the couple was charged with child pornography charges and sex offenses after police raided their home and found cds, dvds, and computer equipment containing images of children ranging from 2 to 13 being sexual abused. nicklas' ex-wife confirms the man has one son and two young sisters. now they're investigating whether those children or other relatives were victim ayed. according to documents, the assaults happened the couple's middle river home and an atlanta hotel but, police think there may be a third one at a location out of state. >> when you got people who have become film producers in a very gross world, it's going to extend not just stay here in baltimore county, it's going to extend out really to the rest of the world. >> reporter: and one other update on the case. during a bail review, a judge decided to pull the $5 million bond available for shannon honea. she is now being held without bail. if your children or children of someone you know have had

contact with the suspect, you're being asked to contact the county's crimes against children unit. joce sterman, abc 2 news. the final route of that controversial red line has been drawn and is now on its way to the feds. the 14-mile stretch of track will run from woodlawn on the west to johns hopkins and bayview on the east. but as brian kuebler joins us live to explain, not everyone sees this as progress. [ train whistle ] >> reporter: the red line fills a void governor martin o'malley says has been missing from baltimore for decades. >> we know that if we don't invest in mass transit, all of our roads are going to be too congested, and it's going to really harm our quality of life. >> reporter: from security square mall and the social security administration in woodlawn, under cooks lane, back up through the rest, back under downtown and back up again in canton and riding the

street level rails to johns hopkins bayview. the red line will connect to marc stations, the existing light rail, and the metro to form what the governor calls a comprehensive mass transit map for charm city. on the west end, resident sheri woodley sees opportunity. >> i would love it. specifically for people that don't drive. for those who don't drive, it would be great. >> reporter: would you use it? >> i would you it. >> reporter: but it is on the surface for opposition runs deep. in kenton, many are none too happen. this banner hangs off a canton square bar, while others showed up at the governor's announcement to announce their own message. >> we oppose a surface train on boston street. it will create more traffic. they're taking away parking lanes. it cuts the community in half. >> reporter: that complaint can be heard on the west end too. but o'malley says a total underground system would be cause prohibitive for the city.

the governor says the sleeker, more quiet and more modern light rail makes more sense in design, and hopefully federal dollars. >> this is a competition at the federal level now. and we have to compete so that our dollars don't go to some other state instead. >> reporter: in baltimore, brian kuebler, abc 2 news. >> if the federal money comes, groundbreaking would be some time in 2012. protesters to the line will take their fight to baltimore's federal lawmakers. we'll keep you posted. and governor o'malley is proposing another transit project. the so-called purple line would be a 16-mile track from bethesda to new carrollton. the state will ask the federal transit administration to help fund both projects which are expected to cost at least $1.5 billion. and back to the red line now. do you support it? log onto our website, abc 2 news del mar to vote in our online poll. it's located on the right side of our home page. well, it may be a little slow going if you're traveling in the rolland park area or

mount washington. crews are working to fix a water main break at the corner of northern parkway and falls road. we're told the ten-inch main broke shortly before 4:00 this afternoon and caused some of the roadway to crack. one lane is closed and traffic is in the area is moving slowly. drivers are urged to use an alternate route. the only people who are without power live in the nearby belvedere towers. tonight is national night out there. will be music by local bands, vendors, and free food all around the area. groups will pass out information on ways to make neighborhoods safer. we'll take you to a few of them tonight at 11. and for more information, you can go to our website, abc2news.com, and click on the links tab. ocean city has passed emergency legislation banning the sale or possession of salvia. salvia is a hallucinogenic herb that until now could be bought in many boardwalk shops.

authorities have been going door to door to see if stores have salvia in stock. possession comes with a penalty of up to six months in jail or a $1,000 fine or both. salvia is banned in ten states, including delaware, but not yet in maryland. these tough financial times are taking a toll on a proud baltimore tradition. as abc 2 news kelly swoope reports, without some serious cash, the mounted patrol may be put out to pasture. >> reporter: baltimore's mounted patrol unit has been around for 121 years. but now the unit is in danger of folding. the city council has slashed funding, and the department is rung out of money to feed and board its six horses. >> i hope we find a way to preserve this mounted unit. this is a very, very important unit for any big city police department. it's so important on crowd control on big events. and it is such an aid in terms of patrol. and it's an important asset for the police department. >> reporter: officer kelly

steinhorn has been with the mounted patrol unit for about eight years. she says the horses are important crime-fighting tool. >> we can go places that patrol vehicles cannot. for example, we can walk in an alley. we can go -- we sit ten-feet high. so we have a vantage point where we can actually look into backyards to see if anybody is doing something they shouldn't be doing. we can walk on sidewalks. >> reporter: the horses have a big effect on the community. >> you can't pet a patrol car, but you can pet a horse. and in some of the communities that we walk around, we find people will actually come up to our horses and pet them. and as they're petting them, they will let us know different things that are going on in the area. >> reporter: what will it take to keep the unit going? >> what we're looking for is about $200,000 which will help the veterinary bills, food, hay, and shoes for the horses. and we're hoping through private funds and the baltimore police foundation we're going to be able to raise that money. >> reporter: the patrol unit

was formed in 1888 to enforce the city's six miles per hour speed limit for horse-drawn carriages. but now they serve many more purposes. kelly swoope, abc 2 news. and internet and e-mail are taking a toll on the postal service. and as a result, there are plans to close hundreds of branches nationwide, including more than a few in our area. the postal service is considering closing or consolidating five post offices in the baltimore area, part of an overall cost-cutting effort in response to years of declining business. but postal officials say they'll be trying to keep customer impact to a minimum. >> if for some reason that office is consolidated with another, still maintain. it's just they may not be able to go to that location to mail their packages or purchase their stamps. >> the five post offices that could be closing in our area are east point mall, fells point station, franklin station, mount washington station, and towson towne center. and when was the last time

you visited a post office? log onto our website, abc2news.com, and look on the right side of our home page, and share your 2 cents. a live look now from our harbor cam. this is a code orange day. that means the air quality sun healthy during code orange and code red days. people with harder breathing problems should limit their outdoor activity. is a change in store weather- wise? norm joins us with the first forecast. >> we have a few changes in store. but in the meantime, we're tracking a few pop-up showers across the region. now watch this area right here as it makes its way right up 95. it forms right around the white marsh and may sway up 95, and basically is in the process of falling apart, right on the harford-cecil line. we've also got a few showers down to the southwest, down around southern portions of delaware getting shower activity. and also over in portions of virginia, coming right up. i guess that's 81 coming up towards the front royal area. a few scattered showers. but again, the pop-up showers are around the region.

and they're going to continue like that on and off throughout the evening. here is the forecast for the next couple of hours. partly cloudy, a few showers. you just saw them on the radar. not everybody is going to see them. but they are going to be around. our temperatures will hold in the 80s. the humid conditions are going to continue, and actually they're going to increase tomorrow, giving us a better chance for rainfall. we'll tell you all about it, coming up. an update on the skydiving accident in virginia that killed a maryland soldier. command sergeant major harry parrish was stationed at fort meade, and his parachute accidentally opened inside the plane, pulling him to his death. the accident happened this past saturday. fire scorches a baltimore county town house. it happened shortly before 2 this afternoon on wentworth and parkville. no one was hurt, and investigators are still looking for a cause. tonight is rewe have a traffic advisory to tell you about. the state highway administration is temporarily closing the bridge on seminary avenue in lutherville. it will close for demolition and construction work.

highway officials are replacing the two-lane bridge built in 1900 with a new bridge. seminary between railroad and greenspring will be closed during this friday at 9:30 a.m. until next tuesday. new developments in the effort to free two american journalists. coming up, what came out of former bill clinton's mission to north korea. plus, an argument over myspace leads to violence. what the alleged victim says happened. and another health danger associated with high cholesterol. and it was a muggy day today, as norm said. it could be getting more humid. but right now it's 82 degrees in oregon ridge in cockeysville. it feels a little warmer than that. he is coming up with the full forecast. every sunday, lasagna at mom's was a family tradition.

when she started forgetting things, i was hoping it was nothing. grandma! what a nice surprise! mom, it's sunday. that's when i knew i couldn't wait. mom's doctor said these were signs of alzheimer's, a type of dementia, and that prescription aricept could help. he said it's the only treatment proven effective... for all stages of alzheimer's. studies showed aricept slows the progression... of alzheimer's symptoms. it improves cognition... and slows the decline of overall function. aricept is well tolerated but not for everyone. people at risk for stomach ulcers... or who take certain other medicines... should tell their doctors... because serious stomach problems... such as bleeding may get worse. some people may experience fainting. some people may have nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, bruising, or not sleep well.

some people may have muscle cramps... or loss of appetite or may feel tired. in studies, these were usually mild and temporary. mom. talk to your doctor about aricept. don't wait. alzheimer's isn't waiting.

you're watching baltimore's station that works for you. now abc 2 news at 5. >> great expectations that two

captive u.s. journalists will be free and home. we awoke today to discover that former president bill clinton was in north korea on an unannounced visit, a rescue mission in fact to bring home the two women who have been held since march. tonight it appears he has succeeded. carla wohl reports. >> reporter: the two jailed american journalists have been pardoned by north korean leader kim jong-il, and could be on their way home to the united states as soon as tonight. their release comes after a surprise visit to north korea by former president bill clinton. abc news has learned he had an emotional meeting with the women. it followed an earlier discussion with north korean president kim john ill. kim jong-il. the two held talks and president clinton courteously conveyed a message from president obama. the white house strongly denies any such message was sent. >> our focus is on ensuring the safety of two journalists.

>> reporter: the meeting had been in the works for weeks. abc news has learned the north koreans had two demands an apology, which secretary of state hillary clinton came close to giving a few weeks ago, and a high-level emissary, which they got in mr. clinton. >> i think that he is the best choice because at the end of his term, he presided over the high watermark of relations between north korea and the united states. >> reporter: the journalists were convicted of grave crimes for illegally entering north korea and sentenced to 12 years in a labor camp, but were never sent there. the families of the women have released a statement saying they are overjoyed by the pardon, and they are counting the seconds to hold laura and euna in their arms. carla wohl, abc news, los angeles. >> and the newest information from the associated press is that north korean state media is reporting that bill clinton and his party have left the country. however, they were not specific to say that that involved the

two journalist is, if they too were on the plane. forecast. here is chief meteorologist norm lewis and maryland's most powerful doppler radar. >> you said it was going to be hotter today, and it was. >> still not as on the thermometer wasn't adds hot as we had expected. it's still pretty warm out there. feeling very sticky with all the humidity. another day like that. but boy, i tell you. what the storm system that came through the ohio valley, through louisville, kentucky, basically shut the town down. they had so much rain so fast that portions of downtown louisville basically had to stop. they had 6-inches of water running in the room. you'll see it on the satellite picture in just a second. let's take a look outside right now. show you what is going on in downtown baltimore. some folks getting a nice little sail out the inner harbor right now. our temperature at bwi 87 degrees. 48% humidity. wind from the southwest at 7. and the pressure falling 29.91.

there are your tides tomorrow at fort mchenry. 7:13 in the morning. 2:13 in the afternoon. the winds from the west at 8 to 14 miles per hour 2. sun comes up at 6:10. 87 in hagerstown. over in ocean city, it's 87 degrees. and easton right now 86. 84 in the pax river area. our satellite picture throughout the day, lots of sunshine. lots of humidity across the region, giving rise to some shower and thunderstorm activity. a shower right there. also some more back here in western maryland, stretching down to western portions of virginia. but the larger picture shows that system right there that we were just talking about. watch this system right here as it comes through jeffersonville and portions of new albany, indiana, and then crosses the river into louisville, kentucky. the thunderstorm just explodes in the system right there. boom. i tell you what. it was a line that stretched from lexington all the way to

louisville, and it is moving quick. it's already down to right on the tennessee-kentucky border. and that system is going to be making its way on towards the east. the majority of the rain will make its way into the carolinas. but that system will cause us some shower and thunderstorm activity here during the day tomorrow. and it is going to be pop-up, very isolated heavy showers. right now we're not seeing any precipitation around the baltimore area. but earlier this afternoon, we had some showers form up right here just north of the white marsh area, make their way up 95. they're in the process of falling apart there are sporadic showers around. some on the eastern shore, over in the southern portions of delaware getting a few scattered showers. that's basically the way the evening is going to be going. in eld dersburg 86. 87 in bowie. brandywine 86. carney is 88 degrees. havre de grace 82. rock hall 88 degrees. but most places are feeling like it's 90 degrees because of the high humidity. as far as our forecasts, for the overnight period, a few scattered showers. basically, to the north of our region. overnight a pretty nice evening

during the day tomorrow some pop-up showers move through the region. and then once again on thursday, a chance for some pop- up showers. but then things start looking pretty good as we get down towards the end of the week with cooler air and lower humidity. but for tonight partly cloudy, a few showers. you just saw them on the radar. 70 degrees for the overnight low. tomorrow during the day, increasing clouds with scattered storms. high tomorrow 88 degrees. and the extended outlook, well, we got the 85 on thursday. 84 on friday. the saturday and sunday a chance for some scattered showers. and monday and tuesday also a chance for some scattered showers as the heat comes back in for sunday and monday. high downtown tomorrow. i tell you what. it's going to be a steamy one with 89 degrees. we'll be back in a while with more on the weather. >> thanks, norm. in 2 your health tonight, if your child needs to get shots for school, baltimore county is holding two free back- to-back. walk-in clinics this thursday at eastern family resource center in rosedale and this friday at the woodlawn health center on woodlawn drive. both from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. parents need to bring a copy of

their child's immunization records to the walk-in. there is concern about the swine flu, of course, as students start returning to the classroom. the obama administration is trying to minimize overreaction this fall, reportedly scaling back the recommendation that schools close at the first sign of an outbreak. but the concern is real. the cdc estimates more than 1 million americans have had the virus. and while most suffer minor symptoms, 353 people have died. just last month in ohio, katrina macintosh's 19-year-old son matt, an aspiring drummer in a rock band, died from swine flu. just three weeks later, his 26- year-old sister mindy died from the virus as well. >> mindy helped us over the grieving with matt. i don't know how we're going to get over grieving for mindy. >> children six months to 18 years of age are one of the groups at the highest risk for swine flu. the vaccines will not become

available until mid-october. another reason to watch more closely what you eat. new research finds that elevated cholesterol levels in mid life may significantly increase your risk of alzheimer's disease later in life. abc's dr. timothy johnson explains in our medical minute. >> reporter: researchers followed nearly 10,000 people with borderline or high cholesterol for 40 years. participants had their cholesterol measured once a year when they were 40 to 45 years old. they found that those with high cholesterol in mid life have a 66% increased risk for alzheimer's disease later in life. those with borderline cholesterol levels also had a moderately increased risk for vascular dementia, the second most common form of dementia after alzheimer's disease. nearly 100 million americans have either high or borderline cholesterol level. dementia and heart disease share several risk fact, to

including high blood pressure and smoking, and they often occur together. so managing mid life cholesterol through lifestyle changes and medical therapy when necessary may be one more way to effectively moderate the risk for both conditions. with this medical minute, i'm dr. timothy johnson. a s.w.a.t. team storms a house. coming up, find out what these officers were looking for. and it wasn't a chicken crossing the road. but rather an alligator. and the problems the reptile caused, coming up. >> watch abc 2 news any time on channel 1 with comcast on demand.

[ female announcer ] new swiffer wet jet cleans so deep, you'll love it. your old mop will just have to get over it... [ engine rattles ] [ man ] love stinks! ♪ love stinks! ♪ yeah! yeah! [ female announcer ] new swiffer wet jet is redesigned. it cleans deep in corners. its solution penetrates layers of dirt and its absorbent pad locks it away to clean better than a mop. the newly redesigned swiffer wet jet. ♪ love stinks! and here is a look at what we're working on. all new at 5:30, good evening. i'm kelly swoope. in carroll county a dispute over myspace leads to an alleged assault. we've got the details. texting while driving is being blamed for an accident. it's against the law here in

maryland. could it soon become a federal offense? we'll tell you why. plus, got a complaint? tweet about it. those stories and baltimore's most accurate forecast, coming up at 5:30. to riverside county, california where a s.w.a.t. team stormed a house and rescued a man who was kidnapped. police say a man was kidnapped in van nuys last wednesday. he was later found in this home with three suspects. the man was hurt and taken to the hospital in stable condition. the suspects were arrested. police are still trying to figure out the details of the kidnapping. an off-road vehicle ended you side down in a very large hole near phoenix. the driver was on a desert trail near peoria when something happened and he overturned in what may have been an old mine shaft. he was stuck upside down inside the vehicle. firefighters used ropes to pull the driver out. there is no word on his condition tonight. and a scary trip for about 20 wisconsin special olympic athletes. they were returning from competition when their tour bus

crashed. the driver lost control of the bus and hit a guardrail. one athlete and the bus driver were seriously hurt. several others had minor injuries. drivers in south carolina got a taste of the wildlife. a ten-foot alligator was trying to cross a highway in hardyville. drivers got out of their cars to watch the reptile, which caused quite a traffic jam. police spent more than an hour trying to get the alligator back into the brush. they finally able were get him out of the roadway. which airline has the best ontime performance? and which has the worst? i'm sure you have your opinions. find out on abc 2 news at 5:30, which starts in just two minutes. explain.

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that's a $180 savings over six months for the best in home entertainment. don't miss this unbeatable value 3 great services, for the price of 2. call the verizon center for customers with disabilities at 800.974.6006 tty/v this if fios. this is big. now abc 2 news at 5:30. >> a westminster man faces an assault charge after an argument over myspace turned violent. good evening. i'm kelly swoope. maryland state police say the suspect threaten manned with a