judiciary proceedings committee -- in front of the maryland senate judiciary proceedings committee did last year the senate passed a version of the bill, but it stalled in the house over religious and family values conservatives. this year the bill offers protections to religious institutions that do not support same-sex unions. protesters share their opinions with 11 news at a rally outside the statehouse. >> even though language in the bill suggests that we may not as a church be responsible or held in contempt of the law, it is still so ambiguous that it suggests that there is still possibility. >> i support the governor's bill to protect religious liberty and allowing families to be protected regardless of the sexual orientation. this is about family, and not discriminating against the american family because someone is gay. >> the governor is expected to testify during today's hearing. the price at the pump could see another job if martin o'malley gets his way. the governor is proposing to add a sales tax to the gas tax already in effect, driving up the price of gas by as much

. >> under maryland senator ronald young's plan an animal abuse registry would list the names of thosected of animal abuse in the future. the bill is being named heidi's law and fox 5's matt ackland explains why. reporter: she was a puppy who loved to play, heidi, a golden retriever, shot and killed earlier this month in middletown, maryland. >> it's going to take a long time to get over temperature. reporter: lynnette coffman has been heartbroken since she found heidi dead in a field near her home. although there is an $8,000 reward, still no one has been arrested. >> this is just a vicious senseless killing. it's a beautiful little puppy of. reporter: state senator ronald young, an animal lover himself says it's time to do more to punish, even embarrass those who abuse animals. >> it's an indication of a problem and it's that i think people should be aware of. reporter: just like a sex offend registry, senator young would like -- offender registry, senator young would like to create another registry for those found guilty of animal abuse in the state of maryland. their names and addr

the maryland senate committee is set to start a hearing.with us, complete news, weather and traffic still ahead for you. it's also primary election day in florida. we'll head to the sunshine state. >>> here, a gorgeous sunrise on this last day of january. it's going to end up ,, what makes the sleep number store different? the sleep number bed. with the sleep number bed, it's not about soft or firm. it's about support where you find it most comfortable. the magic of this bed is that you're sleeping on something that conforms to your individual shape. on a traditional mattress, there is no adjustment. you get what you're buying that day. with our bed, you change the setting to something you like. this way, if you change your mind once you get home you can adjust it. wow! that feels really good. it's hugging my body. you can adjust it to whatever your needs are. your body changes over time. the bed can adapt with you. not only does it work for you today, but it's going to work for you 20 years from now. so whatever you feel like, the sleep nu

(rydell) "while a similar bill passed the maryland senate last year, there was never a final vote takenre in the house and that's because when suppooters informally polled their colleagues on the issue, they discovered they were a few votes short."and this year...opponents... say they plan to stand their ground. (schulz) "based on the origins of maryland law in what we were founded on 200 years ago and the basis on a man and a woman being constitued s a married couple"delegate kelly schulz...says if the billis enacted and signed by the goveenor...shepredicts...the issue will be petitioned to referendum.(schulz) "sometimes voters, the residents of maryland to see what their now... supporters...are counting... on governor o'malley. (banner) "it's a little harder to say no to the say will make a differrnce. a public hearing on the bill is set for next tuesday... in annpolis. there's encooraging news in theefight against cancer. as rich newberg explains... researchers in new york have discovered a possible vaccine, and it happened by accident. accident. --reporter pkg-as follows -- research

both of maryland's senators have signed on as co-sponsors. cynne simpson, abc 7 news. >> the maryland department of education has named six public schools 2012 blue ribbon schools of excellence. crofton meadows elementary, and rachel carson elementary in montgomery and whitehall alimentary were all honored. the schools were selected based on high performance or significant improvement in math and reading. still to come, credit card debt, new numbers show many are eliminating what they owe. >> 7 on your side with catching up on your debt, and new numbers showing americans are starting to clear credit cards. the average debt was cut 11% last year. the average balance is now $6600 down from $7400. hard to believe but tax season is here and virginia residents are being given a new option for filing online. nearly 2.7 million people in virginia file their returns on line last year. officials say it filing online is safer than paper returns and also speed up processing of refunds. can you believe it, getting close to april? >> after february, in d.

. >> the same-sex marriage debate is heating up in maryland. the senatel committee will hear both sides of the argument over a bill aimed at legalizing gay marriage. >> good morning, natasha. the war of words in this debate is intensifying leading up to will take place here later on this afternoon. o'malley's vernor wife called opponents at this same-sex marriage bill cowards. not like ople did that, and a lot of them showed at the state capitol last night. >> religious leaders and others rally called same sex marriage reckless social experimentation. a 10,000 member church came to rally by the busloads. are not here to say we hate homosexuals. you.ve to share with you the truth, the word of god. >> last year, the senate passed of the bill, but it fell in the house. governor o'malley said this year's bill offers additional protection to religious institutions that do not support same-sex union. although many clergy in the state say they favor passing the bill. about people having the opportunity to fully participate arriage is a nd m art of that. >> relig

. >>> a maryland senate committee is to hold a hearing today on a bill to legalize same sex marriage in this state. that has both supporters and opponents clamoring to be heard. >> reporter: they gathered for a meeting this morning after they gathered in front of the state house calling on lawmakers to define marriage as between one man and one woman. today religious supporters held a press conference saying it is not an assault on traditional marriage. >> my wife and i have been married 10 years this june. but there are people hundreds of thousands of people in the state, 10s of millions in this country who will not, cannot find their soulmate in the on sight sex, according to the bible the first chapter of genesis, they too were created in the image of god. >> governor o'malley, a supporter of same sex marriage, introduced the bill earlier this month. he is scheduled to testify before the senate committee in less than one hour. don, back to you. >> thank you very much, ron. >>> the governor maintains this year's bill offers additional protection for religious institutions that do n

the president of maryland senate called hiking the sale tax a nonstarter. others favor waste water taxes instead. and one legislator tweeted, watch your wallet. in annapolis, scott broom, 9news now. >> a grown up of community labor and education activists plan to meet today with state lawmakers in annapolis. the group is called, to save our state coalition. >> we have had a series of meetings during the interim with citizens from all across the state from the western maryland, eastern shore to southern maryland to find out about the impact of budget cuts. and what we found is a very sad story. whether you are talking about teachers who don't have enough supplies or state employee who's have long lines and social services. the economy has had a terrible impact. >> now the group says despite the slow economy, a lot of private companies are doing just fine, so plans to ask lawmakers to make sure private companies are paying their fair share of taxes that will in turn help fund people and fund the services for folks all across the state. >> state lawmakers in v

mystery for them. >> you can't stop us from loving each other. >> reporter: gay marriage passed maryland's senate last year but fell short in the house of delegates. as representative after representative from prince george's county switched sides during the final floor debate under pressure from powerful church leaders. this year's bill was rolled out by governor martin o'malley with compromise assurances that no church would be forced to perform or recognize same-sex marriage. >> we don't want their protection. >> reporter: that did not go over well tonight. >> they have not been to our churches. they don't know our doctrines and they don't know our god. >> reporter: at the statehouse in annapolis, scott broom, 9news now. >> the first lady katie o'malley had to apologize over the weekend for calling opponents of gay marriage cowards. >>> today is primary day for florida's republican voters. most polls show mitt romney with a solid double digit lead over newt gingrich. at a rally in jacksonville monday, gingrich claimed he was closing that gap. florida offers the first big jackpot of the primary

co-op laws but so a big car is that in that example we have a deer in them and just over here in maryland senator jamie raskin was behind doing that very bright young senator it's a very simple idea if you are a corporate chief or you're on the board your legal responsibility is to make profits for the shareholders and if you deviate too far from that and try to do good things for the community spending too much corporate money you are legally subject to a challenge by the stockholders to talk about dodgy ford back in the thirty's and michigan supreme court i think that's the issue so because you just it's a different form of incorporation that is set up so that you are allowed to actually do things for the community and then if someone invests in that kind of a because they know what they're getting into and they support you for that reason and it takes the law just changes that wrinkle in the law and opens up ways for environmental or community contributions it's very interesting you know up until the the mid eighty's or ninety's i think it was when it whenever ohio kicked out john rockefeller

book of the maryland senators have signed on, as well as senator webb from virginia. >> at the want torn virginia daily service, go to our web site, wjla.com. >> jessica alba is taking on the new title of launched for newer. she is launching an on-line company that will sell eco- friendly prodcuts for a monthly subscription fee. she came up with the idea after having her own children. would you like that whopper delivered? burger king has launched a delivery plan. three in maryland and one in virginia, they will come with a $2 delivery the. if you order over the phone and on line, but you have to live within a 10 minute drive of the restaurant. >> but it will not deliver a milkshake. >> or copy. >> a new "celebrity what swap" is on. she swaps with tina yuthers but she has a difficult time adjusting. >> i'm going to a hotel to leave you in the family here. >> your coming this far and you are breaking down like a cheap watch? >> what are you saying? >> push her in the fire. >> i know i'm leaving now. i was just threatened by children. >> that is on at 9:00 followed by "body of approvepro

. >>> maryland state senator anthony muse is running for u.s. senate. >> yes we can. america's dream. thank you. with your help i will be your next united states senator. >> the prince or did county democrat made the announcement last night at the camelot banquet hall in upper marlborough. he will face incumbent benjamin cardin in the primary. muse is serving his second tournam -- term as a maryland state senator. >>> playing hardball over streaming entertainment. hbo has decided to sell dvd's to netflix at a discount. the service will have to pay the same price as any retailer. warner brothers is going to make netflix redbox, and if blockbuster wait longer for new films. everyone in speculating on what is next for apple. it appears the technology company may introduce a completely new device. >> there is speculation apple is working on a tv. steve jobs reportedly said that the cracked the problem with making a tv easier. >> the next ipad may contain a sharper display and better quality camera. no word on whether it will be released in march or april. i am rob nelson.

senator. he made the announcement tonight in upper marlboro. he is currently serving his as a maryland state senator. >>> a florida state trooper had a wild night when he was attacked by a man dressed up as garth evader. michael cole after he resisted arrest. he was drunk and walking in the street in a dark bitter mask. mask.th vader >> lawyers for casey anthony released media was on authorized. a first look at this young mother sensed she was acquitted from murder in july. talks about her life. there is no mention of her murdered daughter. the video is for counseling and releasing it was inappropriate. >>> we are in a wild weather across the nation. it looks like many places are to thaw out. here is a scene in a mild but denver, colorado. ice was flying from colorado to the plans. parts of the midwest were able it might look temperatures and normal. >> some places all time january records. because they no the northern groundof means that the all of the warm sunshine. farmers do not like it because they needed snow cover for the winter wheat. there is a positive and negative this.e of

. >> the maryland senate committee will take up a bill today to legalized same-sex marriage.t is one of his top legislative priorities. >> a quick last look at traffic and weather every 10 minutes. >> look at this -- the last of the vehicles are leaving the prince william parkway northbound 95. there was a crash bear but not any longer. it is much improved out of woodbridge to get into lorton and eventually springfield. >> it feels like april today. you can bust out your sandals for a few hours this afternoon it will be well into the 60's today and into tomorrow and the best chance of rain is the first half of the day on thursday it. >> it is going to be great.

a maryland state senator would like to set up an animal abuse registry. state senator ron young is sponsoring the bill that would keep track of animal abusers. there are photographs and information would be posted in the database for 10 years. people would then look for animal abusers on line. police are searching for a colombian woman after finding 40 dead animals and side of her townhouse. -- police are searching for a columbia woman. they found nearly half of the animal stored in a freezer. there is no power or heat in the house. neighbors say the number of animals coming and going from the house seemed odd but they never suspected that the woman was hoarding animals. >> i am more disgusted, i don't want to say that i am surprised because we did have a hunch that there was some animal according going on. i am speechless. -- we did have a hunch that there was some animal hoarding going on. >> anyone with information on the owners whereabouts should call howard county police. a hagerstown teenager will spend six years behind bars for hiring someone to ki

serving his second a maryland state senator. >>> it appears that penn state has a new football coach. suspected to hire o'brien. an announcement will be made tomorrow. has been without a since joecoach fired in in november. >>> it is 37 degrees. >> up next, given that the political center nation, you might be where it rains on the survey of the most educated cities. >> first you have another check ♪ [ woman ] i was ready for my trip, but my smile wasn't. [ female announcer ] new crest 3d white intensive professional effects whitestrips. it goes below the enamel surface to whiten as well as a five-hundred dollar professional treatment for a transformation that's hard to believe. ♪ wow, that's you? [ female announcer ] new intensive professional effects whitestrips. and try 3d white toothpaste and rinse. from crest. life opens up when you do. going to be a warm and a 2 hour workweek. to it here and take a at our composite. elizabeth cloud cover developing east of the blue ridge. -- a little bit of clout cover developing east of the blue ridge. today.iful day it will be more spring like

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. >>> making headline this morning, maryland senators will hear arguments on legalizing gay marriageay. governor martin o'malley is expected to testify. he introduced the legislation early this month. opponents rallied in front of the state house last night right near the governor's home. last year, the senate passed a version of the bill thank you -- but it stalled in the house. >>> right now, the sales tax does not apply to gas you buy in maryland but that might change. governor martin o'malley is asking lawmaker to add the sales tax to gasoline. he says he knows it won't be popular but he has to do something to help save the state's roads and bridges. >> it would seem to me that the best option available to us would be to roll back that exemption. in other words, phase in a 2% sales tax every year for the next three years with some sort of braking mechanism in there in the event that the price of gasoline were to spike in any given year. >> reporter: the governor says the current 23-cent state tax on gasoline hasn't changed since the early '90s. he believes the revenue is critical

earlier, we spoke to maryland's senator democratic barbara mikulski and rob whitman. they come at the speech from very different perspectives and what they both say, they expect presidential politics to play a big role in what we hear tonight. >> and we have been frustrated with the do-nothing act of the republican congress, you know, when all is said and done, they say a lot and don't get a lot done. i don't think tonight is about looking backwards. it's kind of about looking where we are, the state-of-the- union and a -- for moving the country forward and americans are worried, number one, of their personal future in america and their family's future. >> i would hope it's new ideas that were not presented in the past and looks to areas where we have agreement to find common ground with the republicans to get things done. i know the public wants that to happen. i hear that each and every day. i hope it's along the lines of let's find the areas of common ground to get things done. this it that is what people want us to do. >> reporter: the guest list by the white hous

lawmakers will revisit the same sex marriage bill that passed in the maryland senate last year but died in the house. today, advocates and opponents of the bill say they are geared up to do battle again. >> we are absolutely going to say no and we have a strategy to beat it and we are going to bring out that strategy and you going to defeat that bill any way possible. >> ask yourself is it right we should have a lesser protection of the law for children of gay households than other children? i don't think that is right. >> governor o'malley says other priorities for this 90-day legislative session include building schools and creating jobs. >>> in virginia, governor bob mcdonnell has higher education and transportation at the top of his priority list. the controversial bill that could define conception as the beginning of life is also expected to be a major issue. opponents say that is an effort to outlaw abortion in the state. julie carey has a closer look at the issues at 6:30. >>> next on news4 at 6:00 -- [ bleep ] [ honking ] >> from rear-end crashes to running red lights, new video

strength to apologize and to seek forgiveness i can't same sex marriage legislation passed the maryland state senate last year. but stalled in the house of delegates. o'malley is making the measure a priority this section. same sex marriage opponents are promising to fight the bill. if approved, it would make maryland the seventh state in the country to allow gay and his lesbians the full legal protection of marriage. >>> maryland state police have identified the fourth person killed in a crash along route 50. 55-year-old terry wayne davis was the driver of the car which was headed in the right direction. he was struck by a vehicle going against the flow of traffic. the three people in that car, 18-year-old brianna marie franco. 1-year-old britney ann walk and 18-year-old zachary tyler rose also died in the wreck. investigators are trying to figure out if alcohol or speed employed a role in the crash. >>> maryland's plan to restore the chesapeake bay is now available for public comment. the state provide aid plan to the environmental protection agency last month. the epa asked all six states in the

. >>> maryland senator ben cardin will face a primary challenge this spring. state senator c anthony muse will announce he's running against cardin. muse represented prince george's county in annapolis since 2007. >>> and the shake-up in the race to be the democratic nominee in maryland's sixth congressional district. trachtenberg is dropping out. she says she's fighting breast cancer again and she needs to focus on her health. businessman john delaney is getting in the race. the 48-year-old is from potomac. he will face state senator rob gaj ola for the democratic nomination. the winner will face off against roscoe bartlett. >> for montgomery county public schools, the math simply doesn't add up. the county has asked the state lem slate tour for $184 million to help upgrade and renovate aging school buildings but the state is only offering $24 million. >> we have about 2500 more kids every year coming in and it is important that we have facilities they need to meet the growth. >> the county plans to keep asking the state for the extra cash. >>> time right now

coming up tonight, a key endorsement today for maryland state senator nancy jacobs. which prominent republican has thrown in his support? >> i just don't think that gingrich can really take the vote that is needed to win the presidential election. >> just hours until the polls open in the florida republican primary. but experts say newt gingrich is facing an uphill battle. and the tally is then, how the unseasonably mild temperatures may have contributed to record numbers for this year's polar bear plunge. >> a little bit of snow on hd doppler passing north of us, there is a spring like warmup coming our way. 34 dax in tonight's commitment 2012 report, the former governor has thrown his support behind united states senator nancy jacobs in her bid for congress. jacobs announced you received the endorsement of her fellow republican. he described jacobs as a kind of competitor taxpayers need to shake up congress. tomorrow is the biggest day so far of the 2012 race for the white house. a tiebreaker primary between mitt romney and newt gingrich in the huge and diverse swi

. >> reporter: last year, the same-sex marriage bill passed in the maryland senate but failed by three votes in the house of delegates. this year, advocates and opponents of same-sex marriage say they are geared up to do battle again. >> we are absolutely gonna say no and we have a strategy to beat it and we are going to bring out that strategy and going to defeat that bill any way possible. >> reporter: this year, governor o'malley is making marriage equality one of the priority on his legislative agenda. >> ask yourself is it right we should have a lesser protection of the law for children of gay households than we do for other children? i don't think that's right. >> in maryland, we have a strong governor in martin o'mallly. we have a very talented governor, very hope that will help us get just a handful of votes left to nail down. >> reporter: one of the main reasons same sex marriage failed in the legislature is because of strong opposition from religious leaders, most notably the clergy in prince georges county. this is chris gordon, news4. >> governor o'malley today introduced a

that's what the maryland state senate president mike miller says about raising the state's sales tax. in fact, he assured that it would not, when he spoke about the state's economic development association today. it's a way to pay for a $1 billion deficit and for more road and bridge work. but miller believes that the gas tax hike, i should say, that it is by far the better option. we all know that the arctic air is headed our way. could it possibly be acomp anied by some snow? top will give us the full story in his forecast coming up. >>> but first, arrested and charged for selling trash? why one new york man says that's exactly what is happening here. we'll go into details in just a few minutes. >>> one man's trash is another man's treasure. john jones said he has made thousands of dollars selling discarded subway cards he finds on the streets. >> this is over 100 cards. and each card in this stack, they have $1 more on it. >> reporter: he regularly looks around for these cards and finds them on the streets. they have balances on them. he has made the practice of reselling them. sel

. >> same-sex marriage legislation passed the maryland state senate last year but stalled in the house of delegates. governor o'malley, a democrat, is making the measure a priority this session. same-sex marriage opponents are promising a fight on the bill that would allow it. >> there's outrage. there have been delegates who have contacted me. >> opponents are planning a rally in annapolis tomorrow night. >>> just ahead on 9news now this sunday the gop presidential front runners in the final stretch for tuesday's florida primary. >> reporter: time is running out for the gop candidates to win over florida's republican voters. i'm danielle nottingham in tampa. i'll have the story coming up. >>> is and new revelations from defense secretary pineda about the raid that killed bin laden. >>> and we've got some light snow showers. here's a look at your monday wake-up weather as you're heading out the door. no. by 9:00, chilly, but lots of sunshine. details on your work week forecast, and warming up details a little bit later. >>> with a new poll showing him trailing by 15 points newt gingric

at least that's what maryland state senate president mike miller says. he made that promise during a speech at the state's economic development association yesterday. governor o'malley pitched raising the sales tax as a way to pay $1 billion budget deficit for roads and for bridge repairs but miller believes the gas tax increase is a better option. >>> a positive sign in the housing market. realty track reports that foreclosures fell to their lowest level in 2007. according to the online marketer filings were down 34% last year and although this sounds like good news, the company says the declines are largely due to delays in paperwork. >>> apple has to postpone the sales of its iphone 4s in its beijing stores today. angry customers and gangs of scalpers threw eggs at the flagship store. the reason why? the store was opening up late. hundreds of people lined up to buy the smart phone. the store says et canceled the opening due to fears about that. and its employees, customers can still buy it online. i know what you're going to say. >> what is this. >> i

. >>> maryland state senator anthony muse will challenge incumbent senator cardin for his seat on capitol hill. cardin has received the backing of much of the state's democratic establishment. muse has said he's not concerned about the senator's campaign organization or ties with other popular democratic leaders. >>> 20-year-old man who crashed his car last may and ran from the scene while leaving his three friends to die in the wreckage has been sentenced to 20 years in prison. during his sentencing, kevin coffay told the judge "words cannot do justice to the shame and guilt i feel every day. this is doing nothing but eating me alive inside." the people sat in the wrecked car for four hours before all of them died. he will be eligible for parole in five years. >>> six children from lundsford school were accused of drinking at school. the loudoun county sheriff's office said the students ranging in age 12 to 14 drank alcohol before classes started. one of the students got sick and went to the school clinic leading to the discovery. no word yet on what will happen to the kids. >>> no charg

maryland. coming up, senator hand paul is talking about issues he has with tsa.enator says things didn't go necessarily as planned. also, presidential hopefuls took the stage last night for the first of two debates, a live report from florida.

the maryland state senator has to create a state animal abuse registry.cently killed in frederick county was the inspiration behind this law called heidi's law. this will be the first animal registry and the entire country. there will be a bill today that take up same-sex marriage annapolis. governor martin o'malley says is one of his top priorities this year. newschannel 8 will have an in- report in a few minutes. here is lisa baden with traffic. with and 66 are loaded up normal volume in virginia. improving and is no problems on the beltway in fedex field. have a couple of pictures. we have delays on the outer loop of 95 to georgia avenue and boulevard which is and 395 in virginia is from 644 past the beltway. in a car haveng sunshine and blue skies. be a beautiful day to day, very spring-like. degrees in the district. 42 degrees in annapolis. we will be in the 60's later today with sunshine so it will spring and tomorrow is warm and an isolated to sprinkle. be back at 8:56. ♪ girls run the world girls who run the world ♪ >>> beyonce telling us somethin

. >> a maryland senate committee is set to hear arguments on legalizing same sex marriage in the state governor introduced the billerrer this month and will testify at today's senate hearing. >>> on to another hot button issue debated in annapolis. taxes on gasoline. the governor says he supports adding maryland's current 6% sales tax to gasoline and phasing it in by 2% a year. the increase could add 20 cents to ever gallon and raise more than 600 million to pay for a backlog of transportation projects. >>> a man is dead following a freak accident in baltimore county around 5:00 last night in owings mills. police say the pan was working under his car when it fell on him. the man's name has not been rested. >>> another fatal accident this, one near haggerstown, police say a tractor-trailer crossed the median and slammed into three cars, closing down the highway. a man in one of the cars hit was the one killed. >>> if you have ever harbored a desire to ride a horse down the beach in ocean city you may soon be able to do so. according to our partner the sun the city council will take a vo

. >> maryland state senator is scheduled to announce his candidacy for the u.s. senate today.he democrat from prince georges county will make the theÑ->x %t x su las a look at our forecast for today. we will to to the rest of the week and the weekend. >> feels spring-like after the last couple days of super cold weather in the last 48 hours, but now we're finally above freezing. we will continue to stay on the mild pattern. right now at reagan national and right now at reagan national and sunshine, it's humidity is are i little bit, most of more comfortable and we have a light wind nort and out of the north to nnd the 40s across most of virginia, mid-40s from fredericksburg to culpepper and further to the north it's in the upper 30s to mid-40s, and fairfax and arlington. around the bay, low 40s there. and then to the west, cloud cover. we may to and but overall, quite a bit of sunshine on tap for the rest of the afternoon. all thanks to a weak area of high pressure moving in, and we will have a few clouds drifting in perhaps later this afternoon. for the rest of this afternoon

for legalizing gay marriage have tweaked the bill and are here again starting again in the maryland state senate. take a look at the size of the crowd that tried to surge into the judicial proceedings committee room. many had to settle for an overflow area. the governor of maryland personally came to lobby for legalization of gay marriage. >> it's not right, and it's not just. that the children of gay couple his should have lesser protections than the children of other families in our state. >> reporter: other liberal elected officials also pushed for this year's slightly different bill, which legalizes gay marriage, but exempts both churches and church organizations. >> the people in this state of maryland fought for that equality for generations. the quality for religion. for race. for gender. today, we ask for equality for sexual on openitation. >> if the nights of columbus hall doesn't want to rent to a gay newlywed couple, it doesn't have to. it's perfectly protected within the legislation. >> reporter: opponents of gay marriage rallied here on monday and conservative religious leaders test

. >>> in decision 2012, news in maryland's u.s. senate race.a democrat from prince george's county. he was born in baltimore and has been a state senator since 2007. he's married to pat lawson muse. >>> virginia governor bob mcdonnell is calling to ditch plans. voters to sign a pledge at the gop primary in march. he isn't the only republican troubled by the oath. julie? >> the lieutenant governor and others spoke out against the loyalty oath. voters that voted for it in the first place expect to get rid of it. virginia voters will take their place in the gop spotlight march 6th. last month republican party leaders tried to make sure primary voters stick with the gop nominee come november. they asked voters sign this loyalty oath promising to support the republican nominee. >> recently, we thought the more people we could get out to vote in the general election in november the better. the idea of signing this pledge on march 6th will entice them to vote in november. itis probably having the opposite effect. a lot of people we want voting are not

. >>> in maryland senators will hear arguments on legalizing gay marriage. opponents rallied in front of the state house last night governor o'malley is expected to testify he introduced legislation earlier this month and says it offers additional protection to religious institutions that do not support same sex unions the senate passed a similar bill last year but it stalled in the house. >>> the florida fry mare is under way roughly 15% of republicans have cast their ballots while there are four names to choose from, only two are fighting for votes will the sunshine state really determine the front runner? good morning jennifer. >>> good morning sarah, polls are just opening across the state at this very moment and stakes are high for these two men, really running neck and neck here in florida. at this point, mitt romney does look like he is the front runner gingrich says he is not giving up the fight. >> i am beginning to feel we might win >> i think we absolutely can. >>> florida is a winner take all state, ron paul and rick santorum are looking ahead le

coalition members include the sierra club and the maryland league of conservation voters. a longtime republican state senatornces she will challenge dutch ruppersberger for maryland's second district seat in november. the senator plans to work for the people. a spokesperson for the congressperson said he looks forward to a fair campaign. >> a public memorial service for ron smith has been an ounce. he will be remembered on tuesday, january 17 at goucher college. it will be broadcast live on wbal radio and will be very well attended. >> 29 degrees on tv hill. new recommendations on how to diagnose lead poisoning. >> restricting certain antibiotics used on livestock. >> don't forget to e-mail us your response to our water cooler question of the day. do you think the same-sex marriage bill will be passed in this year's general election session? you can share your response at wbaltv.com and on our facebook page, or send us an e-mail to watercooler@wbaltv.com. >> we will have an update on your morning commute. reports of an accident on the harrisburg expressway. we will check on the rest of >> welcome back to 11

. >>> a big announcement is expected tonight from maryland state senator c. anthony news.will reportedly launch his campaign for the u.s. senate and he would take on senator ben cardin in the primary. he's been a state senator since 2007. cardin was first elected to the house of representatives in 1987 and was elected to the senate in 2006. >>> prince georges county public schools are at a crisis level. that is what some local groups are saying about the state of education in the county. now, several organizations are teaming up to form the consortium of concerned organizations. the goal, to improve the county's school system. here to talk more about the consortium of concerned organizations is bob ross, the president of prince georges county naacp. thank you for being with us tonight. first of all, i want to ask you who will make up the consortium and what kind of influence will you have in decision making on this matter? >> made up of the naacp, the administrative -- . >> and kind of influence will you have in the decision make something. >> we're going to come up with a

abuse in the state of maryland. :53 young: "i hope it might stop somebody from doing it but if ittdoesn't doothat at least peopleewill know who and where they arr." are." senatoroung says the new registry should not cost maryland taxpayers any extra money. under the plan... he believes site up and running. an unusual sight at the preeident obama's salute to the boston bruins. bruins.u-s enator john kerry was spotted with two black eyes.kerry's office says the innury came from being hit in the face with a hockey stick. the massschusetts democrat was playing with friends and a dramatic rescue...caught on camera in washington state as a snowmobiler... gets caught in an avalaache. 3((bleep!)) ((bleep!))the friends were out for a relaxing day of snowmobiling... when the snow came loose... and... in seconds.. buried the snowmobiler alive.friends of the man quickly raced in... and began digging as fast as they could... before their friend suffocated in the snow. ((he was just buried, like in concrete or an ice cube. nothing that i've ever seen before... nothing i evvr wanna see againn)) again.)) john is back home in linwood. he and hisssnowmobile seem no worse for th

. >> maryland state senator ron young introduced this bill last summer before heidi the dog was killed. the senator was working tonight, i was unable to speak with him, but i spoke with his wife karen who told me heidi's owner stepped up to help with the bill any way she could. heidi, a 7-month-old golden retriever puppy, was shot three times in the head and killed back on january 4th in frederick county. the culprit still hasn't been caught. the bill now named heidi's law would establish a state registry of people convicted of animal abuse or neglect, providing a way for the public to keep track of them, but there is potentially a bigger purpose here and that is to -- there's documented evidence people who commit abuse against people have a history of abusing animals. so to track these people is very important according to the senator. lynette kaufmann, heidi's owner, says she hopes that type of legislation might stop someone from doing to another animal what heidi's killer did to her. >> i'm thrilled about the bill selfishly because he's calling it heidi's law and i truly do feel tha

but he's a democrat of maryland. senator, what did the president say tonight that perhaps you disagree with? >> welcome you know, i thought the president's tone he set really challenged us to get the job done. he's taken action, as he can as president. but he pointed out we get more done working together. was clearly focused on creating jobs. that's what we need to do. it was clearly focused on how american -- america can be competitive in manufacturing, treynor workers, dealing with our environmental needs and energy needs. so i thought it was -- the speech tonight fully supported it. i think america will agree. let's get the job done. >> we saw several pairs of senators walking in together, democrats and republicans, making i guess making a statement that they were sitting together. who did use it with? >> i sat with roger wicker a republican from mississippi. and it wasn't just symbolic. the two of us worked together, and we want to work together to get things done for our country. i think it's a clear message that we wan

a democrat of maryland. senatorwhat did the president say tonight that perhaps you disagreed with? >> well, you know i thought the tone that the president set was the right tone. he really challenged us to get the job done. he has taken action as he can as president but he pointed out we can get more done working together. he is clearly focused on creating jobs. it was clearly phobe discussed on how america can be competitive in manufacturing, training our workers, dealing with our environmental and energy needs. i thought it was a speech that i fully supported and thought america can agree. let's get the job done. >> we saw several pairs of senators walking in together, democrats and republicans making a statement they were sitting together. who did you significant wit in there? >> i sat with roger wicker, republican from mississippi. it wasn't just symbolic. the two of us work together and we want to work together to get things done for our country. i think it is a clear message that we want to rise to the occasio

marylanders?well a significant chunk of the caah senator astle plans to support the effortssof the group ...public citizen."..as it tries to limit donations to super pacs aad 527's. 3&coming up in our 6 o'clock hour... book six weeks out.that's just one way to find great deels for airfare.find out the ábestá days of the week... to book them. them.but first... joe flacco wants a new contract...the case he makes for staying in baltimore...next in sports. ((break 3)) &p3 bruce cunningham has fox 45 morning sportt. sports. a new online banking scam. 3 how the cyber crooks are 3 tricking you.. into crooks are how the cyber banking scam.a new online o'clock hour... coming up in our 6 coming up in our 6 o'clock hour... a new online banking scam.how the cyber crooks are tricking you.. into giving ttem your information.and how to fix it... if you fall prey. prey.police arrest a half naked priest at and adult book store.i'm megan gilliland, the charges he faces this morning and the local perish he won't be i'm a bit of a tax geek. i love taxes. people say to me, "you're so lucky. after tax season, you

maryland. >>> republican state senator, nancy jacobs, hopes to challenge long-time representative dutch ruppersbergere elections. jacobs announced her run today, at jabs caddy shack in essex. she has served in the state senate since 1999. jacobs is seeking the republican nomination, so she can challenge congressman ruppersberger. >>> the president announces a sweeping new strategy today for a much leaner military. the pentagon is getting hilt -- hit with budget cuts. tara mergener reports for wjz with the latest. >> reporter: president obama made a rare appearance in the pentagon press room, to defend massive budget cuts to the u.s. military. >> so yes, our military will be leaner. but the world must know, the united states is going to maintain our military superiority. >> reporter: the military is cutting $450 billion in spending and hinted at cutting troops. pentagon officials promised the troops that remain will have the best at their disposal. >> in reality, you can face a land war in korea, and at the same time, face threats in the straits of horm uz. we have the ability with this to deal with t

amendment problems and then later in the day just like an hour ago you said the democratic senator from maryland ben cardin who is also co-sponsor this bill said that he wouldn't vote for it as it stands right now you know he had he had prior said before that he was going to vote for it but now he's been here it was constituents constituents she's change his mind so i think the internet activism and all the people calling their senators writing to their senators is really starting to help because we can see that even people who we thought were their biggest supporters are finally wavering well you know i think that you know there's always an element when constituents start writing and start calling into their senators but to me one of the most interesting things here is the online activist community do you think that this is really something new that we're seeing that we're going to start seeing more out of because reddit has been incredibly vocal in all of this and to me the only way to interpret what's actually happening in congress because before it was kind of going on in the radar none of t

that includes senator ben cardin from maryland and some tech analysts say they saw it coming. >> the pressure was already on the act, before this happened. but this made it even more visible. so even the few were left were running away from it at this moment so they don't get hit by the fallout. >> the congressional backers who pulled their support are asking fellow lawmakers to redo the bills to address the first amendment concerns. >>> well, the new movie red tails is the latest war film to hit the big screen it. tells the story of the tuskegee airmen during world war ii. alexis christoforous reports. >> reporter: red tails is the true story of the tuskegee airmen of world war ii. facing segregation and racism, this first squadron of african- american pilots won medal after medal for bravery. rapper neil plays an airman and says this story was barely mentioned in school. >> tuskegee first african- american firefighters in the u.s. air force. so, hitler -- >> he credits his father for teaching him about i airmen but says his friends didn't believe him. >> they were like, you're lyin

. >>> stacy, thanks, maryland state senator, mousse expected to amunicipal council his candidacy for official in upper marlboro tonight he would then take on a senator in the primary. >>> the latest on the republican nomination for president three candidates are joining rick perry in challenging virginia's ballot access law. perry filed a lawsuit after he failed to get the 10,000 signatures needed to get on the ballot now newt gingrich, hunts man and santorum are suing only romney and paul qualified for the march 6th ballot. >>> now iowa caucuses are behind us candidates are setting their sights on new hampshire after rick santorum's surge into a tie with romney he is coming under the spotlight with some questioning his conservative policies, romney got an endorsement from mccain and michelle bachmann decided to with draw from the race after her poor showing in iowa this week. >>> the people of iowa spoke with a very clear voice and so i have decided to stand aside. >>> make sure that we make mitt romney the next president of the united states of america and new hampshire, and new ha

select people as you can in maryland create their own jobs. >> thank you, mr. chairman. >> thank you, senator. this isn't directly on point, but i was struck by a column i read in one of the morning papers, confucianism and asia. this is a column about a young lady in vietnam who works so hard her mom is no longer with her she takes care of the kids and likes an hour and have to work. she gets up early in the morning. the point is she is driven. absolutely driven to succeed undertaking huge obstacles because she is so driven she is going to succeed and she is training to become a cpa in vietnam. part of it is the sort of confucian ethic in asia of education, striving to succeed that partly explains to some degree asians in this country tend to work harder in schools to get better grades and work so hard, etc.. so, i'm wondering in all these programs we are talking about this is hard, this is as much cultural as it is anything else. if there is an education component here that makes sense it's not just -- maybe it is an escape for the skill set but also its education to instill incentives to s

maryland. an issue that passed in the senate but stalled in the house. also on the lest an increase in the gas tax and investing in infrastructure to create jobs. governor martin o'malley is asking them to approve 370 million dollars for school construction. back to you. >> thank you very much, ron. >>> wjz is in annapolis of course and will have much more coming up at 4:00, 5:00 and 6:00. >>> the republican race for the white house moves to south carolina with mitt romney leading the pack, 2-2 after winning in new hampshire and iowa, but as randall pinkston reports there are a whole new set of challenges. >> reporter: mitt romney took a victory lap before heading south for his toughest battle yet. a win in south carolina hinges on support from both conservatives and evangelicals. >> we were winning so i hope so. >> newt gingrich is already on the ground after finishing 4th. >> this is the most important election in our lifetime. >> ron paul is savoring his second place finish. >> they say he is not electable, i don't know how they come up with that. >>

owners the choice of participating or no today the governor told a state senate hearing that legalizing same-sex marriage in marylandut protecting our children. abc2's don harrison was there has the issue was officially put on the table. >> equity and equality for everyone. >> reporter: people on both sides of the same-sex marriage issue gathered in maryland. there were clergy against the same-sex marriage bill. maryland clergy who sport bill met for breakfast this morning. >> i believe that marriage quality is very porchlt -- important. everyone should be treated the same way. >> it's not right. >> reporter: this afternoon the lawmakers got a glimpse at the bill supporting same-sex marriage at the senate judicial meeting. >> maybe we can't see into the future but 10 years down the road this would be a very different maryland if it passes. >> reporter: this year the governor changed language that would protect places of worship if they choose not to perform same-sex marriages. >> this balances protections of the individual's civil marriage rights with the importance protection of religious freedom for all. >> report