of other officers or people in need. of the highest honor, a hero's good-bye for police in baltimore city it has become all too common. days after losing officer james fowler in a car crash in pennsylvania they are preparin'c according to a web site that tracks the death of police officers, tommy portz is the ÷car accident since 1995. his a heartbreaking seen every time as police mourn their own. like anthony bird who was killed in 2006 when his patrol car was hit by another cruiser responding to a officer crystal sheffield indict in a similar crash between two police cars back in 2002. in 2000 officer jamie was in a çhe hit a car struck a telephone pole and later died. officer harold carey was killed in 1998 when the police van he was riding in was hit by a cruiser as ]ñboth responded to officer needs assistance call. all five officers killed in on duty car accidents were under 40 years old. only one had more than 10 years of l)ñservice. this deadly crash comes just days after an off duty city detective was killed in canton. detective brian stevenson died when sean james threw a piece of concrete that ojnstruck him the head. investigators say detective stevenson was killed because of a dispute over a parking space. a viewing for stevenson is this saturday at the vaughn green funeral home kofrom 5:00 to 8:0 p.m. an funeral service is at 11:00 at the new antioch baptist churn church. crime shows also use dna labs and hits hglto help catch bad guy. in baltimore county ream life can imitate that television art. the county announced a big milestone in using tcxdna how t solve crimes. something the size of a pinhead is putting crooks behind bars. >> reporter: science and technology continue to play a major role in reducing crime. murders, rapes and robberies are all being solved at > it's a big deal for the citizens of baltimore county. >> reporter: the county database is part of a larger network, codis where the combined dna index still. dna@q&ñis a genetic fingerprint when collected as evidence its set into a profile which is shared compared locally throughout the state and with the fbi database across the country. >> dna technology allows v:us investigate clear many cold cases. cases that would have went unsolved. baltimore county and across the nation. >> reporter: not only collected from convicted offenders dna samples are cwhno taken from those arrested for violent crimes. so as the database grows and technology improves, so does its effectiveness in solving crime. >> dna has allowed á2dus to f the needle in the haystack. >> used to be you need something the size of a quarter to get a profile. size of a pinhead. >> reporter: databases increase. the 150th hit for baltimore county represents etch more for the future. >> we're also moving more towards the rdpzrobotics and as they call it the lab on a chip where we're hoping we'll be able to some data dna right from the crime scene and have a profile developed that we can up load into codis within a few hours. >> reporter: in towson bill fink abc 2 news. >> that dna database is not only being used to put criminals away it's also being used to free those cq qwrongly convicted of a crime. we got a little bit of rain still lingering out this tonight, but for the most part i think the evening looks pretty good for us. let's start vl that evening forecast falling through the 50s. there will still be rain but where will that rain be? the answer mainly over on the eastern shore. as you take bhmña look on maryl most powerful radar showers falling cambridge back through salisbury. rain totals have been very, very light generally south of it's a little cool out this under the clouds. what does the weather hold as we go into the last part of the week and first part of the weekend? there's a couple h(oof twists here. >> thanks wyatt. it was a real life drama that played out on the national stage 20 years ago. anita hill and clarence thomas are back in the spotlight ¡aft a very surprising request. abc's t. j. winick explains. >> reporter: they were shocking allegations. >> judge thomas began to use work situations to discuss sex. workeporter: that divided a x. country and changed the american workplace forever. >> i deny each and every single allegation against me. >> reporter: now supreme court justice clarence thomas áh> reporter: hill, now a professor at brandeis university may have had nothing to say on her way to work this p morning but for nearly two decades she's stood by her charges at thomas 1991 confirmation hearing. >> when i testified in 1991 i was truthful. >> reporter: three years ago virginia d. zthomas spoke about ordeal. >> i think she owes us an apology. >> reporter: thomas confirmed she left the +vvoice message hill's office at 7:30 on a saturday morning saying she was extending an olive branch to her after all these years. anita hill t6=rabc news the nature telephone voice mail was not extending an olive branch 3p im9 accusatory. scrutiny as of late she is the wife of a sitting supreme court justice. the tea party she founded is funded by i%tanonymous donors. the more foreclosures the better. that's the mother to of one attorney's office. now that law firm is being investigated for [zigetting employees extravagant perks for pushing through foreclosure documents. we'll hear more stories like this in the coming >months. we'll have continuing coverage of democracy 2010.s9.qe, +ock market is closing strongly a day after a big sell all brought over concerns of a slowdown in china. the dow jones industrial average is up 129 nasdaq up 20. s & /l=ñp 500 up 12. in tonight's consumer alert the federal reserve plans to change some of those new credit card regulations. revamped 8çcredit card laws too effect this past february put sweeping restrictions on fees and crate increases. it led some banks to have different programs ÷to get around the laws. the more foreclosures the better. that's how a florida attorney is accused of doing business. authorities say david stern rewarded employees who signed the most kçzforeclosures. his firm handled more than 70,000 foreclosures last year, and now the office is being investigateed for allegedly unfair and deceptivetive practices. >> i'm not surprised +nat all largely because this is very eerily reminiscent what we saw with the mortgage crisis during the boom in the sense we had lendsers doing lots of things from on#an underwriting standpo paying off folks, providing perks to get a lot of loans on the books. >> according to a sworn statement from a former employee, one of the firm's top deputies nf thousand foreclosure files a day. we'll likely see a lot more investigations like this as investigator probe the foreclosure process nationwide. still more aheat 5:30 a surprise elimination last night on abc's hit show dancing with the stars. coming up a farewell to one of tv's all time favorite moms. president obama takes his campaign nq&cmessage to the tub why he's choosing comedy central to spread his message. [ ehrlich ] four years ago unemployment in maryland was under four percent. today, it's nearly double. and nearly a quarter of a million marylanders are looking for work. in addition, we face a national health care plan that will hurt small business and cost us jobs. so we have to ask, are you better off today than you were four years ago? we're heading in the wrong direction. we need strong leadership. say no to things we can't afford. fix our health care plan. and refuse to raise taxes. martin o'malley can't do it. i will. . we continue our coverage of democracy 2010 as we present to you another one weqzof the candidates running for office in our area. it's a chance for all of us to learn more about each candidate before the general election november 2nd. tonight megan pringle talks with john czar bains ño'about h bid for a third term searching maryland's third congressional district. >> joining me is john k÷ pain's incumbent in third congressional district. thanks so much for coming in. >> good to be here. >> good to have you here. what you do you see as the single most important issue in maryland right now. >> it's no question same issue% that's important all across the country that is the economy and jobs. so we've really got to focus in on that. i'm optimistic that we'll get through this difficult time. but i think it's a matter of when we make policy do =& approach it with the idea that we're all in this together or do we approach with it the idea there's going to be winners and losers. my philosophy is we have to çb in this together particularly that means focusing on the issues that face working americans and the middle class. that's where we have to have our emphasis. >> once you're in office what will you do to affect the greatest change and v#úimprove quality of life for your constituents. >> the thing i focused on i'll continue to is making sure educational opportunities are there that allow people to move forward particularly higher education and keeping y5[that affordable for all americans. you talk to any family and they know that it's difficult to afford education right now. so we have to look at keeping engrieved that from 4,000 to $5,500 a year. we have to look at making sure we have good loan forgiveness opportunities i've helped people do that kngoing into public service. >> keeping our community colleges strong they are not only educating the next generation those who want to go back get training have new job opportunities can use our community colleges. i'm going é3krto continue to fo on that. >> what about assets? what are the biggest assets you can bring to office? >> well, you know, i was in the private sector for 18 years before i ran for congress. and i n#kworked with businesse worked with nonprofits, i worked with community organizations. so i feel like one of the assets i have is i bring a diverse perspective to the job. it's not like k i've be politics my whole life. i've been doing other things. and i think that's the strength these days and something people appreciate. >> what's the most single important message you would like to convey to voters right now. >> well i think the most important message to convey is, you know, i'm here doing strong constituents service. there's the job of voting in washington and i take that seriouk[p make sure people know i'm here to help them with issues involves social security or medicare or veterans benefits. that's why my office is here to them navigate the bureaucracy sometimes. >> what about the one thing people don't know about you. >> one thing i [qethink people learn and appreciate i actually get out of washington every day and i come back home to my district. which is wonderful because i get back to my family, but ios also get to talk to folks every day who are in the district and struggling with issues and i listen to that. i work hard when i'm in washington but then i get out at the end of the day, jump in my ford focus, dive < ñ drive back to my district and make sure i listen. >> thank you for coming in. >> c'thank you. take care. >> maryland's top radar we're not seeing much rain out &g#th left over at least but still some light rain lower eastern show up through salisbury. little bit of rain in that direction but most of the eastern shore and most of the rest of the state have out pretty nicely. right now nice shot at the docks here in the inner harbor little bit of sun beaming there late in the day. we did not see much sun out there today. a cool evening. 57 right @ 57 in baltimore orioles c at 55 right now and 59 in hagerstown. we topped out the day close to 60 but most spots did not quite get there. york got [dv2 spots on the map at 55. your neighborhood tomorrow oweding ton 62. shady side maybe 64. so, we had a tough time getting days. >> tomorrow should see early sunshine but we may see some clouds build in late in the afternoon into the evening. so that could throw off temperatures just a little bit once again. rain clearing the area. that's good news, 1÷but off to the west briefly clear weather, but another system developing up across the great lakes up into michigan right now, and that system expected to dive southward. so even as this itp)ticular boundary, which has been bringing us the unsettled weather shifts out out to sea a new system in behind it could briefly bring us just a slight chance of a shower tomorrow. check out our future forecast rain east tonight. that clears into the day tomorrow. sunny start and then clouds roll in from the northwest around 4:00, 5:00, maybe a little bit of wet weather with these in the afternoon or e)yñ evening. then we'll go partly cloudy and dry completely on friday, and in fact the weekend looks fantastic early on saturday should feature a lot of sunshine next chance of rainqy probably late sunday evening so the ravens game looks dry at m and t bank stadium. 41 tonight. partly cloudy chilly. two degree guarantee we'll go with 62. early sunshine slight chance of ano day of kind of changing october weather through the day. tomorrow night 40 or so. partly cloudy, should see some late clearing in here. that's setting the stage for a sunny friday. i like the "7u÷sound of that ni sunny friday wrapping up the week. maybe it's payday if you're lucky. 60 degrees. this weekend warming up near 70 saturday we should get !uñto 74 ravens sunday. it was a surprise elimination on dancing with the stars last night. what a bummer =+ewithin you of tv's favorite moms florence henderson was eliminated. weeks orter: after gzo+ of competition florence henderson and her partner corky balance last wennñeliminated. the 76-year-old icon did out dance both taken age competitors monday night but she didn't get enough viewer votes to take her into week 6. here getting to know this wonderful man and learning to dance. >> reporter: she started with the cha-cha and tackled the quick step. with a waltz. and followed it up with a racy rum what. >> i'm so proud of her. she will be moving on to other things it's been a great experience and shell never forget it and i won' >> reporter: and she is not alone. >> i was balling, crying out there. she's such a hero to get out there and be as great as she was it's o:çdisappointing to s her go. >> it was fun to see her of all the people than i think she was the most excited every week to come back and have a chance to perform and be a part of this show. >> reporter: but as fj>+yence might say the show must go on. florence still has her one her auto biography next spring. >> everybody was very sad, and i'm very sad, but i'm also very grateful for the experience, and i'll be back sitting in the audience, i'll be here. >> reporter: we'll say hello to rock and roll next week on dancing with the stars. from los angeles george t6c-ñag yo. >> president barack obama is taking his campaign message to jon stewart. a white 5ñis coming to washington next week for the rally to restore sanity. the host telephone comedy central show says the rally is for people who think the loudest voices &o only ones people hear. we're working on these stories for you tonight at 6:00. the latest on the baltimore city police officer who after crashing into a city fire truck. plus, they are a tasty signature of chesapeake bay we're not talking about crabs we're talking about rockfish a rraising some concerns and has the state asking why aren't these fish spawning. those stories and much more coming up tonight at 6:00. >> so, ah, your seat good? got the mirrors all adjusted? you can see everything ok? just stay off the freeways, all right? i don't want you going out on those yet. and leave your phone in your purse, i don't want you texting. >> daddy... ok! ok, here you go. be careful. >> thanks dad. >> and call me--but not while you're driving. we knew this day was coming. that's why we bought a subaru. ke a party as much as the next gal but, come on. $60,000 for one dinner held by the department of justice. $66 per person just for bagels at one of the nasa's shindigs. i cracked down because big government shouldn't be funding big banquets with your money. some people say i'm a bit of a tightwad. i say, i'm barbara mikulski and i approve this message so you'll know i'm fighting for you. . how would you like this guy to é moss point neighbors say not one but two huge alligators showed up on their quiet street. the gators both 10 feet long got into this drainage j@l÷hole got stuck. neighbors called trapers to catch the two unwelcome visitors. with halloween on the horizon that means it's time for bark to beer fence in patterson park. that and much more on abc 2 nr news at 6:00 which starts right now. . >> . >> tonight baltimore city police fours is mourning the loss of its third officer in good evening i'm kelly swoope. police are still trying to figure out how patrolman tommy portz crashed hi cruiser into a fire truck killing him. it happened in the 400 block of north (/"gilmore on this