federal health officials usually adopt what the panel says, asking doctors and patients to follow the recommendations. with colder weather headed our way, some good news from bge. the utility says natural gas companies can expect lower heating bills. that's because the price of natural gas is down. if you use electric heat you may be able to save because the cost of generating electricity is down but your savings could vary on how cold the winters have become. members of a college sorority are on high alert after a rapist are targeting them. so far, four women have been attacked. >> reporter: members of the college sorority feel they could be the target. you can see the man who may be responsible for at life-threatening four sexual

assaults. police believe he has broken into women's homes between 9 p.m. and 4 a.m. >> it's happening inner that home. >> reporter: the women all live near each other and the suspect reveals personal details about their victims. african-americans in their mid-50s and 60s and members of the delta sigma sorority. >> rapists usually find victims just in their neighborhood that are convenient. >> reporter: since november 2010, four women were raped. now the delta sigma theta sorority is warning them to not wear their greek letters. the sorority said this is frightening to all and unbelievable that our sisterhood is being attacked. take another look at the video. the suspect is believed to be a

black plan in his 30s to 40s weighing about 300 pounds. the mostly black sorority has a quarter million members and celebrities like natalie coal to aretha franklin. the prosecution has rested. a nurse who treated michael jackson testified saying he had asked her to give him the same drug that ended his life. dr. murray's attorney testify -- said he needed the propofol to help him sleep. months after the conclusion of the casey anthony murder trial and acquittal, the names of the jurors are finally being released. experts say, so far, though, it's been very difficult to find any of them. weather wise, as clear as it

gets out there today. blue skies were the store i. temperatures comfortable, a little above average. mid-60s, upper 60s, not bad, a very clear scenario. right now temperatures across central maryland near 70, 71 winchester. mild stuff and not a lot of wind. breezy overnight but for the most part those winds have died right off. this eve fling temperatures will fall. mostly clear. mild, pleasant stuff. enjoy a quiet calm evening. clouds increasing, chances for rain coming in tomorrow night and that's the beginning of a big change. we've got those details straight ahead. coming up, a mother pleads guilty to drunk driving. wait until you figure out what precious cargo she had. mother nature puts on an

amazing show with sky's over michigan. we'll show you more when abc2 news continues. [ male announcer ] want to achieve more with your money? pnc virtual wallet gathers your spending and saving in one place. credit and debit purchases, checks, bills, and other financial information.

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some officers in detroit, michigan managed to get to a driver in time. they were tried to stop the car driven by a woman who was drunk with her two children in the back seat. they finely got her to stop by pushing her on the shoulder of the road. her blood alcohol level was almost three times legal limit. although the death toll increased to 359 people following that devastating 7.2 magnitude earthquake in turkey, some survivors are still being rescued. a dramatic story a mother, grand mother and baby were pulled from the rubble. the tiny girl was given oxygen and taken to a local hospital. her father, though, is still trapped. an amazing show in the stie sky. the northern lights were in full

display across much of the eastern part of the country. it's not unusual to see it in michigan and wisconsin but folks as far south as georgia and arkansas were taking pictures. scientists said the green and red hues happened when charged particles hit the earth's atmosphere. a big discovery off the coast of japan. divers took a good look at this wreckage. mongolian's ruler at the time sent the ship as part of an invasion in 1281. abc2 news is working for you in the quick to fix segment. if you see a problem, let us know. and you may be looking to find that perfect halloween costume for your kids, but make

sure you're finding one that giving you the right look and right safety features. the hazards you need to look out for when looking for costumes.

all the landscaping in the world may not help out a psychsville woman. problem is, her next door neighbor wants to turn his home into a business. >> reporter: this is not a -- >> it's not supposed to be a fence. >> reporter: but this makeshift eight foot fence has been a problem. >> this has escalated. >> but the wall built by her

neighbor is hiding a front yard on the other side strown with broken down cars and junk. >> he seems to have a recycling center or reclaimation center. they can bring their old stuff here. >> reporter: freedland said the problem has been growing for three years. she has been -- has been trying to sell her home. >> i called and they tried to stop him. then shortly thereafter it escalated. >> reporter: freedland spend letters to the zoning department. >> the fire department is also looking into this because they're worried about the storage of these liquids. >> we all have wells, and i'm

worried about the ground water. >> reporter: we tried talking to mr. mills but re-- mimes but received no answer. what would you like to see? >> i would like to seat influx of people dropping things off and him coming in with the dump truck to stop. it's not conducive to a neighborhood. >> reporter: remember that wall? freedland pointed out two places where it's bowing and close to falling. she said it can pose a real threat, including her 9-month-old daughter and mim's children. >> they have reopened the investigation and inspectors will go back and check on code violations. if you have a story you'd like

us to check out, you can email charley crowson. we take a live look. the sky is nice and clear. we're going to be falling back an hour, so that's going to change the game a little bit. for now just after 6:00. temperatures 65. humidity at 40%. take a lock at some of the weather across the sky in maryland. it was nothing but blue sky, just a wisp or two of high thin cover. annapolis, a beautiful blue sky over the severn river. how about one more stop.

our lady of perpetual help showing fall color and why not. it is the season for that. five sweeps all clear. that will hold up tonight and tomorrow. by tomorrow night and especially into thursday and friday we think there will be precipitation at times. mild, pleasant evening, could fire up the barbecue grill. very little wind, five to 10, but things begin to change rapidly over the next 24 hours. rete now hardly a -- right now hardly a cloud in the sky. cyclo genesis is the weather nerd term. that's what we've got going on. this system could be a large one. it will replace the high pressure that's keeping us high and dry. by tomorrow afternoon we could see a couple of showers come. the main store will begin to develop south of chicago in

earnest tomorrow evening and begin to send waves in our direction. overnight into the day thursday. as the whole thing really begins to wind up into friday, likely there will be wintry weather. unless something dramatic changes, we'll see rain. tropical satellite, hurricane rina still churning in the caribbean sea and not that far from cancun. the national hurricane center plot. it could go a category three as it makes landfall in cancun and briefly cozumel. about 1,000 miles from brownsville, texas, actually southwest florida could be affected by sunday night. overnight 45, a few clouds. tomorrow 70. that will be nice but clouds

increasing, a late day shower and tomorrow night rain will become likely. the better chances overnight. seven-day forecast, again, the changes begin in earnest tomorrow night. temperatures will be the big change. it will be a windy day, kind of raw. saturday looks like a few slowrs lingering and 47 for a high temperature will be quite the change, so, again, october winds will begin to blow in a couple of days. >> thanks a lot, wyatt. let's talk about politics now. in tonight as democracy 2012, claiming you'll be able to fill out your tax return on a most card. we have the very latest. taxes on a postcard.

that should make this pretty popular, uh? >> reporter: you would think. when you fill out your taxes you have all this paperwork. he is saying you can do it on a postcard. rick perry's campaign has been in neutral. he's hoping this tax plan might change that. it's called cut, balance and grow. maybe not as catchy as 9-9-9 but perry hopes his plan will generate more buzz. >> it cuts taxes and it also cuts spending. it balances the budget by 2020 and it grows jobs and it gross the economy. >> reporter: here's how the tax plan would work. this basically means all americans would have the choice of a 20% flat tax rate and now americans will be able to file their taxes on just one postcard alone. it would cut corporate taxes from 35% to 20%. as we were saying, americans now have the choice between their

current system and that of the flat tax. >> so the average american, do you think though would know which choice to make? >> i think what rick perry is trying to do is get a little bit of that 9-9-9 mojo. cain was an after thought until he launched his plan. perry wants some of that magic. >> reporter: this came out after the debate. it shows perry in sixth place, cain in first place with 25%. >> cain is making news with a smoking ad. >> his chief have staff is talking about by herman cain should be the candidate. i just want to play a portion of it. >> we need you to get involved

because together we can do this. we can take this country back. >> so quite literally a smoking ad. you can see why everyone's talking about it. >> joining us live from washington, d.c. thanks for that live report. is this halloween going to be more tricks or treats. some have felt this with the higher cost of costumes and candy. why you're paying more for those sweet treats this year. >> reporter: the treats are piled up. kitkats, reeses peanut butter cups. >> they're high. >> reporter: we took our sweet tooth shops, first stop target. the candy is on sale. >> i think it's a little high. this is one of the cheaper bags we saw. >> reporter: giant shoppers are

saying the sai. buying in bulk will spear your wallet. in target it comes in at 18 cents an ounce. at another 20 contracts an ounce. >> i don't buy as much as i used to. >> reporter: the price fluctuation comes down to the federal government's subsidy that helps some sugar growers. the executive director said the national league is opposed to sugar subsidies because it drives the price up. a peanut shortage is also said to be driving up the price of peanut butte and candy. the changes have spooked shoppers, enough to make changes on halloween night. >> i'm not going to buy as much as i would. the bowls will be a little more shallow on the front porch this year. >> we may continue to notice the

high price of peanuts. farmers are expected to produce the smallest harvest recorded in five years, but less candy typically means happier parents. that's true. coming up at 6:00, more and more pets are showing up in local shelters. this is almost -- always a sign that people are struggling. do you have a snoring problem? plus, a leal man retires as the head of ibm. all those stories and more coming up at 6:00.

all i've been hearing about -- halloween. it condition be one of the most dangerous times of the year. we're working for you from the costumes to the candy. how to avoid some of the common halloween hazards. >> reporter: kids of all ages love halloween. buying a costume can be part of the fun. >> kids love to get dressed up and go out. >> reporter: when choosing an outfit keep safety in mind from top to bottom. >> think about from head to toe for kids. you want it make sure their vision isn't obstructed, that their clothes have something reflective on it, that their shoes are tied and they're not wearing anything baggy. >> reporter: don't let kids handle props with sharp edges.

instead of masks that don't fit properly, experts recommend face paint but test it out first. >> mothers and fathers should test it on their kid's skin. >> reporter: kids should wait until they get home to dig into their trick or treat basket so parents can check it. >> parents should be on alert and check it. >> reporter: for consume watch, i'm -- consumer, i'm karen cave -- karen caifa. >> fedex is gearing up for the holiday season. with all that shopping and shipping, the global shipping giant said december 12th is set to be the busiest day it's ever had and they're expecting more

than 17 million packages. the company is adding 20,000 temporary workers. coca-cola is unveiling a specially designed can for a new had campaign. it's protecting polar bears in their habitat. the company has teamed up with the world wield life foundation. the can will be all white. the special cans will be available throughout the holiday season. well, talk of a gas tax increase has become an official recommendation. what else could you be paying more for to make sure transportation needs around the state have enough money. that's coming up on abc2 news at 6:00 which starts for you right now. hey, hey, hey, what did we do to deserve this, a break on our heating