jennifer franciotti, wbal-tv 11 news. >> thank you. fallen police officer will be memorialized by having a city block named after him this morning. a road will be renamed william h. torbit way. he was shot and killed by friendly fire while responding to reports of a fight outside the select lounge. other officers did not realize he was a fellow officer. is where his family lives -- straight bearing his name is where his family lives. there was damage done to it frostburg neighborhood. a teenager still holiday decorations and threw rocks. they have been released on their own recognizance after being arrested this week. all eyes on nevada this week. they will hold their gop caucus tomorrow. >> will mitt romney move on? lamar has more. -- kate amara has more. >> mitt romney is heavily favored in nevada. as nevada prepares for saturday's caucuses, the gop candidates campaigned across the state, and donald trump arrived on the trail. the real-estate mogul endorsed mitt romney for president. >> mitt is tough, he's smart, he's sharp. he's not

much more ahead. >> i'm jennifer franciotti. why you may be asked to sign the petition at the pump. >> in new license plate that would aid wounded warriors is would aid wounded warriors is running into a let me get that door for you... [ man ] i loved my first car... sometimes the door gets stuck... oh sure. ooh! [ man ] ...and then, i didn't. um... [ sighs ] [ man ] so, i got a car i can love a really, really long time. [ male announcer ] for the road ahead, the all-new subaru impreza®. ♪ experience love that lasts. >> live, local, late-breaking, this is wbal-tv 11 news today. >> good morning, everybody. welcome back to 11 news today. i'm stan stovall. >> and i'm mindy basara. thank you for joining us this morning. there's some rain heading our way? >> so far things have been ok. the further we go into the morning, the better the chance the rain will catch up to you. take an umbrella. a relatively chilly day compared to the weather we have had. the rate will stick with us through tonight. we will come back and check the seven-d

jennifer franciotti, wbal-tv 11 news. >> thank you. that brings us to our water cooler question of the day. do you think over-the-counter emergency contraception should be made available through a vending machine? you can share your response at wbaltv.com and on our facebook page, or send us an e-mail to watercooler@wbaltv.com. >> stephanie rawlings-blake is standing behind the use of the city skybox at m&t bank stadium after a request forced the release of a guest list. many of her family and friends and supporters of frequently in attendance. when asked if she thought this was a proper use for the tickets, the mayor defended her decision. >> do you think it is proper for the campaign officials to use the box? >> as long as they are city residents, there are no governing rules. >> is it right for this box to use by your campaign officials? >> there is no ethical violation. >> jack young had his tickets to the box revoked following a public dispute over next year's grand prix race. the mayor use the tickets to benefit charities, steppe

jennifer franciotti is live in the location and it does not look like it will be a quick fix. >> this is a frustrating situation. this was not b.g.e.'s issue. it became -- >> we lost jennifer. maryland is one step closer to legalizing same-sex marriage. the act was voted to send the bill for a vote. the governor acknowledged he still needs a few more delegates in order to pass this. david collins will let us know what the senate addresses that issue. >> you thought gas prices were bad. they could get worse if the governor has his way. a 2% increase a year. there is a braking mechanism that could stall the price. the governor acknowledges it will be a tough sell. revenue would go towards funding transportation projects. the governor advocated increasing fees on the so-called flush tax to upgrade the wastewater treatment plants. the governor's busy day was capped off with a push for wind power. he pushed for the bill he introduced. the bill has safeguards double in sure the average customer will not see a bill increase of more than $2 a month. >> an elderly driver died in a car crash. s

jennifer franciotti has more on the story. >> the house attached an amendment to the same-sex bill so that if passed it will not take effect until january of 2013. it gives those who want to petition the issue to referendum more time. republican delegate wade kach made several moves to avoid answering questions about his surprise decision to support the same-sex marriage bill. according to an e-mail, baltimore county democratic delegate john olszewski now intends to vote for the same- sex marriage bill not long after saying he was still on the fence about the issue. the battle over same-sex marriage spilled into the hallways of the house building. a platoon of clergy who are opposed to the bill lobbied hard for its defeat. >> they just wanted to come up today to share with some of the delegates their stand on traditional marriage. >> further complicating this vote is the fact that bill supporter veronica turner is in the hospital for emergency surgery. reporting live, jennifer franciotti, wbal-tv 11 news. >> the joint ethics committee has come down hard on ulysses currie for his failu

reporting live, jennifer franciotti. >> thank you. a police officer is suspended after allegedly attacking a suspect during an arrest. the incident happened during a traffic stop in west baltimore in 2010. he was given probation on charges of second-degree assault. he will remain suspended pending an investigation. >> a jury returns for a second day of deliberations. prosecutors claim lee stephens and another inmate stabbed to death an officer. stevens faces the death penalty if convicted. four officers in hagerstown are recovering from injuries they suffered while trying to hold down an inmate. the inmate attacked one of the officers. the officers became exposed to pepper spray portrait of a local clinic. >> a baltimore man is it medical pioneer. he had to travel to another country. lisa robinson has more. he just returned from the trip of his life to save a life. >> he was diagnosed with a rare cancer that was inoperable. he was forced to leave the country and go to europe. >> you should not have to travel that far to get a surgery

i'm jennifer franciotti.ory next. >> and we see warmer weather in >> and we see warmer weather in the sev hi thwhoaa! chase freedom is offering 5% cash back at gas stations this quarter. that's great! i know, right? just learned how to drive this yesterday. one second i'll be back around... here's that 5% cash back you earned. wow, thanks! courtesy of chase freedom. oh boy! earn 5% cash back at gas stations this quarter. activate your 5% cash back at chase.com/freedom. >> good morning. we'll start you off with a live view from h.d. doppler. it looks like it could have been our first big storm of the season. it is mostly going to miss the area. here's the storm on doppler. you can see the rain-snow mix pushing through west virginia. most of charleston right now. other than that, it is sprinkles throughout virginia. we had a batch move through north carolina overnight. a couple sprinkles may start to break out across st. mary's county along the eastern shore as well. other than that, that's all we're talking ab

jennifer franciotti, wbal-tv 11 news. >> thank you. the governor released a statement saying -- "i would like to thank senator miller for is leadership. all jordan deserve the opportunity to live in a loving and stable home protected equally under the law." archbishop cardinal edwin o'brien released a statement which read -- "today's vote is no less troubling. it places maryland one step closer to dispelling society." keep track of breaking news by subscribing to our alerts. you can see an interactive timeline of the progress of same-sex marriage from 2004 in massachusetts to thursday's vote in annapolis. it is all at wbaltv.com and click on marriage. >> one person has died after being struck by a train. it is not clear what the person was doing on the tracks. the body has not been identified. the fbi is investigating a robbery and shooting at a royal forms in hamilton. police hope somebody will recognize the suspects. a reward is being offered for information in that case. a parkville man might be back in action. police say derek prop

jennifer franciotti has a look at the repair efforts. >> good morning. crews were ready to pump the water at 11:00 p.m. last night. they could not because there was gunfire in the area. there were not able to get back in until 1:30 this morning. this is rachel from b.g.e. >> we have pond over 3,000 gallons of water since 1:00 this morning and we're still making progress. >> how will you be able to tell when the water is out? >> we're monitoring the pressure. once we think we got most of the water and debris out, we send cameras down into the pipe. >> the goal is to start realizing the pilot lights today. >> that is correct. then we can begin to introduce the flow back into the gas main. then it will go to each house and to relate their appliances. -- to relight. >> we have multiple crews on the streets going door-to-door. we have brought in crews from pennsylvania that are teaming up with our b.g.e. crews. >> this began with a dpw situation. >> there was a water main leak. a piece of asphalt fell onto our gas main and struck our gas main and that is how

reporting live, jennifer franciotti, wbal-tv 11 news. >> thank you. an ethics panel recommended ulysses currie be censured and apologize. he should issue the apology and banned from any leadership position under those guidelines. he could only be a member of the standing committee. the governor's office is responding to the injustice suffered by interracial couple back in the 1950's. the couple describe to how they endured despite a lot to keep them apart. the governor is writing a letter to the couple and said what happened is an example of many injustices that happened in maryland. >> i feel relief. >> they say they look forward to receiving the governor's letter . >> the murder trial of george huguely is expected to resume today followed a brief delay. he's accused of killing his ex- girlfriend yeardley love. jurors were dismissed after his attorney called out sec and put the trial a day behind schedule. you can follow along at wbaltv.com to see all of the reports up to this point. >> catholics are invited to paint the town red to celebrate the ele

jennifer franciotti, wbal-tv 11 news. >> thank you. that brings us to our water cooler question of the day. do you think the contraceptive it should be made available through a vending machine? you can share your response at wbaltv.com and on our facebook page, or send us an e-mail to watercooler@wbaltv.com. 28 degrees on tv hill. a possible change in bail status for gerry sandusky. this is the beltway at old court road. no snow in our area just yet. sarah is straight ahead in traffic he >> welcome back. at 38 degrees downtown. we're off to a quiet start. that will change tonight. we don't expect any precipitation for the morning. 26 in parkton and in taneytown. 29 degrees in mount airy. will make it up to 47 or 48 this afternoon. we do expect some rain and snow as we head into the beginning of the weekend. we'll give you the details on just how much. >> a child is crushed by a large piece of draft wwood. a log struck the toddler. there were walking when the log rolled about four feet before hit the child. >> that was terrible. a human

jennifer franciotti is live with a close look. good morning. >> residents and council members had a chance to hear from experts and ask questions. nationwide, new home sales hit a record low. property values on most homes dropped by nearly 20%. >> some believe the assessment is uneven, translates to unfair. >> carl stokes has heard from dozens of residents who are concerned about their assessment. >> they say their property is valued at too high compared to the property next door to them. >> representatives explained how they can up with the numbers. >> so the assessor determines these values based on the sales that occurred, especially the residence properties on sales that occur from january to about september 30. >> the appeals process includes the three steps. first there is a hearing where residents can present evidence. this must be done within 45 days of receiving an assessment. they can appeal to the property tax appeal board within 30 days. residents have 30 days to appeal to an independent body appointed by the governor.

. >> jennifer franciotti is live that city police headquarters with the latest on the case. >> after 9:30, police got a call about an armed robbery and a shooting and a royal farms. in happened at the royal farms on harford road. a man had at least one gunshot wound to the upper body. >> what we know at least two robbers came into the store and robbed the store of money and cigarettes. at some point, the gun was turned on the victim and he was shot. >> then they fled the scene. when asked if the had a description of the suspects, they are described as being two black males. one was wearing a hoodie and one had a handgun possibly a revolver. police have several witnesses to the crime. anyone with information should please come forward. jennifer franciotti, wbal-tv 11 news. >> the jury will begin deliberating in the murder trial of george huguely. he is accused of killing yeardley love. the case went to the jury on saturday after a two weeks of testimony. lowell melser is awaiting the verdict will have live reports later today. we have an interactive timeline of events. you can sign up

jennifer franciotti is live in southwest baltimore. bring us up to date. >> the temperatures have not been dramatically cold. this was a good stretch of time to be able to do that. breakdown for us in terms of what the crews are doing to get things back up and running. >> with complete repairs to the gas mains yesterday. we have removed over 3,000 gallons of water and we're disposing that. once we're finished, we will send cameras and to make sure we got everything out and will introduce the flow back in and realigning customers -- relighting customers as early as this afternoon. we brought an extra crews from philadelphia and they're going door-to-door to restore service. >> a big concern was the bennett house with over 100 seniors. >> we brought in a temporary truck that has multiple tanks of natural gas and we got them back to service around noon yesterday. >> this was a situation you did not anticipate. there was an accident on tuesday that cause problems. >> they were working on a leak when a piece of asphalt cause the gas main to

jennifer franciotti, wbal-tv 11 news. >> thank you. prosecutors are expected to wrap up their case in the murder trial against george huguely. >> two medical experts took the stand yesterday. lowell melser has a preview of what jurors can expect today. >> as we enter the eighth day, six days worth of testimony, we're nearing the finish line for the commonwealth. the many clear they will be wrapping up their case sometime today. we ended with dna evidence last night. we will hear more of that dna evidence as the commonwealth wraps up its case and the defense takes over. it is not clear how many witnesses the defense will call. the judge is willing to go into saturday if need be and into next week. we'll keep an eye on things and have an update at 5:00 and 6:00 p.m. lowell melser, wbal-tv 11 news. >> that trial is raising concern about campus relationships. some say the pattern of violence between huguely and love is too often ignored by family. >> alcohol is the best in her brother of your value system -- the best in her bitter -- inhib

jennifer franciotti reporting live. now back to you. >> now traffic pulse 11 and insta-weather plus together. >> good morning. sarah caldwell checking on your morning commute. right now we are tracking one accident of note but that is just a fender bender and not having a major impact on traffic. 32 miles per hour on southbound 95. starting to see those normal delays out of the white marsh area. moving pretty well over towards the west side. that is when you start to slow down, 27 miles per hour. those delays continue down towards edmondson. this is the area of the j.f.x. and ruxton road. southbound traffic running smoothly until you get to northern parkway and you begin to tap the brakes. this is a live picture from captain roy. you can see the accident on 895. just a bit of a delay as you travel southbound on eastern avenue. 95 looks pretty good in contrast. take that to avoid this. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. now we get the latest from ava marie who was moonlighting this week and we are enjoying your seri

jennifer franciotti has the latest. good morning. >> good morning. police are asking anyone with information to please come forward. they say just after 9:30 last night, police received a call for a shooting and robbery at a royal farms in the 5200 block of harford road. they found a 46-year-old man with at least one gunshot wound to the upper body. two suspects entered the store with a handgun, robbed the store of money and cigarettes, and then at some point, turned the gun on the victim. >> the two suspects then ran out of the store and up the street back behind us. detectives are investigating this matter. we're hoping that somebody outside of the store may have saw something, may have known one of the suspects. if you know somebody, you know somebody. and if they do, please give us a call. >> no word on the condition of the victim. police credit one of the witnesses for talking with the victim until medics arrived. jennifer franciotti, wbal-tv 11 news. >> the debate and same-sex marriage could begin today on the floor of the state senate. house v

jennifer franciotti has his efforts. good morning. >> it is not just him. hundreds of gas station owners are circulating a petition. such a move of increasing the gas tax would create thousands of jobs and make improvements to roads and transit possible. not everybody agrees. he is out of howard county and has been asking for folks to sign a petition. he has told hundred signatures so far and another 1000 at a station in towson. he said the increase would hurt his business and his customers. >> they portray this as a jobs bill, that this will increase jobs in the state where the people that will need jobs are the people that are driving their cars because they have to pay all these extra fees and taxes. >> hundreds of gas station owners are circulating similar petitions. they have over 20,000 signatures. what they plan to do with those signatures coming up at 5:30. jennifer franciotti, wbal-tv 11 news. >> too much of a hassle -- that is the reason for not wanting to make new veterans license plates. should design the plate which says "maryland supports vete

. >> jennifer franciotti is live this morning. >> this is a wild story. this happened around 12:30 this morning. the trooper was driving along southbound 152 in harford county in an unmarked trooper vehicle when somebody was driving too closely behind him. the trooper moved over. he was going to pull him over for a traffic violation when the guy took off. the trooper pursued this person. they change directions on route 152. that is when the cruiser was rammed. the trooper went into a split rail fence. the fence when through the windshield. the trooper was taken to shock trauma for treatment. the suspect took off. the suspect was spotted. another pursuit ensued. the suspect crashed his the vehicle on cinder rosinger road. the suspect is facing a variety of charges including dui. as for the trooper, we are told he was discharged from shock trauma. he will be ok. jennifer franciotti, wbal-tv 11 news. >> all eyes on nevada this morning. >> they will hold their gop presidential caucus tomorrow. kate amara is live with this report. >> good morning. mitt romney

jennifer franciotti is live with what we can expect. >> aides to the governor say he was still riding his address as of last night. he is expected to talk about higher taxes, specifically the gap tax which would phase in the state sales tax. it is a tax the governor is expected to say is necessary to pay for road and bridge topics. he will talk about that gas tax proposal. same sex marriage. offshore wind energy off the coast of ocean city. and a ban on new septic systems that would reduce pollution in the bay. the speech should begin at noon and will be following it. >> you can see the state of the state address right here on tv 11. the debate continues over the possibility of legalizing same sex marriages. both sides spoke out about this year's version of the bill. it puts tougher limits on punitive limits on religious -- >> we all want the same thing for our children, protected equally under the law. >> we are concerned about the impact of redefining marriage has on all society. >> stay on top of what is going on every day in annapolis with david collins. see his previous on our we

jennifer franciotti has more details. good morning. >> that senate voted to gain the same legal protections as other married couples. the senate took up the house version of the bill. it was amended and several delegates switch their positions. whether the bill takes effect may be up to voters. the law like to be petitioned to referendum in november. this could be the end of state sanctioned discrimination. >> delighted that this has passed. we feel like all of his god's children can now share in marriage. >> wonderful to celebrate the diversity of creation. this is a great day for maryland. >> the measure goes to governor o'malley for his signature. this could happen as early as next week. jennifer franciotti, wbal-tv 11 news. >> the governor martin o'malley released a statement saying -- "i would like to thank miller for his leadership and for the vote today for human dignity. all children deserve to live in a stable home protected equally under the law." cardinal edwin o'brien wasted no time in issuing his own statemen

jennifer franciotti is live with a preview. >> thank you. aides say the governor was still writing that address as of last night. in his speech, he is expected to talk about higher taxes, specifically the gas tax, which would phase in the state sales tax over the next three years. it is a tax the governor is expected to say is necessary to pay for road and bridge projects. other topics -- job creation. he will talk about that gas tax proposal. same-sex marriage, which is part of his legislative agenda. offshore wind energy off the coast of ocean city. and a ban on new septic systems that the governor believes would reduce pollution in the bay. the speech is expected to start today at noon and it should last for about 40 minutes. you can see live right here on wbal-tv. >> the governor was testifying in support of this same sex marriage bill before a standing- room-only crowd. >>>> we all want the same thing for our children -- the opportunity to live in loving, caring, committed, and stable homes, protected equally under the law. talking abou

jennifer franciotti has more on that story. >> a coalition of clergy urged lawmakers to repeal the death penalty. religious representatives gathered on lawyers mall and presented the assembly with a letter signed by more than 200 to endmamembers capital punishment in maryland. >> we can kill our way out of the culture of violence. when the state sponsors killing, and loses its moral voice to say that others do not kill. we can kill but you can kill. that is not the way of a peaceful, a just society. >> asking state house leaders to bring the issue for a vote this year. >> the maryland state senate took the side of debating the same-sex marriage bill at this morning. >> i think that we all know that any effort to amend the bill is essentially to kill the bill. it may look like a placebo but it is poison-pill. >> supporters believe the have the vote to stop the filibuster. the senate president doubts the outcome of the vote will be any different from last year. >> blackjack could soon be available in all maryland casinos. several gambling bills are being considered. mike miller wants slots

i'm jennifer franciotti. >> and i'm lisa robins

jennifer franciotti has that story. >> she is never upset.e never cries are complains. >> meaghan has a rare disorder. she is missing part of our genetic material. -- part of her genetic material. >> she is considered one of the most severe cases. >> she is one of 50 cases reported in the world. >> only a handful of cases are reported in the united states. they bring meaghan for weekly clarity -- weekly therapy for children with mental disabilities. many of them have a rare genetic disorder. >> soon we can sequence of your whole genome. >> february 29 has been designated rare disease day. there are 6000-8000 rare diseases in the world, like meaghan's. >> on the website it says one in 10 americans suffer from a rare disease. when you break it down to what the disease is, you can be only one in 52 million. there are not a lot of people to talk to. >> we held an annual 1 mile run, and meaghan starts off the run every year. >> dr. golston says steps in the right direction are being made every day in finding out what causes these rare diseases. >>

they need this stuff more than us. >> i feel happy to give to them. >> jennifer franciotti for wbal- news. >> what a great partnership. here is a look at what is coming up new at 6:00. >> what should the mayor look for any critical hire she must make? >> democrats propose a doomsday budget. what is that about? >> live, local, latebreaking -- this is wbal-tv 11 news at 6:00. [captioning made possible by constellation energy group] >> we begin with a weather alert. >> parts of maryland and the eastern shore are under a tornado watch. high wind is expected to batter other parts of the state. tom tasselmyer is tracking conditions. >> it is slowly improving. it is mainly for southern maryland as far as the severe weather threat is concerned. it is getting close to being completely offshore. some counties still have the chance for a thunderstorm. there is a cluster of storms heading back across the dorchester county. that is about the last of it. the weather service is in the process of dropping some of the tornado watch. the area is still in the yellow -- the areas in the yellow are still

i'm jennifer franciotti. the time is 7:26. our top story, in a century's old story, timothy o'brien is now cardinal o'brien. he was inducted into the college of cardinals. anchor rod daniels is the only news reporter acome anying him in the live delegation and he will bring us a live report from rome in our 11:00 hour. >> the house voted friday to give gay couples the right to marry. the measure now heads to the state senate where it easily cleared the 47-member body. the governor said he will sign the measure. >> state senator curry faces a diminished role. he was voted to be censured after an ethics panel determined he used his position for personal gain. he can no longer hold a leadership role in the senate. he publicly apologized. >> i will not stnd here and -- stand here and make excuses. i am a person with flaws, and i do have weaknesses. i never intended to do anything that would bring dishonor to you, my wife, or me. >> this is the first time in 14 years the senate issued sanctions to one of their own

i'm kevin -- kerry cavanaugh. >> and i'm jennifer franciotti.is the winter weather right now. nadia, where are you, and how does it look? >> we are in timonium on york road. right now the snow is not falling. we have a light accumulation, just under an inch. when you look across the street here, under the roads and pafmentse, you -- pavements, you can see the snow completely melts as it makes contact. many of the roads in our area have slight snow. we have no reports on problems with conditions. a live report coming up. >> thanks, nadia. looks like a light dusting out there. don't need a shovel. >> up next, our coverage of the wintery mix continues. >> as far as the weather is concerned, there is more snow in the forecast. cold and windy conditions. a shot of winter before we turn mild again. >> the governor says do your job. don't put the same sex marriage bill on the shoumed shoulders -- on the shoulders of voters. coming up. >> the pratt free library is he >> good morning. welcome to "11 news saturday morning." i'm jennifer franciotti. lisa h

i'm jennifer franciotti. the time now is 8:25. of our top stories this morning. a maryland state trooper is recovering this morning after he crashed his cruiser during a high-speed chase. it unfolded midnight on stockton road in harford county. senior trooper jon sawa was attempting to pull over 22-year-old john nussle. >> our trooper initiated a traffic stop. the suspect fled. >> fled and ran and rammed trooper sawa's patrol car. he was treated for minor injuries and released from shock trauma. nussle has been charged with first-degree assault. >> antomar jones arrested in connection with a double shooting. investigators say jones was sitting in a parked vehicle when he got into an argument with the victims. that's when he allegedly shot both of the men, killing 31-year-old cory alexander. >> jury selection is expected to begin monday in the case of george huguely accused of killing yeardley love in may of 2010. yesterday attorneys for george huguely called a special hearing for two additional motions in preparations for that tri

. >> i am jennifer franciotti. thank you for joining us this morning. >> it wasn't too bad

i'm jennifer franciotti. >> a reality show star and protesting the rule.ampaign roundup. >> sarah caldwell checking on your morning commute. we wil c [captioning made possible by constellation energy group] captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- >> live, local, late-breaking, this is wbal-tv 11 news today. >> good morning. i'm mindy basara. >> and i'm stan stovall. thank you for joining us this morning. morning. >>

i am jennifer franciotti. >> mitt romney on the defensive.e controversy follows the front runner out west. >> you sought ge [captioning made possible by constellation energy group] captioned by the naal

jennifer franciotti has the latest. >> the approval autopsy years of attempts by gay-rights advocates to get the same legal protections as other couples. >> how we go forward with references as applies to same- sex marriages. >> you don't change my religious beliefs. i am not changing them today. i believe that marriages between a man and a woman. >> same-sex marriage supporters rejoiced after final passage in the senate. >> house bill 438 has received a constitutional boats. [applause] >> the senate took up the house version of the bill which passed by the narrowest of margins after was amended. some delegates switched their position very the chambers to balcony's hong on every word that of a state senator would be thinking highly of myself if i thought i could vote on something that would change god's law. >> we are going to make history because we are going to take another step, another important step, toward embracing every family in the state of maryland. >> a bill signing ceremony with governor o'malley could happen as early as next week. new video from us, a person is struck de

i am jennifer franciotti. >> i am mindy basara. thank you for joining us this morning. you called the snow yesterday wheimpy. >> i was just kidding. >> they did not release schools early. >> it did not cause any problems for the roads. it is quiet this morning. we have some clouds left behind from the storm. 33 at the airport. we will have sunshine this afternoon with a high temperature around 45. today will turn out to be a nice day. the clouds will be hanging around. it will turn out to be a nice day. >> i went out to get a sled. you use it?se i >> you sat next to me yesterday. >> it is a little slick. temperatures are around the freezing mark. give yourself plenty of time. 64 on southbound 95 coming out of white marsh. 59 making your towards the harrisburg expressway. moving well on the west side. 66 on southbound 95. this is 70 at 29. east and westbound moving well. this is 83 coming down from parkton. southbound traffic looks pretty good. volume is building. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> some maryland lawmakers are pushing to change the way the state d

i'm jennifer franciotti. >> i am mindy basara. thank you for joining us this morning. >> we could have more fun on friday night and saturday morning. today will be nice and quiet. the clouds have cleared out. temperatures are below freezing in most areas. there could be some rephrasi freezing. we will check the seven-day forecast when i come back in just a few minutes. stay tuned. >> maine is the next leg in the republican presidential race. >> they are in the middle of a weeklong caucus. kate amara has more. >> mitt romney and ron paul both campaigned in maine back in 2008. maine is the next state to weigh in on the republican race for the white house. mitt romney and ron paul are the heavy favorites. romney is looking to snap back from his trio of losses on tuesday. >> senator mccain, after winning florida, he went on to lose 17 or 18 contests after that, but was able to put the delegates together by focusing on the process of gathering delegates, as we will. >> ron paul is hoping for a strong finish on saturday. he is scheduled

. >> and i'm jennifer franciotti. we'll get to our top stories in just a minute. first we want to goo to our top stories with ava marie. >> we had just a trace out there. still some snow falling on the radar. north of 95 to the west, those are the areas that might see light snow this morning. roads could be slick. take it easy if you head out today. south of baltimore, rain showers. northeast wind 7 miles per hour. we do expect at least these showers to basically end after the morning hours. a snow mix to the south. that should be ending this mornings. clearing skies this afternoon, and temperatures in the mid to upper 40's. when we come back, a forecast in indianapolis. we'll look at what it will be like outside the stadium. >> our big story this morning, another win for mitt romney. he won the presidential caucus on saturday with newt gingrich battling for second place. >> his decisive win came after he battled to a victory in florida's primary. brian mooar has that story from washington. >> mitt romney celebrated a big win in nevada. >> i have to take it to the

i'm jennifer franciotti. >> i'm mindy basara. thank you for joining us this morning. breaking down for us. -- break it down this morning. >> we will see some snow this afternoon. 36 degrees right now at the airport. i think the rain-snow mix will start later this morning or early this afternoon. the temperature will stay above 32 degrees. the snow will end early tonight. i only expect about an inch of accumulation. that should not be a big deal. it has been a long time since we went through a drive time that it was snowing. >> the ground is warm. >> right. it was a 50 degrees yesterday. >> we encourage people not to freak out. right now, we're looking pretty good. nothing to deal with weather- wise. 53 around providence's. moving well on the harrisburg expressway coming down from shawan road. 63 on the southwest corner around wilkens avenue. moving well on 95 through howard county. we update you at sandy point. you can see an easy ride into the toll plaza to and from the bay bridge. this is the key bridge. we're moving well through the construction zone. no problems t

. >> and i'm jennifer franciotti. we'll get to our top stories in just a minute. first we'll check outside with ava marie. wow, what a windy day yesterday. >> it has been rough the past couple days. had the winds on the back side of that storm. fortunately the winds are starting to calm down. today just looking for winds out of the west around 5 to 10 miles per hour. that's what you are seeing now, winds west at 5 miles per hour at b.w.i. marshall. it is seasonably chilly to start off the day. same case into the afternoon. high temperatures into the upper 40's. that's right around where we should be for the end of february. a few clouds this morning and then mostly sunny as we head into the afternoon. warmer weather on the way in the seven-day as well as rain chances. i'll show you that coming up. >> our big story this morning is out of prince george's county where two firefighters remain in critical condition after they were hurt battling a house fire. >> all seven firefighters were injured fighting the house fire p here's sheldon dutes with the latest. >> the fi

. >> and i'm jennifer franciotti. rob daniels will bring us a live report in just a few minutes. but first -- >> let's check in now with john collins for the latest. >> there is a big storm developing down in the dex gulf coast region -- in the texas gulf coast region. rain and a little snow in kansas. the storm will be along the north carolina coast just south of cape hatteras by tomorrow evening. that's when temperature have its greatest impact on our weather. the key to this storm is we will be on the very north edge of all the precipitation. so that puts some question as to exactly how much 0 snow can fall in our area. it looks like we may get robbed of anything significant. that will make some people happy and other people not so happy. i will talk about how much snow we get or do not get coming up. >> and when the skies will clear is at our web site. go to wbaltv.com and click on "weather." ♪ >> our big story this morning is the elevation of baltimore's cardinal edwin o'brien. baltimore news brought it to you as edwin o'brien became cardinal o'brien. >> 11 news is the only

. >> and i'm jennifer franciotti. we'll get to our top stories in just a minute, but first we're going to check outside with john collins. >> nothing extreme temperature-wise. a lot of readings have gotten above the freezing point. we have picked up some clouds, and those clouds are coming off a storm. if you've been watching the news, there is a lot of snow in the plains states. in fact, it is still snowing in nebraska. some of the snow is over two feet. near the denver area in the foothills, in the rockies. part of that storm coming our way is evident on our radar this morning. not locally. local radar showing a couple sprinkles toward frederick county or beyond. on the other side of the mountains, west of the mountains, sthr a rain-snow mix, and just plain rain in kentucky and tennessee beginning to move into southern west virginia now. so the wet part of this storm is coming our way. so we'll talk about a chance for rain, and maybe some snow in the insta-weather plus forecast coming up. >> our big story this morni

i am jennifer franciotti. >> i am mindy basara. thank you for joining us this morning. no need to rush to the grocery store. >> i think the roads are going to be just fine. here's the forecast. the weather should be dry for the morning commute. we will see a mix of snow and rain develop. the temperature should stay above freezing. i think the roads are going to be ok. you may see some snow coming down on your way home from work and snow. this might be the first time. the roads will be ok. the seven-day forecast coming up in just a few minutes. >> the momentum has shifted once again. >> rick santorum had a huge night last night in colorado, minnesota, and missouri. kate amara has that story. >> he was just on it losing streak. but rick santorum proved his presidential campaign is far from over. a clean sweep for rick santorum. >> conservatism is alive and well in missouri and minnesota! [cheers] >> the republican presidential candidate won missouri and minnesota last night, and then he took colorado, too. he campaigned hard in these states, laying the groundwork for week

i'm jennifer franciotti. >> and i'm kai reed. we will get to our top stories in just a moment. if you are going outside, bundle up. >> today is a good day to stay inside. i know it is valentine's day weekend, but what better day to cuddle up with your honey. we have chilly temperatures. it is in the 20's. it feels like the teens. partly cloudy skies. couple flurries possible in western maryland. other than that, watch out for strong winds. it will be hard if you are walking around. there may be downed trees around. we'll talk about that in the complete forecast. >> the world is mourning the death of superstar houston now. >> the iconic star was found dead on the eve of the music star's biggest awards, the grammies. gina kim has more. ♪ and i will always love you ♪ >> she was the undisputed quine queen of the charts in the 1980's and 1990's. she reigned on the big screen in blockbuster hits like "the bodyguard." it was her bodyguard that found her dead in the beverly hills hotel room. >> they found her unresponsive. they attempted resuscitation measures. they were not successful

. >> and i'm jennifer franciotti. we'll get to our top stories in just a minute. first a look outside with john collins. it is chilly. >> it is chilly, but a nice morning. no rain or anything like that. yesterday was a nice day. things will be changing. if anybody has seen the news recently, they heard about this big storm that has been out in the central part of the u.s. parts of the eastern colorado, foothills. that storm is coming our way. it won't come with that kind of intensity. a wide-ranging radar. first we get clouds, and then the storm comes in because we're not quite as cold. maybe a little snow mixed in. right now the snow is producing most of its snow out in nebraska and parts of western iowa. a little bit of snow-rain mix in northern indiana and northeast-northwest ohio at this stage. that's temperature-related. farther south along our latitude out in parts of the ohio river valley it is rain. some thunderstorms moving through in parts of arkansas overnight as well. we'll talk about how this storm will affect our weather this weekend coming up. >> ou

i'm jennifer franciotti. welcome too "11 news saturday morning." >> i'm lisa robinson. our top stories in just a moment. first john is here with a look outside. >> we've made the adjustment. we've gotten temperatures back to sane for this time of year. >> i like the insane. >> unusual weather. we are back. we have adjusted the temperatures. now do we get a storm to come into this colder situation. yes, there has been one out there. now, we're not going to get the bad part of the storm, which was blizzard conditions in nebraska and colorado yesterday. a couple feet of snow. no, this thing will be weakened by the time it gets here. you can see just to our west out in the lower great lakes there is a little rain-snow mix. and in the lie high river valley, there is rain coming in. stronger storms moving in. western kentucky right now. this will be moving east during the day. the thin clouds this morning get thinner today. maybe rain comes in. details on the forecast coming up. >> a clash between two leaders in women's health have apparently been smoothed over. >> the susan

i'm jennifer franciotti. lisa has the weekend off. >> and i'm kerry cavanaugh. today we begin with an 11 insta-weather plus forecast alert. today it is snowing outside. it is pretty. >> we will try again to remind ourselves ss winter. this is a storm that has a little more kick. this storm will develop ultimately into a nor'easter. it is going to get past us before that happens. we're going to have a snow that is maybe a bit more than we had on wednesday. we had roughly a half inch of snow and mostly on grassy areas. i drove through a little slush. some of the streets had a little something on them. the pavement is still warm. temperatures in many cases are above the freezing point. you see the extent of snow runs from the i-95 northward to just west of frederick. then we hit a gap for a while. west of the mountains, there is another area of snow that will come in today. there are two parts to the storm. there is the low pressure center that will ultimately become the nor'easter, and then there is a cold front coming in from the west. it is going to be a two-par

i'm filling in for jennifer franciotti. first we want to go to ava marie. good morning. >> all week long we have been hinting at the possibility of a snowstorm in maryland, but we knew it had to hit us to directly bring that snow. it looks like it is impacting to the south, and that means minimal snow chances here in baltimore. the bulk of the storm down in the southeast. just the northern fringe of it has the possibility of bringing a rain-snow mix. 38 degrees the current temperature. for today's forecast, mostly cloudy skies. the southern part of the state may see a little accumulation. we will talk about that and tell you about the warmer weather in the seven-day when we come back. >> thanks, ava. after two weeks of intense testimony and several delays, the defense and prosecution have rested in the george huguely murder trial. >> the former lacrosse player is accused of killing his exgirlfriend, u.v.a. student yeardley love. >> after defense and prosecution arguments, a jury must now decide whether george huguely killed yeardley love on purpose, uninten

i'm jennifer franciotti. lisa has the weekend off. >> and i'm kerry cavanaugh. let's go first to john collins. >> we had part one of the storm. the second part comes in this afternoon. there may be a break between the two. >> will we get snow out of this? >> it might be snow showers. i don't know if the wind will be able to settle down. there are some minor accumulations on the pavement. most of the accumulation i experienced was wet or a little slush here and there. sidewalks had light coverage on them this morning. there could be a few slippery spots. you see part one of the storm through us now. once you get south of i-95, a little more rain is mixed in with this first part coming through here. here is baltimore here. now, out to the west, just coming into western maryland now is part two. that's ahead of the cold front. that air will get colder as it is moving in. it is more likely to be snow showers. we'll see another minor accumulation with that. we'll talk to you about how much snow and how windy it gets and how cold it gets coming up. stick around. >> th

jennifer franciotti explains. >> it is a huge surprise for bobby, who instead of going into a staff meeting, got a serenade. sweet, funny valentine, you make me smile >> a special performance in catonsville. he is the prize from an essay contest for the baltimore symphony orchestra, won by bobbie's husband dan. >> i did not expect this kind of response from it. >> he wanted to do something special for his wife, a mental- health professional cui credits with helping of their beautiful family. he said she always put the others before herself. it is a mix of classic and contemporary, even some originals. this year's event is a first. >> i have done a lot of things, but this does it -- this is a first, for sure. the performances this weekend is part of the valentine celebration. bobbie says this is dan's best surprise. >> after 42 years, we are just fine. >> that is so sweet. she looks like she was kind of embarrassed. >> that is all for us at 5:00. here is a look at what is coming at new at 6:00. >> emotional testimony here at the george huguely murder trial as a summary of romance from yeardl

jennifer franciotti, wbal-tv 11 news. >> president barack obama announced the birth control compromise to protect those from religious liberties and ensure the nation's women have access to contraception. after weeks of growing controversy, he backed off their recently announced requirement for religiously affiliated employers to provide free birth control even of their runs counter to their beliefs. they will be able to get contraception directly from the health insurance companies. it has been an afternoon of heated debate at the state house. there have been hearing support and opposition on a pair of doing marriage relation bills. one would legalize while the other would create a constitutional definition to define marriage. the most captivating testimony was from members of the clergy who argued that heterosexual should be kept away from marriage. an emotional day of testimony in the murder trial of george huguely. huguely and two other jurors a broken down in tears listing to a recorded conversation between huguely and police. he had gone to talk to yeardly love about the relation