mikulski and the rest of the democratic ticket a boost. the president told the crowd to fight back against that antidemocratic sentiment in the country and keep moving the nation forward. although his message was tailored to maryland, it is a stump he is on nationwide. >> all of you are out there knocking on doors, making phone calls and voting for martin o'malley and barbara mikulski and the rest of the democratic ticket. >> [ cheers and [ cheers and applause ] >> then we are not just going to win this election, but we are going to make sure that the american dream is alive and well for future generations. thank you, everybody. god bless you. bless the united states of america. >> reporter: now, after this afternoon's speech, obama took off to illinois to stump for contracts in that state. reporting live at buoy state university, brian kubler, abc2 news. thanks, brian. president obama's visit to support governor martin o'malley is expected to be followed up with a visit from former president bill clinton later this month.

meanwhile jeff hager reports tonight on o'malley's opponent. former governor bob ehrlich is hard-pressed to match the star power on his behalf. >> reporter: while some critic candidates this election cycle may be shying away from president obama, the welcome mat is firmly in place in a state dominated by democrats, like maryland. governor martin o'malley's republican challenger, former governor robert ehrlich is down playing its significance. >> 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 back to bob ehrlich and martin o'malley. >> the former governor finds himself beginning to lag behind in the most recent polls. >> when you have 8 months of polls that are even and one poll comes out and you go, "oh, my lord," and you know why, you can fix it in the short term. >> reporter: ehrlich says he plans to pump more money into

airing political ads in the washington market, where he believes he's lost ground in recent weeks. to that end, he does plan to bring in a few headliners to boost his fund-raising. >> mayor giuliani a very good friend. he'll probably come in at the end, but i've not been a big fan over the years of people coming in. particularly i'm so well established. you have congressman, governor. you have an incoming governor. both campaigns and plossfys and platforms are well established. but people can come in and raise extra dollars. the reason we have not been on tv before is the dollars. now we have the dollars. so when christy comes in or a friend like giuliani you can help on the fund-raising front. >> reporter: christy won the new jersey governorship last year. in a state where no republican had won a statewide election in a dozen years. jeff hager, abc2 news.

the democratic maryland congregational did not attend the rally. president obama's popularity has dropped steadily in the first congressional district. another big race, howard county's ken uhlman has a lead over kent turinerman. it was 49% to 41% with 10% still undecided. uhlman's campaign says a similar poll done lit this summer showed him with a 62% margin over 29%. remember, you can get caught up on all of the local and national candidates and the races and the issues in our democracy 22 section. all you have to do is click on the news tap on our home page on abc2news.com and click on the political ad. a fantastic day of weather across maryland. i tell you, from the mountains all the way back across ocean city, sunshine, a little bit of a breezy day. but on the whole, tough to complain out there. let's take a look first at our

weather net camera downtown. beautiful blue skies throughout the day today. that was the situation. bottom line, great weather throughout the day. and we're going to keep this going. i mean, this is going to kind of be the theme into the holiday weekend for many people, columbus day coming on monday, of course. satellite and radar trend, clear. i mean, crystal clear. a few clouds out of western maryland early. they're gone. zoom you in here, temperaturewise talking 70 or so at the airport. 71, 72 downtown easton. you're still at 72, and salisbury over on the shore there, 71. this evening 60s, nice and clear, and your hour-by-hour forecast tomorrow, up to 70 by noon, into the low to mid 70s in the afternoon. so a great friday to kick off the long week. much more on your weekend forecast coming up. kelly? thanks a lot, wyatt. the government crisis center in baltimore county is designed to help families from domestic violence. now they have more resources to do it. the center received more than a hundred thousand dollars in federal funding to help stop

domestic violence. the nonprofit in dundalk has been struggling with the funding shortfall this year. a former victim of domestic violence spoke about her abused marriage and how she got out. >> the worst violence 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. i left our home with him in my arms, $78 in my 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 house -- >> the federal money was awarded to maryland through the stop the violence against women act and the victims of crime act. other news out of baltimore county tonight, baltimore county police announced details today about one of the largest drug busts in the county's history. fred sprague announced what they found, where they found it

and how much. >> these arrests. >> reporter: this afternoon, baltimore county police gave us a look at what was seized from inside the 7645 canton center drive in north point. >> every culvert at this location, 478 individual marijuana plants. in addition, another 640 pounds of processed marijuana ready for distribution throughout the baltimore, metropolitan area. >> and in fact, this is the largest baltimore county single investigation sees your to date . there was so much marijuana growing inside the house, people living a half mile away could smell it. >> we have arrested adults and a juvenile in this case. . the two adults are joseph vlagnoli, 39 years of age, megan vitch, 28 years of age and again a juvenile. >> reporter: police showed video inside the warehouse. >> this is a trailer where the

suspects were living. they were actually living inside of this. >> reporter: they were also living in a warehouse full of containers. also at the bottom of these containers were coffee grounds to mask the odor of the marijuana. the marijuana in this case is estimated to have a value of over $3.5 million. >> looking forward to taking this case into the courts, and of course, in a case like this, where such a large quantity, seeking the maximum penalty possible. >> reporter: in towson, fred slate for abc2 news. now, police say a tip led them to the warehouse, and they are still investigating other leads. and baltimore county police need your help trying to find the man they believe beat an elderly man to death this year. want you to take a good look at. this the suspect is gary lay that many, and police say in april, lay that many beat 73- year-old john sandy, who later died from his injuries. police say he has been seen in the 800 block of wellington

avenue, living with relatives in the dundalk area. if you know of his whereabouts, you are asked to call the warrant apprehension task force. the number right there on your screen, 010-637-8970. baltimore county police say this man robbed the bp gas station in the 600 block of frederick road. anyone with information about the identity or whereabouts about the suspect is asked to call metro crimestoppers. the number is 1-866-7-lock-up. now to the eastern shore where a murder plot is busted, leaving two teenagers in jail. katelyn kerr chaw and william collins, both 16, are being held on half a million dollars bail after allegedly plotting to kill katelyn's family. police were called to the house after collins walked in and started shooting. no one was hurt. the police discovered the murder plot through text messages that the two teenagers had exchanged. the murder of a teacher at the shelton happen juvenile detention center resulted from,

quote, "multiple systematic security failures. so that's according to the latest report. the maryland juvenile justice monitoring unit reported responsibility for the department of leadership, stating that various problems should have been addressed. a boy who was 13 at the time was charged as a juvenile with homicide and also attempted rape. a baltimore city jury awards a 23-year-old woman nearly $21 million after finding she had lead poisoning while living in an apartment owned by the housing authority, but she may not get the money. the majority of the money given to her is for non-economic damages, totaling $20 million, but the state has $350,000 cap on non-economic damages. no word on how much money she'll actually end up with. well, she's a six-time grammy award-winning singer, who sold more than $40 million records worldwide. find out tonight why r and b

singer tony braxton is filing for bankruptcy for the second time. and can there be such a thing as a peace to divorce? this family says yes. the secret to their success is coming up after the break. >> and on the weather front, success today, getting back to normal, 74 degrees, above average, but within 1 degree of your 2-degree guarantee. that means our weather winner out of abington is going to be sue susanne bhar. back with your forecast for the weekend coming up. ♪

storyteller: hey diddle diddle the cat and the fiddle the cow jumped over the moon. then quickly fell back to earth, landing on the roof of a dutch colonial. luckily, geico recently helped the residents with homeowners insurance. they were able to get the roof repaired like new. they later sold the cow,

because they had all become lactose intolerant. call geico and see how much you could save on homeowners insurance. so who is "making stuff up"? the news media say it's bob ehrlich... with attacks that have been called "false" and "misleading." made up attacks bob ehrlich knows aren't true. but here's what's not made up. bob ehrlich's $3 billion in taxes and fees. the $2.5 million he got paid working at a lobbying firm. or the fact ehrlich worked for the casinos to put slots at arundel mills mall. now, bob...that's all true.

list of the 100 most powerful women in the world. in its annual ranks, forbes said the first lady has been a true change maker since coming to the white house. the business magazine points out her high approval ratings, status as a role model and campaign against childhood obesity. oprah winfrey, lady gaga and singer beyonce also made the list. at this point you have less than a week to pick up a coupon to get $10 off the beauty and the beast diamond edition blue ray or dvd combo pack. the new edition offers lots of extras, including digital versions of the film, the original story board, special music and deleted songs. the coupon is available until october 12th. to get the coupon, head to our web site at abc2 news.com, and you'll find it right there under our lifestyle section. . well, tonight the new owners of the senator theater will announce their future plans for the local landmark.

the owners say that they've already covered and restored the original wood paneling in the theater's signature rotunda entrance. abc2 news is there. much more on the story coming up tonight at 11:00. tony braxton has filed for bankruptcy for the second time in los angeles, citing her heart condition as a major factor in her money woes. court records indicate braxton owes several debtors anywhere from 10 million to $50 million. the six-time grammy winner canceled a series of shows in las vegas in 2008 after being diagnosed with micro vascular angina, a heart condition. the university of baltimore is expanding. officials say the $27 million 232-apartment building will be completed in time for the fall semester of 2012. the 124,000 square foot building will have 5,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space. and guess what?

the annapolis town center is also growing. the 33-acre development in maryland is expanding to include more retail and residential space. developers are working on a 20,000 square foot single story retail building, a little less than half the size of the center's own bed, bath & beyond store. construction on that will be completed this year. if you are looking to retro whistle after work baltimore beer week is officially in session. there will be beer breakfast, beer luncheons, classes, even chili views. the companies are just among the few local bars participating in beer week. this is the second year for the event. now maryland's most powerful doppler radar, and the forecast certified most accurate by weather rate. >> seems like good weather for a beer. >> i think so. i think so.

the warm, sunny weather, whether it's gator aide or springwater, beer. doesn't matter. >> okay. >> it's something to whet the whistle. >> okay. >> to whet the whistle. we had that today, kelly. finally warmed it up, got sunshine back. that's the case all weekend long for those who have a three- day weekend. so let's take a look outside now. harbor cam, and omitting previous testimony. how's that, kelly? harbor cam, basically just a nice evening out there, panning around, giving you a nice shot. people out and about, enjoying sunshine on a nice thursday evening. temperatures 70 degrees out of bwi. downtown, still about 71, 72. humidity, 44%. nice dry air, a bit of a northwest wind. breezy today, and blue skies out across the states today. german town one of the spots that just showed the gorgeous october sunshine cascading down all across maryland today, one of many great spots to be today. all right. . right now, temperatures

around 70 until you get north and west of baltimore. hagerstown back through york, and also the winds dying down a bit. gusting at times. at the top of the 6:00 hour a couple wind gusts 17, 18, d.c. up through york. so breezy conditions. . but if that's the only thing you have to complain about, you're doing pretty good. upper 70s, take you a little further north here, cecil county through harford county, talking about great weather, 72 along the county line in per i haveville, good stuff. satellite and radar clear across the state. we'll keep the breezes up tonight, but not bad. out to the west, nothing out there. . a quiet weather pattern emerging. when you get the ridging in the east, you end up basically ejecting out the last of the storm system. you get all sunshine for a

couple of days, and normally temperatures are hotter each day. a weak cold front coming in saturday, meaning temperatures are hovering low to mid 70s, and then to 80 by sunday, but don't think it's going to happen. all sunshine again. should be back into the mid 70s at least in most places, north of the city cooler. and then into saturday. there it is. if you look carefully, the narrow strip of cloud cover, that's our next boundary out of the north late saturday. a nice day in the low to mid 70s, sunday mid to upper 70s again with the cold front. otherwise even hotter by sunday. tonight, 46, clear and calm. a guarantee tomorrow into the mid 70s, many spots closer to 74. then tomorrow night down to 47 degrees. the outlook the next 7 days.

it's tough to beat this weather. i'm telling you, lots of sunshine on tap. good weather, dry weather. that now looks like just a slight chance of showers. >> looks good, wyatt. thanks a lot. coming up, two years since the crash, killing four people and prompting an vision. now officials say they want more training for the industry. >> plus president obama, phillip palin. they may be political heavyweights, but can they play the guitar in their underwear. the naked cowboy sets his sites on washington. those stories and more coming up tonight at 11:00. a peaceful divorce. was that something that's really possible? experts say it is possible, and it really is essential in helping kids plod through the difficult change. christy paul has details. >> and i was talking --

>> reporter: when jake's 11- year marriage ended, the concerns were for his children. >> breaking up the family unit is horrible for the kids. >> reporter: with that in mind, he and his kids decided to something unusual in a lot of divorces, keep the peace. >> i knew from my own kids -- to see their parents get along. >> reporter: they do it by following a couple of rules. one, don't argue in front of the kids; and, two, never say bad things about the ex. >> couples who bury the hatchet and form a cooperative parenting relationship have kids who turn out to be somewhat unaffected by divorce. they do well and thrive. you can't see a difference between them and kids who come from couples who don't divorce at all. >> reporter: that doesn't mean it's easy. psychologists say creating an amicable relationship with your former spouse means coming to terms with the hurt from the breakup itself. >> you're not going to even the score. it's time to let go, forgive and move on. >> good advice, says picket,

who believes putting the children first is the best way to help them through the most difficult times. for today's health minute, i'm christy paul. we're taking a look at long- distance relationships on abc2.com. experts say, in order to make it work, make sure you know your relationship is exclusive or open. you can log on to our home page and click on the lifestyles tab. you'll find a variety of relationship articles from how technology is affecting our relationships to how baby boomers lead the wave of gray divorce. it's all on abc2news.com. it's thursday. let's check out the drive home looking tonight. a live picture right now. 690 at liberty road. a lot of movement out there. we'll be right back after the break. [ 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.

should be back in the low 70s tomorrow. cool start to the morning. other than that, great weather. toward the weekend here, ravens sunday, columbus day monday. it's all good news. temperatures in the 70s each day, lots of sun. next chance of rain not until

tuesday of next week. >> excellent. forecasts like that making you a real popular guy. >> that's it for abc2 news at six. have a good one. see you so who is "making stuff up"? the news media say it's bob ehrlich... with attacks that have been called "false" and "misleading." made up attacks bob ehrlich knows aren't true. but here's what's not made up. bob ehrlich's $3 billion in taxes and fees. the $2.5 million he got paid working at a lobbying firm. or the fact ehrlich worked for the casinos to put slots at arundel mills mall. now, bob...that's all true.

ks to se jobs over seas. i think we need tax breaks to send kids to college. so i worked for a $2,500 tax credit to help pay for college. fought to get pell grants expanded and insisted that college loans go directly to kids instead of through banks. i'm barbara mikulski. i approve this message. because it's not about the next election, it's about the next generation. right? yeah!!!

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.