shutdown and a possible -- possible -- breakthrough on this 10th day of the shutdown. >> john boehner says that they could agree to extend the debt ceiling, but only if president obama agrees to negotiate during the shutdown. in washington. >> that meeting at the white house between republicans and the president got underway about an hour and a half ago, speaker boehner arriving with his new proposal. >> the house will be in order. >> the offer from house speaker john boehner. >> a temporary increase in the debt ceiling in agreement to go to conference on the budget. would bex-week deal the stage for the president to negotiate on the shutdown. >> i would hope the president would look at this as an opportunity and a good faith effort to move halfway to what he has demanded. press secretary jay carney

says the president would likely sign a short-term deal, but -- >> he is not going to pay ransom to the tea party so the government opens or the united states does not default. >> house democratic leaders have not seen the proposal, but they balked at a process that would keep the government closed. >> why would you generate increasing and continuing uncertainty in the economy by saying the united states of america is only going to pay its bills on time for six weeks? >> polls show americans are fed up. ratings have gone down. while democrats have sunk a little bit, republicans have vomited. -- have plummeted. leader harry reid emerged to say his side is going to reserve judgment on the republican proposal until they get details. live in washington, sally kidd,

wbal-tv 11 news. >> lost three close sharply higher as -- wall street closed sharply higher as washington move closer to a deal. .he dow closed up 300 points some impacts of the shutdown are not as obvious as others. like furloughs. for example -- cattle on federal out in nevada have to clear . you can see more strange side effects on wbaltv.com. caught for nearly two dozen armed robberies. offices,ed banks, post and grocery stores. lowell melser has the details. >> police tell us that -- john joseph wilson has been

committing these robberies for some time, yielding sometimes $10,000 a pop. it all caught up to him last week when evidence led police to his dundalk home. state police say this man, 54- year-old john joseph wilson, may be responsible for 24 robberies in harford and baltimore counties, a serial armed robbery finally brought down eyewitnesses. according to investigators, wilson was responsible for robbing a post office in benson, maryland three times as well as various banks and fallston and belair and five robberies of various grocery stores in baltimore county. mo that hehe same had for each one of them, whether it was the post office , hehe grocery stores followed the same pattern that he wanted to do. >> is days of robberies came to an end when he had the same post office up on october 5.

gun, openedshed a the safe for the cash drawer to get money. >> a witness got up good -- got a good look at wilson and his car and license plate. >> the witness gave us a great description of him and his vehicle. >> state police say that wilson took a shot at the witness and missed. over the next couple of days investigators were able to take all of the evidence they gathered and locate wilson, who was arrested wednesday night without incident at his dundalk home. and cleaning of the robbery docket that dates back several years. turned out to be a very intense investigation over sometime. some dates go back to 2010. >> police have charged wilson with robbery, attempted robbery,

and attempted murder for shooting at that witness. he is currently being held without bond and it is unclear whether federal charges will come about for that post office robbery. we are live at state police headquarters in pikesville tonight. i'm lowell melser, wbal-tv 11 news. in custody in connection with a robberies rate . a couple face charges for two robberies. the couple is also being investigated for five additional robberies that happened over a five-week period. , publicistopher goode enemy number one, is in custody. he was captured in virginia. he faces attempted murder charges. in an incident involving an ambulance crew and a woman spilled off the stretcher.

the woman fell family says there is no question why she died. jayne miller is live in the newsroom with our update. >> he lawyer flatly refused the county's claim that the injuries the woman suffered were minor. >> we knew something went wrong, because the result is out of the ordinary. >> charles tillman is the lawyer for the family of the 72-year- old woman who died two days after the stretcher she was on fell after being loaded in a baltimore county ambulance. the ambulance was called to the nursing home where she was living. the fall, he says, cause a serious injury. >> we have a woman who was transported from the nursing home to the hospital and en route, she suffered a head injury. >> a statement called the head injury "minor." the lawyer says that she complained for -- complained of

headaches for two days before her death. >> one of her sons said that she was seeing spots, which for me is consistent with a head injury. that is consistent with what the children do know. she did not have a head injury when she left the nursing home. she did when she arrived northwest. >> a source close to the investigation says that it may have happened because of previous damage to the stretcher that kept it from locking in place. >> we are sad for the family, for their loss. but right now we are currently doing an investigation as to .hat the course of events were we do not know the fall resulted in the unfortunate demise. ambulancefficials say equipment should routinely be inspected. we have asked for inspection

reports in this case. we were told, can't have them due to the open investigation. i'm jayne miller, wbal-tv 11 news. >> in commitment 2014, lieutenant governor anthony brown has picked up another key endorsement in his bid for governor. today house speaker michael busch announced he is backing brown in his gubernatorial bid. brown and running mate howard ullman joined him for today's announcement. thernor martin o'malley and state attorney have also endorsed brown. >> some 27,000 runners from all the states and urging countries will take to the streets for the baltimore running festival. >> while every runner has a story, there is an extraordinary involving thege race started. debra wiener joins us with more

on that. >> there was not a moment of hesitation for erika brannock start.e was asked to as you recall, she was the last survivor of the boston marathon bombing to leave the hospital. and she is surely the first to start in a race. >> it is my honor to resent to you the ceremonial -- to present to you the ceremonial born. race shes the first to the bostond since marathon. youo me this is a symbol of will not scare me. i will continue to live my life. >> she says she must read by want to -- i do not i do now my students to learn

that if something scares me i will veer away from it. i want them to learn that you can go forward and be a much better person for doing that. >> today the spectator from california who came to her aid in boston received the first of the marathon. the two women, one strangers, have come close friends. >> i do not know how she does it , quite honestly, but she has this zest for life. >> erika shared her next goal, and it is a big one. to participate in a race in charlotte. while she will be in a wheelchair for most of it, she is doing physical there be so she will be able to walk. >> that is my next goal. >> she will also be there at the end of the run, holding the tape is the first runner crosses the finish line. and look for in boston next spring. she plans to watch her mother

crossed the finish line one year after the bombing. wbal-tv 11 news. >> great story. thank you. a reminder -- our complete coverage of the running restful again sets 7:00 a.m. and live exclusive coverage begins at 7:55. >> some chilly weather. kind of a timely reminder the flu season is on us. >> it certainly is. next, how anne arundel county plans to protect its students. >> another trip today on and on the roster. that's later in sports. >> a soggy day. more rain in the forecast. insta-weather plus details coming up next.

>> developers at the plant towson square entertainment center topped up the project with or more options for dining including bobby's burger palace, bonefish grill, bj's restaurant and brewhouse, and hanabi japanese restaurant. the complex is set to center around the movie theater. createis expected to nearly 900 permanent jobs once it is complete next fall. >> the cool weather is another mind or we are in the flu season. and it is time to make sure that kids are in vast -- are vaccinated -- not with the

traditional shots, but the flumist. anne arundel will be vaccinating kids, with parent approval of course. parents love the program. >> it is easy. they do it here at school. i don't have to make an appointment with the doctor. it is not a shot. and the really need it. at acting any protection from the flu is important. they see a definite decline in visits to the school nurse as a result of the program. >> now your 11 insta-weather plus forecast with chief meteorologist tom tasslemyer. was on this day 34 years ago that snow fell in baltimore, the earliest measurable snow in baltimore. 10th, 1979. three tenths of an engine of snowfall at bwi. earliest measurable snow in baltimore. it also happened on the first day of the world series. biarritz and orioles were

playing that day. snow in the morning. baseball in the evening. a chilly, wet day in baltimore. two inches of rain at the airport today. brings us to a surplus for the month of october. and we are 1.79 inches above normal. still have a deficit for the year. but this rain is still helping out the dry conditions we were in for quite some time. high today. 11 degrees cooler than normal. 54 for the low though. we will not see that temperature change much as long as the thick louts are around. around --ouds are thick clouds are around. the eastern shore, a little bit milder. they are getting that ocean air coming in. and the rain has let up a little after getting a soaking last night and this morning in the coastal areas. the center of the storm still

swirling over eastern north carolina. many miles away, and only moving north very slowly. looks like friday, saturday, a good part of sunday will begin with this system as it moves through. a dusting from new jersey. cityles an hour in ocean and gusting up to 28. breezy overnight. fog at times. the temperature will not change much throughout overnight. pretty nice weather in eastern canada and the far northern actions of new england. it is a gorgeous fall day throughout the great lakes and down to the gulf coast. but that is not our weather pattern. we are dealing with the storm and the onshore flow which keeps us cloudy into the weekend. to flagstaff, arizona -- that system is well to the west of us. what you see is what you get. rain for the friday morning rush

hour. drizzle for the friday afternoon 7:30, eight :00, runners getting ready to go on baltimore. looks like light rain and drizzle will be in the area. sunday we will start with some clouds. we may see some breaks for the afternoon, looks like it will be cloudy until early next week. 56 tomorrow with rain and the risk northwind. three foot waves on the bay. southern maryland -- lighter rain showers and maybe even a little son on saturday with cool temperatures. often on rain on the eastern shore and breezy tomorrow with highs in the 60's going into the weekend. -- off and on rain on the eastern shore. seven-day forecast then. monday, the skies will brighten a bit. partly cloudy tuesday. temperatures back in the mid-- 70's.

>> now 11 sports with 11 sports director gerry sandusky. >> the ravens have released and re-signed batch amount -- four times this year. they released him after they signed the wide receiver random stokely. today they brought him back as the third tight end. this week the bad news -- shaun jones. the release points to ravens thinking jacoby jones can reserve his role in the return the and they no longer need assurance of a third running back. muchis point, he pretty understands the idea of job security. that phrase remains an oxymoron. >> the thing about this year is i have played in every game.

i have missed some practices. each game i have been back on the roster and played. they say i have the best job in the nfl. missing practice and you get to play. it is good to be back. >> out of practice again today -- second day -- a sore hip. they hope to have him back for sunday. along with an exceptional passing game, green bay has one of the more exceptional rushing games this year. 19 sacks are second in the nfl and the defensive coordinator is confident that there are more ways to get to green bay on sunday the and outside pressure from terrel suggs. when youn overlook, talk about elvis on the other side, we also have a guy on the in's eye view is the good -- on the inside who is pretty good in

his own right. it is not that bad. we can take care of 55 over here. we can help over here on 58. 90 -- at or help on 91, someone better help on 90, 91. >> the pittsburgh head coach mike the hope made it clear that until they are winning on sunday, they can forget about games in the locker room. he has banned all games in the locker room -- pool, ping-pong, anything. says no wins, no games for anyone. -- steelers laid the jets play the jets on sunday afternoon with a lot more than ping-pong on the line. left the hospital counting his blessings. he's suffered a frightening accident in the last lap of the grand prix houston.

he broke his ankle. third team fans also suffered injuries as a result of that crash. back up and moving today. stick around. tom i

>> here's a look at what we are working on for 11 news tonight.

is a deal in the works? house speaker john boehner offers a debt extension. we will have latebreaking details. plus, a controversial program at a new high school. we will look at questions students were

what are you doing? we're switching car insurance. why? because these guys are the cheapest. why? good question. because a cut-rate price could mean cut-rate protection. you should listen to this guy. [ female announcer ] get great protection and a great price! plus an agent! drivers who switched saved an average of $498 a year. plus, allstate has new lower rates just for baltimore. switch and start saving today! just another way allstate is changing car insurance for good. [ female announcer ] call a baltimore area allstate agent at 866-650-7900 today. [ female announcer ] call a baltimore area allstate agent when ouwe got a subaru.s born, it's where she said her first word. (little girl) no! saw her first day of school. (little girl) bye bye! made a best friend forever. the back seat of my subaru is where she grew up. what? (announcer) the two-thousand-fourteen subaru forester. (girl) what? (announcer) built to be there for your family. love. it's what makes a subaru,

a subaru. >> ok, the seven-day forecast calls for -- more rain.

>> oh. >> the rain chances do diminish. 90%, 50%,

on our broadcast tonight, damage assessment. who do the american people blame for the shutdown of their government? tonight our new nbc news poll is out and the answer is clear. also insult to injury. after the uproar over military death benefits now there is this -- millions of veterans and their families in danger of not getting the pensions and disability payments they were promised. pride and prejudice. is a famous nfl team going to be forced to change its name? tonight the trouble with the redskins. farewell the to an american original. scott carpenter died. of the original mercury vii, only one survives. "nightly news" begins now.

good evening. after ten days of this, when you asked americans what they think of the government shutdown or, better yet, what they think of their government they will tell you and they won't hold back. they have told us rather decidedly who they blame for it. in fact, our pollsters tell us it is among the most forceful responses to any of our nbc news polls in recent memory. americans are in a dark mood b about the state of our country. close to 8 in 10, 78% say we are headed in the wrong direction. elected officials are facing a ton of anger back home. 60% of the are respondents in the poll say they would throw out everyone in congress, even the members of congress they like. it is very clear with every passing day there will be consequences for this. it's where we begin tonight with

our of chief white house correspondent and political director chuck todd. good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. the white house and house republicans might have finally come together on at least one of the looming crises tonight. an agreement on raising the debt court of appeal ing so the company doesn't flirt with default on payments next week is possible. it's the government that has public attention. our poll shows it is a political disaster for the gop. any temporary debt ceiling fix would last no more than six or eight weeks. speak john boehner said it is designed to buy time. >> we could end up in the same place. we don't want to be there. >> reporter: while it won't re-open the government the white house signalled potential support for the debt ceiling proposal. >> the president is happy that cooler heads at least seem to be prevailing in the house. that there at least seems to be a recognition that default is not an option. >> reporter: senate majority leader harry reid was a bit more

skeptical. >> the house has a unique form of legislating. it's hour by hour. >> reporter: which brings us back to the government shutdown, something that's rattled the public. if in our new nbc news wall street journal poll, 65% believe the shutdown is doing quite a bit of harm to the economy. one in three say it's directly impacted their lives. politically republicans are the losers by a 53-31 margin more folks blame republicans than the president for the shutdown. 70% of respondents think congressional republicans are putting their own political agenda ahead of what's good for the country. 51% say the same thing of president obama. the damage to the gop brand doesn't end there. 53% have a negative view of the party, the worst rating for republicans in this poll's nearly 25-year history. that's giving democrats a boost. they lead the gop by eight points on the question of which

party should control congress, the largest lead since 2009. this swift and resounding public response to the shutdown even shocked pollsters. >> these were jaw-dropping numbers. le you see it once or twice in a lifetime. >> reporter: again the negotiations going back and forth between house republicans and the president are on the potential debt court of appeal ing deal. there is nothing going on now about the idea of re-opening the government. it's the shutdown that the public is responding to. >> chuck todd on the white house lawn for us tonight. powerful numbers from the poll. chuck, thanks. to show you how closely this is being watched, based on the news of the hint of movement on the debt and the budget wall street went up as a result. the dow jumped up 323 points. nasdaq up almost 83. s&p up 36. as for the shutdown and the outrage over the interruption of death benefits to the families of u.s. service members killed in the line of duty, the senate followed the house today voting

to resume paying benefits to the families of 29 americans killed since the shutdown began. a charityped in for now. if the president sign it is bill the government can make the payments again. these are tense days for a lot of former military families. andrea mitchell has more on that tonight from our d.c. newsroom. andr andrea, good evening. >> reporter: that fix doesn't end the potential nightmare for millions of veterans who depend on monthly military pensions. the veterans administration is running out of cash. near ft. bragg in north carolina, the rere is a depends on he her monthly survivors benefits. her husband john was an apache pilot killed when helicopter crashed in iraq in 2006. >> i'm a single mom now. been raising my kids alone for six years. i'm in college. i need that income.

it pays my electric bill, my phone bills, my food bill. people don't understand. we rely on something we were told we were going to receive. now they have reneged on it. >> reporter: veterans who believe on pensions and disability payments are angry about the shutdown and scared of oh what could happen next. 30-year-old joe smith was an e-4 in the air force. >> we made a deal. you said you would do xyz, i said i would accomplish xyz. it was done. paperwork documented saying i did it. where are you at? >> reporter: at an american legion post in california bob mclaughlin says for many families the military pension is a lifeline. >> there are veterans out there that you miss one check and within a week there is a shortage of food on the table. >> reporter: if the shutdown continues for three more weeks,

almost all 13,000 workers will be furloughed, stopping $6 billion in monthly checks to nearly 5.2 million veterans including the severely disabled and those with low income. >> our message is simple. do your job and take care of us. when we were asked to do our job after 9/11 we did it. we held up our end of the bargain. the u.s. government is not. >> reporter: in washington the blame game continues. >> you went out of your way at every possible turn to make it as ugly as possible. >> i resent your remarks. >> reporter: you can bet the public outrage over the one-time death benefit understand till they were restored is a hint of how angry people will be if more than 5 million veterans end up losing their checks. >> andrea, thanks. if it weren't for the shutdown dominating the news we would be hearing and covering a lot more about how things are going for these new health care

exchanges which were rolled out ten days ago. millions of uninsured americans are being en encouraged to go to health care.gov for coverage but it's been a rocky start. the website has been unable to handle the 10 million visitors who tried to log on. >> reporter: week two of the obama care rollout and the "please wait" sign at health care.gov re mains an area of ridicule. >> it's confusing. >> reporter: from capitol hill to late night tv. >> i'm going to uh try and download every movie ever made. you're going to try to sign up for obama care. we'll see which happens first. >> reporter: by most accounts the website has been a mess, locking up, crashing and kicking off potential customers. of 260 people who tried to sign up at this clinic in the first week only a single person got through. >> one.

from 260 attempts. >> reporter: in online discussion groups computer experts talk of coding and software problems that could take weeks or months to fix. it's tough to have a worse launch of a nationwide site. >> i think everybody is shocked who's been watching this from the inside at how bad it is and how bad the computer programming and software and code and architecture is. >> reporter: while the federal website struggled the states offering their own exchanges have had much more success. kentucky gets very high marks. they have already signed up 7,000 people. for months experts tried to warn people health care.gov wasn't ready to go live but the administration decided to go with it. the chief technology officer says they designed it to handle 50,000 to 60,000 simultaneous users. instead, five times that many -- 250,000 -- have been trying to the access health care.gov.

>> we are making improvements every day. by the time we are done in six months, millions of folks will have insurance. >> reporter: so far the white house isn't saying how many people managed to en roll. industry sources say the numbers could be embarrassingly low. tom costello, nbc news, washington. >> a federal judge today threw the book at the former mayor of destroi detroit. kilpatrick was sentenced to 28 years in the jail for worsening the city's financial crisis. he was convicted of two does counts in march. 18 other officials from his tenure as mayor have been convicted as well. the city, of course, is now in bankruptcy. scott carpenter died today. he was the second american to orbit the earth and the fourth american astronaut in space. he was 88 years old, a native of boulder, colorado, a genuine american hero who dated back to a time when we all looked up to

seven very brave membership. -- men. they made america so proud in the age of the possible. they were the mercury vii. shepherd, cooper, slayton, glen and carpenter. while they were young men, many had skirted the heavens as test pilots and survived the hell of warfare. scott car pepter was a navy aviator, a veteran, the only astronaut without a college degree. he was named john glenn oos backu backup. he got to utter famous words to his friend before launch while the world listened in. >> god speed, john glenn. >> when it was his turn he flew in aurora 7. he was thereupon less than five hours. because of technical glitches he landed 250 miles from the intended target. as tv viewers stared at the

black and white picture there were fears he hadn't survived splashdown until he was he was spotted almost an hour later sitting in his raft awaiting pickup. he never flew in space again though he loved exploration. he lived for a month on the bottom of the ocean floor in sea lab in the mid 60s. years later he was part of our on-air team at cape canaveral to cheer on john glenn who returned to space as a shuttle astronaut at 77. >> we are joined by scott carpenter. what do you reck is going on in there? >> i wish i knew, but i don't. >> of the original mercury seven, now only john glenn survives at the age of 92. the aircraft carrier that recovered scott carpenter's space capsule on that day of late may of 1962 lives on as a floating museum in new york. the u.s.s. in tre pid.

still ahead tonight, a growing war of words. should the washington redskins be forced to change their names after 81 years? later, high anxiety as a dozen thrill seekers got way more than they bargained for. not anymore. what? my silverware isn't good enough for you? have -- have you seen it? yes, i have seen it, and it looks -- you gotta look better. ladies, breathe. cascade kitchen counselor here. it's not your silverware. it's likely your detergent. see, over time, cascade platinum's triple cleaning formula delivers brilliant shine finish gel can't beat. it even helps keep your dishwasher sparkling. find something, mother? no. [ counselor ] cascade platinum is cascade's best. then i read an article about a study that looked at the long term health benefits of taking multivitamins. they used centrum silver for the study... so i guess my wife was right. [ male announcer ] centrum. always your most complete.

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drink water. it's a long story. well, not having branches let's us give you great rates and service. i'd like that. a new way to bank. a better way to save. ally bank. your money needs an ally. we are back with an issue that has a lot of people including the president expressing than opinion and taking sides. one that's sparking feelings of pride and claims of prejudice.

it is about one of the best known football teams in this country -- the washington redskins. they are facing increasing pressure to change their name, something the team's owner said again today he is not ready to do. we have more on this tonight from stephanie gosk. >> reporter: the question is deceptively simple. what's in a name? for some washington redskins fans the team name is 81 years of tradition. do you have any opinions whether it should be changed? >> yeah . it should stay. absolutely stay. >> reporter: why? >> because it's part of the legacy. >> if it is offending people it's time to change it. >> reporter: for a group of native americans campaigning to get the name changed redskins is not just an nfl team. it's a racial slur dating back to the 19th century. >> any other ethnic group would not tolerate this kind of language being used about them that's so denigrating and dehumanizing. >> reporter: the battle to change the team's name has been going off and on for decades.

it flared up again when the owner said this to usa today. we'll never change the name, he said. it's that simple. never. you can use caps. likewise a long-time sports writer for the washington post believes the nfl will compel a name change. >> it will be a critical mass at some point. at some point they are going to say, this is going the to damage the league financially. we cannot have this. >> reporter: criticism is growing. reporters from espn , usa today, and sports illustrated among others say they won't use the team's name. even president obama weighed in. >> if i were the owner of the team i would think about changing it. >> reporter: there are plenty of professional teams that faced similar criticism. the cleveland indians altered the logo. so did the atlanta braves who stopped the tomahawk chop during games. critics say the name redskins is the most derogatory. >> we are making too much of something that doesn't mean anything. >> reporter: the debate plays

out daily on sports radio . doc walker is a former washington player. >> a lot of people are talking about this that don't have a damn thing to talk about other than the run their mouth because we're in washington. >> reporter: so what is in a name? quite a lot. stephanie gosk, nbc news, washington. >> doc walker hasn't changed since his play days. we are back in a moment with what might be the most poignant p picture of the day. way to go, crestor! yeah! getting to goal is a big deal, especially if you have high cholesterol plus any of these risk factors. because you could be at increased risk for plaque buildup in your arteries over time. so, when diet and exercise aren't enough to lower cholesterol, adding crestor can help. go, crestor! ♪ ♪ oh, yeah [ female announcer ] crestor is not right for everyone, like people with liver disease or women who are nursing, pregnant,

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this was no fun. this was the scene last night at universal studios in orlando owned by our parent company. a roller coaster got stuck leaving a dozen people stranded, hanging in the air for nearly three hours until rescue crews were able to help them safely off the ride which was shut down, then re paired and has since re opened. alice monroe is more noted now. she was today awarded the nobel prize in literature. she's the 13th woman to win the

prize. she's published 14th collections of stories. she's 82 and a proud product of rural canada. she told an interviewer her latest collection of stories called "dear life" would be her last. she was hardly waiting by the phone for today's announcement, however. in fact, there was no answer when the nobel committee called from stockholm. so they left word on voicemail that she was the world's newest nobel laureate. what just might be a fitting metaphor for what's happening in washington, the historic ohio clock has been keeping time outside the u.s. senate chamber since 1817. yesterday at 12:14 in the afternoon it stopped because the folks in charge of winding it are furloughed because of the shutdown. we can't find out the last time it stopped ticking because the folks in the senate historian's office have been furloughed as well and aren't around to take our questions. you saw the poll numbers at the top of the broadcast. if you have asked yourself over the last ten days how congress

could possibly explain this government shutdown to veterans, to people in need of food or medical treatment, the most poignant picture of the day is along those lines. how would they explain it to this little guy who just wanted to go to the zoo? the national zoo in washington. when this photo first appeared on redditt, many said it was the saddest of the shutdown photos they have seen thus far. when we come back here tonight the inspiring story of a young man who's learning that the sky really is the limit. [ female announcer ] arms were made for hugging. hands for holding. feet, kicking. better things than the joint pain and swelling of moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis. if you're trying to manage your ra, now may be the time to ask about xeljanz. xeljanz (tofacitinib) is a small pill for adults with moderate to severe ra for whom methotrexate did not work well. xeljanz can lower your ability to fight infections,

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in the feminine care aisle. visit oxytrolforwomen.com to learn more. finally here tonight the power of a chance meeting and the inspiration to explore new heights. it's a story about a boy who meets a man and, as the saying goes, wants to be just like him. as ron mott reports tonight, the young man is on his way. >> reporter: as an airline pilot. >> welcome aboard jetblue service to west palm beach. >> reporter: eric scott meets and greets countless people, faces in a crowd really. >> sit back, relax and enjoy the flight. >> reporter: little did he know the impression he made on a wide-eyed 5-year-old who stopped

by his office ten years ago. >> what i remember most about it is the little kid so enthusiastic, motivated. just like i was when i was a kid. >> i went up there and all of the sudden i was in another world. >> reporter: now 14 and a 10th grader, e lijah was so captivated he kept the photo in his bedroom for inspiration, dreaming of his own career in aviation. >> first time i i saw him he became my role model. he was a black man being a pilot. a job i wanted to do. >> reporter: he eventually reconnected with captain scott who was eager to mentor him. >> black pilots have been in the air for generations, most famously the tuskegee airmen . that's something captain scott wants to change. grew up poor in panama, learned epg lish as a second language, caught the flying bug around the same age as e lijah. he began flying for jetblue and

helps new pilots. >> young black men and women feel there is a certain path they have to follow. i want to see that change. i want to see more black men and women in the cockpit. >> we want to show you that it is possible. you can pursue your dreams, continue forward and have a wonderful career. that's what i'm doing. >> reporter: captain scott encouraging elijah into the skies. his message is resonating. >> if you work hard and dream the hard enough, you can do it. but dreaming just doesn't get you all the way. it can only get you halfway. you have to work, work, work. >> reporter: working to fortify a small but growing fraternity. where going solo doesn't fly. ron mott, nbc news, new york. that's our broadcast on a thursday night. thanks for being with us. i'm brian williams. we hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. good night.

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