better baltimore. mayor stephanie rawlings-blake emerged from city hall to assume the role of city top executive for another four years. >> i see a city where over the span of a decade, 10,000 more families will choose to live in baltimore and where we are made stronger because of it. this is our future together. >> rawlings-blake aassumed the role of mayor last year after her predecessor stepped down. her supporters say she's restored integrity to the office. >> she came into the blizzard, right into a budget blizzard. we even had a tornado. she's got a steady hand, and she's just the right kind of person for this kind in baltimore history.

>> the people supported her. they believe baltimore is back on its way to being a city that can be put on a pedestal, a city that can be shopped around nationally. that's what we need. we need tourism, more jobs. >> reporter: rawlings-blake would have to seek another full term. the supporters say her unwavering commitment may help her overcome any obstacles that may stand in her way. >> today baltimore renews its spirit. state and federal government will not do the hard work for us. in fact, sometimes they'll make it harder. it is now in our hands to build a future that sustains us and where our children may inherit a city that is stronger than we found it. >> the goal of adding 10,000

families would mean adding 22,000 people over the decade. jeff hager, abc2 news. a messy day but the rain coming down at times. we have heavy rain right now. let's pinpoint it, still heavy downpours extending through queen anne's county and centerville. we have another wave of rain beginning to push to the south and west. this will move through anne arundel county death another round of -- getting another round of rain. temperatures running mild in the low 60s. rainy with some fog. through the 50s we'll go. we'll talk about how things change dramatically. you've been outside, rainy, dreary and that can translate

into an awful commute. let's check in with jamie costello. >> this looks like your christmas tree, red on one side, string of wheat on the other side. i'll zip you around town. trying to get out of the city. this has been backed up since 4:00. if you're heading up 95, no problem. we went to the northeast and into elkton. here we are on shawan road, shawan road always this problem right here going up around the hunt valley mall, so be careful on 83 northbound. if you're heading over to the shore, no problem getting across the bridge. our final shot 70 at 29 backed up around the 29 trying to get on to 70. are a going to be late. back to you. >> take your patience with you. tonight a pennsylvania

community is mourning the loss of five high school students. the students attended new oxford high. police say they were traveling in a saturn yesterday afternoon which crossed the center line of the highway. witnesses say it looks like the driver was trying to get back into the center lane when a pickup truck slammed into the car. all five students died at the scene. a 14-year-old anne arundel high school student is charged with sexually assaulting another student last week. the board of education received an anonymous tip. the student told police she was sexual assaulted in a school bathroom during school hours. >> the 14-year-old male was known to the victim and was served a juvenile citation. >> the teen is currently in the custody of a family member. >> we have an update on that breaking news we told you about

last night. a baltimore county officer accidentally fired his gun during a search and seizure warrant and hit a baltimore city officer. police had gone to the house on pinecove avenue as part of a drug investigation. they arrested vernon johnson before the shooting. johnson is facing several drug charges. the latest now on that condo minimum fire in northwest baltimore that forced hundreds of people, many seniors out of their home. the heather ridge fire was cause bid a tea kettle left on the stove. yesterday the city building inspector began looking at some of the units. well, the political aide to

former governor robert ehrlich accused in the robocalls was found guilty. despite the robocalls, governor o'malley won the election. and former prince george's county county executive jack johnson will serve time in prison. he was arrested last year and convicted for taking hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes. authorities used a stayed conversation in which he said to stuff a check down the toilet and stuff cash into her underwear so it wouldn't be found by the fbi. johnson apologized at the sentencing but the u.s. district judge said he was not moved.

we are learning more about the child sex abuse case against jerry sandusky. sandusky will face all victims in court. >> the victims have quite the resolve to get up there, tell their story and make the truth known. >> former pennsylvania prosecutor kathleen cain has put hundreds of abuse ares in prison. cain said the machine will be cross-examined by the defense just as in an actual trial and their identities are likely to be hidden. he had a second interview, this time with the new york times. he said they twisted his innocent mentoring into the making of a monster. for some it's hard to pick

up the right gift. so you take the easy route and get a gift card. depending on where you buy it, it could be risky. >> reporter: kelly, gift cards are a multibillion dollar industry and scammers want a piece of the cash. the better business bureau is warning about gift card scams, so is the federal government's internet crime center. it's prime season for scammers. with the big racks of cards it can be easy for scammers to write down the numbers or scan them. go for ones behind the card. look for signs of tampering. make sure the pin numbers have not been uncovered. be aware of cards sold or traded on the internet, especially on auction sites. if they're sold for a fraction, that's a red card.

it's best to buy them from the card it did -- store itself. they require all the terms and conditions to be put front and center on the gift card packaging. to see all the tips, log on to a special page we've created at abc2news.com slash holiday. >> for many without a job, money is tighter. the mayor of one city makes a real disturbing comment online. this may be raining here but at least we're not dealing with the extreme winter weather that hit the western u.s. how they're dealing with a white prechristmas out west.

it's beginning to look a lot like christmas where a cold blast left people shivering. snow is already coating cactuses in arizona, one of the several states hit with that blast of cold canadian air. it also fell in texas. temperatures dropped in new mexico. drivers had to dodge black ice in washington state, some without success and the danger was getting stuck. that's where this guy came in. >> this guy came with a jeep and pulled us out. >> a group of four-wheeled jeep owners volunteered their time rescuing some of the stranded drivers. with the winter weather just around the corner or days away,

we are looking for ways to save on our heating bill. we have some tips to help you save money. the better business bureau said make sure the furnace filter is clean, the thermostat is working properly and the pilot light works. you should have the chimney inspected for animal, debris. and check for clutter in glutters. the ridge vents should be cleaned and test the smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors and check for cracking and peeling.

wet scenario, always more traffic. a lot of people having a tough time driving in the rain. 62 degrees. we also have the potential for patchy fog, that mist getting thick, visibility seven miles at bwi. you can see it. it's just enough fog and mist and drizzle to make things tough. the rain coming down fairly heavy and steady. harford county socked in with the fog, mist and rain as well, much the same scenario in carroll county, looking weflt and -- west and finding no sunshine. i'll show you where some of the heaviest rain is. it's beginning to clear out near church hill, near henderson. there's another shot of farley heavy rain -- fairly heavy rain in eastern virginia. that could impact southern anne arundel county and back out

towards talbot county and easton. man, it is mild. we're not low 60s out there -- in the low 60s out there. southerly breeze helping to push up that mild surge of air. we're five to seven miles so down from normal. this is not like thick and impossible, but it does get difficult to see. that doesn't help the visibility, the dense ti -- density of the fog. more rain potential throughout the night. a new surge of rain should develop tomorrow. you can see the beginning of the next area of low pressure. it will ride along that front. that will bring in another wave of rain and begin to wrap in the

colder temperatures, but you can see that line. man that is quite the sharp contrast. that colder air, just above freezing in chicago, and detroit, that will make its presence. yes, the chance for a wintry mix tomorrow night. the future trend show as heavy wave of rain towards daybreak. it could be an ugly commute because of rain, same thing tomorrow evening. look for a messy one. here's that changeover to snow on the back side. as it blows out, that brief changeover could coat especially from areas west of i-95 could coat the grassy surfaces, mainly west of baltimore. i'm telling you, it won't stick to the roads. only 58 tonight. 57 tomorrow. surfaces will be warm even as we

get that brief changeover. so more rain and wet snow by dawn. it will be clear by thursday morning but we put the wintry showers to show that comes in overnight wednesday. into the weekend, we're breezy and colder. looks like 42 or so. it will be a chilly one for the ravens game. >> wintry mix. >> all right. thanks a lot. got some cool video we want to show you. hockey vans. they're not necessarily known for their manners. teddy bears. it's the 17th annual teddy bear toss. the first goal and they let's fur fly, literally. they donated it to local charities. this time the crowd was so

generous. over 25,000 animals were collected. speaking of toys and giving to the needy, this is the time of the year you see the lovely lights and decorations. it's also time for the kindertime toy drive. pick up a gift or two for a child in need. you have until december 22nd to donate new, unwrapped toys. just drop them off at 15 local walmart stores, also celebree learning centers, state police barracks, fire stations in baltimore and anne arundel. the toy drive is partnering up with the bso program. if you have an instrument, you can drop those off, tood we'll distribute those along with the

toys you're donating. if you're a parent, the word temper tantrum can strike fear in your heart. researchers may have come up with a way to shorten it. forget about those expensive weight loss prom -- programs. a new solution may have to do with the color wheel than what you eat. we'll have to break that one down for you.

a new study sheds light on how top handle your kid's temper tantrums. researchers had the task of listening to hundreds of temper

tantrums and found they were composed from both anger and sadness, that the easiest way to stop it is to do nothing. just let the ainge per burn itself out. the sadness will likely have the child reaching out for come for the from a patient. being born premature could hurt your child's iq. while most become stronger and thrive, some will end up with developmental issues that will last into adulthood. people who are born extremely premature with a birth rate of less than 3.3 pounds scored less on memory and attention and they took more time to complete the tasks. richers say the cognitive changes happen because of changes in the way the baby's brain develops as well as minor

brain injuries caused by leaving the womb too early. your child's doctor may not be giving you the hard truth about your kid's weight. researchers looked at data of kids between two and 15. all the kids had body mass indexes in the 85th percentile or higher. researchers asked whether a doctor had mentioned a child being overweight. less than a quarter heard their child's weight w problem. the study said more research is needed to figure out why doctors weren't mentioning these weight issues to parents. you want an easy way to lose weight? look at the color of your plate. it can control your appetite. a study found people serve themselves more food if their plate match their food. two dietitians did a test and

served two scoops of spaghetti with marinara sauce on a red plate and a white plate. on the red plate the food gets lost but on the white place it made the food look pasta because of the contrast. so the theory; the more contrast, the less you're likely to eat. is there a color that helps you eat less? >> if you're really trying to watch your weight, then maybe what you want to do is look for the bluish plate you have and use that. that's the least appealing blnd with -- blend with food. >> i guess that makes a lot of sense. abc2news.com is your place for all the health news you nee.d you'll find today's health headlines as well as a lot of different categories to find information that you and your family need to stay save and

healthy. coming up, a music teacher changes the words to a beloved christmas song. how the students reacted and why the teacher made the change in the first place. would you stick to a short ad to save a few bucks? why ads may be popping up next.

j

the casino has been controversial, where you might be able to find a job before the end of the year. how one michigan teacher's words for a christmas carol sparked a backlash. >