outbaked the competition. help wanted. it's the message the maryland live casino is sending out starting today. the casino near anne arundel mall is set to open today. >> this project has come long way in a few moptds -- months. summer 2012 is when the jobs will begin to be filled. he is the president and general manager of maryland live casino. his team launched this website posting about 15 jobs to start. that will expand in the coming weeks offering up to 1500 jobs

from part-time positions worth $10 an hour to six-figure executive positions. the response to just the first round is strong, upwards of 350 applications for just one opening. >> from here to april, when we will and the hiring process, we'll add jobs continually every week and that process will ramp up. today it's 15 to 20 jobs. by the end we'll be hiring hundreds at a time. >> reporter: they will have a recruiting event. you can jump start it by applying on the website, all in an effort to get the team in place. in anne arundel county, brian kuebler, abc2 news. >> for more information, you can log on to our information at abc2news.com and click on the story's link. the unemployed have

collected $434 billion in benefits over the last four years. now taxpayers have footed more than a third of the cost. taxes covered from -- from employers covered the rest. if congress does not act, 5 million americans would lose their benefits. it turns out that mass exodus from the big banks this year wasn't as big as first thought. the credit union national association surveyed how many switched t -- switched and it was up. the cuna said it was more like 14,000 people. they said the mixup was likely due to vague language in the previous survey.

stephanie rawlings-blake has been sworn in for a four-year term. it is her first full term since taking over from sheila dixon. she announced new goals including getting 10,000 new families to move to the city. she has occupied the position for two years already. in anne arundel county detectives are investigating a sexual assault at an anne arundel high school. a female student was sexually assaulted by a male student in the bathroom during the school day. the 14-year-old is charged as a juvenile with attempted second degree rape and sexual assault. gift cards are a multibillion dollar industry and naturally, scammers are constantly trying to find new ways to take advantage of that. the better business bureau has a couple of preace men dation --

recommendations. try top find cards from behind the counter and check for tampering. pretty ugly out there. take a look, maryland's most powerful radar tracking heavy and steady rains. you're getting another wave coming down now. there's more rain in waldorf, moving through charles county, talbot county, st. michael's and queen anne's county. there's more rain developing to the south. we can see continued rain on and off. we're seeing reduced visibility with fog, just five miles half of normal in terms of visibility. the rest of the evening we'll call for rain showers, patchy fog and mist. by this time you'll feel the difference and the collapse for some wintry weather is coming up. you know, it's one of the

traditional christmas carols nearly all of us have heard or sung before but a teacher in michigan decided to make a small change to the lyrics that's causing a big problem for her. jamie costello has more. >> reporter: the music teacher had been teaching the song deck the halls and changed it from don the gay apparel. to don the bright apparel. >> we have a policy that includes sexual orientation. this is the way to be respectful. >> reporter: parents agreed that

the change was inappropriate but said it gave them a chance to explain what the word meant and that gay was not a bad word to their kids. in another michigan city, the mayor is apologizing for using an antigay slur on facebook. the mayor of troy posted i think i'm going to throw away i love my new york bag now that queers can get married there. he was confronted by 20 protesters and days later offered an apology. the students said they do not feel the apology is sincere and asked her to step down. two teens ended a life lesson. how they escaped the rushing floodwaters. an update in the search for

the geezer bandit.

an afternoon accident turned into a shutdown.

a truck driver, hauling a log -- load of logs was on the ramp when it shifted and fell over. the driver has been charged with reckless driving. no one was hurt. two teens in southwest ohio were lucky to escape after their car got stuck in floodwaters. they were trying to drive through the water but didn't make. this they makethey managed to drive through. a bridge collapsed under the weight of rushing water, trapping a family. no one was injured. people feared the bridge would crumb belt the mayor is working on getting emergency crews to the other side. police in central california believe they have found a clow that will lead them -- clue that

will lead them to this man, the geezer bandit. he is expected in the robbery of 16 banks, the most recent one last friday. they found a day planner in the parking lot and believes it belongs to the suspect. although he has been nicknamed the geezer bandit, he should be considered armed and dangerous and may be someone wearing a disguise. >> someone wins big on a national show. where to find the best cupcakes in town. and although it feels like they've been campaigning forever, we're still a month away from the first republican presidential primary.

a little bakery from bel air won the show cupcake wars on the food network. >> reporter: it may be winter but you get a warm feeling when you walk into the beak ri. all that glitters, at least in this shop is better than cold, especially today, the first day it's open since the episode aired on cupcake wars. >> we had a blast. we won. >> that was so insane. 1,000 cupcakes in two hours. we pulled it off. >> reporter: jason led the team. >> i've been baking in my kitchen with my grandma and aunt since i was a little kid. it was awesome when we won. i know this will put flavor on

the map. we were already so ingrained in the community. we're all about bel air, the outer edges of bel air. it was great, exciting to think of all the people to bring in. >> we already have boxes back there. >> reporter: for the the owner, this is a great topping. >> we're making things happen. all right. start off with a look at the heaviest rain. pretty good band of rain towards ton ni town,, calvert county through st. mary's and charles county, more rain where you have plenty in easton. as we take a look at the current conditions in baltimore, not a

lot of wind. south breeze, warm conditions. after sunset, 62. winds are southwest at seven. tough visibilities at times as we continue to see the mist, drizzle and fog. wet roads and traffic headaches. that's been the scenario just about all day long. you see the temperatures on the eastern half of the state running in the low 60s, 50s to the west. eve out in the maryland mountains -- even out in the maryland mountains, temperatures solid. there is a window, but it comes through the middle of the night tomorrow night. it does look like a brief window. winds out of the south bringing up very warm air. so the temperatures are warm. visibility is reduced to half of normal, although from frederick west to hagerstown, restricted

visibility. that south breeze is keeping the dense fog from developing. southern maryland to the eastern shore. there's or rain to the south. this whole system will continue to pump rain into the area through the night and into the day tomorrow by thursday, a new disturbance south of the one passing us now. there's another one developing on the south side of that front. as that comes through tomorrow it will help wrap in the colder air. so temperatures are set to drop tomorrow night and into the week. you see the numbers north and west, des moines, iowa, down to 23 degrees. here's the trend. here's the timing. more rain tomorrow. it looks like it could be a headache because of the rain and fog. tomorrow night rain and now you begin to see the wintry weather develop on the back side of the system. the one wild card how fast will it go. no matter what, the ground will be above freezing.

so the grassy surfaces could see an inch or two by daybreak. so the city can get a coating of slush out of this thing. overnight 58. rain and fog heavy at times. tomorrow 57. so temperatures falling through the day. that high comes early. then things get colder. as that happens, more rain converting to wet snow by dawn. just a couple hours worth. expect a coating, maybe an inch or two. hey, check it out. this weekend looking dry and much cooler. temperatures struggling to 40 saturday and sunday. kelly? >> thanks a lot. something to look forward to. even more good news for former speaker newt gingrich as two polls show him holding a commanding lead in two primary states. the primary calendar could be

gingrich's biggest ally. >> reporter: take a look at january. it's jam packed and just around the corner. that could be a good thing for newt gingrich. i want to start in iowa and compare numbers across several states. all right, in iowa he was 10% in october. now he's 33%. head south to south carolina, this will be the first southern state that will vote. october 6%. now he's at 38%. finally florida. back in october newt gingrich had 11%. now he's at 50%. if gingrich can hold on to support, win some of the states and he could be in the driving seat come february. >> he's the rescents leader -- recent leader.

>> reporter: take a list on it what david axelrod had to say. >> i don't think there's a single person in this country that did more to create the kind of discord in washington than we see today than newt gingrich. he is really the godfather of gridlock. >> reporter: kelly the godfather of gridlock. ill' leave it at that. >> quite a description. mitt romney has taken a back sheet in the headlines. i understand today he's picked up a big endorsement. >> reporter: this is mitt romney standing side by side with former vice-president dan quayle. take a listen. >> he's our best hope to take on president obama. mitt romney. i'll tell you one thing, folks. the obama people believe he's

the toughest competitor. they don't want to run against him. they'll take anyone but the mitt romney. >> reporter: really, electionibility has been mitt romney's strong suit. polls show that he has the best chance of beating president obama. >> thanks a lot. live from washington. the anne arundel council has voted to make major rezoning changes but that has angered a lot living in anne arundel. now you're asking for your county executive to veto the changes. and a family is suing carroll county over more than just neglect. now here's a preview of what's coming up at 6:30. coming up on world knew,

jacuzzi -- news, jacuzzis, swimming pools and ping pong tables at colleges.

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well, after reports that a second european bailout fund was under consideration, the stock market closing mixed. the s&p 500 barely up, over one. in tonight's consumer alert, the longstanding myth has been that the holidays are a terrible time to look for a job but some career advisers say the next few weeks present unique opportunities for job seekers.

karin caifa has the story. >> reporter: with so many people out of the office between now and new year's, job serks think they -- seekers think they may have hit a dead end but the holiday season could offer unique opportunities. >> one of the things that's great about the holidays, you're going to be around a lot of people. you need to make sure that you tap into them as your net worth. someone will know about the job and be able to make that connection. >> reporter: among their suggestions, offer to be a fill-in while others vacation. find a local professional organization's mixer and do some networking. pick up the phone instead of sending an email. during the slow holiday week, you may make a connection. >> you don't need to lead with the fact that you're looking for a job but it's okay to put it in

there. that may trigger someone who knows have you an opportunity that could be a good fit for you. >> reporter: if you're working a holiday retail job, ask what happened in 2012 and if that temporary position might become permanent. atm users will soon be able to avoid fees by agreeing to watch an advertisement. it will play while the transaction is being processed or customers can view not to watch it and watch the atm surcharge. also, there may be a coupon that could be redeemed at local businesses. it's being tested at one atm in the new york area. when it comes to -- we're actually three weeks away from christmas and all those new battery operated toys -- losing track of them could put you in

danger. those stories, plus wyatt's wet forecast coming up on abc2 news, which starts right now. if you really represent the people, stand with the people, this is a no-brainer. the answer is no. the county council has approved major rezoning changes much the fight is to get the county executive to veto it. a live look at the soggy ride home. more rain and maybe snow headed our way. we're in touch with our abc2news.com and the family of a 9-year-old boy killed what he 100-foot tree crashed down on him in a carroll county camping trip and the family is suing for neglect. we are not going to like wednesday into thursday. in fact, we don't like this right now. we're dealing with a lot of rain that could turn to snow. wyatt everhart has a