last name? >> -b -e nhl -t -o nhl. >> were police in the area at the time. >> they were in the area for sure and definitely in the area of the home. she was not cooperative as far as officers coming into the home and now we have more facts we understand why. she called for a cab apparently, went out the back door, got in the cab and drove off before officers detected that and when she returned home that's going to determine from what she initially told us she found a child at the walmart off ferguson which we know to be a fake statement. >> so when police showed up she didn't want to let them into the house whenever she was making a call. that seemed suspicious to officers at that point. >> i don't know what the officers thought at that point in time but usually when we have a situation like this we

participation in involving family members so i can't speak to what they were thinking at the time. any additional questions? all right thanks ya'll. >> thanks so much. you have been watching a side. cincinnati police will charge a mother who had claimed her three week old baby was in the this morning. >> the child was never in that stolen vehicle. we are going to have more on breaking developments in a live report. but first at 4 steady snow showers. not much is sticking but when is it going to end? >> let's check in with sharon hughes welcome. >> i'm here and looking out our camera view shows very low

mixing with rain falling. let's go now to our 9 first warning system and you certainly will see the temperatures right at around 33 degrees out there. that's why it's a rain snow mix in many locations. we have this winter weather advisory for our southern communities from owen all the way over to mason and robertson until 11: 00 tonight. that's because there's likely going to be minor accumulations of maybe a half an inch. they've been a little bit colder and there will be slick spots perhaps untreated areas. you'll need to be advised and aware of. the snow showers are starting to move to the north and east. getting clearing back into dearborn and also ripley counties. but we are seeing pretty moderate snow showers mixing with light rain from cincinnati into portions of northern kentucky. look at the flow of all of this. much of the moisture again starting to move out of our area.

chances as we go into the we are still expecting temperatures to be right around and falling into the lower 30s where we sit flat for a good period of time and again any precipitation we have will likely be isolated rain to snow or a mix of both. >> thank you and we want to get you back to breaking news we are following. police say they will charge the mother of the child reported missing this morning. >> nicole benton turned around to catch a glimpse of someone driving off with her car but this whole thing was a lie. how it all unfolded earlier this morning. >> frantic moments this morning as cincinnati police searched the city for 21 day old lamilyan mccollum. >> dozens of officers all over

>> after two hours of searching police found the baby safe with it's mother in the west end. >> the main thing is the child has been found. it's a pressing concern. >> it all started when a car was reported stolen on hopkins street. the reported stolen car crashed into a tree on prosperity place near western hills high school now speaking with neighbors who saw the whole thing go down outside of their homes. >> we do have cars driving fast but nothing like that. that was scary. >> i heard a big crash and come out and seen the car cross the street there. >> their investigation led them to a walmart on ferguson road after a tip suggested the infant may but police were able to find the baby back on

today police thankful little lamilyan is okay. now that press conference just wrapped up here at cpd district one police headquarters. again the name of that mother nicole benton is being charged with obey instruction of official business, making false alarms or starting panic. she is being charged with those counts right there. we also know the two teenagers are also being charged for stealing her car that crashed near western hills high school. we'll have more coming up today here on 9 on your side at 5 and 6 but for now back to you guys. >> t.j. thank you. just days after a shooting in school sheriff deputies arrest a man that was outside of that and 700 rounds of ammunition. brian miller was arrested and

and operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated. there is no evidence linking him to the school or he meant any harm but the sheriff's office isn't taking any chances. >> is it a coincidence or something else? we don't know yet but right now he's been charged with the alcohol and the weapons. and that's what we've charged him with and we've notified other authorities. and if there's something else out there we have not heard yet. but coincidence or not this is what you got to be on the look out for. >> investigators are looking at whether miller might have been up to see someone and merely fell asleep in a car in a turn lane. a passer-by noticed a car in a lane that traffic should not have been stopped. turning now to politics from 2012 when mitt romney was backed by donald trump. times have changed because fast

>> i believe with all of my heart and soul that we face another time for choosing. consequences for the republican party and more importantly for our country. >> todd walker with more on what romney's rally cry could do to the party. >> mitt romney came out swinging. >> he's a phoney, a fraud. his promises are as worthless as a degree from trump university. >> attacking donald trump on just about every facet of his campaign. >> mr. trump is already alarming our allies and fueling the enemies. insulting all muslims will keep many of them from fully engaging with us in the urgent

>> it was a blistering speech but a starke contrast possibly convention. >> the only serious policy proposals that deal with the broad range of national challenges come from ted cruz, marco rubio and john kasich. one of them should be our nominee. >> trump called romney a choke artist who begged for his endorsement in 2012. >> mitt is a failed candidate. ending what he hopes would be >> he gets a free ride to the white house and all we get is a lousy hat.

lead to recession. his foreign policies would make america and the world less safe. president. >> for the now i'm todd walker. >> shortly before trump's response romney tweeted he never would have accepted trump's endorsement four years ago if he said the things he does today. it will likely be big topics during the debate tonight. donald trump, marco rubio ted cruz and john kasich will be on up at 11. kentucky republicans will be taking sides on saturday for caucus. senator rand paul to run duel campaigns for the white house and u.s. senate. he is no longer in the race but

caucus in kentucky. joining us now to explain how this caucus is going to work and what voters can expect on saturday is our politics reporter, amanda. >> thank you for having me. >> what can voters expect? it seems confusing but it's really not. >> it will still pretty much be the same experience you would have at a primary. the biggest difference is you'll walk in and get information from booths set-up by the candidates and then a secret ballot. >> people aren't going to be >> your ballot won't be known to the whole world. >> this is only four registered republicans. >> yes the democrats will have their primary later. >> now kentucky people sitting where do i go? vote? >> there's only going to be one polling location per county so we'll have a link to the republican party's website and enter your information right

will be. >> easy enough. >> that's how you vote in this saturday's primary if you live in kentucky and you are a registered monday. which employers are the best in the country to work for?9 on your side consumer reporter john matarese with the list --

a happy and emotional welcome home early this morning, for astronaut scott kelly. hugs all around! kelly arrived back in houston after spending nearly a year on the space station. runs=:10scott kelly | astronaut: it's just unbelievable feeling to be back here on planet earth, back in our great country, back with my family and my friends." friends." today he tweeted this video as he jumped into a swimming pool at home... saying "that feels good!" nasa will be studying how kelly's 340 days in space impacts the human body, in order to plan long-term

google is joining the fight against the zika virus. it's donating 1-million dollars to unicef... the united nations' humanitarian relief agency for children. it is also working with unicif to map the outbreak of the virus. the challenge is that many people who get it, don't show any symptoms. so far, the centers for disease control reports 107 cases in the u-s. most of those are people who were bitten by mosquitoes overseas before returning home. your work environment can have a big impact on whether you like your job or not. and if you're looking for a change... fortune magazine is out with its annual ranking of the best companies to work for in the u-s. 9 on your side consumer reporter john matarese with the list... we're looking into what makes them so great. google tops the list for the seventh year in a row. row. workers there say the culture which makes you feel valued and respected is a big part of this. the company also offers a lot of perks like virtual doctor visits and

acuity insurance in wisconsin ranks number two. the company offers high salaries and generous merit pay increases. they also offer perks like a family picnic where they give away thousands of dollars in prizes. the boston consulting group rounds out the top three. people want to work there because the company believes in a good work-life balance. and the company is trying to make the work itself more meaningful. in ohio -- ten companies made the list.none are in our area: you know what i say...doesnt that stink!but southern ohio medical center in portsmouth is tops in the state....person ally, i think are other good ones right here in cincnnati. julie?

while this should support more rain than anything this afternoon, i would not rule out some pockets of snow continuing, especially north of the ohio river. that's where accumulations could increase to 1/2" total. as the temperatures drop later into the evening, the rain will start to change over to snow again. we could see additional minor accumulation of a 1/2" in isolated locations with some grassy areas or elevated roadways seeing the coverage. friday will be a break from the active weather, with partly cloudy skies and highs in the 40s. heading into the weekend, there a slight chance for another mix of snow and rain on saturday. with temperatures climbing into the upper 40s, it will limit our snow window and this should mainly be rain. sunday looks better with partly cloudy skies and highs in the low 50s. and the extended forecast is trending well above normal for next week. highs will increase into the 60s for

this monday -- steve raleigh and his team of meteorologists are helping us stay ahead of the storm with a weather special. we have life saving information for when severe weather hits this spring.it's on monday at 7-30... right after nine on your side at seven with julie dolan! get ready for more tornadoes. new research in the journal "nature communications" shows they are becoming more prevalent.scientists don't know yet what's behind the change in tornado patterns. but they think the change in our climate may be a possible reason.that's because large differences in wind speed and instability in the atmosphere which lead to tornadoes could both be affected by temperature increases. an alabama police officer alabama has just been charged with killing a suspect during a violent confrontation last week. week.the 23 year old officer-- aaron smith -- says he was just doing his job when he encountered greg gunn february 25th.smith says gunn was acting suspiciously -- but investigators haven't

door neighbor says he and his family were asleep when gunn knocked on his door.he says by the time he answered, gunn had been shot and was dying in the yard.officer smith is now charged with murder proceedings are underway to remove his badge. 1:18 jamel brown/ close friend of gunn family " and we are going to have faith in god that god will guide every move and every step. and not only that, we are going to pray for the officer also in this case." case.":37 mickey mcdermott/smith's attorney "we believe these charges were brought to prevent public unrest.. that makes the decision to arrest this officer political and not legal." legal."smith has pleaded not guilty and bond was set at 150 thousand dollars.his lawyer says fellow officers are now raising that money so smith can be released. and the texas trooper-- who arrested sandra bland before she died while in police custody -- has been fired. trooper brian encinia accused bland of failing to use her

her.three days later, she was found dead in her cell.no one was indicted for her death... but encinia was indicted for lying about certain elements of the investigation.encinia has the right to appeal tuesday's decision. the justice department is giving immunity to a former clinton employee.this is the guy who helped set up hillary clinton's computer server when she was secretary of state. this is part of the investigation into if classified information was mishandled.she used a private server to send emails while secretary of state. clinton maintains she did nothing wrong. a different kind of roller coaster -- where you never move! move!get ready to jump on board the thrill ride taking amusement parks further into

elephants are under seige. they are being killed for their tusks -- and newsy's melissa prax found they are being killed faster than they're being born.

populations are continuing to dwindle, and a new report says poaching is to blame. the convention on international trade in endangered species of wild fauna and flora < https://cites.org/eng/ news/pr/african_ele phants_still_in_decli ne_due_to_high_lev els_of_poaching_03032016> has been tracking this. cites says while poaching is down overall, the number of elephants dying at the hands of poachers is still larger than the number being born. high levels of poaching are still taking place in central and west africa, and the illegal ivory trade is a big incentive. cites' data shows about 60 percent of elephant deaths are due to poaching, and the world wildlife fund estimates as many as 30,000 elephants are poached every year .south africa was thrust into the spotlight in 2014 when an elephant was poached at kruger national park for the first time in a decade. and the numbers continued to increase from there. one side of the park borders zimbabwe, a country where poaching is on the rise. the park itself is home to tens of thousands of elephants. a lot of the areas in which the study saw increases in poaching may be sustainable for the elephant population, but not long term. cites' secretary general said the trend could be stopped,

release < https://cites.org/eng/ news/pr/african_ele phants_still_in_decli els_of_poaching_03032016> , "there are some encouraging signs, including in certain parts of eastern africa, such as tsavo in kenya, where the overall poaching trends have declined, showing us all what is possible through a sustained and collective effort with strong political support." support."you can now follow newsy on your tv or favorite streaming device. device. this is pretty cool if you like amusement parks. roller coaster rides are getting a virtual upgrade. check out what will soon be the first virtual reality coasters in north america. you'll wear a headset that shows you a realistic scene and syncs up with the real drops and turns on the ride. six flags is bringing the new technology to eight of its parks in the u-s. they include two locations in texas, atlanta, l-a, st. and maryland. snow flurries coming down pretty much all afternoon. afternoon. sherry is looking at what's to

a famous athlete makes a big donation to traumatic brain injury research.how it might

welcome back to the now cincinnati... snow pretty much all afternoon. sherry when will things clear

while this should support more rain than anything this afternoon, i would not rule out some pockets of snow continuing, especially north of the ohio river. that's where accumulations could increase to 1/2" total. as the temperatures drop later into the evening, the rain will start to change over to snow again. we could see additional minor accumulation of a 1/2" in isolated locations with some grassy areas or elevated roadways seeing the coverage. friday will be a break from the active weather, with partly cloudy skies and highs in the 40s. heading into the weekend, there a slight chance for another mix of snow and rain on saturday. with temperatures climbing into the upper 40s, it will limit our snow window and this should mainly be rain. sunday looks better with partly cloudy skies and highs in the low 50s. and the extended forecast is trending well above normal for next week. highs will

if you are just joining us we want to catch you up on a breaking story we've been following all day.the mother who told police her 18-day old infant was in the backseat of a stolen vehicle -- is now being charged with obstruction of official business, making false alarms and inducing panic.the search for that infant prompted a massive search this morning.about 30 minutes ago we were told that while the car was stolen, nacole benton's daughter was never in the backseat.the

car have been charged with recieving stolen property.the 9 on your side team will be live in minutes on 9 on your side at five with live reports on these new developments. alcohol and a weapon-that's what police in mt. healthy say a student was carrying in class today. even more shocking-that student was just 12 years old. the nows briana harper has more on what led up to his arrest. when mt. healthy police received a tip this week that a student was carrying a firearm at school--officers say they didn't take any chances. "you have to take every single one of these instances as if it is a real weapon until we find out otherwise." turns out this gun you see here was in fact fake-- but that didn't stop one 12-year old boy from showing it off. sgt. greg nolte//mt. healthy police "pulled the gun out again pointed it to another female student and said i'm gonna shoot you. he again put it back in his waist band and starting laughing and giggling." but it was no laughing matter. police say it happened here at the achieve

school for mt. healthy students. and inside the classroom this student also had something other than just the toy gun. "in his statement he indicated that it was wine he had brought to school for home." police arrested the boy (when? this morning?) he's now facing several charges including aggravated menacting. by law-it's illegal to have a firearm, or anything that resembles one, within 1000 feet of a school. of course its also illegal for a minor to consume alcohol regardless of location. school officials have taken action too-sending a strong message that there is no tolerance for this kind of behavior. we're told the student has been expelled. in mt.healthy briana harper the now cincinnati. cincinnati. it's an 19 million dollar project to help homeless teens who age out of our foster care system and its breaking ground soon. soon.lighthouse youth services

converting a former industrial building in walnut hills into one bedroom and efficiency apartments.single mothers with babies will also be helped there.these are renderings of what the place will look like when it opens in early 2018. wcpo digital reporter lucy may has an in-dept look at the project right now on wcpo.com... including details on a much larger goal to end youth homelessness in our community by 2020. tomorrow -- the new exhibition at the reds hall of fame museum opens. opens.bobbleheads: the exhibit welcomes fans starting at ten in the morning.you're going to see a lot of bobbleheads there as the exhibit salutes the collecting of them and salutes the many designs that have come and gone over the years. among the highlights you'll see -- given to fans through ballpark promotion since 2001. let this be a lesson to all of us: never throw away an old crumpled paper bag, without looking in it first. here's what one person found: seven identical baseball

players ever, ty cobb, from a printing that dates back to 1909. a family cleaning out their great-grandparents house found the cards. the cards are so rare, only 15 were known to exist before this find. the discovery is now being called "the lucky seven"... and get this... it's worth quote, "well into the seven figures"... or more than 1-million dollars. concussions and c-t-e are a hot topic in football and boxing. but a high-profile retired soccer player wants to bring attention to the possible issue in her sport too.9 on your side's carol williams with a look. look. we know brandi chastain as the woman who ripped off her jersey after her penalty kick won the 1999 world cup for the u-s. u-s.but she's hoping her announcement today that she's donating her brain for c-t-e research will do even more for soccer. it's the brain disease that's believed to be linked to concussions. c-t-e can only be diagnosed

been found in several men who played soccer. researchers believe it's from heading the ball. so far c-t-e hasn't been found in the brains of any female athletes. but the sample size has been small. that's why chastain's announcement today is a big deal and a rare move. researchers at boston university have examined the brains of more than 3-hundred people. only seven of those were women's brains. chastain says she does have memory issues sometimes and wonders if they're connected to her years of playing soccer. other major female athletes who say they'll donate their brains when they die include olympic swimmer jenny thompson and chastain's teammate cindy parlow cone. so far the boston university study has identified nearly 2-hundred cases of c-t-e... mostly in former football players. cutting the cost of fruits and vegetables by 30-percent, could save nearly 200-thousand lives. that prediction by the american heart association.

that we'd eat better because healthier food becomes more affordable. but this goes beyond what might seem like common sense. researchers used special computer models to create different simulations, to zero in on the most effective way to lower death rates from heart disease and stroke over the next 15 years. they compare it to when the cost of cigarettes went up. it stopped some smokers from lighting up, which in turn reduced the long-term health effects. big changes coming to the sat nationwide...i'll tell you

the new s-a-t debuts this saturday at testing sites across the country. it's the first big change to the standarized test in 30 years. the now's anne mcnamara talked to a tutor about what students can expect. 20:50 i think it's an improved test...new and improved...the s-a-t students will take this weekend looks far different than the decades-old exam. one

off a quarter of a point for wrong answers...now students won't get penalized. dan koken | president, denver test prep 20:28 the benefit to students is it allows you to be aggressive. in the past, students would get gun shy because they were so worried about the penalty. now, you know youve got to give it a shot -- it gives you that approval to power through and try to figure out the question dan koken tutors students at arrupe jesuit high school...in the past...they only took the a-c-t...now the s-a-t will also be part of the prep work. 19:01 one thing we will have to look at closely for each student is -- will you present better on the act or on the sat?the changes are in response to age-old complaints about standardized tests... things like...miguel gonzalez | high school senior 15:01 before going into the test i was really nervous about what was going to be on the test... 17:24 it's much more pressure because you have to finish in a time limit the new s-a-t will give more time for each section and have 16 fewer questions. another big change...the essay section...which helps students like mary...mary mick | high school senior 11:02 there's a lot of stuff in mathematics i

kinda just have to guess. with english and writing it's a little easier if that's not your strength...the essay is now optional...and doesn't count toward your writing score.the downside...the revamped test is more of a marathon...requiring more time...and of course...more preparation. 21:23 we'll learn even more once the first score reports come out, which likely won't be released until mayfor the now...i'm anne mcnamara. the college board has practice tests on its web site so students can get used to the new format. dozens of guns stolen in under two minutes. minutes.the heist caught on five different cameras and the big concern the fbi has about

you're watching the now on wcpo 9 on your side... a shocking gun heist in houston and security cameras catch every crazy second!only three of the ten suspects have been captured by police.a manhunt is underway for the rest. the suspects used a pickup truck and chains to get

front door.they then smashed case after case of weapons and grabbed whatever they could. one even jumped the counter to grab an assault riffle off the wall.another put 18 handguns in a bag in less than 30 seconds.authorities say the consequences of this *single heist are far reaching. :42 robert elder, special agent in charge, houston atf - what it potentially means is that you have got that many people distributing firearms in the streets of houston. houston.the thieves worked quickly.they were only in the store about two minutes.but they made several trips to waiting vehicles to drop off loads of weapons before police arrived. an arizona man is arrested and accused of breaking into two homes more than seven miles away from his home.and get this.. the man told police he was sleepwalking.the 25 year old said he drank a couple beers and took some prescription sleeping pills that was prescribed to him.police say he burglarized one home then knocked on another womans door. she sent him away but later found him in her bedroom!

something because nobody really sleepwalks that much. it just seems a little silly. silly.that second victim says she saw the man carrying a gaming console that looked a lot like the one the first victim reported stolen.that suspect now faces two counts of burglary. a georgia mother is furious! claiming her four year old son was sent home from school in his underwear! underwear!:00 (janet burgo, mother) "every time i talk to him he would get this sad look and say "my teacher put me on the bus in my underwear" :05 :05the mother says the boy had an accident in his pants and is now accusing the teacher of not doing enough to keep her son from being humiliated by the incident.the district told a news agency that the teacher resigned.fellow parents were told the boy had wrapped a sweater around his waist until pants could be found but for some reason, he was put on the pre-school bus instead. 1:02 (janet burgo, mother) "teachers are mandated reporters, how do you walk by a school of teachers and get on a bus in your underwear in 40 degree weather?"

other teachers who saw her son but still allowed him to board the bus held accountable as well.in the meantime -- the district says the investigation is far from over. while this should support more rain than anything this while this should support more rain than anything this afternoon, i would not rule out some pockets of snow continuing, especially north of the ohio river. that's where accumulations could increase to 1/2" total. as the temperatures drop later into the evening, the rain will start to change over to snow again. we could see additional minor accumulation of a 1/2" in isolated locations with some grassy areas or elevated roadways seeing the coverage. friday will be a break from the active weather, with partly cloudy skies and highs in the 40s. heading into the weekend, there a slight chance for another mix of snow and rain on saturday. with temperatures climbing into the upper 40s, it will limit our snow window and this should mainly be rain. sunday looks better with partly cloudy skies and highs in the low

is trending well above normal for next week. highs will increase into the 60s for

this monday -- steve raleigh and our 9 first warning weather team of meteorologists are helping us stay ahead of the storm. we have life saving information for when severe weather hits this spring.it's

after nine on your side at seven with julie dolan! tonight on 9 on your side -- a new drama from one of the writers behind scandal and grey's anatomy.*the family centers around the kidnapping and presumed death of a young boy.a man was convicted for the crime and served ten years in prison.that's where the scene we are about to show you -- picks up.take a look. :53 the conviction of my client ten years ago was purely circumstances. bullied into taking a plea deal. can we assume he wasn't killed by client. asking for unconditional released. any objections. i can go home? i can go home.? 1:24 1:24the show stars hollywood actress joan allen in the first broadcast series role of her career.*the family

between new episodes of grey's anatomy and how to get away with murder. now here's carol with what we're working on for 5:00... 5:00... you've been covering the news that's been breaking all day about the baby believed to be missing..... and finally the news that the baby was "never" missing, but that the mother allegedly sneaked the baby out the back door. coming up next at 5, we look at the mother, nicole benson, tom mckee digs for answers . and imagine taking your kids to wendy's for a burger and fries, and you come out and find a man in your car. that's what happened to a middltown mother....and the man in her car had overdosed....our jason law tracks down this

local teenager is trying to make life easier for others who, like him, have diabetes. all that starting at 5. tanya -- ad lib wrap it's getting harder and harder for police departments around the country to hire. hire.next on the now cincinnati -- we take a look why men and women are thinking

the american tourist who found

belong to mh370 says he hopes the piece can provide clues about what happened to that missing airliner. blaine gibson...an american lawyer from seattle found a piece of a boeing 7-7-7 off the mozambique coast in southeastern africa.gibson says he leads his own hunt for the missing plane and has traveled around the indian ocean for one year in an exhaustive search. 3.27 (blaine gibson/tourist) "what went through my mind when i found it is this is something that could be part of an airplane and could be part of that airplane. and you say, how could it have possibly wound up here? that's like asking, how could anyone possibly win the lottery? someone is going to win it." it."the disappearance of malaysia flight m-h-370 is considered a huge aviation mystery.the plane vanished from radar on march 8, 2014 while en route to beijing, with 239 people on board. we're tracking a developing story right now... north korea fired six

sea of japan, just hours after the united nations passed new sanctions against it because of nuclear testing. the u-s state department is monitoring the situation. but leaders say north korea has forced the world's hand: *sot full=wait to use super - first part of sot is covered runs=:11samantha power | u.s. ambassador to united nations: "north korea is the only country in the entire world that has conducted a nuclear test in the 21st century. in fact, it has conducted not one nuclear test, but four." four." the sanctions include inspecting all shipments to and from north korea and a ban on exports that could be used to help the armed forces there. the goal is to get north korea to begin discussions to stop nuclear development. when it comes to safety at home -- its getting harder and harder for police departments to hire. police departments all across the country are struggling to attract new officers. officers. some cities are seeing a drastic drop in applications. the now's mike brookbank looks at what's triggering the major shortage. to serve and protect... right now... fewer people are willing to take the pledge... take sotjames professor: "some small cities

applications." experts like james chriss, who's written a book on community policing, point to the so-called "ferguson effect." take nat pop from ferguson file"police and protestors clashing" clashes like this -- captured on camera -- causing some to stay clear of the profession. take sotjame chriss, criminal justice professor: "heightened media sensationalism over police use of force is probably scaring away a lot of people." and it's not just the current climate in communities like ferguson, missouri... all across the country -- policing is clearly less appealing. take sotjames criss, criminal justice professor: "these officers are thrust into the spotlight and so forth and for the most part police officers are kind of trained to stay low." another major factor is our economy. with unemployment rates dropping -- people who might have once considered law enforcement -- can now pass on becoming a police officer. take sotjames chriss, criminal justice professor: "police organizations have to compete more vigorously with the private sector." as to where the shortage is greatest -- smaller cities and towns seem to be struggling more according to chriss -- who says another deterrent is poor pay and lack of benefits. take sotjames chriss, criminal justice

$30,000-$34,000 and this is not something that is going to attract a large pool of candidates." especially when there's an uptick in police officers killed in the line of duty... fewer men and women stepping-up -- and suiting-up in blue -- because of the danger associated with the job. take sotjame chriss, criminal justice professor: "over the last 20-years or so, policing usually doesn't even finish in the top 20 of most dangerous jobs." police departments i spoke with off- camera say people's perception of officers will eventually shift... but until then... they will continue to change up the way they recruit... make sure police academies are diverse and represent the communities they serve.. and find new ways to compete with an improving economy. reporting for the now, i'm mike brookbank. that's it from the now cincinnati. cincinnati.9 on your side at 5 starts right now. a soggy evening in the tri-state.this mix of rain and snow continues to fall.we're on your side with how much longer it will last. breaking now! a missing baby

tonight her mother is facing charges. 24:45 - 24:49"tremenous about of resourches to trying to locate this child" child"we have new developments about what transpired since this child was first reported missing. guns - feet from madison high school.two days after a school shooting. "this is not a good place to be if you have any bad intentions " "parents scared and furious about how they found out about this man's arrest. a cop cover-up!officers accused of lying about a drunk driving crash involving a fellow officer.hear from a witness on the stand today. 9 on your side at five starts now! following breaking developments - a missing baby never missing at all!the child reported kidnapped in a stolen vehicle.we learned just about 60 minutes ago - the child was never in that car.her mother - now facing charges. we'll have

first this nasty mix of rain and snow - is not letting up. we are on your side with what's going on if you're headed out this evening. the good news - snow is not accumulating on the roads for your drive home. home.let's turn now to nine first warning meteorologist sherry hughes.she's tracking how much longer this wet mix will last - sherry? as the temperatures drop later into the evening, the rain will start to change over to snow again. we could see additional minor accumulation of a 1/2" in isolated locations with some grassy areas or elevated roadways