brian martin, lowell high school. [applause] sarah puner, app tass middle school -- app tiss middle school. aitchel some mccoughlin middle school. -- rachel from mccoughlin middle school. katrina rodd rench, lowell high school. [applause] maria, argon elementary school. [applause] elvira walden. [applause] brian waldman, mission high school. [applause] stephanie wong, iloa elementary school. valerie ziegler, lincoln high school. [applause] pika chu, mission high school. lindsey penrose, mission high school. [applause] julie carniglia, yar taylor, and michelle trimble, lowell high school. [applause] >> this is the kind of problem we like to have. [laughter] we have so many. >> ok, ladies and gentlemen, our national board certified teachers for 2011. [applause] >> i have to tell you, we're just so darned proud of you. it's so excite together see people who are willing to do it -- exciting to see people who are willing to do it all for children. i want to thank you all for committing yourselves to doing everything you ca

i'm lowell melser, wbal-tv 11 news. >> junius doubt discuss some of the specifics is an attorney. thank you so much for coming in. the jury when with second-degree murder. >> i think it was a reasonable compromise. there was evidence of premeditation and evidence that he was intoxicated. manslaughter was probably a little low. second-degree was probably a reasonable compromise. >> the jury came back with 26 years for the six convictions. how likely will they be to stick with the recommendations? >> in maryland, the jury does not make a recommendation for sentencing. they do in virginia. historically, the judges give the sentence about the same thing. i do not think he will knock it down. he has a reputation of being more defense-oriented. >> the deliberations were relatively quick. >> they were. i predicted two to three days of deliberation. the 37 counts and a couple weeks of evidence is a lot to work through. maybe because they're all for three days everybody spent more time thinking about it. nine hours is fairly quick. >> there is a possibility for appeal. how does this work?

lowell melser isn't charlottesville with reaction. >> it took the jury about nine hours to find george huguely guilty, sentencing him to 26 years in prison. he crossed himself before that verdict was read. both attorneys reacting to the verdict. >> there is nothing we can say that will make good the terrible and tragic loss to the love family. there are no winners in this case. there is nothing but loss everywhere. >> we are of course disappointed with this verdict, but we've been proud to represent george in his fight for fairness over the last couple of years. he has the support of a loving family. he has displayed amazing resilience and courage. >> a jury of his peers felt there was enough evidence to convict the former uva aide across player -- lacrosse player. sharon love and her sister testified about how grief- stricken there remain. sharon love told the court about her daughter. "every day that goes by i am afraid i am losing pieces of her." love was found a buyer roommate's face down on her bed -- was found by whenever roommates. huguely went to our apartment that night, buste

lowell melser is live with more. >> they say it will help city schools, but for those in the industry, they say it will kill jobs. >> history repeating itself in baltimore city. >> this is something we are not trying to exaggerate. >> they gathered in front of the bell gardens buy right the voice disdain. >> this is what happens every time. >> it exempts milk, juice, a two liter or larger one. >> this is the secure $300 million in bonds for schools and she plans on doing it by raising the bottle tax from two cents to five and making it permanent. >> i spoke to the industry about alternatives and i've not gotten any feedback. >> she is willing to make it clear that she will look at other revenue streams but it seems to be popular. >> there are ways to level the playing field. >> this tax is having a devastating impact on our members. lost sales mean reduced hours and meaning less jobs for hard- working men and women in baltimore. >> sources are telling me that the mayor appears to have enough votes on the city council to pass it. lowell melser, wbal-tv 11 news. >> one is a democrat, on

david collins is inside the state house and lowell melser standing by with the latest on the same sex marriage legislation. we will begin with david on the budget battle. >> the people are being heard on at least two front, eliminating mortgage deductions and increasing the gas tax. they are said to be likely to be taken off the table. not even a hard, steady rain could wash away the frustration. protest of governor martin o'malley's proposal that phases out the mortgage deduction. >> we are very concerned about the effect it will have on consumer confidence. >> it will be devastating for everybody. nobody would feel they need to buy any more. >> it will be detrimental if this passes, because a lot of people that want to take advantage of getting a deduction are going to be pushed out. >> their concerns are being heard. legislators in the process of working on the governor's budget say eliminating the mortgage interest tax deduction is now off the table. >> if you are going to reduce that when people are looking to buy homes, that difference could make the difference if someone is a h

lowell melzer, wbal-tv 11 news. >> thanks, lowell. the jury will not begin deliberation until wednesday because monday is a holiday and grand jurors are meeting at the court house on tuesday. >> jurors will soon begin to analyze whether george huguely intended to cause harm to yeardley love when he went to her apartment two years ago. local defense attorney steve allen said the time it takes them to come to their conclusion could be indicative of their final verdict. if you have a quick verdict you will have a second-degree murder. a longer verdict, in my judgment, would be more likely to lead to manslaughter. >> manslaughter would carry a 10-year maximum penalty. second-degree, a maximum 40-year, and first-degree, life. >> the defense is hoping, since he's already been in jail two years, would mean he'd serve another four years and then be out. >> the jurors could lead toward a manslaughter verdict if they believed george huguely didn't intend to kill the cockeysville native. if they say he intentionally harmed love, they could come

lowell melser has a preview. >> we're feeling a shift in the landscape here. the commonwealth rested its case yesterday. the defense took over: a number of scientific witnesses to the stand. we expect to hear from more scientific witnesses today. women get to hear from george huguely's father who could shed new light on this case. there are about 25 witnesses the defense could call. the judge says he has no problem going into saturday. we will have a complete detailed route of tonight at 5:00 and 6:00 p.m. lowell melser, wbal-tv 11 news. >> a man who shot a beauty salon owner in the head could spend the rest of his life in prison. he is convicted of first-degree attempted murder and other charges after the robbery and shooting at the blessed productions hair salon. he walked into the salon and took money from the purse and shot her in the head four times. remarkably, she survived. >> more than 100 middle schoolers cause some problems for police in northeast baltimore. a fight broke out on wednesday evening. were a dozen arrests. school officials are working on

lowell melser is live with the latest. >> it is hard to believe we are nearing the end of the trial after more than two weeks. is commonwealth's attorney getting ready for rebuttals, closing arguments. in the case will go to the jury. before his fate was to be put in the hands of the jury, the defense called one last medical witness, a neurosurgeon who said in his opinion, your yeardley love's brain did not have injuries consistent with blunt force trauma. the jury reconvened, the defense rested. the commonwealth did not call any other witnesses. closing arguments began. through tears, the attorney began retelling the story of the night love it was found dead. she made the decision to stay in her room while george huguely made the decision to go see her while he was drunk. he reminded the jury about the e-mail and the night he went to see your. he asked the jury how frightened she must have been when he kicked in the door. pictures of injuries were shown again. chapman told the jury the only possible explanation for death was blunt force trauma. he says the evidence clearly shows she was

.///. áámereditháá lowell...o be killed inna fur coot she had a strong belief that she is so against fur and harminn animals to &pmake fur products that shh would hiie somebodd to go out and kill someone. someone. f-b-i... offiiials say.../ lowell .../ preaaed... a... facebook &ppage.../ ááusingáá... an... alias.../ and ...offered.../ up... to.../ 850... dollars.../ for... the hit.../// ááandáá... doctorrs.. always.../ called...// vegetables...// ""brain-food".... 3 she probably connused the fur is murder slogan with murder for fur. anyway, no heavy fur oats needed in baltimore 3oday. sunshine and warmth and more of it on the way. way. let's go o chief meteorologist vytas reid with your skywatch forecast. 3 -3 if someone lies about being a war hero, does it count as ffee speech rotected by the first ammndment? amendment?we'll show you how a web of lies from one lawmaker supremcourt. 3 so no future president will pver bow to a saudi king again and so every american can look forrard to $2.50 a gaalon gasoline. a bi

trial of george huguely, accused of murdering cockeysville native yeardley love. 11 news reporter lowell belser joins us live interest skill with a preview -- live in it charlottesville with a preview. >> it is hurry up and wait in the george huguely murder trial. two female juror alternates were dismissed. when i graduate student, the other a research scientist. both were chosen at random through a lottery system. what is interesting about the dismissal is, given all links of the case, the judge told them they are subject to recall it just in case a juror becomes ill. the jury is made up of seven men and five women. 90 minutes into deliberation, the jury had one question about the word "reason" and what that meant. the judge replied "the common meaning," and he told the council to stay close because he expects many more questions through the afternoon. george huguely is facing first- degree murder, which could get him 20 years to life in prison, and second-degree murder, five to 40 years in prison. voluntary and involuntary manslaughter, the other charges he is basing, could get him 0 t

lowell melser, wbal-tv 11 news. >> stay with us, there is much more ahead on 11 news at 6 pot. >> the ravens and outline their priorities moving forward. weighing in on kicker billy cundiff, later in sports. >> the weather systems heading this way will likely bring rain. >> exelon plans to build a facility between harbour east and fells point. it plans to build a headquarters in baltimore as part of its $7.90 billion buyout of consolation energy. that merger still needs the approval of the public service commission. they are expected to make a decision on the deal on february 17. >> now, your insta-weather forecast with chief meteorologist tom tasselmyer. >> before we talk about the start of a new month, lets put january on the books. it moved up and not with the final numbers, 38.3 degrees average temperature on month. yesterday it looked like it might finish 26, but it is 25th officially. a lot of those januaries were in the 1930's. that was a warm spell around this part of the world as far as winter temperatures go. this january just past was the 25th warmus. it just continues righ

picturessee lowell's from the courthouse and find memory onr yeardley's our website, wbaltv.com. still no word from the jury in the least defense murder trial. celebration -- lee stephens murder trial. he is accused of killing david mcguinn. prosecutors say he cornered mcguinn and stabbed him multiple times. the uniform was found to blood.nm cguinn's the author of the controversial robocalls that went out on the 2010 election that is expected back in court today. prosecutors say julius henson tried to suppress the african- american vote with a robocall suggesting that the election was over before the polls close. that thelawyers charge suit is unconstitutional and that the case should be thrown out. >> the mistake made a mistake approvbringing this case and we will permit -- prove it. >> jayne miller will have the latest tonight at 6:00. a new program in the works at city hall could spare victims a long wait for a patrolman the city is planning to launch an on-line reporting website this spring. a councilmen says it will cut down on frustration for citizens and allow police of th

lowell melzer, wbal-tv 11 news. >> jury selection is expected to last until tuesday. lawyers from both sides say they hope to have the jury seated by monday afternoon. lowell melzer will head up our coverage of the trial in charlottesville starting monday. >> 6:12 on tv hill. more americans are back to work. ahead in "consumer alert" how many employers were added to the list. >> and a line-up of the preakness. the connection between this year's musical acts. >> first a live look outside. john collins says something is coming. we'll tell you what, don't go >> well, we've had some typical temperatures. we have a storm coming in from the west. there has been talk about applies ard conditions around denver. there is still snow back in nebraska. snow up in farther mitch hitch and ohio. south of that, it is rain activity this morning. a few sprinkles and showers beginning to move into west virginia. nothing significant. our air is still dry. it will take a while for moisture to make it to the ground here. we have high, thin clouds this morning over the area. rather nice, re

lowell melser has more from harford county. >> something stinks in harford county. at least it did this morning. a mystery odor caused hundreds of people to call the local fire departments. over of the bellaire volunteer fire department, the action started early. >> we received and responded to approximately 40 calls for service. >> just before 7:00 a.m., calls started coming in about a possible gas leak that seemed to be concentrated in a large area that consumed most of the northeastern part of the county. >> something was not adding up to the calls were so concentrated. >> after a few phone calls to other jurisdictions and with help from the county emergency operations center, the smell was linked to the refinery in south new jersey. overnight it had a major oil leak to the tune of 6.6 million gallons, affecting folks in pennsylvania, delaware, and counties in maryland. >> it smelled like natural gas. that is what was concerning me. anytime you have a strong odor of natural gas, there is the issue of explosions. that was a concern. >> bob thomas, the public infor

lowell melser, wbal-tv 11 news. >> switching gears right now, a disturbing story. of fathers charged with beating his by-year-old daughter to death. police found mya carr unresponsive in hurst -- enter father's home monday night. they say she died from multiple blunt force trauma injuries. the little girl had tractors on her face and bruises all over her body. police -- had fractures on her face. the father admitted he beat her after she had a bowel accident. but she had fractures in her face, bruises all up and down her body. it is a horrific thing. no child should have to go through something like this. >> matthew carr is now in custody, facing multiple charges including first-degree murder, assault, and child abuse. >> and 82-year-old man is shot with his own gun during an apparent roddick -- during an apparent robbery and monday. it happened in the 1300 block of sleepy hollow road in severn. during an apparent struggle, the man was shot with his own gun. we are told injuries are not life-threatening. the person police say shot and eastern shore sheriff's deputy

live in the newsroom, lowell melser, wbal tv 11 news. >>> there is much more ahead on 11 news at 6:00, including the lineup of infield entertainers. >> headlines appearing at this year's preakness coming up. >> too soon to look ahead for next ravens season, but will you pay more next season to see the games? >> a big blizzard in colorado moving to the east, it will have a major role over the weekend. right now, not bad. 46 at the airport, 50 downtown. the car on the left was filled up with low detergent gasoline. while the car on the right was filled up with bp gasoline with invigorate. which helps clean and protect its engine so it can get a few more miles per tank than the car on the left. go a little farther with bp gasoline with invigorate. >>> major breaking news on i-95. we go to captain roy taylor and sky team 11. >> northbound i-95, south of the fort mchenry tunnel, this was a car, now completely engulfed in flames. the fire department has not arrived yet. the police have closed two lanes of northbound i-95. at the traffic is backed up all the way to kidnap the day. -- cayton

i'm lowell melzer.l tell you all about it coming up. >> gusty winds and snow showers to the west. the insta-weather plus forecast just ahead. >> good morning. welcome to "11 news saturday morning." i'm jennifer franciotti. >> and i'm lisa robins

lowell melser has the latest. >> another day of a limited testimony in the george huguely murder trial as defense attorney called out sick yet again. the experts we spoke with said while the case has slowed down, it does not really affect either side. one thing is clear at this point -- both sides, including the judge, what this case to go to the jury, which should happen tomorrow. with the defense attorney out a second day with what her co- council called a violently ill sickness, he went at it alone, calling what were supposed to be the defense posture last witnesses. virginia law expert told 11 news will put in a case virtually on hold today's really does not hurt anyone, it does tend to take the wind out of the sales. >> it is sort of anticlimactic for everybody. your adrenalin is up, then all the sudden, wham, you cannot put on the case that you want to put on, not on the schedule that you want. it is deflating to everybody. >> first to testify were two girls who were seniors in high school who visited uva at week before yeardley love was found dead. the camera or apartment at ask

lowell melser has the latest from charlottesville. >> after two ruling days, we finally reached that magic number at around 6:30 this evening. 28 potential jurors were chosen. they will return to charlottesville circuit court tomorrow where they will be whittled down to a jury of 12 with three alternates. after that, it is opening statements and the trial officially kicks off. a half-hour early start this morning in the george huguely and murder trial as the commonwealth and the fans gathered with jurors at 9:00 a.m., after a long night monday that ended at 8:00 p.m. instead of 5:00 p.m. huguely, who has lost a noticeable amount of weight since being arrested, set by his lawyers in a suit, his legs weighed down by heavy weight on his ankles. only eight more jurors were needed for the pool of 27, where each side would then cut six for a jury of 12 with three alternates. a little less than 40 jurors were told in the morning session and by lunchtime, 22 of 27 jurors were in place. the questions were exactly the same as monday, as both sides are trying to find jurors who can completely b

lowell melser has the latest from charlotte. >> as evidence is officially presented in the george huguely murder trial, opening statements from both sides take the better of two hours wednesday morning. virginia commonwealth attorney warner chapman's statement mostly surround the night club was found dead, explaining evidence that shows he kicked in the door to her bedroom, leaving behind the na, and highlighted by lead e-mails including one with a " ocracoke, i should have killed jukes." it went on this a forensic evidence would show she died from blunt force trauma and that it took her two hours to finally died after sustaining violent injuries to the head. his attorney said the relationship was on again off again, and they cheated on each other throughout. lawrence said medical experts would prove that she died from positional asphyxia after mixing alcohol with drugs. and that when huguely was told by police of her death, he said "nothing i did last night would have killed her." referring to the fact that he was in her apartment the night she died. yeardley love was the mother was firs

i am lowell melser. i will tell you about it coming up. >> a rescue caught on tape in delaware. a woman's car stuck on the tracks after the driver tried to make a wrong way turn. two good samaritans worked to free her as the train activated. they were able to pull the woman out of the car just in time. the freight train pummeled the car. police say no one was hurt. the car was completely destroyed. >> in the republican race for the white house, it is four days until the michigan primary. it is taking on big significance. michigan is mitt romney's home state where rick santorum is threatening to steal victory. we have tonights commitment 2012 update. >> desperate to win in his home state, and mitt romney came to detroit promising to cut income tax. >> 20% across the board. >> he reminded michigan he opposed the auto bail out. >> wish to get the government out of general motors so the future where do we should get the government out of general motors -- we should get the government out of general motors. >> stadium looked almost empty. claim hometown loyalty, romney again sounded

was able to catch lowell by posing as a hit man on facebook. the animal rights movement opposes violence of any kind. >>> adult only tex-next. not a gentleman's club but there's a no kids policy at a restaurant in houston. rita garcia has the story. >> reporter: served up just the way patrons like it. >> this is the first. this is one of a kind. >> reporter: fab-- >> fabulous. >> we've had a lot of parties. we can configure it in any different direction. >> reporter: the owner says his new restaurant is already living up to its name. >> here you can come and enjoy your life i guess you could say. >> reporter: without kids or like the sign says, those under 16. >> we have nude art on the walls and i figure 16 was mature enough to be able to look at them and not be corrupted. >> i hate to burn people away because they made an effort to come here. i always say you're more than welcome to order something to go. >> reporter: it may seem harsh to some. the owner says he's received some backlash but to these ladies out celebrating birthdays, it's actu

lowell melser has the latest. >> monday morning, just before 8:30, the family of yeardley love is escorted through a back door of the charlottesville circuit court house george huguely father quickly walked past cameras in the front. the defense attorneys " -- had more than 100 murder cases said that this particular case has a real limited jury pool as uva staff and students will certainly be struck. >> we will end up with a fair number and there may be some government employees and other people who have jobs that will allow them to be called for jury service. >> throughout the day, the judge, commonwealth and defense attorneys poulterers. the popular -- defense attorneys polled jurors. they were asked if they had already borne an opinion because of media coverage or someone they knew close to the case. as far as what types of people both sides are looking for, the defense is looking for an open mind. >> what you want is to say, think i have heard some things about the case, but i will restrict my decision to what i hear and see in the courtroom. >> the common wealth, even though most of t

lowell melser is live at the court room and had been covering this case from the beginning.e will hear from him in a few minutes. that is an unexpected, sudden verdict. >> we should mention that second degree murder conviction and grand larceny conviction carries a possible sentence of 5-40 years. he could and found guilty of first-degree murder, felony murder with the robbery. that could result in 20 to life. voluntary manslaughter was another possibility. no jail time. upwards to 10 years. or involuntary manslaughter with the possibility of no jail time or 10 years. >> many people may not be super surprise of this verdict. there was a lot of evidence against in this case -- in george huguely in this case. a lot people might -- thought it might be second degree murder. his attorneys were trying to go for involuntary manslaughter. >> let's reiterate what happened. we are talking about the night of may 2, 2010. george huguely went to his ex- girlfriend's apartment, kick in the door. there was an altercation. something went horribly wrong. now the verdict live. >> to get mysel

lowell melser, wbal-tv 11 news. >> we have several photos in the case and you can see your loyeay love's case on our website, wbaltv.com. >> a guilty verdict for lee stephens. he faces the death penalty for the murder of david mcguinn. prosecutors say it stephens and another inmate cornered david mcguinn and stabbed him to death. stevens is expected to be sentenced next week. a man was taken into custody on thursday and charged with multiple counts of armed robbery and other offenses in 5 convene stores robberies. >> an argument expected in annapolis over two marriage bills. one would create an amendment to define marriage as between a man and woman. the bill stalled in the house last year when some lawmakers retracted their support. maryland is $960 million riches. the five largest banks will pay money in a deal totaling $25 billion. state officials note this illustrates the many instances of foreclosure in the state. >> birth control may become just as easy as getting a bag of chips in a vending machine. jennifer franciotti joins us live with some details. >> there's still a number of

to anyone's health. >> none have posed any significant risk to the citizens in the county. >> i'm lowell melser. wbal-tv 11 news. >> now, your 11 insta-weather plus forecast with chief meteorologist tom tasselmyer. >> well, a lot warmer just to our south than it was here in town. as a matter of fact, almost felt like summertime in richmond. 81 degrees down there in central virginia. while the afternoon high, marshall, was 49. warmer than that in the morning and we'll show the official almanac in a moment. the afternoon temperatures were only in the 40's to 50 here. 70's and 80's just to our south. and look at all that blue and purple to the north and west. that's what's coming in now. so several air masses colliding over the mid atlantic region today. the end result about a 10th of an inch. the official high was officially before dawn when we were in the 50's and it cooled off and stuck there with the clouds and the showers in the area. but record high of 79 will stand for yet another year. even the low eastern shore that's saw temperatures in the 70's cooling off now. strong cold front

lowell melser, wbal-tv 11 news. >> thank you. we have an interactive timeline leading up to the trial on a special section of our website, wbaltv.com. >> maine is the next leg in the presidential race. kate amara is in washington with this morning's report. >> mitt romney and ron paul competed in maine four years ago. maine is the next state to win in the republican race for white house. mitt romney and ron paul of the heavy favorites. mitt romney is looking to snap back from his trio of losses on wednesday. >> senator mccain went on to lose 70 or 18 losses but were able to put the delegates together by focusing on the process as we will. >> ron paul is open for a strong finish on saturday. he is scheduled to return to maine tomorrow. >> we have some much energy and interest. it will take awhile to actually see how many delegates you're going to get. >> rick santorum pushing up to second place in the overall delegate count. he is going to california to raise money. >> these past two weeks have been the best we of fat fundraising

lowell melser, wbal-tv 11 news. >> 35 degrees on tv hill. a natural way to treat pneumonia. don't forget to e-mail us your response to our water cooler question of the day. do you think a legislature should be able to restrict people from wearing certain types of clothing, like pajama bottoms, out in public? you can share your response at wbaltv.com and on our facebook page, or send us an e-mail to watercooler@wbaltv.com. >> we are tracking some of downed wires along reisterstown road. we will check on any other problems com >> welcome back. 5:40. 41 degrees downtown. we expect dry conditions for the morning commute. let's check the other temperatures. mostly above freezing. 26 in york, pennsylvania. 36 at the airport. rain and snow will develop around lunchtime. it will change to light snow this afternoon and this evening. not a heavy snow. the roads are going to be just fine, i think. the seven-day forecast is coming up in just a few minutes. >> zinc supplements could help save the lives of children with pneumonia. >> half of children were given zinc and the others were gi

lowell melser tells us what we can expect today. >> yesterrday we got a lot accomplished here as a jury was sat. we heard opening statements. eight witnesses were questioned. the last person questioned was an officer chan from the police department. he was a first responder on the scene. he was accompanied by an officer blackwell, who we expect will take the stand first thing tomorrow morning. it is anyone's guess. as far as other witnesses that could be called, looking at the commonwealth's list, we noticed a number of detectives. it is possible they could be called and questioned in this case sometime later this morning. as far as any other updates, we will have them coming up at 5:00 and 6:00 this evening. lowell melser, wbal-tv 11 news. >> the jury selection is about to undergo some changes designed to make things easier. prospective jurors can go online to fallout the questionnaire. those deemed qualified will be allowed to change report date online. they want to make jury duty as easy as possible. a bus driver and its to molesting a woman with down's syndrome. he pleaded guilty to

lowell melser, wbal-tv 11 news. >> our interactive timeline details of events leading up to the trial. go to wbaltv.com and click on huguely trial. 35 degrees on tv hill. what some researchers say about heart stem cells. >> new parents may wonder when their babies will begin to understand what they say. >> don't forget to e-mail us your response to our water cooler question of the day. tell us what your special plans are for valentine's day. you can share your response at wbaltv.com and on our facebook page, or send us an e-mail to watercooler@wbaltv.com. >> good news on the topside of the beltway. will check on the incident in will check on the incident in bel >> welcome back. 32 degrees downtown. there are some sprinkles out there. it will not cause a big problem with traffic. 32 in york, pennsylvania. 34 at the airport. we're picking up a few sprinkles on the radar. we have a 30% chance for a light shower. not that temperature-wise with a high near 48. we'll come back and check the seven day forecast going into next weekend. >> a new study finds stem cells from a patient's own hear

lowell meltzer will lead our coverage from charlottesville.n's policy to make religious institutions pay for contraceptives in their health insurance plans. >> this is not about abortion. it's about covering contraception as part of the health care coverage. mandatory, basic coverage. >> and when he was asked about the g.o.p. primary he said a lot of people still seem to be shopping for somebody besides mitt romney. >> looks like voters in nevada think romney is the right guy. he easily took the top spot in the rhymeary there yesterday. meanwhile romney's g.o.p. competitors say they're in it for the long haul and they will try to slow his momentum. today on nbc's "moat the press," newt gingrich brushed off the loss in nevada he and said he will win as many delegates as possible. ron paul thinks will he have more luck in upcoming caucus states and after finishing last in nevada, rick santorum said the race is a long way frbing over. >> we have three states coming up on tuesday. i think with will show this race is moving again in a very differen

lowell melser, wbal-tv 11 news. >> thank you. hundreds of residents in southwest baltimore are getting ready for their day without natural gas. 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 po

in bell air, lowell melzer, wbal-tv 11 news. >> the time is 9:09. still ahead, dr. kim hand hammond is joining us to discuss your pet questions. >> and everything you are looking for in a home away from home is at the timonium fair grounds today. we'll take you to the r.v. show when we come back. >> it is not spring yet, but we'll have some blustery spring-like conditions >> well, this morning is an improvement over yesterday morning. yesterday was gray and chilly. this morning we have gotten rid of the clouds, and it is still chilly out there. but it is a much nicer day. we have breezy conditions in store today. winds are gusted into the 30's. on our radar nothing to speak of. most action up to our north. pennsylvania and west virginia. a couple little blips showing up on the radar. to our south between washington and annapolis, a few things showing up on the radar down there. we might see flurries today around the area coming in from the northwest be -- northwest. but what you see out there now will be what we have for the bulk of the day. the barometer is rising.

lowell melzer will lead our coverage at the trial. he will be in charlottesville. >> after a 15-year study, researchers identify a significant risk factor for stroke in women. details in "medical alert." >> and less than a day away from one of the biggest sporting events of the year. we head to annapolis for the -- indianapolis for the super bowl. >> s -dad, why are you getting that? -that's my cereal. is there a prize in there? oh, there's a prize, all right. is it a robot? no. is it a jet plane? nope. is it a dinosaur? [ laughs ] [ male announcer ] inside every box of heart healthy cheerios are those great tasting little o's made from carefully selected oats that can help lower cholesterol. stickers? uh-uh. a superhero? ♪ kinda. [ male announcer ] and we think that's the best prize of all. ♪ in addition to the two hundred plus facilities that the university of phoenix has we have a very progressive online learning environment. we have something called phoenix connect that allows students to have a social network. you can post discus

lowell melser will have live reports later on 11 news. new deal for the baltimore grand prix races for today. a final contract is expected to be presented today. the finances for the race will be kept private. city could choose to release the financial information to the public. a new tool is racism privacy concerns. it records every text and every picture sent from a child fallen and sends a copy of it to you. it lets you know if the app has been hampered with. >> that brings us to your answers to our water cooler question of the day. >> this morning we asked -- do you think tracking a child's cell phone activity is an invasion of privacy, or a right for parents? >> that might be the deterrent they need. education is the key. >> hepatitis b and c affects many people around the world. there is no routine screening for the disease. a local doctor said that needs to change. >> wallace harding had no idea he had contracted hepatitis c until a nurse mistakenly tested him for it. >> i came back in the office. my doctor looked at me. "hepatitis

lowell melser is in charlottesville from the trial. he has a preview of what we can expect today. >> good morning. we're kind of feeling a shift in the landscape, if you will, here in charlottesville, virginia, as the commonwealth rested its case yesterday and the defense took over, calling a number of scientific witnesses to the stand. we expect to hear from more scientific witnesses today. sources are telling me that we may actually get to even hear from george huguely's father, who could possibly shed some new light on this case. the defense has a possible -- about 25 witnesses that it could call over the next several days. the judge has made it very clear that he has no problem going into saturday. at any rate, we will have a complete detailed wrap-up for you tonight at 5:00 and 6:00. i'm lowell melser, wbal-tv 11 news. >> repair crews are making progress in fixing the damage to a gas main in southwest baltimore that has left several and the cold. jennifer franciotti is live at the scene this morning. give us an idea. can people ge

lowell melser has a look at what is expected. >> we saw an across-the-board display of witnesses yesterday from emt's to first responders and police officers and folks who knew yeardley love and george huguely personally, former uva lacrosse players and sorrority sisters. as we enter today, it is most likely we will get to hear a taped conversation between george huguely and police officers hours after her body was found. if it doesn't happen today, it will most certainly happen on monday. you can feel this case is starting to pick up momentum as the commonwealth continues to present its case. it is going to be an emotional day here in charlottesville. lowell melser, wbal-tv 11 news. >> maryland homeowners who lost their homes because of questionable foreclosure methods will be able to take part in a settlement. this will allow homeowners to restructure their mortgages or seek some compensation if they lost their home to things like robo-signing. >> this is just a first that because of the habits of the banks. >> a portion of the 11 million homeowners underwater on the mortgage will be aff

lowell melser it tells us we can expect this morning. >> you kind of get a feeling that the commonwealth is now closer than farther than resting its case either later today or possibly earlier tomorrow. the medical examiner was left on the stand yesterday. today he will continue to be questioned by the defense. then he will step down. a neurologist specialist will climb up on the stand. he'll testify and then the medical examiner will be recalled to discuss yeardley love's cause of death. there is some dna evidence we need to revisit. different swabs taken from both apartments. it will be interesting to see how that plays out. it is anyone's guess as to when the commonwealth will rest. we will stay on top of the case and have the latest development tonight at 5:00 and 6:00.. lowell melser, wbal-tv 11 news. >> hours after baltimore officials said it is ok to record public activity, a man is asked to lead while he was recording officers making an arrest. kim dacey is live at city police headquarters with more details. good morning. >> the incident happened early saturday morning in federal

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 -- inhibitor. >> the doctor is hopeful that her death will drive home the reality of domestic violence. the best thing a parent can do it can model a healthy relationship for their children when they are young. >> no more twitter. lawmakers are discussing a bill that would prevent colleges from monitoring social activity of students. the coach is prohibiting his students from using the site. this follows the suspension of a towson player after a racial slur. that brings us to our water cooler question of the day. do you think coaches have the right to ban the players from using social media sites like facebook and twitter? you can share your response at wbaltv.com and on our facebook page, or send us an e-mail to watercooler@wbaltv.com. >> big news from capitol hill. there has been a deal reached to extend the pa

you can see lowell melzer's photos online. go to wbaltv.com and click on "huguely trial" at the top of the home page. ♪ >> 22 former archbishops are now part of an elite group of cardinals. many local catholics who couldn't make the trip to rome woke up bright and early to watch it. >> meg o'neil has been following cardinal o'brien's rise to the catholic church for some time now. >> when he was elevated to archbishop, i went on that pilgrimage. here you get a better view. >> o'neil was one of many who woke up to watch cardinal edwin o'brien. the group gathered at davidsonville to watch the ceremony live on tv 11. [cheers and applause] >> i have been so heach with his -- happy with his leadership. >> it is amazing knowing that someone who has dedicated their entire life to the church and is elevated to a position where they might be picking the next pope. they might be the next pope. you never know. >> older catholics were happy to share this moment with the next generation. >> it is great for them to be up and out and know thi

lowell. >> people in support of this new bill were rallying here at the state house, or rather city hall. earlier today, and number of people were rallying against it in the beverage and grocery industry saying it would kill jobs. it will be introduced at city hall tonight. it is like deja vu all over again. >> this is real to us. this is not something that we're trying to exaggerate in any way, shape, or form. >> like they did a few years ago, they are gathering of of bellaire road to voice their disdain about the mayor's proposed hike in the bottle tax. >> this tax is having a devastating impact. lost sales been reduced hours meaning less jobs for hard- working men and women in baltimore. >> as part of the better schools initiative, she wants to collect $23 million to secure more than $300 million in bonds for city schools. she plans to do it by raising the bottle tax from two cents to 5 while making the tax permanent. >> we sat down and spoke to the industry about alternatives. i have not gotten any feedback other than not to do it. >> the mayor has made it clear she's willing to look

lowell melser joins us live from the newsroom with that story. calledely's defense team for a special issue, trying to wedge into more issues, highlighting last minute housekeeping before the trial starts monday with jury selection. university officials are preparing students and staff for the onslaught of media coverage and the opening of old wounds. the nightmarish and to stand out lacrosse player 22-year-old yeardley love's life happened on may 3, 2010, when her roommate found her face down any poll of blood in their off-campus apartment near university of virginia. the police arrested her 24-year- old ex-boyfriend and men's lacrosse player george huguely and charged him with murder. with the trout a few days away, officials warn students and staff of the emotional toll the case could present to the diversity and its committee. in an email, the president of uva said, "details emanating from the courtroom may create or compound emotional distress for our students, faculty, and staff, and demonstrating support for one another will become especia

lowell melser has the latest. >> good evening. this is almost becoming a nun heard of situation, another day of delay the testimony as the co-counsel for george huguely was sick yet again. she was supposed to interview two medical witnesses, so the co-council to govern and interviewed what was supposed to be their last witnesses, including george huguely's aunt who said the relationship between yeardley love and huguely was actually stable. what the defense attorney out a second day with what her co- council friend called a violently ill sickness, warrants went at it alone, calling what were supposed to be the defense last witnesses. first to testify, both seniors in high school when it came to visit uva a week before a glove was found dead. they testified they were in huguely's apartment when yeardley love came and and and asked if these were the girls he was texting with. a computer specialist also testified saying that in his opinion, after using ebay, love's computer was only worth about $150 a fair market value. in virginia,

lowell melser, wbal-tv 11 news. >> you can watch all of lowell melser report in a special extended coverage section on wbaltv.com. >> police are investigating an attempted break-in at the home of baltimore city council president jack young. a spokesperson in said the family notified police after some suspicious activity around 11:00 last night. the councilman's president said she arrived, -- his wife said she arrived home to find shutters and windows open, but nothing had been taken. >> a 22-year-old man is dead after he was shot outside a store at the waverly shopping center in east baltimore. barry simms is live at city police headquarters with the latest on that investigation. >> witnesses tell baltimore city police that the suspect wore a dark cap and jeans. police say he approached the victim and fired multiple times. police and paramedics rushed to the waverly shopping center in east baltimore, but the injuries were too severe. 22-year-old jerry isaac died. >> the victim collapsed but the door of the dollar store. >> it was just before 6:00 monday evening when another man approached i

lowell melser has been counting down on twitter today as the court tries to build a jury. >> is now de two of this trial and we are still in the jury selection. we are closer than farther, only a couple of potential jurors to go. hopes are that opening statements will be sometime tomorrow morning, although the judge could extend court hours as he did last night and we could hear those opening statements later this evening. a half-hour early start this morning in the george huguely murder trial as the commonwealth and the defense gather with jurors at 9:00 a.m. after a long night monday that ended at 8:00 p.m. instead of 5:00 p.m. huguely, who has lost a noticeable amount weight since being arrested, sat by his lawyers once again in a suit, his legs weighed down by heavy weights on his ankles as question in started. only eight more jurors were needed for the pool of 27. there will be a jury of 12 with three alternates. a little less than 40 jurors were told in the morning session, and by lunchtime, 22 of 27 jurors were in place. questions were exactly the same as monday, as both sides a

. >> our interactive timeline details the events leading up to the trout, and the mill -- and lowell melser's updates and pictures. meanwhile, baltimore city's jury selection process is about to undergo changes designed to make things easier. starting monday, prospective jurors can go on like to fill out questionnaires rather than mail them to the courthouse. prospective jurors will be able to change their court date on line. officials want to make jury duty as easy as possible. two people including a steep city police officer are recovering after an incident in baltimore. a cruiser hit a pole at edmonton avenue and franklin street wednesday night. a civilian suffered non-life- threatening injuries did it is unclear how the accident happened. we have learned the identity of the woman killed by an accident on belair road. speights team 11 was on the scene around for wednesday afternoon. two vehicles collided head-on. a woman died at the scene and a second victim is listed in serious condition. no word on whether the wintry weather played a role in the crash. >> i mentioned a few minut

lowell melser has the latest from charlottesville, virginia. >> another day of reckoning testimony. not only did the jury get a chance to see some of the most graphic pictures available in the case, but former teammates of george huguely testified that he was getting drunk more than four times a week during his senior year, and they were getting worried about him. so much so that they wanted to call an intervention. the day after making this thought, yeardley love was found dead and huguely was arrested. more tough testimony for yeardley love's family and friends expect as rescue personnel broke down the crime scene in morning testimony. it was the first time that jurors got a graphic -- o look at some of the more graphic photographs. one gmt told the court about 25 minutes past from when he was instructed by suv medical center officials to stop resuscitation. a charlottesville detective took the stand and described more than half a dozen photos of her injuries to her face and body. the most revealing testimony came from michael burns, a lacrosse player who met yeardley love at the

. >> lowell nelson is in charlottesville to cover the trial. he will have the latest at 5:00 and 6:00, and also on our website. >> the second of two men trying creeks -- accused of trying to suppress the african-american vote during the 2012 election is appearing in court today. he is accused of sending out an automated message to voters in a predominantly african-american neighborhood telling them the election had already been decided. a judge is expected to be assigned to the case. an aide was convicted in the same case last december. he will be sentenced next week. jury deliberations will continue today in the leaked stevens murder trial. stevens is on trial for the killing of david mcgwin, department of corrections officer. -- lee stevens. a 14-year veteran of the inner randolph police force is accused of tipping drug suspects off about an upcoming rate. corporal rick alexander allegedly informed suspects of a raid last week in shady side. despite finding the residents of become a police did track down a large amount of marijuana and cocain