Transcripts For WBFF Fox 45 Morning News 20091218

a massive watermain break in it northeastern baltimore. the effort to get things back to normal this morning. give the gift of the warmth this holiday season. find out how you can grant a warm holiday wish. it's the biggest movie release of the year literally. the record-breaking budget buster that is hitting threaters this weekend. good morning, it's friday, december 18th. i'm patrice harris. we have so much to talk about this morning. we're going to start off with a school closing to tell you about. mergosola high school in the city is now closed because there's no water pressure. staff does have to report to the school, however. and of course that huge watermain break causing a lot of problems and that is one the schools impacted by that. we are going to try to cheer things up here. give the gift of warmth to somebody this week. we are collecting donations all morning long right here at fox 45. we're asking you to come out bring coats, hats, scarves, coats anything that you can donate to those who will need it this holiday season. will you get to meet the morning crew. we will be out there and more importantly you will help those who need it this winter. we are located at 2000 west 41st street. come on out, we are there starting right now until 9:00 a.m. and if people needed warm clothing it's today into the weekend. meteorologist steve fertig is here with a look at snow that is on the way, oh my goodness. >> a lost snow headed in our direction. there's snow lovers out there. >> we have had some this winter, but this is first big hit. >> check out the sky hd radar, but we are talk about the lake-effect to the north. that is not what we're talking about. what we're referring to is that which is in the southeast. that's a lot of moisture. that is a lot of cold air, when it months into the cold air. you can see a winter storm warning for the entire viewing area, with one exception around somerset, worcester and wacomico county all under a winter storm watch. everybody is going to get their share, 6-10 inches of snow for the central part of the state and the mix to the southeast extreme. here is what you can expect, about 2 inches overnight tonight, and 2-4 inches through the daytime, and 2-4 inches through tomorrow night, which means a total of 6 to 12 inches, 6-10 but isolated areas of 12. that is what is coming our way. the temperatures are on the cool and the mid-to upper 20s throughout the area. we should get to 70 degrees for the high. today the calm before the winter storm. right now we will see what is happening on the roadways, well. we have lauren cooke in for candace dold. she has the traffic edge. >> reporter: thank you very much. we're still dealing with the effect of the massive watermain break in baltimore. if you're traveling through that area, the chute will be hectic. argue on avenuargon avenue rema. crews were out there yesterday trying to repair this mass and that roadway looked like a river. be aware with these cold temperatures that there could be icy patches. you may want to stick with havenwood ride as an alternate route. no problems to report from 795 to 95 you're looking at an 11-minute trip with an average speed of 55 miles per hour. that good news will continue if you're traveling along the southbound lanes of the 95 from beltway to route 32, you're looking at an 11-minute drive with an average of 59 miles per hour. unfortunately we're having a glitch on the computer system but no problems to report at the tunnels. it should be smooth sailing if you're traveling through the fort mchenry or the harbor tunnel this morning. that's a look at the morning travels. patrice, let's send it back to you. water restrictions have been lifted for anyone who uses baltimore city water. there was one in place yesterday after a huge watermain break in the city that we have been talking about. it happened at the intersection of hillard road and argon drive. this morning the water has stopped gushing down the street but the damage is done. megan gilliland what people are waking up to this morning and i guess there's progress if the water restrictions are lifted. >> reporter: there's progress. you can take a look over my shoulder and see that crews are still very busy on the scene. they worked over the night, and we are told that the pipe has been lifted out of the ground. they're working to repair it as quickly as possible. we are told, the good news here is that the restrictions are no longer in place right now and all of these customers should have their water back on and their heat back on. there were 15bge customers that did not have any heat. we are told that has all been restored. we are slowly making progress here this morning. our crews were first on the scene. take a look at the video that they captured. the more than 70-year-old watermain broke around 4:30. that brought down the chlorinate or at the mon tell belo station. that water plant supplies water to the county residents. the watermain caused a gas main break. that is where bge customers were affected. this is the 11th watermain break in the city. a scene that has become all too familiar. mayor sheila dixon says the aging infrastructure is to blame. >> you talk to stimulus. this is iprime exampl a prime et stimulus money. >> reporter: meanwhile argon road is closed and could be closed for should time. back to you. do you now how long they will keep the watermain break. and people want to get back to business. >> reporter: we got off the phone with the department of watermain works. they say it's hard to he predict how long it's going to take to fix. once the pipe is fixed there's a lot of work that is going to feed to be done at argon drive, they are going to need to repave this and for the folks who drive through here, it could be days and some tell us some weeks before this infrastructure could be fixed. reporting live, i'm megan gilliland. fox 45 morning news. you could see more from the watermain break from our website. go to foxbaltimore.com/raw news. coming up it's a christmas story with a lot of hip. how you can join baltimore's hip-hop community to make a miracle on cathedral street. and there's plenty of snow on the way for later it's a hip-hop christmas story. you can join baltimore's hip-hop community in making a miracle on cathedral street. aaron tanner is live this morning with all of the details for our hometown hot spot. i think we have -- there we are. hey, aaron; good morning. tell me what is a hip-hop christmas? >> we are bringing a lot of baltimore hip-hop artist. we have a lot of different artists that are coming down here to basically redo the kids of baltimore city and christmas carols. we have the arts and crafts for all of the kids as well. >> it sounds like fun and i know you have someone there to perform for us this morning? >> yes, we do. we have miss arlet with the christmas ca carols. >> let's hear it. ♪ roas chestnuts roasting on ann fire ♪ ♪ jack frost nipping at your nose ♪ miracle on cathedral street is at the eniad pratt library. for more information log on to foxbaltimore.com/morning. i'm pretty sure that wasn't hip-hop but i liked it anyway. sky watch hd radar is looking pretty good. it's looking fine right now. but guess what, that is not going to stay that way. it's going to change a whole lot. let's see what is happening at the northeast. a lot of rain. is there going to be a lot of rain. it's all going to come in overnight tonight. when the storm comes in place, from pennsylvania and down the southeast extreme around the eastern shore. it looks all right, doesn't it? no because now we have a winter storm warning it changed from the winter storm watch. saturday it's going to be a big snow fall as the low pressure center heads up the eastern seaboard. we will get the nor'easter, it could mean heavy snow and depending on the track which looks favo favorable for all ofo get heavy snow unle only the southeast is looking to get rain. overnight showing on the future scan, that is where it begins, but it doesn't end there, it continues through tomorrow as we get the low pressure center moving up to the north and east. that low pressure center brings a little bit of insult to injury as we get right snow overnight into saturday night into sunday. it's the saturday snow storm that is going to bring us the bulk of the snow. how much? if you're in the central part of the state, 6 to 12 inches here. 6 to 12 inches eastern shore, to the south 6-10 inches. and a mix as i was saying a little rain mixing in with the snow only for the south extreme of the area. most of us are going to see a healthy dose of snow. 20 degrees at the inner harbor. the dew point still leaves room for the temperatures to drop this morning as we check out the temperatures, you will see we're at 29 degrees in baltimore. surrounding areas in the low to mid-20s. a chilly day to start the day and it will be chilly throughout the day. the windchill effect only having to the northwest. a northeast wind at 5-10. mostly cloudy though, it's quiet for today until nighttime over notice tonight. 37 for the central part of the state and back to the west, the temperatures there around 36 degrees, much chilly in the higher elevations in the mid-20s there. tonight it looks like the snow begins to arrive. it will be lighter tonight, but still picking up an inch or two overnight tonight. 28 degrees for the overnight low. the 10-20-mile-an-hour wind. the winds will stay up through the night period, when we get the heavy snow. that will add more of a problem. 30 degrees for the high, but the snow 6-12-inch snow fall we expect. 34 degrees drying out by sunday. if you're headed to the ravens game, it looks like you will have drier conditions as mostly cloudy skies turn partly cloudy through the game. 36 degrees for monday, 34 on tuesday, and the same for wednesday and thursday as far as the mid-30s with a mix of sun and clouds. if you're going to the game, dress warmly even though it won't be snowing then t will be very cold. fox 45 sky watch weather is at your finger tips. iradar is available at foxbaltimore.com. you can use the fox 45 powerful doppler radar to track the incoming storms. go to foxbaltimore.com and click on iradar. now lauren cooke is back with another check of the traffic edge. >> reporter: thank you, steve. well, we're dealing with several incidents, but let's take a look at our speeds. we're looking at 47 miles per hour in the northeast corridor of 95. 6:64 on the top side of the beltway. we do dip side and we're up to 66 on the south side of 95 at howard county. we're still dealing with the effects of that watermain break at northeast baltimore. argon drive remains shutdown. you want to use woodhaven road as an alternate route. crews were out there trying to repair this mess and that roadway was just flooded like that, as you can see. just a total mess in the area. megan gilliland is live all morning and she will bring you updates as they become available. we're also dealing with another watermain break in pikesville. this is going to take one of the northbound lanes at avalon way. more problems if you're traveling in glen burnie. we have a crash on the outer loop lanes at route 295, do watch out for. that as we take a live look at the beltway at liberty road, you will see cars zipping by just fine, no problems to report. as we make our way to the northeast corridor of the beltway, it's going to be a smooth ride from parkville up to towson. that's a look at the morning travels, patrice, let's send it back to you. >> reporter: lauren, thank you. it's so cold out here. fortunately i have a hat, and scarf and a nice and warm jacket to keep me warm but not everybody has that. we are asking to you take part in our holiday wishes campaign with us. we are asking you to come to our station from now until 9:00 and bring some coats and some jackets, and some gloves and all the things that people need to stay warm this morning. we are partnering with st. vincent de paul to try to keep people warm. chris vincent is here with st. vincent de paul for the last couple of years and this makes a difference for people who need it. >> slotly with the weather coming in this weekend, we have a lot of people that are going to come to us, looking for scarves, and coats, and gloves. >> tell me who will receive some of these coats and jackets. >> the mobile clothing bank takes the cats, and we sort them out, and we do it by agai gended site and take them to homeless shelters and the people who are there can get the coats free of charge. >> reporter: we need your help and as soon as you step outside and feel the cold air, just remember those who wouldn't have the luxuries that you have, and maybe stop by our station, bring us a coat, the scarves, something along those lines. we are at 2000 west 41st st >>investors were jittery thursday as the dollar rebounded against the euro. the s&p 500 sled 5 priers. ben bernanke has been cleared for a second term as the chairman of the federal reserve. some senators accused ben bernanke of failing to see the housing bubble and going to far with the bank bail out. the number of americans qualifying for unemployment benefits fell. economist expected a small decrease. this is second week with a small declean. continuing claims were also up slightly. passengers planning to fly british airways over the holidays can breathe a sigh of relief. a judge has blocked a strike that could have started on december 22nd. the airline says it's delighted by the ruling but the air labor union say the dispute is not settled and they may vote again to strike. for business brief. i'm stan case. coming up a massive watermain break floods part of baltimore. we have the latest from the scene and a live report. >> we just had dinner last week. >> i told that -- >> and relax with a laugh in the final days before christmas. the low down on hugh grant and sarah jessica parker newest romantic comedy. 21:00 is the time. , for fox. (announcer) let's say you have quintuplets, and you're shopping with jay, john, joel, jake and joe ...only joe is growing faster hi. i need that suit in a larger size. (announcer) well, with sears store to home, we'll find exactly what you're looking for. and we can either ship it to you for free, or i can find it for you at another sears. shipping! (announcer) store to home. there's more ways to shop your way at sears. life. well spent. airborne guy: i first started taking airborne to help support my immune system when i travelled. but then i realized ... there are so many other times my immune system could use help. sfx: waaaaaahhh! wife: guess who's teething? airborne guy: like whenever life gets a little out of control ... daughter: daddy, meet snake. airborne guy: or any time life catches up to you. anncr: airborne helps support your immune system with a special blend of ... zinc, ginger, echinacea, and 13 other vitamins, minerals and herbs - plus a blast of vitamin c! sfx: kissing sound wife: 'night dear. airborne guy: try airborne. it's good for you when life is not. claimant gate is the latest scandal heating up opinions from copenhagen to washington. they got e-mails from the climatic unit, they say the global warming is fake and the statistics are being manipulated. meanwhile the climate talks is the last day at copenhagen. political commentator armstrong williams is joining us from the washington wrap. good morning, armstrong. >> good morning, patrice. >> let's talk about these e-mails because people who are against global warming, say these e-mails prove that it's fake. but those who are for global warming, say no, it's proof. i guess, it matters how you spin it. >> there's nothing that you can spin here. the fact is that these e-mails were destroyed. these e-mails clearly indicate that global warming took place long before there were humans and nature and earth always had a way of correcting itself. they even pointed out what happened during the ice age and how nature as the built in mechanisms that take care of these kinds of issues and how this is huge business, and statistics. they did not want to get bot publipublicdomain, because too s and industries are at stake. it shows which is disheartening that the science community can be corrupted if they have a large agenda. to answer the question correctly to those who want to dismiss it and continue on. it's like an ideology, sometimes they invest so much in the conservative philosophies, that even when the truth stairs in the face they will become so entrenched. >> they will say it's the coal and oil industries who are pushing propaganda and trying to make things appear the way they want it to be and that global warming does exist. the hottest years of all come recently. that they will debunk what the other side is saying. i guess it's spinning it on both sides. let's talk about the copenhagen talks because that is the newest thing going on and it has not gone smoothly. has anything been accomplished with setting the worldwide standards for climate control and how we move forward from here? >> reporter: the problem is china is at the table and president barack obama and this admnistration has made it clear that they're not going to sign on to these treatise and this agenda unless china greece to have its emissions monitored in its country. and china says, there's no way that you and this propaganda are going to come into our territory and monitor our emissions. they see the hypocracy of it. china understands what they're trying to do. they're trying to put them in a box. if the president holds his word that china has to be on the board before the united states will sign on fully. >> so the talks end today, where do we go from here? >> we're going to where, because let me tell you. they have not had a chance to digest the substantial e-mails. you can say whatever you want about the oil companies and these other global corporations that pushing these agendas because it affects their bottom line. all you need to do when the soviet union got ahold of these e-mails through encrypting messages that they were able to die cipher. when you go i was able to read them. not only is it shocking. it's devastating it's total betrayal and you realize what a fraud it is. au you have to do is follow the chain of e-mails and clearly they're perpetrated a fraud and want to continue. >> armstrong, we will leave it there. have a great weekend. merry christmas if we don't see you before then. >> the same to you, patrice. >> thank you. ♪ that's our promise. that's ingredients for life. safeway. that's why we created the tide "loads of hope" program, a free laundry service that provides clean clothes to families affected by disasters. [ woman ] it feels so good to be able to know that i've got clean clothes. you don't know how very basic essentials are until you have none. ♪ this is what gives us hope. [ female announcer ] you too can join us by purchasing a tide vintage t at tideloadsofhope.com. [ whispering ] i'm gonna catch santa. what are you going to do with that rope? tie him to the christmas tree. sweetie, you can't even tie your shoes. go to bed, mom. [ female announcer ] it's the most wonderful time of the year and walmart's here to help. starting saturday at 8:00 a.m. through december 24th, buy an ipod nano for $145 and get a $50 itunes gift card. find more specials at walmart.com/holidaysavings. save money. live better. walmart. welcome back to fox 45 morning news, 6:30 is the time. i'm patrice harris. it's cold outside this morning. and it's going to be that way all through the weekend. we're going to get to that in just a few minutes. first we have a school closing to tell you about this morning. mergotola high school in the city is closed due to low water pressure. the staff has to report to the school. as you can imagine the huge watermain break in the city is causing all kinds of problems. we will have more on that in a few minutes. first we want you to give the gift of warmth to someone in need this holiday season. we are holding our warm holiday wishes winter coat and accessory drive this morning. all morning long we're collecting donations right here at fox 45. you will get to come on out, you will meet the morning crew and more importantly you will help those in need stay warm this winter. we're asking you to bring out new or gently used coats, hats, scarves, gloves n anythin n anyt you use to keep warm that you know others will need to keep warm. we will be out there all morning long from now until 9:00 a.m. if you have already stepped outside this morning, you know just how cold it is. meteorologist steve fertig is here to fill in the details. and if you're not moved to bring something for others today, then i don't know what weather will do it for you, because it's cold out there. >> either way, you will be moving, quickly today. yesterday we were talking about -- we said all week that we were expecting some snow. the question was how much and we were talking about the two different scenario and possibilities. >> we got the high-end. >> what did we see scenario number one out there where we see two separate systems coming through and we see a lot of snow. guess what, we're getting scenario number two and we're getting a stronger low pressure center bringing us significant snow and it's going to bring us to the south and the tennessee valley and the mid-atlantic and new england. you will see owl o all of the sw which will become snow. there's a winter storm warning for the entire area of maryland and the exception down being the southern part of the eastern shore where we have a winter storm watch in place. either way, we're getting some snow. 6-12 inches of it, as a matter of fact in the central part of the state. 3-6 as you go east of there. a little bit of a mix for the sliver south and east. today will be 26 degrees or so for the high with mostly cloudy skies. it stays dry for the time being, but that snow moves in later tonight. i will spell it all out. right now lauren cooke is here with the traffic edge. lauren. >> reporter: thank you, steve. we're dealing with icy conditions out there, especially in the areas where we have watermain brakes. the first is going to be in pikesville. this is going to be on the northbound lanes of reisterstown road at avalon way is taking one of outer lane breaks. argon drive remains shutdown at tivoli avenue you want to stick with havenwood road as an alternate route. as we take a look crews were out there repairing this mess. and megan gilliland is live all morning bringing you the latest developments as they become available. better news if you're traveling on 95, no problems to report if you're cruising along the northbound lanes. we're looking at a 6-minute drive with a high average speed of 60 miles per hour. no problems to report if you're using from the tunnels, 295 you're looking at a 9-minute drive with an average speed of 52 miles per hour. you're look at an 8-minute drive with an average speed of 55 miles per hour and the west side of the beltway is clear from the harrisburg expressway you're looking at an 8-minute drive with an average speed of 54 miles per hour. that's a look at the morning travels. patrice, let's send it back to you. water restrictions have been lifted this morning for the entire city and surrounding jurisdictions after a 42-inch watermain break. it burst yesterday afternoon at the intersection of hill less lp road and argue on driv argon drg water gushing through the streets. our crews were the first to arrive. we are shown the incredible scene. >> it's a desaster. look the world -- it's the end of the world. it looks like the center of the earth is coming snup, i have is. >> i have never seen anything like it in my life. >> there's water everywhere. >> we're concerned about people staying in their homes. >> i'm really glad that i don't live here. >> so this is the fraternity house. just here visiting my brother. >> we have a massive flood in front of our house. >> we are kind of stuck here because there's no car. >> it's over with for today. >> someone's alarm is going on. that's a mercedes. oh my gosh! >> i was not expecting this on my way home. wow! >> do you know if they're going to be table to stop it. it looks like the ocean shore, that is what it looks like it. >> i hope they resolve the issue very soon. >> amazing pictures. so how is the scene this morning? >> megan gilliland is live from northeast baltimore with a look at how things are shaping up. meg i'm wondering with it being so cold, is there a sheet of ice. it's amazing, there are a little puddles here and there and they are frozen over as well. drivers don't have to worry about that, because this road is closed. they're not getting through here anyway. we have a lot of new information. we have learned that the what tess reses thawaterrestrictions. things at argon drive are serious. there are 80, bge customers without gas this morning. if you step outside this morning, you know how cold it is and to not have heat is a serious issue, a issue that could last for these residents well into the weekend. all of this as a result of yesterday's watermain break. take a look at this video again, just amazing of how dramatic the scene was. our crews first on the scene. it broke at 12:30 yesterday afternoon. this is more than 70-year-old 2-inch watermain break that busted and collapse. it brought down the chlorinate or down the street. that is the plant that supplies water to both the city and the county residences as well. the watermain break caused a gas main brake that is affecting the 80bge customers. still this morning they were without power and without heat this morning. this is a scene that is becoming all too familiar here in baltimore. it's the 11th watermain break in the city this week. mayor dixon says that the aging insphrinfrastructure is to blam. >> you are talking about stimulus. >> reporter: meantime the repair work at argon drive continues. we are told it could be days before it is fixed. the cafeteria at morgan state university will be made available again for those who are unable to go back home and for those who are still without heat this morning. patrice, back to you. megan, any idea how long they will have hai their heat an or are there other things and places where they can go to get out of their cold houses. >> they can go to the morgan state university, if they don't have heat or anywhere else to go, they are going to be warm today. this is an issue they won't be dealing just today but well into the weekend. we talked to bge. they're not sure how long it's going to take. as soon as they repair the gas line, they are going to have to go house to house. it's going to be an issue that is going to take sometime, let lien the work that is being done on the watermain. that is going to need to be fixed and repairs and they're doing the infra struck sture and thinfrastructure.this is somethe going to be dealing with for the weeks to come. megan gilliland, fox 45 morning news. you can see more on the wear it main break by going to our website the foxbaltimore.com/raw news. production alone on the movie has taken four years. >> you're on pandora, if there's a hail you might want to go there for some r, and r. >> later in the low down we take a look at avitar, the most expensive film made of all time. >> and someone is going to see between 6 and 12 inches of snow overnight tonight and through call warm holiday wishes all morning long. you can come down to our show and donate warm coats. you can meet some the morning cast. like we're on the morning show. there are some of those who are on the morning show, come out and bring us some of those coats which we definitely need. this is what we need to take a look is the sky watch hd radar. now it's quiet around here, but that is not going to be the story as we move through the next day. as we look to the north, you will see there's lake-effect snow there, but what has got our attention and what should have your attention is all of this rain coming up our way as it makes its way into the colder air, it will be snow for us. so this is what we have in place right now a winter storm watch at the southeast extreme of the viewing area. that looks a lot better for the rest of us. no, it doesn't. it's a winter storm warning which is now in place, replacing the winter storm watch through most of the state of maryland. that is tonight through tomorrow where we could get significant snow fall around here. the low pressure center moving up toward the eastern seaboard. it's progressing and just the way we need it to to get the heavy snow. expect the low to follow the computer models more in agreement coming up and hugging the host line bringing us a typical nor'easter type of event and you know what that means. we get the majority of snow. and the mixing in with snow for the southeastern part of the eastern shore. here is what we're expecting it to move through 4:00 a.m. tomorrow morning. a lot of blue on the map. tomorrow morning it will be winding up. tomorrow at 2-4-inch snow on top of that through the day. 2-4 inches more on top of that for the nighttime totaling between 6 to 10 inches of snow and in some locations as much as 12 inches o through of central part of the county. if you are down through prince george's county and down as far as garrett county, and calvert county, you will see and south toward west virginia is probably the heaviest totals there and even still no matter where you are in the central part of the state, the heaviest snow. until you get to southeast extreme, 3-6 inches to the western part of maryland where again, it's going to be a snowy day as well. 29 degrees the inner harbor right now with mostly cloudy skies. partly cloudy skies will become mostly cloudy. those move through the afternoon, clouds increasing throughout the day. you can check out the temperatures and see where we start. 28 and 23 in salisbury. 26 degrees in hagerstown. 21 out in oakland. look for the temperatures to climb a little bit. winds making it feel chillier especially toward the west. not as big a factor. won't be as strong until tonight. mostly cloudy skies. it's going to be quiet until the overnight period today, just mostly cloudy skies and the central part of the state, 37 should do it for the high. mostly cloudy with the snow holding off until later into the nighttime. and the 28 degrees, the snow arrives overnight. a 10-20-mile-an-hour wind, a cold and breezy night. at the remains breezy. 30 degrees for the high and the snow tapers off, overnight saturday into early sunday. by sunday, mostly cloudy skies and may even turn partly cloudy by the afternoon, 34 for the high and the mid-30s for the rest of the way with the mix of sun and clouds. sky watch i-weather is at your finger tips. you can use fox 45 powerful doppler radar to track incoming storms. interactive tools will let you see when rain or snow are over your house. go to foxbaltimore.com. now lauren cooke is back with the traffic edge. >> reporter: we're dealing with icy conditions especially in the areas where we have watermain breaks. we will get to them in just a bit. let's look at the speeds first. a slow 44 at the northeast corridor of 95. a high of 65 at the north of the beltway. we dip down at 5 miles per hour. we are still dealing with the effects of that massive watermain break in northeastern baltimore. argon drive remains shutdown in both directions between tavoli avenue, and you want to stick with havenwood road as an alternate route. you will see that crews were out there trying to repair the break. you can see the roadway looked more like a river. megan gilliland was out there all morning long and we will bring you the updates as they become available. we were dealing with the watermain break. you will want to stick with 795 as an alternate route. as we make our way over to the west side of the beltway taking a live look at liberty road. you will see no problems to report in this vicinity. cars zipping along the inner and outer loop lanes just fine. that's a look at morning travels, patrice, let's send it back to you. lauren thank you. i'm standing out here in the parking lot of our station at 2000 west 41st street. we're hoping that you will come and join us. we are kicking our home holiday wishes today. bring out a coat, a scarf, a hat, glstles anythin, gloves ant you think may help somebody stay warm this season. we partnered with you guys in the last few years and it's such a big necessity in the community. >> absolutely. we're out here in the cold. we serve homeless individuals, and people that are sleeping in abandoned homes. think of those people who are dealing with this cold. we always do this year. new, gently used items, hats, scarves, sleeping bags. go in your closets and pull out your gently used items and bring them out here today. >> we have should in people come out here this morning. one of the people brought this smugy. everybody laughs about snuggies and they are actually very warm and you need this and so much warm. >> actually we are trying to fill up this truck so we can get through the winter moves. >> that's a big truck? >> yes, absolutely. we need everybody to come on out and get in their closets and bring it on out? >> teresa you needs coats and hats for particular ages or do you want them from kids all the way up. >> kids and all the way up. we serve children and adults. many children, we have one of homeless shelters for women and children so all ages. >> teresa, we're going to try to make that happen today. we will be out here all morning long until 9:00. come on out, say hello to us and bring something that will keep others warm in this holiday season. thank you in advance for helping welcome back to cooking with delilah. today i'm making a classic sweet potato pie... everyone can enjoy, even lactose intolerant folks. while i let my friends enjoy the secret ingredient, lactaid milk. like it? mmmm. that's because delicious lactaid milk... is 100% real milk... that's lactose-free so it's easy on the stomach. which lets you enjoy that great flavor alone... and in your favorite recipes. welcome back to the table. lactaid milk. love it with lactaid. snubs of firefighters turned up the heat at city hall yesterday. they protested against permanent fire house closures. firefighters say shutting down the stations poses a safety risk to citizens whenever there's a fire. it comes as the city is attempting to close a budget gap, one that expected to grow even more in the next fiscal year. the mayor said that no fire houses would be closed permanently until next july. and four would be working on retating schedule instead of 5. bob from the fire union joins us this morning. >> good morning. >> you were out in the cold what was the message you were trying to send. >> we were trying to send a message to the citizens that they had need to talk to the mayor and let her know that they're not going to accept budget cuts in the fire department. >> the mayor did make concessions yesterday. is that hopeful that she is getting the message? >> we're not sure if there was a concession or not. >> okay. >> in other words, as late as wednesday we had a meeting with the mayor, her staff afterwards said they were trying to find the money. there hasn't been any official press release or anything. >> okay. >> until we see something in black and white and receive a firm commitment. we are wondering what the deal is. >> there's talk that there's a grant out there that could possibly fund more firefighters. >> the federal government has loosened up the rules for that this year. and it's to help strapped cities like baltimore right now keep some firefighters on the job and the fire chiefs stated yesterday that they had applied for 22 positions. >> now the flip side of this, some will say in other cities, the fire response time is a lot longer than what we have here. we're actually fortunate because we have so many fire houses and you all do such a good job that the response is lower. if we were in the keeping with the average, might not need as many fire houses open? >> those averages are based on what we did in the past. the rotating closings didn't stop until after july. the chief has publicly stated that the response times are starting to grow long ander longer. i believe that at a meeting someone asked a couple of weeks ago. we were barely meeting the national standard for response times. the way things are now, if the closings continue we will never reach them again more than likely. >> what is the bottom line for you all? what is the ultimate consequence if nothing is done if the cuts continue to be made and you all have to cut back? >> i see the clothing drive you be having outside. this is the worst time of year for us to be talking about rotating closings or fire house closings. we have a lot of financially challenged people. they're not going to have utilities and lighting their homes with candles. it's the worst time of year to be talking about fire stations. >> bob, we thank you for coming in. thank you. >> coming up in the 7:00 hour. our time is ticking down. we get insights from fox's chris wallace as healthcare reforms struggle to move forward. pandora. if there's some hail, you might want to go there for r&r. >> production alone on the movie has taken four years. coming up in the low down it's the most expensive film of all i thought that's what you wanted? it is. it's just. you spent way too much. what? i've been a bad girl. i've been reading allison's diary, and i got a d on a spelling test, and i forged your signature... honey, we didn't really spend that much. ♪ chestnuts roasting ♪ on an open fire. e director is putting it all on the line for one of the biggest releases of the weekend. candace dold is putting it the iyad allawall down. >> reporter: hollywood insiders say his newest project is the most expensive film of all time and more than $300 million. you can see if it all paid off when avitar is released this weekend. when cameron first conceived the idea for the film, he felt that technology wasn't up to par with his vision. 15 years later, four of which were spent in production we have avitar. a handicap marine takes part in a new mining program on an alien planet. >> you are on pandora. if there's some hail you might want to go there for some r&r. >> humans have their consciousness linked to avitar. >> when the natives begin to protest, he is sent to infiltrate them. >> it means moron. >> after befriending the locals, he needs to choose which race to battle for in the bal battle foe entire world. most of the money went into the boggling effects. >> some think that comes in at the expense of character and story. despite that, most reviews are positive. can you judge for yourself, avitar is pg13. we will tell you about new comedies at the video store next time. i'm candace dold and that's the low down. coming up in your 7:00 hour. i'm going to tell you about the pep tears tha peppers in to. >> the clever cleaver brothers have the recipe of the week. how to make a spicy hot salsa. and on this very cold morning, dozens of baltimore city residents are without heat this morning after yesterday's massive watermain break. i'm megan gilliland coming up we will let you know if you've taken your sleep aid and you're still fighting to sleep in the middle of the night, why would you go one more round using it ? you don't need a rematch-- but a re-think-- with lunesta. lunesta is different. it keys into receptors that support sleep, setting your sleep process in motion. lunesta helps you get the restful sleep you need. when taking lunesta, don't drive or operate machinery until you feel fully awake. walking, eating, driving or engaging in other activities while asleep without remembering it the next day have been reported. abnormal behaviors may include aggressiveness, agitation, hallucinations or confusion. in depressed patients, worsening of depression, including risk of suicide, may occur. alcohol may increase these risks. allergic reactions such as tongue or throat swelling occur rarely and may be fatal. side effects may include unpleasant taste, headache, dizziness and morning drowsiness. stop fighting with your sleep. get a free 7-night trial on-line and ask your doctor about switching to lunesta. discover a restful lunesta night. about switching to lunesta. some similar to hurricane katrina 'cause this ugly. >> a massive watermain break in northeast baltimore. the effort to get things back to normal this morning. give the gift of warmth this holiday season. find out how you can grant a warm holiday wish. she knows the stage, but what about the grid iron. i take american idol saisha mother cad dmercado in this pigs predictions. good morning. it's friday, december 18th. and we have a lot going on this morning. it's purple friday cheering on the ravens as they head toward the playoffs. we hope. >> go ravens! >> it's getting ad ready for the snow that is coming this weekend. and it's also getting you to come see us for our winter clothing drive. we will talk about all of that, but first we will talk about a school closings. mergathol in the city is closed because they have no water pressure. the huge watermain break is still causing problems. kids you get to stay home, and staff you get to report today. and we're kicking off our warm holiday wishes clothing drive. give the gift of warmth. come and take part of the accessory drive. we are collecting donations all morning long at our studios. you will get to meet the morning crew and more importantly help those in need stay warm this holiday. this wold winte cold winter days already starting to see. we are located as 2000 to the west 41s 2000 west 41ststreet. it's a cold morning out there, make no mistake about that. those hats, coats and scarves are definitely needed and meteorologist steve fertig is here to fill us in on the details. you were talking about the two different scenarios. i want door number two that has sunshine and 80 degrees. >> there's two kinds of people who love snow and there's those people who hate snow. we are going to cater to the people that i said first that love snow. >> it's not so bad if you can stay at i in the house and watch it fall. >> we have a second dose of it on christmas week. >> now you're piling on. >> it will be piling on through the night as snow continues it accumulate. it will be mostly cloudy and you're seeing lake-effect to the north. you take a look and see all of the rain in the southeast. it won't be rain when it gets in here when it moves into the colder air. when it does, it's going to be producing significant snow. winter storm warning for the majority of the state with the winter storm watch only for the southern part of the eastern shore and up in pennsylvania, too. 6-12 inches of snow is a possibility, though as we pick up an inch or two tonight and then add to that as we get about 2-4 inches through the daytime tomorrow and 2-4 itches through the nighttime tomorrow as well. the total of 3-6 inches with some areas seeing of 3-9 inches going further points west and east. right now we're talking about the low to up temperatures, heading toward us, but that is not the story we're keeping our eye on. right now lauren cooke is standing by with a look at what is happening on the roadways with the traffic edge, lauren. >> reporter: thank you, steve. we are dealing with icy roads out there this morning especially in the areas near the watermain breaks. the first is going fob a first e at pikesville. the second it happened yesterday but we're still dealing with the effects. this is going to be at northeast baltimore and it has shutdown argon drive between loch raven boulevard and hil hillen road. you want to stick with havenwood road as an alternate route. as we take a look at pictures it's a mess. crews have been working hard to try to fix this problem. if you're seeing the northeast corridor of 95, cars are just really starting to buildup along the southbound lanes. it's going to be an extremely sluggish ride as you make your way into the city. as we take a look at travel times. if you're traveling the southbound lanes of 95 from the fort mchehenry toll plaza you're looking at an average speed of 33 miles per hour. from 695 to route 100, you're looking at a 7 minute trif with an average speed of 55 miles per hour. from route 100 to route 32, you're look the a quick 5 minutes with an average speed of 55 miles per hour. the west side th the beltway you are in the clear. 12-minute trip with an average trip of 63 miles per hour. that's a look at the morning travels, patrice, let's send it back to you. water restrictions have been lifted for anyone who uses baltimore city water. this after a mandate to conserve water was put into effect as a result of a massive watermain break yesterday. it happened at the intersection of hillen road and argue gone a. this morning the water has stopped gushing but the scene is not gone. >> looking behind you, megan, that looks like a mess. >> it looks like a mess but things are changing every second it seems here. the good news is that the water restrictions have been lifted so you can rest assured as you head out to work this morning. the bad news for the folks at on this street is that there's 80bge customers without heat. that heat was knocked out as a result of the watermain break. if you walk out this morning, will you realize how crow shall the heat is as a result of these temperatures. take a look at what we're dealing with this morning. they're working to try to get the pipe out of the ground and fix it as soon as possible. we're to show you the video from yesterday. you can see how dramatic the scene was. our crews were first on the scene. it broke around 12:30. this is a more than 70-year-old watermain, 42-inch watermain and collapsed at that point. the gushing water brought down the chlorinator at the montebello water cloch watercol8 or. we are told that the people could be without heat throughout the week. as you heard steve say we're going to be dealing with snowy and cold weather. that is a serious situation. this is the 11th watermain break in the city this week. mayor sheila dixon says the aging infrastructure is to blame. >> when you talk about stimulus. this is a prime example of what stimulus money should be used for. >> reporter: right now, again, we're dealing with a lot of work. crews are on the scene trying to fix this watermain break as quickly as possible and fix the gas main break, too. two different projects going on at the same time. the watermain break could take a long time. they do have the pipe out, but once they get that fixed, they have to repave that entire road and that could take a while. as far as the gas main they're working on right now, as soon as they get that repaired, they will have to go into each one of these houses to make sure it's save. that to cake through the weekend, and some of these residents may have to find alternative places to stay. patrice, back to you. are they going to be able to work through the weekend. we're talking about a huge winter storm coming in, a foot of snow. will they be able to work through that. >> and they with are hoping to work through the entire weekend or until they have this fixed. the weather make will have a play in it. we will have to see how much snow falls and when that will happen. they're out here right now and hoping to be out here until everybody is warm and has the water back on. live in northeast baltimore, i'm megan gilliland, fox 45 morning news. as steve was saying, we are bracing for a winter blast this weekend. fox 45's entire viewing area is under a winter storm warning starting late tonight and going through saturday afternoon. we are expecting six to 12 inches of snow and that brings us to our question of the day. are you ready for the first major snowstorm of this season? we're going to take your calls later this hour. of course, you can always go to foxbaltimore.com and tell us what you think or sound off through facebook. send us a tweet at fox baltimore or you can text your answer to 45203, enter fox 45a for yes or fox 45b for no. coming up, enjoy a holiday celebration all while shaving your goodwill. the items you won't want to forget when heading to the miracle on cathedral street. and you have been hearing us talk about 6-12 inches of snow. when does it start to ♪ that's our promise. that's ingredients for life. safeway. if you haven't been outside yet this morning, just be prepared when you do, because it is cold. i think you need full body armor heading out. meteorologist steve fertig is here. >> i'm so serious. >> whole body armor. nothing falling from the skies yet, nothing that heavy. we expect snow on the way for overnight into tomorrow. right now it's quiet. take a look at sky watch hd radar. this what is you will find a dry scan for this hour. it's going to change, you can be sure of that as all of this moisture down in the southeast part of the united states heads in our general direction. as it does, it will be bringing us again significant snow. we have been talking about that. let's get to it. what is going to be affected the most, what areas? you can see the whole entire state under a winter storm warning with only the exception of the southeast part, the eastern shore. there in wacomico county, worcester, and the general southeastern part of the shore, this is the only place that has a winter storm county. somerset county is what i was trying to think of. that is the area that is going to be affected most by this system. 3-6 inches to the eastern shore with a mix down toward wacomico and worcester county. that is where, again, we will see that rain-snow mix, but everybody else, seeing the snow for overnight tonight into tomorrow. high pressure keeping it at bay cold today. lake-effect to the north but that is not affecting us. the bigger story is what coming our way from the south. watch our future scan model when it's moving n you will see the blue area moves in. you will see the rain off the south and east affecting the northern part of the eastern shore at about the same time period overnight tonight and into tomorrow. tomorrow the rest of us continue to see the heavy snow as we continue through the morning hours and the afternoon. we are looking at 6-10 inches of snow and 2 to 4 inches more on top of that as we get into the nighttime. the result is a total of between 6-10 inches of snow and in spots as much as 12 inches of snow. as we look at the big picture here, the storm factors a lot of cold air in place. in is what we're looking at coming up following the jet stream and producing the nor'easter effect bringing all of the moisture from the atlantic and we will be on the cold or the west side of the that low as we move off toward the east. you know that is the see the sco for significant snow. if you're headed to d.c. not too different. hagerstown, 26 degrees there and 21 in oakland. these temperatures will climb only into the 30s today, but it's going to get colder and of course snowing around here as we move into the overnight tonight. 29 degrees for the the northeastern shore. mostly cloud skies, the central part of the state should climb to 37 degrees for a high with mostly cloudy skies. a northeast wind at 5 miles an hour. further points west, look at temperatures to get to 36 degrees. higher elevations though only mid-20s. most of that area, cumberland and further points east will be in the mid-30s. way for the overnight low. here it comes. here comes the snow. it's going to be light snow overnight tonight starting out and it will pick up the pace in the overnight periods. look for the winds to play a big role tomorrow as well. see a high temperature of 30 degrees with the snow moving in. again, continuing to push through until the nighttime and 34 degrees. we will be dry out for your sunday. if you're headed to m&t stadium. think you're going to be okay as far as sky conditions. it's going to be cold ask windy. we will get rid of that snow by monday morning. with all of the snow that falls beforehand it may make your drive to the stadium and for tailgating if you're even earlier a bit tough to get to. keep in mind that you may want to have a little extra time to head out on sunday as you do go to the game. 34 for the high. that is about the game time temperature. 36 degrees on monday, 34 on tuesday, and 36 for both wednesday and thursday with a mix of sun and clouds. we will be talking about a chance of some more winter weather for a white christmas possibly next week a little bit later. sky watch hd radar is available at your finger tips. you can use fox 45 powerful doppler radar to track incoming storms. the interactive tools will let you see when rain or snow will be over your house. go to foxbaltimore.com and click on iradar which will be doing tomorrow. now lauren cooke is back with a check of the traffic edge. >> reporter: thank you, steve. we do have several incidents working but first let's take a look our speeds. we're work at a slow 43 miles per hour at the northeast corridor of 95. much higher on the top side of the beltway but we dip down to 63 on the southwestern portion of 695. we're dealing with the effects of massive watermain break in baltimore. you will want to stick with havenwood road as an alternate route. as we take a look at the scene from yesterday. you will notice that crews were out there. they're still out there this morning trying to make the repairs. it's going to be a little while. megan gilliland is live from the scene and she will bring us the details as they became available. we're dealing with another watermain break in pikesville. this going to be on the northbound lanes of reisterstown road that you want to watch out for. we have an accident reported on the northbound lanes of 795, at route 175 that you want to watch out for. unfortunately congestion will continue as we make our way toward the northeast corridor of 95. taking a look at the whitemarsh, you will see the southbound lanes are stacked and packed. do expect a sluggish ride. fortunately that volume will thin out as we make our way toward the beltway to be a smooth ride from parkville to towson. from towson to the 83. that's a look at the morning travels, patrice, let's send it back to you. >> reporter: lauren, thank you so much. it's so cold out here. i can see my breath every time i go to talk. i feel like i'm sending smoke signals. all of them say come down to the station and bring gently used coats, hats and scarves and everything that you can think will keep people warm this winter. bird harsh with miku is here, because you have partnered with us for the three years that we have been doing this. >> it's very good to partner and reaching out to the communities to make the warm holiday wishes come true for so many people here. >> we want people to come and bring things to our stations but you're a drop off center even beyond today. you have tons of employees that also donate. >> yes and we are encouraging our members. we have 95,000 members in baltimore and we're encouraging them to come down to the locations. we were very successful last year, and we want to achieve even more this year. come on down and bring the coats, hats and blankets and bring them down to the community. >> reporter: let me show you what we have collected this morning. these are some the coats, hats and gloves that people have brought this morning. we need all different sizes from children to adults because a lot of centers that they cater to are shelters for children. so we need children's as well as the adults as well. someone even came out and brought a snugy. we don't turn anything down and these snuggies are very warm whafrom what i'm told. anything that keeps people warm and if you come out and drop something off, we have something to give to you. chick-fil-a came by and brought these parfait. so if you drop off some clothing items, you will be able to grab one of these parfaits with you and take them with you. it's so cold, i'm sure you can understand why there's a need for this. come on down at 2000 west 41st street. we will be here until 9: little bodies are different than big bodies. they need special attention and special care. nobody knows that better than children's tylenol. it works with little bodies... to reduce fevers while easing aches and pains. for over fifty years, pediatricians and parents have trusted... children's tylenol... to care for little bodies... while they're growing big. go to jcp.com to see everything on sale. style, quality and price matter. jcpenney does it alert you without interrupting what you're doing ? does it alert you without interrupting what you're doing so you can continue to, say, send a video to someone ? holding your messages till you're ready to view them ? droid does. the notification panel-- your own personal gatekeeper. in a world of doesn't... the notification panel-- your own personal gatekeeper. an anne arundel county teenager pleads guilty to fatally stabbing his mother. he entered his that plea jest and scheduled to be sentenced for first-degree murder in february. they found the body in her glen burnie home in april. william was sitting in another room playing video games. neighbors told police the two often argued about his school attendance and about staying out late. a trial date has been set for the man accused in the hit and run death of a john hopkins student. thomas magian was in court yesterday. he plead not guilty. meeghan faceses several charges. he has a history of drunk driving and he was driving drunk the day he killed myriam frank frankle. twas thtwas the day before christmas and the senate is still working late. is there an end in sight. chris wallace host of fox news sunday joins thus week. >> good morning. >> what is the likelihood of them working through the christmas recess? >> i think there's a great likelihood that at the will be working on christmas eve and they a possibility that they will be voting on christmas day itself. it's perfect for the headline writer. some will say it's a present for america, and some will say it's a lump of coal, but they're pushing ahead to try to get the health care reform bill passed. it's interesting. it looks like no republicans are going to go for it. which means that every single one of the independent democrats which means that every single one of them has the ability to sink it. there's a couple that are still not on board. they trying to negotiate it and some have compared it to herding cats. my guess is they're going to get it passed, but there's a lot of smart people in capitol hill that would tell you i'm wrong. >> the medicare and public option was the crux of liberals argument for reform. can they back out of it now and okay, we will do without it just to move this guard? forward. >> they can and they will. the medicare and the public option that those are dead because they couldn't get the 60 votes for those. but there's still an awful a lot of reform. i mean, it does extend insurance to about 20 to 30 million who were uninsured at this point. it creates more competition with these exchanges. it has regulations. you know, no prior conditions that if you have a prior condition, they can drop your health insurance. that would be out. so i mean, there's a lot that is there. i think a number of democrats think if we can get our foot in the door and pass this bill, we can come back. it will be easier to come back and pass smaller things later. >> quickly, chris what are we going to see on your show. >> we will be talking to more democrats about the bill and whether it's going to be get passed or not. we will have john mccain who has been leading the charge against this and seems to have found his voice in taking on the democrats and the obama admnistration. >> chris, thank you very much and happy holidays. >> same to you. >> you can see it here on fox 45. kleenincleaning up a massivr plan the boys & girls clubs. it's an investment for the future. i chose the national wildlife federation. our pets are our kids. we chose the aspca. we're sharing the love again this year. because giving back feels good. get a great deal on the subaru outback, motor trend's 2010 sport/utility of the year and two hundred fifty dollars gets donated to your choice of five charities. [ holiday music playing ] don't let those long holiday lines bury you. grab a delicious new dunkin' donuts peppermint mocha latte and chocolate mint donut today. great flavors, great value -- just another reason the holidays run on dunkin'. try the new peppermint mocha latte and chocolate mint donut today. welcome back to fox 45 morning news. 7:31 is the time. we have a lot to tell you about this morning. first a school closing to tell you about. merthintal high school is closed because they have no water pressure. kids get a 3 day weekend but staff, you do have to report to school this morning. we are asking to you give the gift of warmth to someone in need on this holiday season. on a day like today, you can understand why. we're kicking off our warm holiday wishes, winter coat and accessory drive all morning long. come on out, meet the morning crew, and help those in need, drop off hats, scarves, coats, whatever it is you have to contribute. we're located at 2000 west 41st street. come on by, we're going to hebee here until 9:00 this morning. we hope you come by and see us. first we will get a check of the weather with meteorologist steve fertig before we move into other news. it's really, really cold outside. >> it's cold. >> every time i run out there, i think it's cold, oh my gosh. >> sometimes i feel like it's the morning cast, this is what we talked about yesterday. we talked about two different scenerios and we're talking about the possibility of heavy snow, in fact a likelihood of it now as a lot of the moisture from the south comes our way. the second scenario is where the low pressure center was streng ening and comin-- strengtheningp the coast. it's going to bring us significant snow fall for the central counties and a winter storm warning is in place for most of the state, the only exception in the southern part of the eastern shore where there's still a winter watch in effect. we will have the winter snow that will bring us as much as 6-12 inches of snow. 3-6 inches to the west, 3-6 inches to the east and then down to the southeast extreme a bit of a mix of rain and snow there. most of us seeing significant snow. there will be 2 inches of snow overnight tonight, 2-4 inches for the daytime tomorrow and 2-4 itches tomorrow night. that is how we get there and isolated locations of 12 inches. right now mid-to upper 20s. even low 20s out there. as patrice said, it's very chilly outside, very cold, i should say. 37 degrees for the the high temperature. you definitely want to dress warmly today with a northeast wind, at 5 miles per hour. those winds pick up, too. we will talk more about that and the rest of the forecast coming up here. now lauren cooke is here for candace dold and she will tell us what it looks like on the roadways. >> reporter: we have delays in howard county on the northbound lanes of route 175. you do want to use baltimore, washington parkway as an alternate route. if you're traveling along the northbound lanes of 95, do expect some delays. we're operating on a 3-minute-delay. we're working on a travel time of 14 minutes and an average speed of 7 miles per hour. fortunately it will be a bit of an ease if you're traveling on the southbound lanes from 695 to route 32. you're lookth at a 12-minute trip with an average speed of 63 miles per hour. all is clear from 795 to 95, you're looking at a 12-minute drive with an average speed of 52 miles per hour. you do want to be where the traffic is starting to pick up at this time, but no real concerns at the moment. if you're using the fort mchenry tunnel, traffic is starting to pick up as well from the toll plaza to the bet way, you're looking a at an 8-minute trip with an average speed of 54 miles per hour. >> that is a look at the morning commute, patrice, let's stend back to you. send it back to you. water restrictions have been lifted this morning for the gyre citentire city and surrounding jurisdictions. it happened at hill len road and argon drive sending water gushing through the streets for hours. how is the scene this morning? megan gilliland joins us live from northeast baltimore with a look at how things are shaping up. good morning, megan. >> reporter: good morning, patrice. for the first time i actually made my way around this huge hole that sits around argon drive and got to the other side. crews are on the scene. we are told the pipe where the watermain broke, has been lifted. they are work to fix that pipeline right now. the water has been shut off. the main concern has switched from the watermain to a heat issue. the watermain break caused a heat issue that was turned for 80, bge customers. we have been talking to a lot of these residents on this very, very cold morning and see how they're handling this situation. you guys decided to stay here overnight despite the cold conditions and despite the fact that you didn't have any heat. how are things overnight. >> we did well. we have two electric heaters and bundled together and it was fine. >> reporter: a lot of your neighbors, a lot of them left to stay with family and friends. what did they say as they were getting out. >> they shared electric heaters and shared food and left us. we decided to stay. my husband was really having breathing issues so it's best to stay here. >> reporter: we just heard meteorologist steve fertig saying that we're dealing with a big snowstorm coming tomorrow. do you think you're going to stay tonight because they're saying this heat won't be on tonight and might not be on even tomorrow. >> i thought about that. we're going to stay in the hotel for the next couple of days but we are staying here because of the oxygen and that kind of thing. >> reporter: we hope you are staying warm. we will be out here all morning long bringing you updates as the story continues to develop. we will update you on the pipe and the heating condition as well. patrice, back to you. thank you, megan. as steve has been telling us all morning long, we're bracing for a winter blast this weekend. fox 45 entire viewing area is under a winter storm warning starting late tonight and going through saturday afternoon. we're expecting 6-12 inches of snow and that brings us to our question of the day. are you ready for the first major snowstorm of the season. what are your plans this weekend? our phone lines are open now at (410)481-4545. and of course, you can also go to fox baltimore.com and tell us what you think. many people have responded on our facebook page. you can also send us a tweet at fox baltimore or you can text your answers to 45203, enter fox 45a for yes or fox 45b for no. several state department employees who snooped in the passport files of people including actors and politians are still on the job. you can read that story and more in today's washington times. julie bedane has this morning's briefing. >> reporter: good morning, here is the latest from washington today. last year our investigative team revealed state department officials had been snooping into the then senator obama and hillary clinton passport files. since then nine employees plead guilty to the criminal charges, but we have learned that there were 11 more snoopers and they still remain on the job at the state department. aired cog to the investigative memos obtained exclusively by the washington times, the additional employees were add machineadmonished by the departt were never prosecuted. republicans had tried to prolong the debate on the 2010 defense spending bill in order to delay the healthcare debate from progressing, but with the help of several republicans, senate democrats cleared the way for the final spending bill vote which is scheduled for saturday morning. then the senate will return to healthcare which democrats still hope to pass by christmas. senate majority leader henry reid could release the latest version of the health bill as early as today. president obama is meeting with 19 other world leaders after arriving at the copenhagen climate conference early this morning. it's been plagued with disagreements between china and the united states have deadlocked talks. that's the latest from washington today. until next week from the washington times i'm julie bedane. back to you. read those stories and more by loggin foxbaltimore.com and clicking on washington times. coming up, will you need plenty of pep tear peppers to me clever cleavers' recipe. the brothers put their spin on salsa. >> reporter: we're dealing with a serious crash in howard county and this turn a lot of congestion. i will let you know how to avoid all right, 7:42 on this friday morning, the morning of what could become an active night and that is going to mean some snow headed in your direction for overnight tonight and into tomorrow when the real activity begins in earnest. 7:42 as i said right now and a dry scan and looking pretty good for the time being. it's mostly cloudy still, but we don't have snow to talk about yet. there will be a lot of snow to talk about, too. let's take a look at the big picture and see why. here is the moist tour comin mom the southeast part of the country. in fact, look at the front age of that moving into the western part of north carolina. the colder air is starting to produce snow already. that is what we have coming our way for overnight tonight. we do have a winter storm watch in place. the bigger picture, look at the whole area, that is most of the state under a winter storm warning. within 12-24 hours, we will be talking about snow's arrival and then we will be talking about having to dig out of it by late saturday night and into your sunday morning. low pressure center is the reason why it's coming up the coast and you know as a nor'easter, it will be bringing a lot of moisture from the atlantic. it's from the south and general that we're seeing down there producing the rain. the snow moves in to the southern part of the state by 4:00 a.m. according to the future scan model. as it moves in, it will bring the heaviest amount, and less amounts east and west. 9:00, as you saw there, it moved throughout the area ar meaning e snow continued to move. and it gets stronger as we go through the morning hours and the afternoon. by sunday early in the morning it begins to move out of here. we're looking a whole lot better even though there's a follow-up pressure center. we could get a light shower on sunday morning, but that would be really not a whole lot to speak of compared to what we will see for tomorrow. 6-12 inches of snow is what we're talking about for the central part of the state. if you're in baltimore county and even baltimore city east, we're down to other places like prince george county, will you see as much as 6-12 inches of snow through the day tomorrow until tomorrow night. 3-6 inches for the western counties and down to the east. the mix for the southern most part of the eastern shore. right now it's 29 degrees. it's cold outside, even though we're not dealing with the snow yet. winds are calm. the winds should pick up later today by the way and tomorrow as well. the wind will play a role. that will also add to the problems out there with the snow concerns when you have the blowing snow around as well. 29 degrees the temperature in baltimore. 28 in d.c. and down in salisbury, 23 degrees there. up in hagerstown, 26 and oakland 21. a chilly start no matter where you are. not feeling a whole lot cooler. the winds are not that strong, so the windchill not much of a factor yet but tonight it will become an issue and tomorrow, too. mostly cloudy skies. the central part of the state you will see temperatures getting up to. if you're further points west, you're going to see temperatures that are going to be chilly at 36 degrees unless we go to higher elevations. they're always chillier in the mid-20s and talk about 20s. overnight tonight is what you will see. 28 degrees for the overnight he low. here comes the snow flakes, very pretty, but many of you don't want to see that coming yo your way. the rest of us who enjoy it, get ready. it's going to be a 10-20-mile-an-hour winds. the snow picks up tomorrow. 30 degrees for high and also the chance of some lingering snow hours overnight saturday into very early sunday. mostly cloudy on sunday if you're headed to m&t bank stadium by the way. the kickoff temperatures are going to be rather chilly especially when you factor in the winds at 55 miles per hour. the high temperature for the day which would be at kickoff at 1:00 p.m. when the ravens take on the bears. it looks like the snow will be out of here and we will be talking about partly cloudy skies then. 36 degrees on monday, 34 on tuesday, a mix of sun and clouds the rest of the way. 36 degrees partly cloudy but by christmas day we may be talking about another round of snow. more on that as we get closer. right now we want to tune in to what lauren cooke has to say. she has a check on the traffic edge. >> thank you, steve. we have several incidents working. first let's take a look at our speeds. we are looking at 43 miles per hour at the north east corridor of 95. take a look at this, we're down to 36 on the southwestern portion of the beltway. we do have some delays out of howard county all due to a serious crash. on the northbound lanes of 95 right at route 175 and as we take a live look right here, you're going to notice some significant delays up here. we have the watermain, actually. this is also causing some delays, argon drive remains shutdown in both directions at loch raven boulevard. do watch out for that. you do want to stick with ravenwood road as an alternate route. we're dealing with another watermain break. this is going to be at pikesville. watch out for delays. one the right is shutdown at this time. do stick with 795 this morning to avoid that mess altogether. that is a look at the morning travels, patrice, let's send it back to you. lauren, thank you so much. i'm out here with could by and - coby and cameron. they are a couple of folks who stopped by this morning. they came with thinker mom, actually. they came out to drop off winter coats and clothing. what did you bring in here? >> i brought my old coat and my mommy's mittens. >> reporter: thank you for coming out and you too for taking a part of our warm holiday wishes program. a lot of people have come out. look at this table. it's starting to pile up with all the coats and accessories that people have brought for people in need this winter season. we can't thank you enough. richard williams is here. you're a part of this program. you're one of the ones who helps to get this to people who need it. >> absolutely. i work for st. andrews. it's a program that has two exop nexgonecomponents, which is an t and a teen program. >> reporter: talk about the importance of those who receive these items. >> our school of thought with the st. andrews program with the ged and our learn to earn program, it's to give a hand up versus a handout. by doing that, by you bringing the gifts today, the warm items, really helps relief some the stress that the christmas season brings already. >> reporter: again, we have a whole table full. let me bring tony gambino who is one of the chefs who comes to our show regularly. today he has no food but an armful of coats. come down here at 2000 west 41st street in north baltimore. we're piling it up on the table but we need to fill if i lost the weight, i could stop taking so many medications. if i lost the weight, maybe my feet... my back... ...my knees would stop hurting. if i lost the weight, i'd feel more comfortable shopping for clothes. i'd visit my sister in seattle more often. i might be able to improve or even resolve my type 2 diabetes. so, i finally lost the weight after talking with my doctor about the lap-band system. announcer: the lap-band is placed around the upper part of the stomach-- often as an outpatient procedure-- to help you achieve long-term weight loss. unlike gastric bypass, it can be adjusted, and there's no stomach cutting or stapling. call for your free fact kit or visit lapband.com. lap-band is not for those who are pregnant, or have symptoms of autoimmune, severe heart, lung or gastrointestinal disease, cirrhosis or pancreatitis. surgery-related fatalities, reoperation, and band removal are rare. band slippage, stomach injury, vomiting and heartburn may occur. i'm ready. i'm ready. i'm ready. announcer: ask your doctor about the latest generation lap-band system. the state of maryland is preparing for its first big winter blast of the year. fox 45's entire viewing area is under a winter storm warning starting late tonight and going through saturday afternoon. we are expecting 6-12 inches of snow. that brings us to our question of the day. are you ready for the first major snowstorm of the year? our first caller is joslyn in baltimore. good morning. >> good morning. >> are you ready? >> yes, i am. >> you sound excited. >> i'm real ex ited. >> i don't want the snow. okay, i don't mind it, actually. do you have to get out and still do shopping and that kind of thing. >> christmas is everything, but it's going to be so much fun. >> well, if you are getting out, be careful as you're making your way around the city and wherever you have to go just be careful. let's go to james now in baltimore. good morning, james. >> good morning, patrice. how are you doing this morning. >> i'm great, how are you? >> i'm fine. i'm going to have a good day today. >> are you ready for the snow. are you looking forward to it? >> i'm loving it. i'm looking forward to. i have a 7 years old that i like to throw some snow with. >> that sounds like fun. that sounds like a good time. all right, are you going to be in the house or do you have to get out and drive around, or can you stay home and play with your son? >> i got the bso, a little bit of both. i really am hoping -- i'm hoping we do have sticky snow at least for christmas a little bit. >> all right, james, thank you so much for calling in and have fun. let's take a look at what the folks on our twitter page is saying. we got a few responses, one of them says let is know, let it snow. we have a person who said, yes i'm ready and it's about time that it arrives. >> another person said, i'm basically ready. it snows every year which is true. it's nothing new. you know what to do when it comes. >> let's go to the facebook page and see what folks there are saying. >> this is the one who is not happy to see the snow this weekend, because she says, no i have christmas shopping for my four daughters to do. that is going to throw a monkey wrench on the plans if you are planning to spend the last minute shopping. >> be careful if you're going to be out driving, otherwise, cuddle up at home. >> so you think you can dance crowns a winner. >> otherwise, make your own you will want to make sure you have a bag of tortilla chips handy when you finish making this week's clever cleaver brother's recipe. today they show us how to put together their fast pass roasted salsa. >> hirhi, everybody. welcome to today's tailgating with the clever cleaver brothers. >> what di do you have to do? do some roasting. >> we went with a quel yellow p, and a sweet red pepper. >> i went with a jalapeno and sweet red chili pep pepper. we charred them on all sides. we put on the same side 4 tomatillo. >> they look like green to may tomatoes. throw them on the grill and char them all at the same time. >> i'm going to show you. this is one of the roasted red peppers. we're going to use our clever cleaver nice and easy. you chop it up to small pieces. >> it's a cutting board. let me show you what i like about this one of the many things. you have a nice one that you want to use it by itself. you put it together with the cutting board. both dishwasher safe but clever cleaver. >> we're putting all of these goodies into our bowl. >> i'm going to go with some salt, a white pepper. >> some chili powder, some onion. >> a little bit of freshly chopped garlic. >> the juice of one lemon. put that in there and give it a squeeze. and the cholula sauce. we call it the flavorrable fire. you want to chop it together. >> go ahead and blend. >> good now. >> it's easier in the blender, but i tell you what, this does wonders. >> blend it a little, serve with your favorite chips. there you have, flat pass, roasted salsa, great dishes. to get today's recipe go to a massive watermain break in north east baltimore. the efforts to get things back to normal this morning. give the gift of warmth this holiday season. find out how you can grant a warm holiday wish. >> he is america's favorite dancer. the winner of so you think you can dance tells us the secrete to his success. good morning, it's friday december 18th. i'm approximat patrice harris. it's a busy day around here. we start this morning with the school closing. merdinthal school is closed because of a water main break. >> we're hosting our warm holiday wishes clothing drive this morning. give the gift of warmth to someone this holiday season. we're asking you to bring your gently used or new coats and hats, scarves and gloves to our station today, 2000 west 41st street in baltimore. you will get to meet the morning crew and more importantly, you're going to be helping other people who need the warm clothes this holiday season. we're going to be here for another hour collecting the clothes. hopefully, you will come on by. we are trying to keep the holiday spirit here at fox 45 morning news. we are counting down to christmas all the way up to the big day. that entire stack of gifts under our tree we're giving away to our viewers from now until the christmas eve. you can win one right now if you're the 10th caller at (410)481-4545. and of course, the big news today is all about the snowstorm that is coming our way for that meteorologist steve fertig is here to fill us in on all of the details. that is what people want to know. >> we're getting in the holiday spirit. it's going to look a lot more like christmas as we get closer and move into the weekend. we have a couple of chances of snow, not just for overnight tonight into tomorrow when we could see a significant amount but for even christmas itself and may become a white christmas. let's get to the festivities, because right now we're look at mostly cloudy skies. what is coming our way is the moisture to the south and the northeast of the u.s. as it moves into the colder air. it means significant snow for us. we have a winter snow warning for the majority of the state, only the southeast part of the state and the southern part of the eastern shore seeing a winter storm watch. you can expect 6-12 inches of snow through the central counties, 3-6 west and east. we will spell it all out for you as far as when you can expect it to move in and out in a little bit. right now lauren cooke is here with the track edge. >> reporter: thank you, steve. if you're traveling in howard county this morning, your chute could be a bill hectic. we -- a little hectic. we have a serious reported on route 175. as we take a live look at in the area, that seems sluggish and do pack your patience if you're traveling in that area. from route 32 to 695 you're looking at a 7 minute-delay with a travel time of 17 minutes. a pretty low average speed of 13 miles per hour. if you're traveling the west side of the beltway, it's going to be a sluggish ride as well from 795 to 95, you're looking at a 15-minute trip with an average speed of only 41 miles per hour. no problems to report at the tunnels from the harbor tunnel toll plaza to 95, you're looking at a 9-minute trip with an average speed of 44 miles per hour and you're looking at an 8-minute trip with an ank an ave speed of 54 miles per hour. that's a look at the morning travels. patrice, let's send did back tok to you. water restrictions have been lifted for everybody who uses baltimore water. this after region contribution r--restrictions were put in plae after a huge watermain break. how is it at the scene. megan gilliland joins us live from northeast baltimore with a look. the street is a mess mind you. i -- behind you. i can't imagine this is a good situation for the people living there. >> reporter: not a good situation for the people living here. you can take a look and see what is going o there's progress. the crews were working the entire night. the pipe that burst yesterday, has been brought up. they are working to fix it right now. at this point the water restrictions have been lifted. we are told that ther everybody in the city should have the water back. i live in the city and my pressure was fine this morning. these residents are saying they have it on right now. the bigger issue is when the watermain broke, the water flooded and caused a gas main rupture and that is a very big concern right now. there are 80, bge customers without heat this morning. if you have stepped outside, you realize how cold it is. we talked to one resident who said they're using electric heaters. some of them are trying to find alternative places to go. the american red cross is here offering them help. we are going to talk to with kevin byrd. you're with the american red cross. you're trying to tell these folks if they need a place to go, there's a place. >> we are working with the city of baltimore who has arranged with the morgan state university, to provide shelter which is a couple of hundreds yards from here. there's a warm place to stay, come in and get something to eat, and beverages and if needed stay overnight. >> reporter: as we head into what could be a cold and wintery mix. a lot of snow headed our way. are you expecting a lot of snow. how long are you expecting to keep this open. >> right now the city is planning to keep it open until saturday morning. the big factor is the weather and what the impact would be. under normal circumstances, i would not expect that many people would take a mass shelter option, but with that it's hard to say. >> reporter: kevin, thank you so much, but it's very hard to say even how how long it will take to fix all of these issues the watermain itself, they have the pipe out, but they're not sure how long it will take to get that fixed. even when it's fixed, they need to repave this road. as far as getting the heat back on, once they return gas heat to these homes. they need to go door to door and check the entire house out and make sure that it's safe. we talking not just hours but days until this could be fixed. live in northeast baltimore, i'm megan gilliland, fox 45 morning news. you can see more on the water main break at our website. go to foxbaltimore.com/raw news. coming up it's a christmas story with a lot of hip. how you can join baltimore's hip-hop community and make a miracle on cathedral street. and our countdown to christmas continues. we have our winner on the phone picking out their gifts. stay tuned to find out what they won and when your next chance to win is. 8:08 is the time. you are watching fox 45 morning news, all local all morning. it's all happening at the miracle on cathedral street. we are live this morning with all the details for the hometown hot spot. good morning, you're in the holiday spirit. >> good morning, of course, it's freezing. you have to get in holiday spirit. >> tell me who is helped by the fundraiser you are doing? >> tell me who associated with it? >> i know, and i know you're traig ttrying to raise toys for. >> we have jimmy who indicators the food for us. and the south entertainment and we contributed a lot to it and we have kevin tanner who started the event herself. we put in a lot. >> you're one the performers. are you going to give us a little bit this morning so people know what they're in for? >> of course i am. >> go ahead. >> although it's been said ♪ ♪ many times ♪ many ways ♪ merry christmas ♪ to you ♪ >> very nice and impressive. >> that's impressive to do so early in morning on such a cold morning. >> yes. you have to keep still. >> well, we appreciate it. thank you so much and happy holidays to you. >> thank you, happy holidays to you, too. >> it's on sunday from 1 to 5:00 p.m. for more information log on to foxbaltimore.com/morning. are you ready? that is the question for the winter weather. well, right now you don't have to get ready because it's just going to be cold. that is one thing you have to be ready for the cold temperatures. i'm talking snow and a lot of it coming overnight tonight into your saturday. as you can see the dry scan sky watch hd radar right now. as you look at the bigger picture, you will see where the snow is coming from, all of that moisture from the south. that is headed in our direction overnight tonight. as it moves into the colder air, it will begin to turn into snow. you see it turning into snow in the northwestern part of north carolina and the eastern part of tennessee. you can see where the difference of the cold temperatures is enough to make it change over. and again, it will be headed in our direction as we move into the overnight period tonight and we will be picking up, i will tell you how much snow. a winter storm warning for the majority of the state with the eastern shore to the south only under the winter storm watch. obviously, expecting to see decent snow fall. it starts overnight, and 2-4 inches through the daytime tomorrow and 2-4 inches on top of that by tomorrow night, totaling 6-10 inches of snow. more specifically, let's show what you where we think you would see the heaviest snow. that would be through the central part of the state. baltimore county right in the middle of the mix. you can see as we head towght south, down through virginia, they're going to get heavy snow through the higher end. 3-4 inches to the west and east of the region with a mix of rain is snow for the southeast extreme of the eastern shore. so, again, everybody is seeing a decent amount of snow come overnight tonight through your saturday. for now, it's just high pressure to the north and cold air that we have to deal with. you can see the lake-effect snow to the north, so that is not targeted for us. what is coming for us, as i just said from the south and you're seeing it from that picture to the south. here is what we are expecting as far as timeframe. 4:00 over night tonight. moving will you the southern counties and through the overnight hours. it continues through the day and overnight maybe, saturday night into sunday early before it moves out of here leaving us with a healthy dose, certainly and all the cold air in place allowing for the cold temperatures to produce the snow as you see it as the low pressure center steers in our direction. we have low to upper 20s right now. we're headed to the mid-30s for high temperatures, maybe upper for the eastern shore with mostly cloudy skies. we are at 37 degrees for the central part of the state and back to the west, about 36 degrees for the high with the higher elevation inside th -- in the mid-20s instead. tonight we drop to 20 degrees. a light 10-20-mile-an-hour wind. tomorrow windy as well snow to deal with. 35 degrees for the high. 34 degrees will be the kickoff temperature at the m&t ta stadi. it will be windy as well. even though it will dry out by then, a mix of sun and clouds. iradar is available at foxbaltimore.com. you can use fox 45 powerful doppler radar to track incoming storms. the interactive tools will let you see what rain or snow will be over your house. go to foxbaltimore.com and click on iradar. lauren cooke is here for candace dold. she will let you know what it looks like on the roadways for the traffic edge. >> reporter: thank you, steve. we do have several incidents working. let's take a look and look at our speeds. 48 miles per hour on the northeast corridor i have 95. a higher, 62 on the top side of the beltway. we do dip down to 35 miles per hour on the southwestern portion of 695. we're still dealing with a serious crash in howard county so do expect serious delays traveling in jessup this morning all due to a crash on route 175. you do want to stick with baltimore, washington parkway as an alternate route. as you take a live look at this area, you're going to see not looking too bad. it's starting to ease up a little bit. do beware of that situation. we do have another crash reported in the west side of the beltway and accident reported on the inner loop lanes at libertied road. as we take a live look at liberty road, we see a little bit of volume along the inner and outer loop lanes. cars are scooting by pretty good at this time as well. you do want to beware of a watermain break at reisterstown road at avalon way. the we are dealing with another watermain break in northeast baltimore. argon drive remains shutdown in both directions. you want to stick with havenwood road as an alternate route. that's a look your morning travels. patrice, let's send it back to you. thank you, lauren. i'm standing outside in the parking lot outside of our station and someone just came and dropped off a brand new pair of boots. we have had one lady that have come by. they donated a ton of these raven ear warmers. there's still time for you to come by and drop off warm winter items because we're desperately in need of them. this is part of our warm weather wishes campaign. sheila is here. you have one of the organizations that is on the receiving end of a lot of this. i imagine that is something really good for you all this time of year. >> yes, it's really helpful for me. question gewe get a lot of womed children and sometimes they come to the shelter with nothing at all or very limited cloth. when people give donations like this, it's a way for us to say things are going to be okay. it's already heart filling and concerning of being in a shelter and life is changing. but to know that they don't have to worry about that now. >> reporter: that is what we want to provide today a worry-free winter season. they don't need to be worried about how to get their kids out the door and keep them warm and for all of the adults and parents out there, you know you wouldn't want your child to be out there without the necessary warm items they need. hopefully you will come and join us. we still have 45 minutes it go. come and join us at she is a dream girl but this could turn into a nightmare for me if she knows more about football than i do. saisha mother ca mercado. she is my challenger for this week's predictions. i'm keeping my fingers crossed that you are better at singing than picking football teams. >> i'm not going to tell you. >> chicago bears versus the baltimore ravens. i have to go with our baltimore ravens. go all the way ravens. >> i'm going to go with the chicago bears. i have a lot of family and i'm headed there, and i have a concert. >> you will have to get out of town first. no, she is here. she is in town. she is performing, dreamgirls. you won't wan want to miss it? >> kansas city browns, against the chiefs. >> i know somebody in cans city. >> kansas could win, but do i want to go with cleveland? i want to go with cleveland. cleveland has been playing okay. kansas at home. i'm going to go with kansas at home. >> you're smart. >> all right. cincinnati bengals at san diego chargers. i'm definitely going with the chargers here. they're on a roll here? okay. i have to go with you. >> you do, 'cause san diego tonight plays. >> that was the first stop on the idol tour. >> and idol has been good to you. >> yes, i'm relating everything to music and see how this works. >> that means you will have to sing at the end. >> she is changing her tune now. all right, gren ba green bay pat pittsburgh steelers. >> this is a tough one. >> let me think. i know where i'm going. >> i'm going with the packers. >> i think the steelers want to go after everybody, but i don't know if i think they could do it even at home. i'm going to go with the green packers, too. the monday night game, the new york giants at washington redskins and again i'm going to surprise probably most people, because i'm going with upset. i'm going would the washington redskins. >> really? >> i know, really. >> yeah, i am. >> i have to go with the giants. >> why? >> i just left new york. >> there you go. >> and i love that place. >> you know what, the giants, they're going to give it all they got. they are trying to win, so they could win. i'm still going with the redskins for an upset. can you give us your pigskin predictions. go to web and click on contests. if you pick the most games correctly, you could win a gift certificate to the secret santa is bee jeweling the baltimore area. one family eo's business is pacg up packages of fine jewelry and leaving them for anyone to find. secret santa is joining us this morning to tell us more. >> ho-ho. >> you're going to be busy next week, but a local business has you working hard this week. >> they decided that santa might need a little bit of help this year. we're leaving one elegantly wrapped package of genuine jewelry, a genuine strand of pearls at various places all around the city, on the bus, in the emergency rooms. where someone in need may be able to find it. >> i'm just blown away that all are leaving jewelry around. any at fox 45, by the way? >> no, i'm sorry. >> what has the response been so far. you have been doing this since the 10th of december? >> we kicked it off the 10th. the woman that found one in the library was really upset. she first thought someone had dropped their gift present. then she thought it was from a jeweler. she got more upset and saw finders keepers. >> on here, all say finders keepers. it explains that they get to keep it. >> there's a letterrenc letter n the package that explains this a genuine jewelry, the gift is yours, the pleasure is ours at nelson jewelers. >> you're giving one a day. >> one a day until christmas. >> you're hoping that those who find it will call you to tell you they have found it. >> we heard from a couple of people and we didn't expect to? >> any hints about where these might be? >> hum, hum. >> that means, no, no. >> i'm sorry. >> keep your eye out. >> keep your eye out. >> santa, thank you so much for being hard at work. just don't tire yourself out before next week. all right. >> for more information about these gifts. amazing! you can log on to our website at foxbaltimore.com/morning. and coming up our countdown to christmas cannes. we'rcontinues: we're giving away welcome back to fox 45 morning news. 8:35 is the time. i'm patrice harris. we have a school closing to tell you about. mergenthol high school in the city is closed because they have a low water pressure. students get the day off, but staff must report to the school. it's our warm holiday wishes winter coat and accessory drive all morning long we have been collecting donations at our studios at fox 45. lots of folks have come out already and had a chance to meet some of us and drop off the hats, coats and scarves. things that people need to stay warm in winter. we're asking to you come and join us for the last half hour. we're located at 2000 west 41st street. we're here until 9:00 this morning. we hope to see you and pass on those coats to those who need it this winter. >> we're continuing the holiday spirit around here. it's our countdown to christmas on fox 45. every day from now until christmas eve, we're giving away all the gifts that you are seeing under our tree. we have given a lot so far but still plenty more to go. we have our first winner, trish from east ridge. this is a gift you chose from our tree. how are you today? >> pretty good. how are you? >> are you ready for all of the snow? >> i'm ready. >> do you like the snow. >> i love the snow. >> you're going to have a good weekend, even more so, because -- let me get in here. you might be able to use this this weekend. you can sit home and watch rocky. you get the rocky, the undisputed collection. it's a blu-ray set. it has all six rocky films, also includes a bonus disc of more than 3 hours of special features. it retails for $100. it is courtesy of century fox and it's all yours. >> thank you. >> steve does it much better, we will get him to do it. anyway, congratulations. >> merry christmas. >> same to you. don't worry if you didn't win this time, we're giving away two more presents. right now give us a call at (410)481-4545. if you're the 4th or 8th caller at (410)481-4545 you will win. and now let's check in with meteorologist steve fertig. yo-steve. >> yo, hey, how are you doing? if you're watching that movie, then you're going to get socked by mr. balboa. trying to tie it altogether. the lake-effect snow is not going to bother us at all. from the south will, maybe not, if you love that kind snow when we get the heavy stuff. it's coming our way as the moisture and rain to the south moves in our and turns into snow around here. we have a winter storm warning for the majority of the state. the on exception is being the southern part of the eastern shore where they have a winter storm watch in place. as you can see, 6-12 inches of snow expected. the central part of maryland, east and west of there a mix of the eastern shore. today, a different story around here. 2 inches overnight tonight and 2-4 inches tomorrow during the day and 2-4 at night making up the total of 6-10 with 12 inches in some spots. we're talking about the forecast for today which includes cold temperatures out there in just a moment. right now let's see what lauren cooke has to say about the traffic edge. >> reporter: thank you, steve. we have a trouble report on the west side of the beltway. a crash to report at the inner loop lanes as you approach liberty road. watch out for that. as we make our way to the top side of the beltway, taking a live look at charles street. you will see that the inner and outer loop lanes are jam packed as you approach the harrisburg expressway. do bring your patience if you're traveling that area. if you're traveling the outer loop lanes this morning, you're looking at a 12-minute drive with an average speed of begun miles pe -- 51 miles per hour. the west side 795 to 95, you're look at a 13 minute tripe with an average speed of 49 miles per hour. no problems to report if you're using the tunnels. from the harbor tunnel, we're looking at a 55-mile average speed. and from the fort mchenry tunnel plaza to the beltway you're looking at an average speed of 55 miles per hour. that's a look at morning travels. patrice, let'send is it back to you. water restrictions have been lifted this morning for the entire city and surrounding jurisdictions after a 42-inch watermain break. it burst yesterday afternoon at the intersection of argon drive sending water gushing to the streets for hours. how is the scene this morning? megan gilliland joins us live from northeast baltimore with a look at how things are shaping up. is it icy out there, megan. >> reporter: amazingly it is. crews did a good job of sweeping you will avenue that water out, and making sure that it didn't have the icy conditions but a lot going on. if you take a look over my shoulder. crews are still on the scene and worked through the evening hours. they worked to repair the 2-inch watermain break that collapsed here. the good news is that the water restrictions in the city have been lifted. it's going for for you t you toa shower this morning. the watermain break caused a gas break. 80, bge customers are without heat. as we head into a very cold weekend ahead of us, the red cross will be working with these folks. as far as how long it will take to fix this problem, we're not just talking about hours but possibly days. the city officials say what is to blame for all of this is just an aging infrastructure. megan gilliland, fox 45 morning news. america's favorite dancer is russell. >> after hours of rehearsals and weeks of performances it all comes down to one moment on so you think you can dance. dance, the naming of america's favorite dancer. russell took the title and fox broadcasting is making him available to talk with us this morning. go, russell, congratulations. >> thank you. >> i'm going to go back to this winning moment. a lot happened. you dropped to your knees and shirt came on. what was going through your mind. >> it was a burst of excitement, you know. i was very happy, you know, like shocked and you know, just -- everything was just exploding at one time. so i just let it all out. i didn't hold back. >> so now you got some pretty nice prizes. how do you plan on spending the winnings. >> first i just plan on, you know, finding a nice little car, i guess. [ laughter ] >> and just investing. i'm going to invest the money and keep it growing and see what i can do off of that and probably open up a studio one day. >> i want to rewind because the show started off on the wrong foot. you were injured, what exactly what happened and of course, how are you feeling? >> well, hum, yeah. in the beginning, yeah, my partner, she injured herself. i had to dance with the choreographer, melanie. and no, it was a struggle at first, because you know, we didn't rehearse together, you know. and you know, of course, my partner was much more, you know i guess fit for the part. >> uh-huh. >> it was just a little -- it was hard, you know, because it was the first time that happened. and you know, i never dealt with that situation before. >> right. >> so, yeah. >> okay. so, you know, nagil at the end of the show said we had it down to the polished guy, and the unpolished guy. you had been cruising yourself time and time again and that is why you won. what do you have to say to those unpolished diamonds here in baltimore. they want to make it in the dancing industry like you have? >> i would say, don't doubt. keep the faith no matter what. anything is possible. i know that people have heard that before, but it's true. dreams really do come true if you keep your head epp an up ant let anybody get you down. >> you are proof of that. congratulations, well deserved. >> thank you. i appreciate it. >> take ca we are out the parking lot of the station wrapping our winter wishes up. megan gilliland brought a couple of bags of clothes. we thank everybody for coming out. and kelly brought a ton of stuff. >> not only today but a week ago we donated $10,000 worth of retail product. we have ravens ear warmers, a lot of gloves. this is the second year that 180 participated in the holiday wishes with miku. >> we wouldn't can't you this enough for the donations. it's going to help a lot of people. i want to bring kinko with miku. talk about the importance of getting people to come out. it's cold out, but that is why we need people to come out. >> times are hard and we can't turn a blind eye to the community. please come without and support our efforts. >> you have been a part with us for the three years we have been doing it. you have how many members? >> we are at 80,000, i believe. >> reporter: we want to send you a challenge to the 80,000 plus members. >> come on out, we need your help. >> thank you so much. we got about, let's see. 15 minutes left for you to come out and bring your donations. is this what we collected so far but we always need more. 2000 west 41st street. back to you guys. those coats are going to be necessary. it's going to be a warm coat that is required for today. here is why. sky watch hd radar not looking eventful at this time. that is going to change. wait until you we move into the overnight period and into saturday when the snow moves in. you look at the bigger picture and you see when the snow is coming from. it's warm to support that. but look at what happens when it moves into north carolina the western most part and the eastern part of tennessee. you see the change over to snow and even ice indicated by the whites and the pinks there. the bigger picture is something like this. we will have to talk about the winter storm part in the southeastern part of the eastern shore. all of this it looks like nothing is going on, does it? we fill in the pink and now you see a winter storm warning for most of you for overnight tonight into tomorrow when we see significant snow in here. let's talk about that and why we're going to see it. low pressure center down to the southeast going to move up the coast. that nor'easter is going to be moving in our direction and bringing in a lot of moisture from the atlantic as well as the south. that blue is moving to the southern most part of the state by 4:00 this overnight period into the early morning hours and then the southeastern part seeing the rain and the whole area, almost seeing the blue infiltrate and bring us the snow that could be heavy at times through the overnight period saturday into early sunday. as it moves out of here sunday, we dry out but it still remains chilly, if you're going to the m&t stadium for the game. the snow should be less. 6-12 inches of snow expected for the central part of the state. 3-6 inches for the western part of maryland down to the east. and 3-6 unless you move far toward the east toward worcester county, where a mix of rain and snow there. 25 degrees right now. it's chilly. even though we don't talk about snow at this time, with cloud cover out there. the 13 is the dew point, so the temperatures may drop a little bit before they bounce back some. 29 degrees and generally throughout the area. look for the temperatures to get into the 30s before we're done. 39 degrees for the high in the eastern shore with cloudy skies and northeast wind at 5-10 miles per hour. central part of the state, remaining dry for the time being. northeast wind at 5, back to the west, 36 degrees unless you're in the higher elsevations in -- elevations in which case mid-20s. you got to like the snow, it's pretty. it won't feel very nice with the cold temperatures made to feel even colder with the winds. tomorrow 30 degrees. bit way with that snow that will be heavy. we are expecting winds to remain up around 15-25 miles per hour and gusting higher. that will create blowing snow and that is not going to add a lot of help to this situation. m&t stadium for the game, 1:00 against the beards. -- the bears. it will be turning partly cloudy. a 10-15-mile-an-hour wind is going to make it feel cold. give yourself extra time if you're tailgating early in the morning. you don't want to miss that. partly cloudy skies, and 34 and 36 for the tuesday and wednesday. christmas eve day, 36 and partly cloudy and another batch of snow in store for us for a white christmas. we will talk more about that as we get closer. fox 45 sky watch weather is at your finger tips. you can use fox 45 powerful doppler radar to track incoming storms. interactive tools will let you see when rain or snow will be over your house. go to foxbaltimore.com and click on iradar. now lauren cooke is back with another check on what is happening on the roadways with the traffic edge. >> reporter: thank you, steve. we do have several incidents working but first let's check in and take a look at our speeds. we're looking at 48 miles per hour in the northeast corridor of 95. a much higher 62 on the top side of the beltway. we do tumble down to 32 on the south side of 695. and as we make our way over to the west side of the beltway, we do have an accident that has just cleared, but do expect some delays. this is going to be along the inner loop lanes at liberty road. as we make our way up to the top side of the beltway, even though we don't have any accidents working, we do have some congestion talk about as we take a live look at 695, at 83. will you notice the inner and outer loop lanes are pretty packed. that is going to be at charles street as you approach 83. as we make our way to the northeast corridor of 95, no problems to report long the southbound lanes moving from from whitemarsh to the city. we are dealing with the effect of that serious watermain break in northeast baltimore. it happened yesterday but we're still dealing with the road closure. argon drive remains shutdown between loch raven boulevard and hillen road. we're looking at video from yesterday. this roadway looked more like a river. fortunately it's a different scene today. you will want to stick with woodhaven road as an alternate route. patrice, back to you. thank you, lauren. coming up our countdown to christmas continues. we have our winners on the phone picking out their gifts. stay tuned to find out what they won and when your next chance to win is. 8:48 is the time. you are watching fox 45 morning news, all local all morning. >>she is grammy nominated and has won several other awards. the native american singer is releasing an album soon. she is going to be performing at the super bowl tailgate for players and their families. she joins us this morning. >> good morning. >> this is a big deal because it was carrie underwood who performed at the tailgate last time. >> i don't know that. that is good to follow through with underwood. >> tell me quickly about the album because we want to hear you sing. >> woman born is my album. i'm native american it's a mix of pop and a r&b. >> welcome to mainstream. >> what are you going to do for us now? >> i'm going to do, change is going to come. it's a great song. >> jana take it away. >> thank you. ♪ ♪ ♪ i was born bit river ♪ in a little thin, road ♪ just like the river i i've i'n running ever since ♪ ♪ it's been been, a long time coming ♪ ♪ i know change is gonna come ♪ it's been too hard living ♪ i'm afraid to die ♪ 'cause i don't know what's out there beyond the sky ♪ ♪ it's been with last-minute stocking stuffers from top brands like barbie and more for just $8. christmas costs less at walmart. save money. live better. walmart. christmas costs less at walmart. it's our countdown to christmas. you know what that means. from today through christmas eve we're giving away one gifts from under our tree. trish is on the phonement i'm p. i'm already digging into your gift and let's see what you got. you got printies design studio allows your child to design his or her own stuffed animal. that would be fun. it's retail for $19.99 and it's a courtesy of tech kno no store. >> you have someone in mind to bifgive that to? >> i do, i have a 7-year-old. >> good morning, michelle. i'm tearing into the boxes. i tear these boxes each and every time. michelle, you got a $50 target gift card. happy holidays. that is always nice if you haven't finished your shopping for other people. you can use it on yourself. don't worry if you didn't win today. we are doing this all month long. all through christmas eve. >> take a look at this one. you can get baby. this is belly. 8 weeks old. sorry about that. a lab retriever mix. and you will see the website there. >> so cute. >> isn't she cute. >> weather wise, we have big weather coming your way. it looks like big storm overnight, 6-12 inches of snow throughout the area and the winds are going to be picking up. by ravens game it should dry out, partly cloudy skies. we want to thank everyone who has come by our station today. we have been having our warm winter wishes outside. we thank you so much for all of do nations that we have. we can't appreciate you enough and thank you enough. >> so there it is. they're wrapping it up. they're loading it into the truck and taking it off to those who need it. >> go ravens. >> we will see you here on monday.

Related Keywords

Worcester County , Maryland , United States , Pikesville , Morgan State University , China , San Diego , California , Howard County , Salisbury , Mashonaland East , Zimbabwe , Russia , Kansas City , Kansas , Washington , District Of Columbia , West Virginia , Garrett County , Tennessee Valley , Whitemarsh , Hagerstown , Hollywood , Parkville , Calvert County , Greece , Chicago , Illinois , New York , Copenhagen , Køavn , Denmark , North Carolina , Baltimore County , Cleveland , Ohio , Somerset County , Pennsylvania , Virginia , Cincinnati , United Kingdom , North Baltimore , Tennessee , Prince George County , Capitol Hill , Americans , America , Soviet , British , American , Patrice Harris , Sarah Jessica Parker , Somerset Worcester , Megan Gilliland Fox , Aaron Tanner , Kevin Tanner , Tony Gambino , Glen Burnie , John Hopkins , Richard Williams , Lauren Cooke , Megan Gilliland , Ben Bernanke , Carrie Underwood , Chris Wallace , Ajay John , Candace Dold , Barack Obama , Chris Vincent , Henry Reid , Steve Fertig , Armstrong Williams , Fox Baltimore , Kevin Byrd , Fox Chris Wallace , Sheila Dixon , John Mccain , Hillary Clinton ,