abc2 news joce sterman explains why a special census from a maryland company is confusing some people. >> reporter: it's been weeks since the census forms went out en masse with 10 simple questions for every american to answer. but this is not the only census some people have received. >> consumers were confused as to whether or not the brochure they received, if that was part of the real census or not. >> reporter: according to the better business bureau the senior census forms have been circulating. they look official but if you look at the print on the back the surveys are from the council of seniors, a lobbying and advocacy group based in frederick. >> the consumer might mistakenly complete this survey and not the official one. >> reporter: that's why the bbb is warning people about this survey which includes questions about everything from your gender and age to how you feel about president obama. but the biggest difference between the real census and this one is that the senior census asks you to supply your credit card number for a donation. something the feds just don't do. >>

joce sterman has a look at the debate. >> reporter: an fda-approved artificial sweetener, according tomaker, just like sugar. it's been the number one sweetener in the u.s. for three years but if you do a simple google search for splenda the fda approval is not what you'll see first. you'll find complaints and article upon article about how it's actually not good for you, from giving you cancer to poisoning you. but that doesn't stop jim hanson. he only uses splenda. >> i bring it with me in case a restaurant doesn't have it. >> i think splenda tastes better than any of the other sweeteners i used. >> reporter: just like the talk on the web doctors can't agree on benefits or harmful impact. dr. stanley gardner takes a holistic approach to treatment and says it should be taken off the market. >> definitely an inadequate study to prove that's going to be safe on millions and millions of people that are going to take it in the next 10, 12 years. >> reporter: he says there have been widespread reports of allergic reactions to splenda. >> we consider it unhealthy. it's not healthy. >> repor

joce sterman is here to try to clear this up. >> if you are confused about what you can or can't do you are not alone. there are last minute negotiations, decisions, and there are head scratching going on. the assembly has been debating bills for a decade. and it seems they made their largest decision this time around. passing a will making it legal to use your hands to use a hand- held cell phone. using your phone is not a primary offense. you can't be pulled over for it. police would have to stop you for something else. you would be ticket thed a 40- dollar fine for the first time offense. texting, you can be pulled over and fined $500 for sending a text. that's thank to a law passed last year. lawmakers tried to make it illegal to read texts this year. the bill went south when the house and senate couldn't agree. it illegal to send text but not read them. it seems the overall ban would cover that too. but that seems to be up to officials and police departments to interpret in the future. >>> lawmakers voted to change child support payment guidelines for the first time in 20 years. th

i'm joce sterman. what is it? it might be the next generation iphone. as mark mullen explains that's got apple as red as it can get. >> reporter: at first this apple engineer mistakenly left this super prototype at a bar sounded sketchy. >> probably had a few too many to drink then left it. >> then we started seeing the specifics of the product. >> reporter: they procured it and thoroughly examined it. >> it is the next iphone. it will be announced in about two months. >> reporter: gi. zmodo published a review showing new features and the flash of low light in a thinner, more angular design. >> the person who found it found it working and apple shut it off remotely. >> reporter: gizmodo published a letter it received from apple asking for its device back. mac now on the attack. >> apple is probably the most secure companies you can ever imagine. >> reporter: with trade secrets guarded carefully and steve jobs launching all new major products himself. where does that leave the guy who gizmodo says lost the phone? >> their world cannot be happy right now.

joce sterman, abc 2 news. >>> british airways has a flight scheduled to arrive tonight. and one that's supposed to head to london. both have been canceled because of the volcanic ash. be shauer to watch world news tonight with diane sawyer. she will be reporting on how the backlogs are growing longer and longer. it begins tonight rate after abc 2 news at 6:00. you'll see that at 6:30. >>> tonight, the nation is mourning the death of dr. dorothy height, a leading voice in the civil rights movement who fought for quality education, justice and human rights for everyone. officials here in maryland are remembering the pioneer. height served as a long time president of the national council of negro women and the leading female voice of the 1960 civil rights movement. she continued actively speaking out well into her 90 on women's issues and education. local leaders are reflecting on her life. senator ben cardin says dorr i had height was instrumental in the civil rights movement with her insistent voice for racial justice and gender equality in america. representative elijah