mayor stephanie rawlings-blake says there is no governing policy about its use, but kim dacey takes a look at one stadium that has a policy. >> as she defended her use of the city sky box at m&t stadium this year, mayor stephanie rawlings-blake said there are few rules governing the use of the box. the guest list shows most sky box tickets went to the mayor's family, political friends and supporters, and staff. even her campaign officials and professional fund raisers were included. >> i'm sure you would like to think there is some deep philosophy that goes behind it. no, there is no guiding principle. >> that is not the case in philadelphia. that city uses city rules about its public boxes. nutter put them in effect because too many of the tickets under a previous mayor were going to political friends and insiders. the philadelphia policy spells out how many tickets go to whom. for football, six go to the mayor, two to city council, two to city employees. the rest to nonprofit organizations for special recognition. no tickets can go to city contractors and no tickets can be used for

. >>> baltimore's mayor stephanie rawlings-blake wants to double the beverage tax. we will look at what it means for you. >>> all those stories ahead tuesday morning thanks for joining us i am megan pringle. >> i am charley crowson the let's say hello, to meteorologist lynette charles. >> good morning. >> we are looking at a terrific tuesday because we have more of it on tap it will be cooler as the highs come in near 52. the rain will push in as we go into tomorrow. and then we will see another warming trend and feel the warming trend as well. so temperatures this morning not so bad. the temperatures are above average. we should be at 29 degrees for this time of the year. and that cold front finally starting to work in we are looking at 34 degrees into woodbine and baltimore that temperature coming in at 49 degrees. it is a little breezy this morning. the wind out of the northwest so making it feel like 41 but still that is well above average. as we go through the remainder of today, not so bad in terms of the weather because once again we will be above average. th

. >>> mayor stephanie rawlings- blake says there's been progress in the past two years under her administration. now in the state of the city, rawlings-blake is proposing the largest property tax drop in decades. but the mayor's looking for ways to increase the revenue stream. she wants a three cent increase to the city's bottle tax and the money goes to improve city schools. >>> >> i am truly embarrassed by the physical conditions of some of our schools. our kids deserve better. as a mother, be a as -- and as mayor of the city, i am not going to stand by and do nothing about it. >> we will learn more about the mayor's proposal when she releases her budget expected in the next few weeks. >>> news time 5:35. news around the neighbors tv anchor in denver needed 70 stitches after an 85 pound dog bit her face during a live broadcast. kyle dyer wrote she can't talk because her mouth is stitchedshut and so blood can circulate in her lips again. she was injured on wednesday while doing an on-air seg men with the dog's owner and firefighter who rescued the dog from an icy pond the day before. >>> a bus

of mayor stephanie rawlings blake. >> at least one city has a policy that governs the use of their stadiums skybox. why no such policy here? jayne miller is live in the newsroom with more. >> the mayor suggests she is only doing what other cities do. philadelphia put in place strict rules. and she defended her years of the city skybox, mayor stephanie rawlings blake acknowledged there are few rules of knowledge in the tickets. most tickets the passed ball season went to the mayor's family, political friends, supporters, and staff. even her campaign officials and public fundraiser were included. >> i'm sure you would like to think there is a deep philosophy, but there is no guiding principle. >> in philadelphia, they use specific roles. a spokesperson said too many of the tickets under a previous marriage going to political friends and and fighters. the policy spells out who goes where. >> two to city council coming two to employees, the rest and nonprofit organizations. no tickets can go to city contractors and their ticket can be used for political fund- raising. it also requires public di

mayoo stephanie rawlings-blake announced a new 5-year deal with a new promoter...wnforce raaing."the group willlrun the baltimore grand wwekknd... froo thhs year through 2016.the new contract includes safeguards to protect the city from losing millions of dollars n unpaid taxes... llie it did last year. mayor stephanie rawlings-blake 55:48 i think it's in our best interest for our local economy, the best interest in the city, that we ove forward, but move forward without any risk to taxpayers 57 the contract will go to the board of estimates next wednesday for a final vote. city council president, jack young... who's expressed opposition to another racee.. alreadyysays his vote will be "no." g-m could be saying "you''e hired."they'rr expanding to baltimore county countygovernor martin o'malley toured the plant in whhte marsh, yesteday... where construction is underway on a new electric motor facility. phe company is developing hybrid technology that could help create hundreds of manuffcturing jobs..the ggal is to bring jobs back to the 3hem to other countries.cing

. >> if mayor stephanie rawlings- blake has her way, you'll be paying more for sodic in baltimore. she wants to raise the bottle tax. kim dacey has more. >> the new bill was introduced last night and then there were rallies in support of and in opposition to this new proposal. folks in the beverage industry gathered to voice disdain about the proposed bottle tax hike. they say the tax is hurting their business. the mayor wants to raise the tax from 2 cents to 5 cents and make the tax per minute. she wants to improve the city's schools and is willing to look at other revenue streams. >> we sat down and we talked to the industry about alternatives. i have not gotten any -- >> cui recognize that the mayor and the city council have serious problems to solve regarding our city schools. in unfair tax on beverages is not the way to resolve this issue. >> there's no timeline on when the city council will take a final vote on this measure. it appears the mayor has enough votes to make a pass. kim dacey, wbal-tv 11 news. >> it appears maryland educators want to drop the no child left behind

mayor stephanie rawlings blake wants to ride it to 5 cents and make it permanent. the bill will be introduced tonight. 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

. >>> stephanie rawlings blake announced a plan to manage the baltimore grand prix race. after a public review, the final contract is now up for vote and happening today. sherrie johnson joins us here to explain what this means. >> a few changes to make things a little bit better. racing is headed back to baltimore for a second year w a few minor management changes. the city's board of estimates is expected to approve a 5- year contract with new promoter down force racing. the 2011 baltimore grand prix, was a success, but had bad management. it brought in $47 million for the economy. and the former grand prix promoter, baltimore racing development was the center for lawsuits for not paying the bills. the contract has safeguards in place to protect the city from losing money. the city can inspect financial records at any time to check out the group's debt. the contract calls for keeping the races finances private but race organizers say city hall could choose to reveal the information. down force racing will hold events if baltimore on labor day weekend, 2012 through 2016.

mayor stephanie rawlings-blake will promote the clean community competition and will announce cash prizes to the winning community association. >>> and spring training begins for major league baseball which means the o's will be back in action. games get underway march a 5th and they will play the rays and pirates. >>> the company that controls the empire state building is filed to hold an initial public offering for the 81-year-old skyscraper. it would allow people to invest in the property. they estimate the building to be valued at 2 1/2 billion dollars. >>> the mob museum opens today in las vegas and it opened on valentine's day to remind people of the 1929 st. valentine's day massacre. >> al capone and bugsy. >>> if you want a low-key valentine try what is that? >> cadoba is how i say it. >> we will go with it. a special promotion if you go in and kiss someone you get a buy one get one free deal. what does kadoba do in. >> a mexican themed restaurant. >> taco bell? >> exactly. higher end, though. >> okay. you have to clarify who you have to smooch. we are going to keep with the valen

. >> the state of the city will be the topic get city hall as stephanie rawlings-blake gives her annualress. kim dacey is live with details. >> this is the mayor's third state of the city address and she is expected to outline her plans to improve baltimore. when stephanie rawlings-blake delivers her state of the city address, she will outline her plans to improve education and public safety as well as her goals to make everything stronger. >> this was going to be the major focus which would attract approximately 10,000 new families to a nebaltimore. >> approximate 30,000 people have left baltimore. crime stats have dropped compared to previous years. she wants to build on these lower numbers and to make city streets safer. she is expected to talk about the property-tax to cut it down to $2.20. the mayor is expected to talk about funding construction projects for schools. this could generate millions but not enough to pay for all the necessary construction. of all the issues facing the city, creating good schools is the most important. >> first because it now begins to seem realistic. w

the state of the city will be the topic this afternoon at city hall as stephanie rawlings-blake gives address. >> kim dacey has some details on what we can expect to hear it later today. good morning. >> it is the third state of the city address for the mayor and she plans to outline her plans to improve baltimore. when baltimore mayor stephanie rawlings-blake delivers her state of the city address this afternoon, she will outline her plans to improve education and public safety as well as her goals to make everything stronger. >> i think they're probably equally important because they all fit in as components of what she announced earlier in her term. it was going to be the major focus for her administration, which -- to attract approximately 10,000 new families to baltimore. >> a local polical analyst says that increase could help the city make up for the approximately 30,000 people who left between the previous two census reports. crime stats have dropped compared to previous years. a spokesman for the mayor says she wants to build on these lower numbers and will unveil her ideas t

mayor stephanie rawlings-blake is launching an initiative to improve city school buildings.'s planning on submitting the better school initiatives. it will call for an increase in funding and this is going to be paid for because of the beverage container tax. >>> the governor is calling for spending to improve education, infrastructure and more. >> it's common census. we don't need the tax breaks, you need them. >> reporter: the budget includes cuts in defense spending republicans will roll out the ways to make it better in weeks. >>> the nation's top dogs are coming together to duke it out at the westminster dog kennel club show. this is in new york city. some of the winners last night include a dalmation and a german shepherd. the best in show will be chosen this evening. >>> okay, we have gotten this incredible story coming up in ten minutes energy -- ten minutes. it's going to make you scratch your head. let me show you the weather. you'll flip out. give us ten minutes. >> it's mild overnight. we're living large. 35 degrees on tv hill. 12 degrees warmer than this time ye

there is an i-team investigation into how the box is used. >> stephanie rawlings-blake acknowledged there are few rules governing the tickets. the -- most sky box tickets went to staff. even her professional fund raiser was included. >> i'm sure you would like to think there is some deep philosophy that goes behind it, but no, there is no guiding principle. >> a spokesman for mayor michael nutter said they put them in effect because too many tickets were going to political insiders and friends. it spells out how many go to whom. for football six to the mayor, two to city council. the rest to nonprofit organizations for special recognition. no tick tickets can go to city creditors and no -- contractors and no ticket can be used for fund-raising. it also requires public disclosure of everyone who uses the sky box on a quarterly basis. >> i think baltimore could benefit from a policy similar to that. the group is pushing rollings-blake to ensure it is used for the city's purposes, not the mayor's. >> it exists because of taxpayer moins money. they really could be used. used in a way that hel

. >>> major stephanie rawlings- blake gives her goals. derek valcourt has more on the major's goals and how they could impact you. >> lower taxes and an increase on construction projects. >> we need to get baltimore growing again. >> reporter: mayor stephanie rawlings-blake says it's time to cut taxes for home values. the average homeowner with a home valued at $120,000 will see a $5 reduction by next year, $400 by the year 2020. >> under this year vacant homes do not qualify for the tax cut. vacant lots do not qualify and specklators and owners of blithed property will not get a penny of tax relief at the expense of everyone else. >> reporter: another concern the mayor addressed the condition of many city school buildings. >> i'm truly embarrassed by the physical condition of some of our schools. too many are without air- conditioning to keep kids in the classroom on hot spring day, too few computer labs, too many with water mountains that you can't drink from. >> reporter: she will submit a plan called the better schools initiative call

mayor stephanie rawlings blake wants to raise it to 5 cents and make it permanent. 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

mayor stephanie rawlings-blake has set a growth goal for the city of baltimore.oday in her state of the city address, she said she wants to grow the city by 10,000 more families over the next 10 years. she plans to improve schools, hospitals and neighborhoods. she is also working to reduce property taxes with new initiatives in the city budget. >> a new report on the baltimore area housing market shows a drop in sales and inventory during the month of january, but things may be turning around. >> a month into 2012 and is still a buyer's market in the baltimore area. january numbers just released showed january sales dropped nearly 5% from january of last year. this local realtors says that could be because of the home buyers' credit that was offered by the government. >> it was the end of 2010 into 2011 that the sales picked up. if you are comparing this january 2nd last january, it might be a slight difference. -- this january 2nd last january, it might be a slight difference. >> she says that is one of the factors that could contribute to low inventory. >> the

stephanie... rawlings-blakee../ announces.../ a... nne deal .../ to... bring.../ the... grand prix.../ back..../// is... streaming live.../ downtown.../ ááwitháá more.../ on... how the city.../ is... moving forwardd.../ this... ánextá... go-round. mayor ssephanie rawlings-blake aanounced today a new 5-year agreement with motorsports &ppromoter- downforce racing. the group wiil be in charge of organizing the baltimore grand prix every labor day weekend - froo 20-12 to 20-16. last year - tte city nd local pendors lost nearlyy2-million dollars in unpaad taxes and bills under the old promoter - baltimore racing development. comptroller is still workkng to get the ciiy's money this new contract will have specific safeguards to prottct taxpayers. as for the vendors who ost money last year - the mayor says the new promoter is committed to try to work with them again. 53:22 theyyreserve the rightt to sounddbusiness decisions. they understand what they're walking into with espect to the vendors and you know, we're supporting the work that they're going to do to try to work it out 36 after an open publi

./ stephanie... rawlings-blakeries of.../ "go red"... events .../ city--wwde...//. ááitáá starts friday.../ wwth.../ "national.../ weaa red"... day...// to... promote .../ awareness....// ááheartáá ddseass.../ is.. .the... number one .../ killer.../ of... women.../ in... baltimore.../ ááandáá the... leading cause .../ f... death.../ . srb: "heart disease is a disease thattis highly preventable, so if we do things like eat better, if we do things ike exercise, ii we do thingglikk keep account of our health by seeing our regular primary physiciin, we can add years to our lives." lives."other events... include.../ p the... "macy's"... health fair.../ and... fashion show,.../// áátheáá... annual ... "red dress"... event.../ ááandáá... the... "dance... for pour heart"... wantt... to make.../ your 20-12.... the... healthiest year... yet...///.áátheáá "b-more... healthy expo".../ in... partnerssip.../ with... "med-star"... health....// ááisáá... saturday.../ march 17th .../ at... the baatimore.../ convention.../ center...

mayor stephanie rawlings-blake pppointed an independent panee to review the shooting.... in the end... no ccimmnal charges were filed. torbit's fammly say they're still looking for justice. 15:41 what do mean by justice someone's held accountable. someone comes forward and tell the truth about the incident someone expllinssto the family why they felt ii was necessary to stand over of him to shoot him 52 the mayoo spokk at today's dedication. she says hile no one can change the past - the police department has implemenned new training procedures - so somethhng like this never happens again. live in edmondson village, ms, fox45 news at 5:30. 3 a... driier's.../ arrested .../ ááafteráá leading.../ a... state trooper.../ on... a... chase.../ thhu.../ hhrford county..../// 22-year-old... johh jaccb... nussle .../// is... charged with.../ d-u-i...//. 3 our fox45 smart board tracks the police chase. chase. it... started ... around midnight../ on... route... 155.../ near... stockton road..../// say... / when... a trooper.../ - tried...// puuling... over.../ his... chevy... co/ co

mayor stephanie rawlings-blake annoonces today detaill 3 fox 45 is ttpping up to make your 20-12 thelthiest year yet.the fox 45.. c-w bbltimore... b'more healthh expo in parrnership witt meestarhealth.... is saturday march 177h at the baltimore &pconvention center.learn about exxrcise, eating right... and b-more healthy expo-dot-com - for more information. if you're applying for a job.. there's a good chance your potential employer will check out your facebook page.bbt they ren't just looking for red flags like drinking and embarrassing pictures. ppctures.a new study says they profile to see howwsucccssful you would be in their office. they look foo a person's taste in books and music and how social they re.the study says facebook informatioo may be p-q tests that some h-r y and - departments use. long distanne relationships people anymore. anymore.an article in u-s-a today says more married couples are livvng apart than ever before.there are noo more &pthan 3 and a half million million in 1990.thatts seven bureau.a possible reason for the increase.... online dating and tough economi

stephanie rawlings blake wants to raise it to $0.50 with a bill introduced at the council meeting. the pennies could generate millions of dollars to fix crumbling school buildings, business owners say the extra cents make no sense. >> the $0.02 tax really hit us hard. now they want to go to $0.05. it's going double the impact. >> our kids deserve better. sometimes it takes tough decisions to provide a way forward. >> if approved estimates project the increase would generate $10 million a year. the city council will have the final say. >>> turning to the weather there is very little to come plain about this afternoon. taking a live look outside on a sunny, seasonally cool day with a little bit of a breeze and lots of blue sky. we have complete first warning weather coverage. marty bass in the outback with a jacket on, bernadette woods in the first warning weather center. good afternoon. >> yes, another gorgeous one. we cooled down from yesterday. look at the temperatures out there. we are already up to 49 degrees in baltimore. that is our average high. we will rise this afternoon. l

mayor stephanie rawlings-blake and her two appointees on the board voteed in favor. while young and pratt opposed the deal, citing financial concerns. young also said the city should focus on more important issues, such as improving youth recreation. >> the city fired after accumulating $12 million in debt. >>> maryland senators the wait until tomorrow to take up the legislation. opponents of the measure idea the delay to prepare their amendments and arguments. the house of delegates narrowly passed that bill friday. >>> 60-degree weather in february. right now, we're enjoying temperatures normally experienced during spring. but we're also tracking some rain headed our way. meteorologist bernadette woods and bob turk are updating our conditions. bob? >> all right. let's take a look. you can see some clouds out there. take a look at radar. there's a little batch of shower activity. far western maryland. but to the west of us, there is more activity. looks like a better chance of shower activity literally later tomorrow night, into friday morning. as another fronts and

baltimore, mayor stephanie rawlings-blake came out to announce the city's new get fresh lexington marketnitiative. the program is aimed at increasing the availability of health food options at the historical food market and eventually all of our markets. they looked at menu items and identified foods they thought were healthy enough to put their stamp of aprfl on at lexington market -- approval on at the lexington market. >>> spring training is a time to get used to the new faces. he says he is spending as much time with the new pitchers, including new pickups from taiwan and japan. veteran jason ham mel is getting into the bull pen and giving the bull pen a break eye want to give the guy who gives the bull pen a break and obviously win some ball games. can't control wins and losses but you can chew up some innings. that would be my goal. >> all right. rec lar -- regular position players have been arriving every day. tomorrow is the deadline for everyone. the first game 43 days away. we could play one today. we could play tomorrow. no one would complain. we'll be right back. >>> before w

. >>> mayor stephanie rawlings- blake is mapping out her plan to improve city schools.ight, we get a look at a plan to find out exactly how bad things are. monique griego has more from parents and administrators. >> reporter: while parents are happy that the mayor is finally taking some action, they also want to know what took so long. >> reporter: old aging units, a dilapidated door. this is what kids in halliburton academy deal with every day. >> i think it's long overdue. the schools needed repairs, years and years and years ago. >> reporter: principal anthony rubio agrees. he gave a tour inside the school. he says teachers do their best to dress things up. but it's hard to hide the outside. >> it takes away from what we're able to do with the kids. >> reporter: so many baltimore schools look like this, mayor stephanie rawlings-blake is making it her mission to improve things for kids by finding more funding for school construction. >> we are at a place where too many of our schools don't have air conditioning. too many of our schools have clouded windows. >> reporte

. >> baltimore mayor stephanie rawlings-blake will give her third state of the city address this afternoonaccording to a spokesperson, she plans to unveil her ideas for making the city safer. she will report to talk about plans to cut the property tax to $2.20 by the year 2020. she's expected to talk more about projects -- funding construction products with eight tax on bottled drinks. >> test scores are going to go up. that is what keeps things in the city. takehe address will place in city council chambers at city hall this afternoon at 2:30. president obama is unveiling of budget for next year to date. republicans are already criticizing the plans that is expected to call for letting the tax cuts on those earning more than to order $50,000 a year to expire. -- more than $250,000 a year to expire. we will have more at 5:00 and 6:00. the people of athens are cleaning up the damage left behind by sunday's massive anti- austerity riots. parts of the city are still smoldering after rioters attacked buildings and businesses. >> the response on the streets of athens was dramatic and destructiv

it's a concern mayor stephanie rawlings-blake addressed in her state of the city speech earlier this week. >> reporter: too many of our schools have clouded windows. too many of our schools have nonpottable water. we need to do better. >> her plan, boosting the tax 2 to 5 cents, the city says it will raise millions and increase its school construction budget by 140%. >> we pray that you give us strength and guidance. >> reporter: more money is an answered prayer for this group. they're members of the build organization, a grass roots group that called on the mayor today to stick to her plan, despite the opposition. >> we need her to stand clearly with us on this other than issue. and this bottle tax will be a reality. because we'll push to make it so. >> i have to ask myself, what value has this city placed on my children? >> erica gonzalez is a parent. she says repairing busted doors, replacing windows and installing central heating and air in schools are long overdue. >> reporter: that's why bills says baltimore will raise more cash faster issue as it draws private businesses to th

. >>> stephanie rawlings blake will discuss federal legislative priorities for baltimore.l. >>> michelle obama and dr. joe biden will address the governors and spouses, discussing spouse employment and what the governors can do to improve job opportunities. >>> president obama meets with members of the national governor's association at the white house. the president and first lady hosted a dinner for leaders. mr. obama told the governors they had a friend and advocate in washington. >>> rains put a damper on the 500. bad weather prompted organizers to promote the race until noon today. carl edwards has the poll for the start of the race. danica patrick starts in the back of the pack due to a crash this week. >>> the water you drink to bathe your kids in and do laundry, is it safe? hershey's air delight. experience light and airy, melty bubbles. made from pure, delicious hershey's milk chocolate. hershey's air delight. everyone wants to be the cadbury bunny. cause only he brings delicious cadbury crÈme eggs, while others may keep trying. nobunny knows easter better than ca

it's a concern mayor stephanie rawlings-blake addressed in her state of the city speef -- speech earlierweek. >> too many of our schools have clouded windows. too many have nonpoitable water -- nonpottable water. we need to do better. >> reporter: her plan to boost the tax by 3 to 5 cents. and the school says it will increase by 140%. >> we pray that you give us strength and guidance. >> reporter: more money is an answered prayer for this group. they're members. build organization, a grass roots organization that called on the mayor today to stick to her plan, despite the opposition. >> we need her to stand clearly with us on this issue and this bottle tax will be a reality. because we'll push to make it so. >> i have to ask myself, what value has this city placed on my children? >> reporter: erica gonzalez is a parent and member of build. she says repairing busted doors, replacing windows and installing central heating and air in schools are long overdue. that's why build says baltimore will raise more cash faster if it draws private businesses to the table. >> if we come together as ci

a million dollars,, sunrrse.. it hurts.. it could - put us out of business...yet: mayor stephanie rawlings blake.. is announcing its agreement with a motor sports promoter to continue the evvnt through 2216. in a eleased statement the mayor says: ""ast years racing event generated $47 million in very valuaall in terms of baltimore.""where did the 47 million dollars go...? "dozens against the ooiginal promotee.. it.. ome vendorr... businesses---- are bareey staying affoat.. (jjnet)"ww act of business.. " alttough ut - baltimore plans o have a áánewáá-event organizer.. vendors.. like sunrise.. have lots of questions::how dd they knoo..theyre gonna make money and not get urt again..what are they doing this time to maae it different?"meanwwile.. -janet. has this to say to stephanie.. the mayor:(janet))"where is helping the vendors? phey city doos decide to move - forward... they will wanttto be paiddup front this time aroundd so they dont nddup on the losing end.. financially.. again.... lv dt kc fox 45 news at 100 the earch is on tonight for thh person ho killed a man in nortteast baltimore . .277y

the city of baltimore is facing a 50-million dollar budget deficitt but mayor stephanie rawlings-blake a money mess. in her "state of the city" address,,the mayoo outlinee her goals and priorities for the next year. her plans include a both a tax incrrase,... and a tax cut... as well as a proposal to close some city schools and remodel others. she's pushing for passage of a new bottle tax increase that would generate an estimated 23- million dollars a year she says the money is necessary to make improvements to schools. <"it's a new tax and it's one we need to pass now... make it happen now."> now."> the mayor also beginning this year. the cut s would be 2 cents on a dollar. city council must approve her final budget plan. 3 the race forrthe republicaa presidential nommnation... appears to be a tie between mitt romney and rick santorum. santorum.that's according to two national polls.the latest gallup daily tracking poll shows 32-peecent of registered republicans favor romney... with 30-percent favoring santorum.newt gingrich trails behind with 16-percent... and ron paul with 8-percent

. >> stephanie rawlings'-blake placed a heavy emphasis on the goal of growing the city by 10,000 families over the next decade. she believes that people will move here if they can count on good schools, a feeling of safety and a reasonable commute to work too well paying jobs. to that extent, the mayor wants to extend the free bus service. she says connecting emerging neighborhoods to downtown jobs is key. >> today i am proposing that we extend the purple line of the circulator up to 33rd street, connecting 10 stations with johns hopkins and the charles north community, serving as a catalyst for future growth. >> tonight at 11:00, we will have more on her take on crime, taxes and the embarrassing state of baltimore city schools. >> thank you. today president obama unveiled his budget for fiscal 2013. it calls for nearly $4 trillion in cuts over the next 10 years, the republican lawmakers are already saying it is just the same old ideas. we are in washington with the latest. >> president obama says this budget takes a balanced approach while critics charge is nothing more than a campaign d

mayor stephanie rawlings-blake will deliver her state of the will take place at 2-30 this afternoon. it's streaming live at "live-dot- baltimore-city-dot-gov."you can also follow long through phe mayor's twitter feed "@mayor s-r-b"....or with the hashtag "state of tteecity." 3 the trial resumes today... in the yeardley love 3 george huguely is accused of killing the cockeysville native.... after a fight in her apartment... near the &punnversity of virginia. hugheley broke down in tears in the courtroom friday whhn prosecutors played the tape of his conversation with police after yeardly was killed.this week... testimony is expected to focus on the medical evideece in the case. prosecutors maintained shee huguely's lawyers have said her death was an accident. and stay with fox45 for continuing coverage of the yeardley love murder trial.you can get the latest updates around the clock.... on our facebook page....at facebook dot com slash fox baltimore.... and on our website, fox baltiiore dot com. and as with all of our content... it's free. a grammy awards tribute... andd more question

. >>> stephanie rawlings blake will deliver the state address. the speech also will be tweeted via the twitter feed. hash tag is state of the city beginning at 2:30. >>> rally set for today in annapolis in support of same sex marriage. those in favor lobbying lawmakers to host a rally as members in the senate and house consider moving legislation to the full chambers. >>> autopsy is complete on whitney houston. results won't be released until toxicology results come back, that could take six to eight weeks. the singer was found in the bathtub. >>> one area doctor is remembering time spent with whitney houston during high school years in new jersey. sherrie johnson has more on those two friends. >> news of whitney houston's death hit many people hard. folks still in shock and many remembering the good times and the pure enjoyment her music brought to so many people. a doctor has dusted off her 1981 yearbook to share personal memories and pictures. dr. maria went to mount st. dominic academy in caldwell new jersey. she shared home room, gym and fre

. >>> today baltimore city mayor stephanie rawlings-blake unveiled the plan to increase the healthy food options at the lexington market. it hopes to increase demand for healthy food, local produce and fitness activities. it's all part of the get fresh public market's initiative, which the city hopes to respond-- exspand -- expand. >>> president obama, the first lady and former first lady laura bush joined in on the ground breaking museum for the national museum of african-american hex and skull culture. it will showcase artifacts and reflecting african-american history. the president says the museum is a long time coming. >> it's also fitting that this museum has found a home on the national mall. as it's been mentioned, it was on this ground long ago that lives were once traded, hundreds of thousands once marched for freedom. it appears the pillars of our democracy were built often by black hands. >> the museum would be the first green building on the national mall. it's scheduled to open in 2015. >>> in today's tough job market, just landing an interview is often a real accomplishment

. >>> stephanie rawlings blake will deliver the third state of the city address. follow the remarks on twitter at mayor, srb. speaking to the council chamber at city hall. the remarks begin at 2:30. >>> mayor expected to finalize agreement with operator of the grand prix this week. in a statement friday , the mayor said the city would announce turns of a five year deal on wednesday. rawlings blake has not said who the city is negotiating with to operate the racing festival. they terminated contract with racing development after they failed the pay 1.5 million dollars they ode to the city. >>> time for ravens news, and the kicker says teammates helped him putting in everything in perspective. he accepted an alumni award in des moines. teammates support has been impressive. let's talk about the weather. we have been talking about the temperatures and the windchill, it feels like we are in the teens, you've heard me talk about the dew points or measure of the moisture in the air, or in the teens this morning. a big factor in the weather. we are going to be plenty of

major stephanie rawlings blake said she would consider increasing the tax to raise money for schools. business owners say the tax would drive customers to the suburbs and do away with grocery shopping. >>> investigators are trying to determine what caused an apartment fire in prince georges county. it happened on the second floor of a 3-story building. firefighters rescued two people who were trapped inside of the building, both taken to the hospital with smoke inhalation. up to 9 apartments damaged in the fire. >>> a volunteer firefighter is injured while battling a house fire and scheduled to undergo skin graft today. 7 firefighters were hurt battling the fire on friday night. injured when a burst of fresh air from the rear of the house created a fire ball inside. >>> police are gathering more evidence in a home invasion, it happened yesterday morning on allegheny avenue. a man returned home to find a burglar inside, he says the suspect shot him and ran away. the victim went to the hospital and expected to recover. the police found the shooting suspect. >>> update on the proposed mt

. >>> stephanie rawlings blake says the city is finalizing agreement with the new operator of the baltimoregrand prix, going to announce terms on wednesday. last week, the grand prix held over labor day weekend, n december. terminated the contract with the race's organizers, racing development after the group failed to pay, 1 and a half million dollars they owed to the city. >>> news around the nation, army of volunteers could spend sunday at a landfill and recycling center, there to help look throughtons of paper. sheriff's office believed powell made a trip there saturday one day before he killed his sons and killed himself. authorities are scouring a site near california searching for victims of the speed freak killings. they found hundreds of bone fragments. the killings started in the 80s, lasted for a decade. mats from death row inmate led investigators there. he says he had an alleged partner in the crime. they dumped victims after killing them in on going drug fueled murder sprees. authorities believe they killed 20 people total. >>> arrest made in the case of a video taped beating

. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >>> stephanie rawlings blake celebrates black history month at the andrew white building. will speak about dreams no longer deferred, discussing experiences as woman of color and the challenges she has overcome in her career. >>> today is national black hiv and aids awareness day. groups are gathering, raising awareness about the threat of hiv and aids within the community. >>> president barack obama hosts second white house science fair celebrating student winners and science technology and math competitions from across the country. and helping make more students excel in the subjects. >>> big apple welcoming home lombardi trophy. new york city host as ticker tape parade for the super bowl xlvi champions. procession rolling through heart of manhattan and end with the ceremony where mayor bloomberg will present the team with a key to the city. >>> teachers are under investigation for child abuse. >> coming up next, what what all the teachers have to replace. >>> mitt romney says he thinks komen should not give money to planned parenthood. his seasons when we continue. >>>

. >> near stephanie rawlings blake knowledge there are few rules governing the tickets. the guest list shows most skybox tickets went to the mayor's family, political friends and supporters, and staff. even her campaign officials and professional fund-raiser were included. >> i am sure you would like to think there is some philosophy that those behind it. >> that is not the case in philadelphia. that city uses specific roles. a spokesman for the mayor says the rules were put into effect because too many tickets were going to political friends and insiders. it spells out how many tickets go to whom. for a football, 6 go to the mayor, to to city employees, the rest to nonprofit organizations. no tickets can go to city contractors and no ticket can be used for political fund-raising. the philadelphia policy requires public disclosure of everyone who uses the skyboxes on a quarterly basis. >> baltimore could benefit from a policy that is similar to that. >> she is with a watchdog group, common cause. >> the reason why the skyboxes exist for the city's benefit is because it -

bottle tax in the city and will come to a head with the mayor presenting her plan mayor stephanie rawlings-blake wants to raise the tax from two cents to five cents to help build better schools. the new tax is estimated to generate $10 million a year and is one part of the equation. the city hopes to get $300 million in bonds to pay for the plan. >> you're looking live at our bay bridge from the eastern shore. we have two rough days to get this great one. it's all worth this. meteorologist wyatt everhart has a pretty good start to the last week of february. >>> only in reference to this winter would we say sunny and upper 40s was a rough weekend to get through. that's how we finished up. this is not bad. sunshine. we warmed up significantly today in the mid-60s in spots. now we're in the low 60s, baltimore, washington. cooler on delmarva. 61 in the high country of hagerstown. a steady southerly wind has continued to keep us warm into the evening. those are beginning to turn west. that will bring in chillier air. through the day we're talking about temperatures being quite a bit reduced by 12 to

. >>> tonight mayor stephanie rawlings-blake is presenting her plans to build better school unless thety, a

. >> tonight, baltimore mayor stephanie rawlings-blake said she was doing nothing wrong and how she used the skybox. as jayne miller explains, one of watchdog group is calling for a change. >> ravens tickets are a tough item for the average fan, not so much for income in the mayor's family. the use of the city skybox was to be a family affair. this is going to be a game where it is exclusively family in the box, the mayor's assistant wrote when another city official asked for tickets. unfortunately, there is nothing, she went on. in the thanksgiving day game against the corner, there was a special request. i am requesting your tickets, one for his brother and three for his fraternity brothers. parking, food, and drinks are also included, courtesy of the taxpayer. think they are excluded. most are city residents. >> the mayor repeated that rational when asked about other cities skybox guests for political supporters. guest for the game against the texans included three people who hosted a fund-raiser for the mayor earlier in the year. unions often not tickets, including the powerful servi

. >>> major stephanie rawlings blake will deliver the state of the city address starting at 2:30, it will be live streamed on the website, it will be tweeted via the mayor's twitter feed. mayor srb is where you can finds wit the hash tag stay to the city. an agreement with a new operator of the grand prix, the terms of the five year deal will be released on wednesday. rawlings blake has not said who the city will be nee negotiating with. they failed to pay 1.5 million dollars it owed to the city. >>> breaking news, pittsburgh area, live pictures of the fire at the mystic mountain ski lodge. investigators say a worker in side the lodge made the first call around 8:00 last night, that fire is still burning. at the peak, 150 firefighters on the scene as well as pennsylvania state police and medics, one firefighter was treated for smoke inhalation, no word on the cause. >>> hollywood video maybe closed but can they still collect their overdue fees. >> why the better business burreau says before you write the check, make sure you owe them money. >>> welcome back. they went out of business

. >>> later this morning, mayor stephanie rawlings blake will unveil an initiative to make it easier to identify healthy food oomses at lexington market. they hope to expands the strategy to more than 100 carry out vendors across baltimore six public markets. >>> some businesses offer places for employees to workout, georgia power is one of the companies recognizeed by the american heart association. if you don't have access to a gym like this or the time, there are things you can do to incorporate the 30 minutes of exercise in your routine. walk down the hall with a colleague, use the stairs instead of elevator, when parking look for a spot that's furthest away from the front door. >> walk to the entrance. if you use public transportation, getting to work, get off the bus at the stop before the one you need. >> go for a good old fashion walk during a break. it's simple, free and great for your heart. >> do jumping jacks. this next story is raising eyebrows. teachers are eligible to get plastic surgery procedure, no cost to them, taxpayers are the ones footing the bill. the buffalo s

[applause] and thank you, mayor stephanie rawlings-blake, for baltimore's extraordinary leadership in saving lives and driving a violent crime down to record lows. [applause] thank you and welcome to embassador -- the ambassador of mexico, ambassador michael collins of ireland, the ambassador from japan, and the ambassador of korea. and thank you, katie o'malley and attorney general current, and meet members of the cabinet for your high confidence, effectiveness, delivering results and caring about every citizen that we serve. and thank you to the men and women of the maryland general assembly, for putting the best interests of the families of maryland first and for making the right decisions, however tough, however unpopular, with the sake of the better future our children deserve. my fellow marylanders, we are here because we care about people, all people, every person, every family. and we know that in order to tackle the challenges we have and get all our citizens back to work, we must act as the people. five years ago in our first state of the state together, i declared before yo

stephanie rawlings-blake introduced a tax. she says that would bring in $10 million a year and that would be great for fixing up schools. but opponents say it would hurt families and cause retailers to cut jobs. city council is expected to vet on the vote on the bill in the next few months. >>> the shopping bag tax, talking about upping the gas tax. when is enough enough? are they nickel and diming us to death out here or is this what has to happen to keep the budget paid? no need to keep your thoughts in check. send them to mcginty's mail bag. the address is mailbag@wusa9.com. the national air and space museum announcing a number of activities surrounding the arrival of the space shuttle discovery. organizers said a boeing 747 will carry discovery from the kennedy space center to the dulles airport. and the shuttle will head to the nearby center, the large annex of the air and space museum and there will be a parade. the shuttle will be escorted by the u.s. marine and astronauts. >>> what a difference a leap day makes. every

today mayor stephanie rawlings-blake joined in thaiz -- and thanked them. >> how important it is to havedictionary at home. >> schools across the city benefit from the rotary club's donations each year. >> they highlighted the needs for better services for the disabled. they also wanted to thank the governor. part of the money raised by the tax is supposed to be used for the additional services. after the rally the group met with legislators to make their goals quite clear. i remember the days before copd. my son and i never missed opening day. but with copd making it hard to breathe, i thought those days might be over. so my doctor prescribed symbicort. it helps significantly improve my lung function, starting within 5 minutes. symbicort doesn't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden symptoms. with symbicort, today i'm breathing better, and that means... game on! symbicort is for copd, including chronic bronchitis and emphysema. it should not be taken more than twice a day. symbicort may increase your risk of lung infections, osteoporosis, and some eye problems. tell your doctor if you hav

. >> stephanie rawlings blake joining other lawmakers today as they discuss federal legislative prioritiesfrom baltimore taking place at 11:30 in a ceremonial room at city hall. >> peter fran chough will deliver savings initiatives. taxpayers can deposit portions of refunds in to two different bank accounts of one or more financial institutions. >>> catholic based hospital ran in to financial problems a after a lawsuit controversy that flared up. the constitution could be purchased by a non-catholic hospital system. >> wattta had discomfort in his elbow and reevaluated in the next few days. >>> prom season is around the corner. some girls don't have the much to afford what they want. >> one is working to change that. sherrie johnson has a preview of what is done to match the girls with the perfect dress. >> this is all so exciting. i can remember prom season. it wasn't that long ago but a exciting time for teenagers. we are here at the baltimore marriott inner harbor, they are gearing up for the priceless gown project. this is an event to help girls afford their prom. some dresses are just

. >>> also today, baltimore mayor stephanie rawlings blake will deliver the third state of the city addressollow it at mayor srb on twitter. >>> mayor expected to finalize agreement with two operator -- new operator and the baltimore grand prix. the mayor said the city would announce terms and a deal wednesday. rawlings blake has not said who the city will be negotiating with. the city terminated the contract with baltimore racing development after they failed to pay $1.5 million they owed to the city. >>> temperature was 14 degrees and finally warm enough. >> what brought hundreds of people out and why they were able to pull this off. >>> tomorrow is valentines day, how you can turn up the heat in your relationship for the holiday. tips and things you need to know coming up in the health report on this monday, february 13th, that's a live look at amsterdam, ice in the river. you are watching good morning maryland. back in just a few moments. >>> 200 people braved the winter weather, on sundays for the city's snowball competition. the event had been postponed because of the severe cold grip

even more for bottled drinks and a cigarette mayor's staff and make rulings like -- mayor stephanie rawlings blake has signed end and people are taking sides pretty mayor wants to raise the tax from 2 cents to 5 cents and make the tax permanent and the hopes of collecting $3 million. she as she is willing to look at other revenue ideas. >> we sat down and talk to the industry about alternatives. i have not gotten any feedback other than no bottle tax them know we all recognize that the mayor and city council have serious problems to solve regarding our city schools. and on unfair and discriminatory tax on beverages is not the way to resolve this issue. >> there is no time line and when the city council will vote on this bill but the mayor appears to have enough votes to pass it. the mayor is in washington, d.c. to testify before a subcommittee to discuss wastewater infrastructure needs. she is giving baltimore's congressional delegation a capitol hill wish list. the mayor told lawmakers that in addition to more school funding, she is seeking money to help train police officers. and resources to tu