>> right now on "wisn 12 news this morning," changes at the milwaukee police department. the new plan being voted on today impacting how officers interact with certain residents. >> but first, we are on weather watch. right now, hurricane matthew is barrelling towards florida and millions of people are being ordered to evacuate. this morning, we have a team of reporters and meteorologists tracking the powerful storm. we're also looking at the role wisconsin is playing in the emergency response. good morning and welcome to "wisn 12 news this morning." i'm ben wagner. >> and i'm melinda davenport. it's 4:30 on this thursday, october 6th. we'll get to hurricane matthew in a moment. but first, let's start with your local forecast. here's meteorologist sally severson. sal?

jeremy and he's on the hurricane watch. we are looking at for us this morning cooler than it was yesterday at this time. we have 50 west bend and waukesha. 53 at the airport. the clouds are increasing for us. we have been watching the light showers as they pivot out of eastern and southern iowa and moving into western and northern illinois. a couple of the showers are likely wisconsin this morning. this is not the main action. we expect rain and storms later today and tonight. between now and 1:00, a few showers about, lots of dry time too. we are getting dry hours this afternoon. we reach up to the low 70s. the rain and storms approaching tonight. >> thank you, sal. >> a massive storm is heading for florida this morning. hurricane matthew already caused serious problems in haiti and right now, it's slamming the bahamas. meteorologist jeremy nelson is

jeremy? >> ben, we have the latest update on hurricane matthew and assist strengthening slightly. we are checking out where it is right now in relation to florida. it is cruising through the bahamas and down to south of nassau. a big popular tourist destination and tracking to the north and west. we are putting a forecast on this, it is continuing to move to northwest at 12 m winds sustained at 125 miles per hour. we get a closer look, when could it near the east coast of florida or making landfall, some time tonight or on friday. if it makes landfall, it will be a major hurricane. we are keeping tabs on this and getting the model runs this morning. >> thank you, jeremy. >> now, turning to the damage already done by matthew. wisn 12 news' tim elliott has

tim? >> so far, southern haiti has been hit the hardest by the hurricane. take a look, it's been cut off from the rest of the country because a crucial bridge collapsed in the storm. people are not only dealing with destruction and flooding after the massive storm but they're trapped on both sides of haiti, some are unable to get home, some can't reach their families. hundreds of homes in haiti have flooded, more than 300,000 morning. haiti was supposed to hold elections on sunday, but officials have put the election on hold while they deal with the devastation. melinda, back to you. >> tim, thank you. >> new this morning, some help from wisconsin is on the way to those impacted by hurricane matthew. 18 red cross volunteers and staff members from the badger state are being deployed this week. some are already on their way south. others leave today and tomorrow. one of the team members is from madison. she says she'll be working at an

>> this is kinda becoming my advocation. i was an emt for 20 years as a volunteer. i kinda aged myself out of that so i was looking for something exciting and you feel like you're doing something for somebody. >> mather says she expects to be in south carolina for two weeks. the red cross says the rapidly changing situation could impact its response. everyone who is being deployed has gone through special abc news has a team of reporters in the bahamas, florida, and the carolinas. look for complete coverage today on "good morning america." that's starting at 7:00 a.m. >> wisn 12 news time now is 4:34. >> looking ahead, milwaukee police are making some changes. chief ed flynn is signing off on new rules for interacting with transgender people. the new policy will be presented to the board of fire and police commissioners later today. the policy defines some key terms like transgender, intersex and more.

officers should interact with transgender people to make sure everyone is treated fairly and with dignity. >> milwaukee public schools taking part in a national movement today. parents, students and community members will gather for walk-ins later today. organizers say the walk-ins give people an opportunity to work together to demand full funding for public schools. more than 100 local schools are taking part along with more than 2,000 schools across the country. a popular reality series is rolling into town. >> an episode of "the bachelor" is reportedly being filmed in milwaukee today. what you'll have to do this morning if you want to be part of the show. >> plus, a fugitive is behind bars this morning all thanks to his sweet tooth. the role a doughnut may have played in his tasty takedown.

>> there we are live on the weatherwatch 12 camera network. skies are mostly cloudy early this morning. a live look at racine. this is mounted at the journal times building.

wisconsin. the showers are pivoting into northern illinois. 53 degrees at the airport. the dew is at 50. we are going to look at the temperatures recovering nicely and going up to the low 70s. i will put a stray shower in the forecast early this morning. this afternoon much of the day we time out the rain and storms coming up in a moment. >> thank you, sal. on to traffic watch, this is 94 at mitchell street and everything is looking good right now. now to the drive times... >> new this morning, an unusual rescue mission in pennsylvania after a horse gets stuck in the mud. >> dozens of people worked together to get the animal free.

horse was walking in water when it got stuck. then it panicked which only made the situation worse. rescue crews had to sedate the horse. they were able to get the animal out of the muck. >> new this morning, an explosion rocks a new jersey neighborhood. >> video from the scene shows that one home partially collapsed after the blast. one person was hurt in that explosion. officials say it was likely a total of two homes were damaged. one of them was vacant. the other had three people living inside. >> new this morning, a fugitive is caught in new mexico all thanks to his sweet tooth. >> police in hobbs say 35-year-old gregory mendoza was arrested outside a bakery. the takedown happened minutes after mendoza allegedly stole a doughnut. it turns out the suspect was wanted on ten pending charges

to animal cruelty. >> how much does a donut cost? >> too much for him and he had to have it. >> and then wanted for ten charges. >> wisn 12 news time is 4:41. a real-life adventure one woman wishes she could forget. >> she fell off a huge cliff while hiking with her dog. what she had around her neck that may have saved her life. >> then, a little boy's curiosity almost gets the best of him. why one family is calling a truck driver their hero. workers: he campaigned as a job creator but senator johnson helps companies ship jobs overseas. good manufacturing jobs just disappeared. ceos and giant corporations get richer guys with families... guys like me? just gets harder and harder to get ahead. we need an economy that works for people like me. for people like me. for people like me. people like me. russ: i'm russ feingold and i approve this message

>> here we are at 4:44, thursday morning, i'm in with jeremy nelson and he's on hurricane watch for the day. i am watching the showers and storms later for us. nothing like the rain they are getting. >> yes, we have been seening the scenes in haiti and cuba, they have had a foot or more of rain

and the east coast of florida will be getting it. here it is, hurricane matthew. it is a major hurricane. the maximum sustained winds are 125 miles per hour. i think it will be strengthening approaching the east coast of florida, the question is running parallel to the coast or direct landfall, either way hurricane force winds along the coast and evacuations are taking we'll keep you updated on the latest with hurricane matthew throughout the morning. back to you. >> hurricane matthew is about to impact millions of americans. tim, some people are being told to leave their homes. >> two million people along the coast of florida, georgia, and the carolinas are being urged to evacuate as the powerful storm gets closer. that's leading to long lines at gas stations. the category three storm pounded the bahamas overnight. wisn 12 news' nikole killion is

for what's next. >> tim, president obama is saying now is the time to prepare for matthew and heed the advice of the authorities. the president visited fema headquarters on wednesday and saying that the act has response teams on the ground. the storm killed a dozen people in the caribbean and reaching the florida cost tonight and two million people are urged to evacuate there carolina's governor calling for me -- more evacuations today. >> again, hurricane matthew is still a category three storm. the last category three storm or higher to hit the united states was wilma in 2005. it made landfall in southwest florida killing five people. melinda? >> tim, thank you. >> abc news has a team of reporters in the bahamas, florida, and the carolinas. look for complete coverage today

>> 4:46. >> turning now to commitment 2016. this week, the presidential campaigns are planning more visits in wisconsin. donald trump will be in the badger state for an event on saturday. the campaign hasn't confirmed where trump will be. but we've learned he has been invited to a gop event in elkhorn. and massachusetts senator elizabeth warren will be in milwaukee and madison tomorrow supporting hillary clinton and senate candidate russ feingold. feingold will face off against incumbent in a live debate. mike gousha will moderate the discussion. you can watch it right here on wisn 12 on tuesday, october 18th. >> and you can watch the next presidential debate here on wisn 12. hillary clinton and donald trump take the stage again on sunday at 8:00 p.m. >> wisn 12 news time is 4:47. new this morning, we're taking you behind-the-scenes of abc's hottest new show. "notorious" airs thursday nights

symbiotic relationship between a powerhouse tv producer and a charismatic defense attorney. i talked to the real-life frienemies who inspired the series. former "larry king live" producer wendy walker and a-list lawyer mark geragos. >> it's a little surreal to watch it though, but we like watching ourselves since daniel is so handsome and piper is so beautiful and so intelligent. it's kinda fun being able to watch them together. right, you can rough off life's edges with these two. >> they are so fascinating and the actors are fascinating. you can watch it tonight at 8:00 at eight followed by "how to get away with murder" and "wisn 12 news at ten." >> new this morning, fans of the bachelor, we've got good news

filming in milwaukee today! country singer chris lane tweeted that he's playing a concert in milwaukee at nine tonight. he wrote it's for a taping of an abc show. i wonder what that could be? a green bay radio station is reporting that it's an episode of "the bachelor." this seems likely because the new bachelor is waukesha native nick viall. so it's possible this is all part of a hometown visit. back for dates. >> to meet the family and stuff. >> right. chris lane tweeted contact information for anyone who wants to rsvp. we have the details posted on the 12 news app. >> send us a tweet if you see the crew around. we don't get the information from abc. we don't. >> no, we have no idea. also, nick's parents, i want to talk to you.

house. give us a call. >> i will let you know, a couple of chances for a light rain shower. better chances of wet tonight. the cold front is going to approach. 53, it turned a little cooler over night than it was yesterday at this time. now, we are fairly dry across southern wisconsin at this time. getting a look at the combination of sli radar, the clouds are filling in. not much with the ground moisture. showers and a couple of thundershowers, this is a little warm front, if you will, situated to the south. the temperatures going up to the low 70s today.

rain. but we can get a few showers going this morning. things are going to quiet down for us overall. let's go about 8:30 tonight, we are quiet for most of the rush. look at the showers and storms lining up. this is overnight tonight and early tomorrow morning 2:00 a.m. now the heavy rain is going to exit, a couple of showers in the morning tomorrow and clearing and settling in with the sunshine. for today, a couple of showers early. the system is speeding up and seeing it in the evening hours tonight and overnight. 73 today. 57 for tonight. 65 tomorrow. we clear out. we are on the way to a nice autumn weekend. 50s for the weekend. the sun is hanging around for monday. >> new this morning, a sheriff's office in california is mourning after a suspect shot and killed

wisn 12 news' tim elliott is following the latest from the newsroom. tim? >> overnight, a long procession of law enforcement cars escorted the officer's body to the coroner's office. the sheriff's sergeant was responding to a burglary at a home near los angeles. he was the first one on the scene. officials say the burglary suspect shot him. when a deputy showed up, the suspect jumped into a squad car and tried to escape. there was a shooting and a crash police say he ended up inside a home nearby taking two teenagers hostage for some time. those teenagers were able to let investigators know that the suspect was inside and he was arrested. we expect that suspect to be charged later today. back to you. >> tim, thank you. >> a nine-year-old boy is in the hospital this morning after he was shot eight times. he's in serious condition. police in canton, mississippi say they have arrested the

he had apparently been arguing with an adult who lived there. neighbors say it's heartbreaking that a child got caught in the crossfire. >> new this morning, a texas driver is being called a hero for finding a five-year-old boy wandering near a busy highway. several drivers stopped when they saw alex chavez close to the highway. roberto serrano is the one who finally caught up with him. he grabbed alex and rolled away from the road. >> i grabbed him, and we both fell, and the truck stopped right here. >> alex's dad says this isn't the first time he's run off on his own. the father has medical issues and isn't always able to chase after him. he says he's grateful that serrano stopped and kept his son safe. >> new this morning, a hiker in oregon survives a terrible fall with the help of a gadget. jen edwards and her dog ruben set off for an eight-day hike

about ten miles in, edwards fell about 60 feet and landed in a creek. she had a broken neck, a concussion and more injuries. she also had a satellite device around her neck that she used to send out an sos message. >> i was very much in the mind set that i am not going to die here and i need to stay calm. >> the dog found her her warm. nearly a day after she fell, rescuers reached edwards and took her to a hospital. now she's paying it forward by raising money to get rescue crews more of the satellite communicators that saved her life. incredible. >> yes, wow.

it costs $12 million. gorgeous. >> absolutely gorgeous. >> 4:55. big changes to the milwaukee skyline. >> one starting today, why you may have to spend extra time searching for a parking spot. >> plus, facebook is taking new steps to keep your information private. what you'll have to do differently to make sure your secrets stay safe.

>> the goal of a new plan focussed on seat belt use and driving. self-driving cars could make zero occurrences possible. part of the problem, more americans are driving than ever before. >> some good news for women that work the night shift, the schedule doesn't increase the risk of developing breast cancer. the past research suggested ta

you at risk. >> that is a good story. >> the f.d.a. is updating a warning on the use of skin products that contain mercury. people can still get them off of the internet. many are marketed as antiaging or skin lighting products. >> a warning for parents caring for teething children. the f.d.a. is asking caregivers to stop using teething tablets and there are reports of harmful reactions to using the products. >> 4:59. the news continues right now. >> good morning, thanks for waking us with up. i'm ben wagner.

project. how the next phase could affect where you park downtown. >> mass evacuations this morning for the impact to the u.s. by hurricane matthew. >> we are on weatherwatch 12. >> first, we are getting an update on the morning commute and the local forecast. here is sally severson. >> that is right, jeremy is handling the hurricanes this morning. we have a few showers on the radar today. we have light rain across parts of northern illinois and nosing up at this time. you can see showers coming out of iowa and pushing into western illinois and pivoting into wisconsin. most of it is staying to the south. sun is up at 6:55. we climb out of the 60s and to the 70s.