a vote for republicans, obama said, is a vote to move the country backward. >> well, right now you've got opponents saying the other party supporters are more. they're saying they're going to turn out at higher levels. they said all of you worked so hard in 2008, you may not be so pumped up. you might not care as much, that you might be willing to let the other folks who left the economy in shambles go back to washington and go back to annapolis. >> [ cheers and applause ] >> well, maryland i think the pundits are wrong. >> [ cheers and applause ] >> but it's up to you to prove

them with wrong. don't make me look bad now. >> reporter: the day after this stop, president barack obama was off to illinois to do some more campaigning on the national ticket. reporting live, abc news. the president's visit comes at a time when most recent polls find governor martin o'malley begin to pull away from governor bob ehrlich. jeff hager caught up with the republican challenger in washington today for the reaction to the president's spoirt. jack. >> reporter: a few weeks from now, o'malley's visit will be followed up by that of a former president, bill clinton. robert ehrlich could -- the current national party chair michael steele or even sarah palin, who endorsed his republican challenger in the primary. we asked him today if o'malley's star power draw could hurt him in this raid. >> the presidents come in.

democratic presidents help democratic governors. and republican presidents help republican governors. there's nothing new about this. we expected the president to come in, and good for him. the problem is, at the end of the day, the president goes back to his job, a pretty busy one, and it's back to bob ehrlich against martin o'malley. >> this weekend, christy will headline a private fund-raiser for ehrlich. last year he became the first republican in 12 years to win an election. earlier this month he said his friend and mayor rudy giuliani may follow suit. ehrlich says those visits should help to raise money for more television spots on the washington market, where he believes he lost some ground. abc2 news. an 8-point lead over challenger tent kinneman. ten percent still undecided. the campaign said he had a

similar poll from august 30th to december 1st, with 400 voters showing him with a 62% margin over kinneman's 29%. remember, you can get the latest news and your local and national candidates in our democracy 2010 section. all you have to do is click on the tab on our home page on abc2news.com, and click on the political tab. it was a beautiful fall day in baltimore. you're looking at a live picture from downtown baltimore. will this weather stick around for your weekend plans? we certainly hope so. we'll check in with wyatt in the storm center, bringing us a first look at our forecast. i've got my fingers crossed. right, wyatt? >> just gorgeous sunshine we had today, continuing into our saturday and sunday. a fantastic weather scenario for this columbus day weekend. hope you have columbus day off.

take a look at some of these numbers. 73 in easton. 68 there, tough to complain. visible surveillance tape, all clear, not a cloud in the sky until you get up to central pennsylvania. the rest of this evening, 60s, nice and clear. it will be mild out and about. cooler overnight. how much sunshine and how warm does it get over the weekend? the answers coming up in a couple of minutes. baltimore city police need your help trying to find a murder suspect wanted in connection with the murder of 73-year-old john sandy. police say he was beaten on elm street. he died from injuries three month later. lay that many is charged with first-degree murder. investigators say the suspect lives with his wife in the 800 block of wellington avenue, has been seen in the area in the last two weeks. police say he frequents harford county. if you have seen nathan, call the apprehension task force.

the number right there on your screen. it's 410-607-8970. a 15-year-old and her boyfriend are behind bars accused of plotting to kill the girl's entire family. this happened in northern dorchester county. police called to a house after 16-year-old william collins walked in and started shooting. no one was hurt. i can't understand why two young 16- year-olds for any reason would want to do this to anybody, much less people they know. they ruined their entire life because of these actions. >> police discovered the murder plot through text messages collins exchanged with his girlfriend. the couple is behind bars on half a million dollars bail. baltimore county police are calling it the largest drug bust in the department's history. 478 marijuana plants and 640 pounds of processed marijuana.

police arrested joseph rodriani and megan beach. investigators say the suspects were running a warehouse in the 7600 block of the canton center drive in north point. police say the two built a two- story marijuana-growing operation inside the building. police seized $12,000 in cash. both suspects being held at the baltimore county detention center. the crisis center in baltimore county getting much received help. the center received a hundred thousand dollars in federal funding to stop domestic violence. the nonprofit organization in dundalk had been struggling with funding trips all this year. a former victim of domestic violence talked about her ordeal with an abusive husband. >> the worst happened after our son was born. when my son was three and a half month old, just an infant, i knew i had to leave, i had no choice. i left our home with him in my

arms, $7,800 in our bank account and two suitcases. i was terrified and did not know what i was going to do. the house of ruth was there for me when i needed help the most. >> the federal funds awarded to maryland through the stop violence against women act and victims of crime act. police across maryland are now using 12 questions to save the lives of domestic violence victims. only on abc2news.com, you can read up on the development of those questions and see for yourself what they are. head to our home page, and check out the spotlight section. today marks 10 years that u.s. troops have been in afghanistan. the netherlands pulled out its troops, the first nato nation to do so. canada says it's next. there is some hope. afghan president hamad karzai is reaching out to taliban enemies in new negotiations; but even with an increase in 30,000 troops, president

obama's recent push to crush al- queda and the taliban. the militants show no signs of giving up. well, we have some good news tonight for those trapped miners in chile. a shaft wide enough to provide an escape for the 33 miners should reach the men by saturday, and the rescue could be 2 to 10 days after that. the countdown depends on whether cruise decide to use steel piping to line the walls of the shaft, which could reduce their risk of a walk jamming an escape capsule. a decision will be based on technical factors once a video camera is lowered to examine the shaft's walls. well, a fight between some high school students has some of them going to the hospital. new at 5:30 tonight, what led to the fight and how the injured student is doing tonight. and are you thinking about going camping this weekend? well, abc2 is working to keep you from scratching into misery. and also new at 5:30, die- hard justin bieber fans will do

anything to get close to the teen sensation, which is unfortunate for one florida man. >> i'm frank kratovil and i approve this message. the real andy harris. buried in his website - a promise to replace the tax code with a 23% sales tax and eliminate the mortgage interest deduction. a bush tax panel said families would pay $6,000 more a year. a reagan tax advisor calls it a very dumb idea. but that's not his only bad idea. harris was the only senator to vote against expanding the child care tax credit and against the state's cancer treatment program. andy harris' extreme ideas will cost us.

kkk you could switch for great gas mileage or seats that flip and fold with one hand. you could switch for up to 600 highway miles on a single tank of gas.

or the hundred-thousand mile powertrain warranty. over a thousand people a day are switching to chevy. they're not just trading in, they're trading up. qualified lessees can get low mileage lease on this 2011 malibu ls for around one ninety-nine a month. call for details. the switch to chevy starts at chevydealer.com. two governors, two different approaches. even in good times bob ehrlich didn't make education a priority. he increased college tuition by 40%, cut school construction by $200 million, and ehrlich voted to eliminate the department of education while serving in congress. but in the toughest of times, martin o'malley has made record investments in public schools, new school construction, and o'malley froze college tuition four years in a row. with martin o'malley, our children always come first.

you've probably heard the saying leaves for three. let it be. linda so has five tips on avoiding poison ivy . >> reporter: to avoid poison ivy, you first have to know what it looks like. >> it characteristically has three leaflets, or a leaf, as we identify it. the leaves can be pail green or shiny. they start to turn yellow in the fall, as you feel this plant, and it can be a vine; it can be a ground cover. it can be a mini shrub. >> reporter: second, if you're going to be outside where you think there might be poison ivy, wear clothes that can protect you. >> protective clothing can be

long pant, a long sleeve shirt. you definitely want to wear gloves if you're going to be handling poison ivy. >> reporter: third apply a special lotion that will protect your skin. >> there are several locations out there that actually help you from absorbing the poison ivy oil onto your skin. >> fourth be mindful of your surroundings while walking outside. >> if you're walking in the woods or basically doing yard work, know where the poison ivy is. if you're walking avoid areas in the woods that are heavily vegetated. >> reporter: and fifth clean off your tools and clothes which may have come into contact with poison ivy. >> if you transfer oils, and they're not effectively cleaned off of yourself, your tools, you may be transferring them back on to your skin. >> reporter: five tips to protect your skin from the itchy rash. linda so, abc2 news. now, maryland's most powerful doppler radar, and the forecast certified most accurate by weather rate.

>> what a beautiful day. you promised, and you delivered. >> hey, the good news is this. i mean, just in time for the weekend, a fantastic friday, and really right through our columbus day monday. i think we're looking good here. so bring on the sunshine. >> that's right. it was a welcome treat. >> yeah. like it. first a look at the harbor cam. as you look at federal hill, it was a breezy day. but beyond that, tough to find anything to complain about. fantastic looking weather, as we look at curves out of bwi. humidity at 38%, winds northwest at 20 miles per hour. let's take a hook at our weather net camera down in d.c. it's interesting how the sun the sun cascades over the camera. just a fantastic day. a few thin wisps of clouds, but for the most part. this is the kind of weather we saw in dc and baltimore, but all across the state and the region today.

tough to complain. just gorgeous blue skies. this has been our one weather woe, but not that bad of a woe. winds steady at 20 at the top of the hour, mainly out of the north, but a warmer day despite the breeze, because of the sunshine out there, gusting higher, 25, 30. right now, temperatures across the state. talking about low 70s, it's on the 73, baltimore to 72, and 68 over in york. want to zoom in here, show you a few more numbers. inner harbor sitting at 73. gorgeous conditions, cambridge at 73, and over in frederick, 73 as well. an early look at your neighborhood tomorrow. back through fells point, looking good. talking about upper 0s sunshine. a good looking friday afternoon. and friday night always looking good downtown. satellite and radar clear across the region. just nothing going on out there. as we take a look at a little broader perspective here, the

last remnants of that weather culprit the last several days, finally ejecting out to the north and east, catching a ride on the northern jet stream. that's allowing for a much cooler drier air out of the northwest. high pressure really. big bubble, no trouble. a big bubble of high pressure, and that will keep the skies nice and sunny around here into the weekend. the future forecast weather here, bottom line. into the night, clear skies. that will mean temperatures cool off rapidly under a crystal-clear sky. tomorrow rapid sunshine, meaning another rapid warm-up, as we climb back into the mid 70s, and bring your sunglasses not just tomorrow, but into the weekend. saturday afternoon, a weak boundary out of the north. should not trigger rain, but mainly a few clouds for saturday. keeps temperatures from warming up more. otherwise a shot at 80. but through the mid 70s through the weekend. tonight 46, clear and calm. chilly out there late, and then, as we look at tomorrow, we'll go 76, sunny and breezy conditions. and then, into tomorrow night,

we're talking about a good- looking friday night; but again, under a mostly clear sky, temperatures will cool down fairly quickly into the 60s and upper 40s by daybreak saturday morning. the seven-day forecast, let's take a look at it here. more awesome weather into the outlook. in fact, we should see temperatures into the upper 80s -- i'm sorry. upper 70s on saturday, upper 80s wishful thinking. but really a nice, mild and generally sunny outlook through the weekend. thanks. the charlotte bomber tops the list -- in its annual rankings out today, it says the first lady has been a change maker since coming to the white house. it pointed out her high approval ratings, her status as a role model and campaign against childhood obesity. oprah winfrey, lady gaga and beyonce also made the list. less than a week to pick up

a coupon to get $10 off "the beauty and the beast" diamond edition, dvd combo pack. it offers lots of extra, including additional versions of the film, the original storyboard, special music and deleted songs. . the coupon is available until october 12th. to get the coupon, head to our web site at abc2news.com. you'll find it right there under the lifestyle section. more talk that apple is about to team up with verizon to make a version of its iphone. apple is on track to sell 40 million i phones this year. the company is facing increasing competition from the android software, heavily promoted by verizon, the largest u.s. carrier. if you want a new ipad, now is your time to get one all for free, and all you have to do is like us. from now until december 3rd, abc2 is giving viewers a chance to take home a 30-gigabyte

apple ipad with wi-fi. log on to facebook and like our fan page. just search for abc2news.com and click on the "like" button, and enter to win. a few rules, you have to be 18 years and older. additional services are not included in the prize, but good luck to you. some new research out suggests that flu shots may be working in a what they that you didn't suspect. how expectant moms are protecting more than just themselves. plus more on the latest findings coming up. and also new at 5:30 tonight, new york wants to do its part to get people healthy. why some people may not have access to soda anymore. . dentures are softer than teeth.

and a lot of people, when they get a denture, they think the best way to clean it is by brushing it with toothpaste. toothpaste contains abrasives that scratch dentures, leaving microscopic crevices where bacteria can grow, and bacteria can cause bad breath. the best way to go is to soak them in polident. only polident is proven to clean without scratching and kills 99.9% of odor-causing bacteria. i recommend using polident and soak every day. it's the right way to go. let's take a look at the stats. mini has more than double the fiber and whole grain... making him a great contender in this bout... against mid-morning hunger. honey nut cheerios is coming in a little short. you've got more whole grain in your little finger! let's get ready fo breakfaaaaaaaaaast! ( ding, cheering, ringing ) keeping you full and focused with more than double the fiber and whole grain...

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new research suggests that flu shots may work in a way that you didn't expect. when expectant mothers are vaccinated, they could be doing more than just protecting themselves. abc's dr. timothy johnson explains tonight in a medical minute. >> reporter: it's another case of mom to the rescue. a new study finds that mothers vaccinated against the flu passed along protection from the flu to their children. babies get their immune response from their mothers in the womb and from breast milk after birth. researchers have wondered whether inoculating pregnant women against seasonal flu would also help chase the bug from their newborns. they followed 11,60 infants for up to six months after birth and concluded that babies of vaccinated mothers enjoyed a

41% lower risk of infection than those born to women who were not vaccinated. that may be simply because the mothers didn't catch the flu to pass along to the kids, or it could be that the vaccine worked on the babies during pregnancy. one note, the mothers in the study were from native american reservations, where conditions may not be typical of other environs. that means the results should be applied cautiously to other kinds of populations. with this medical minute, i'm dr. timothy johnson. well, lawmakers in san francisco have given preliminary approval to a law that would prohibit restaurants from putting children's toys in meals unless they include fruits and vegetables and don't have too many unhealthy call residents. santa clara county officials adopted a similar law in april that banned all fast food freebies. several doctors support the ban. one recalled seeing children in hospital rooms carrying mcdonald's happy meals.

now, under the proposal, mcdonald's and other restaurant could only include toys in meals that have a half cup of fruit and vegetables, and limited amounts of sugar, salt and fat. well, we have a very important recall to tell you about tonight. one department store is recalling drop-sided cribs. that story is coming up for you all new at 5:30. [ female announcer ] after months of martin o'malley telling us

"maryland is moving forward"... ...and moving maryland forward. [ female announcer ] ...this jobs report tells the truth... maryland's economy stalled. [ male announcer ] "we face an uphill struggle in trying to regain the jobs lost." [ female announcer ] o'malley attempts a cover-up,

falsifying the jobs report to help his campaign. [ male announcer ] "whatever we can do to make it disappear, we need to do it. that's coming straight from the top..." [ female announcer ] martin o'malley. first he makes stuff up. when caught, he covers stuff up. we need a governor who tells the truth. but now it can make you more connected to your doctor through e-mail. test results from home. check records. change appointments. now doctors, nurses, techs, pharmacists are all digitally connected to each other. and ultimately connected to you. at kaiser permanente, we believe that if knowledge is power, shared knowledge is even more powerful. kaiser permanente. thrive.

a fight that went overboard after a high school student is hospitalized. good evening. i'm roosevelt leftwich. it happened in anne arundel county on sunday. a change of class clean 4th and period. a boy confronted another who he accused of taking his ipad. >> said, "i heard you try to steel my ipad." he was like, "yeah. what are you doing do?" and the kid was like this. he hit him. he punched the guy, went bam, knocked him on the ground right

into my lap, and i was like, "oh, my god." >> started beating the kid, and everybody surrounded him. the kid was unconscious. >> reporter: other kids say that the freshman was knocked cold, and the right side of his face was bleeding. the school say that teachers and officials rushed in to break up the fight, and paramedics were called to determine if the student's injuries were severe enough that he needed to be flown to shock trauma. bob mosier said they notified parent in south river immediately about what happened. >> we started getting a bunch of calls as soon as it happened. what you want to do is reach out to parents and be proactive and give them the information that you have, as up to date as you can get it to them. to not only satisfy their concerns, but to quell the rumors that tend to start in situations like that. >> the two seniors involved in the fight were arrested by a school resource officer. mosier says they are still investigating to see whether any disciplinary action will be taken against those two.