quickly to save the animals. >> heavy fire load, a lot of straw and hay, nothing to stop it. it just took off. >> reporter: by late afternoon, the welcome clipty crop of horseshoes welcomed the arrival of survivors. the tattoos were checked so owners could be notified. and then there's these four. they were found clustered near the rubble. >> feels good. especially for the little one. >> lucky. >> the west virginia state fire marshal was called to investigate but so far no word on the cause of the fire. they are saying it is accidental. the barns involved were privately owned and like most barns did not have sprinkler systems or working smoke detectors. >> i know this is in the beginning stages. did you have a chance to talk to the owners of the barns or any people who lost horses. >> one owner was down there. she was incredibly upset by what happened and felt terrible. i spock to one gentleman who had lost two horses and had one horse injured. it is an emotional attachment to these animals and a signature financial investment in the horses. it is just a horrible scene out there today. >> thank you. two teenager girl and a man are recovering after a shooting here in northeast. police say their injuries are serious but not life- threatening. one of the girls was shot in the thigh and the other in the foot. they are believed to be between 14 and 18 years old. police didn't release any information on the man's wounds. police are still looking for the gunman. a crime ' letter for students at the university of maryland in candle light vigil park. police are urging them to stay especially aware of their surroundings after several students were beaten and mugged just off campus in one week. the latest assault at hartwork road an princeton avenue. a student walking alone on saturday morning was beaten and robbed. earlier in the week a student was assaulted on berwyn house road an three were attacked in the parking lot of the clairion hotel. investigators are looking for suspects. a major election controversy caused bay sample ballot. the brochure falsely claims the highest ranking democrat endorses certain candidates. >> reporter: yesterday we interviewed state senator anthony muse who's upset with what he is calling a fraudulent sample ballot but some of the candidate he's accused of wrongdoing say they did not make that ballot. >> the ballot on the left is the brochure that muse and leading democrats sent out. what he calls a legitimate ballot. on the right is what he claims is the fake. they look almost identical but different candidates have been endorsed with some candidates listed under offices they aren't even running for and even though his picture is on the front, when you flip it open, the ballot says he endorses his opponent. muse said he blames two candidates that were falsely endorsed including current house delegate who said she had nothing to do with it. >> i feel like i'm in the cross fire of whoever is frying to get at one another. i feel that is what has become of this. i have nothing to do with this ballot. i know nothing of this ballot until the news broke out. i think i'm in the middle of a cross fire of a political campaign of whoever's it is. >> reporter: senator muse accused his primary opponent albert chapman. he too says he has nothing to do with it. both me say they did not hand out the controversial ballots but we spoke to a candidate today who said he did and he knows who made the ballots. we will show you who we are talking about tonight at 6:00. >> looking forward to that one. thank you. maryland's attorney general wants anyone who witnessed campaign fraud to file a complaint with his office. you can find a link at www.myfoxdc.com and you can find the complete statement on the ballot issue. averment president obama is spending part of his labor day weekend in milwaukee. today he announced a proposal to help spark the economy [ applause ] >> reporter: president obama laid out his plan to stimulate the economy by pumping $50 billion in the nation's rs -- roads, railways and runways. >> i want america to have the best infrastructure in the world. we used to have the best infrastructure in the world. we can have it again. >> reporter: the plan will call for rebuilding 150,000-miles of road, construct or maintain 4,000 miles of rails across the country and rehabilitate or reconstruct 150 miles of runway. >> we want to set up an infrastructure bank to leverage dollars and focus on the smartest investments and continue our strategy to build a national high speed network that will reduce congestion and travel times and reduce harmful emissions. >> it would require approval from congress which is highly uncertain with them worrying about deficits that are already sky high. administration officials admit the program would not create jobs until sometime next year. john mccain talked about his former adversaries handling of the economy. >> the economic policies have failed and we can argue about jobs, created jobs saved but the fact is when they passed the stimulus package they said unemployment would be 8%. it is 9 phone 8% now. enough said. a senior white house official said they would consider to close a number of tax breaks for oil and gas companies to pay for the proposal. traveling with the president in milwaukee, fox news. our job of the day is at qwest diagnostics. they are looking for a field operators manager at adventis hospital. for more go to www.myfoxdc.com and click on the job shop tab on the home page. the candidates in the dc's mayor race are working hard this labor day. they were both stumping for votes. karen gray houston is live in the newsroom with an update. >> the candidates are taking full advantage of the labor day holiday. it is a time when you can find voters at home if you are knocking on doors and check out folks going to the polls for the early voting. >> four more years! >> reporter: ward 5 northeast outside of the turkey thicket rec center. the underdog incumbent mayor wrapping up his message at a campaign rally with young supporters. >> we are priming the pump. we want to get the numbers in the polls as high as they can be and the only way to do so is to start to vote early. we have eight days. >> we are working hard to win 4. >> reporter: elsewhere in northeast, near the rigs la salle community center, enthusiastic support for the challenger vincent gray. it is an area that could prove to be a major battleground, which is ward 4, fenty's home turf. >> we have been out all day and will be out all day and evenings until the 14th. a spirited campaign. >> reporter: mayor fenty dropped by the woodland rec center in southeast. the nonprofit group piece pastaholics under fire to explain contracts to explain in a news conference. >> as soon as young black men start to get contracts it's a problem. >> reporter: he said he pulled out of the day to day operations at peaceaholics to campaign for mayor fenty. they filed a lawsuit saying the city did not respond to a freedom of information request asking for documents about mpd's relationship with peaceaholics. i asked the mayor why it was so difficult to get it. >> it is my understanding that any information someone has wanted they have received. >> we are looking forward to the ought tore being able to get the cooperation from the administration and attorney general so they can have see how the money has been used. >> reporter: as you can see at heinz junior high, early voting continues. both campaigns have their highs on early voting. dc hasn't has it before. it is hard photo know who will benefit from it. >> karen, speaking of the campaign trail, we did not see michelle rhee out today but i know her presence on the campaign trail raised questions in the past about is she even allowed to be out campaigning for mayor fenty. >> there have been questions. there was a column today in the "washington post" where he had questions about it, whether it violated hatch act regulations that say government worker are not supposed to go out and campaign and be involved in politics. well, when rhee was out yesterday she did not say she was a school chance already and her people are saying she's out as a private citizen. i asked vincent gray about it and he said she's following the letter of the law and not the spirit of the law. and i think people have questions about that. >> interesting. i know you will stay on top of it. thank you. tonight, the state of the dc mayor's race. fox 5 reporters karen gray houston and paul wagner will break down where the candidates stand ahead of the primary one week from tomorrow. a terrifying scene caught on camera. a car engulfed in flames an the driver trapped in the car. don't miss what it took to pull him to safety and it is coming your way next. rescuers trapped in a mine in chile. their rescue is months away but tonight they are communicating with loved ones. one victim could face more trouble when he finally gets above ground. we are breaking this down coming up next. we have been on a weather roll this weekend. this holiday weekend. the question is, is it going to stay nice? will we have troubled waters coming up? we will have the complete forecast ahead. keep it here. fox 5 news at 5:00 is coming right back. just in case you didn't know, it is dallas week. always the biggest week of the year for the redskins. after months of practice in preseason games the team begins a tune upfor wednesday night. lindsey has an update. >> it is not just about the season opener but about playing the biggest rival, the cowboys on sunday night football. the big question in to the game is mcnabb good to go and with haynesworth start? we got some hints today at practice. mcnabb was back, after sitting out two weeks with a sprained left ankle. he took snaps with the starters and showed no signs his ankle was bothering him. also practicing is sellers. he missed two weeks after spraining his left knee against the ravens, the same game mcnabb was injured. there was a new face at practice, they added number 55 linebacker. a native up of upper marlboro, maryland. hanes worst was out there but practicing with the second team defense. according to orakpo there shouldn't be questions about haynesworth. >> what about haynesworth. he is good. he is here. i'm tired of. that haynesworth is done with. he is good. he's a big part of the team, a great player and ready to play and we are all excited to be playing with one another again and we have been practicing well as a team. defense is looking great. i can't wait to get out there and put everything together. >> reporter: the only player not practicing today is linebacker perry riley who has an injured foot. at 6:00 we will have highlights from an action-packed maryland and navy game. having trouble speaking today. it has been a good game so far, maryland is up 14-7 with halftime approaching. >> i think fans are excited to see the other players. >> think the other players are sick of talking about haynesworth. >> time to move on. >> absolutely. >> thank you. today marks one month since 33 chilean miners were trapped underground. now tensions are rising with family members of the men. one miners wife and mistress have been keeping vigil and then they realized they were praying for the same man. that started a fight. some relatives have been squabbling over who should get the miners paychecks. there are hopes that letting them to talk to loved ones in a video conference will resolve disputes and stress. daddy how are you, i love you dad, we are waiting for you here with a lot of kisses. >> i love you lots too. plenty of kisses for you. >> may not be rescued until christmas. back here at home, an absolutely, positively gorgeous weekend. >> if you had a convertible today was the day to take the top down. if not you looked at everyone else and said i wish i had a car like that. gorgeous day. >> the question is can we expect it to continue in to the evening? >> that was spoken like somebody you may have a convertible. >> my point. >> who, me? [ laughter ] >> i think the weather role will stick around. we are going to warm up. today in the middle 80s. tomorrow the upper 80s to around 90 degrees or so. a couple of days here where it will be pretty toasty but toward the end of the week, another cold front is coming through and we will be in good shape. show you true view to give you an idea where the clouds are and where the clouds aren't. where they aren't for the most part is on top of us. there's a little more cloudiness back up to the northwest. you can see it is kind of scooting directly from west to east. that may clip us overnight tonight. but no big deal. no rain or anything like that. and then a nice bank of clouds staying well off to the east of us and to the southeast and that's where it will stay too. all of that being said, the next couple of days looks like we are in for plenty of sunshine. again, just warmer temperatures. really nice at 7:00, 81 degrees. fair skies at 9:00, 75. and by 11:00 we are down in to the lower 70s. out in the suburbs, already down in the 60s. we could have some spots out in the suburbs back down in to the 50s. so, if you didn't take advantage of your convertible today, maybe you will be in the next couple of days. will? >> let me ask you, as beautiful and as warm as the days have been, the nights are getting chilly, is that unseasonable right now? >> not really, will. occasionally when we dip down to the 50s is unseasonable but that is just an average. so you get some cold nights and some warmer nights. the next couple of nights will be probably in the mid to upper 60s and that's where we should be. >> a lot of us are trying to figure out do we turn the ac on or off. >> it is a constant battle. tonight might be nice. but toward the end of the week another nice pleasant air mass comes in and we will have a break from the air conditioners. >> thanks, gary. a last dip of summer at the dc pools. beginning tomorrow only one pool will be open. the east potomac pool is heated and will not close until october 17th. so you have time for that one. you can go to www.myfoxdc.com and look under web links for a complete list of locations and hours. one of the teenagers known as little rock nine has died. jefferson thomas is one of the black students who integrated high school in 1957. after arkansas governor ordered national guard troops to block the students from entering the school, president eisenhower ordered the airborne division to escort the students to class. they were awarded the congressional medal of honor in 1999. he died of pancreatic cancer. he was 88. a consumer alert for pet owners. a popular treat could make your animals sick. >> a national wide recall happening right now. it is coming up at 5:30. a terrifying scene caught on camera. don't miss how sheriffs deputies saved a man from a burning car. one new on the job on duty just a couple of hours. their story is next. ♪ i thought it was over here... ♪ [car horn honks] our outback always gets us there... ... sometimes it just takes us a little longer to get back. ♪ insurgents in iraq are intensifying attacks. the increase in violence is days after president obama announced a change of mission for u.s. forces. on sunday, suicide bombers stormed an iraqi military command post with machine guns and bombs. the attack killed 12 people and hurt dozens of others. it's the second strike in two weeks on the base. a man hurt and trapped in a burning car in georgia could not get himself out of the flames. you can see the flames shooting out of the car there. three deputies risked their own lives to say them. one man is a rookie and he only had hours on the job. george spoke with those deputies about the dangerous rescue. >> how big were these flames? describe the scene. >> it was pretty intense flames. pretty high. >> reporter: the flames were shooting in every direction as the buick regal burned with a man inside when deputy basketball first arrived. >> i retrieve mid fire extinguisher out of the car and attempted to knock the flames down. >> reporter: he arrived before he did but couldn't get inside the car. within a minute after basketball's arrival josh cochran and chap chad phillips came on scene. on the southbound lane of 75 in gordon county. the two started to break out windows to reach the struggling driver, 22-year-old deputy cochran is a rookie. >> this was your second knight on patrol. >> yes, sir. >> what does that tell you. >> never thought second night i would get something that intense. >> reporter: how intense was it? what was going on? >> just the flames and having somebody in the car and knowing, you know, you had to get him out. >> reporter: get him out they did. rushing to the passenger's side of the car because the driver's side was bent and damaged preventing them from reaching the motorist. deputies busted out the window, dragging 56-year-old don goff to safety. >> we were all working together. >> i can't express how proud i am of these deputies. >> reporter: the sheriff tells us the deputies were on the scene three minutes after getting the call. rescue crews arrived a few minutes after. that they rushed the burned motorist to the hospital, hurt but alive, thanks to the efforts of the deputies. >> are you heros? >> we're just doing our job, trying to save lives. >> that was george franco reporting. the sheriffs office says the driver is still recovering. as for those three deputies they will be recognized for their actions in an award ceremony in december. and whether they like it or not, just doing their job is always what they say but truly heros. >> indeed. it is the end of the line for the jetblue flight attendant. remember this guy lost it an got crazy on the plane. >> that's right. we know he's out of a job but did he quit or was he fired? we will have the scoop coming up. craigslist is pulling the plug right now. we will help you navigate the changes to the the popular website. fox 5 news at 5:00 is coming right back. name something truly awful. [ bell dings ] microwave pizza! awful! [ buzz! ] [ show announcer ] now there's red baron pizza by the slice. unbelievably good pizza from the microwave. red baron. bring home that pizzeria taste. labor day is the unofficial kickoff to campaign season and today was no exception in maryland. it's not the first time the candidates for governor have met on the ballot but time they are trading shots and rubbing elbows. tom fitzgerald was with martin o'malley and return candidate ehrlich today. >> this event was the labor day parade and the issue of labor may prove important in the match. governor o'malley is trying to avoid the fate of his opponent robert ehrlich and win re- election to a second term. ehrlich, meanwhile, launched his first tv ad an promised to find solutions to the problems he says the current administration has left undone. at the labor day parade in gaithersburg, you will find two men going after the same job. >> good to see you. >> martin o'malley, incumbent governor trying to hold on to that job. and former republican governor robert ehrlich who is trying to get his old job back ♪ [ music ] ♪ >> reporter: the last russ plussen poll finds both men tied at 45% for the third month in a row. the difference maker both men say will be their track record as governor. >> he's not a new challenger who rolled out of bed. now he really wants to get to work. what did he do when evidence in office? >> to have this democratic of a county and this many undecided so late it shows us a lot of people are unhappy with annapolis today. that's what it shows. >> today maryland is in trouble. >> reporter: ehrlich's campaign launched a tv ad on lay were day and an ad that the current governor called misleading. >> it tries to gloss over the things he did when he was in office. >> reporter: ehrlich's reaction to o'malley's economy. >> this is the people who blame you for the oil spill. >> reporter: from a political science standpoint there is little scientific about walking up to folks at a parade and asking who they will vote for but the large majority of the people said one decision they have made in maryland is they haven't made any decision. true, some have made their pick. >> ehrlich. >> o'malley. >> but the most, their vote is up for grabs. >> trying to make a decision. >> up in the air. >> undecided. >> i'm not sure who's going to make the better choices. >> reporter: one thing is clear, maryland voters will have no a lack of differences to pick apart as they try to pick between their two governors. the last poll found 8% of maryland voters are undecided and that's critical in a race right now that is virtually in a dead heat. >> we know the democrats outweigh republicans, especially among registered voters in the state. so why are undecide voters so important? >> this answer can be found in the polling data. 78% of o'malley voters say they are certain of how they will vote in november. conversely 72% of ehrlich's voters say the same. so with the overall share of both camps hovering around the 45% mark. you will find in order to get the 6% to pit them over the top they have to go over the 8% which has still not made up its mind two months out of the election. >> thank you. the flight attendant who ranted on the loud speaker and slid down the emergency chute said he wasn't fired. the lawyer for slater said he resigned from his job at jetblue. slater was suspended after a tirade on a plane that ended with his dramatic exit. he has been charged with criminal mischief reckless endangerment. joran van der sloot admits he did extort money from hollowway's parents. he said if they paid him he would tell them where her body is. but she wasn't found at the spot where he told them to go. he is charged in the murder of a peruvian woman. attorney generals general for a dozen states, including maryland and virginia led a crusade against craigslist sex ads an now the section is marked as censored. >> reporter: a black war with the word censored now in place over craigslist controversial adult services section. >> these prostitution ads enable human trafficking, assaults on women. they are flagrant and rampant. >> reporter: the move is after years of pressure and a critical open letter from 17 states attorney general in august. >> we don't believe this will be the end of the effort. we think we need to markhor sure they follow through on what they have done. >> so what this is by the attorneys general is show boating. >> reporter: it's not clear if the shut down is permanent. the ads, which cost $10 to post and $5 to repost are expected to bring in $44 million this year. >> a lot of money was involved but craigslist is doing the right thing voluntarily. >> craigslist is refusing to comment. the change could shake-up the site. >> it is much safer than if this were driven underground and of course it is now going to be driving underground. >> the internet can be a place of great prompt and benefit, but it also has a lot of perils and these ads were simply the dark side of the internet and craigslist doing the right thing can provide a model for other effective action. >> reporter: it is not clear what influence the law will have on the future of craigslist ads. allison seymour, fox 5 news. now a consumer alert, a leading pet product company is voluntarily recalling 75,000 bags of dog treats because of concerns over salmonella. it comes after testing by the fda. the new jersey company has not received reports of illness but are urging customers to throw the treats away. you can find more information on our website at www.myfoxdc.com. idol fans, listen to this one. who's set to take the stage and sit at the judge's stable table? the rumor mill has been in overdrive all summer long. we will try to separate fact from fiction for you. and the catch that fish tales are made of. but this one is legit. what it took to reel a 15- inch [ male announcer ] have something you love doing? cheerios could be your ticket to do it. big time. you could win a once in a lifetime chance to live your passion by choosing from t never-dreamed-possible prizes. from a customized v.i.p. vacation, to a hollywood red carpet experience, to cooking with a celebrity chef, and more. find details on specially marked boxes of cheerios. why cheerios? because whatever you love doing, you'll need a healthy heart to do it. ♪ these cowboys are taking a place in the guinness book of world records. 69 cowboys in mexico set the record for the longest simultaneous lassoing. they twirled the ropes breaking a record set last year. the record breaker is a way to keep one of the most traditionally mexican customs alive. mess coe is setting a record on the guinness book food category. a crowd gathered to pit together a record breaking taco. the 164-foot long creation was the largest taco ever made and the ingredients included pork, beef, chicken, beans, rice, even a little pineapple. so no matter what you like there is something for everyone. can you imagine, probably 30 people can eat that. >> it took staff from 38 restaurants to make that. so a lot of people and a lo of tums. most of us have to go back to work tomorrow, some of us today, right? >> indeed. >> gary has the full forecast. we'll be right back. i'm iris cross. bp has taken full responsibility for the clean up in the gulf and that includes keeping you informed. my job is to listen to the shrimpers and fishermen, hotel and restaurant workers and find ways to help. that means working with communities. we have 19 centers in 4 states. we've made over 120,000 claims payments, more than $375 million. we've committed $20 billion to an independent claims fund to cover lost income until people impacted can get back to work. we'll keep looking for oil, cleaning it up if we find it and restoring the gulf coast. i was born in new orleans. my family still lives here. bp is gonna be here until the oil is gone and the people and businesses are back to normal... until we make this right. it's knot not exactly a prize catch but the florida fisherman never expected to net it. it is a red bellied piranha. he caught it in the lake. the man said it bit him twice and he one sure what type of fish it was until he looked it up. it is in the fisherman's freezer until the department of fish and wildlife come to look at it. >> one from the bizarre side for sure. it is feels like fall, especially at night but as gary is about to tell us, summer weather will make a comeback and so why not get your bod ready for the heat. some say hot yoga is the best way to train yourself for the sweltering temperatures and lose weight while you are at it. we go along for the ride. >> here at yoga nyc. i have been drinking water all morning. not sure it is a good idea but too late now. let's go. it is also known as hot yoga because the studio feels like a sauna. >> ready to sweat. >> the inside temperature of the room is kept at 100 to 1005 degrees with the humidity of 40 to 50%. >> the idea is to try to stay as calm as possible when you are in an environment that feels uncomfortable. whether or not it is heat or anything else in your life. >> reporter: five minutes in the class and my leftover makeup was melting off my face and i could already feel the sweat. >> long spine. >> reporter: it was created by a man named vicram. it is a 90 minute class that involves the same series of 28 poses and two breathing exercises every single time. donna rubin is the codirector and founder of vicram yoga nyc. she believes hot yoga helps your body better tolerate the hot summer days. >> when you are sweating in a heated room and go outside in the summer you don't feel it is hot out anymore. >> if i said i was doing it i would be lying. >> reporter: it is designed to sweat the body of toxins and i have seen sweat like never before pouring out head to toe. the heated studio is thought to allow for deeper stretching. >> how are you feeling right now. >> wonderful, excellent. you have less risk of injury because your body is warm. >> but critics say it is possible to overstress and create an injury and heat can stress the cardiovascular system. anyone with a medical condition should be extremely nauseous. >> have you ever felt light headed or nauseous. >> absolutely. >> i felt nauseous before. >> reporter: the lovers come back for more. >> flexibility and i got hooked. >> starting to feel better. >> surrender to the heat and let it go. >> an hour and a half later, she was trying it for the first time. >> long 90 minutes, right? >> we did good job. >> nice job. >> are you coming back? >> i will be back. >> there's manage called heat training or heat climatization training. it teaches your body to perform better in the heat but takes a couple of weeks to see the benefit and you lose it in a few days in you stop working out in the heat. >> surrender to the heat, they say. >> i guess so. i never tried it but the people who i know tried it they love it. >> i like the lady that says, yes, i have felt nauseous and light headed. at least she was honest. we have been had to surrender to anything sweltering. thnext several days will be great. just different levels. we will warm up the next couple of days. close to 90 an then latter part of the week, well, we will stick around for a couple of minutes and let you know. here's what is happening this evening. it is good and nice out there. temperatures have made it up to the middle 80s today. and i think some places pushing the upper 80s. in the city looks like we maxed out at 86 degrees where we are right now, by the way, 86 here in town. gaithersburg 82. frederick is 86. along the water, real real nice. baltimore is 81. annapolis 80 wintertown in the upper 70s. you pull away from the wart and get to the south and the southwest and that's where temperatures have warmed up a little bit. let me show you what happens the next couple of days. wichita is 98. dallas 98. what's that amarillo at 100 degrees. so the heat is there and tomorrow and even in to wednesday, just a little bit, our temperatures will remain in the upper 80s possibly around 90 degrees as this comes across. cincinnati 89. st. louis 89 and i think that is pretty much where we will be around here for tomorrow. as a matter of fact, it looks like the next couple of days will be up in the upper 80s. that doesn't mean some places won be in the lower 90s. i think some of you can get 91, 92, something like that. but look on thursday and friday. much cooler, drier air. hard to be drier than what it is right now. but certainly cooler air coming in the latter part of the week and make it feel real nice again. here's what we call tropical storm hermine which just formed rapidly today. they were watching it. it became a tropical depression but took on the characteristics of a tropical storm and by that i mean the winds really jumped this afternoon and so it is getting stronger. but look at how close it is to making land fall. the center of it is right there. just off shore of mexico. and probably within the next few hours or so it will move ashore. mostly south of brownsville, more than anything this is just going to be a very, very heavy rain producing tropical storm. 80-mile an hour maximum sustained winds. there's the possibility, not that great, but there is a possibility that it actually hermine could be a hurricane before moving ashore in the next few hours. it is really beginning to look impressive. you can see the track through texas, and this will bring beneficial rain for the folks in texas. and some of that might get caught up and move in our direction later in the week. we will have to watch that. that could be a little kink in the ointment there a little fly in the ointment for us coming up later in the week. we will keep an eye on it. the storm track is north of us. we are real real nice. loads of nine around here. we may see a high cloud or two. and then we will end up in really, really good shape. here's the forecast for you. sunny and warm tomorrow. temperatures will start again on the cool side in the 80s and then we will warm back up to the upper 80s. the next couple of days, thursday and friday, and saturday we look good. we will kentucky keep an eye on hermine's moisture. it will stay gorgeous. >> thank you. with cara, simon and ellen out, who will be in as the new "american idol" judges? there are rumors swirling about lopez and tyler. they are different call musical artists with different audiences some far executives haven't said who's in besides randy. the producer says the curiosity is understandable but the focus should be on the contestants, not the judges. coming up at the top of the hour on the news edge at 6:00, a county council in maryland is accused of handing out misleading ballots. we track him down to hear his side of the story. and why a recent makeover in the oval office has some people calling for a history lesson. peddling for patriots two riders, one cause. those stories and more on the news edge at 6:00. ♪ ♪ [ female announcer ] bursting with mouth-watering real fruit and refreshingly blended with creamy, low-fat yogurt. mcdonald's new strawberry banana and wildberry smoothies are 100% pure sipping fun. the simple joy of real fruit smoothies. ♪ navigating today's real estate market is complicated. you've seen the signs. that's why having the right real estate agent is more important than ever. at remax.com, you can find experts in short sales or bank-owned properties or commercial real estate, agents who can help speed up the process, no matter how intricate. and that's good news, whether you're trying to sell or hoping to buy. because the only sign you really want to see is "sold." nobody sells more real estate than re/max. visit remax.com today. volunteers are laboring to help our country's youngest heros, we are talking about children who are having a tough time coping with their parents deployment overseas. a one of a kind keepsake can help these young ones get through these difficult days. >> reporter: their daddy is over here somewhere. >> reporter: 3-year-old hanna misses her daddy right now. he's been in iraq almost a year. >> she's a real trooper. she knows her daddy is doing something really important. it's been a challenge. >> who are you talking to? >> daddy. >> reporter: hanna talks to her dad on pretend and real phones but her mom was looking for something else to fill the void when she heard of volunteers with operation kid comfort make quilts for children with their parents photos stitched on it, she thought that was perfect. >> i thought a blanket is like daddy hugging you and know he has been with him before and he will be back again. i think that comforts her. >> reporter: kathy knows how comforting the quilts can be. she got one for her son when his dad was in afghanistan. >> when in the needs an extra piece of security he's something to hold on to while dad is away. >> each is made by request and so far the organization has been able to fulfill ever request no matter how big the family. one service member just wrote asking one of these for all eight 0 the children. >> don't want to let the family down and say sorry we are busy. we would never do that. >> volunteers have stitched and sewn 7,000 personalized quilts and sent them free of charge to children under the age of 6. >> the mom has to physically sneak in the bedroom at night, take the quilt and launder it before the child wakes up which is spectacular. >> this 79-year-old volunteer says she grows more attached to the families with every stitch. >> then i thought where's that dad? is he still alive or back on a second tour? where is he? >> who's this? >> that's daddy. >> reporter: the quilt helped this family through a tough time and even though dad is home now the blanket is very much a part of the fabric of their lives. >> it is a tangible sense of comfort. you can wrap it around you with a virtual hug with daddy's picture on it. >> as for shelly and hanna cher they are counting down the days until their quilt arrives. >> they are sacrificing their effort to make her more comfortable while their dad is gone is amazing. so i'm excited to see what it turns out like. >> reporter: in washington, jennifer davis, fox 5 news. >> great idea. the group will make personalized pillows for children over the age of 6. to find the armed services ymca closest to you, to request a quilt or volunteer to make bun, go to www.myfoxdc.com and we will connect you. just click on web links. thanks for joining us tonight at 5:00. the news edge at 6:00 starts right now. first of all, they said it was a bogus ballot. you tell me what the real ballot is. will the real ballot stand up. >> reporter: major election controversy is brewing in maryland tonight. the source a controversial sample ballot that some say is fake. e