and those who were chosen to attend the hartford convention at the end of the war were virtually all moderates. they adopted a moderate report so in the end, what the federalists recommended was a series of amendments to protect new england in the future and a series of steps that would enable them to better fooinance their local defense measures. now, they did call for the nullification of the laws. a conscription act that never became law and a minor enlistment pack which did become law and both massachusetts and connecticut nullified that law. but connecticut did it at the tail end of the war and massachusetts waited until after the war was over and had been suspended. in later years, many people chose to remember the hartford convention as part of a larger successionist plot or intrees, but i think that overstates the danger. there was a succession of sentiment and you can see it in the newspapers, but no serious successionist movement. yes, ma'am. >> fascinating information, thank you. i told my friend who's an eight grade teacher, she needs to take the myths back and use it as

this will be diving southward into hartford county and also portions of baltimore county in the next few minutes or so. so be prepared for that. just a couple of sprinkles, no type of downpours whatsoever. right now temperatures are on the mild side, 52 degrees in aberdeen. good morning to you. middletown 56 degrees right now, nottingham coming in at 48 degrees. we look at the winds, nothing out there right now. they'll pick up a little bit more as we go through the afternoon, but all in all not a bad looking day with an isolated shower in the forecast. we're going to talk more about that coming up. right now let's get a check of that traffic with angela. good morning. reporter: good morning to you, lynette. good morning, everyone. starting your wednesday hump day, should be very nice for you out on the roadways. very light fare around 695. we've been scanning our traffic cameras and not finding any early incidents for you. no hot spots to report, so you should be able to roll along without any trouble. let's go ahead and get a live look at traffic flow on 695 at the bw parkway. trav

>> i have a comment on the hartford convention and the dissolution that came from inside the country. is this part of the demonizing of the federalists after the war, or was there a real risk that new england by voluntarily disassociating, joined the maritimes? >> during the war of 1812, there was talk of secession in new england. but no serious secessionist movement. and those who were chosen to attend the hartford convention at the end of the war were virtually all moderates. they adopted a moderate report so that in the end what the new england federalists recommended was a series of constitutional amendments, to protect new england's position in the union in the future. and a series of steps that would enable them to better finance their local defense measures. now, they did call for the nullification of a couple of federal laws, a conscription act that never became law and a minor enlistment act which did become law. and both massachusetts and connecticut nullified that law, but connecticut did it at the tail end of the war and massachusetts waited until after the war was over. a

hartford was 92, you're one of the hottest spots in the country. that barely ever happens that hartford gets that honor. as far as d.c. goes, you were 89. a warm morning, we're holding on to some of the warmth. a cold front is coming through, it's cooled off to 46 in buffalo. it will be breezy and cooler. a summer-like feel. high temperatures will be in the mid 70s in most locations. 60s away from the bigger cities, it will be dry just about everywhere. the southeast has some showers, but overall, a quiet nice april day. >>> coming up, alec baldwin ends speculation about his fate on "30 rock." plus details on the stunning ring at the center of hollywood's biggest engagement. your "first look" at entertainment is straight ahead, you're watching "first look." ♪ [ gong ] strawberry banana! [ male announcer ] for a smoothie with real fruit plus veggie nutrition new v8 v-fusion smoothie. could've had a v8. ♪[music plays] ♪[music plays] purina one beyond. food for your cat or dog. mine was earned off vietnam in 1968. over the south pacific in 1943.

. >> winds help to whip up a wildfire up in hartford county. andrea fujii has the latest -- or live with the latest. >> reporter: don, firefighters say that fire is under control but they are keep aping watchful eye on the area. 100 firefighters fought back the winds and fire that tore through the thick woods behind denby town road in hartford county yesterday afternoon. there was a mandatory evacuation of dozens of homeowners as dry conditions, low humidity and high wind fueled that fire. crews got it under control within three hours and respects were allowed to return residents were allowed to return. the cause is under investigation. don. >> they are looking into the cause of a fire there. take a look at photos of the flames burning through a deck. the blaze broke out yesterday evening there. no injuries are reported. >>> an investigation continues this morning after a two-year- old is hit and killed by a van there. police say the toddler was in the front yard of a home when he ran out into the street and was struck. the driver stayed there.

baltimore city, eastern baltimore county, hartford and amarillo county. this is the most since 2008. the rain seems to be staying away. it is cloudy but cool afternoon. still looks pretty nice out there. maim is live with complete weather ever coverage for you. tim in the first warning weather center. tim? >> wjz drought watch continues to watch rainfall totals and we're doing that this morning. don talked about the levels of droughts in the lower eastern shore. take a look at central maryland. and abnormally dry conditions from baltimore county out to portions of the western part of the state. as far as our rain total from yesterday, did not put any significant dent in our drought totals into the rain deficit, but got a quarter of an inch of rain to belle air. saw a quarter of an inch in towson. and only 1.6 inches at bwi marshall. more on the way, but until then, very nice conditions for the next few days. more on that, heading out to martin. >> thank you, i scan out from the outside. significant amount oof blue skies making an appearance. by a few degr

. >>> an unusual neighborhood dispute over a peacock is brewing in hartford county, maryland. >> it is a situation that's ruffling a lot of feathers and forcing city leaders now to review laws regarding the type of pets home owners can have. jane miller has our story. >> reporter: those aren't grasses on the other side of the fence blowing in the breeze. they're peacock feathers. need a better look? wait till dusk when the peacock ascends to the roof and fans them out. and then comes this. [ peacock calling ] >> what i really want to talk to you about is the peacock on your roof. >> petey? >> reporter: lisa mcnair and her family own petey a male peacock and other peacocks. they are a permanent fixture in the bynum overland community of abingdon. this is a pretty compact residential neighborhood. >> the county law says i can put anything in my law i want but a chicken. >> reporter: some neighbors as you might imagine aren't too pleased mostly because petey is noisy. i mean that is really loud. >> it is and it's only during the breeding season. >> they squawk all night long. >> reporter:

in the blue-shaded counties, hartford, baltimore, and al west, a freeze watch is in effect. -- out west, a freeze watch is in effect. your futurecast android today, but by saturday, we get -- futurecast -- dry today, but by saturday, we get some rain chances. sunday looks like a good day. 61 today. optimistically. some of you will probably be stuck in the 50's. 57 saturday. a lot more clouds. are arrangements. maybe an early shower sunday. we should break into the sunshine. temperatures climb next week. tuesday, into early-wednesday, we might pick up some scattered storms, but by the end of the week we will be around 80 for the high. >> in today's medical alert, we have heard that women live longer than men, but the gap is closing. women are still expected to live four years longer, but while the life span of meant increased by 4.6 years, a thing else had an increase of only 2.7 years since 1999. researchers say women are not taking care of high blood pressure as well as men and they are not encouraged to take medication to prevent heart disease. prescription medications during pregnanc

and i thank the hartford, hannibal connection. i want to thank representative luetkemeyer for your tireless work and effort in making this bill possible for the great institutions that both you and representative baca have illuminated. to stand here today and talk about the literary genius of mark twain and to see the institutions that will benefit from this and as representative baca points out, at no cost to the american public, but enrichening americans all across this great nation. i dare say around the globe. from the visits that these great institutions, whether they be in hartford, whether it be in hannibal, whether it be in he will mirea, or at berkley in california. all of who will benefit directly from mark twain. i'm glad that we're having a voice vote because i wouldn't want to put what mark twain had to say about members of congress to a test here on the floor. but as my good friend and colleague joe bacas a hasn't -- has pointed out, the great works of mark twain stand throughout the ages. of course there's nary a pe

so zoning came and said, release the birds. >> hartford county allows five peacocks on each property. but it does not allow owners to cage them because houses in the neighborhood are so close to each other and the peacocks were screaming to get out of the cages, apparently. >>> the number of people seeking unemployment benefits dipped last week but remained higher than it has been in recent weeks. let's check in with cnbc's bertha coombs for more of the business headlines. >> i'm still sorting through the fact that you all have peacocks. >> i know, we should have them here on our lawn. >> unbelievable. they have them around the corner from me at st. john the divine here in new york city. they're quite beautiful. but they are around the corner. so not so loud. >> you don't have to hear them screeching. >> stocks are kind of flat. investors are sifting through a ton of economic data this morning. leading economic indicators showed that there's strength in the economy going forward. but manufacturing today coming out of the mid-atlantic was weak and the weekly unemployment claims which c

we're talking anywhere from two to four inches of rainfall including new york, hartford and boston where we've had a rash of brush fires lately. then this tracks more towards the north, gathering steam and cold air to the west side of it. several inches of snow, if not a foot of snow from jamestown, new york, to the mountains of west virginia. leste e lester. >> kelly cass, thank you. >>> we learn that the shooter of trayvon martin will likely not be getting out of jail this week after all. today, his attorney says his client's family doesn't have the money. nbc's kerry sanders is in florida with the developments. kerry? >> reporter:. good evening. zimmerman's lawyer says the logistics of getting him out has been more than anticipated. at the seminole county jail, his attorney said george zimmerman's family is having trouble to secure the $150,000 bond. >> it's a lot of money to come up with. it's not a family of much means. >> reporter: friday, despite prosecutor's best efforts to keep him behind bars, a judge ruled the 28-year-old, who stands accused of second degree murder for shootin

record highs of 82 in buffalo, 92 in hartford, connecticut. and nearly that in boston where they were running the marathon and some were so hot they dropped out. in fact, we've been told that 4,300 marathoners didn't show up. >>> we also learned today the warm weather is helping the economy. the government said retail sales rose last month, better than expected. economists saying, the warm weather got many americans to start home improvement projects and updating their wardrobe. for the second week in a row, gas prices have declined, down two cents. >>> governor mitt romney and his wife, this week, in their journey towards november, facing president and ms. obama. today is mrs. romney's first day, since she was 16 years old. though recently, this mother of five has emerged center stage in the political campaign, as he gets his shot at the white house. >> reporter: it is patot's day at fenway, and i had a chance to ask the romneys what message they would send to the president and mrs. obama. >> start packing. that's what i'd like to say. obviou

we were 92 in hartford. so, it was as advertised, exceptionally warm with record warmth even in areas like rochester and buffalo. now, as far as what we're dealing with droughtwise out there, this is where we're starting to see some of the issues, especially areas like southern new england. that's where we're seeing probably some of the driest weather out there. we didn't see too many cases with fires yesterday, but we did have some problems out there. and further to the south, we are also still watching very dry conditions, now maryland and delaware are getting severe drought conditions, too. it doesn't look like any rain really this week, but as we go through the upcoming weekend, this region of the country may get a soaking rain, which is exactly what we need. so, i know you don't want it on your weekend, but the southeast is in drought conditions, too, and they also could get a lot of rain. there's not a lot of other weather going on out there. it's a nice, quiet day. that's your national forecast. now h

morning city to hartford, partly cloudy, definitely chillier. temperatures in the low 60s in some cases. d.c., only low 60s with some of the rain showers today. a peek at tomorrow's forecast does show dry weather for the east coast. all eyes are on this next storm. it will start to be out here in the middle of the country on thursday. it could be a very wet and soaking weekend for the eastern seaboard. we need the rain, but for your weekend plans, a little iffy. >> all right, bill. thanks so much. coming up, earnings season heats up, investors give executive pay a thumbs down, and one man's dirt is another man's spoil. your first look at this morning's business headlines is straight ahead. >>> coming up, ozzie guillen returns, a vicious hit on the ice and i canky gives new meaning to one and done. you're watching "1st look" on msnbc. [ male announcer ] what's the beat that moves your heart? how about the beat of a healthy heart? campbell's healthy request soup is delicious, and earned this heart, for being heart healthy. ♪ feel the beat? it's

. >>> elizabeth smart headlines the child welfare vent in hartford county. >>> special enforcement patrols begin in towson ahead of the tyingest fest. >>> and the coast guard has the fifth annual search and rescue conference in baltimore. >>> already making news this morning, details are emerging in the man charged of phylicia barnes as the teen's family reactions to a surprising indictment. >>> a 6-year-old is hit and nearly kill bade dirt bike in the city. the effort to deal with that growing danger. >>> and day one of the nfl draft is in the books. hear from the general manager on the ravens decision to trade out of the first round. more news, first morning weather, and your first traffic report of the week's end in a couple of minutes. ♪ ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

up to 100 firefighters battled a five-alarm brush fire in hartford county, north of baltimore. 6 0 homes had to be evacuated. an easter cookout caused problems in bowie after a grill ignited a near a family's home. >>> today is a big weather day in terms of the easter egg roll. rain? >> a passing light shower, not a washout by any means. as you mentioned, the fire danger is high. we have low humidity. and so far this year, around the metro area, we're running about four inches below average for precipitation. now there is a live view from our city camera. there's the washington monument, the jefferson memorial. right now reagan national is at a cool 55. the wind is around 10 to 15 miles per hour. and we have some clouds beginning to move in from the west. conditions are dry. right now temperatures down into the low 50s around the shenandoah valley and the blue ridge. as well as montgomery, loudoun, frederick counties, points west. closer to washington, southern montgomery into arlington, fairfax, prince george's counties, in the mid 50s. southern maryland, near 60 in through central virg

yesterday, 92 in hartford, connecticut, it was 91 in albany. 90 in syracuse, that's the earliest it's ever hit 90 degrees in a year in syracuse and in albany. today, it's going to be cooler, still warm by april standards, we'll be in the 70s today. a very mild morning in most locations, this afternoon, a beautiful spring day. low humidity, fire levels are going to be high of course with our drought conditions out there. and there's not a lot of rain in sight. philadelphia, it looks like just like everyone else on the east coast, it looks like the best chance of rain will coming this weekend on sunday. a little wet weather in southern louisiana and mississippi, overall, willie, it looks like a nice april day. we're seeing temperatures in the 70s in the middle of the country and the west coast, not many issues, either. >> that's more like it, 86, a little hot. >> a little too much, a little too soon. >> 76 is the sweet spot. bill, thanks. turning to sports, it was less than two years ago, that fans around the d.c. area paid ticket brokers big bucks and packed nationals park to watch the

we're talking about anywhere from 2 to 4 inches of rainfall including new york, hartford and boston where we've had a rash of brush fires lately and the slow tracks to the north gathering steam and cold air to the west side of it. we're talking several inches of snow, if not more than a foot of snow in jamestown, new york down to the mountains of west virginia, lester. >> thank you. >>> we learned this afternoon that the man facing charges in the shooting death of florida teenager trayvon martin will likely not get out of jail this weekend after all. yesterday a judge granted george zimmerman bail but today his attorney says his client's family doesn't have the money. kerry sanders is in sanford, florida with the latest developments. >> reporter: good evening. george zimmerman remains in the jail here. his lawyers said the logistics to get him out is more difficult than first anticipated. at the seminole county jail today, defense attorney mark o'mara said zimmerman's family is having trouble to secure the $150,000. >> that's a lot of money to come up. it's not a family of much means. >>

you go down the east coast, go to the boston globe, providence journal, hartford current, new york times, baltimore sun, philadelphia inquirer, washington post, anti nixon all of them. three networks. two-thirds of the american people depended on the network news of those three networks as their primary source of news and information about the president of the united states. all were hostile to richard nixon. thus, the impairive of nixon to communicate over, through and around this filter, which many of us saw as distorted in order to communicate his ideas and keep the country united behind him. he did it by two things. one, the prime time address, primarily, and secondly, the national press conferences he would have in prime time, which were adversary proceedings. and it was in that environment that he wrote his inaugural address, which my friend here was the principle author. >> we have a little bit -- it may be one of the rhetorical high points of the presidency came in the opening minutes. but the inaugural address was widely perceived as addressing in the right way the kind of situa

temperature could hit 90 possibly in hartford today. 88 in boston. we're going to be 85 to 88 right up the busy corridor from bat more to d.c., philly to new york. a little cooler back by buffalo and pittsburgh. that front will bring you some showers. it's going to be very warm in the southeast today, too. areas like tampa have a chance of getting very warm. and just kind of a been a crazy weather pattern ever since we ended march unbelievably warm, now just won't rain on the east coast. it's just unusual. >> i can't believe that we're going to be warmer than miami and dallas. it just doesn't -- >> doesn't happen often. >> all right. all right. thanks, bill. >>> you're never going to guess who is celebrating brangelina's engagement. plus, were the odds once again in favor of that movie "the hunger games" at the box office this weekend? your first look at entertainment is straight ahead. you're watching "first look" on msnbc. one golden crown. come on frank how long have we known each other? go to e-trade. they got killer tools man. they'll help you n

amounts of rain are going to come up here in areas of new england from boston to albany, down towards the hartford area. we'll watch and see how it develops. this is your weekend forecast. showers and storms this morning, arkansas and north louisiana, east texas possibly dallas, too. showers and cool weather from the great lakes, including chicago. late this afternoon, a few thunderstorms in florida. now as we go through the weekend, the storm system is going to be mostly down here in the florida area on saturday. not a rainout for anyone in new england on saturday. i think actually the beginning of the day should be just fine. afternoon showers and storms. it will be warm, too. notice possibly mid 507s up to new york city. we're just fine all weekend long in the middle of the country, in the west we're looking very warm. could be 100 in phoenix. by the time we get to sun kay. the only potential for a washout for your sunday does look like from north carolina, virginia, northward. that's where the heaviest rain will be. it will get worse as the day progresses up in new england. and then by the tim

you'll start with sunshine in new york city and hartford, and as the day progresses, the clouds will move in and it will be a cloudy finish. and eventually, the rain showers push in also. so, here's the forecast today. the best chance of significant airport delays, definitely around washington, d.c., and richmond and raleigh, too, with showers and thunderstorms. as far as new england goes, most of those rain showers will be later this afternoon towards this evening. i mentioned the southeast, how gorgeous you're going to be today. still hot in texas. whole middle of the country actually looks nice. a little chilly in chicago today. we're also seeing a chance of thunderstorms in phoenix and denver as our west coast storm moves inland. a little rain yesterday in areas that don't typically see it, vegas. phoenix is going to get rain, too. >> but nice weekend weather, right? for the entire nation, that's what you're saying, for all of us? >> we'll get to that tomorrow. >> thanks, bill. >>> mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the fairest woman of all? plus, you won't believe who the latest

. >> she paid a trip to hartford county to share her story of survival. she spoke exclusively with jennifer franciotti. >> [inaudible] >> sharing incredibly personal details about the most horrific time for life, elizabeth smart talks about her kidnapping inside the center at mt. christian church. >> smart was the keynote speaker for cherished the child. engagement's like this are her passionate now, sharing her story of survival and hope. she spoke exclusively with 11 news. >> every case that is investigated comes to a sad ending. not all of them into sad. mine was a happy ending. i know there are many more children out there. >> that is why since her abduction at 14, she has dedicated her life to making a difference. nine years later, she is a newlywed, and news correspondent, and an activist for missing and abused children. she started the elizabeth smart foundation with her father. >> we are working with -- we are working on a child empowerment program. it addresses issues from kidnapping all the way to bullying. >> she is teaching by example. >> ever

now, as far as the beltway goes, it's off and on congestion on the top side from hartford road to past pairing parkway and a little bit slow on the west side as you make the drive past baltimore national pike heading to edmondson avenue. megan. >> angela thanks. >>> good morning to you. students in kent county are expected to go back to school today after being sent home yesterday because of bomb threats. investigators are trying to figure out who posted a handwritten note at kent county middle school claiming there would be bombs exploding at all public schools in the county. state police evacuated the schools as well as the board of education. no bombs were ever found. >>> and new this morning, the new york daily news is is reporting that the woman who claims she won the megamillions lottery last week in our state will be having a press conference today. she says that she is a single mother of seven living in westport and she has the ticket. so we will see what happens with that press conference today. we'll keep you posted. >>> we're out of time. we're going to send you back to new

it's a good job and hartford airport. it is a very slow mover. as when heed into the north central u.s. there's another disturbance between pminneapoli. we will have slow downs on the roadways early this morning. we have rain hours down into parts of portland. current temperatures out there across parts of the east. it's cooler today across the northeast than it has been. 51 is the current temperature for the city. a lot cooler by but travel as far as boston, fer not looking nr troy troubles any of those four major cities as far as travel and high temperatures are cooler than 3057 in boston. of course guys that was only monday that we need it through the northeast. >>> marina molina thanks. our e-mail address frien friendsfirst@foxnews.com. >>> a spoiler alert. tell you who got chopped from dancing with the stars. >> in the 5th week of competition we have to say good-bye to gavin. >> the bottom two celebrities got to dance for the celebrities. it went to jaleel white and that means singer gavin de bgraw got the boot. miley cyrus cut her happened

"the hartford courant" cut back on the representative for the capital, and consequently freedom of the press is in some danger not just in connecticut but the united states as a whole. >> information is power. and it is a powerful, powerful weapon in the hands of a free people, because it unmasks the lies, rips off the bandage of the seat for all to see -- twitter, facebook, text messaging, cell phone videos -- how starting late rapidly unmasking the lies of tyrants. >> documents released from the freedom of information act can now be updated on the internet so it is available not just to the person who made the request but for the whole world to see. >> go to studentcam.org to watch all the videos and to continue the conversation, go to our facebook and twitter pages. >> looking at some of the live coverage of this morning across our networks. here on c-span, 11:00 a.m. eastern, international monetary fund managing director christine lagarde is at the brookings institution to discuss the imf agenda and give her assessment of the global economy. on c-span2, 10:00 a.m., day two of the n

in hartford, west hartford and east hartford, all three of those police departments were involved as well as the state police. in syracuse, the syracuse police department, the county sheriff's office and the state police all contrary to the ticketing there. nhtsa provided paid media for the enforcement efforts, which included phone in one hand, take it in another slogan. and there was extensive media, including on site visits by secretary lahood. the design of the evaluations included certain data elements that we collect to be able to evaluate the program, the number of tickets written by police, how many earned media clips occurred during the time period, how strong was the actual media, the awareness and attitude about the enforcement by the public, collected through a one page survey. and observations of actual phone use made on corners observing drivers. there were also comparisons that we could establish to what extent this was any changes were a result of enforcement versus changes going on naturally in the area. very briefly, the results were quite nice. there was very good m

>> bob joins us from the hartford and david kelly from j.p. morgan funds. good to see you, gentlemen. what do you make of this week? is this telling to you sell in april rather than may, bob? >> i don't think it is at all. look, we had an unbelievable first quarter. unless you were forecasting the market was going up 40%, i think it is a very, very healthy pull back. i think the market got in front of itself. the reality is, we should expect markets to be a little bit more difficult. when we compare on year over year basis, tougher comparable answers much higher energy prices. i think investors need to be realistic. the mark set not going up 10% every quarter but companies make money. i think it is a great time to be in in our stock market. >> david? you focusing more on what is going on in the u.s.? prioritizing wise? >> well, both. i think you have to look at both for u.s. investors, though, the key theme is u.s. economy gradually getting a bit warmer here. not boiling, not simmering, just getting warmer. the reason the market stalled out here is because

. >> did you know his very first pga win was in hartford. >> i did not know that. >> you can bring that to the table. tell him we said hello. he's a big, big deal in connecticut. >> i did not know that but i'm going to act like i knew it all along. thanks, mike. >> remember, he never took a lesson. so, gayle, the game is still ahead for you. >> i think i'll pass. >> at least she's honest. >> see you guys. >> i love the game but i don't love the sun. >>> today campaign 2013 gets under way in virginia. republican cory stewart will officially announce his bid to become lieutenant governor. stewart is the chairman of the prince william county board of supervisors. he became a nationally known figure a few years ago in that heated battle over illegal immigration. few water will be the first can -- stewart will be the first candidate to officially enter the race. >>> the special prosecutor in the trayvon martin case promises an announcement sometime this week, but no hints as to what that might be. >> martin's parents are here in the district today keeping their son's death in the national sp

today they go to hartford to another business event for women. i think they're very focused on trying to get those consentives. ink it's the intensity issue that could be their problem. >> so shore up women and try to go for people they feel will be in their camp either way. peter alexander, thank you so much for being here in person. be safe on the campaign trail and i'm much more happy to be in the presence of your fiancee more than you. you're getting married soon? >> it is about ten days now. >> don't forget that date, my friend. up next, it's another anniversary mitt romney would rather forget, the day he signed the health reform bill with ted kennedy by his side. as the landmark law gets turowed turn six years old, duval patrick joins me next. >>> plus locked and loaded. north korea moves one step closer to a rocket launch. first, a look at the president's schedule. you are watching "the daily rundown" only on msnbc. i love how clean my mouth is now. but why doesn't it last? well, plaque quickly starts to grow back. [ dr. rahmany ] introduc

yesterday was incredible stuff. 92 in hartford. the boston marathon was run, 87 degrees. as i mentioned, today is cooler. we started in the 60s. it feels like summer out there. in buffalo and pittsburgh, the cool air is coming. breezy this afternoon. temperatures in the 70s. the draught situation is getting worse in southern new england, maryland and delaware. no rain until at least sunday. this morning, southern louisiana travel spots. showers heading for new orleans. it's a nice, mild, quiet, beautiful day. middle of the country looks gorgeous. traveling to the west coast, the pacific northwest is even dry. taking a look, there's lady liberty in the new york harbor. you are watching "morning joe" brewed by starbucks. i'm walt gale, i worked at the colorado springs mail processing plant for 22 years. we processed on a given day about a million pieces of mail. checks, newspapers, bills. a lot of people get their medications only through the mail. small businesses depend on this processing plant. they want to shut down 3000 post offices, cut 100,000 jobs. they're gonna be

philadelphia, new york, hartford, boston. all those airports will be negatively impacted monday. >> you think it will be a quick switch? or gradual? >> i think 80 to 50 in about six hours. that's a fast change. >> thanks so much. >>> going to be a busy morning for tax officials in maryland. the state comptroller there and 300 members of his agency are opening tax returns. 2011 of them to be exact. last year they opened 71,000 on the saturday after the tax deadline. maryland taxes were due tuesday. after the openings today, the comptroller will give his feedback on the filing season. >>> northern virginia commuters may be facing another vee. julie carrey has more. >> reporter: for northern virginia travelers who want to speed their commutes, easy pass are requirement -- now they are free. ez pass transponders. but with the future opening of the beltway express lanes, that number is expected to double. that's why v.d.o.t. wants to charge a dollar per month. >> this is not unusual. sh of the ez pass tolling agencies charge fees.

lynette mentioned that patchy fog so those of you in cecil and hartford counties, this is a live look at the tidings bridge, not a lot of traffic flow but again still fog in the area. thanks for joining us and remember we are always on at abc2 news.com. make it a great friday.

there is a look outside at the beltwa , hartford road and we switched to 83. traffic is moving just fine on 95. we're taking a live look at 95 at white marsh. remember, we're always on for traffic information anytime. go to wjz.com. back to you. >> thank you very much. here's what people will talk about. >>> details emerge in the murder of phylicia barnes as a once-trust family friend has been charged with her death. good morning, monique. >> reporter: good morning, don. and good morning, everyone. barnes' family said they long suspected michael johnson was involved in her murder. he, however, maintains his innocence. michael johnson was the last person to see honor student phylicia barnes alive. now he is charged with her murder. johnson dated barnes' sister for years and was so close to phylicia he considered her like a little sister. the surprise indictment comes 16 months after barnes vanished while visiting her sister. the search involving most of the homicide unit generated nationwide attention. her family emotional after hearing of the arrest. >> it's s

steve pieters: as i was pastoring the metropolitan community church of hartford, connecticut, and in 1981, we began hearing stories of this new gay cancer and gay men getting a strange form of pneumonia. when i started getting sick in 1982, they still weren't quite sure what to call it. they hadn't discovered the virus. they could tell my immune system was severely deficient, but i didn't have any of what were then the five defining diseases of aids. well, the most important thing in investigating a new disease outbreak is to determine, in fact, is it really a new disease outbreak? is the disease new? is it occurring with greater frequency? who's affected by it, and where will it go? what are the horizons of the epidemic, if it's an epidemic? so the most important thing for us initially was to construct a case definition for what is now called aids. so it was decided that we would define aids on the basis of certain illnesses that were never seen in normal people that must somehow be part of this epidemic. some of them were these opportunistic infections, some of them were very stran

nbc's craig melvin is in hartford with the latest on that. craig, good morning. >> matt, good morning to you. the debate comes just months after that deadly home invasion that you mentioned in nearby cheshire. the two men who are on death row for killing the wife and two daughters of dr. william pettit pettitte, if this becomes law, warns that those two men will file endless appeals to avoid paying the ultimate price. he's the sole survivor of a crime that sent shockwaves through connecticut and beyond. dr. william p eechlt tit's wife and daughters were murdered in a brutal home invasion. two men were convicted of breaking into the home, tying up his two daughters, sexually assaulting his wife, then burning down the house. dr. petit escaped after being bound and beaten. this week he went to the state house to support the death penalty which he believes is justice for his familiar lip >> the people who died and can't speak for themselves. the people who were tortured. the people who were raped, delay do not seem to have a voice. and they seem