making news in america this morning -- winter wallop. more than 70 million people in the path of a mighty snowstorm. new information on timing, as parts of the east coast prepare for blizzard-like conditions. finally free. develop ms overnight for a ship that's been stuck in ice since christmas eve. new video in of the passenger's rescue. a man takes an 800-foot plunge in an avalanche. >> i was thinking to myself, wow, i've been falling for a long time. >> this morning, the miracle on the mountain that even the survivor doesn't believe. angry bird. a turkey takes his anger out on a delivery man out on the job.

well, good thursday morning, everyone. i'm muhammad lila. john muller is off today. >> i'm reena ninan, in for diana perez. we start with a winter storm battering the midwest and taking aim on the northeast. take a look. the arctic air is coming out of the central plains and grabbing moisture from the gulf of mexico. the storm is leaving its mark and will eventually affect 21 states. 2014 has begun with an extreme blast of winter weather. a huge storm has been moving across much of the country, bringing with it freezing temperatures and lots of snow. in minneapolis, temperatures dropped to around zero. fire crews struggle to deal with a massive blaze, following an explosion at an apartment complex. water turned to ice in the extreme temperatures. and in indiana, slippery, snow-covered roads are making travel difficult for drivers. nearly a foot of snow has fallen in chicago, with more expected

today. residents are doing their best to dig out. >> it does the job. it's in the porch. now, doing the car. make do with what you've got right now. >> reporter: the storm is headed towards the east coast and new england, where residents have been preparing for this onslaught of winter weather. new haven, connecticut, shelters are gearing up to help those who spend much of their time on the street. >> just get my rest and stay warm. >> reporter: in massachusetts, repairs have been made to a seawall that was damaged in a storm last february. >> the problem is, the tides are just huge. they're the highest they've can possibly be. >> reporter: and stores like this lowe's in new jersey are doing a brisk business, as people stock up on shovels and salt, to deal with the coming storm. how much you need to stock up or whether you need to stock up at all depends on where you live. >> for that, we turn to accuweath accuweather's jim dickey. >> good morning. a storm system coming together

this morning. there's an upper low that's tracking out of the nation's midsection. tropical moisture here. gulf of mexico moisture. it's being drawn northward. you see them keeping them apart. that won't last. through the daylight hours, snow from new england into the ohio valley. the true storm gets under way in the overnight. the worst conditions late thursday night through early morning on friday. blizzard conditions not out of the question. boston, southward into long island. and strong, gusty winds. that snow will be heavy in many locations. over a foot of snow around the boston area. reena and muhammad, back to you. this could disrupt flights for many major airports. >> according to flight tracker there are already 1,000 flights cancelled in the u.s. and another 52 flights are delayed. those numbers are sure to rise as the storm intensifies along

the east coast. and stay with abc news for the latest on this winter storm. an update with live team coverage, coming up on "good morning america." breaking news involving that ship that's been stuck in the ice in the antarctic. overnight, a helicopter started taking passengers from the ship by helicopter, to a nearby australian vessel. the helicopter will carry the 52 scientists and tourists onboard a dozen people at a time. the vessel got stuck after a blizzard pushed the sea ice around the ship on christmas eve. former pakistani president pervez musharraf has been rushed to hospital with an alleged heart problem. musharraf reportedly fell ill on his way to court. this morning, he's facing a treason charge, accused of illegally suspending the constitution and imposing emergency rule in 2007. he failed to appear in court yesterday because explosives were found on the route. overseas, israeli prime minister ariel sharon is believed to be near death.

he has been in a coma since 2006 when he suffered a stroke at the height of his political power. doctors say his condition has sharply deteriorated. and he's reportedly suffering from kidney problems. and here at home, we have an update. former first lady barbara bush, hospitalized in houston for early signs of pneumonia. she's said to be doing well, in good spirits with george bush sr. at her side. she was able to cheer on baylor from her hospital room. more bold rhetoric from north korean leader kim jong-un. he posted about the execution of his uncle, calling it the removal of factionist filth. he wanted the united states and south korea to halt their military exercises. kim threatened deadly nuclear catastrophe if another war breaks out, saying the united states will never be the same. police in the czech republic say an explosion was not a terrorist attack.

ambassador jamal al jamal were moving into his home in prague, when he opened a safe that hadn't been touched in more than 20 years. that safe was apparently booby-trapped. the white house is trying to ease concerns that put the birth control provision of obamacare on hold. it was blocked at the request of a roman catholic group in denver. the obama administration says that organization is among those exempt from the requirement. a new year and a new start for rob ford. the city's mayoral campaign kicks off today. ford's administration has been thrown into turmoil after he admitted to smoking crack and lying about it, public drunkenness and lewd language. he's expected to face stiff competition from two other candidates. a time-honored tradition played out in the streets of

philadelphia. >> the city rang in the new year in mummers style. thousands of spectators watched as mummers strutted their stuff. >> philly's mummers' parade is believed to be the oldest in the u.s., dating back to the 17th century. still ahead, phone numbers for several million users of a popular app are leaked online. we're learning how it happened. plus, high times. the first legal marijuana for recreational use, now being sold in the u.s. this morning, we go inside the pot shop. and developing this morning, a popular priest is found dead in a church rectory. new details on the investigation.

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welcome back. it was a rough start to the new year for some popular internet sites. hackers calling themselves the syrian electronic army took over skype's blog, facebook page and twitter account. they were protesting skype's cooperation with the national security agency in monitoring internet users' activities. skype says no user information was compromise. that wasn't the case for snapchat, where hackers posted online the i.d.s and partial phone numbers for 4.5 million users. the online photo sharing site admitted it had a security flaw. with snapchat, users can send photos and videos that disappear shortly after they're viewed. so popular with kids that facebook wanted to buy it for $3 billion. chrysler's days as an independent automaker are numbers.

fiat has struck a deal with an auto union trust fund to buy the 51% of chrysler it doesn't already own. the price is $4.3 billion. the automaker got control of chrysler during its bankruptcy reorganization five years ago. on this, the first business day of 2014, the u.s. financial markets are opening in record territory. the markets gained steam last month after the federal reserve announced it was easing out of its economic stimulus program. analysts expect the rally to continue. and you don't have to be a louisiana state fan to celebrate the tigers' win in the outback bowl yesterday. the restaurant chain will give you a free bloomin' onion appetizer today anywhere in the country. if iowa had won the bowl, it would be coconut shrimp. >> i'd take either. when we come back, on the lam and no one knew it. a banker wanted for fraud is found after everyone thought he was dead. how tinted windows revealed his true whereabouts. plus, buried alive. a man who survived an avalanche is talking about his terrifying

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and now a new greek lowfat yogurt made just for kids. danimals superstars. your kids will love it! mmmm ♪ dannon. kansas city, missouri, is seeing its first snowfall for the year, appearing to the delight of the city's youngest residents. for the grown-ups, not so much. the snow, making for some tricky maneuvering on the roads. now, for a look at your morning road conditions elsewhere. heavy snow is causing treacherous driving in the midwest. heavy rain is also making driving slick in the southeast and the northwest. >> if you're flying, airport delays are possible in chicago, detroit, atlanta, charlotte, philly, new york and boston. well, the new year has ushered in a slew of new laws, new regulations and significant new change. >> of course, none of those are quite making as many waves as colorado's new law which legalizes marijuana for recreational use.

abc's clayton sandell has the latest. >> if your i.d.s ready. >> reporter: they lined up before dawn. >> 17 hours to get here. >> reporter: some, sleeping in their cars. >> it's a historical event. >> reporter: for a chance to be early through the door at one of the world's very first recreational marijuana shops. even in amsterdam it's tolerated but technically illegal. >> 8:00 a.m., we're going to do it. >> reporter: scoring weed, now as easy as buying coffee. >> your total is $59.74. >> reporter: anyone over 21 can buy it, helping fuel a colorado green rush. >> we want to be the costco of marijuana. >> reporter: in the first year alone, sales are predicted to hit nearly $400 million. >> this room is filled with about 25 different strains of cannabis. >> reporter: shop owner, toni fox, is expanding and hiring. she has nine employees. >> by the end of january, we should have about 30. >> reporter: matt brown started a company for pot tourists.

he has 4,000 people on a waiting list. >> this is legal. this is real. and you can do this and have a good vacation and go home and not get in trouble. >> reporter: but not everyone is onboard. marijuana is still a federal crime. there are worries about increasing teen pot use and driving while high. even ski resorts here, worried about a family-friendly image, are warning stoners to stay off the slopes. >> here, in public, it is illegal. >> here's your receipt. >> reporter: other states are now watching to see how this new experiment works out, as marijuana moves from underground to mainstream. clayton sandell, abc news, denver. a developing story out of california, where a murder investigation is under way after a popular roman catholic priest was found dead in his rectory. >> police not saying how reverend eric freed was killed. but they're calling it a violent crime. a churchgoer in eureka found

freed's body yesterday morning after not showing up for mass. a man wanted in georgia is found alive and well after staging his own suicide. 47-year-old aubrey lee price was declared legally dead by a judge, as he faced a $20 million wire fraud case. he got away with the scheme for more than a year until yesterday, when cops pulled him over for a minor traffic violation. price was nabbed by police for apparently driving with illegally tinted windows. he is facing a judge later this morning. the mother of a pro football player who killed himself and his girlfriend a year ago is suing his team. the wrongful death suit claims that the kansas city chiefs failed to protect juwan belcher from brain injuries during his four-year nfl career. the linebacker shot his girlfriend at their home, then drove to the chiefs' practice facility and killed himself. a star on the hit sitcom "fresh prince of bel air" has died. james avery has passed away from complications during open-heart

surgery at the age of 68. his television career spanned 30 years. he provided voices for many animated shows and feature films. a man who survived an avalanche in new hampshire is speaking from his hospital bed about the frightening ordeal. adam herman was hiking with friends over the weekend when they took a wrong turn and triggered an avalanche. 2 of them went on an 90-ot free-for-all and 800-foot slide. >> i remember being in the air for a while. i was able to think. i didn't lose consciousness. i was able to just think to myself, wow, i've been falling for a long time. >> herman and another man were injured. he suffered several broken bones. and is scheduled a second surgery for tomorrow. two friends who did not fall were able to get help. the new year brought some new babies. at least two amazing statistical anomalies. very rare. >> two sets of twins with siblings born in different years. in washington, d.c., a woman gave birth to her daughter at

11:58 p.m. then, her brother, arrived three minutes later in 2014. dad couldn't be more proud. >> my god. full of joy, energy. unbelievable. happiness. >> and it happened twice. in toronto, these baby girls also separated by the calendar. gabriela on the left was born at 11:52 p.m. on new year's eve. and her sister, sofia, arrived 38 seconds into the new year. >> congratulations to the parents and both sets of twins. >> i guess they both get a tax break for each year. maybe that's an added financial bonus. >> do they go in different grades in school? >> i guess if it's not the calendar year. which most people don't, right? time, now, for sports. and the underdog taking home the win in the 100th annual rose bowl game. >> here's our friends at espn with the highlights. >> hey, people, wake up off the couch. it's your sports guys, kenny and neil. we're going to give you some football games. >> good morning, america. let's go to the rose bowl in

pasadena. 100th game. stanford/michigan state. connor cook, under pressure. throws it to the other team. kevin anderson. he dropped one earlier. drops six on michigan state right there. 17-7, pac-12. fourth quarter, tied at 17-17. cook, tony lippett. lippett good. spartans take their first lead in the game, 24-17. it was 24th and one. final seconds. stanford tries to get in a tough man competition with michigan state. michigan state wins, 24-20. how about the gator bowl? nebraska and georgia. they played in a bowl game last year. >> no way? >> yeah, they did. third quarter, nebraska up by five. look at this. tommy armstrong jr. that's quincy annua. and no one's going to get him. seems like a record or something. 99-yard play. that's as far as you can go.

there's no more field. it's not canada, people. 31 seconds left. mason for lynch. nebraska wins the gator bowl, 24-19. one more note for you "gma" people. ucf upset baylor. not pictured. >> i did this segment with my coat unbuttoned. >> i didn't even look. >> glad we have our coats buttoned. up next, "the pulse," where taylor swift's new home is causing controversy. why her neighbors are angry. and fowl frackus. a u.p.s. driver is forced to flee from an angry turkey. almond breeze almondmilk makes everything good even better... from the bowls of cereal you make... to all the delicious recipes you bake.

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well, it's time, now, to check "the pulse," the stories you'll be talking about today, starting with fresh controversy for singer taylor swift. >> this time, it's over a construction project in front of her beachfront mansion in rhode island. residents are worried the new construction will hamper access to that beach. >> the project involves repairing a seawall and resetting boulders below swift's house in the town of westerly. >> authorities monitoring the project say it should not affect public access to the beach. i don't know. it's kind of hard to be a celebrity with a construction project. maybe it's okay. not such a big deal. >> people are going to blame her, no matter what. >> i think so, too. a lot of people insist they can't do without their daily starbucks fix. but a seattle woman took it to a new level. >> a ph.d. student named beautiful existence just wrapped up an entire year eating only at starbucks, breakfast, lunch and dinner. she tried everything on the menu

and seemed to like it all. >> the challenge cost her about $600 a month. she plans to take on a new challenge every year for the next 20 years. did she gain weight? is it like eating mcdonald's every day? >> talk to people in new york. they're doing it every meal at starbucks. >> yeah. live at starbucks here. it's been a rough few weeks for u.p.s. now, we find out that wild turkeys prefer fedex. watch as this bird chases a united parcel service driver around a rival truck. finally, the u.p.s. driver takes refuge. might call it wildlife refuge in his own truck. >> oh, boy. we don't know if he ever made the delivery. it's the time of year when delivery drivers may be hoping for a bottle of wild turkey for christmas. and instead, this man is a victim of fowl play. how many puns can we work in to this? >> you have the moves. all right. for some of you, local news is up next. >> for everyone else, we'll be back with some cures for your

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live from the kgo-tv broadcast center this is abc7 news. good morning on january 2nd. it is 4:28. >> we have a new year but the same old problem. >> another "spare the air" day. mike nicco explains what is going on. >> we have high pressure dominating the forecast putting a lid on the atmosphere. good news is we don't have fog forming yet. we will keep an eye on novato with live doppler 7 hd. here is how it looks from mount tamalpais this morning. we are going to have near record highs with mid-to-upper 60's inland and around the bay and low-to-mid 60's at the coast with offshore wind and a few high clouds from time to time and a "spare the air" day with wood burning ban again through midnight. sue? good morning, everyone, it

is light to say the least. we have no accidents to report. mass transit shows everyone is running on time, muni, bart, caltrain off to a great start on thursday morning. outside, we have walnut creek southbound 680 is slowing at -- on the bay bridge, the left lane is blocked and road work until 5:00 a.m. and it is smooth sailing. san jose police are investigating the first homicide of the year. a man was shot to death overnight. our reporter is at the scene in east san jose. katie? >> police have a murder mystery. they are investigating. we have video of when it happened before 1:30 this morning. police got a call a person was down, someone saw the man in his

late 20's on a sidewalk drive area. they did not know what happened so police and fire and paramedic responded and tried cpr but determined the man is dead suffering one gunshot wound. what is interesting, they do nut appear to have witnesses or no one who heard anything. there were no calls to police. it is way too early to have an identification. police are working on that. they are going door to door weighing people up in the neighborhood to see if anyone heard anything or saw anything trying to solve the crime they will be here for hours. as long as they are here, east san antonio is closed from 101 to 34th. a federal investigation is taking place at the franchise consulate after a suspicious fire