but authorities are not ready to declare the crime solved. >> our task force is continues, we're continuing to work around the clock. our detectives have hundreds of clues, dozens of leads. >> police released surveillance video and asked the public in help for finding them. most of the fires were set in carports or garages or vehicles around them. juan lopez says he found some sort of device under his car but it failed to ignite. >> when i came over here, i see the little container there under the car. >> reporter: damage estimates are totaling $2 million. edward lauren, wjz eyewitness news. police are still urging residents to check your car and check for any signs of tampering before driving. an american soldier the facing charges for trying to

bring explosives on to an airplane in texas. the fbi determined there was no danger to the public because atwater was not carrying a detonator. police believe they have found an iraq war veteran suspected of murdering a ranger in mount reinier national park. the man died in deep chest snow while trying to escape. >> reporter: a body believed to be benjamin barnes was found at mount reinier park. >> reporter: teems are now making their way to the location. >> the area above the falls is very rugged. >> reporter: dozens of officers have been scouring the area for the 24-year-old suspect who was an iraq war veteran and may have been suffering from post-

traumatic stress disorder. barnes shot and killed park ranger anderson early sunday morning when she tried to stop him from entering the park. >> came out and opened fire on her inside of her car and put multiple rounds inside of her car, she didn't have a chance. >> reporter: officers exchanged fire with barnes but she escaped into the woods. police found body armour inside of his car. they think barnes who had survival skills came to the national park to hide out after a new year's eve shooting near seattle. barnes was wanted for questioning in a house party shooting that left four people wounded. mount reinier park was shut down. authorities escorted 135 visit 135 -- visitors from the grounds. randall pinkston. barnes had a child and was involved in a custody dispute earlier this year. good samaritans are credited with saving three children from an icy river in

utah. the children were riding in their car with their father when he hit an icy patch. that's when a retired police officer and his son spotted the accident and jumped into action. >> the man next to me started yelling, my son, my son is still in the car. she's on the other side, we have to flip the car. and i looked in and i could see this boy upside down in the water. >> reporter: the rescuers were able to flip the car over, they used a gun to shoot out a window and a pocket knife to cut the children out of the seat belt. gop presidential hopefuls are making their final pitches in iowa just days before the caucuses. iowans will be the first in the country to choose the republican who they want to challenge president obama.

>> reporter: crews peeked in the window to see the candidates. >> be bold, step forward, you're leading, your casting the first vote. >> reporter: santorum is in third place but in striking distance of paul and romney. santorum is taking aim at the front runner. >> we are not looking at the chief executive officer for this country. we're looking for a commander in chief. >> reporter: while romney targets president obama. >> i look at the president and think he doesn't know what needs to be done to get this country on track again. >> reporter: paul is just behind romney and working to distinguish himself. >> the others represent the status quo. >> reporter: polls show 41% of iowans still don't know who they will vote for or haven't made their minds. romney is polling on the backside of the republican

field. along with newt gingrich and michelle bachmann. >> born and raised in iowa, only one candidate is consistent. >> reporter: she's trying to reach the conservative base in a new ad. but the crowds here want to meet the candidates and all six in iowa are working to win the votes. >> iowa is expected to be a key battleground in november. hundreds of demonstratorred towed a 70-foot octopus behind the rose parade.

they say the octopus was corporation greed. maryland is reporting one confirmed case of the flu and across the country 97 cases have been tracked. though most cases remain untracked and unreported. don't wait too long to see a doctor. >> first of all you're going to get some idea that flu is around because you're going to get it from somebody in most cases. when other people are getting sick and you start getting sick, that's probably the best time in that first 48 hours because that's when he can prescribe medication. >> reporter: if scene within that time there are medicines that can actually battle the flu not just treat the symptoms. >> if you get the fever, and the bod aches. aches -- body aches, the most

common symptoms of the flu. >> reporter: the number of cases is still low, they have doubled in the past month. mike townsend. >> government figures show that traditionally january and february are the worse months for flu outbreaks, so get ready. >> i have to get ready. i have to brace myself. still to come, it's happened again, hundreds of dead birds fall from the sky. why police believe it was intentional. dangerous tradition, how a new year's celebration left a little boy fighting for his life. life. bernadette woods in for bob,

life. bernadette woods in for bob, i come in peace. but you go in pieces. [ female announcer ] you can't pass mom's inspection with lots of pieces left behind.

that's why there's charmin ultra strong. its diamondweave texture is soft and more durable versus the ultra rippled brand. so it holds up better for a more dependable clean. fewer pieces left behind. i go in peace. yes, you do my little alien. [ female announcer ] we all go. why not enjoy the go with charmin ultra strong? it just got more frustrating and frustrating. a lot of times, the picture would break up. for the amount of money that i am paying, my cable company should take care of me. [ male announcer ] stop paying for second best. move up to verizon fios tv, internet and phone for our best price online -- just $89.99 a month guaranteed for two years. first time we saw tv on fios was amazing! i was just in a trance watching it. i'm discovering new channels every day.

[ male announcer ] and here's a special bonus: sign up now and get $300 back with a two-year contract. fios internet -- the speed, you can't compare. i'm able to take care of things much faster now. [ male announcer ] start saving now. move up to fios for our best price online -- $89.99 a month guaranteed for two years and get $300 back with a two-year contract. or ask us about the option of no annual contract. is change good? in this case, change is very good. [ male announcer ] visit verizon.com/greatprice. contact the verizon center for customers with disabilities that's verizon.com/greatprice. at 800-974-6006 tty/v. fios. a network ahead. welcome back everybody. what a beautiful day out there right now. it was a great holiday weekend weather wise. but now that we settle into 2012 we have a shot of cold air coming our way. this is what we're dealing with over the next 24 hour, tonight

we're dropping down into the 20s and tomorrow we really don't recover all that much. still windy, chance for a couple of flurries and snow showers as we head through the day. tomorrow night look at how we're going to drop into the teens. wednesday still up to 34 degrees. we start to rebound thursday and friday. by saturday we're back to 50 degrees. denise-- >> thank you bernadette. in tonight's energy saver, ways to save money when it comes to your refrigerator. leaving the door open for a long time is more efficient than opening and closing it several times. keep your refrigerator if you -- because the mass of items will keep it colder. snowfall started late sunday night and is expected to

continue until tomorrow afternoon in indiana. high winds are making the situation worse, police say there have listen been several accidents. drivers are cautioned to take it snow and stay off the road. the bodies of two brothers are recovered from a canal in arizona, authorities say a 6- year-old special needs child apparently fell into if canal and his two 10-year-old brothers jumped in to help them. one 10-year-old brother was able to make it out but one did not know how to swim and drowned. duran was hit in the head by a falling bullet. the boy is currently in a coma in the hospital but his father is not giving up hope. >> he's a man in the making. somebody just put a stop on him. but he ain't going to give up. he's going to grow up and be a

better man than i am. >> reporter: detectives are searching for a suspect, they say the shot could have been fired from miles away. 200 blackbirds have turned up dead in arizona. officials believe someone deliberately caused the bird's death by setting off fireworks for new year's. last new year's day, the parks found hundred of dead birds. the sparks from fireworks disorient them and cause them

to fly into objects. -- pinkston with the findings of a new study for us. >> reporter: 5-year-old lea and her little sister leslie are having a blast. spinning around and bouncing at the playground. >> when i play outside it makes me happy. >> reporter: their mom brings them here often to make sure they're getting plenty of exercise. >> we do not sit around and watch tv, that's for sure. we do not do that. >> reporter: a new study finds exercise may also help her children do well in school. researchers in the netherlands analyzed 14 studies from the u.s., canada and south africa and found strong evidence of a relationship between physical activity and academic performance. >> the increased circulation to the brain may have some positive effects as far as the nerve transmitters, the chemicals that are responsible for behavior and learning and even in terms of attention

span. >> reporter: most of the studies focused on the physical active activity kids got in school. but many school systems are cutting physical education and sports to save money. pediatricians hope this new finding will put an emphasis back on exercise. >> what we can't do is continue to cut physical activity. >> reporter: this kindergartner is physical at school and at home. >> lea gets 30 minutes of play at school and home. and in her first semester she got all as. a baltimore boy shot. where police say it happened and the latest on the search for a gunman.

the ravens win, what the victory over the bengals win. check in for these stories and all the breaking news coming up. it's a new year's to remember for a florida family who's baby twin girls have two different birth years. doctors say little jenna was born at 11:59 saturday night. after the ball dropped lea became one of the first babies born in 2012. their perfect timing earned the newborn new honors. the baby was the first and last to be born in each year for their country. they just wanted to have separate birthdays. >> you know what they are going to play this up the rest of their lives. >> one is going to say i'm older, i'm in a different year. i'll get my driver's license first. >> there you go. >> twin girls. have fun. still to come tonight on wjz eyewitness news. arrested for trying to rip off wal-mart. wal-mart. what happened to ,,

former egyptian president hosni mubarak mubarack was back in court today. the 65-year-old was wheeled into court for the second time. he also faces corruption charges. iran fires a many nuclear missile. iran test fired a new cruise missile monday, one that tehran says is capable of -- iran's navy chief sayings it moves that tehran is in control

of hormuz. a leading iranian leader says that the missile launches are practice in case that iran choses to shut down the water way. president obama signed new sanctions against iran over the weekend. they are meant to make it harder for the country to sell its oil. iran says the missile tests are in response to the sanctions. >> iran is wondering where this is going. because their export of oil makes 70% of their budget. >> reporter: tehran says its scientists produced the country's first nuclear fuel rod a step many nations believed iran was not capable of taking. the u.s. and its allies fear iran's nuclear program is designed to make atomic weapons. but iranian officials deny that, they say they want nuclear technology to produce

power and medical devices. at the white house, tara mergener. the wife of atlanta braves head trainer jeff porter is killed in a clubhouse. police say the trooper was responding to call and that his sirens were on. porter, his son and another passenger were all hurt in that crash as well. mailbox explosions are putting people on edge in indiana. it was some sort of chemical reaction produced by a aluminum and drano in a mountain dew bottle. 53-year-old michael fuller

tried to buy a vacuum cleaner, microwave and other things with a million dollar bill. the large education bill in circulation by the way is $100. the government stopped making larger bills in 1969. fuller is scheduled to appear in court tomorrow. >> but the guy who gave it to him told him it was real for sure. >> then they scanned it under that thing and said there's just too many zeros. >> not sure what one would look like. still to come. >> festavus is just the about to begin here. how fans are gearing up on the road to the super bowl. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

coming up at 6:00, play off push. the ravens score a win and a week off. this may look like just a blank white phone screen but it was a real lifesaver for one maryland man. by the numbers, murders are down but total crime is up. so do people really feel any safer on if streets of baltimore? another day of sunshine but are flurries on the way? we'll find out coming up in the

forecast. >> wjz news at 6: 00 starts right now. bringing the play offs to baltimore, the team scores a big win. >> hello everybody i'm denise koch. >> and i'm vic carter. here is what people are talking about tonight. >> the win seals a home play off game at m & t stadium. jessica cartalia speaks to fans but first, sports director mark viviano