forces kill the dictator derek valcourt has more.mergener has details of how the long-time leader was brought down. we want to

derek valcourt has the announcement and more on the disease. >> reporter: on the radio ron smith cutight to the chase. it is an advanced stage of cancer he will fight it and while he does he says his show must go on. >> a few weeks ago i began feeling unwell. >> reporter: wbal radio announcer ron smith made the announcement on his show. >> he looked at the technical report and he said you have grade four pancreatic cancer that's mathastesied. >> reporter: he will continue to focus on the politics and social issues that made him so popular all while undergoing chemotherapy treatments. >> the ron smith will continue with ron smith expect on days that i can't be here. that's it. >> reporter: it was pancreatic cancer that killed steve jobs. it is the most dangerous kind of cancer. >> once the back pain appears, the cancer may have progressed excessively. >> something is going to get you in the end. what people should know is all is well. all is well. >> reporter: smith says that he is not happy about his diagnosis but he is at peace with it. and he says he knows he'll be in chemotherapy

derek valcourt, wjz eyewitness news. >> all right, derek. thank you. hicks faces a long list of criminal charges, including first-degree arson. >>> serious health concerns in texas. denise is in the newsroom with details. >> reporter: well, vic, the industrial building went up in blame flames with hazardous chemicals inside. bright orange flames can be seen at the facility, about 30 miles south of dallas. at one point, the fire caused a fire truck at the plant to explode. people who live nearby are ordered to stay inside, with their windows and doors shut, to rvoid dangerous gases being released into the air. some schools and several other buildings are being evacuated so far. however, there are no injuries. >> the plant produces custom chemicals for cleaning companies, oil fields and the construction company. >> updating the breaking news we have been following. an italian court throws out amanda knox's conviction. the 24-year-old seattle native collapsed in tertears when she heard the verdict. she has spent four years behind bars, accused of killing

derek valcourt speaks to police and others for their safety. derek? >> kai, it happened here in this alley, late friday night, early saturday morning. and bars in the area were just letting out of the area when this all happened. >> reporter: a 20-year-old college student was walking home to her apartment, and using this alley in the 3200 block of love grove street, a popular shortcut for students from one street to another, when police say a man claiming he had a gun, attacked her, sexually assaulted her and tried to rape her in a small parking lot. it's news disturbing to many female students near campus. >> i'm shocked. and it worries me a little bit. >> because it's johns hopkins, you feel safer. >> reporter: city police have little to go on for the case and say they're working to increase patrols. >> we're confident that our partnership with the community will help develop a suspect. >> reporter: the victim said she never saw a gun though the suspect told her he had one. >> i'm actually in a sorority here on campus. so like something happening to

here's derek valcourt with more. >> reporter: ron smith cut right to the case.tage of pancreatic cancer. wbal radio host ron smith made the announcement. his doctors told him a cat scan discovered the tumor. >> he said you have grade four pancreatic cancer that's metastasized. >> reporter: the 69-year-old said the cancer sin operable but treat -- is inoperable but treatable. he won't talk about the cancer on the show but instead will talk about the politics and social issues that have made him possible. >> the ron smith show will continue with ron smith except on days that i can't be here. all right. that's it. >> reporter: this was pancreatic cancer that killed steve jobs earlier this month. it is essential not digestive process. symptoms include persistent abdominal pain that leads to jaundice. >> by the time there's back pain, the cancer may have progressed considerably. >> reporter: ron smith said he will have no pity party. >> something will get you in the end and what people should know is all is well. all is well. >> reporter: smith said he's not happy wi

derek valcourt just finished talking to police. >> reporter: police say the 20-year-old student was walking to her campus apartment when she was attacked by a man who told her he had a gun. this happened in the alley parking plot in the 3200 block of love grove street saturday morning. that's a popular area. police say the victim was sexually assaulted and the suspect tried to rape her. he ran away after the attack and the victim never did see a gun but the suspect told her he had one. the suspect was a black male between 6'1" and 6'2" and wearing a dark colored hoodie. the school has issued an alert but so far, no arrest has been made. >> thank you. we'll bring you the updates at 4, 5 and 6:00. >>> we now know more about the death of former raven orlando brown. he died from complications of diabetes. he was found dead in his south baltimore apartment two woox ago at the age -- weeks ago at the age of 40. >>> a new gonzales research poll is giving us a look at the minds of voters. the economy and job remain the top concern and the president's approval rating has dropped 5%. >>> a johns hopk

derek valcourt has the latest developments from court for us. derek? >> they called in prison experts as they plead for mercy from the jury. >> reporter: walter bishop fired the shots that killed hess gas station owner ray porter, promised $9,000 for the murder by the victim's wife, carla porter. there was no doubt from the jury's mind, they heard it from his own mouth in a recorded congestion. -- confession. >> he turned the corner and i just went like this. >> reporter: his conviction last week now leaves the jury to decide whether he should be put to death. it's a punishment he should be eligible for. monday, defense attorneys called prison expert dr. paul johnson, to testify about the effects of a sentence of life in prison without parole. >> life without parole and the death penalty are both death sentences. i call life without parole, death by incarceration. because you're sentencing the person to die in incarceration. in one case, in the lethal injection chamber, and the other case, by either natural causes or violence, but they both amount to d

derek valcourt has more on the reason he said he did it. derek? >> reporter: detectives say that that employee started the fire because he was upset that one of his coworkers was using his favorite paint brush. >> reporter: it was just one week ago, when the belvedere tire shop erupted into a massive inferno. one week later, the building that housed the family shop was gone. but belvedere was back in, selling. >> you're like a fighter. you get knocked down and come back up. >> fightfighting back harder. >> reporter: the family who runs the business, well aware that police arrested their employee, jason hicks. police said that hixs got upset that a coworker was using his faimptd paint brush. >> mr. hicks produced a lighter. that ignited one of the flammable substances that was coating a fire and resulted in the three-alarm fire. >> reporter: hicks suffered second-degree burns to his own arm. back at belvedere tire, managers don't think hicks intended to do harm. >> i don't think he got that upset to burn the building down, i don't think. so it was

derek valcourt explains exactly what happened. derek? >> this happened on a stretch of mountain road. an area that is all too familiar with car accidents. many of them minor, but some, deadly. >> reporter: the father of 17- year-old kayla austin, overcome with grief, at the site of a car accident in pasadena. it was just after 7:30 in the morning, when walkers nearby first heard something wrong. >> we hear that bang. then we saw that over there. >> reporter: surveillance cameras captured the entire accident. police say kayla austin was driving her car eastbound on mountain road, when she lost control, crossed over into eastbound traffic. leaving a hole in the wall and a hole in her family's heart. >> we saw it on the camera on the building. nobody stopped to help that girl. >> reporter: police now investigating whether speed and wet roads may have played a factor in kayla austin's crash. >> neighbors call that stretch of road where kayla austin died one of the most dangerous stretches in the area. they say there have been lots of car acc

derek valcourt, wjz eyewitness news. >> for more on the awareness campaign and its toll-free hotline, you can log onto wjz.com and click on news. >>> animal cruelty, a centreville woman is facing charges today for inadequately caring for had her horses. dozens of horses were seized at the canterbury farm. they are now facing more than 100 charges of animal cruelty. parkinson is charged with failing to feed, shelter the horses at her 200-acre breeding farm. >> reporter: exterior inspection. engineers finish up their closeup survey of the washington monument. jessica kartalija has more on what they're losing. >> reporter: engineers began with how that monument should be repaired. in august, the 5.8 magnitude quake caused numerous cracks. engineers are examining the mortar and stone they collected in daredevil inspections of the 127-year-old building. overall, the monument remains structurally sound. kai? >> all right, jess. thank you. it's unclear how long the monuments will take. however, the fixes to the national cathedral will be complete by 2012. >>> it is a hot topic of discussion

derek valcourt, wjz eyewitness news. >> closing arguments are expected wednesday. >>> it is a damp wednesday or rather thursday. take a live look outside right now. the sun is setting. and we got some chilly weather arriving. bob turk and meteorologist tim williams are updating the first warning weather forecast. bob? >> coldest air we've seen so far this fall will be moving in over the next couple of days. we'll talk about that. take a look at radar. a batch of light rain moving through north central maryland. winds are gust beginning to shift to the northwest. 15 with gusts to 20, 25. it's still warm, though. won't be in the next hour. temperatures will be dropping quickly. tim has a look at some of those readings just north and west of us. tim? >> definitely. this front, you can feel it coming through. you know these temperatures will respond here very shortly. temperatures have been taking a bit of a hit everywhere. the front has already pushed through. we're at 62. just look off to our west. 42 back toward pittsburgh. 40s in cleveland. 30s up toward buffalo. that's where the front has a

derek valcourt explains, defense attorneys are hoping they can help the cause. >> reporter: senator curriy -- currie's wife said that she blames herself for the truck he now faces. >> reporter: reverend shirley gray walked to the white house -- to the courthouse, hoping to convince the jury not to convict ulysses currie, the former chair of the powerful budget and taxation committee, faces charges that he accepted nearly a quarter million in bribes from grocery giant shoppers food in exchange for his political tower tower -- power. it was perfectly legal, said his attorneys, though they do acknowledge that he failed to disclose his work for the grocery chain as required on the state ethics form. and that mistake, his wife told jurors, was her fault. she testified because her husband was unorganized and messy. she did all of the paperwork in the household, including filling out his ethics forms. saying, i was copying the ethics forms from the year before. and i didn't think i was doing anything wrong. she said, i feel in a way that i failed him. in a time that he should be enjoying the gold

we're live in charles village, derek valcourt, wjz eyewitness news. >> police say there are no other reports of similar incidents in the area. >>> updating the breaking story from new york tonight. a helicopter plunges into the east river, setting off a frantic rescue effort. >> reporter: well, denise, there were five people on board the helicopter when it went down. one of them was killed. take a look at the rescue, as survivors cling to the bottom of the upside down helicopter. the chopper crashed within months. and the pilot and three others were pulled live from the water. just moments ago, mayor michael bloomberg updated us on the accident. >> and in the end, today is not a day for political grandstanding as some people have already tried to do. today is a day for thinking and praying for the families and the deceased. and hoping that those in the hospital make it. >> reporter: so weather was a little windy but clear. nothing that should have caused a problem for the pilot. denise? >> reporter: thank you, mary. the type of chopper that went down is a bell 206 jet ranger. a very

derek valcourt, wjz eyewitness news. >> the transitional government says gadhafi's son, one-time heir apparent sative -- seif is in the hospital. >>> we have breaking news. sky eye chopper 13 is over an accident. captain mike perry is live with the latest for us. >> reporter: from the inner loop of 695 to bna boulevard. a car has left the ramp and gone into a wooded area. firefighters are now attempting to rescue the driver, who was trapped inside the vehicle. it's not clear if there was anyone else inside the car. but as you can see, they're diligently working to remove whoever the driver was. at this point, it looks like they have the ramp to b&a boulevard from the inner loop of the beltway closed. maryland state police are redirecting traffic now that was on the scene. rescue personnel remained here. and as you can see, the roadway is blocked. >> thank you very much, captain mike perry in sky eye chopper 13. heating up, the cold case. the father of an anne arundel county woman, murdered three decades ago. hopes a new reward will mean new leads. >> reporter: denise, phyllis bohle wa

. >>> derek valcourt has the latest from the newsroom. >> reporter: nebraska police say four childrenthe custody of social services, after being found in an unsafe and unsanitary trailer home. police were called to the home for a welfare check inside. they found a 3-year-old and his 5-year-old brother. they were inside of a wired dog kennel. officers also found trash, animal feces and the stench of urine in the house. the mother allegedly said she put the boys in the kennel to keep them from escaping the house at night. >> four adults have been arrested with felony child abuse, first-degree child abuse and misdemeanor. >>> robbyrobbie owens reports, investigators say he's targeting members of sorority groups in several towns. >> investigators say -- released this video. with attacks dating back to november of last year. he's described as a large, heavily-built black man, in his middle to late 30s and 40s. >> we believe there is somebody out there, that once they see this video, they see his walk, they see his dress, possibly the way he carries himself, that somebody out there may know

derek valcourt has more on the experts. >> they had heard from psychologists as defense experts try to make the case for mercy. >> reporter: walter bishop fires the shot that killed hess gas station owner ray porter. promised $9,000 for the murder of the victim's wife, carla porter. there was no doubt in the jury's mind, they heard it from his own mouth in a recorded confession. >> as i came around the corner, he turned his head. and i went like this. >> reporter: his conviction last week now leads the jury to decide whether he should be put to death. it's a punishment he's eligible for under a new maryland law, that allows the death penalty in cases where there's a videotaped confession. monday, they called prison expert dr. robert johnson, to testify about a sentence of life in prison without parole. >> reporter: life in prison are both death sentences. i call life without parole death by incarceration. you're sentencing a person to die in prison. one case in the lethal injection chamber. in the other case, pie either natural -- by either natural causes or violence. >> several others

we're live, derek valcourt, wjz eyewitness news. >> for more on the city's rape awareness campaign, log onto wjz.com, and look for this story in the seen on section. >>> a baltimore county police officer is facing felony charges tonight. brian eaton is charged with first-degree assault and destruction of property in connection with the domestic incident involving his ex- girlfriend. it happened at a home in parkville in the 1200 block of halsted road. the officer is out on bail. >>> a debate over the first slots casino. they gave permission to build a 175-foot sign to help attract business. many residents were upset because they feel it will be an eye sore. the sign will be visible from several neighborhoods, as well as interstate 95 and route 222 east. >>> a full day of sunshine. we're enjoying beautiful fall weather right now. the skies are clear. temperatures are still in the 70s. bob turk is tracking our near- perfect conditions in weather. >> and we deserve this beautiful weather. because we've had horrible weather the last month, so much rain. but it's dried out and warmed up. it'

live at city hall, derek valcourt, wjz eyewitness news. >> and for more on the city's rape awareness campaign, log onto wjz.com and look for this story in the seen on section. >>> a baltimore police officer finds himself in handcuffs. mary is live with details on the arrest. >> reporter: officer brian eaton is facing serious charges tonight. investigators say he assaulted his ex-girlfriend at a home in towson on september 23rd. the next day, eaton was suspended. and internal affairs began to investigate the incident before moving forward with charges this week. he is now charged with assault, false imprisonment, and destruction of property. eaton is stationed in pikesville. the alleged victim is also an officer in that precinct. vic, back to you. >> eaton is currently free on $50,000 bail. >>> baltimore county police identify the man shot and killed in front of a home in woodlawn. the body of 55-year-old ronald gibbons was discovered yesterday morning, in the 3500 block of woodmoor road. police say gibbons lived a block away from where he was shot. right now, police have no suspects