her death was ruled a homicide. police have yet to charge anyone in her murder. both maryland state police and baltimore city police continue to actively investigate this case and say they have made progress. until an arrest is made the family of barns is still left to struggle with who did kill felicia. the family is hosting a vigil. we'll have much more coming up on abc2 news at 6:00. live in northwest baltimore brian kuebler abc2 news. what a day it's been on the roads. two children were hurt after a crash on 83 in baltimore county. it involved the three cars. the car carrying the children somehow got sandwiched in between the two others. northbound 83 is open. the cause of the crash is still under investigation. we had a baltimore county police officer in the hospital tonight after a crash on the inner loop of the beltway

happened just before noon between providence road and loch raven boulevard in towson. police tell us the officer was getting on to the beltway from providence road when he collided with a tractor-trailer and crashed into the jersey wall. he's in stable condition at shock trauma. a jeep was also involved in the crash. two women were taken to the hospital with minor injuries. right now one left lane is open. the cause is under investigation. a woman says she was sex he assaulted by a man she set up with at the micro tell inn in linthicum. police were called out to winterson road at 7:30. she had arranged to meet up with the man. the man sexually assaulted her but she was able to get away and call police. the man was gone when the officers got this. if you have any information call (410)222-3468. sexual assaults in

military academies are up nearly 60%. there was a total of 65 reports of sexual assault involving cadets and midshipmen and the three major military academies including thacademy in annapolis west point and air force academy in colorado springs that's up from 41 reports in the previous year. why the rise? the pentagon is working to encourage more victims to report wrongdoings. tonight you hear about that deadly house fire in connecticut and once you found out how it started it gives us a jolt to do something to our own homes to protect our own families and that's what t. j. winick is going to do for us tonight. >> reporter: officials now know those three young girls and their grandmother who died in that horrific christmas day fire in connecticut succumbed to smoke inhalation. the grandfather was killed by head and neck trauma. he fell through the rafters. the house was being renovated on most of the second floor. the family was not supposed to be staying there yet there were

no hard wired smoke alarms. >> that's the sound. be familiar with that sound so that you know what to do right away. >> reporter: a friend of the connecticut ad executive who owned the home the only two survivors had put ashes from the fireplace in a bag into a trash enclosure attached to the rear of the house. while overall fire deaths are down over the past five years deaths from accidental causes are up 18%. in this last week of december homes are three times more likely to catch fire due to candle ignited fires. this lab in chicago constructed a typical modern living room for abc news and most of the contents from the blankets to the wide screen tv to the toys are made from petroleum based products which can burn up to 6 times faster. they say occupants should any fire that can't be put out with a glass of water. >> the whole house is on fire. >> reporter: can be avoided at

all costs. t. j. winick abc news new york. firefighters are investigating a possible arson case after these separate fires were set in one home. it started at 7:30 west lombard street. nobody was inside the house when the fire started. it has not been a good 24 hours for southwest. in sacramento, california here we go, a flight bound for ontario, california hit a bird forcing it to turn right back around landing at sacramento international airport this morning. then last night another southwest flight leaving for seattle had a problem blowing out two of its tires as it was speeding down the runway for take off. at first seemed like a normal take off for the passengers on the plane. >> i heard a loud pop started shaking they set the nose back down. >> as it was leaving the airplane runway two tires exploded. departure was aborted immediately. this was no fire.

no injuries. the passengers were evacuated from the plane. >> officials are still trying to figure out what caused the blowout. a southwest spokesperson says all the passengers were rebooked on other flights. wow. all right back here it has been all about the wind today. blustery conditions and very cold air windchill temps as a result. 15 to 20 winds. we're gusting to around 30 easton top of the hour feeling like the 20s already because of the winch skies generally clear overhead. that's good. and the rest of this evening will call for temperatures to drop through the 30s but again feeling colder than that with the windchill. much more on the new year's eve coming up. coming home and seeing gifts under the tree is one thing but riding down your block and seeing empty boxes on the curb

is another. one family's trash is another thief's gold. >> reporter: by putting out the boxes you got you're basically putting a neon sign on your house for thieves letting them now know you not pricey new electronics he they would love to get their hands on. the allies of rogers forge tell the story of christmas past. from snuggies to help you brave the winter cold to electric guitars that help you sing the holiday blues. the proof of a fruitful holiday is right there for all to see. these boxes are just trash to you, but to a thief they broadcast your big haul. >> i think this is a certain sense of security thaw have that you don't even think about that sort of things. >> reporter: like many people kevin kelly he hasn't thought twice about tossing the collateral damage from a christmas gone by. >> it wasn't that nice to me in terms of big electronics. for my daughters stuff it's good to think what i'm putting out there. >> reporter: police would agree. they say a simple drive by

gives thieves all what they need to know which house toes hit after the holiday. by putting out the box for your blu-ray mayor or other big ticket items you're making it very easy who is worth a stop. >> put them out as late as possible. >> reporter: otherwise you're shining a light for some to take advantage giving them the signal you got the goods for christmas. >> seems like a smart idea if you're a thief. if you want to see where the best stuff is if you're going to advertise that's the best way of doing it. >> reporter: now because of the holiday many pickups were pushed back by a day. people put their trash out anyway for getting about the delay. when you're finally ready to ditch the boxes fold up the boxes and tuck them in between other ones. >> that's a great story. thank you you joce. legos have been considered by

many a boys toy. a new line is targeting your girls. plus it was one of the most memorable days of the year for millions of us even after the royal wedding the fascination with the royal couple continues. guess what, lady gaga is going to be our neighbor. did you hear about this? what do you think of this. we'll tell you where she may be moving to. is that north baltimore? we'll find out.

. consumer alert time they are not just for boys anymore. lego will soon be rolling out a line for toys targeting girls but not everybody is happy about it. jennifer don lab has the story. >> reporter: legos with super

hero sensation the building location used to be for boys only. move over here comes olivia stephanie emma five girlfriends from heart lake city. lego construction sets for the young ladies. >> that looks a lot like it's for girly girls. >> reporter: after interviewing thousands of moms an daughters lego declared it was ready to deliver toys to the other half of the world's children, girls. >> it's about time. that's awesome. >> now i can play with the girls things. >> to have toys that help them identify themselves. >> reporter: some paints are worried about the figurines identities one new york mother started a petition with pet shop beauty salon cafe' and lots an lots of pink. >> i like the pet part but not so much the other stuff. >> is it too girl he. >> yeah. >> reporter: on the product's web site the blondes says she want to be a party planner or reporter emma wants to be a

designer and like martial arts and/or grammy. >> the one that's ethnic they pick entertainment. that's a problem. >> reporter: the mini skirts seem to be an even bigger problem for some, but when the products hit store shelves it might not matter what the adults think. >> i think it's going to be amazing. >> that was jennifer don lab reporting. >> the legos for girls already launched in the uk. officially pretty finish to the day. still got some sunshine even though the chill is coming on days getting a little longer now we're past december 21st. b wi38 degrees right now. winds northwest at 15 and gusting somewhat higher than that. no question about that. gusting to 30 plus earlier today. look at these clouds whipping by this is 6 hours compressed into 6 seconds for you. and you can see in baltimore

today it was mostly a sunny scenario. a nice looking day maybe from the window of your building or house, because once you stepped out there, man, those winds were just whipping in bel-air and all across the state today. but again a nice looking day. you can see the trees just shaking here in el could it city as that sun goes down. maryland's most powerful radar continuing to show all clear. we think that holds up for really the next several days. next chance for rain may be as late as monday of next week. so it looks like smooth sailing in terms of precipitation into the week right now. but we'll see some additional cloud cover at times. temperatures now cold and getting colder. we're at the freezing mark in hagerstown. 23 now out in oakland and those winds again steady northwest 15. look at these gusts, 28 east and near 30 in dover. 26 at the beach. and 21 in baltimore. so certainly a windy scenario dropping those wind chills feeling like 20s, low '20ss in

hagerstown winchester wilmington andover afternoon. humidity also he extremely low sort of chap stick weather scenario where you will get your system dried out if you're out in this stuff for long. few snow showers lake effect snows in northwestern pennsylvania. west of the harrisburg area but most of our state in fact all of most of the southeast and mid atlantic is crystal clear right now. but those winds continue to come on. here's the culprit. why so much winds? two different pressure systems, big high pressure bubble moving in over the southeast. what's left of our rainstorm low pressure area over the north atlantic. the bottom line between the two of these systems you've got double wraparound flows and it's all kinds of funneling that wind and that change in pressure right over maryland in the mid atlantic. >> that's why it's so windy today. chances for precipitation going to be pretty nill. but we'll see disturbances to our north over the great lakes. that could bring more lake

effect snows to erie pa. upstate new york but again around the central part of our state i think just clouds blowing in at times and for the most part things staying did and dry. overnight tonight down to 25 less windy. terms going frigid out there. your thursday forecast two 2- degree guarantee. 45 degrees. few clouds we're talking about fair weather out there then tomorrow night 32 as clouds increase we'll see things not be quite so frigid overnight. let's look ahead to your next 7 days including the all important change of the year. as we go into saturday and sunday. and i think we're looking at a nice stretch, though. friday, saturday, sunday, low 50s. maybe mid 50s through the first day of 2012. things do get colder toward the middle of next week but not a bad way to start a off the year. here comes pip a. it was definitely the wedding of the year probably of the decade but the royal fascination didn't stop when will and kate said i do. abc2 news elizabeth gordon

takes a look back at the year of the royals. >> reporter: late last year they announced their engagement sending the world into a royal wedding advertise he. prince william and long time love katherine middleton's wedding was the most talked about social event of 2011. not since william's mother and father married three decades earlier had there been soap buzz about royal nuptials. >> i would imagine even the most cynical among us sure hi when you see a couple exchanging their wedding vows your heart does melt a little bit. >> reporter: after months of top secret planning the invitations were mailed. the details finalized and the big day arrived. on april 29th, hundreds of millions of people paused to watch a real life fairytale. but before the bride and groom said i do, the wedding's most closely guarded secret was revealed. dutchess of cambridge arrived at westminster abby in a gown designed by sara burton.

she topped off the wedding dress with a tiara loaned to her by the queen. >> it's all about the dress all about kate. >> reporter: approximately 1900 guests were invited to the church for the main ceremony. william and katrina exchanged vows in a traditional service but the kiss would wait. the couple emerged the duke and dutchess of cambridge and took a carriage ride along the crowd packed streets to buckingham palace. they walked out on the balcony to a roaring applause from the crowd below. they shared their first kiss as husband and wife sealing their fate as one of the most talked about couples of 2011. after a honeymoon william and katherine embarked on a north american tour. they touched down in canada in late june. >> the geography in canada is matched only by the hospital at that time. >> reporter: they showed off their competitive sides in a boat race even took in a rodeo.

it was off to los angeles where the duke and dutchess attend aid georgia la evening in honor of british entertainers. william played in a celebrity polo match but it wasn't all whining dining and celebrities. they finished their tour in one of la's most low income neighborhoods visiting with children at an art center. william and katherine returned to britain but that didn't put an end to the public fascination. hundreds of thousands of people visited buckingham palace to get an up close look of the dutchess of cambridge iconic gown and to feel a little closer to the royal couple. i'm elizabeth gordon reporting. >> pip a in that piece are you kid meteorologist? elizabeth. get her on the phone will you. if you're looking for more on the top stories of the year check out our best of 2011 page head to abc2news.com featured stories section on the home page we've got the most powerful photos the most searched person and remembering

those we lost this year. the amish dutch wonderland, lady gaga. the pop star is rumored to be buying a 1.7 million mansion in lancaster county. the listing agent for the house says they have had no showings and no one remitting lady gaga has asked about the house, but she thinks she knows how the rumor started. everily gaga's boyfriend grew up in nearby len knocks how does she meet a from lennox. his parents still live in the neighborhood. back in november the singer was spotted at a popular cafe' and kinney's father says he knows of no plans for lady gaga to buy the house. and what do lady gaga justin beer and best friends george clooney have in common. well they use their star power to do the most good this year. this according to do something.org annual did list. gaga's campaign against bullying soon to be launched born this way foundation launched her to the top of the

list. justin bieber moved up 8 spots from last year to take second place and the babys launched the believe charity drive which supports several children's charities. and rounding out the top three george clooney he used his voice to fight for human rights in sudan. those are the top three. a new simple way for doctors to diagnose lung cancer is in the works and the results are only a breath away we'll have that coming up after the break. but first there was a warning from the fda about plavix. more of the concern surrounding this drug coming up.

. in tonight's health alert your next breath could be a new tool for diagnosing lung

cancer. researchers using a breathalyzer a test that samples from 229 people. 92 had lung cancer that was untreated and the other 137 were either at risk or had growing in their lungs. the age effects smoking habits and history pulmonary disease factored into there study. tests detected lung canter 80% of the time. the goal is to develop a low cost noninvasive breath test when bind with a cat scan can determine the difference between benign and malignant tumors. a study calls plavix save. helps prevent blood clots. the food and drug administration issued a warning after there were concerns the drug didn't work well for people who had difficulty breaking down the chemicals. it suggested patients get genetic tests to find out if they have a specific gene to make it difficult to process the drug but the new research finds those with the gene were not at risk. the fda has not responded to this latest research.

abc2 news.com is your place for all the health news you need. check out the page you'll find today's health headlines as well as different health categories to help you find the information for your family to keep everybody safe. what are your plans for new year's eve. folks in annapolis are getting ready for the big holiday bash. we're going to take you to the streets of our capitol where preparations are now in full swing. and the place that gives baltimore those great polish sausages is shutting down. how the economy is taking the toll on our city favorites. those stories and more ahead at 5:30.

. preparations are underway for a big holiday bash in annapolis how they are getting set up for new year's eve in our state capitol. plus before you make plans for 2012 you have to say good riddance anything brought you

down in 2011. how you can make it official. and if you don't want your gift cards swap them for cash some web sites promise to get the job done but if you're not careful it can leave you for absolutely nothing. we have breaking news. new details involving a story we brought you at the top of the hour. one of the children hurt in this crash on 83 today has died at shock trauma. police tell us the crash involved three cars apparently the car carrying two children a five and 7-year-old somehow got sandwiched between two other cars and since the crash northbound 83 has reopened. the cause of the crash is still being investigated and again, we're so sorry we have lost a life of a child here today. well nobody puts on a tug- of-war better than annapolis against east port. the east port lighted boat show is world class. just think how our capitol city puts on a new year's eve even when the moneyes tight. don harrison tells us how the town st