18,000 jobs. hundreds of outlet centers and stores are closing their doors. we begin our team coverage of what could be the end of an era. >> it is twilight for the twinkie. ding dongs are gone. wonder bread is toast. hostess brand announced thes it was going out of business. >> i spent three years in vietnam. they were sending us cupcakes. >> faced with increasing labor costs and a trend toward healthier eating, they filed for bankruptcy protection in january, the second time in a decade. when the striking union refused concessions by the thursday deadline, hostess decided to shut down. >> 30% of our work force has put 18,500 people out of a job. this is a consequence of the strike. >> 30 plants around the country closed immediately. more than 500 distribution centers and 500 outlets centers will soon follow. >> it breaks my heart. my heart bleeds for all of my brothers and sisters. >> bakery union members of like these blame company mismanagement, providing concessions years earlier that failed to turn the company around. >> they do not care about families or the people here. the people here gave them everything. >> after turning out snack foods since 1930, they will sell off assets including the arcana of brand name. >> it will not be right without hostess. >> it may ensure that ho hos are not history. " one of the outlets on the chopping block tonight is located in anne arundel county. >> employees and customers were stopping by the location today. that is where we find rob roblin. what did people have to say? " people are upset. more upset than the customers are the employees. they are losing their jobs. there are more than 500 of these stores nationwide. this one has been here for decades. at the hostess store, lots of shells were almost empty. word came down this morning that they were going out of business. the store would be closing. this morning, drivers went out on their routes and then parked their trucks for the last time. >> it is a tough time for everybody. trying to make the best of it. >> any idea when you will be closed today? >> today at 6:00. some stores will be open to get rid of what they have. >> the strike started last friday. we were told the company wanted the workers to take an 8% pay cut. when the thursday deadline was not met by the union, the company decided to go out of business, closing 33 bakeries, 570 stores, putting nearly 18,500 people out of work. >> i think the bakery could have did better than what they was doing then striking like that. it affects everybody. >> where you going to do? >> i have no idea. >> this afternoon, they were putting out the last boxes of twinkies they had to sell. >> do you think somebody else will make them? >> i am sure somebody will buy it. >> it has got to be real sad. >> it is said. it is what it is. >> for the customers who have been coming here for years, this is a sad day. >> something could have been done. a lot of people losing jobs over it. it is a sad thing. they have been here a long time. we shop here all the time. >> this place was a blessing in disguise. this morning i was broke. i need a loaf of bread. i had 99 cents. for me, it was a real blessing. >> cupcakes for one thing. people losing jobs are another thing. especially so close to christmas. >> the employees say they will start looking for a job tomorrow. reporting live, rob roblin, wbal-tv 11 news. >> i hope they find jobs quickly. baltimore city police tell us 10 violent drug dealers are off the streets after a big bust in the franklin square neighborhood. there are 14 more suspects yet to be arrested. it is part of a collaboration between police, the state attorney's office, and the atf. investigators conducted nearly 40 undercover drug buys. the focus is the western district neighborhoods where there has been an increase in violent crime since the summer, including a murder and 10 non- fatal shootings. >> these individuals have not been charged directly. they are contributing to the violence in the neighborhood and are a driving force of violence in the neighborhood. >> police tell us the rest will contribute to the stabilization of the western part of the city, hopefully leading to more arrests to build on other investigations in the neighborhood. the search is on for two young men who held a person at gunpoint as he was picking up his mail. police have arrested and charged a 13-year-old as an adult. police say he and two other teenagers approached the man on fair oaks road. they are accused of demanding money and making off with his wallet. he is being held on $85,000 bond. anyone with information on the other suspects should call police. >> there are new details regarding the september 23 incident in towson. 2500 people shut down part of york road and side streets. documents reveal an outland police force and how they struggled to get control of the crowd. david collins joins us with the latest. >> we finally get the full picture of what happened. police and officials described it as an isolated incident. some claimed the owners of the theater did not do enough to avoid endangering public safety in the neighborhood. outman and under orders to make as few arrests as possible, the police encountered violent roving mobs and partygoers under a cloud of marijuana smoke on your group. 1500 people shut down the road and sidewalks. this was only the first wave of trouble. police from four precincts, the investigative unit, violent crime unit, maryland state police, and university officers attempted to take control. numerous calls to 91 revealed police have their hands full. >> i need the police immediately. >> the library? >> medical attention. >> they used canines to push the crowd southdown york road. according to just released reports, the problem started when the theater began turning people away from a charity event sponsored by a fraternity. the theater only have a capacity of 200. the owner used a bullhorn to tell the crowd the event was sold out. this would not listen. wereal peaand people observed and laughing at him. police were called. the multitude swelled to 2500 people. the sound of bottles breaking added to the cacophony. at least one person was cut. police advised business owners to close for their safety and to keep patrons inside until order was restored. shots rang out near towson circle. the victim had just left the theater and was walking to his car when a car drove up and he was shot twice. police reports indicate the unruly crowds surrounded officers to prevent them from intervening. police used pepper spray to safely withdraw. one officer suffered a laceration on his arm. another space was pounded. was pounded.face police arrested people for disorderly conduct and second- degree assault. there is a show cause hearing on why the low since -- on why the license should not be revoked or suspended. >> an afternoon accident ends with a school bus on its side and part of 97 shot down. we were over the scene this afternoon. police tell us the bus was coming from in montgomery county school. there was only one student on board. the student was not injured. the driver suffered minor injuries. no word on the cause of the crash. >> still ahead, more details about the gruesome discovery yesterday. >> a woman's body found floating. we know the person's identity. it is a professor at johns hopkins. >> the student is on trial and found not guilty. the key piece of evidence that set her free. the rivalry so intense? we explained ahead. >> showers are moving away >> prosecutors have dropped all charges against the teenager accused in the deadly shooting last month. states attorney tell us there is not enough evidence to charge savage with the murder that happen in pasadena in october. morrow was shot leaving a party in the early morning hours of october 13. he and a friend were walking down the street when a truck pulled up and someone started shooting. mccloud is still facing first- degree murder charges. police continue the investigation. additional charges are expected in the future. a not guilty verdict last night in the case of the university student accused of killing another student over loud music. a jury found alexis simpson not guilty on all seven counts in the fatal stabbing of dominique frazier last september. it took just three hours to deliberate and, with the verdict. simpson to the witness stand in her own defense. attorneys say the most important piece of evidence came from the management company. >> they had a document that said alexis had come to the management office prior to the incident and complained she was being threatened by dominique and others. she said she was fearful and wanted to change her room. >> the prosecutor says the jury did their job and her team to the best they could. the trial started on tuesday. >> i doubt you could name a bigger rivalry in the nfl right now than the sunday matchup. you will be able to see it right here on wbal-tv. >> they will face each other just two weeks from now in baltimore. pete gilbert joins us with a look at the match up. >> it is a good bet ben will not be available for either game. ray lewis is out for the rest of the regular season. you know a rivalry is strong when the game remains most see tv without the biggest stars. >> we do not like each other because we are so similar. that teens are similar. -- the teams are similar. this is why you play football, for games like this. you remember some games. these are the games you tell your grandkids about. you see the colors. you know you are in a fight. we know what they are going to do as soon as we walked in the stadium. they will lock the gates. that is what we want. we want them to lock the gates behind us so we can have it out. >> they do not talk about this one like the other rivalries. this is special. coming up, a look at what the ravens did last year and the likelihood of doing it again on sunday. >> that brings us to our question of the week. is the game against pittsburgh a must win for the ravens? text your answer to this number. standard rates apply. we will have early results in the 6:00 newscast. >> your 11 insta-weather plus forecast with tom tasselmyer. >> a weather system moving off the coast brought clouds and sprinkles south and east of baltimore across the lower part of the day. you can see the system is leaving our area as we speak. high pressure will settle in for the weekend. look at the clear skies to the west into pennsylvania and the great lakes. a good-looking weekend weather pattern setting up. it will be on the cool side. 52 degrees today. below average. this month has had cooler than normal temperatures. the morning low was 36. that is about normal. it is likely to be colder tomorrow morning. we're talking normal to below normal temperatures. the night times are what will be chilly through the weekend. the 40's on the lower eastern shore right now. 53 downtown. western maryland is in the 40's. that is milder than they have been. they had more sunshine today. it gets cold tonight with clear skies and dry air. look for the lows to reach the 20's in the suburbs and 30's in downtown. high pressure is the main weather feature across most of the nation. this system is not doing much. high pressure in canada combined with high pressure over the ohio valley, so most of the nation is storm three. this front over the atlantic has been a breeding ground for storms. another may be forming over the weekend. we will see if anything developed. whatever forms will produce some clouds on the lower eastern shore tomorrow into sunday. significant rain stays off the carolina coast. it is not an immediate threat. some of this could impact areas farther to the north tuesday or wednesday. for now, cool and dry for the next several days. sunny tomorrow around baltimore. 50 to 55. the wind out of the north. on the day saturday, the wind will be light. water temperatures will hold in the low 50's. the farther west you go, the sunnier the skies will be over the weekend. the eastern shore locations will pick up some clouds towards cambridge, especially on sunday. temperatures will remain cool in the 50's. on the lower eastern shore, sunny to partly cloudy tomorrow. mostly cloudy on sunday. temperatures staying in the low to mid 50's. it is not which is expected in november in pittsburgh. -- it is not what you would expect in november in pittsburgh. on sunday, clear and chilly with light wind. kickoff temperatures will be in the low 40's. the 7-day forecast will continue the quiet weather pattern. we do have mostly cloudy skies monday through wednesday. it might include a little rain toward the coast. i temperatures the next seven days in the 50's with overnight lows in the 30's and '40's. >> millions of women in the u.s. suffer from postpartum depression. >> coming up, her what the experts found that could help to reduce the disorder. >> a new program to help domestic violence victims arrives.o >> we have breaking news out of northeast baltimore. what are we looking at? >> northbound urban avenue south of san clear lane. a person in a wheelchair was struck by a vehicle. we do not know the severity of injuries. the three lanes on northbound urban avenue have been turned into one lane while they do with the accident. >> police have identified the woman whose body was found floating in the inner harbor as the johns hopkins neurology professor. she was found near the 2300 block of boston's st. in the water. first responders took her to an area hospital where she rose pronounced dead three hours later. the cause of death is still under investigation. her profile on linked in shows she has been an assistant professor at johns hopkins since 1994. >> a new study shows to much air pollution may make your head foggy. research years in california analyzed data on 15,000 older adults in areas with high particulate matter in the air. they did worse on cognitive studies. this is the first large study to show an association with brain function. as you plan your winter vacation, do not forget to pack a helmet. a new review of research confirms using a helmet when skiing and snowboarding decreases the risk and severity of head injuries. doctors say some complain it reduces visibility and may create a false sense of security. their studies find most severe head injuries on the slopes happened when skiers were not wearing helmets. a preliminary study suggesting eating more fish could help to reduce the risk of postpartum depression. researchers in canada say there is evidence that women's levels of omega three fatty acids and decrease during pregnancy and remain low six weeks after birth. more research needs to be done, but most dietitians a gree -- agree americans need to boost their intake of healthy fatty acids. >> tragedy in texas. federal investigators are trying to piece together how they train crashed into a parade to honor veterans. >> he took the state to court when he was ordered to >> you are watching wbal-tv 11 news at 5:00. [captioning made possible by constellation energy group] wbal-tv 11 news at 5:00 continues. >> a virginia attorney is claiming victory after taking the state of maryland to court. the state ordered michael perry to stop charging what it considered illegal up front fees for loan modification. >> he claimed the baltimore city judge ruling proves the state was wrong. what this decision mean? barry simms has a follow-up. >> we first told you about the state action against the attorney and his company in may. perry was adamant they wrongfully ordered him to stop what he was doing. now he claims the judge's decision vindicates him. when the signs appeared on various street corners in baltimore, they sparked our interest. the state also took notice. >> they were misleading offering 2% loan modifications guaranteed. >> nobody likes the signs. >> the department of licensing and regulations issued a cease and desist order and find the attorney and his company nearly half a million dollars. they claimed the business was unlicensed and charge an up- front fees of at least $1,500 before rendering any services. >> if you cannot collect money up front, nobody wants to do the work. >> he claimed his firm was exempt and the law requires it for credit repair and not modifications. he challenged the findings in court. >> and was elated. >> the circuit court judge agreed and ordered the decision of the regulators is reversed. >> an attorney in maryland can do modifications without supervision from dllr at all. they can proceed without any apprehension from the state of maryland shutting them down. >> the office of financial regulations tells us it has decided not to appeal the case. it also says the circuit court decision is limited to mr. perry and his company and will not affect other enforcement actions brought by the commissioner. we wanted to know if he would start doing loan modifications and charge up-front fees again. he said he has not decided, but the ruling gives him every right to proceed. barry simms, wbal-tv 11 news. >> here is a look at other top stories. twinkies may not last for ever after all. hostess is going out of business. the real impact, closing 33 factories and firing over 18,000 workers nationwide. the move comes after the company said striking workers crippled its ability to maintain production. city police have pulled 10 so- called violent drug dealers off the streets in baltimore after an undercover investigation in response to a surge in violence in the area. the effort was a collaboration between the states attorney office, state police, and members of the alcohol tobacco firearms and explosives unit. the focus was on the franklin square and ken rose neighborhoods after a murder and shootings in the area over the summer. detectives conducted dozens of undercover drug buys. police say at least 14 more arrests are on the way. anne arundel they are officials are trying to determine what caused a repair shop to go inflames this morning. firefighters responded to the scene on crain highway. it took 63 firefighters two hours to put out the blaze. no injuries were reported. >> in washington, general petraeus told lawmakers to avoid tipping off terrorists, it was u.s. intelligence that kept the public from hearing al qaeda was behind the september 11 attacks in libya. it did little to settle the controversy over president obama and ambassador rice. petraeus did get some special treatment. steve has the latest. >> good evening from capitol hill. republicans are still charging somebody played politics with what the public was told about benghazi. petraeus testified it was not the cia. former cia director david petraeus kept out of sight until he got home. lawmakers cleared the way for him to get to the closed-door hearing without walking through holes -- halls, petraeus testified the cia figured immediately it was al qaeda that attacked the u.s. consulate in benghazi killing the u.s. ambassador and three others. how the cia missed the threat is still under investigation. his testimony helped. >> it added to our ability to make judgments about what is clearly a failure of intelligence. >> it did not stop the fight over ambassador rice. five days after the attack, she denied it was al qaeda using cia talking points to drop the al qaeda reference. >> she did the responsible thing answering questions based on what was unclassified. >> she had a motive to spin the story on meet the press. barack obama running for reelection. he might name her secretary of state. >> this is and administration led by a president who said when he ran for office to take the fight to al qaeda. we have decimated al qaeda. >> republicans still charge her with distortion. >> she knew at that point that al qaeda was likely responsible for the death of a massacre stevens. >> petraeus knew it was al qaeda. he agreed to put out a different account, but not for political reasons. petraeus told lawmakers the cia wanted to keep secret what it knew and how it knew it. republicans are not buying it from rice. wbal-tv 11 news. >> it is chaos in the gulf of mexico again. >> another explosion off the coast of louisiana. >> it is the game we have been waiting for all season. the ravens and steelers. the fans are r >> two workers are missing following an explosion on an oil platform in the gulf of mexico. the blast happened this morning off the coast of louisiana. 11 workers were airlifted from the scene. four were listed in critical condition. crews worked for hours to put out the fire. operators say 28 people were on board at the time. there have been reports of a sheen on the water. in bern to workers are on the scene. -- environmental workers are on the scene. four veterans are dead and others injured after a parade to honor their service. a train struck the flatbed carrying them causing a chaotic scene. panic filled the area. four soldiers killed were highly decorated veterans. one of the recipients had received two purple hearts. witnesses say he pushed his wife of the platform before the train hit it. >> superstore and sandy left a disastrous trail on the east coast. one analysis shows the power outage time after sandy was not extraordinary. ap found the response by utility companies especially in the hardest-hit areas was difficult or even faster than elsewhere after large storms. the department of energy records show new york utilities restored power to at least 95% of customers 13 days. new jersey reached the same level in 11 days. >> it is a pretty day. >> bge officials say could be looking at cheaper heating bills. >> how should parents react to graze on the report card? some helpful tips coming up. >> cool weather for the weekend. >> coming up at 6:00, the theater that drew a pilot crowd in september will learn if it will lose its liquor license. we get hold of new documents revealing how crazy the scene was that authorities encountered. finding help for victims of domestic violence can be difficult. steps being taken to change that. we will have these stories and we will have these stories and >> it is report card time, it can be nerve wracking for parents and students. a local nonprofit group committed to fighting child abuse says child abuse reports to go up that report card time but it does not have to be that way. tim joins us with what they are advising to help families. >> this has been a concern for some time. one baltimore organization trying to shed light on this issue is the family tree. it is the first marking period for students across the state, a time when parents get to review report cards. there is concern some parents over react if grades. to meet expectations. >> raising your voice or hand does not raise the grave. we do know after assessments, reports to child abuse agencies increase. it is very important for caregivers and parents to stay calm. >> they have these tips for parents. be calm and let your child tell you about their grades. praise your child by finding at least one good thing about the report card. ask them how you can help them do better. make a plan with your child's teacher. ask for advice from those who can help. some local parents and grandparents could not agree more. >> you want to better yourself and keep pushing. i tell my kids to focus on their strengths and work on their weaknesses so they do not hold themselves up. >> it is important to help them. sometimes we cannot help themselves. they can help each other. >> they say when it comes to a possible job of these, no group of students is off limits. >> it can be in an urban school, a prep school, a kindergarten, if you can imagine. parents become very stressed when another person is evaluating their child's progress. >> the family tree program is based in 32 schools in baltimore city as well as other counties. to learn more about the tips, log onto wbaltv.com. click on the education alert. tim tooten, wbal-tv 11 news. >> city officials tell us they are expecting heavy snow and whether emergencies. they planned accordingly. in the wake of severe weather in recent months, the city has set aside $two. 5 million for snow removal. that includes essential personnel, equipment, and salt. city officials also suggest you prepare your family for the unpredictable season. >> the insta-weather plus forecast with chief meteorologist tom tasselmyer. >> cooler than normal temperatures continuing. that will be with us through the weekend. the afternoon highs below normal. the morning lows chilly. 52 for the high today. it is in the neighborhood of normal this time of year. i think it will be colder in the warning. 90 degrees on this day in 1996. 53 downtown. mainly clear skies. with the clear skies and light breeze, the temperatures will fall quickly as the sun has gone down. temperatures will be in the 40's in the suburbs. already down to 37 in oakland. the eastern shore will get cold. by morning, it may be close to freezing. downtown baltimore, 37. the wind will be light of of the north. it will be a great night to see the meteor shower. it should peak around 3:00 in the morning. late tonight, you might see some years -- need yours -- you might see some meteors. tonight will be a good night to see it. look away from. city lights to the darkest part of the sky. clouds are moving across new england. the clearing to the west is in response to strengthening high pressure. one center is over the great lakes. another over the ohio valley. these will combine and push northeast. it will hang around through the weekend. we can expect a lot of sunshine. to the south, a front has been stalled off the coast. another area of low pressure may form sunday into tuesday. you can see the showers over carolina's. we will see the cloud cover monday and tuesday. the rain will be held to the south. tomorrow will be sunny which ties up to 55. the wind will be out of the north at 5 to 10. on the bay, the waves will be 1 foot or less. in the mountains, temperatures will start to warm. they may hit the upper 40's with lots of sunshine over the weekend. eastern shore locations will have more cloud cover. on the coast, cloudy on sunday. maybe a light shower monday and tuesday. pittsburg, no weather problems anticipated. clear and chilly. around baltimore, temperatures below normal the next seven days. highs in the low to mid 50's. the overnight lows in the 30's to 40's. >> we begin with the good news for utility's customers. utility is predicting residential customers will see the second lowest total gas bills in 10 years. that is despite forecasts calling for colder temperatures this winter. bge tells us it is because natural gas, the prices are at historic lows compared to the last decade. the price will be about 60 cents per therm. it will make the colder temperatures more tolerable since customers are expected to use more gas this year. state health officials are publishing final regulations to ban baby crib bumpers pads after an investigation uncovering they offer no meaningful benefit. they pose a potentially serious threat to infant health leading to suffocation and death. the ban does not apply to vertical bumpers around rails. it is advised babies sleep alone in a crib with no pads. the state ban on the horizontal pads goes into effect next june. they are recalling infant trouble beds after reports of several deaths and others placed in danger. they are raising a red flag because children can roll off or become trapped and suffocate. they were sold nationwide and online at amazon.com from 2005 to the present. you are advised to stop using them and call this number. it is toll-free. you can call for a repair kit. gaming enthusiast have been waiting for this weekend for month. nintendo is set to release the most advanced system yet. it will be released this weekend. developers say it is the successor to the old wii and will change the way video games are made and played. the new curved the game. features a touch screen that can be manipulated with the sweat of the finger. in its shelves on sunday. >> stan wanats one. more families are struggling to make ends meet. 3000 are getting a meal ahead of thanksgiving. the harvest appointee program is disturbing the most meals ever in the history of the program. unemployment and a down economy have led to a rise in requests for thanksgiving meals. knighted which officials say there have been 500 more families this year. -- united way officials say they are helping 500 more families this year. a $12 contribution can feed a family of six. >> a thanksgiving meal for people who want to be able to stay at home. the meal we give out these a family of six. for those who have family members who cannot go someplace else. >> if you would like to donate to the united way of central maryland, go to wbaltv.com. we have a link with all the information you need to make the holiday extra special. general petraeus is on capitol hill today for his anticipated testimony on the attack in libya. at 6:00, what he has to say about his affair and what happened in benghazi. >> two times in three weeks, the ravens play the steelers. the first match up this sunday. fans could not be happier. that story is ahead. that story is ahead. [monotone] she says, "switch to progressive and you could save hundreds." call or click today. >> a special purple friday ahead of the sunday game. this rivalry has the fans ready for sunday night. jenifer house details. >> purple coat and nails. >> purple pride ahead of one of the biggest games of the season. we're just now getting to watch the first ravens-stealers match up. they are division rivals in one of the best rivalries in the nfl. >> i am excited and anxious. i think we will win. >> i like it. it is really fun. my friends like the steelers. it is done when the steelers lows against the ravens. >> it seems like when pittsburg h and the ravens play, it is a big rivalry. the fans do not like pittsburgh. i cannot wait until sunday night in high-definition in front of the game. the best part about it is no ben. >> with big been out, some fans are disappointed saying it will not be the same. others, not so much. >> not at all. i hope he gets better, but we are happy he is out of the picture. >> i said yes when i heard he was hurt. perhaps there will be more players hurting on monday on both sides. these teams play tough. fans will not have much time to recover. in just two weeks, the steelers will come to the ravens house. this place will be off the hook. wbal-tv 11 news, go ravens! >> here is a look at what is new at 6:00. >> just released reports and video tapes reveal a frightening picture of what happened in september. details ahead. >> no more twinkies. a live report, coming up. >> it has become much easier for victims of domestic violence to get help. i will have that story coming up. >> this is breaking news. >> we begin with an update to breaking news involving a security scare at bwi airport. authorities have given the all clear after officials investigated a suspicious item left in a private airline office. concourse d is set to reopen to passengers. >> new details on the september 23 incident in towson. we expose the extent of what really happened. we had to philae public information act es