,, thanks to this quick home energy check-up from bge.house feels like i'm at a day spa. [ announcer] learn to speak the language of energy efficiency at bgesmartenergy.com. hello, again. it is kind of cold outside, but not a bad day start. traffic looking heavy on i-395 into the city. sharon will have more on that after marty's first warning weather. >> sunny start, partly sunny end and we'll go for a high temperature around, let's say maybe uh, 42 degrees after a midday 40. all things considered, it the not going to be a bad day. pretty clear day start. beautiful sunrise. don, take it away. break lights shining brightly, here's sharon with wjz traffic control. >> at this point no major delays out there. in fact we don't have significant problems at all. just one advisory if you're going to be traveling in the area of gilford avenue today. there are lane closures there too. construction between baltimore and fayette. do expect extra volume. everything still running smoothly. green spring avenue. in and out of the fort mchenry tunnel, if you're headed to harbor tunnel, there's a look at 895. for traffic information, log onto wjz.com. here's what people will be talking about news-wise this morning. a brazen assault in broad daylight. a man attacked after he steps off a light rail train. >> reporter: the man who was jumped was taken to an area hospital and police say his attackers are still on the loose. mta and baltimore city police are on heightened alert this morning after a man was assaulted late tuesday afternoon. he just got off a light rail train in mount washington, walking near smith avenue. and now other riders are demanding action. >> the problem, i think, centers on the fact that uh, you haven't got enough, uh, people in authority standing out here. >> sky eye chopper 13 was over the scene just moments after the attack. two juveniles jumped the man, robbed him and ran across the kelly street bridge. >> in this day and age, you have to really look out and protect yourself and protect other americans around you. >> it's just a shame that someone can be hurt while they're just trying to go either to work or to come home. >> reporter: because the crime didn't actually take place on an mta train or at an mta stop, mta police isn't considering it one of their crimes. other riders say that's no excuse and they need to do more. >> i think sometimes we uh, there are simple things that can be done. and there aren't that many light rail stops that can't be manned by someone. >> reporter: now the man attacked was last reported in good condition at that area hospital and police say they hope security video and surveillance video would help them in the investigation. >> anyone with information is asked to call baltimore city police. a harford county man apparently shoots himself as sheriffs deputies prepare to arrest him. the deputies were approaching an abingdon house yesterday with a warrant when they heard several pops inside. they entered and found ralph beakly dead upstairs in the house. baltimore county police have busted what they're calling a violent dog-fighting ring. a search of a home turned up steroids, several aggressive dogs and more. >> reporter: these are pictures of what police seized from a home on lang street on east baltimore county. pills, steroids, weights and chains all part of a dog-fighting operation. police also found drugs. the investigation led to the arrest of three people. all face drug and animal cruelty charges. some friends and neighbors are defending one another. >> they took her dogs for no reason. she didn't fight these dogs, anybody in this neighborhood could tell you that. >> i never heard them fighting, never. >> the suspects also had, and this is extremely alarming to us, a large quantity of veterinarian-type medications, pills, steroids. >> reporter: the police chief says the evidence is strong. those were feuding with rival drug groups causing chaos in the neighborhood. wjz has learned animal control investigated several past complaints of dogs that had bitten people. >> the owner must show certification that the animals are up to date on rabies vaccines and licenses, which she did. >> the girl wanted to lose some hips. she's built like me. she got the running mill for that. >> animal control hasn't decided whether the three dogs in their custody will have to be put down. >> they're in lock down status, meaning there are only a few people who can access them. they're responding well to the contact of the few people who can see them. >> reporter: police are also investigating whether a veterinarian supplied some of the items they seized from that house. at baltimore county, police headquarters, mike hellgren wjz eyewitness news. federal investigators are looking into yet another fatal accident along washington, d.c.'s metro system. two veteran workers were struck and killed by a maintenance truck while installing safety equipment near the rockville metro stop early yesterday. in the last five years, eight workers have been killed in the d.c. metro. that number doesn't include last year's collision that claimed the lives of eight passengers in the train operator. more change could be on the way for more baltimore city schools after last night's school board meeting. calling for extensive changes including giving middle schoolers a choice as to where they want to attend class. he would close four middle schools. several public hearings will be held before that plan can become final. a change in plans for baltimore county schools. the implementation of a controversial new grading system, it's called articulated instruction module or aim for short. it would require teachers to fill out a form with hundreds of questions for each and every student, every quarter. problems have been raised by parents and teachers. turn to sports, back in the birds nest. all-star miguel tejada is officially an oriole again. >> my best year, they give me more energy and enthusiasm to come here and play. at the same time, i just walked in front of my house yesterday and today and that's making me more happy. >> tejada was traded to the astros two years ago. the shortstop will shift positions and become the bird's starting third baseman now that melvin mora is gone. in football news: crews are putting the finishing touches on the stadium in miami. they've been working hard to make sure the stadium's brand new turf field is ready for action. that same game will be used for the biggest game of the football season. super bowl xliv. catch all that action right here on wjz13. now something that was supposed to be a prank: a high school basketball coach gets the last laugh in kansas. students were trying to trick the coach into thinking if he made a blindfolded half court shot, they'd give him tickets to the final four. because it was supposed to be a prank, there were no tickets. want to see it again? >> nothing but net. high school mascot, the ravens. colors, purple and black. >> mm-hmm. >> who says pro-football doesn't have a trickle down effect? speaking of football, it dawned on me. there's a couple guys on facebook who i've known, a guy named todd cade in atlanta. tom prestijacamo in kansas. everybody's talking about the who at super bowl for the halftime. it dawned on me. why the who is there. >> why? >> it's simple. cbs is putting on the broadcast. what is the number one show in the universe on any network known to mankind. csi. what is the primary theme song of csi? >> sure, yeah. >> the who. bob o'reilly, there's a lot of bob o'reilly going mobile. a lot of stuff off the album, who's next? >> okay. super bowl, cbs, cross promotion, the who. by the way, after the game, what's on? >> csi? >> i think. >> monday, tuesdays and thursdays. anyway, the point is, that's why the who is at the super bowl. >> i did wonder why. >> take a look at the forecast of the day. 42 degrees the high this day. 28 right now. calm weather through saturday morning. saturday morning's a bit of a difficulty. we'll give you the no-nonsense low down after the break. ronny, we're going to the dogs again, good morning. >> reporter: we have, just a reminder by the way, super bowl sunday, pregame show begins at noon. full day of football. >> yes it will be. we're live in mount washington at dog month. look who we have here. how are you doing, guys? good to see you. we have the latest of fashions for your dogs in the cold. we also have tips for you coming. especially marty mentioned in the snow. more coming up live at the mount washington,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, it's a quarter past 6:00. >> slight breeze from the southwest. barometer at 30.07 from 30.05. barometer has risen. 18 oakland. 31 pax river, 32 d.c. upper 20s in elkton. 26 westminster. 27 belair and columbia. somebody wrote me a letter yesterday and was ragging on me about talking about these temperatures. rock hall, kent island, annapolis, it's your called. drop me an e-mail. mbass@wjz.com. we have a few clouds heading our way. we have clear skies this morning. this is lake effect. partly sunny skies. high clouds meander in. that cold front diving down through the mid-atlantic and putting itself in a position to block out the bulk of what is a low forming to the south. could be pretty significant winter weather over the carolinas and portions of virginia. right now the official forecast is snow possible. i'm just letting you in on the discussion. we're taking it out of the office and bringing it out here on the settle. discussion is, north of the mason dixon line, no problem. that cold front, only going to see the northern end of this. we're thinking right now it'll be a late overnight friday, saturday morning deal. with maybe, and right now, we're thinking maybe like four inches of snow. which is no big deal, however the forecast is still involved. partly cloudy, 28 degrees overnight. tomorrow, 48 degrees. the bottom start to fall out of the deal. there's problematic weather early saturday. i wouldn't change saturday evening plans at all to be honest about it. 24. sunday and monday, sunshine. 32 and 39 degrees. up for discussion, your drive. here's sharon at wjz traffic control. >> not too many problems to get in your way. just one issue on the beltway. that's going to be on the top side, on the inner loop apparently. watch for that, otherwise, watch for delays possibly later today. gilford avenue between baltimore and fayette because of construction closures there. expect some heavier than usual volume. otherwise, there's a look at your drive times and speeds for the top and west sides of the beltway. pretty much at full speed all around. 895 into the harbor tunnel. no issue there. no issue at the fort mchenry tunnel. this traffic report's brought to you by toyota and your local toyota dealer. you can choose any toyota car and find a model that's epa estimated over 30 miles per gallon highway. >> all righty then. let's go to the roster, ron mets, good morning. >> reporter: doing great, how are you guys doing? >> doing well. what's in your hand? >> reporter: doggy treats. don't tell the dogs. >> they're being obedient because they know that's in your hand. >> reporter: that's correct. we're with our friends at dogma. their new store in mount washington, mount washington mill. they opened their store near canton like four years ago, doing great. now they're in the mount washington mill, beautiful store. very virginia, how are you doing? i'm doing great. >> reporter: we're in the middle of winter here. we have gladys, gladys is the blonde. >> gladys is wearing a chili dog sweater. >> oscar is wearing a horse blanket for dogs. >> very good. >> so people coming in, they're keeping their doggies warm, obviously. >> a lot of dogs, probably not these dogs, but a lot of dogs need coats. they're um, short haired or low to the ground. they really do suffer from the cold. >> reporter: all right. we want to talk, you know, marty talked a little about the snow that's coming. we always worry if you have pets, if you have a dog, about their safety with the salt that's put down, so we want to talk a little about uh, what we have over here. what's that called, virginia? >> they have a product called safe paw. it's great for dogs, it doesn't hurt their paws. it's also um, safe if they lick it, it's safe for children as well. um... a little of that goes a long way. so you can use that um, and then their paws aren't really hurting from the salt. >> reporter: very good. okay, one of the reasons we're here. mount washington mill, just off falls road, smith avenue, the merchants here have started something new. first fridays, friday evenings. >> first friday of every month, we have a mill around the mill. all the retail stores participate. it's really a unique experience, because these are stores, nearly every store here is an independently owned um, locally owned business. so you have a great shopping experience. >> reporter: and you get a chance to win this gift basket. >> everyone, all the retailers donate an item and we make this great basket, usually around a $400 value. when you go to all the stores and get your card stamped, then you get to be in the winning for this prize. >> reporter: excellent, thank you. all right guys, here you go. little breakfast for you. here, c'mere george. there you go. all right... gladys, don't take his, c'mon. all right, guys. c'mon by, mount washington mills. right next to whole foods. you've been here many times. thank you all so much. keep your pets warm and safe this winter. don and marty, back to you. there's still time for local high school students to enter wjz's black history month. features cash prizes as well as scholarships. the deadline to enter is this saturday. go to wjz.com and click on our contest section. don't go away, we're coming right back. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, let's take a look at the forecast for the day. 27 degrees right now. high temperature around 42. sunny to partly cloudy. 28 overnight. tomorrow, let's go to a shot of 50. breezy afternoon. don? >> problems in bed could indicate a problem with your heart. healthwatch reporter kelly lynne explains. >> how a man performs in the bedroom could be an indicator of heart health. erectile dysfunction could be a strong sign that a man is at increased risk for heart attack, stroke and other cardiovascular problems. the increased risk appears to be as high at 40%. he goes on to explain that the same artery-blocking conditions that impair blood flow to the heart and brain can reduce blood flow to that organ. the future in focus, what happens next for the historic theater is getting a little clearer. more security needed outside light rail stations. that's what some riders want after one man is robbed. i'm andrea fujii that story just ahead. president obama will give his first state of the union address tonight. >> little more volume on the beltway. we'll let you know tl if there are delays and give you a live look straight ahead. bubble wrap is 50 years old. we're going to celebrate it this morning on coffee with. we're taking a break and coming right back. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, 6:30. we're about to click over, 6:30 isn't a bad day start at all. sharon will have your traffic. marty has first morning weather. >> clear out there, for sure. we start sunny. we'll end partly sunny. 28 degrees right now. we'll go for a lunch-time 40 on its way to high of 42. if we can delay a few clouds, maybe get up to 44 degrees this day. partly cloudy. 39 degrees this evening. >> here's sharon with wjz traffic control. >> one issue to get in your way. first of all, watch for construction if traveling on gilford avenue today. definitely going to be looking at more volume because of lane closures between baltimore and fayette streets. otherwise, there's a look at your drive times and speeds from the beltway. 51 miles an hour on the west side between 795 and 95 on the outer loop with a 12-minute drive time. 95 getting busier there. southbound lanes to the right at white marsh boulevard. this traffic report's brought to you by toyota. find a model epa estimated. call for action at the top of the news this morning after a man is jumped moments after getting off a light rail train. wjz and andrea fujii at the light rail stop. good morning once again, andrea. >> the attack happened in broad daylight yesterday afternoon. some mta riders we spoke with say they're concerned, especially since the attackers are still on the loose. mta and baltimore city police are on heightened alert this morning after a man was assaulted late tuesday afternoon. he just got off a light rail train in mount washington, walking near smith avenue and now other riders are demanding action. >> the problem i think centers on the fact that uh, you haven't got enough people in authority standing out here. >> sky eye chopper 13 was over the scene moments after the attack. two juveniles jumped a man, robbed him and ran across the kelly street bridge. >> typically at the mount washington area, you don't hear anything like that, but in this day and age, you have to protect yourself and those around you. >> reporter: because the crime didn't actually take place on an mta train or at an mta stop, mta police isn't considering it one of their crimes. other riders say they need to do more. >> i think sometimes we uh, there are simple things that can be done. and they're aren't that many light rail stops that uh, can't be manned by someone. >> reporter: police are now hoping security video will help in their investigation. in the meantime, the men attacked is said to be in good condition in the hospital. it is down to two. there are now two possibilities for the historic senator theater. according to the baltimore sun, one option would be to allow the senator to continue as a full-time movie theater and blanket the restaurant. the other option is turn into a performing arts center for towson university radio station. it pays to go green, apparently. hundreds of new jobs will soon be rolling into maryland. general motors has selected its plant in white marsh to serve as the company's new hub for making electric motors. the electric motors should start rolling off the assembly line sometime in 2013. the president just hours away from delivering his state of the union address. there'll be two main themes, the economy and government spending. president obama will use tonight's state of the union to hit the reset button on his agenda. focusing on jobs. >> this is what we have to do for the american people. >> reporter: faced with double-digit unemployment and falling approval ratings, the president will call on congress to move on a slew of tax cuts for small businesses. he'll also propose a major increase in education spending and a series of measures to aid the middle class. >> things like tuition grants for school, help for elderly parents. >> reporter: hoping to ease concerns about government spending, the president will announce steps to cut back. propose a freeze on most domestic spending for the next three years. some liberals say bending is what's needed right now. republicans like the idea of cutting back, but some say it's too little, too late. >> we've been on quite a bend over the last 12 months. it's going to take more than just a modest freeze to get us back on the right track. >> reporter: republicans may have a bigger voice in the senate, but democrats insist that doesn't change the issues. >> health care is still too scarce and expensive. the new york times reports he'll establish a bi-partisan task force to tackle a deficit this year. the senate shot down the idea just yesterday. >> wjz will bring you complete coverage of the state of the union address tonight. ky jackson will be reporting from washington, d.c. all day, leading right up to the speech. it has now been 15 days since the devastating earthquake struck haiti and still rescuers pulled a 35-year-old man out of the rubble alive. u.s. soldiers found him under a collapsed buildings april mazingly, he didn't appear to have serious injuries. a plea from patients for aid groups around the world. adoption agencies say they've been inundated with requests for adoption. they say it'll take months to find out which children are really orphans from haiti. >> if we're going to wait for the haitian government to get completely organized in new buildings, dusted off and ready to roll before we act, we'll be waiting the next 50 years. >> it's been estimated there were thousands of orphans in haiti before the earthquake and there are now thousands and thousands more. auto recalls have become pretty common. toyota is telling dealers to stop selling some of its cars and that's unprecedented. >> reporter: toyota is temporarily slamming the breaks on sales of eight popular models. the move follows last week's announcement the automaker was recalling 2.3 million vehicles because of a sticking accelerator pedal. now that recall has snowballed into an all-out suspension of nation-wide sales. toyota is also halting production of the cars at five north american auto plants beginning february 1st. nothing like this has ever happened before in the auto american industry. the models in question include some of toits top selling models and date back as far as six model years. included are corollas, camry models and newer designed models such as the scotch a sequoia. no action is required at this time and will issue owner notifications soon. >> the sticking pedal recall is separate from the ongoing recall of more than 4 million toyota and lexus vehicles due to incorrect or out of place floor mats that could cause accelerators to stick. in a statement on its website, toyota says it's making every effort to address the situation as quickly as possible. but still, the company can't say when it will restart its assembly lines and allow cars to roll out of the showroom. >> 10.5% of all the cars sold last month were those recalled models. it's official, james cameron is king of the world once again. the director of the sci-fi flick avatar passed the earnings record of his previous blockbuster titanic. avatar has brought in more than $1.8 billion worldwide. as far as domestic totals go, avatar made about $45 million less than the titanic in this country. avatar has been number one in the box office for six straight weeks. >> here you go. >> sounds like.... >> i'm a single bubble guy though. >> excuse you. >> i have nothing to say. bubble wrap's been around 50 years. they're just celebrating this anniversary. >> we're talking about bubble wrap. and how it came about, is going to blow your mind. what made somebody think this would be any good as a household decorating item is beyond me. you'll hear the story coming up next. >> we have first warning weather and more. the morning edition continues right after this. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, 27 degrees right now. gentle breeze out of the southwest at 5. barometer at 30.07. western maryland anywhere from 18 to 30. 30 easton and ocean city. uh, potomac watershed, 32. guy just beat me up in an e-mail about constantly going belair, westminster, rock hall. people like to hear their cities. guy was also making disparaging comments about the quality of people on manic monday. i say "you mean like the baltimore city cancer fund?" some people shouldn't be allowed within five miles of a keyboard. 27 columbia. 32 d.c., 31 annapolis. 32 rock hall. 31 on kent island. we have clear skies this morning. there's lake effect out to the west. some clouds will meander our way. we want to talk about this big cold front right here. this is going to make a run at us. what it's going to do is block problems out when we get to saturday. 42 degrees, going to be the high today. 28 tonight. tomorrow too shy of 50. here's what i want to talk about. we have an area of low pressure forming over south carolina. going to try and make a run up the coast. cold front slips through the mid-atlantic and blocks it out, kind of. conversationly speaking right now, saturday morning, maybe about 4 inches of snow. once again, that's not the official forecast. i'm telling you like it is. the official forecast is snow possible or everybody's hedging their bets. right now, the wise money is on a winter weather event, but certainly not 21 inches of snow. that's not a guarantee. cards are still turning over, we're still looking at the data. right now i think we're looking at a saturday morning issue. clear it out sunday and monday. 24, 32 and 39 degrees. >> if you're about to make your run, here's sharon at wjz traffic control. >> we picked up our first accident of the morning. it took a while, but there it is. 895. watch for that would not the moravia road on ramp. partially blocked there. just a little volume there. we also have another issue. vehicle fire reported on 93 southbound at belfast road. if you're traveling in the gilford avenue area. watch for uh, added volume today because of some construction blocking lanes between baltimore and fayette streets. there's a look at your drive times for the top and the west sides. 50 miles an hour your slowest spot right now. 795 and 95. there's a live look at that delay at liberty. there's a look at 95 at 895. this traffic report's brought to you by toyota. when you need to go in the rain sleet or snow, toyota moving forward. back to you. >> we're the only ones in the room with bubble wrap. [popping sounds]. >> there you go. this morning's coffee with is with bill ray. bill will be here in just a second. >> this is your introduction. >> the professor of popology from bubble wrap. bill ray, good morning, how are you? >> i'm fine, what's popping? >> your product. >> tell me you never walked into a meeting and said that. >> what's popping? >> yeah, that's the normal greeting around here. >> that's cool. >> we're talking 50 years of bubble wrap. >> absolutely. 50th birthday of the bubble wrap product and brand. 50 years really for the company this year as well. for sealed air corporation. >> we were just sitting here talking. all jokes aside, about how many people possible these things and that's a great stress reducer, but there's a show on called how it's made. i thought a great thing would be to see how bubble wrap is actually made. it's gotta be a fascinating process. who came up with this concept? >> two gentlemen, two inventors worked out of a garage in hawthorne, new jersey. and their original concept was to use this as textured wallpaper. that didn't pan out and they quickly realized that by trapping the air in the material that it made for a great cushioning material. >> i read that about wallpaper. how was it supposed to work? >> just for the texture, just for the shape and it's funny, that's how the bubble was born. you know, bubble wrap brand. >> i was getting ready to say that makes sense in the 70s, but we'd be talking about the late 50s, early 60s. >> right, exactly. frankly at the time, types of packaging material, things like popcorn, shredded wood. this was space age. >> i can see where in the 60s, some designer would say wallpaper for the space age. we were in the mercury project. i can see where somebody, after about 17, 18 hinekens i'm actually really against pop corn and there's a lot of environmental damage. the packing, the packing for safety and things. seems like bubble wrap, although we're still using plastics, pretty much ended that. >> bubble wrap is extremely light and allows you to use a minimum of material. so you really get after waste right at the source, source reduction we call it. we also put 15% recycled content in all of our bubble wrap. very reuseable. >> you make the big pillows that some packages come with too. is that your product? >> we make that product as well. >> half of those are empty when i get them. >> what is next-- >> those aren't ours. >> that's right. >> there are imitators. >> what is next for the company? what does your r&d department have the horizon? >> r&d is always working on an array of things. we spend uh, you know, in the packaging industry, we spend quite a bit on r&d. we like to keep a lot of that stuff inside the vest. we're ready to let it pop out, so to speak. >> something is being worked on. there'll be something coming from you guys in the next decade? >> absolutely. i don't look beyond next year and the year after. there'll be lots of new stuff. >> cool, what's your favorite way of doing this? stepping on it or pressing it? >> with the big bubble, i like to do the single pops. the best stress relief. the little bubble, you want to use the twist technique. >> you'll get a real big sound if you put it on your garage floor before you pull your car in. >> i can imagine. >> that's a good one. >> i had a friend who would put it under his door mat on halloween. people walk up and you hear all that noise and jump around. >> what is that noise in the background. >> i think they're making it. >> we're making it. those are the prepops you hear. [laughter] >> it's 4th of july. >> we have to run, thanks a lot. >> thank you, guys. >> safe travels. >> thank you very much. >> well know... [laughter] >> we're just amusing ourselves. [laughter] we're taking a break. >> i'm empty, give me another. >> we're coming right back. here come your updates from sharon and marty. >> hey, don, what's popping? >> i gave mine away. >> oh man, let's take a look at the forecast. beautiful day start. very clear. we're going for a high of 42. partly cloudy this afternoon. let's send it to sharon. good morning, sharon. >> good morning, everyone. an update on that accident on 895. watch for it blocking the off ramp of 895 to moravia road. because of an accident there. meantime, also, looking at an accident on 83 southbound. watch for construction and delays later in the day. gilford avenue between baltimore and fayette street. slowdowns on the outer loop. 49 miles per hour in both areas. there's a look at the west side. earn more with premier checking, discover the difference. back to you. >> thank you very much. in the headlines this morning: a man is recovering after being assaulted yesterday afternoon just a few feet away from a mount washington stop. now looking at surveillance video to try to help identify the two attackers. miguel tejada is back with the orioles. he's back with the team after being traded away two years ago. stay with wjz. coming up more on toyota's troubles. the automaker has put a screeching halt to its sales and manufacturing. it's being called an unprecedented move. it all relates back to the accelerators being stuck or getting stuck on eight ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,