warmer wind and some of that sun sneaking through. waiting for our 2-degree guaranteed high of 75 this afternoon. 5:29. first check of the roads with kim brown. >> thank you. good morning. as we take a peek at the harrisburg expressway, just a little north of 695 you see traffic looks great in both directions. a little bit of building volume between middletown road and 695 but traffic is moving about at a nice pace. still have a disabled vehicle off to the shoulder, that is northbound 95 between pulaski highway and the 895 merge. that is not impacting your compute. you just may see it to the side. and we have emergency road work, southbound route 170 at 195, that left lane is taken away. jfx at northern parkway, traffic looks great at this time in both directions. back to you. 5:30. walter brooks got the most out of his life. he always had that smile, had that laugh. >> but the young man who entertained north county high on the stage and off the stage has died due to complications from h1n1. abc2 news linda so is here with

more on the midnight vigil to remember him. >> reporter: hundreds of friends turned out for the vigil. they couldn't say enough about their friends who touched so many lives. walter was in his first year at anne arundel community college, his parents say he wanted to be an actor. a huge crowd turned out for the vigil at north county high school in glen burnie. the 18-year-old graduated from the school in may. his parents say he got what appeared to be a cold last weekend and it got worse quickly. walter was taken to the university of maryland medical center, he never recovered. doctors had to amputate his legs. friends who gathered at the vigil say walter was everyone's friend. >> we don't care who you are, what shape, color, size, he befriended anybody. no matter who you are. he was an awesome guy. he was the best. he accepted everybody. everybody accepted him. >> reporter: we're reading some of the comments from walter's facebook page. one friend writes "it's unbelievable how much i can miss someone i've only known

for six months. you always found a way to make everyone laugh and feel welcome." walter's father says he hopes to put pressure on politicians to make more of the swine flu vaccine available. in the studio, linda so, abc2 news. >> this is what joe six pack has to say. remember, when its comes to h1n1, the vaccine, abc2 news is working for you. we have a wealth of information available on our web site. we've also posted a link to the state's interactive map which lets you find both the swine flu shot clinics as well as seasonal flu shot clinics in your neighborhood. available on-line at abc2news.com. 5:32. a republican lawmaker is calling for a justice department investigation now into acorn. the association of the community organizations for reform now has been under fire for quite some time. the group is under investigation in several states including ours, and this comes after hidden camera video surfaced including one shot in baltimore. they apparently show acorn staff members advising a couple posing as a pimp and prostitute

how to cheat on their taxes. >> acorn is a corrupt criminal enterprise. that's the conclusion of the july 23rd report. but we couldn't crack into that without hanna and without james because they had the insight to go inside those buildings and present themselves, i'll just say a pimp and a prostitute. we got a look inside acorn to see the character and the culture behind those doors in five cities. >> both congress and the irs severed all ties with acorn, so has the bank of america. here's a look at what is happening today, october 22nd -- there will be a ceremony to mark a fire from 25 years ago that killed three baltimore county firefighters. that will be held in dundalk today at 1:00. a panel discussion with community leaders and citizens to inspire unity against violence. that will get underway at coppin state university. and call me a cab. all right, you're a cab. the parade of yellow cab taxis including an antique taxi

begins today at m&t bank stadium at 10:00 this morning. 5:33. it's a move that could help clear the way for slots in baltimore. the baltimore city board of estimates approved land development and lease agreements with baltimore city entertainment group for a voter-approved video lottery terminal facility. it would be built in south baltimore. >> hope for a first class facility which we expect to deliver to the citizens of the city. it will have economic impact on the city. it's substantial. roughly 40,000 jobs. >> according to the agreement by the fifth year the facility would generate an estimated $25 million annually in new city revenue. a state commission has

approved a license for 1,500 slot machines in cecil county. the venue is located in perryville at i-95 and route 222. the commission voted unanimously to award a license to pen cecil. the company hopes to have the machines in operation by late next year. are you ready? get set. >> time to shop for the holiday bargains. >> people are looking for a deal. terrific offers have been floated. lets avoid the 30-day debt hangover. we'll tell you how. first, here's justin berk with the weather. >> 5:35. we're going to take ourselves outside to the bus stop, decent start to the day, mid-50s, it's mild, that's because of clouds that rolled in overnight. the clouds may stick around for most of the day but it will still warm - still be warm this afternoon. the commute looks good now on light rail and the metro subway. on the buses look for the 5, 6,

13 and 35 to be diverted eastbound at monument and washington. look for the number 17 bus diversion to still be in place at corporate and international. heavy volume of passengers on the 7, 36 and 64 buses as you move about in travel. for the mta transit team, i'm mark jones - hey, buddy. - hi, dad.

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ú$ 5:39. let's look at the weather. >> justin? >> fill us in. >> nobody touch my lunch back there. 5:39. we've got ourselves a nice start to the day. we're trying to look forward to

an afternoon that would almost repeat yesterday though we're going to have more clouds in here. temperatures starting at 49 cockeysville. 47 bel air. cool spot of 43 in ellicott city. just about everybody else pushing the threshold of 50 or into the 50s. look at carroll county, from westminster to sykesville both at 52. as we head into the afternoon we're looking for more clouds than we had yesterday. we'll call it a mostly cloudy one but it will still be mild with a high temperature reaching the low end of our 2-degree guarantee at 75. 5:40. let's check the roads with kim. >> not too much happening on the major roadways. harrisburg expressway is looking pretty nice as you make your way down from the pennsylvania state line headed to the beltway. a little bit of increased volume in the southbound lanes but no real problems. a disabled vehicle still off to the right shoulder on northbound 95 between route 40 and the 895 merge. also an emergency construction work on southbound route 170 at 195. that does block the left lane this morning. downtown baltimore we're getting word of a fire at

broadway and lombard street. some equipment is on the scene so you will probably be able to pass through that intersection. at the jfx, traffic is moving about nicely across the 41st street bridge. back to you. he brought a smile to many. >> and touched lives of dozens of people. >> now they are saying goodbye the walter brooks, the latest apparent victim of swine flu. how friends are remembering him. ♪ there's only one word for this ♪ ♪ it's bliss ♪ oneord describes chocolate this creamy, this rich, this indulgent. bliss. hershey's bliss chocolate. t 'oou ku.0000000000 it's bliss. - hon, did you know there's a full serving of veg-- - ( clanging ) announcer: there's a full serving of vegetables in every bowl of chef boyardee. it's obviously delicious. secretly nutritious.

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"good morning maryland" time 5:43. a it's virus that is targeting the young leaving many uncertain. >> the h1n1 virus is what we're talking about. now behind the death of an 18-year-old who was loved by so many. abc2 news linda so with reaction from the overnight vigil. >> reporter: hundreds turned out to remember walter brooks, a recent high school graduate. in his first year at anne arundel community college, his parents say he wanted to be an actor. a big crowd was at the midnight vigil at north county high school in glen burnie. the 18-year-old graduated from the school in may. his parents say he got what appeared to be a cold last weekend and it got worse quickly. walter was taken to the university of maryland medical center. he never recovered. doctors had to amputate his legs. friends who gathered at the vigil say walter has a knack for making people feel better. >> when someone was like, oh,

you look like you're having a bad day and give you a hug. it meant a lot. so many people smiled. so many people are going to cry. but he's always going to be loved. >> and there's the facebook page dedicated to walter. so many people left messages. here's one. "even though i didn't know walter personally i saw tonight that even without being present he still makes hundreds of people happy. every moment of everyday we will miss you." doctors told his parents he had in fact been infected with swine flu and it crippled his immune system allowing another infection to take hold. in the studio, linda so, abc2 news. here's a look at some of the other top stories. authorities say they have yet to identify a child's body they found in a georgia landfill while searching for a missing 7-year-old summer thompson. an autopsy is planned today to learn who the child is but summer's father told a florida newspaper last night the birthmark on the deceased body matches his daughter. a robbery suspect clinging

to life after being shot by police in west baltimore. police say the shooter tried to rob a medical student last night with a bb gun. the city officer opened fire hitting the 14-year-old accused robber. the medical student was not hurt. get your resume today. the holiday inn in linthicum is hosting a job fair today, 11:00 to 2:00 this afternoon at the hotel on the elkridge landing road if you're out of work or looking for a career change here's a chance to get your resume into several companies. we have enterprise, wal-mart, mutual of omaha, so good luck, 11:00 to 2:00 today. remember that baby of yours you put on the inner harbor carousel? your baby is 28. the carousel grew old as your baby grew up. the vintage carousel has been around since 1981 but a falling ridership leaves the city wondering where the magic went and how they can get it back. >> i think it's not so much

that anyone is not happy. it's a classic but i think they are looking to the future and looking at maybe having something, maybe more than one attraction in this area that can actually revitalize the inner harbor and really restore some of the luster that the inner harbor has and get people back here again. >> since the ride doesn't have a lease for 2010 the decision must be made before the end of the year. the child for the two people accused of trying to extort john travolta following the death of his son ended in a mistrial. the alleged plot -- their son jett died after a seizure in january. nickelodeon has now acquired the rights to the teenaged mutant ninja tournaments for $60 million. the network says it will develop a new show based on the franchise that will premiere in 2012. once halloween is over,

thanksgiving, christmas, staring us right in the face. >> retailers say they are ready but how about you? samantha hayes tells us how to avoid the post-holiday debt later by planning now. >> reporter: you may not be feeling the holiday spirit yet, especially in this economy but in many stores it's beginning to look a lot like christmas. >> with retailers realizing that people are looking for a deal they've been floating some really terrific offers since the beginning of september. >> reporter: retailers are pulling out all the stops this holiday season but a head start and budget can help you override temptation. >> decide how much you want to spend for the holiday season overall and then create budgets for individuals for whom you want to spend. >> reporter: by shopping early you're likely to get the best selection. >> many retailers will be ordering less inventory from the manufacturers so they don't get stuck with leftovers they have to dump at deep discounter clearance. >> reporter: use the extra

time to comparison shop at outlets or warehouse clubs. >> they are always a great source of bargains. if you're looking for a bestseller you're not going to find it cheaper anywhere than you will at a club store. >> reporter: don't get too overwhelmed by great bargains. >> never forget there's a consequence, the 30-day hangover that shows up in january. and just make sure before you spend it you can afford it. 5:49. good morning. 49 degrees outside in baltimore. we're surrounded by 50s in almost all directions. a mild start to the day that features more clouds than anything else. these clouds are well out ahead of a large storm system that is dumping snow in colorado. to give you an idea on how much expanse this has. forecast model indicating the clouds will actually stay with us at least through tomorrow when the rain will actually start to knock on our door. it could be as soon as tomorrow morning. this thing looks like it's speeding up a little, with that in mind it may actually run out of its course of moisture as

most of the energy sliding to our north. i'm not expecting a complete washout tomorrow, just periods of rain. the same story is going to be the case on saturday. you can see saturday morning, a distinct line, that's our cold front and oftentimes with the storms we get a surge of warm air with the wind that will push ahead of it. not a complete washout and most of the energy will probably get rung out of the mountains but there could be a shower or a couple of heavy showers as this thing tries to slide through on saturday. overall we're not dealing with a horrible situation here but we're definitely dealing with a storm that will be sliding through the next few days. today, still on the warm side with temperatures aiming for 75 degrees. the low end of our 2-degree guarantee and skies will be mostly cloudy. tonight we'll settle back to the mid-50s. clouds, maybe a shower towards daybreak. look for at least morning showers tomorrow or periods of rain. we cool down again because of the clouds and the rain at 65 degrees. we'll partial back the warmer air and -- push back the warmer air and should be upper 60s at the start of the weekend. windy, periods of rain, not a complete washout for saturday. the improved day is sunday with

skies turning partly cloudy and we'll drop back to the lower 60s with lows back into the lower 40s. 5:50 on the clock. lets get a traffic update. >> thank you. as you travel on the harrisburg expressway this morning traffic is running about without incidents or problems at this hour. as you make your way towards the top side of the beltway, traffic looks great, both loops of 695 and no problems to let you know about at the tunnels. though getting word of a disabled vehicle blocking the right lane in the arbutus area, 695. keep to the left. an emergency work zone blocks the left lane on southbound route 170 at 195. fire equipment still on scene downtown baltimore at broadway and lombard street. you might want to avoid that intersection. jfx at northern parkway, no problems to let you know about this morning so far. back to you. 5:51. bottoms up, everybody. it's time to have a shot and a beer with

marybeth. it's for a good cause. marybeth marsden is working the crowd with some bartending, doing that with a former oriole. it's an annual fundraiser with path finders for autism. a nonprofit group founded by parents with children with autism. it was packed with people coming out to support. pathfinders helps parents and kids living with autism. i bet she can mix a mean margarita. >> marybeth at the tavern. it's a reune tour, if you know what i mean. still ahead on "good morning maryland" -- the next time you have a garage sale, make sure you really want to get rid of the stuff you call junk. >> new at 6:00 -- ladies, if you're looking for a few good men, good luck. no, just kidding. we have a story of where the city's guys are.

♪ there's only one word for this ♪ ♪ it's bliss ♪ oneord describes chocolate this creamy, this rich, this indulgent. bliss. hershey's bliss chocolate. t 'oou ku.000000000 it's bliss. - hon, did you know there's a full serving of veg-- - ( clanging ) announcer: there's a full serving of vegetables in every bowl of chef boyardee. it's obviously delicious. secretly nutritious.

oh, i did it to let the ladies know, i'm the right choice. i got the idea from general mills big g cereals. they put this white check at the top of every box to let people know their cereals have healthy whole grain so they're the right choice, like me. (announcer) general mills is the only leading cereal company to put healthy whole grain in every box. the choice has never been easier. for whole grain guaranteed, just look for the white check.

this story confirms the saying one person's trash is another person's treasure. >> a louisiana woman may have purchased an original picasso at a garage sale.

teesha mcneil from shreveport says she saw the painting, a steal for $2. she said she did not know it was a picasso. she just thought it was interesting. already had a spot picked out on the wall for the picture but if it's authentic she says she has some big plans. >> i'm going to sell it. >> what about that spot on the wall right there? >> i can get more -- a whole bunch of walls. >> a whole bunch of paintings. now, the fbi is working to determine if it is authentic. and as for the sellers, you can imagine they are sick over this. can you imagine selling a picasso at the garage sale for $2? before you run out to the next garage sale looking for bargains, we have your weather and then we'll start the 6:00 news. >> don't lose your ear over that. i have a story here coming up in less than 20 minutes, i cannot wait to share with you. so please stick around. this is worth it. 75 today. temperatures 65 tomorrow. periods of rain.

we've got wind and cool temperatures trying to take us into the weekend. the complete forecast and more, on this script i'm looking at now. in a couple of minutes. 5:56. more "good morning maryland" coming up. stick around.

he was an awesome guy. he was the best. he accepted everybody. everybody accepted him. >> walter brooks was one of those guys you remember forever. we're going to take you to a rare midnight vigil in his honor. a med student was being held up on west lexington street when police say they had to shoot. we have the latest. and when is the last time you saw the first lady hula hoop on the white house lawn? eleanor roosevelt is not the right answer. >> no? >> she is in great shape. >> she is. her guns are - >> absolutely. >> amazin