things. pretty much everyone woke up by the time they wanted to clear everything out. we stood over here and they started taking the stuff done. >> the mayor said the city of baltimore is committed to protecting individual's rights to protest, however our public parks and free spaces should not be treated as priest grounds. some of the occupy protesters said despite their camp being removed this morning, they plan on continuing their message. this time they said they'll do this across the city. >> we'll have a presence on the streets. occupy will be everywhere. >> i think every occupy that they disand -- disbanded and took apart, we might have thousands show up. >> reporter: the protesters were given the option of going to a nearby shelter, to pick up their

belongings in cherry hill. meanwhile, police say no arrests were made. reporting for abc2 news. baltimore's chesapeake high school had to be closed down. >> reporter: more than a dozen teens were taken to hospitals after pepper spray was sprayed in the halls at chess peek high school. it starts with a fight between two boys. police say he had to use pepper spray to control the situation. it happened between classes and right at lunchtime. according to the police spokesperson they're not sure how many students were inside at the time of the exact incident. >> in the hallway near the front office, i'm not sure exactly how

many students were there at the time. i'm sure there were a good many. that's how we ended up with 16 patients being transported but the fight itself involved two boys. she called me at work and said there's police. you could hear it all in the background. [ no audio ]

and it's the heard the break every parent feels when you buy them a pricey video game and they tell you it's boring. abc2 news is working for you putting on the hottest titles to the test to make sure your holiday cash isn't wasted. >> since they've never played them, they have no idea what's involved. though think they might like them. lights cameras, actions tonight. we'll let kids play to see which new games should be under the tree. abc2 news at 5 continues right after this.

let's go shopping now. in our consumer alert, we flow that the holiday countdown is in full swing. we have a knew days to come up with that perfect gift idea without breaking the bank. we have gifts under $25. >> holiday gifts could be fun, thoughtful and not too expensive. these are my top picks for gifts, most of them under $25. first, gloves you don't have to take off when you want to use the phone. prices on these have come way down. i found this pair for just about $20. another item that has dropped

way down in price, wireless keyboards. this one from hp is $25. it's a way to pile on the accessories. if you want something that's also a cover and a stand, this one from brookstone is $7.99. now kitchen gifts. this latte frosts your milk just like a barista. >> it really works. >> cool head phones. my favorite are from a company called urban ears. they snap together like legos. now i'm all about fun at christmas, so let's start with the little babies.

star trek feeder. kids will love this big power hand. one more fun item i couldn't resist, prank packs. these are fake gift boxes. you pack a real gift in there, maybe something nice but the recipient thinks you've given them a whole family snuggy. >> after all that if you're trying to figure out what to get your family, friends or coworkers, just check out our holiday guide at abc2 news dot holiday. consider pick up a gift or two for a wild in need. you have until december 22nd to

drop off new, unwrapped toys and drop them off at sell brie learn -- celebree learning centers. we're teaming up with the bso orchestra program f you have old instruments, you can drop them off with the toys. let's go over to wyatt. all right. quiet december day weather wise. we like it this way. decent sunshine fading out. sunset was at 4:44. the days will continue to get shorter for another week. we'll bottom out. 43 degrees right now. winds west at six. barometric pressure 30.3. visibility unrestricted at 10 miles. today not bad. let's take a look at some of the

weather. we'll time lapse. these are our abc2 hd. this is druid hill pancht bel air same scenario. in the heart of hartford things are looking quiet, same deal in mt. airy, beautiful blue skies. in laurel, nothing but sunshine and a few high thin clouds. maryland's most powerful radar showing all clear. this is doing to hold up tonight, tomorrow, probably tomorrow night. things will begin to change has we go into thursday and especially thursday evening. right now temperatures across the state running in the low 40s. hagerstown, interesting set of numbers. ocean city at 33. cooler in york, pa. winds light and variable. not much of a breeze to deal

with. high temperatures today did get over 50 degrees. this is about five to seven degrees above average. annapolis 51. humidity has been low, very dry air in place. you may have noticed that. tomorrow we look ahead. we find mostly cloudy skies over reisterstown and are arbutus. 53 in glenwood with a mex of sun and clouds. across the region a few fair weather clouds, more significant weather to the west. heavy showers coming down, places like western illinois and central missouri, but the rain not set to impact us anytime soon. we have a high pressure bubble south of maryland. that will keep basically the skies clear, for the most part and keep the wet weather at bay. you can see that cool shot that has settled in across the

northeast. that will begin to moderate a little bit tomorrow. we'll be in the mid-50s tomorrow. there's that weather boundary. we think it arrives late thursday afternoon into thursday evening. if you got a big trip, watch out. overnight tonight 30. clouds on the increase. tomorrow we'll go 51 but some spots south of baltimore will get warmer, maybe low to mid-50s. tomorrow night down to 36 with a mostly cloudy sky. your seven-day forecast, we look ahead, still advertising a few showers as we get into the day on thursday. a breezy and somewhat cooler day friday but the secondary shot of cold air, that arrives saturday and sunday, so there is a cold but sunny scenario developing for the weekend, jamie. not a bad deal for december.

>> did you take a look at the sunny weather in san diego? >> downpours. >> oh, man. they only get it once or twice a year. stay with us. ?

it may be the holiday season but it's the season when the flu knocks us down. first, flu shots do not cause the flu and the vaccines are not made from the whole virus. younger healthy people don't need flu shots, is a myth. one of the most common myths is

if you got a flu shot last year, you don't need another one. the flu virus typically changes each year, so the vaccine has to change as well. researchers have found older americans, specifically women are getting medical screenings past the age recommended by doctors. more than half the women ages 75 to 79 are still being screened for breast cancer or getting pap smears. with company parties and other get togethers in full swing, it's time to about drinking safely or in moderation. keep in mind how much alcohol you can handle based op your gender, size and other factors. moderate is two drinks for a man

per day. >> not only body size, men have more than women. >> be sure to eat sthi. food will help absorb some of the alcohol. if you plan to drink, make sure you have a designated driver. we'll be right back. j

sears real big gift sale is on now. save 50-60% off clothing for everyone on your list. and incredibly low prices on fleece activewear, only $9.99. plus, get coupons at searsstyle.com for over $100 in extra savings on top of already low sale prices. sears. a local couple trying to come to terms with the loss of their home. it's already illegal in maryland, but now there's a move to stop driving while using a cell phone nationwide. where this push stands right now. also an announcement from someone who is not in the race for the president. right now we want to tell you about this house fire that happened here. they were out of the house for about 25 minutes max, just down the street at the wal-mart.

when the joppa couple came back they found a fire so intense, they had nothing to save. brian kuebler went back to the scene. >> reporter: it's a contrast to the smoking scene. owner richard losh climbed on what's left of his home, the chimney of the two story colonial that once stood. >> i was half a mile away. it was loud enough that this shook the windows in my house. it just rattled everybody's cage. >> reporter: then came the flames, fast, relentless. the fire burned through the him with a force. losh and his wife were down the road on an errand. the only casualty would be the couple's three dogs who didn't

stand a chance against the torrid pace of what neighbors say was an aggressive fire eye heard popping, boom sounds. then the fire moved quickly from the garage to the dining room and family room section of the house and just within the from there. >> reporter: typically this could take fire investigator has while to determine what started it. they have a pretty good idea where it started. >> the garage is the center of the investigation. >> based on burn statements and statements from the fire department, that's what we're looking at. >> reporter: because the garage is where the homeowner kept two camaros and two corvettes, classic show cars, the remains of which are barely recognizable. a mechanic by trade, losh lost three motor bikes.

a combustible situation that took an hour and a half for firefighters to control. a logical place to start the investigation but a total losses mated at a million and a half dollars right in the middle of the holiday season. in joppa, brian kuebler, abc2 news. >> the homeowners said they are fully insured. baltimore police identified larry mcknight as the man who robbed the pnc bank at towson university yesterday. as students prepared for final exams, they were alerted of the robbery and told to stay put. officers found the suspect on campus. police believe he robbed a bank of america. mcknight is being held at the

baltimore county detention center without mail. police have identified a man who they think is responsible to a home invasion back in august. the man came to the home, asked for a bottle of water and forced himself in. dna matched keith allen duly. list decked out in riot gear removed protesters from the plaza. at about 3:30 this morning officers forced the demonstrators out -- out of mckeldin scare. >> jerry sandusky and his attorney waved a right to