we saw a mix overnet weather and more could be headed our way. what state highway first of alls are now can go receive -- officials are now asking of you before hitting the roads. the edge of the fiscal cliff is any day. will the two sides come up with a deal? and swept gaming, you can -- internet gaming, you can now take your chances e day at maryland's newest casino. it is december 27th. "good morning maryland," i'm charlie crowson. >> and i'm megan pringle. you thought that looks pretty and then thought maybe not.

here's meteorologist mike masco. >> it's chilly look at the temperatures mostly into the 30s a lot of locations. you go outside the beltway and it's coming close to freezing in reisterstown and belair road to the north maybe a little ice on the roads this morning. so just be careful of that. winds have been gusty out of the northerly direction between 10 and 20. just know a pretty chilly raw feel out there. some showers working over cecil county rogue now heading upth delaware line. winds become really gusty today. 40-mile-per-hour and for that reason a high wind advisory has been posted and yes a weekend storm potential certainly growing. we're going to detail that and show you the seven day coming up in a little bit. let's get a check now of the abc2 timesaver traffic with lauren cook. so take it slow this morning. be extra careful as you head out. no delays though traveling through the fort mchenry tunnel or the harbor tunnel. if you are using 695 this

morning no problems to report whatsoever on the west side. here in parkville at harford road, everything up to speed. no problems getting up to towson. as we check in and take a look in hunt valley. 83 also free of delays from shawan road down to 695. that's a look at your abc2 timesaver traffic. megan and charlie, over to you. the state highway administration is now asking those of you looking to hit the roads a bit early today maybe wait a bit longer. >> they want to be able to properly treat the roads so you aren't slipping and sliding on the way to work or wherever you have to go today. this is the perfect temperature to treat with salt because when it gets colder different chemicals have to be used. they can determine how to take care of the roads thanks to special technology they have. >> on the interstates we have sensors that are burr -- embedded into the pavement that tell us not only the surface temperature but also the is a lynnty percentage. we see an area where it's wet, it tells you if it's wet or

try. if it's getting mixed in with the water and diluted a little bit but the pavement temperatures are falling we can dispatch crews out there for another patch of salt. >> be sure to charge your cell phone and keep a flashlight, shovel or kitty litter or salt in case you get stuck. the mix made a mess ofairports across the u.s. including bwu. already we're seeing some cancellations for the flights today in the early morning. always a good idea to call ahead for the airline to make sure everything is still running on time. and we aren't the only ones who are experiencing the first taste of winter. the pittsburgh region saw the first major snowfall of the season. freezing rain mixing in with snow of course making messy conditions on the roads. causing a few travel headaches. a winter storm warning in that area remains in effect until 6:00 this morning. pittsburgh is expected to see anywhere from 4 to 8 inches of

snow. and north of new york city look at this. snow and sleet brought traffic to a standstill in west chester county. hundreds of salt trucks fanned out to keep up with the fast falling snow on the other ends of knock state. buffalo -- new york state. buffalo could get up to 16 inches of snow today. skiers and snowboarders are certainly enjoying what mother nature brought them. you can get all the latest with severe weather alerts cement right to the smart phone or the tablet. we have apps for iphones and app androids. former president george h.w. bush remains in intensive care at a hospital in houston this morning. the spokesman for bush says that he was admitted to the icu following a series of setbacks for his persistent fever. he is said to be alert and talking with staff and doctors are cautiously optimistic about

the treatment. the 88-year-old has been in the hospital for more than a month and initially he was treated for bronchitis and a cough. president obama has cut short his vacation to return to washington where he is going to try to hammer out a deal with republicans to avoid sending the economy over the fiscal cliff. charlie's at the live desk right now this morning with more on the battle ahead for both sides of the debate. charlie the 11th hour. >> the future, the immediate future of our taxes hang in the balance. the president and house republicans are now set to square off once more to cut a deal. with just five days remaining before the tax hikes and departmental cuts take effect. before christmas house republicans failed to pass the alternate plan instead placing the responsibility on president obama and senate democrats' shoulder. according to the "washington post" gop leaders vowed to go into session to vote on anything the democratic controlled senate approved. however speaker john boehner demanded the senate first take a look at the bill the house

moved through a month ago that preserved the expiring tax cuts for the wealthy as well as the middle class. that's not likely given the president's position on raising taxes for those making more than $250,000 a year. >> i want us to not go over the cliff because i think if we do it hurts our economy and it hurts our country. >> middle class people should know their taxes go up a average of $2,000 a year and also start making meaningful reform on the debt. >> the president and speaker boehner have not spoken since yesterday but shortly after the final talk the president urged congress to pass at least a scaled down measure to avoid going over the fiscal cliff. now unless both sides can agree on anything close to $1 trillion in spending cuts and tax increases will go into effect beginning new year's day. from there megan some are projecting the country compound find itself in -- could find itself in another recession. even starbucks is getting into the fight over the fiscal cliff. the coffee company's ceo wants the workers in the d.c. area stores to write come together

on the coffee cups they serve today and tomorrow. he says it's the company's way of respectfully telling politicians they need to find common ground. >> the people would get in the room and leave their ego behind, and not be so skewed to the party but be so sensitive to the lens of the american people we will have an agreement. >> this is just a suggestion from the ceo. he says that baristas won't be forced to write anything but a customer's name on the cup. charlie with your nonfat triple skim extra hot latte -- you might have a little political message. >> they write megan on that coup. i ordered just coffee yesterday. >> it's high maintenance man. from the fiscal cliff to the meteorological cliff. what are we looking at? >> another storm okay? here's what's going on. 41 in town. we're 30s outlying areas out to the north and west it's coming

close to the freezing mark. just know maybe some of the roadways, the overpasses they could freeze up during the course of the morning. one shower moving into the northeast right along 95 and it will be into elkton during the course of the morning. there's a wind advisory for the entire state again winds could gust to around 40 miles per hour during the course of the day. it's 39 degrees but you know real feel temperatures feel like the middle 30s for most of the day. and here comes this wintery weather for saturday morning. saturday morning into saturday afternoon. 36 degrees moving out by sunday at 38. but pretty chilly seven day forecast overall. we're going to talk more about this saturday system. there are two tracks scenarios and we'll talk about that coming up in just a little bit. lauren you'll be rooting for the snowy trek in that solution right? of course. >> of course no we're going to send it to charlie. go ahead. do your thing.

the baltimore ravens will be well represented for the pro bowl coming up in hawaii. the team is the nfl's version of the all-star game. they have been announced and there's one regular season game left. the ravens are sending six players, rice, yanda, leach, ngata, reed and somewhere key by jones. only three other teams they have more players going to the pro bowl than the ravens. but with those three teams mentioned, you can hardly see why. all right, we have some news later on in the show about ray lewis and stay tuned for that. >> all right, still ahead this morning a story about paying it forward not once but twice. >> a woman spent her lottery winnings on total strangers. this is a great story. we're going to show you how one group touched by the woman's generosity decided to turn around and help her. >> well, icy conditions are possible across the region but everything is up to speed here on 95 at mountain road. i'll relate you know what

traffic look -- let you know what traffic looks like on 83 and 695 coming up on "good morning maryland."

just a few hours left this morning until the parking lot outside maryland live casino and arundel mills begins to fill up. after 8:00 you may never see the lot empty again because the casino will now be open 24 hours a day. abc2 news linda so is live at that casino this morning. and linda, you're getting a bet of a jump on everyone. you're a few hours ahead of schedule. >> reporter: i am. i want to show you that this place is never going to look like this again. starting at 8:00 this morning they are going to unlock those doors and they will stay open forever. starting today, they will stay open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week every day of the year. that means you can come at any time of thedy or night to -- day or flight to play one of -- night to play one of the 4700 slot machines and another big change coming very soon, table games will be introduced some time in the spring here at the casino. that of course approved by voters in the referendum in the november election.

maryland live will be bringing in 150 table games like poker, blackjack and roulette. this will be the only casino in the state to open 24 hours a day. so again, that's happening at 8:00 this morning. the general manager here at the casino will be joining us in the 6:00 hour just to give you some perspective. we came through the main doors here which are right behind us. this all of these games will actually be moved and this is where the table games will be going. the prime rib restaurant is right to my left and right over there, they'll be moving out all of the machines in the spring and that is where the blackjack games will go. so starting today, at 8:00 this morning, they will open up their doors and they'll stay open 24 hours a day. 7 days a week, 365 days a year. of course we'll be here for that grand opening coming up and of course in the 6:00 hour again the general manager will be joining us to tell us more about this new chapter at maryland live casino. we're live in arundel mills, linda so, abc2 news. in the news around the

nation this morning more than 260,000 people want a church known for its pickets at soldiers' funerals to be labeled a hate group. the petition is on the white house website and it's asking the administration to recognize the westboro baptist church as a hate group. it reads that the group targets gays, the military and other religions. things don't look good for a new york city while found on a beach. it's the second largest species of whale is alive and appears to be injured. police have been playing water on -- spraying water on it so it can breathe. they don't expect it to survive much longer. they may have to euthanize it in what would be called a humane death. this is the second largest species of whale on the new york city beach. here's a story about paying it forward twice. an iowa woman won $30,000 last year in the lottery a week

before christmas. michelle bristol spent a gad chunk of the money helping other people. she helped pay off several layaway accounts and paid for gifts for three families in need. well, her good deeds touched a dental care company. they decided to give bristol a beautiful smile at no charge. >> she gave away so much money and you just don't see that very often. it's very inspiring and it really made all of us want to do whatever we could to give her something very special and kind of pay it for ward. >> her husband encouraged her go ahead get the dental work done for herself and she's very grateful to the staff for the new smile. think about the families she touched and now a good deed for her. >> especially arnold the holiday season. what i'd like to see is the other 11 months of the year. these are the stories the people rebel throughout the day. we'd like a see a story too about good weather and clean roads. >> i slid a few times driving home and fortunately it's clearing up a lot but it's

still a little slippery out. >> i apologize. rain helps out when we have nay snow covering out there. the rain break after noon. that helps though? >> it does but this morning we were watching temperatures go to around the freezing mark north of the beltway. the over and underpasses usually freeze pretty quickly. >> if jfx is scary. >> that can be a scary ride on a sunny day. the bel air, just a raw feel across town. it's 37 at bwi and low cloud out there and that's producing that raw feel. and that westerly wind at just about 15. it's 41 in the city. 37 in joppa. to the north and west though eldersburg at 34. notice again 33 in manchester. so these temperatures coming pretty close to the freezing mark. it's a high wind advisory today. that's because the winds could again gust to around 40, maybe 50 miles an hour during your day today. so just be aware of that. hour by hour forecast shows the spotty shower this morning. otherwise we'll be into the 30s for most of the afternoon.

37 degrees real feel number closer to freezing mark today. and we will struggle to get to around 40 with a mainly cloudy sky during the course of your day. take a look at maryland's most powerful radar. here's the powerful storm from yesterday. back to the west just a few clouds and that's friday's forecast. and here we go. another system developing out over the rockies and that will be the storm to watch as we go into the weekend. we do know it will be an area of low pressure coming off the coast. is question is how close to the coast? again if it's on top of us this could be a heavy snow event. maybe mixing south and east with heavy snow. further to the south that would be a lighter event. so it's 39 today with gusty winds. a nice day tomorrow. blend of sunshine and clouds and 40. and here comes the mess saturday going into sunday. temperatures in the 30s and pretty chilly lauren cook over the next seven days. let's get a check on traffic. how are the roads? >> as you mentioned 83 was a wreck yesterday but right now

free of delays. you want to be extra careful this morning. the bridges and overpasses can get pretty icy in these conditions. but right now 695 is clear as we check and take a live look here in pikesville at green spring avenue. normal 11 minute ride right now on the outer loop from 795 down to 95. and here's what 95 looks like just north of 195. no problems getting down to d.c. this morning. and you're looking at a 12 minute ride from elkridge all the way into downtown baltimore. that's a look at your abc2 timesaver traffic. megan and charlie, over to you. five things to know this morning as you head out the door. more than $1 million in federal aid has been set to somerset county for the victims of superstorm sandy. fema has received more than 600 applications for assistance since december 14th. nelson mandela is out of the hospital. he was being treated for a lung infection and also had surgery to remove gallstones. he'll continue treatment at home. he has received round the clock

care since an acute respiratory infection hit him last year. we're going to know today how the new residential sales are going across the country. this came a day after the latest figures. that's the biggest percentage gain in more than two years. here's that news megan was talking about earlier this morning. ray lewis is a officially back on the active roster for the baltimore ravens. that doesn't mean he's going to be on the field against the bengals come sunday. the move is really a procedural one and it makes lewis eligible to play in the postseason when the ravens will be hosting the game. the crystal ball in times square is going to be installed today for the new year's eve celebrations. you're looking at video of the 7'0" number 13. it arrived in new york earlier this month and will be added to the crystal ball. all right, did you find anything under the christmas tree that maybe you didn't like? >> if so you probably will make a trip back to the store to return that gift or you could just regift it.

. and mike masco. but there are some pitfalls you need to be aware of before you head to the mall. >> and wedding bells will be ringing on new year's eve in places like maine and maryland. what they're going to gain from the same sex marriage laws that will be in the books come the new year.

thank you for joining us on this thursday morning. you may have received something this christmas that may be wasn't your style. maybe it didn't fit right or it could have been just plain bad. before you hit the mall and return it. listen to this. karin caifa explains some gift return pitfalls. >> reporter: returning a gift seems like it should be a simple task. but with some items there can be some strings attached especially among some of the most popular gifts of the season. >> electronics are really tricky because there are restocking fees associated with electron i thinks, they're popular gifts this time of year. many retailers will charge you a little portion of the purchase price. 15%, 20% whether you've opened it or not. >> reporter: "consumer reports"

recommends reviewing a retailer's return policy before heading to the mall and keeping the following in mind. gift receipts will make your transaction much easier. and some stores won't accept returns without one. not all purchases made online can be returned at a brick and mortar store. some gift cards can't be returned or won't amount to a cash refund. and if items were bought at a store's outlet they may not be returnable. if an item comes with a free or bonus gift that usually has to be returned too. >> you might not be able to return the something you paid for without the freebie you didn't pay for. so if you got a package deal, bring everything back to the store just to be safe. >> reporter: i'm karin caifa, abc2 news. good to know because there's nothing worse than going to return something and then -- >> yeah. were you over there taking notes? you have questions yesterday about what protocol was to regifting. >> i got a piece of art and i just -- i don't know what to do with it. >> dogs playing poker?

>> you don't like it? >> it's terrible. but look i mean it was a good intention. we just have to -- maybe i'll give it to cook. >> there's a road somewhere paved with good intentions. just slide et under the couch. get -- friend comes over pull it out. >> done deal. i like that. good plan. >> or you just wait because tastes change. so you may like it later. >> all right let's do weather huh? let's move it along. temperatures into the 30s. most spots are low 30s to the north and west just know maybe a little freezing. reisterstown down to 33. look at manchester 31 degrees. it's a wind advisory this afternoon that's because winds could be around 40 miles per hour maybe 50 out to the west over the high hills and ridge tops. with cool temperatures those real feel windchills will be into the 20s. in fact right now 27 to 29 in the city. so here's the storm system from yesterday afternoon. pushing up towards the north. let's go out towards the rockies another area of low pressure in here and that's going to slide into the gulf of mexico and that will deliver us

more wintery weather going into the weekend. we'll talk about that coming up a little bit. 36 through the course of the morning. uniform temperatures to around 40 today. with cloudy skies and gusty winds we're going to talk more about the weather coming up in just a little bit. now let's talk traffic and maybe restrictions on the bay bridge. the winds will be around 40 today. yes, take it slow definitely. if you are traveling on 97, you won't have any traffic to deal with whatsoever. it will be an easy ride heading down the route 50 or traveling up to the beltway. do expect some icy conditions though across the region. all the more reason to take it slow this morning. and as we check in and take a live look downtown, here at 95 at 395, traffic moving right along. no problems getting through the fort mchenry tunnel and as we check in and take a look at the abc2 timesaver traffic drive times, 695 going to be in great shape on the east side right now. you are looking at an 11 minute ride on the outer loop from 95 up to 83. and it's going to take you 11 minutes as well over on the west side to travel the outer

loop from 795 down to 95. megan and charlie, over to you. well, christmas has come and gone. now time to focus on new year's eve. and watching the rose parade. >> it's always so much fun. float decorations are already hard at work and now, they have volunteers who are helping out. the floats are known for their creative bright and elaborate designs. for those who work on them there's special meaning behind each of them. for example the donate life float. bernadette donated her son's organs. he is one of 72 people being recognized at the parade. >> so amazing and so honored that he is going to be representing what the gift of life really is. >> you can watch the parade live right here on abc2 on new year's day and it starts at 11:00 in the morning. he wants a wife but we doesn't want to use an -- he doesn't want to use the online dating site. >> coming up on "good morning maryland" at 5:00 the story of the 82-year-old man who is using a very simple approach to find the woman of his dreams.

>> three people land themselves on the naughty list for christmas. why these items they stole have police now so concerned. those stories when "good morning maryland" at 5:00 comes up in just a bit.

this state that passed same sex marriage laws back in november including here in maryland are now anticipating those weddings are going to give a big boost no their economy. >> business owners in me he are certainly hoping for that. from -- maine are certainly hoping for that. many are already booking same sex weddings. they will generate an additional $60 million for maine over the next three years. and create about 1,000 new jobs for that state. now the numbers are roughly the same for here in maryland. same sex marriage there are also new trends for kids in fitness has them now stretching. balancing and they're calling it the nasty? >> it's not namaste. >> it's a yo