>> coming up, outrage. an attack of a student. >> two baltimore county police cruisers. who police have behind bars. >> fallout from election day robo calls. ask and a local political operative's home is raided. >> and president wipes out the threat of the bush era tax cuts expiring. [captioning made possible by constellation energy group] >> welcome to "11 news saturday morning." i'm lisa robinson. >> and i'm jennifer franciotti.

let's go first to john collins. it is looking a little overcast this morning. >> it is cloudy and cold. it would be colder if it weren't for the clouds. all week long we have had our eyes on a developing storm that's moving in this direction. everybody thought for a while there -- especially early last week and last weekend, this looked like it might be a nor'easter trying to develop on the east coast. most computer models are saying the storm won't be that big of a problem, especially around the mid-atlantic region. the theory is continuing, as it looks like the storm will be an off-shore event. there you see it to our south and southwest. its not terribly impressive now. then it will be too far away to have a huge impact on our weather. we start getting into how things will go on christmas weekend as

well. we'll detail it all with the insta-weather plus forecast. >> our big story this morning is the case that has parents outraged. the 21-year-old man arrested, but not before sneaking into a local middle school and attacking a child. >> as george lettis tells us this morning the suspect is facing a slough of charges. >> documents show jamie pruitt spotted a man sitting with a jacket. they thought 21-year-old slay was a student. teachers stopped him asking if he needed help. he said he was looking for his little brother. he was told to sign in at the main office, but he never went there. >> somehow he remained in the building, somehow hid in the bathroom, waiting to pick a

victim in this case. >> for the next 30 minutes he hid in a stall as three other boys come and go. then the victim came in. slay later told police he picked him and not the other boys because of the way he looked. court records say that as he assaulted him, he shoved a sock in his mouth in an attempt to stop him from running for help. he then confessed that he really wanted to have sex with the boy. >> the victim in this case was able to fight away from the assaulter and fight his way out of the bathroom and yelling for help, which drew the attention of the school resource officer. >> the boy told police that he found the strength to fight back when he thought about his mother and sister. he could not believe something like this happened to him, and he's now fearful to go into the bathroom alone at school. meantime, parents want halibert to improve safety. >> i don't understand how he got as far as he did. that's scary.

it makes me thinking about having my kids go here or not. it is too scary for me. >> george lettis, wbal-tv 11 news. >> several people behind bars this morning accused of ramming a stolen car into two baltimore county police cruisers. police say they first noticed the person driving eratcally. they then followed the suspect to overly high school where the zept allegedly happened. sky team 11 was over the scene around 1:30 in the afternoon. three suspects were arrested, and no one was injuried. >> in anne arundel county an s.u.v. lost control and slammed into a liquor store. this happened before 6:00 on the 900 block of mountain road in pasadena. officials don't think the crash caused structural damage to the building and no one was hurt. >> if you use d.c.'s metro system, listen up. officials will begin a random bag search. they -- will provide random

swabs. bags will not be opened unless there is a positive signal from the chemicals or the canine units. similar procedures are in place in new york and boston. taborn says it is another security measure. >> if it is going to help make things secure, i would say ok. >> i would have idea about me that anyone looking at my bag without something to search for them and going through the proper channels or whatever. no. >> if a rider refuses to have a bag searched, they will not be allowed to bring that back -- bag into the station. >> the investigation of those election day robo calls takes a new turn this morning with a raid on a political consultant's house. investigators are looking for more information. jayne miller has details. >> political consultant julia

tenson was home when investigators -- julian henceon was home whether investigators went through his home, but he pulled down the shades. there was a criminal investigation to determine whether the calls violated maryland election law. >> this probably falls into the category of misinformation that can -- >> we broke the story of the calls while the polls were still open. >> i am calling to let everyone know that governor o'malley and president obama have been successful. >> more than 100,000 of them, and suggested there was no need to go vote. >> our goals have been met. the polls were correct. we're ok. everything is fine. the only thing left is -- congratulations, and thank you.

>> henson took responsibility for the calls in a public statement three days after the election. the following week, the attorney general filed a complaint against him. ehrlich has consistently dodged questions about the calls. he told an annapolis paper the calls were done outside his per view but last friday he stormed out of our building when we tried to follow up. this afternoon, investigators also raided an office downtown taking a computer and fax machine. investigators will add that to the boxes they took this morning from henson's home. all of it will be used to answer whether anyone else was involved in a dix decision to create and distribute the robo call campaign. >> the state investigation law makes it a crime to influence someone's decision to vote through frad. henson said he did nothing illegal.

>> in privacy economy report, maryland is holding steady at a 7.7 unemployment rate. according to the state department of licensing and regulation, the new statistics show they added 2,100 jobs last month. in all state reports, 1.2% growth rate, and that's double the national growth rate. >> it is official your tax rates will not go up next year. stephanie rawlings-blake was there. >> locking current income tax rates for two years, a payroll tax cut for one year, giving the mega-rich a big estate tax

break. >> when we can put aside the partisanship and political gains, when we can put aside what's good for some of us in favor of what's good for all of us, we can get a lot done. >> the president compromised with republicans. three times as many democrats as republicans voted no. john boehner warned democrats next year's republican house majority will get its way on more big issues. >> we need toned the job-killing spending -- we need to end the joob-killing spending bill. >> mitch mcconnell defeated the 2011 spending plan. >> next we will cut spending and debt. the american people are seeing change here in washington.

>> we're going to work every day until we finish this legislative session. they are pushing the s.t.a.r.k. and the d.r.e.a.m. act. depems are at a rush to vote. >> boehner was the original -- the original boston tea party of 1773 inspires many to cut big government next year. from capitol hill, i'm steve handelsman, wbal-tv 11 news. >> the time is 5:10. 30 degrees on tv hill. retailers are pulling out all the stops this weekend. coming up, the details they have for you. >> it is called restoration gardens. a special place for homeless

young people in baltimore city. that story coming up. >> but first, it is a live picture outside. more snow in the forecast for the weekend? let's hope not. john has your insta-weather plus forecast next. stay with us. "11 news saturday morning" is "11 news saturday morning" is just getting started. try cortizone 10 intensive healing. the strongest itch relief medicine now has three vitamins and seven moisturizers. feel the heal.

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>> the potomac river frozen. the potomac river winds through the nation of the -- through the national monuments. it is early for it to freeze. what does that say, john? >> it says "cold." there is a ferry that runs across the potomac in and i believe by the falls. we have winter-like weather a ttacking us from the south. will it become a nor'easter? will it give us snow? the current theory is probably it will stay south of us.

here we see west virginia and virginia. we see roanoke and richmond right now. between roanoke and richmond with, at best, probably if you aries. west corner of virginia. i thri it is going to be held mostly to the south. more on that in a minute. 28 at b.w.i. marshall now. 63% the humidity. the barometric pressure. at the moment, the winds are calm. doesn't feel too severe out there. by the way, this weekend, the two days, the 18th and 19th, the anniversary of last year's big storms, of the major storms that hit us last year, westminster

almost 19 inches. officially at the airport, that two-day snow total is 18 inches. here on tv hill we get 17 inches of snow. temperatures in annapolis, salisbury down to 14. 28 westminster. in the teens out in far western maryland right now. here's the satellite imaginary combined with radar. you see that storm developing and starting to move in our direction, it looks like it will move to our south. out the sea, going up to the coast. near the coast would be bad because it would throw snow back at us. if it scoots to our south and out to sea, it won't be as much of an issue. that's the main problem with the storm right now. this is what we expect the map to look like this evening. that's what is deflecting the storm and holding it to the

south and east of us. snow late. a little milder than we've seen. snow to our stouth. then we see another storm trying to come at us. tuesday, the day winter begins, we have another chance of snow extending into the morning, and then it is time for christmas and christmas eve, and we see another storm. all week long highs in the 30's and low's in the 40's. the salvation army needs your help. when kids are sick and medication guidelines are confusing t. what's a parent to

do. we have important answers from our experts in "medical alert" next. >> a place for homeless young people in baltimore city. that story coming up.

>> research suggests children born by mothers who live near a freeway are more likely to develop autistic children. they found children living 1,000 feel feet from a highway at birth were two times more likely to develop autism. experts say it doesn't mean exposure to air traffic causes the condition, but it could be a contributing factor, and therefore it is worth further research. >> winter doesn't start until next week, but witness as the time for colds and flu has been here for a while now. perhaps you have maken that friendship to the drug -- trip

to the drug store. with all those new guidelines, parents are still confused about what to give children when they don't feel well. >> if you are looking for a good mystery these days, skip the bookstore and head to the drugstore. try to figure out what the rules are for kids' cough and cold medicines. >> parents can be confused. there are different options out there. the question is which one is safe? >> this pediatrician says in 2008 the f.d.a. came out with new guidelines recommending parents do not use cough and cold medicine under the age of 4. but still, more than two years later, many parents still are unclear what to give or not to give a sick child.

>> it is hard not to get as much to give and not give. >> it is not as confusing for me. >> there were too many parents giving the wrong dosage. they found parents using kitchen spoons to measure the medicine rather than the provided measuring cup and using too much, or they would get confused when trying to treat different symptoms. >> they will buy the pediacare cough and cold and then they don't realize there was tylenol in there and then they use the tylenol again. >> on with these new guidelines, the doctor reports still seeing those mistakes on a regular basis. she does have a few suggestions to get you through your child's illness. saline sprays are good to use against nasal congestion. honey, good for a cough in children older than one. never youzhny medicine meant for

an odd ult. finally, if the illness isn't bad enough to require a call to the doctor, do nothing at all. >> don't give them anything. the body knows how to fight it off. >> simplicity, after all, is often the best cure for confusion. >> and they say one reason the risk of overdose is greater is their sed fin sin tends to have higher concentrations. >> an abandoned school is now giving a new meaning to home for the holidays. rob roblin explains when we come back. first here's a look at events going on around town this weekend.

>> welcome back. with the holiday season in full swing, the salvation army is asking for your help. red kettles were staples of the season, but this year, in are more families in need and not enough donations. angel tree gifts brought in through today. red kettles will be out until christmas eve. for more information head to our web site at www.wbaltv.com. >> on any given night in baltimore city, it is estimated around 600 people between 18 and 24 years old are homeless.

now there is a facility that homeless youth can call home. rob roblin has more. in this park heights neighborhood they took an old abandoned school and made homes for homeless young people. this is tedessa's new apartment. she moved back to baltimore and basically had no place to live. >> she said it was hard for me for my credit to move into another apartment complex. like i said, i can save my money, and i'll be able to pay off my debt,pay off my schools. >> she is one of 42 new people. the old'abandoned school hads been turned into apartments for homeless young people who need help. >> i'm coming from sleeping in my car. that's where i would be now other than staying with friends. thank god for friends. that's the way i would be. if it wasn't forrest racial

gardens. >> this is a typical unit. you can see it is a stepped up dorm room, if you will. >> residents must pay 80% of their income on rent. they all are either going to school or working. >> we wanted our young people to stop being in situations where they were being victimized by being out on the street and having to find themselves in a compromising situation, so that now that that is not an issue through having stable housing they can focus on the things they need to. >> this is the first of its kind facility in the state of maryland. 25 residents have already moved in. >> it is wonderful. i love it. rob roblin, wbal-tv 11 news. >> what a great idea. >> it really is. keep them off the streets. >> our time right now is 38 degrees on tv hill. coming up, a look at our top stories. >> plus, investor he is burned by madoff's pnonzi scheme comes

from a surprising source. >> now we have six new blue ribbon schools. i'm kim dacey. i'll tell you which schools took home the top honors. >> there are clouds this morning. there is a storm brewing to the south. we'll check it all out with the insta-weather plus forecast. stick around.

>> welcome back to "11 news saturday morning." our top stories in just a moment. first a look outside with john. >> it is almost pleasant this morning. >> not bad. >> remember it was bitter cold? it is cold, but it is not that biting outside. clouds, lack of wind, and temperatures in the 20's to 30's. doesn't seem that bad. >> he's a half-full kind of guy. >> winter starts on tuesday, so what do we expect? there is a storm brewing to our south and southwest. the attempt of snow flurries around richmond and roanoke.

we'll see how far north that gets. >> baltimore county police have identified the man who they say atemmed to sexually assault a boy. when sla dwrfment attacked, the boy yelled for help, and this morning, slay is facing several charges. >> funeral services set for the family that were killed in a baltimore house fire this week. six members of the family including three children were killed. it happened when their home caught fire. services will be held next wednesday at the empowerment temple at 4217 prim rose avenue. a wake scheduled for 10:00 a.m. followed by the memorial service. if you would like to donate or send condolences, you can go to our web site and click on "local

news." >> a group of property owners brought -- want construction stops. they claim the project will siphon money away from other businesses. >> some of the investors burned by convicted swindler bernie madoff will get some of their money back. >> $10 million is how much he will pay back to the victims of bernie madoff. >> it is the largest for if i tour in history to the department of justice, which i think is only fitting to the

greatest and most epic fraud. >> the money given back today represents the amount picauer made >> the settlement provides hope for the victims of madoff's crimes. >> in a statement through her lawyer, she said her husband was not involved in the draud, but giving back the money was a good thing to do. already, the government has auctioned off all of madoff's assets, including homes in palm beach, the hamptons, and a new york city apartment, all to try to pay back to investors. it is still not enough. >> close to $10 billion now recovered, we have together collected close to 50% of the principle of victims lost to madoff's ponzi scheme.

>> a scheme that continues to hurt those that trusted one man. curt gregory. >> wikileaks founder julian sasaung -- assange is speaking out. he is wanted in sweden on sex crimes allegations. >> 3.3 million pages mentioned by name also mention the word "rape ." that's a serious issue and a successful smear campaign. >> assange claims the charges are a convenient debtia for the dulets he's released. he said what he's released so far is only a fraction of the sensitive u.s. material he intends to make public. >> find out what retailers are doing to pull last-minute

shoppers into stores. >> how officials are preparing for more snow to come our -- that could come our way. >> six schools have been awarded the blue ribbon of excellence. >> in later portions of the day and early on sunday, we talk about how close that stor

>> this week's snowfall became a dress rehearsal. kevin kamenetz announced his new snow-fighting program. he is confident crews are ready to tackle the snow this winter.

>> our drivers are prepared to clear the roads within 18 to 24 hours of the snowstorm. >> 52,000 tons of salt on hand and 318 snowplows will be manned by 400 workers. you can find the lincoln our web site at www.wbaltv.com. >> we have had two traffic snarls this morning, and the weather pattern may produce several -- we have had two major traffic snarls snarls this month, and the weather pattern may produce more. this sent south and east of us. you can see the first attempts of snow coming up in virginia. i don't think a lot of that is hitting the ground at all.

the air is relatively -- at belft, there are -- at best, there are a couple snow flurries that will affect parts of southern virginia, the carolinas, and maybe parts of the lower eastern shore, and that's about it. let's look at the current conditions. it is 28 at the airport. humidity is down. 63% is a dry atmosphere at these temperatures at this hour of the day. 30.15, the barometric pressure is relatively high. it tends to suppress that storm and keep things to the south. the winds at the moment are calm, so there is no wind. the wind is calm. you don't have a wind. that's a bit of a philosophy going through this morning. b.w.i. marshall. 37 the high. inner harbor 36. these temperatures milder than we've seen. still way below the high of 45. we won't be close to that in the next few days. 17 and 23. yesterday morning was quite a bit colder than this monk where

you have a temperature of 23 at annapolis. camebridge 19. same at edgewood. out in western maryland, temperatures are in the teens this morning. here is that high pressure that's suppressing this storm to the south. a couple impulses along the front. the development will occur off shore along the carolina coast. then instead of going up the coast, it looks like it will go out to sea. it is a good thing. more of a miss than hit. more storms lined up. here's one on the west coast coming in. lots of snow. several feet of snow. three, four, five feet of snow in the sierra. mountains of california. that impulse will be traveling across the u.s. quickly over the next few days. so we will see a series of these come across the u.s. and aim at us. very cloudy skies late. 33 to 38 the high p insta-weather futurecast shows a concentration of moisture at 10:00 tonight to our south.

flurries may get close, but that's about t then everything heads off shore. for the game tomorrow, everything looks dry. by tuesday, early in the morning, the next impulse, which is out in california, will start to move in, so we see another threat for a storm. >> maybe snow showers. maybe snow shaurs in early wednesday. on friday, another chance for snow flurries and snow showers. another storm coming off the pacific. >> only 1% of new schools in the

country achieve status. >> they didn't know their meeting at the state department of ed cage was actually a ceremony in their order celebrating school's blue ribbon awards. >> it feels often. it is a wonderful feeling and it is a great validation for students and faculty. >> the six schools span the state and grade levels. each of them was selected by a state criteria. >> they also have to have an ability to out hch reach to the community, engagement of the community, and they have to, in a sense, be meeting a lot of other standards in terms of

advanced placement by high schools, be sirvingtifflingts for middle schools and elementary schools. >> each school gets to fly the blue ribbon flag. they get several thousands of dollars in school money. >> this will really lift the spirits of the staff. they work very, very hard every day we have tremendous community support. this couldn't happen at a better time. >> schools will go on to apply for the national blue ribbon award. >> we fully intend to win that award. >> big round of applause. >> kim dacey, wbal-tv 11 news. >> coming up, the bargains last-minute shoppers will find in stores this weekend. >> plus, what is being done to keep shoppers safe at the mall. >> first, a look at last-night's

winning lottery numbers.

>> retailers are pulling out all the stops to entice buyers over the weekend. >> it looks like some retailers are getting more cooperation than they got a few weeks ago. here's chris clackum with the story. >> retailers braced for an onslaught of last 46-minute christmas shomers this weekend. last weekend a major winter storm kept most of the country in the deep freeze.

pr >> if you are last minute, get a gift certificate. >> the national retail section grew 3.3% over last year. >> consumers look like they are willing to splurge. that means splurging on discretionary items. >> last year was a little rough. this year it seems like -- they will continue right up until christmas next weekend. starting tuesday morning at 6:00, toys r us stores will stay open for 88 straight hours until 10:00 p.m. christmas eve. >> we know a lot of our customers have procrastinated. >> it is procraft nation retailers can live with. 1-3 shoppers is said to be only halfway through their christmas shopping. chris clackum, nbc news. >> while you are getting

last-minute shopping done, local police are making your safety a top priority. this as police continue their search for an armed robber that recently threatened a shopper at knifepoint. what shoppers need to know to stay safe. >> a woman was approached by a suspect with a knife. >> i think it is unfortunate, and we always have to be aware whether holiday shopping or not. >> as we head into the final days of the christmas season, a little common sense goes a long way. >> rick harding is the director

of training, and he said unless you are an expert, there is no point fighting someone with a knife or gun. >> unless you are properly trained to take that knife away, do what the person says. >> he said it is also helpful to draw as much attention if a bad guy approaches you. >> scream and run. cause attention to yourself. have other people notice what's going on. the criminal that doesn't like the idea of noise being held around them. >> there is still a lot you can do to prevent ever having this happen. experts say inform park in well lighted areas while you shop. be aware of what's happening, and stay off your cell phone. will you want to hyde purchases. >> put them in the trunk, and if you don't have a trunk, carry a blanket you can conceal this. >> because of holiday shoppers, police are stepping up securities in and around shopping centers. wbal-tv 11 news.

>> if you are still looking for what to buy for loved ones, we have some ideas coming up. >> and how to make gifflets and get your kids involved. details coming up. >> i'm greg tollan. i'll have that story

>> last month kevin anderson aid ralph freigen would be back. apparently he's had a change of heart. maryland will likely ask him to retire and accept a buy-out early next week. anderson said yesterday he would not address whether he was guaranteed to return next season but said the announcement would be made next week. he guided the terps to an 8-4. he was named acc coach of the year. the report says former texas tech head coach mike leach would be the leading coach to replace

him in he's forced into retirement. >> male athlete of the year after guiding the saints to their first super bowl title. the ravens take on the staints next week and they will have their hands full with brees. hats off to a player who the ravens can't help but admire. >> he's proven himself at san diego even before he got to new orleans. just watching him play the game, you can tell that he understands the game, you know, inside and out. i have great, great respect for him, and he has played on a high

level for a while. >> here's a look ahead to our next hour of "11 news saturday morning." >> we have new details on a terrifying ordeal for a 12-year-old boy inside his middle school bathroom. >> plus, there is something for everyone and a holiday present for lawmakers. details on the tax bill just signed by the president. >> well, frying to snow down in southern virginia and parts of the carolinas and tennessee and kentucky. we'll see how close that gets to us. the insta-weather plus forecast just ahead.

>> eight people have lost their lives and nearly a dozen more v have been injured from carbon monoxide poisoning and fire. immigrants to our country hoping to cap flies on the american dream. the other degree generations of one family living under one roof. when we hear these stories, we are reminded of how important carbon monoxide and smoke detectors are. how they save lives. when we spring forward we are reminded to change batteries. fire crews come on tv and urge people to make sure their detectors work. something simple to install remains off the priority list for home owners and renters. this time of year, we are quick to buy batteries for gifts under the tree. when you are standing in line making last-minute purchases, take a few minutes to buy those

batteries for yourself and the people you love.