all smiles with a boarding pass heading home. knox family friend julia says she spoke with amanda just before she left. >> she said i'm still not on the plane but i feel like i'm flying. >> knox released a letter to the world saying those who wrote, those who defend me, those who were close, those who prayed for me, i love you. amanda. knox looked calm and relieved today after an overwhelming night. knox broke down as an italian appeals court delivered her fate. they acquitted her of murdering her roommate. she was so overcome with emotions police almost had to carry her out of the courtroom. inmated as she left perugia's

prison. the kercher family spoke with reporters here in perugia this morning and they said they're shocked, upset and still without answers. >> that's the biggest disappointment. not knowing still and knowing that there are some people out there who have done this. >> knox's supporters in seattle watched the verdict and say they can't wait to have her home. >> godspeed and safe travels and see you soon. >> knox told the appeals court she wanted to return to her life, her future, later today, she will. monique for cbs news, perugia, italy. prosecutors say that they will appeal the court's decision to overturn knox's murder conviction. but legal experts say the transfers to the united states extraditing knox back to italy for another trial are slim. honors today for the fbi from the antidefamation league. the reason is the sting which netted a man who plotted to bomb the metro.

the man thought he had joined al-qaeda instead, it was an fbi operation. the would-be terrorist admitted to the plot and he's spending 23 years in prison. jury selection gets underway today in michigan for the man accused of trying to blow up a plane with explosives in his underwear. umar farouk abdul mutallab was arrested on christmas day in 2009. prosecutors say that he tried to blow up a northwest airlines flight between amsterdam and detroit. he supposedly confessed, saying that it was a suicide mission, inspired by anwar al-awlaki. he was the american born al- qaeda leader taken out last week. a federal appeals court has upheld restriction on gun ownership in the district of columbia. the restrictions on assault weapons and high capacity magazines was imposed after the supreme court struck down the

district's handgun ban. the court also upheld some but not all of the district's handgun registration requirements. which include fingerprinting, vision tests and background tests. well, the defense and the carmella della rosa trial is trying to paint a picture of a disturbed woman who did not what she was doing when she tossed her grandchild over a sky bridge at tysons corner. rangers testified about finding her minivan down a mountain after she drove it off skyline drive and one of four suicide attempts. her psychologist testified that she believed della rosa was in a downward spiral but she admitted to the prosecutor she had never diagnosed della rosa as psychotic or bipolar. former prince george's county councilwoman leslie johnson wants to put her sentencing on hold.

"the washington post" reports that leslie johnson's attorneys filed a motion in federal court, seeking to delay her october 13th sentencing date. she resigned last june following admitting in federal court that she tried to conceal bribed money given to her by her husband, the former county executive jack johnson. we've just learned that new jersey governor chris christie says he is not -- he will not, he does not want to become the president afterall. that's according to a source very close to the governor. he has scheduled a news conference. it will begin at 1:00 p.m. to formally announce his decision. meanwhile, president obama's in dallas, texas. he's continuing to sell his $447 billion jobs package. it has been three weeks since the president sent that proposal to congress but so far, still no action and republicans say they will not go along with it.

danielle nottingham reports. >> reporter: president obama and vice president biden both hit the road heading south to sell the president's jobs plan. the president is taking his sales pitch to texas. he's urging lawmakers to approve the entire proposal including new spending on public works projects. >> i'm very much looking forward to seeing congress debate this bill, pass it, get it to my desk. >> but that won't happen. leading republican congressman eric kantor says the jobs bill, as a whole, is dead on arrival. g.o.p. lawmakers want to break it up into smaller chunks and pass only the parts they like. >> my suggestion to the president is he put aside proposals for which we know there is bipartisan opposition. >> reporter: the senate starts work on the jobs plan later this week but even some members of the president's own party say the bill does not have enough support to pass.

the senate's number two democrat dick durbin says some members of his party aren't happy with some of the tax measures. others don't like the $447 billion price tag. the president pushing lawmakers to find common ground. his own job is on the line next year. a new cbs news poll shows most americans don't blame president obama for the nation's economic troubles. but 69% say they don't think he's made any progress fixing it. danielle nottingham, cbs news, washington. in addition to his jobs speech, the president will attend two fund-raisers while he is in texas. every state is redrawing its congressional district's maps like they're required to do each decade. and the one given conditional approval in maryland has big changes for montgomery county. right now, the sixth congressional district includes

about 20,000 montgomery residents. under the new plan, it would put 350,000 montgomery residents in the district along with parts of western maryland. the district is represented by roscoe bartlett, just one of two republican congressman from maryland. there are plenty of other smaller changes. lawmakers will vote on the new map in a special session being held this month. the american planning association has just released their list of great streets in america. surae chinn reports the greater d.c. region has a lot to be proud of. >> king street and old town, alexandria has that neighborhood feel that keeps ruth roberts coming back. especially after a tour guide, it helps to have this new distinction. >> i think it is the mix of people who come here and the bikers, the local people, the choice of restaurants. it is good. >> the restaurants, boutiques

and nightlife make this a favorite in the country. blending history, vibrancy and 21st century allure. >> king street is one of three streets named to grab the top ten spots. there is the historic davis street and culpepper, virginia and the third is right here on u street with the iconic food landmark ben's chili bowl closed here due to plumbing problems but there's always something to do here. >> the bistros are very nice. >> u street has seen a renaissance revival highlighting its entertainment history. >> kind of like an old- fashioned feel. >> 25,000 volunteer hours put davis street in culpepper, virginia, back on the map. the recognition raises the bar of how people choose to live and work. using criteria such as architectural features, accessibility, functionality and community involvement. three out of ten spots, not

bad, virginia and d.c.! surae chinn, 9news now. a handful of historic buildings sustained minor damage on davis street in culpepper from last month's earthquake. for a full list of streets, neighborhoods and public spaces, you can go to our web site at wusa9.com. a d.c. native is among three experts to win the nobel prize for physics. adam reese is an astro physicist from st. johns in baltimore. he and his group are winning the award for their work on our expanding universe. congratulations! >> still to come on 9news now, we'll see how maryland -- one of maryland's young boys is coming together and helping a youngster with a life-

threatening condition.

i do hope you're going to my new web site, jchayward.com. it is full of information about events around town, my charity work, things that i really am excited about. so, please go to jchayward.com. and take a look. go every day.

tell your friends, family and neighbors about it. all right, i'm excited about my guest today. because montgomery county is about to maybe change. that depends on the vote that takes place by the council this afternoon. and with me is my favorite county executive ike leggett. my personal county executive ike leggett. that vote is taking place this afternoon. and there's a lot of controversy about it because it is really talking about change in the county and how development is going to take place. tell me the pros and the cons. >> well, we have in montgomery county, something that's called smart growth. it is something most jurisdictions seek to achieve. what this seeks to do is involve the level of intensity as to increase development in neighborhood communities but at the same time, providing incentives, how far you're away from metro, what is the distance in terms of how much you would get, what are the am enities that one will achieve

and how will they participate in this process. this is a complicated process but it is different from how we develop in montgomery county over the last 30 or 40 years. this is a major change in direction that will, in fact, have a profound impact on montgomery county. >> those who are against it say it will create overgrowth. >> as far as the development process. or will it create smart growth. you look at the definition. it depends on how you see growth and development. i think most people believe that we need an enhanced development, have levels of predictability. but do you do it in a way that increases development in ways and places you do not want it and what are the incentives and the amenities. it is a very complicated process but the council has had at least ten work sessions on it. that tells you somewhat of the details that we're really into at this point. >> will it pass? >> i think there is a good chance it will pass but it would not pass in the original form as recommended by the committees. >> real quick, walmart coming

to montgomery county. >> well, that's the question that's open for debate at this point in time. but at least there is a plan to look at a walmart in the aspen hill area and the question right now, is what would be the impact on neighboring communities and businesses in that area. it is near an area that really does not have the kind of growth that we want. it is an area that now has phase one office mart but offices are not coming to that area so we need to change that really to retail whether it is walmart or some other. but it needs to go from office to -- not to residential but to commercial development in terms of a -- an enterprise such as walmart or something else. >> very quickly. curfews for teenagers in montgomery county. >> first of all, if i was a 17- year-old, i would oppose curfews. but i'm not. i think this is something we need to do. we have some real challenges. we have a curfew in prince george's county. one in the district of columbia. we find young people coming into montgomery county. we've had some incidents in montgomery county that i think warrants us to seriously look

at this and this is just one option that our police and public officials will have to look at how we can reduce crime in certain areas throughout the county. >> ike leggett, always a pleasure. thank you for coming. have to have you come back and talk about the purple line. that's for next time. >> howard is coming up next with our forecast. >> j.c., it is great outside. the sun is out. temps in the 60s already. the allergy count has come in. a lot of things are absent except for mold. mold is still present as we'll take you to break with a look at it. it is in the high category. i'm coming back with the seven- day forecast i think you're going to love. 9news returns in just a moment. state farm. this is jessica.

hey, jessica, jerry neumann with a policy question. jerry, how are you doing? fine, i just got a little fender bender. oh, jerry, i'm so sorry. i would love to help but remember, you dropped us last month. yeah, you know it's funny. it only took 15 minutes to sign up for that new auto insurance company but it's taken a lot longer to hear back. is your car up a pole again? [ crying ] i miss you, jessica!

jerry, are you crying? no, i just, i bit my tongue. [ male announcer ] get to a better state. state farm.

one elementary school student is receiving support from his classmates. when brandon carbone was diagnosed with nonhodgkins lymphoma, his friends did something extraordinary. the carbone family shared their remarkable story with andrea mccarren. >> 10-year-old brandon carbone is a fifth grader at bethesda elementary school. nonhodgkins lymphoma took away his hair but not his friends. >> he's just a happy, go lucky kind of kid. he's just everyone's best friend. >> days before the start of the school year, brandon was increasingly nervous. one of his biggest concerns, how he would feel that first

day of school with no hair. >> people would make fun of me. i felt like i don't want to do this anymore. probably want to be home schooled for awhile. >> a baseball coach dreamed up an idea. what if a couple of brandon's friends did something drastic to look like him? so, one by one, brandon's friends shaved their heads. 13 boys in all! he would no longer stand out that first day of school. >> i felt happy that people would do that for me. >> it was probably the most emotional day of my life. it was a tough day in a positive way. >> off came the hair. on came the smiles. baldness overshadowed by belly laughter. >> it was a party. it was out-of-control! in the barbershop. >> i wasn't sure at 10 years old they really got it. the kids did. >> today, brandon is back in school and still surrounded by his fuzzy-headed friends. >> i think he learned how important they are and how they can cheer you up when things

are tough. >> i felt grateful. >> hair, he learned, may come and go but friends, they last forever. in bethesda, andrea mccarren, 9news now. >> don't you just love that story? i do! so touching. brandon has endured four surgeries and two rounds of chemotherapy and his doctors say his prognosis is excellent! you go, brandon! >> saw that story this morning and misty-eyed the second time now. >> i love that story. >> gotta support your friends. kids, even at 10, know that. >> and we're having a beautiful day today. i'm loving it. >> a lot of moods have been lifted by the fact the sun has come out once again. on days of cold, cloudy, damp weather. that's a thing of the past. we're looking forward to sunshine and really, very pleasant. here is a look at our forecast for you. as the day planner. going to get back to that. hit the wrong button. i got so many on this clicker. sometimes it happens. we're going through the afternoon with temperatures

rising in the mid to the upper 60s. we may flirt with 70 in a few spots. northwesterly winds in that 10 to 15-mile-per-hour range will gust over 20 at times. but hey, who cares, the sun is out. by 7:00, we're back down to 53. by 9:00, clear skies and 60. we'll be in the low 50s by tomorrow morning here in washington but still lots of 40s north and west. another chilly night. hey, look at this. this is the storm system that's been bugging us. heavy rains new hampshire and maine and over us, skies have cleared. couple of clouds trying to come down through baltimore and areas to our east and also in the mountains. it will be partly sunny to mostly sunny at times except at the higher elevations. you'll likely be stuck in some clouds. petersburg, much lower. 57 in cumberland. come out of the mountains now. low to mid 60s with leesburg and frederick at 64. along with culpepper. 68 down in fredericksburg. 64 at pax river. 61 in cambridge at this hour.

annapolis is 63. la plata and reagan national, both at 64 degrees. national reporting mostly cloudy skies. mostly sunny outside a few moments ago in northwest. big block in the middle of the country. you can see the dip in the west from the dip in the east. this is what is moving toward us. in fact, once we get rid of the storm atop of us, there's not much east of the rockies. the showers are moving north, not east. they're not coming toward us. in fact, hardly anything will be coming toward us over the next few days. we just have to get rid of this guy. we're in the process of doing that now and on the future cast, we'll push it out of here so the skies generally stay clear tonight and tomorrow. tomorrow, we shoot into the low to mid-70s then a little bit cooler on thursday as the winds come from the northeast. that's a little bit of a cooler direction for us. this afternoon, breezy. upper 60s. tonight, 40s and 50s. tomorrow, breezy. 74. then a pleasant thursday although a little bit cooler. 67. now, the weekend. friday, 70. not bad at all. check out saturday, sunday and

columbus day. upper 70s to even some low 80s. we're living right, people. we'll be back with 9news now at noon in just a moment. if you've got pain?

you need the patch. (announcer) icy hot patches. targeted no-mess relief. icy to dull pain. hot to relax it away. pain's no match for the icy hot patch. on the universivity maryland's campus, you should not only fear the turtle but also the beaver and the crocodile. and some other animals. students, graduate students in the engineering department have been building turtle bots and

crocodile bots. isn't that interesting? robots that can perform human- like tasks. >> a lot of neat application. they're playing around but this is very important stuff going forward. >> it is. all right. >> sunny, beautiful. and 60s today. 70s tomorrow. enjoy. >> thank you. come back and visit us at 5:00 p.m. and go to jchayward.com and go to arena stage and see trouble in mind. it is fabulous!