a hard freeze. that's coming up right here on abc2 news. and when you get up -- can i play? no! you don't even get football. [ male announcer ] when you've got 100% fiber optic fios, you get it. america's fastest, most reliable internet. it's the ultimate for downloading, streaming, and chatting. you have that guy all over the football field. thanks, joe! if the running backs don't start picking up the blitz, the quarterback is going to have a long night. is that your sister? look, are you trying to take my job? maybe. [ male announcer ] switch to a fios triple play online for just $89.99 a month guaranteed for the first year. plus, your choice of a $300 amazon.com gift card or a $300 visa prepaid card with a 2 year agreement. fios is 100% fiber optic so you get america's fastest, most reliable internet and unbeatable picture quality.

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let's talk about pregnant

moms and pills. 90% of pregnant women say they take at least one medication. >> 70% say they take at least one precipitation drug. some of those medicines are considered to be safe but if you check out the web there's conflicting information. >> amy aubert has more on what an expected mom should expect. >> reporter: bianca fights allergies. she needs medicine to help but she's pregnant ant doesn't want what will help her to help her baby, so she went to the internet for answers. >> it left me scared. >> reporter: a recent study by the centers of disease control and prevention found women are being misled with information on multiple websites. >> we found 25 active wreb sites that posts less. a few of them had data it back

up their claims for safety. >> reporter: the problem is some of the sites have conflicting information. one site said a popular antihistamine was safe to take during pregnancy while another site cautioned more research was need. that lack of research is a critical part of the cdc's findings. their study reviewed 245 products with 103 components that were listed as safe on various sites. in 42% of the cases, researchers were unable it determine the risk to the unborn child. >> it's in the necessarily that the medicine on these lists are dangerous, it's just that we don't know if they're safe or not. >> we really aren't able to do studies where we give half the women a certain medication and half the women a different medication to acelts safety.

>> the confusion is compounded by the fact that certain drugs are safe only during certain times of the pregnancy. >> early in pregnancy when the fetus is forming the organ, you want to stay away from certain medications that might interfere with development. later in pregnancy pass you get closer to labor and delivery you want to stay away from medication that could affect blood clotting. >> medicines taken during pregnancy result in 10% or more of birth defects. that's why the march of dimes pushes people away from the web. >> women are using these online lists to bypass talking to a healthcare provider. it's always important to talk to a healthcare provider. >> reporter: bianca said even though her medicine turned out to be safe, she intends to be extra careful.

>> everything that goes into me also affects the baby. >> reporter: amy aubert, abc2 news. >> 50% of pregnancies are unplanned. women may not know they should take their medications. even when they find out they're expecting there are serp medications that are required and physicians make it clear to continue those. in some cases alternative medicines are being considered. a chill in the air. we had a true freeze threat. bring in the tender pets and make sure they're in a warm spot. we expect the chill to hold pretty strong through the overnight hours. you can see the northern tier of counties in our state all the way out to allegany. the only reason dare rete is in the there, they have -- garrett is not there, they have will

multiple ones. enhanced satellite view shows the clouds break apart. a clear sky will help things clear off. on maryland's most powerful radar it's a clean sweep but further west we have a couple of isolated snow showers that have been on and off in the garrett county way. let's take a look. in annapolis it's a mixed sky as it has been all day. back and forth with the clouds. expecting a clear sky and a rapid cooldown, a little bit of a chop on the severn river, gusting over 20 miles an hour. 50 at bwi. sunset early at 6:15.

most of the morning in the 40s. we're in the 40s west of baltimore. lock at that chilly steady northwesterly breeze, steadily at 17 in d.c. new, gusting around 25 in baltimore, d.c. and we've got 26. it's going to be a chilly evening. if you're heading out, put on an extra layer. so the skies will continue to clear out. a rapid cooloff and mostly clear scierks nothing more than a few high thin clouds. we stay dry into saturday after a very cold start saturday morning. temperatures start to warm up and moderate. the weekend looks decent. it's cooler than average. again, well west of us scattered. these are lake-effect snow and mixed showers, a little early to be seeing that in places like mish gant the cold blast keeps funneling in. big canadian high sitting over

areas west of the tennessee valley. that will pull in steadily that dry air. the overall temperature set up through the low 30s a big blast in the 20s and breeze as far south as atlanta, georgia and another setup similarly tomorrow night. 34. freeze warning. 54 your 2-degree guarantee and right back to the freeze threat. it's a slow moderation with upper 50s. early next week we push back close to 60. so winter weather fans, don't get too excited. we see a milder trend into early next week. getting some of the emails from snow shoe mountain, west virginia, they had an inch to two inches. you get the idea it's starting to come in here. we're coming up on the anniversary, one of the strongest storms we've ever

seen. it's on the east coast. >> we seat progress of one of the historic places. >> we are about five days away from the anniversary of superstorm sandy. today the damage is visible and the recovery efforts are slow but there are signs of progress. david has more on one of the hardest areas hit and how the community is rebuilding. >> anybody like a drink here? >> reporter: one of the oldest restaurant bars in manhattan is open for business. it's been around since 1873, a hickic gathering place, but in one night superstorm sandy almost closed its doors for good, leaving behind roughly million dollars in damages. >> the water came up to about here. as you can see, the mirror is cracked in the bar. >> reporter: the water marc

shows how high flooded and it still car -- scars the walls. >> the water line was up on pearl street, so there was no business. there was no neighborhood. >> reporter: despite a disaster that caused a temporary shutdown of almost 85% of the business, people here never gave up. today young and old members of the community marched to the banks of the east river in a symbolic gesture to pour buckets of water back where it came. it's in stranger to minor flooding but on october 29th, the unthinkable happened. the water surrounding lower manhattan swallowed this community and the worst part for many, they did not have flood insurance. >> reporter: such was the case in the cafe. it's neighbors were there to help and it is back in business. more are opening up every

month. the pier itself is slated to get a $200 million dollar makeover the area still has far to go, but the community is optimistic of its future. reporting for abc2 news -- abc news new york. today 26 thurks people remain displace from superstorm sandy with many picking up the pieces. >> 26,000. >> if you're sick, could your home be the source. what simple changes you could make. >> misty the dog didn't want to cof up the cash. how many of her owner's dollars did the dog swallow?

is your home the source of what's making you sick? >> experts say the first thing you should do is filter the pollution or particularly -- particulate matter. >> 1 to 10, those get into your lungs, and cause inflammation as you breathe them. a chronic inflammatory state fosters heart disease. >> a good air filter can help control the pollution and rid your home of mold. mold puts out proscenes causing inflammation in our body and letting in natural light during the day will help them feel more alert and awake. at night pull the curtains closed. you want as little light as possible. >> coming up at 6:00, they are listed as being in jail, but

our abc2 news investigators found sex offenders on the street. the problem with the sex offender registry and what people are saying about it. >> the unusual group of people training these dogs. these stories and more coming up at 6. now here's a preview of what's ahead on world news at 6:30. >> we've already saved families like yours thousands. with glasses and contacts costing $33 billion a year, this will cost a lot less. tonight on world news with diane sawyer on abc.

the saying you are what you eat is true.

there's a dog with everything from a barbie doll toll a wal- mart plastic bag. >> while the owner was at the grocery store, misty ate $54 in cash. worried the money would get stuck in her stomach, they took her to the clinic. >> my feeling is there must have been something on it, someone filled something on it, had a flavor that made the dog want to eat it. >> she eventually vomited like $18, and the vet called me and said she vomited like $18. oh that's great. >> either going to come out this way or the other. eventually she got all her money back. it will probably be the last time misty will be left alone in her bedroom. >> so see what comes out. all right. people in colorado called 911

after seeing a man dangerouslinging from a hot hair ba -- air balloon. >> 911. what's the address for your emergency? >> with the man dangling, people couldn't help but worry. >> there's a hot air balloon and a guy hanging from it. i don't know if he's supposed to be or in trouble. >> the man said it was part of a plan. dan vincent isn't crazy. he may be a marketing genius. >> the two together can hold just under 1,000 pounds. >> reporter: they're checking out equipment -- portable monkey bars. here on the ground you get a better idea of what the product s it's lightweight and set to

hit store shelves and made in colorado. >> if i can work out on a hot air balloon, it shouldn't be hard to go for a hike or work out. >> reporter: it will hit store shelves next year. >> there's a guy dangling from a hot air balloon loo there's someone hanging. >> reporter: he said he's comforted to know people care but now hopes to keep them interested even if it moon has trip to longmont. >> the company said the idea wasn't meant to go public until next year. well, she welcomes homes soldiers from the war front, helping to raise money for breast cancer. >> we will introduce you to our bel air honda student of the

week. an officer shot in the line of duty. an all night manhunt for the gunman, how he was caught and the latest on the officer's condition. >> you check the sex offender's registry relying on that information to keep your family safe but there are many problems. >> a man exposing and touching himselfs right outside their windows. good evening. i'm kelly swoope alongside jamie costello. a howard county police officer begins his road to recovery surrounded by family and friends. >> the family of officer steven houk was rushed to shock trauma. katrina bush is there with an update on houk's condition. >> reporter: officer houk has had a lot of visitors. the good news is his wife is

here and he also has family from out of state. also visiting him the howard county police chief. he said the past 24 hours has been a difficult period for everyone involved. we've learned that doctors say steven houk is recovering from multiple injuries. the 30-year-old officer was shot once in the torso but they are cautiously optimistic about his condition. >> he is still in serious condition. it's hard to tell. it's hopeful that he will make a full recovery. it's a tough situation to have to tell a wife, meet the wife in the parking lot and take her up and show her her husband. an incredibly strong family and frankly, we're drawing strength from them. >> we've also learned in the same hospital is the suspect that shot officer houk but the officer said they don't worry

about that. they're here to save lives. we have learned that stephon prather is in stable condition. >> katrina has been tweeting out the details of officer houk's condition. the manhunt for officer houk's shooter lasted throughout the night into today. >> investigators didn't have to go far from the shooting scene to find the suspect. jeff hager continues our coverage. >> the suspect, stephon prather is now in police custody. ironic enough, he is also at the shock trauma after reemerging along route 1 this morning. about 16 hours after a shootout with police, officers finally get their man. 20-year-old stephon prather who had escaped into the wounds along route one. a worker claimed he alerted police after spotting the suspect on the side of the road as he took the car out for a

test drive this morning. >> i saw the guy standing across the street. he had his red, i guess, shirt, covering his face and had some shorts. i guess he cut his hand. got two sticks in his hands trying to walk. >> reporter: police discovered a handgun in a nor by storm drain. they believe prather may have hid inside that drain throughout the night. >> this guy took a shot at a cop. we're very concerned about what he may do. at some level we're able to bring him into custody. >> praght are had a long criminal history including prior charges of criminal murder. police had offered a $50,000 reward for information leading

to his arrest. >> i was trying to help. >> police tell us it's early in the evaluation and can't tell if freddy will be eligible for the reward. the state registry is supposed to tell you where sex offenders live but it's not always right. >> reporter: some of those offenders had been out for weeks or moptds but their page -- months but their pages said they were still in custody. it puts people at risk because the offenders they think they don't have to worry about are out on the street. >> with the registry, the errors that you've uncovered here which weave we're great -- we're grateful that you found

those because that's a problem. >> reporter: tonight at 11, how we tracked down sex offenders the state had trouble keeping an eye on and why the folks running the registry said they're not the only ones to blame for the situation. we also have to talk about the impact of this. it could also put pel at risk. so we brought in gail read from turnaround. you're here to talk about this topic. talk about the -- about it. victims snow that the person will one day be released. how do you help them cope and deal with that? >> how we help victims in general -- it's a very long process anyway when someone is arrested and there's a trial. there are always two issues, the criminal justice