paul suric denies having any intention to suppress the african american voter turnout. it suggested there was no need to vote because the democrats had already been victorious. >> we're okay. relax. everything is fine. the only thing left is to watch it on tv tonight. >> suric told jurors, the robocall was meant to be counterintuitive. what he intended to be a wake- up call, to inspire republican african americans to rush out to the polls. he said the idea came from julius henson, saying he's the expert. i paid him $16,000 a month for good advice. he read me a proposed script. i approved it. he also said that he denied knowing about them leaving out the part of who was making the call.

he said he assumed that would be included. >> derek valcourt, wjz eyewitness news. >> the defense also called nearly two dozen character witnesses to say that suric is a man of high integrity. sky eye chopper 13 is over a horrific accident. >> this is northbound route 1 between 136 and the conowingo dam. two vehicles head-on. one, a pickup truck, towing a trailer, collided with another vehicle, southbound on bel air road. three people in all. seriously injured here. two people were inside the sedan. they have been extricated. fire officials are called for a go team from shock trauma to be transported up here to assist them with extricating that

patient. we know at least two people at this point are certain to fly to shock trauma. they requested two helicopters to the scene. route 1, closed in both directions between route 136 and the susquehanna river, conowingo dam, as state police are on the scene, conducting the investigation. no word on the cause here. but this is going to be an extended rescue operation. expect major delays south of the conowingo dam. back to you on tv hill. >> okay. captain mike perry, thank you very much. an army veteran is murdered inside a chinese restaurant. and tonight, police are asking for help to solve the case. vic, police are still searching for two suspects in the fatal shooting of 52-year- old freddie jones. he was gunned down on halloween inside the yao brothers carryout on greenmount avenue. detectives believe the men in this surveillance video are responsible. and anyone who recognizes them should call police immediately. a teenager has already been arrested in connection with the

crime. he's 17-year-old mar quell jones. he was turned in by family members. >> the yao brothers had been plagued by family violence. tonight, the wife of allen gross is speaking out, amid a new push to set her husband free. wjz is live. mike hellgren reports on who is now concerned for gross's plight. >> it appears cuban president raul castro, a missionary who was visiting with him said that castro told him that he understands that failing health concerns and the concerns of gross's family. but the two never discussed release. >> he looks defeated. >> for judy gross, the past two years have been a nightmare. her husband allen, who grew up in baltimore, has become a political pawn in cuba, where the government claims he's a spy. he's lost 100 pounds since the cubans locked him in a tiny

cell. >> i think there's some people who wouldn't recognize him. absolutely striking. allen was a bit of a hefty guy to begin with, but always, always had a huge smile on his face. and now, when you see him, he looks emaciated. >> reporter: his loved ones who fear he may die there, began a few push for his release, including this video from his elderly mother. >> i can't be without him any longer. >> she's a real trooper. but she's scared to death that she might not see him again. >> reporter: groatsz -- gross, a humanitarian, was porking on -- working on a state department contract to deliver communications equipment to cuba when police arrested him. >> reporter: in an unusual move, more than 70 members of congress signed a letter, urging the can you cubans to free gross. >> reporter: there are new reports that cuban president castro understands the toll this is taking on his family. but even with glimmers of good news, it's difficult for the grosses to keep hope alive.

>> i've never seen allen quite so angry or quite so depressed. >> i am losing hope as well. >> and she just rise is visited -- just visited her husband two weeks ago. she said at least two times they've come very close to having his release. coming up new at 6:00, we'll have the latest comments from the white house. mary, back to you. >> all right, mike. thank you. gross graduated from milford mills high school and the university of maryland. a student threat is under investigation at glen burnie high school. officials increase the school's police presence after they received a tip that the students planned to bring a weapon to class today. police aren't releasing any other information. parents aren't receiving any information on what happened. the improvement isn't as good as it sounds. danielle nottingham reports for wjz from the white house. >> the unemployment rate is at its lowest point in 2 1/2

years, falling to 8.6% last month. despite the drop, about 13 million americans are still looking for work, including barry hair. in september, he was laid off for the third time in 10 years. >> i had no idea that this would come and/or that it would come so soon. >> reporter: hair is looking for a new job, but many americans have just given up. that means they're no longer counted when the government adds up people who are unemployed every month. >> more than 300,000 americans left the labor force last month. that means they've stopped looking for work. i think we should all be concerned about that. >> the white house points out private companies added 140,000 jobs last month. many of them were retail positions at as stores geared up for the holiday shopping season. >> for the american economy created in the private sector, jobs for the past 21 months in a row. >> reporter: president obama

welcomed friday's drop in the unemployment rate and pushed congress to find a compromise that will keep the economy moving. lawmakerless are trying to agree on a plan. >> it's time to step on the gas. we need to get this done. >> reporter: if congress doesn't act by december 31st, more than 150 million americans will lose about 1,000 additional dollars they saw in their paychecks this year. at the white house, danielle nottingham, wjz eyewitness news. >> employers may be creating new jobs but they're not paying as much. the average wage is $23 an hour. ravens will no longer hold their training camp at mcdaniel college in west minister. they will officially move all future camps to owings mills. they say the location will provide them with a better weight room, more space and an indoor field for practice during bad weather. but fans will no longer be able

to watch the preseason practices. >> this was not a decision that was easy to make. we know that fans are going to be disappointed with it in some ways. the bigger picture is, we can be a better football team, we can prepare better for the season, if we have training camp here in owings mills. >> we will have much more on this story, including reaction from mcdaniel college. ravens owner steve bisciotti, coming up live from westminster new at 6:00. and the ravens are on the road, heading to cleveland to face the browns. sports director mark viviano joins us with more. >> well, mary, the ravens do have a history of playing well in december. they feel like they are built for the cold-weather months. and they expect a chilly reception in cleveland. >> ravens have been reminded all week about their early season stumbles. three road losses that mar an

otherwise sterling season. always striving to improve, but admittedly far from perfect. >> i wouldn't want to be undefeated right now. but we're not undefeated. but at the same time, we have been through enough adversity now that we're battle-tested and we're ready -- let's take december and january football and take it in stride. >> those strides take them to cleveland, where the ravens will certainly win, at least our panel of experts thinks so. >> weekend sports anchor stan saunders here. don't look for a disappointing season coming off the performance. they will look at cleveland, 32- 14. ed norris. ravens travel to cleveland. division opponent, tough stadium. look for a close one. 17-14, the ravens. >> and this is steve davis, 107.5, the fan. no wors -- worries in cleveland. they've won three straight. make it four in a row. ravens were up, 28-13.

this is scott garceau. ravens take care of business. they're the better team. they play like it on sunday. my guess, ravens, 24-14. >> and i concur with the panel. i have the ravens winning, 20- 6. it's going to be hard for cleveland to score at all. i see this one being more like the game that the ravens won easily at st. louis. but mary, you never know. back to you. >> that is for certain, mark. thank you. well, remember, you can see the ravens take on the browns live here on wjz. tune in sunday at 4:00. any given sunday, as they say. it is a beautiful friday evening around maryland. outside right now, it's dry, calm and clear. and we're expecting more of the same for the weekend. let's check in now with bob. he's updating conditions and first warning weather. bob? >> and if you're heading to cleveland sunday afternoon, 45, 46 degrees. could be light rain by the game time there. right now, we're at 54 degrees here. really good, pleasant afternoon here. 37 in oakland. 46 in ocean city.

and this weekend, pretty much all weekend long, will be dominated by dry, high pressure. tomorrow will be cooler than today. but it begins to warm up again on sunday. temperatures getting back up in the mid-50s once again. mary? >> all right, bob. thank you. still ahead. a maryland man in the hands of al qaeda. what the terror group is demanding in exchange for his safe return. plus... >> chilling calls for help. tonight, new details about indiana's stage collapse are made public. what the 911 tapes reveal about the accident. and wjz continues to follow the breaking news in harford county. a bad accident near conowingo. we'll have the latest coming up. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

we have an update on the breaking news in harford county.

captain mike has the latest for us. >> hello, mary. this is along route 1. just south of the conowingo dam, on route 1. i believe it's just going to be a little south of route 136 in harford county. two-vehicle accident. one was a pickup truck. the other a sedan. collided head-on or nearly head- on. the truck was towing a trailer. it rolled over. and pretty significant damage here. lots of fire personnel were called to the scene. three people in all are going to be transported to shock trauma. by maryland state police medivac helicopter. we know that at least one person here suffered a partialasm -- partial amputation of a body part. so it is a very dangerous scene for fire officials. because there's one vehicle, as you see, they had to prop it up. the pickup truck potentially could roll onto them. but there is lots of fire personnel here. police do have the road closed in both directions.

this is on route 1, south of the conowingo dam. the second maryland police medivac helicopter, which came from the eastern shore is just arriving. that's trooper 1 you see on the left-hand side out of martin state. just landed here. two are going to go in one of these helicopters. and the third patient is going to go in the other single helicopter. this scene will likely be here for another hour or so. so you can expect major delays if you're trying to get from the conowingo, harford county, into baltimore county, or vice versa, up to northern harford and cecil county. you're going to expect delays as police are going to have the roads closed here for sometime. i cannot see where the road closures are. they're about a mile either side of the scene. back to you. >> it's very dark up there. thank you. our complete coverage continues. here's kristy breslin, live at wjz traffic control. with more on the impact of this accident. a very significant accident there in the harford county area. if you are trying to get around the area, as we said, it is closed, south of 136.

if you need to go in that area, take either the tidings moor memorial bridge or also the hayden memorial bridge, going northbound or southbound. as far as the rest of the region goes, we have an accident, really impacting traffic in the southbound direction, past timmonium road. the delay there, at least 25 minutes. also, delays westbound 29 to marriottsville road. and another 25 minutes on the top side inner loop. traveling the outer loop, you will see a slowdown there from providence road to greenspring avenue. and the west side inner loop, just crawling along there from the bw parkway over to liberty road. northbound 95, almost 30 minutes in that direction. it begins at the howard county line over to route 100. and a couple of other accidents to watch out for. york road at shawan road. also winslow park drive. let's take a live look. you can see, it's going to be quite a drive for you. that's a look at 83 there at

the beltway. we'll take another live look. as you can see, very heavy traffic. that's a look at 70 at 29. this traffic report is brought to you by bill's carpet, hardwood and laminate, too. bill's has it all for you. you can call them at 1-877-75- bills. back to you. a fantastic surprise for one boy celebrating his birthday, brings a soldier home to baltimore. as gigi barnett explains, his father traveled a long way to fulfill a special wish. today is jaylen white's birthday. he turns 9. and it wasn't going so well first. jaylen really missed his dad, until this. >> i know. are you happy i came? >> yes. >> staff sergeant alvin white took two planes and a rental car to get to north wood elementary in baltimore today. he gets the next four days off for his son's birthday, which, by the way, is much brighter now. >> he wasn't feeling well. i probably had a case of the

birthday blues. >> reporter: staff sergeant white has two other children at northwood elementary. so it moved to 4-year-old justin's pre-k class. >> does anyone have this parka? >> i do. >> who this? -- is this? >> it's my dad. >> reporter: the boys have only seen their dad once since he deployed to afghanistan two years ago. >> i've been on four deployments. i've missed birthdays, christmas, thanksgiving, holidays. so it's been rough. >> reporter: but he's here now. and there's one more person to surprise. it's 10-year-old breon. >> dwead! daddy! daddy! >> as for jaylen. this birthday surprise is sweet. >> my dad is here. >> reporter: the next step now, a four-day birthday celebration. just as their father's visit was a surprise, that, too, must remain a secret. at northwood elementary, i'm gigi barnett, wjz eyewitness news. >> well, the children's grandmother and their principal

were in on the surprise. wow. >> does anyone have a kleenex? >> that was something, wasn't it? >> wow. best story of the day. >> okay. >> wow. wow. beautiful weather for the weekend. let's take a look at temperatures now. beautiful, 54. dew points way down. humidities way down. northwest winds at 3. barometer on the way back up. look at that nice december weekend right after this. [ male announcer ] are you paying more and more for cable and enjoying it less and less? stop paying for second best. upgrade to verizon fios and get tv, internet and phone for our best price online -- just $79.99 a month for two years with a 2 year agreement. it's an amazing holiday deal. but don't wait. it's only available for a limited time. so go to verizon.com/superoffer to sign up. act now and we'll add a special bonus -- $300 back. fios delivers the best picture quality, plus america's fastest, most consistent most reliable internet.

spend the holidays saving money. switch to fios and get our best price online -- just $79.99 a month for two years with a 2 year agreement when you order online. save $840 in your first two years. and don't forget your special bonus -- $300 back. hurry, offer ends soon. go to verizon.com/superoffer. contact the verizon center for customers with disabilities that's verizon.com/superoffer. at 800-974-6006 tty/v. fios. a network ahead.

i've started my holiday shopping. [ susan ] oh, any ideas for mine? well, actually, i've got a couple. [ male announcer ] show her she's loved

with a diamond ring from helzberg diamonds, and the matching pendant is free. i love you. you do? [ laughs ] well, if you're up this morning with all of the frost temperatures, generally in the 20s to low 30s. then it warmed up so nicely, into the upper 50s this afternoon. kind of hard to know what to wear these days. let's take a look at temps and conditions now. it's clear. dropped a little bit to 54. 37 out in oakland. 47 now in hagerstown. and 46, ocean city. with these clear skies right now, and very light winds, temperatures are going to quickly drop. the dew point so low. we'll probably see some upper 20s again tonight. now, officially, the airport did drop to 26. i'll show you that. 50 in bel air. 50 kent island. and 54 in columbia and over in

d.c. 59, 26 today. quite a range. 50, 32, the averages. and the records, back in 1970, 72. and in 1966. -- 1966, nine degrees above zero this date. yeah, it can get pretty chilly. right now, a light, northwest wind. breezy out of the northwest. generally, overnight, light winds. temperatures will once again drop into the upper 20s to low 30s. and tomorrow, with a bit of a wind shift, we'll see cooler temperatures on saturday. but right after that, it gets warm once again. because some mild air down here in mississippi valley is going to be moving into our area for sunday, monday, and even into tuesday. now, there is a front out to the west. it will probably give us a risk of some shower activity. but not until late tuesday into wednesday. up until then, basically dry and mild temperatures. this weekend, tomorrow, lots of sunshine. a little cooler, yes. near 50, which is normal. but then a warmup begins again

on sunday. temperatures back up, probably in the mid-50s once again, as this high moves off the east coast. the winds go back in the southwest. it stays dry. now on sunday, if you're heading out to ohio, to cleveland, there will probably be some shower activity by late afternoon. temperatures holding to the mid- to upper 40s. so if you're heading to driving to cleveland and going to the game, prepare for chilly and maybe some damp conditions, unfortunately. east winds on the bay, shifting to the northeast. sunrise, 7:0 set. and sets at 4:44. down to freezing again. back up to 50 with sunshine pretty much all day long. so a nice, dry start to the weekend. it will be a great weekend to hang those icicles on your gutters. you know? >> right. >> the fall icicles. >> good advice, bob. thank you. a million dollars might just buy some answers in the

chesapeake. alex demetrick reports, a federal grant will explore an old animal in trouble and a new one causing trouble. >> science knows a lot about what goes on under the bay but not everything. >> for a number of the species, we still don't know much about the biology of them. >> specifically, the catfish it has somehow made its way to the chesapeake. >> we just need to find out where the species lives what they're eating. a lot of questions like that we just don't know. >> there are also questions about native oysters which continue to struggle in the bay. >> when we went out there in november, they were all dead. some were 100% dead. >> a tremendous flow of fresh water. some tropical storms killed those oysters. but a federal grant will allow

researchers to conduct detailed oyster surveys like the one done each year to determine the health of blue crabs. that saw the crab population grow along with the catch for watermen. >> we hope they rebound and come on stronger for us. >> one species targeted is the soft shell clam. which used to be widespread in the day. >> native species and new invade vaders causing it are both priorities for side -- study. >> there aren't good met decisions that come out of it if you don't have the good science behind it. >> noaa has also awarded a $1 million grant to virginia researchers to make sure all of the studies include all of the bay. still ahead on wjz's eyewitness news at 5:00. can a movie be hazardous to your health? we'll explain how the twilight saga is sending some people into seizures. expanding a worldwide safety recall. the news for owners of honda

vehicles. >> will gabby giffords run for re-election? what her husb,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

it is 5:30. 54 degrees and clear out there tonight. good evening. and thank you for staying with wjz eyewitness news. here are some of the stories people are talking about tonight. al qaeda is now claiming responsibility for the capture of a 70 yearly maryland man in pakistan. jessica kartalija reports, the terrorist group has set specific set of demands they

say must be met before they release him. >> reporter: the abduction of warren weinstein was violent in his home in lahor, pakistan. now, al qaeda leader ayman al- zawahri said weinstein would be freed if the u.s. stops air strikes in afghanistan and pakistan. in august, armed men pretending to offer his guards food stormed the gate with ak-47s. they tied and gagged and tortured those gards -- guards and gained access to weinstein in his apartment. now, a 30-minute video, depands he stops-- demands he stops trikes on yemen -- strikes on yemen. winesteen, who was 70, works for a company in virginia. he was heading a development company in pakistan's volatile tribal area. in the video, al-zawahri addresses the family, telling

them to ignore any claim by president obama that he's trying to free the hostage. he says, he might say to you, i tried to contact them and they did not answer. do not believe him. u.s. officials have not said who they believe is holding weinstein. >> it's a fair question. the fbi are assisting with the pakistani-led investigation. again, it's hard for me to talk about specific progress in the investigation. >> weinstein had been in pakistan more than five years. he was just days from returning home to rockville when he was abducted. jessica kartalija, wjz eyewitness news. >> weinstein has been in pakistan more than five years and was just days from returning home to rockville when he was arrested. a man is arrested, suspected of breaking into baltimore county homes. 50-year-old duranty urban is charged with breaking into homes last month. both cases, the elderly victim told police they recognized urban from the neighborhood.

he is currently being held without bail at the baltimore county detention center. an update tonight on the recovery of congresswoman gabrielle giffords. gigi barnett has more on what her husband is saying about a possible return to congress. >> mark kelly says his wife is making progress every day. and his appearance on the cbs early show, kelly said he is positive giffords will eventually fully recover. she suffered a head injury. the speed of her recovery will make the decision as to whether she will run again. >> sometime before may, she will decide if she wants to continue and can continue to do the job of a member of congress. you know, congressmen and women work very, very hard. it's a grueling schedule. and she just has to see if she's up for that. >> and mark kelly added that even if his wife doesn't run for re-election, he kidnaps her to come back -- expects her to come pack and serve her constituents at some point.

>> giffords was among 19 other people shot. six of the victims died. we're hearing emergency calls for help from the indiana state fair when a concert stage collapsed in august. senator chapman explains the calls explain what police knew before the tragedy hit. >> state police 13c. looks like about 30 minutes or less before water comes in. >> for the first time, confirmation that state police were awaiting the storm's arrival, moments before the stage collapse at the indiana state fair. they say so in an exclusive emergency dispatch tape; capturing emergency dispatch tapes with the emergency responders. the warnings began at 8:38 p.m., five minutes before the collapse. >> all units, all units. severe thunderstorm warning until 9:45 for marion county. use your best judgment. find shelter when needed. >> reporter: two minutes later, a voice of concern. thousands of people were still

awaiting the sugar land concert, standing right in front of the stage. that's when we hear the call, inquiring whether fans have been moved to safety. >> go ahead. >> have they released fans from the grandstands yet? >> have no information on that. i will check and advise. >> three minutes later, a lone radio call of sheer panic. >> go ahead. [ indiscernible ] >> control, grandstands are gone. fire control, grandstands, ems, on call in a mass casualty. >> reporter: that was at 8:43 p.m. seconds later, reports of a human toll began trickling in. some trapped. others going into shock. those critically injured were code red. the walking wounded, greens and yellows. the dead, tagged in black. >> multiple red, multiple reds. unknown black. i need everything to the grandstand. >> the accident killed 7 people

and injured 40 others. several families have filed lawsuits against the indiana state fair, claiming the stage collapse was preventable. the future of has campaign, gop presidential candidate herman cain says he will make an announcement tomorrow about whether or not he will stay in the race. cain met with his wife today for the first time since the allegations of a long-time affair surfaced. cain says the relationship he had with a georgia woman was platonic but he admits he gave the woman money and his wife did not know. he is urging his supporters to look past the allegations. federal authorities are confirming they searched a locker in the syracuse university basketball center. investigators are looking for evidence in the sex abuse case against former assistant coach bernie fine. at least three men accused fine of molesting them when they were children. espn radio is also reporting the possibility of a fourth victim. the information has been passed along to syracuse police. record winds whipped through western states, leaving

devastation. bigad shaban. hundreds without power in some smunts -- communities have declared emergencies. >> reporter: two days of wind blew apart this fence, toppled tractor-trailers and left behind destruction in several western states. >> it's just saying, there's trees down everywhere. >> reporter: gusts of more than 100 miles per hour, sent a tree crashing into in northern california home. splitting it in half. the wind blew out the windows in a utah school bus and ripped the roof off a colorado condominium. a pasadena couple was asleep when this tree smashed right into their bedroom. they weren't hurt. the winds have died down in southern california. but hundreds of thousands are without power. ron and millie bar barbosa are relying on an old radio for news. and don't know when the lights will come back on. >> i had no idea. i guess it's up to the gods. >> reporter: power companies say it could take up to a week to get electricity restored in some areas. >> here in downtown pasadena,

century old trees are now piles of debris. that stretch nearly an entire block. these trees were just decorated, with holiday lights. >> what looked like a hurricane that hit this park down here. >> reporter: susan jackson lives two blocks away. she came to take photos and can't believe the damage. >> it takes a little bit to say one minute we're safe and the next minute, there's complete devastation. >> the worst of the wind is gone, giving crews a chance to clean up. but more strong winds are expected to hit this weekend, with gusts of up to 50 miles per hour. in pasadena, california, bigad shaban, wjz eyewitness news. >> authorities say in l.a. county alone, up to 1,000 trees were toppled by the storm. honda is expanding a recall for air bags that may be dangerous during crashes. certain model years of the accord, civic, odyssey, pilot and crv are included in the recall. the air bags in the affected vehicles can inflate too much pressure, possibly causing

injuries or death. honda says there have been possible problems related to this accident. in tonight's wjz healthwatch, is a popular movie making people sick? that's the claim tonight about the latest installment in the twilight series. one scene has apparently triggered a severe reaction. people having seizures. >> reporter: it's the scene of bella giving birth in the latest twilight saga that has triggered seizures at nine movie theaters across the nation. during that scene from breaking dawn, a strobe effect with flashes of white, red and black light is so intense, it sent brandon gephardt into convulsions, something he's never experienced before. he doesn't remember it. but his girlfriend does. >> convulsing and snorting and trying to breathe. >> reporter: doctors meading -- meeting in baltimore this week for the american conference of

the epilepsy society, say people who are disturbed by light exposure do not necessarily have epilepsy. many are just photo sensitive. >> a common example is when you're driving down the highway and the sunlight is flashing through trees. so you get this repetitive stimuli, that is against a dark contrast. and that can induce seizures in people who have this photo sensitivity. >> reporter: doctors say if you have reaction, there is something you can do immediately. if you feel too weak to get up and walk out. do this. >> cover one eye. a lot of times, covering one eye will take away the more significant effect that could lead onto a seizure. >> the maryland-based epilepsy foundation has issued a warning about the twilight movie, saying people prone to certain types of seizures may want to skip the movie. time now for a look at the baltimore sun. a new legislative audit finds problems at the state's highway administration. a preview at towson tigers game

against lehigh. and the plan to stop cleveland's big running back, payton hills. for all of these stories and more, read tomorrow's baltimore sun. remember to look for the updated forecast from wjz's first warning weather team. with millions of items to keep track of, the enoch pratt free library has found a fun way to get rid of the things it no longer needs. as mike schuh reports, the line formed early with bargain hunters. >> reporter: the first person prepared here for a 2 1/2-hour wait. the line around the block. people around the battle. >> rather than at dawn, here, these doors to the main branch opened at 10:00. mom might get butted out of the way. in these first few moments, the truly serious impact the staff, securing the best bargains, with a scowl and a scanner, used book prices appear on their screen. aside from the professionals, the genuine book lover is well represented.

>> i like the monster type books and the suspense. >> this is the bound volume of a magazine called life illustrated. it's a periodical, life illustrated from the 1850s and 60s. and this is gus right ger, who is a german population. >> you see there's so much interest. >> you see there's a good deal. >> eric carl, always a family favorite. and some other titles that just have really cute illustrations, which is what we're going for now. >> all weekend long, 15,000 items are to be brought out a little at a time. so the good stuff isn't picked over. sunday is called box day. because if you bring your own box for $3, you can fill it up with all of the books you want. at the enoch pratt free library, wjz eyewitness news. back to you on tv hill. >> and the running of the books continues tomorrow from 10:00 to 5:00. and on sunday, from 1:00 until 5:00. >> it's good to see the

enthusiasm is still around for books. yes, most definitely. >> i would say the same thing. still to come tonight on wjz eyewitness news. an unusual injury. how a dog accidentally shot a man during a hunting trip. plus... my face was actually on fire. >> a school science experiment gone wrong. the mistake that left a student severely burned and the difficult recovery he faces. i'm bob turk in the first warning weather center. sunny, dry weekend. i'll have the exclusive first warning five-day forecast. first, here is today's report from wall street. we'll be right back. ,,,, [ male announcer ] are you paying more and more for cable

and enjoying it less and less? stop paying for second best. upgrade to verizon fios and get tv, internet and phone for our best price online -- just $79.99 a month for two years with a 2 year agreement. it's an amazing holiday deal. but don't wait. it's only available for a limited time. so go to verizon.com/superoffer to sign up. act now and we'll add a special bonus -- $300 back. fios delivers the best picture quality, plus america's fastest, most consistent most reliable internet. spend the holidays saving money. switch to fios and get our best price online -- just $79.99 a month for two years with a 2 year agreement when you order online. save $840 in your first two years. and don't forget your special bonus -- $300 back. hurry, offer ends soon. go to verizon.com/superoffer. contact the verizon center for customers with disabilities that's verizon.com/superoffer. at 800-974-6006 tty/v.

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all right. beautiful, clear evening, if you're heading out. certainly would take the jacket. temperatures will be dropping. 40s and 30s later on. tomorrow morning, if you get up early enough, there will be frost once again. temperatures if the low 30s. back up to near 50 in the afternoon. plenty of sunshine all day long. but a warmup beginning again on sunday. 56 with sunshine.

increasing clouds monday. shower activity late tuesday and into wednesday 60. a little cooler, 58. looks like a lot cooler for thursday probably only in the mid- to upper 40s. now, today's energy-saver tip and this is an important one. it's time to look at your water heater. if the surface is hot or even warm than some of the energy is being wasted. wrap the heater in an insulated blanket. be sure to check your user label and warnings. for more information on how you can become an energy saver, go to wjz.com and click on our special section. vic? >> okay. bob. thank you. a school science experiment explodes severely burning a student. the ninth grader was splashed in the face and burned with methanol. he may need to undergo skin graft surgery. the teen says his injuries hurt physically and emotionally. >> i've seen myself twice.

and it's scary. i wish it didn't happen. i try to avoid looking in the mirror, though. >> if his burns stay at second- degree status, they should heal without any scarring in two weeks. meanwhile, the fire chief is investigating that accident. a texas man says all of a sudden, everything in his house just exploded. and here's the reason why. an 18-wheeler plowed through the front of his home, knocking down a wall and destroying a fireplace. narrowly missing bobby thomas and his wife. the driver of the rig told police he blacked out and drove off the road. he suffered only minor injuries. a duck hunter in utah escapes serious injury after a very embarrassing accident. robert cotingham wouldn't even go on camera, after a dog shot him in the back side. cotingham's brother-in-law said his yellow lab jumped on a boat and landed right on a shotgun. the gun went off, hitting his brother-in-law, fortunately, a duck decoy right there,

absorbed most of the blast. >> hmm. not something you're going to tell everybody about. check in with eyewitness news at 6:00. we'll keep you updated on the serious news. a serious crash. the latest on that accident. violent video games. do they impact the brain? the surprising results of a new study. and still to come tonight. on wjz eyewitness news. smart phones are popular but are they turning teenagers into targets? the new safety concerns every parent needs to hear. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

a man attacks a woman on board a milwaukee buzz. -- bus. and it is all caught on tape. surveillance video shows the woman shouting. he gets out and slams her face against the window. another passenger rushes to her aid, pulling the man off her. the suspect was arrested at the next stop. a dispute over dirty dishes leads to clashes between police

and baltimore. tensions rose when police refused to allow it onto the property. as officers try to confiscate the sink. protestors got fiscal, trying to block the officer. three people were arrested. florida police were on the hunt. surveillance video shows two men in a blue car, circling the pumps at a chevron gas station. according to authorities issue these are the thieves that swiped a woman's purse from her car while she was pumping gas. police believe these men are responsible for similar thefts. smart phones are at the top of many christmas lists this year. but some safety experts are warning against buying them for children and teens. jd miles reports for wjz, from dallas. the popular phones can be a magnet for violent robberies. >> and after they cut me, i just felt like, violated. >> lories sigler had his smart phone only two months when someone who wanted it put a knife to the throat of the 14-

year-old richardson middle school student. >> at first, i didn't think they should do anything. they pulled out a switch knife and tried to cut me. >> when they came, i was scared because i didn't know what happened. then i was mad. >> last week, a 19-year-old man was pushed into a moving dart train and killed. allegedly by a group of young teens who were trying to take his phone. cbs 11 obtained police reports from january 2010, through may of this year, and found more than bikes, clothes, jewelry and cash, cell phones are far and away the most popular target in juvenile robberies. >> i would suggest to parents to be very careful about what they're buying their children. >> phones valued at more than $600, with crimes happening at playgrounds and schools. several of the victims have suffered serious injuries. and the crimes often go unsolved. >> child safety experts say teens too often put themselves at risk, by flashing their

phones in public. and question whether kids even need expensive smart phones. >> as parents, we need to step back and think about not just that immediate making our child happy with whatever purchases we can get them, but also thinking about, is this safe? >> with a new phone on luis sigler's christmas list, his parents and his frightening encounter have convinced the young teens to consider a much cheaper replacement. >> and that was jd miles reporting. police suggest keeping smart phones in pockets or purses when walking or traveling in public to avoid attracting the attention of potential thieves. and still to come tonight on wjz's eyewitness news. >> political pawn. i'm mike hellgren in washington, d.c. where we go one on one with the wife of allen gross. her new plea to free the marylander in prison in cuba. and surprising new comments from raul castro. ,,,, [ male announcer ] are you paying more and more for cable

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coming up now on wjz eyewitness news. it's a two-year nightmare. a baltimore man held for two years in a prison tonight. another emotional plea for allen gross's wife. >> one of the men at the center of the robocall controversy takes the stand in his own defense. i'm derek valcourt. coming up, i'll tell you what paul schurick had to say on the stand. the ravens make an announcement. will the weather cooperate for your weekend plans? stick around for your updated

first warning forecast. >> wjz eyewitness news at 6:00 starts now. political pawn. allen gross, sentenced to prison in cuba after being branded a spy. >> tonight, his wife speaks out and new efforts to free the maryland man. >> hello, everyone. i'm vic carter. >> and i'm denise de -- mary bubala in for denise tonight. >> just hours ago, they made a plea. but this internal power struggle on the island means >>s future is far from certain.