it has happened again. burglars strike a nature center in west baltimore making off with some of its exotic animals. good evening, i'm roosevelt leftwich. this second break-in comes on the heels of another theft over the weekend. at the murray nature center in leakin park. there's late word tonight, however, police recovered the animals. jeff hager has details on what was taken. >> reporter: a second call to police in as many days sent officers back to the nature center where director corrine parks took inventory of which animals were missing. >> see how you can bite? i don't know how they take these things. >> reporter: this time the burglars took a pair of baby vail competans like this one. >> reporter: chameleons. >> these are the sickest ones, we were trying to get them back to health. >> reporter: many of the preserve's most famous animals remained untouched after someone first broke in over the weekend and made off with some of the more popular species. >> iguanas missing.

map turtles, box turtles are missing. a couple of our geckos are gone. >> reporter: a malfunctioning security system at the center left no one to sound an alarm. [alarm sound] --- >> reporter: now in a learning environment where school children get exposed to animals they could only otherwise read about officers are hoping to learn more about the overconfident burglars and any evidence they may have left behind. >> you become attend amped you want other -- attached and you want others to see them and learn about them. it's just not right. you can't have anything nice for anybody anymore. very sad. they've gotten good fingerprints now so i'm happy about that. >> reporter: in west baltimore, jeff hager, abc2 news. late this afternoon police managed to recover the stolen animals. it appears some parents of some of the teens near the center called officers to turn them in. the animals were not harmed. here's a look at our top stories tonight.

a baltimore city police officer is fired after being investigated by the federal government. the feds have yet to release details but according to keith nowlin's attorney his voice was picked up on a wiretap set up to track a suspected drug target. nowlin has not been charged with a crime. a university of miami student remains in critical condition after a hit-and-run saturday night. police say 21-year-old jared paul jones, a graduate of loch raven high school is in a coma in a florida hospital. witnesses said the driver stopped mole momentarily before taking off. the witness is described as a man in a silver sedan. house ethics committee panel members found charles rangel of new york guilty on 11 of 13 counts of breaking ethics rules. he came under fire nor not disclosing assets and using official resources to raise money for a new york colleger name after him. the ethics committee will hold a hearing to get the

appropriate punishment. impeachment is not considered a punishment in line with charges filed against hem. weather scenario today, no doubt about that. we picked upwards of a quarter to almost a half-inch of rain in most places today. so wet weather across the state. let's look first at maryland's most powerful doppler radar. and shower activity beginning to break up a little bit. not as heavy and steady as it was earlier tonight. still finding pretty decent rains though just south of easton near the cambridge area. again. as we take a wider perspective here, across the baltimore area, still quite a bit of rain, we're going to see more of this tracking up the i-95 corridor. again, more wet weather inbound but it will be on and off rain as opposed to steady rain. here's some of the totals so far. quarter-inch edgemere. almost a half-inch in ellicott city and clarksville. so, yeah, it's been wet out there today. this evening, still a few

showers. cloudy wet weather is the story tonight but there are big changes. tomorrow we're going to bring up the wind, bring up the temperatures but not for long. we have all the details coming up. tonight it's back to business at pikesville high school. earlier today authorities were investigating a bomb threat. according to police the bomb squad was on scene but officials say this was a false alarm. activities cancelled at ohio state university tonight after bomb threats were e-mailed to the fbi. ohio state evacuated four buildings including the main library. students and faculty have been warned to stay out of that area. our look at news around the nation starts in miami. an elderly woman and her 9-month-old grandson had a close call during a trip to the post office. a driver lost control and hit the pair who were standing in front of the building forcing them through the glass windows. the grandmother only had a knee injury but amazingly the infant wasn't hurt at all. >> i wanted to make sure he was ok. that he was breathing and

acting like his normal self and he was. >> he was reunited at the hospital with his mother. this character in a clown mask flew open my bathroom door i was on the commode. so i was kind of surprised. >> what great hair. robbery isn't usually a laughing matter but for one woman in ohio it eventually did become, after one man wearing a clown mask broke into her house and tried to rob her. >> wanted to know where all my drugs and money were. i said, boy, did you break into the wrong house. i said this is my blood pressure medicine. you want some of that? no. i said, this is medicine to help me sleep. you want something to help you sleep? he said no. he wanted oxycontin and money. i thought about doing ninja stuff to him but thought, no, he's faster than i am. i more or less just sat there on the lid.

>> well, if you knew akron, ohio, you would know this is what happens there. the robber was caught and arrested. the 77-year-old victim says she lost about 28 bucks, $1,000 worth of cheap costume jewelry and her ford escort. the one thing he didn't rob her of, her sense of humor. today the baltimore ravens teamed up with baltimore city council president jack young to help the homeless. several star players such as joe flacco and others gave out winter coats and personal items to 300 homeless men. it was organized by katherine's closet. it is one of the most anticipated new films of the century. "harry potter and the deathly hallows." there's a sneak peek at the owings mills 17 theatre. this is a live picture of the harry potter bus. the 100 black men and 100 black women of america are hosting

tonight's sneak peek. you heard her at the cmas. now hear her at first mariner arena. carrie underwood will be in town tonight for a concert and show. it starts at 7:30. hope you got a ticket. a rough economy and higher prices means less money for giving this year. why thanksgiving dinner for the needy will take a big hit this year. still ahead at 5:30, big numbers on the scoreboard last night but someone has to go home tonight. the fantastic four will become the thrilling three.

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stocks are falling to their lowest level in a month after worries over a slowdown in china. all across the country charities say that turkey donations dropped dramatically had thanksgiving. some blame a rough economy and higher prices. clayton sandell has more. >> reporter: volunteers at the denver rescues mission are standing by waiting for drivers to drop off thanksgiving turkeys.

>> we had a slow time because of the recession. >> reporter: from california to connecticut charities nationwide report turkey donations dropped dramatically. >> we started the drive on november 1st. 10 days into it we have zero turkeys. >> reporter: charities are blaming a rough economy and turkey prices that this year average 20% higher. >> everybody in their own families is trying to scrape and save. i think it's a little harder, people aren't as generous. >> reporter: for people in need volunteers say the impact goes beyond one holiday meal. >> when turkey donations are down we can't provide the same kind of services we normally would in the community. it's services for seniors, homeless, children, victims of domestic violence. >> reporter: as word of the turkey trouble spreads more people are donating but many groups still haven't met their goals. with time running out before thanksgiving, empty storage freezers are slowly filling up. as charities everywhere hope to close the turkey gap.

clayton sandell, abc news, denver. for the first time since the vietnam war a living american soldier has been awarded the congressional medal of honor. how he braved bullets to save a friend from the taliban and why he says the nation's highest honor isn't just for him. an environmental disaster. a world sports event and politician helped shape the top words of 2010. this year's memorable lingo coming up.

for the first time since the vietnam war a living american soldier has been awarded the medal of honor. the story of savatore giunta. >> reporter: savatore giunta says the medal is too big for one man. >> this is big. i can't take this for myself.

i'm going to think about them and where it happens, i'll be thinking about them and when it's done i'll be thinking about them. >> reporter: it happened in october, 2007. that day like nearly everyday in the afghanistan valley across the pakistani border his unit faced heavy fire. he earned the honor of a nation and praise of a president that day. >> i'm going off script here for a second and just say i really like this guy. [ laughter ] >> reporter: this is the scene a day earlier as the soldier learns his friend has been shot dead. the next day, 22-year-old specialist giunta would face the challenge of a lifetime displaying what the award describes as conspicuous gallantry. staff sergeant brad perry was near him when they were ambushed. >> i can't describe the intensity. >> reporter: giunta watched his best friend badly wounded, dragged away by insurgents. he charged into the ambush after them under heavy fire. >> i was hit twice, one round

slamming into his body armor, the other shattering a weapon, slung across his back. >> he was putting everything he had in to keep him alive. he was talking to him, comforting him. >> reporter: brennan didn't make it. today giunta says he shares in the nation's highest honor. it's a distinction reserved for the most valiant of american warriors, confirmed just six times before for the wars in iraq and afghanistan, in every case to troops who lost their lives in the effort. john hendren, abc news, washington. >> to see more of staff sergeant savatore giunta's story, log on to our web site at abc2news.com. if you click on the news tab at the top of the home page, then click on "nation" you can see a documentary featuring him. we warn you the film i very graphic in nature. soggy, gray day outside. >> yeah. wet weather.

we get this a lot in november. we expect it here this time of year. no snow. interesting, toward thursday, western maryland, west frederick, towards hagerstown. could be flurry action in the state. thursday. probably thursday afternoon. nothing like that in baltimore. >> let it snow in west virginia. >> they like that out there. frostburg. trying to get the ski season early. not going to happen yet. looking at maryland's most powerful doppler radar. still some decent rain flowing in out of the south right now. to give you a little bit of localized look here, zoom you down a little bit, elkton still seeing pretty decent rains up here through cecil county. more rain also up towards aberdeen now. significant rain back here through easton. across the route 50 bridge you'll get soaked a little here. also rain back through easton and down into talbot county and towards dorchester county, some rain there. more rain to the west now. and this is the territory where

we could see a little bit of a brief wintry mix on the high country here toward cumberland. come thursday afternoon. none of that tonight though. the air is way too warm but still some rain out to the west. we'll look for more hit and miss rain here across the baltimore area. let's show you first what it looks like out there tonight. it's definitely a generally wet and dreary scenario out there right now. current conditions 55 degrees. humidity 93%. winds from the east at 7 miles per hour. at the moment. so, the wind does not come up tremendously but we expect it will. i want to show you daily rainfall totals across the area. these have been more significant to the west and the east. just to the east of baltimore. only about a 10th inch or so. right around baltimore, around a third inch, quarter-inch. looks like we may have seen some spots up to an inch rain

to the west. so wet especially areas west of dc today across the state. temperatures running in the mid-50s now. not much of a wind chill with no wind but boy, nasty dreary weather. baltimore today, gwynn oak, you can see the rain dodge down there soaking the cars. you had to run and keep that umbrella handy today. winds are light right now. out of the east. these are going to pick up big time. gusty winds tomorrow, 25, 30, 35 miles per hour. windy day on tap. it will be a mild windy day but a lot of wind nonetheless and less rainy, too. mid-50s now. 60 in dc. we got 61 in easton. and salisbury. large swath of precipitation here scattered activity mainly to our south. real quickly here, our weather pattern, storm system tracking north and east. this thing will move out pretty rapidly during the overnight into the day tomorrow. and we'll get cool air on the backside of this thing toward thursday. in the meantime, rain will

continue overnight. will dry things out and it will be just partly cloudy on a wednesday but cooler air later this week. overnight 52. more rain, tapers off late tomorrow, generally dry, mix of clouds and sun 61. but we windy. and windy tomorrow night and blustery and cold, 38. as winds shift from the south to the north. we're talking about a chilly scenario into friday but recovery this weekend. back into the upper 50s. mild early next week. president obama's new children's book hit the shelves today. first daughter sasha and malia inspired the president to write "of thee i sing, a letter to my daughters." it's a tribute to 13 groundbreaking americans and the ideals that shaped our nation. from georgia o'keefe to jackie robinson to george washington. proceeds from the book to be donated to a scholarship for children of the fallen and disabled soldiers.

during last night's "dancing with the stars," semifinals, the judges gave out -- i should say 13 tens, 10 nines and one 8. george pennacchio has the post-show report. >> reporter: jennifer grey and her partner with scores of 10-10-10. they return for triple 10s again, this time for the wonderful waltz. >> it was kind of emotional. for me, and afterwards we were just kind of - >> ok, he was crying like a baby. i got him to pull it together. i said pull it together. it's just a dance show. >> she said why are you crying? >> reporter: carl and his partner lacy shwilmer scored an almost perfect nine for their sampla and came back with the argentine tango. dancing to second place with the judges. >> wow, you put it like that, it's crazy.

what more could we have possibly asked for? i have no words to express how excited i am. except for sexy. >> reporter: one point behind them, brandi and her partner. they began the evening with triple 9s for their pasa doble, with the pressure on they returned to score triple 10s for their argentine tango. third place. >> whatever happens, happens. i'm just happy that we were able to give our all tonight and be the best we can be. >> hopefully they will reward brandi with the finale and beyond. i just feel very proud of her accomplishment. >> reporter: bristol palin and mark are proud of theirs, too. though they are at the bottom of the judge's leaderboard they got their best scores of the season. triple 9s for their pasa doble and later added 26 more points for their waltz. >> i'm blessed to be here and have opportunities like this show and fans that keep voting us in. >> reporter: the semifinals

scores were the best of the "dancing with the stars" season but that won't be enough for one of the couples. because before tonight is over, one more couple goes home. we'll find out who during the results show on abc. george pennacchio forks abc news, los angeles. apple's i-tune service is going to sell music from the fab four. a group that has so far been the most prominent holdout from on-line music services. the company that mappings the band's affairs resisted until now. there have been legal battles between apple computer and apple corporation, the beatle's original record label. nearly one year ago the body of kenneth graham was found in annapolis. his killer has never been found. tonight, a look at the evidence and why police refuse to give up on this cold case. and spending the holidays at the dorms country have to be a -- doesn't have to be a weekends of carryout food.

healthier alternatives. that and more coming up. ♪ ♪ [ dad ] yeah! [ cheers and applause ] [ male announcer ] achievement gets points for living life. earn pnc points for your credit and debit card purchases. ♪

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those of the vuvuzeras, those noisy horns used during the world cup in south africa. their name is also one of the top words of 2010. sarah palin's term refudiate, a combination of refute and repudiate is another top word of the year. also, spill cam, that thing there made famous during the bp oil spill. and snowmageddon. which was president obama's nickname for the winter storm that blanketed the mid-atlantic

last summer. if you would like taking megabucks to philly and new york city you'll love the company's latest announcement. same $1 fares. with three new cities. more on abc2 news at 6:00, which starts right now. their prayers span over 1100 miles for a towson man run down by a car in florida. good evening, i'm kelly swoope. the parents of 21-year-old jared paul jones say their son is in a coma tonight. he was hit by a car in coral gables, florida, near the campus of the university of miami where he attends school. police are searching for the driver. >> at this point authorities have few leads finding the driver of the car who witnesses say appeared to be an elderly man. >> hello, my name is paul. >> reporter: jared paul jones loves the