you're watching the station that works for you, good morning maryland at 4:30. i'm sherrie johnson, live at mt bank stadium with more on a big win for the baltimore ravens. i'm kuren redmond, what state put tougher booster seat laws on the books. same sex couples will see changes. details next on this monday, january 2nd. good morning maryland. welcome to 2012. i'm charley crowson. let's head in to the studios with a check of the monday forecast and say good morning to meteorologist, justin berk. >> happy new year to you. as we start off the first full week, with the real beginning of winter. it's going to feel like winter this week. 40 degrees the current

temperature in baltimore. 43 easton. 30s to the northwest. when you factor in the winds, 30 is what it feels like in baltimore. 20s, teens and single digits to the north and west. variable cloudy sky. couple of upper level disturbances may carry the snow showers our way. we had to account for that. a day where we are watching widespread heavy lake effect snows, buffalo, a few feet as far as we are concerned, a few flakes. temperatures maxing out low 40s, dropping 35 miles per hour wind gusts and snow showers. happy new year, back to you. two touchdown runs helped the ravens take down the bengals sunday clinching the afc north and an opening buy for the playoff. sherrie johnson joins us live with a recap of the action and a lot of reasons to be happy. >> reporter: my goodness, there are so many reasons, we are here live at mt, all is quiet

now, let me tell you, the fans are very excited about this win against the bengals. ray rice had two long touchdown runs last night which helps to lead the ravens to a 24-16 victory over the cincinnati bengals and gave the bengals third afc north title and number two seed in the playoffs. ravens get a first round by. for the first time in five years, we will be able to sit here in our own stadium watching the ravens in the playoffs. we are two wins away from indianapolis and we will have to play on sunday january 15th, at 1:00 p.m. against houston, denver or the steelers. a very exciting time here. we can't wait to see what happens. sherrie johnson, abc2 news.

>> it's windy. another exciting moment, this one off of the proud mom and dad welcome the first baby of 2012. santa peeria. benefits for some, same sex married couples in baltimore will be able to receive health care benefits, it was official yesterday for couples whose marriages are legal in other states. the recommendation came in from the county executive and proved in mid december. tolls on the dallas toll road increased. the rates for cars are $1.50, up a quarter. car drivers will continue paying $0.75 on the on and off ramps. larger vehicles will pay more. they were approved in 2009 to pay for two construction

projects. local bus service is causing a frenzy, they say the service known as double happiness is following the court order to shut down. they drop off passengers, the bus they traveled on was back to double happiness. the company is complying with the federal order. our crew could not get an answer to the man selling tickets. >> i don't have tickets. did you see me sell the ticket? >> i talked to a passenger who said you sell the tickets. >> before i did this. now i don't. >> police officers were called to the scene last night and by phone, double happiness said the service would continue working out of baltimore. department of transportation spokesperson says they will

face fines and a court order. police arrested murphy for setting fire at the white elk hotel in elk ridge. he set fire to a woman's room of a an argument and took belongs before starting the fire and found in a wooded area. he is charged with arson, burglary and assault. a fire claimed 8 row homes in canton. it went one by one down the block. 14 people are without homes. >> the street was so filled with smoke, i couldn't even see two feet in front of me. i got the cat treats, we have four cats, i took the cat treats and got one cat out immediately and got him in a carrier. when i went back, in they hid on me. the fireman came in barreling through the back door and told me i had to leave the house. >> a firefighter was injured and one person stuffed from

smoke inhalation. a west baltimore shooting at baker and mc keen. this happened saturday and left one man wounded. no word on his condition, no word on suspect or a motive in this case. saturday night the new years did not end solo for those at the sunset beach club near white marsh. a fight ended with two people being stabbed and a woman hit by a car who suffered a head injury. people around the u.s. marked the new years in a variety of ways and coming up, the cold start these people took welcoming in 2012. as the ball dropped in time squares, not everyone was celebrating. the clash between police and protesters, this monday, january 2nd. a life live look at the white house, we'll be right back

someone many wisconsin jumped in to the new year, the big brothers big sister polar bear plunge. usually held new years day but moved up to accommodate the packer's game. 47 jumpers raised $5700. this year's plunge is set for january 28th. now checking with justin berk. >> i love cold, i love snow, that's just ridiculous. come on. >> have you f done it? >> no. >> it's not fun. they tell you it's fun and it's a great time, it's not. >> i've take an dip in the ocean at the end of may when it's 58. that's cold enough for me. >> forgive me. i was sharing a little bit of extra love for ray rice yesterday on the last run.

the results, lot of us, a little hoarse this morning. the gusty winds, temperatures slid in to the 30s, freezing manchester, 33 woodbine. the numbers above normal. a sign of the transition back to winter. we've got a few flakes that are trying to show up in baltimore county and more around the great lake, upper level winds carrying the snow showers. western howard, frederick, carroll county, a much better chance than let's say downtown baltimore and annapolis to get the snow showers. some of us will have the flakes flying. we will get to 42 fall off and the winds gusting to 35 miles per hour. 4:40 on the clock. here is charlie. most crowded times square, police were at a standoff with

occupy protesters. nypd says one officer was injured and 68 people arrested. trespassing, disorderly conduct and reckless endangerment. first contest of the presidential race is a day away with iowa's first in the nation caucuses set for tomorrow night. hopefuls are making the push and a big push for votes in iowa. last major poll shows mitt romney in the lead but congressman ron paul second but within the margin of error. paul is fighting critics who say he is unelectable. meantime, romney has gone on the offensive against rivals and commander in chief as well. >> the gap between his promises and his performance is the largest i've seen, well since the kardashian wedding and promise of til death do we part. >> santorum polling third. caucuses begin tomorrow night, from there on to new hampshire

for the january 11th primary. we could use more sleep, coming up, tips on how you can get more rest in the new year. considered the worst arson wave in 20 years. surveillance video people are hoping will help them lead to arrest for those responsible for this rash of fire, you are watching good morning maryland. first and only at 4:30. that's a live look at baltimore inner harbor. see the winds whipping the camera around, back in a bit.

baltimore city will be quiet. trash will not be picked up and all city buildings closed in observance of new years holiday. parking meters will be in effect. beginning january 15th, you are going to have to pay twice as

much to play power ball but a better chance of winning. a $125 million ticket was sold in elkton, we have no idea who the winner is. catholic church announced dates for pope's trip to cuba. nasa is watching two twin spacecrafts in orbit around the moon. the colorful cool singer katie perry and actor, russ sell brand filed for divorce. they wed in object of last year in india. brand said he is sure the couple will remain friends. law for 2012 is causing a stir for parents in california.

kuren redmond joins us to explain what this could mean. >> the new booster seat law in california became effective yesterday. children under 8 must be in a car or booster seat. the booster seat laws joins 30 other states with similar laws. safety experts say children who don't ride are at greater risk for spinal damage if they are not properly restrained. regular seat belts come across the neck and under the abdomen for 8 years old. it's going to go in to the organs. see how it goes across her neck, she is going to be uncomfortable. this is dangerous. >> if my child 7 and i knew the car seat could have saved her life, i would have liked to

have that kind of force upon me. >> 1 million kids are impacted. the violaters could face $500 in fines. kuren redmond, abc2 news. what do you think about the seat law? give your thoughts by going to the official facebook fan page, join the conversation and leave us your thoughts. people are resolveing to get more sleep in 2012, saying it and doing it are different things. if you are hoping to slip in for sleep, you may make it a priority. it's helpful to develop a sleep routine. trying do things distracting daily activities like a warm bath or reading a book. put down all electronic devices half an hour before bedtime. do not look at the clock. >> the minute you look at the time, it's not just looking at one number, you think about how long it's been since you've been in bed, what you have to

do the next day. a long time has passed and that cuts in to your sleep time. >> writing a to-do list for the next day can help you put your mind at ease before calling it a night. a study links silent strokes to memory loss in the elderly. it has no warnings or symptoms. columbia university researchers did brain scans on 700 people older than 65 and results show those who suffered a sigh lents stroke had small spots of dead brain cells and scored worse on memory tests. twin girls have unusual distinction, one was born in 2011, the other the first baby born in 2012. the kids weren't due until january 26th. >> i figured they would be 2011 or both be 2012.

worst wave of arson in los angeles in 20 years. a person wearing all black walking out minutes before the fire erupted. the witnesses has been seen by other people in other locations. >> the primary motive may not be killing people, it maybe attention. >> the fires are 39, this is from friday morning in to saturday night. no one has sustained serious injury. anonymous, the international hacker group has done it again, hacked in to a state law enforcement site, something they've done around

the country. the hackers posted the names, addresses and credit card numbers of cops and investigators. they claim responsible for the hacking because california police have a notorious history of brutality and been in oh hit list for sometime now end quote. see if a shooting in washington house party could be linked to the shooting of a mountain park ranger. four people were shot at a party and the suspect was at a party earlier and asked to leave because of a dispute. the suspect returned later and started shooting. police are investigating the same suspect shot by the park ranger. the suspect is benjamin bars, an iraq war veteran. there were weapons and body armor inside. motorists can expect to see delays as a result of the 123rd rose parade. the closures continue through the morning. the parade will begin in pasadena at 8:00 this morning.

most of the local roads will be open around noon. however, a select few is going to be closed through 4:00 this afternoon. check this out, new years resolution involving exercise, a unusual way to get some. justin thbs is for skiers hit t they bare feet. raising money for the carolina show, ski team. have you water skied? >> yes. >> you like it? >> yes. >> barefoot water skiing, this is painful. >> my son's friend rides his bicycle like that, i have a hard time with that. good morning to you. this is snow showers, i'm seeing snow showers, temperatures are hovering in the upper 30 to 40-degree

range, colder clouds. glenn arm, hunt valley, cockeysville, stretching back through forest hill, fallstop, fallston, flurries. this is part of the look as we check out the most powerful doppler radar. the winter mode here, a little band of flurries and snow showers, a lot more back in to the mountains. they run the course in the mountains and dry out as the air carries south and east. we talk about snow showers in the environment, western howard, carol, northern baltimore, harford, southern pa, once you get east of 95, that stuff has a hard time hitting you. we are going to talk about snow showers. doesn't guarantee you will get them. 40 baltimore. 33 buffalo. that's because the wind coming off of the lake and wrapping around the large area of low pressure. this made a returns a we follow the upper level wind patterns and the 6-12 inches of snow

that will fall on gary, great news for the skiers, we get the effect of the clouds, occasional snow showers. we will have that through tonight and tomorrow. follow the upper level winds there, we are in the streamer bands. there could be snow showers that carry through tomorrow and drying out a little bit on wednesday. today's 2-degree guaranteed high. we could get back there. looking for falling temperatures in the afternoon. winds gusting to 35 miles per hour. west and north of baltimore, the better chance of flurries and snow showers. more as we drop in to the 20s overnight. 4:53 on this first day, monday, of the new year. back to charlie. leaders in the korean peninsula not entering a new turning point. north korea welcomes their new leader. the streets of paris, they are going to become greener. the latest automobile to hit the roads when we return on this monday, january 2nd, the

first weekday, 2012, you are watching good morning maryland. live look at 895, go to abc2news.com and click on the traffic tab, more than 100 back at your disposal, back in a bit.

the president of south korea is cooperating with north korea. the most important goal is peace and stability for the korean peninsula. he called -- window of opportunity. the country offered economic aid to the north. syria, the head of the advisory board to the arab league called for withdrawal. the mission has allowed officials to continue a brew

tacrackdown on protesters. 10 people were killed sunday. a meeting requested by the arab league foreign ministers to address tissue. egypt's -- the issue. in egypt, the voting is scheduled to start in late january. balloting held in january and again in february. the goal is to have winners seated by february 28th. generals ruled egypt since the fall of the former leader mubarak. electric car project underway in paris, undertaking for the french battery maker. the system permits anyone with a driver's license and a credit card to check out a four passenger car at one location and return it some miles down the road. also do this in time by using a buy a package for extended use. the company would like too sell

the cars eventually to the general public. the baltimore ravens secure a big win making them the number two seed in the afc playoffs. i'm sherrie johnson. that story is straight ahead. i'm kuren redmond, a new law takes effect that impacts millions of children who will máwin booster seats. ooster a law for same sex couples living in one maryland county. the benefits you and your partner can share. details coming up. welcome to 2012 i'm charley crowson. let's heads to meteorologist, justin berk, a little hoarse this morning. >> rice was powered with the interception. do we have two world class tight ends right now? that was phenomenal play yesterday. good stuff with the ravens this morning winter back in place, 37 bel air, joppa 38.

it is colder north and west. back to freezing or below. when we check out our radar and highlights the clouds, a few snow bands and flurries trying to work in to forest hill and maybe hickory and the north side, a few flakes back there, typically once these cross the mountains we get support in the environment with the cold air and fast upper level winds. once you cross 95, the chance of flurries diminishes arundel, bay bridge to the eastern shore. when we talk about the flakes, better chance north and west. there is our source. wind flow is carrying west, southwest to northeast, really slamming buffalo and the cleveland suburbs. upper level winds carry the snow showers. this is pretty much a guarantee for half of the viewing area, west and north of baltimore. smaller chance south and