i got bundled up to walk out the door this morning and it was 50 degrees. >> we are about 25 degrees warmer right now then will work yesterday. a friend has moved in across the area. we have showers down into ocean city. baltimore is dry. temperatures are mild right now. 49 degrees at the airport. the wind is laid out of the west. we're not expecting temperatures to go too far -- the wind is light. scattered showers are possibility. a better chance for rain in the seven-day forecast. >> very light as far as traffic. we have one problem spot in anne arundel county in the car would area. 255 remains closed in both

directions at route 2 because of a downed pole. 11 minutes on the inner loop. nine minutes on 895 between the tunnel and 95 on the south side. no delays just yet. this is the beltway on the west side. pretty typical but nothing to cause a problem spot on the west side. this is 95 at the fort mchenry toll plaza. it looks good in both directions. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> as we mourn the death of ron smith. >> he had been battling pancreatic cancer for some time. jayne miller has more. >> this is action news. >> good evening, everyone.

i'm ron smith. >> ron smith spent most of his life with the wbal family, first as a tv new anchor on our old action news team between 1973 and 1980. >> those against, well, they say it is just another scheme to yank still more cash. >> then after a brief break from broadcasting to work as a stockbroker, ron returned to wbal radio in 1985 to begin a whole new journey as a talk- show host. >> there were able with our technology to bomb from far away, which is what they do. >> never a screamer, ron succeeded by staying on top of local and national politics. and standing firm on his principlees, even if his listeners didn't agree. a former marine, ron opposed both wars in iraq. >> a war of choice that, like many wars, hasn't gone as planned. >> and this year criticized the u.s. action in libya. billed a conservative, he had no problem picking on both political parties. in the 2008 presidential race, he called john mccain too angry to be trusted.

hillary clinton, he thought, saw goverment as the ultimate nanny. and barack obama, ron asked -- what is beneath all the fervor? adding, it's hard to tell. >> there's too much debt. there is way too much debt. there is an incredible undigestible amount of debt loose in the world. >> this year, ron chided both sides in the debacle over the debt limit. president obama, he said, had no plan. the ones by boehner, reid and the gang of six, ron declared, woefully inadequate. >> the cat scans shows that you have a tumor on your pancreas. >> ron's diagnosis of pancreatic cancer came in mid october. he continued working as long as he could. began working as long as he could. he loved what he did and was lucky he could spend so much of his life pursuing it. this is what he wrote in a column in april of 2010. "i have never been able to keep my mouth shut.

this makes me incapable of being a good corporate citizen. it took years to figure out how to overcome this characteristic. there was talk radio, the one place where the extreme candor could pay off." he called himself the voice of reason. ron smith was 70. >> colleagues have a tremendous memories of ron as a professional and friend. >> when ron decided to go off the chemotherapy and made the decision to lift off the rest of is days under his own wishes, this is what he thought of, that he would be at peace. he always said to me it is about quality, not quantity. >> our thoughts and prayers go

out to was the family. he will be messed. -- he will be missed. funeral arrangements have not been announced. that brings us to our water cooler question of the day. what are your memories and reflections in light of the passing of ron smith? you can share your response at wbaltv.com and on our facebook page, or send us an e-mail to watercooler@wbaltv.com. >> another kind of tragedy in baltimore county after a man is shot to death and the person responsible is still at large. rob roblin is live in towson. >> this morning, they have made no arrests in this case and have no suspect that we know of. the identity of the man shot and killed has not been released. >> five or six gunshots all at once. two or three more gunshots.

>> the sound of gunfire outside the towson town center. a man was gunned down just outside of the small. police blocked access to the grudge as detectives searched for the shooter. >> they immediately went inside the mall, began canvassing the entire mall, looking for someone who may look panicked or suspicious. >> investigators failed to arrest anybody after the shooting. shoppers did not find out about the murder until they left and drove past the crime scene. the victim's body was on the crime scene. >> it is shocking because this is my backyard. >> this is a wake-up call that it is not safe. >> it is not clear if the victim was the target of a robbery or personal dispute.

many found themselves in the midst of a murder investigation. >> towson is a good area to live. people will hear about this and they will not want to go to the mall. >> police have not release the identity of the victim. rob roblin, wbal-tv 11 news. >> gambling charges were made inactive in court. that means the court made no finding of guilt or innocence. they face misdemeanor charges at the restaurant. minnick is the older brother of sonny minnick was not charged in the case. how >> developing high blood pressure can impact your risk for heart pressure. word of someing

emergency construction northbound at the fort mchenry

>> welcome back to 11 news today. 51 degrees outside. that is the current temperature downtown at the inner harbor. many temperatures in the mid to upper 40's. temperatures will be tricky. for the kids at the bus stop, isolated showers are possible. anything good crop at any time -- anything could crop up at any

time. showers become more scattered and more likely into the afternoon. we'll keep detailed in the rain chances in the seven-day forecast when we come back. >> taking vitamin d supplements may not lower the risk for cancer. >> taking vitamin d and calcium supplements can lower the risk for bone fractures in older adults but vitamin d alone was not effective. vitamin d deficiencies are risk factor for several heart problems. was not enough evidence to show taking vitamin d supplements would lower those risks. >> people with high blood pressure at age 55 had more court problems -- more heart problems than those who kept

their blood pressure relative. doctors say when patients experienced a spike in blood pressure -- 5:42. the 49ers topple over the steelers. what this means for our ravens. >> there is still no deal on extending the payroll tax cuts. am kate

>> good morning. we're getting word of emergency construction on northbound 95. the right tube is completely blocked. they are repairing some overhead lane signals. stay to the left if you're

heading through the tunnel this morning. the major roadways are checking out ok. of the three along the topside of the beltway. -- 73 along the topside of the beltway. no problems just yet. this is the west side of the beltway. this is security boulevard. picking up in volume in the inner and outer loops. this is 95 in the area of the fort mchenry tunnel. things are moving ok. the right tube is blocked. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. now let's get the latest on the buses and the trains. for that we go to kurt kronke of the mta system. good morning. >> good morning. we have if you bust delays including the 16, 47, 48, and 55 buses operating with delays --

we have a few bus delays. metro subway is on time. on time service on the penn, camden, and brunswick lines. when you're away from your television, timesaving mta transit team reports are available on demand by fault weekday mornings and afternoons at 3:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. at 410-539-5000. that is 410-539-5000. now back to ava marie. >> good morning. a bit of an interesting day. stay tuned as we did tell that. we do have rain showers along the eastern shore. this has dissipated by more coming in from the north and west. not reaching into maryland just yet. we could see a few showers back into maryland. the current weather pattern.

a lot of clouds in the skies. showers down to the south. indications of something trying to pop up in baltimore. temperatures are mild. in pennsylvania, some of this is coming down as snow. rain will be the story with mild temperatures. a cold front is still up into the north. we stay miles south of that. this will be the pattern for the next several days -- we stay mild south of that. heavy snow in kansas. mild air in place across the southeast. this will track off to the west which keeps us in the mild air through the entire week. as of yet, at any snow is not likely to happen. that is key to the forecast. does we'll show you the chances

of snow. right now across the state, look at these temperatures. unbelievably warm to start out. 49 at the w. marshall. the temperatures are not going to get warmer -- 49 at b.w.i. marshall. the high temperature right now is about as warm as it will get. mostly cloudy skies. a slight chance for showers overnight. a better chance for rain tomorrow. 70% chance on wednesday. another chance for rain on friday. a storm comes in saturday night into sunday. if it gets cold enough, we could talk about mixing snow. i do not want to throw out of

the question that there could be snow on christmas. we'll keep talk about that throughout the forecast. >> the house fell to vote on an extension of the payroll tax cut and is expected to take up the legislation today -- the house failed to vote on an extension. >> the gop is expected to reject the agreement. they want the senate to return and renegotiate. the payroll tax cut legislation still not settled, setting up a showdown on capitol hill. >> we can do this. we don't need any more uncertainty. >> house republicans scrapped plans to vote on the extension monday night. john boehner wants to restart talks for a full-year extension. >> we are here and we're willing to work.

we hope the senate will appoint conferees because we're hoping to get it done. >> harry reid says he will not reopen negotiations until the house reopens the deal that is already on the table. nancy pelosi says republicans are stalling. >> we are seeing a stalling action on those who of never tabled a tax cut in the first place. >> the payroll tax cut runs out by the end of the month. people will see more taxes taken out of their paychecks next year. >> congress needs to act or taxes will go up. >> the tax break is worth about $1,000 a year for the average family. >> thank you. 51 degrees on tv hill. coming up, we'll look at one of your answers to our water cooler question of the day. >> here is a look at last night's winning maryland lottery

numbers. good luck.

>> time to get to one of your answers to our watercooler question of the day. >> this morning we asked -- what are your memories and reflections in light of the passing of ron smith? >> keep sending those responses. we will read more of your responses in the next hour and post all of them on the front page of our website, wbaltv.com. >> i cannot imagine a trip to san diego leaving such an awful taste in the mouth. that taste lingers. ray lewis returned to the lineup. he was a bit rusty. the chargers marched down the field. the ravens started out well.

this was a missed field goal by billy cundiff. he has not been consistent in making those kicks. mike tolbert found his way into the end zone. this is unfortunate but the ravens offense was good. they were moving the ball but they did not capitalize enough an. each chargers scored on the first five possession. their goals remain intact. >> we have not let get away yet. it is disappointing. that is something we wanted to hold onto. first thing you have to do is make the

playoffs. it is tough to do. it is what you do over the course of the season that earns you a trip to the playoffs. >> sometimes you can go to family for help. a tremendous favor from his brother with the 49ers against the steelers. power goes out before kickoff. ben roethlisberger playing on a bad ankle. i think he should at sat out. -- think he should have sat out. of three interceptions -- one of three interceptions. 20-3 the final peri.

the ravens are in control of their playoffs. >> bob ehrlich response to the passing of ron smith. >> a very painful syndrome. >> time for the weather. chance for showers. mild temperatures right now. >> we have some emergency road work and live look at the major roadways.

>> to many, his was the voice of reason thaid