over to the golden gate bridge into the city. so pack your patience if you're trying to get into san francisco from the east bay. we'll have more on the closure tonight at 6:00, have a good night. houston. in the place where it all began. >> people didn't just like you, whitney. they loved you. >> those who knew her best gather for a rousing, emotional good-bye. wild weather. strong storms bring havoc across the south and toght, is snow on the way up north? sudden turn. after years of decline, why are so many teenagers dying behind the wheel? and all in a day's work for this remarkable woman. you won't believe her age. what she can teach us about staying young at heart.

captions paid for by nbc-universal television. good evening. her music moved us and whitney houston found her voice as a young girl and some of the top names gathered with her family and friends for a stirring and joyous tribute to her life. it was one week ago the 48-year-old superstar was found dead inside a beverly hills, california, hotel room. tonight, mourners continue to leave remembrances to houston outside the new hope baptist church where earlier more than a thousand people attended the private funeral. but potentially millions of others watched on television. as the service was broadcast uninterrupted on the cable news channels. nbc's rehema ellis has more on whitney houston's emotional sendoff. good evening. >> reporter: good evening, lester. the high spirited service lasted

for almost four hours. whitney houston's only child, 18-year-old bobbi kristina and her mother cissy were joined by an invitation only family and friends to remember the high moments in houston's life and her unparalleled voice. ♪ with stevie wonder and a full choir, the church made a joyful noise. new hope baptist was filled with more than a thousand people, standing room only. they celebrated whitney houston's life in a gospel music revival. clive davis discovered her voice. >> you wait for a voice like that for a lifetime. you wait for a face like that, a smile like that, a presence like that for a lifetime. >> reporter: kevin costner was whitney's co-star in her first movie, "the bodyguard."

>> the whitney i knew despite her success and worldwide fame wondered am i good enough, am i pretty enough, will they like me? it was the burden that made her great and the part that caused her to stumble in the end. >> reporter: friends like actor an movie producer tyler perry just loved her. >> so what i know about her, she loved the lord and if that was a grace that carried her all the way through it was the same grace that carried her home. >> reporter: singer alicia keys fought back tears. >> she was so -- such a beautiful human being. really, really caring. beautiful, thoughtful human being. call you for no reason at all. but to say hi. >> reporter: outside, people crowded around whatever screens they could find as an army of journalists, many from overseas, reflected whitney's worldwide fame.

♪ in this newark hair salon they focused on the jersey girl. >> even though i see it on tv, it's unbelievable. >> when she sung, you could actually feel it in your body. >> reporter: finally in the church that gave roots to her dazzling voice, it was the last voice that was heard. ♪ ♪ i will always love you >> reporter: aretha franklin, a long-time family friend was scheduled to sing at the funeral but she did not attend. her publicist said franklin was suffering from leg spasms. bobby brown, whitney's ex-husband was here but left early after a disagreement over seating arrangements. >> rehema ellis, thank you. i want to turn to the weather now. tonight, some powerful storms are churning across the south and headed up north with snow forecasted for tomorrow.

kelly cass is tracking it for us from weather channel headquarters. kelly, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, lester. we have a lot going on between severe weather and a snowstorm for those of you in the mid-atlantic region. for now we're concerned about flooding in new orleans where the mardi gras festivities have been interrupted. we have picked up nearly two inches of rain and a flash flood watch continues to be in effect. we'll continue to track the heavy rain along the gulf coast. the darker green and yellow are indicating the heavier rain moving up into the carolinas and then as the cold air swoops in behind that we'll see that changeover occur. along i-81 if you're traveling along western virginia, that's where the snow will be heaviest. not quite reaching new york city or atlantic city, but again, the severe weather threat is something we'll watch tonight as well as the southeast coast tomorrow, and before all is said and done, lester, we could see up to a foot of snow in some locations across the

mid-atlantic. back to you. >> kelly, thank you. overseas tonight there's growing concern over the crisis in syria. the widespread violence there has now reached the capital of damascus. scene of a mass anti-government demonstration and fresh bloodshed was seen near the embattled president's compound. we get the latest from richard engel. >> reporter: it started out today as a funeral for three members of the opposition killed yesterday. but grew quickly. 5,000 swelled to 15, maybe even 30,000 opposition members say. they were mourning and protesting. and it wasn't just anywhere. but right in damascus and not far from bashar al assad's presidential palace. maybe it was too close for comfort. because witnesses say syrian security forces lowered their weapons and fired live ammunition into the crowds. witnesses say several protesters were killed. dozens wounded. but this could pale in comparison to what may be coming in homs, syria's third city. for two weeks straight, homs has

been surrounded by government troops and tanks and snipers. homs is the strong hold of the army, a legion of defectors. government forces have shelled homs from afar and strangled it. but even this dire situation could get much worse. tonight, a leading member of the opposition, a syrian ambassador who defected and now lives in istanbul said they'll enter the city and leading to the worst bloodshed yet. >> the people of homs need urgent help to stop such a massacre that is going to take place. >> reporter: more than 5,000 people have already been killed in syria. the opposition puts the toll at 8,000. and yet, not much is being done to stop it. the syrian government has called for a referendum later this month to pave the way or the more political freedoms. the opposition has dismissed the gesture calling it a stalling tactic.

and says what it really needs are weapons and money and needs them urgently or it will be massacred. richard engel, istanbul. tonight, iran is under scrutiny after two of the warships crossed through the suez canal and into the mediterranean sea. with reports suggesting that they could be headed to syria. meantime, israel's defense minister is calling on major powers like saudi arabia and turkey to impose what he call crippling sanctions to force the iranians to give up their nuclear program. it was a day of celebrations as the pope benedict elevated 22 church men to the cardinals. including new york arch bishop of new york, timothy dolan. also named cardinal is edwin o'brien, the former archbishop of baltimore. with the ceremony at st. peters basilica, there are now 125 cardinals eligible to vote in a papal election. now to the race for the

republican nomination, and with rick santorum's recent surge challenging mitt romney to be the undisputed front-runner, both are challenging one another's record and the president's just ten days before the michigan primary. we get our report tonight from nbc's ron mott. >> thank you very much. great to be in ohio! >> reporter: rick santorum took a swipe at the president's energy agenda today and got some heat in exchange. >> it's not about you. it's not about you. it's not about your quality of life. it's not about your jobs. it's about some phony ideal, some phony theology. oh, not a theology based on the bible. a different theology. but no less a theology. >> reporter: the obama re-election campaign quickly fired back, calling it, quote, just the latest low in a republican campaign that has been fuelled by distortions, ugliness and searing pessimism and negativity. santorum and romney are soap -- openly grappling with

each other over who handed out government money and who had their hand out to take it. >> he bailed out the salt lake city olympic games by going to congress to ask them for tens of millions of dollars to bail out the salt lake city olympic games. >> reporter: something the democratic national committee has also weaponized in a new ad. >> that bill to american taxpayers is estimated to be $1.3 billion. that's outrageous. >> reporter: today, in ohio -- >> will you join me? will you help me? i'll take that as a yes. >> reporter: a hometown welcome for the former pennsylvania senator as he swung back at charges by the romney campaign that he was a big washington spender who abused earmarks. >> rick santorum supported billions in earmarks. >> the focus of millions of dollars in ad campaigns against santorum. friday in boise, idaho, romney sought to slow santorum's surge in the polls. >> i hope people look at his record.

he voted for billions of dollars of earmarks. including the bridge to nowhere. if you want a fiscal conservative, you can't vote for rick santorum because he's not. >> reporter: newt gingrich weighed in on all this negativity today while campaigning down in georgia. he says mitt romney had gone on the attack against rick santorum in michigan much like he did against gingrich in florida saying it is an unworthy way for someone to become president of the u.s. lester? >> ron mott, thank you. let's bring in david gregory, moderator of "meet the press." michigan is ten days away. that's romney's home state. he's behind in the polls there. how critical is it that he holds that ground? >> i think how critical it is is underscored by the question of what if romney loses? there are a lot of republicans saying it would completely turn the race upside down. bring in more calls for somebody to come in as a savior into the race. so you could have another person

jumping into the race or a lot of enthusiasm behind that idea. so much volatility. a real question about whether anybody can get the requisite number of delegates to finish this off. >> we have to turn to the caucuses up in maine, romney was declared the winner, but lo and behold all the votes weren't in. they're still counting the votes. could this thing swing away from him? >> it's possible. we are down to less than a hundred votes separating ron paul and mitt romney. we saw what happened in iowa and the caucuses were under fire as well. it actually switched to the winner, it was actually santorum and not romney. i think the republican party has to look at how the caucuses are administered, how they're executed. they're raising some real question marks this year. >> thanks. see you in the morning. with politics and the economy top of mind, paul ryan and ranking member chris van hollen will be among david's guests on "meet the press." when "nbc nightly news" continues, some health news about an academy award winning actress. and after years of decline, why are so many teenagers dying

behind the wheel? and she zips around faster than folks half her age. what we can all learn from her.

tonight, gas prices across the country higher for this time of year than ever before.

the average price of a gallon of gas in america is $3.54. that's an increase of 16 cents a gallon in just the past month. experts say we could hit $4.25 a gallon by late april. now, to some startling new numbers for parents concerned about their kids getting behind the wheel. the road accidents which have been the leading cause of death for the teens are on the rise again after eight years of decline. what's behind the increase? we get the story from mike taibbi. >> reporter: mary louise picard sat in today as her twin daughters took a driving lesson. >> to keep them safe. it's really important. sorry. >> reporter: mom knows and wants emily and grace to know about the lethal dangers of distracted driving. cell phone calls and texting. music and conversations in the car full of kids. reaching for anything behind the wheel. >> it's frightening.

>> reporter: frightening too is for the first time in eight years, teen road deaths are up 11% in the first six months of 2011, according to the governor's highway safety administration. >> it's a wake-up call, because in the past few years in particular, teen deaths have really been declining markedly. >> reporter: in fact, they plummeted from 6,100 in 2002 to 2,800 in 2009. largely due to education programs like this one sponsored by the aaa. a dad saving a daughter from an accident. >> whoa, stop, hit your brakes. >> what were they doing? >> they completely ran a red light. >> reporter: and all 50 states have restrictions on night driving and number of passengers, for example, prior to full licensing. in addition, the growing number of technologies that lead to distracted driving are coming up with more ways to combat it. cell phones for example that can't be used for texting or calling while the car is moving. but the effect of all the strategies may now have levelled off. and with the economy improving more teens are looking to roll.

so it comes back to education. >> the more the parents are involved in supporting the child, the greater the chance of success. >> reporter: parents who know that a teen in the first month of driving without supervision is 50% more likely to crash than someone with a year behind the wheel. >> i know the first time i watch them drive down the road by themselves my heart will be out of my chest. >> reporter: new age technology, old style driver ed. mike taibbi, nbc news, los angeles. up next, a whole new meaning for home delivery.

we're back now with a growing movement that's giving a whole new meaning to the term, home delivery. for a lot of folks these days, building a new home isn't an option, but thanks to an increasing trend they're able to buy the home they had always hoped for in the neighborhood they want at a fraction of the price. and we get the story now from nbc's thanh truong. >> reporter: it's a new kind of mobile home. a three bedroom ranch once headed for demolition. >> instead of tearing the houses down, we pick them up and relocate them and turn them into houses again. >> reporter: with the help of jacks, dollies and trucks, the house is on the move, getting a second chance with a new family. is this your dream home? >> it's a home. yeah. it's close.

>> reporter: james and michelle wanted a new home. but building one was too pricey. so they visited the used home lot near portland, oregon. >> no different than a used car lot, i guess. but a little bit bigger. >> reporter: they bought the house for $40,000. almost half the cost of building a new one. >> the one you got is perfect, andy. >> reporter: delivery included. >> you would see it would get close to the cars that were pulled off to the side. it's like is it going to make it? >> reporter: this takes a lot of hard work and a lot of coordination. the house weighs 70,000 pounds at 64 feet long and 33 feet wide. right now we're rolling at 15 miles an hour. everything looks to be on schedule. it will take the crew about three hours to move the house 30 miles. roughly 50,000 homes are moved this way every year. since the economy slowed down, the sales are up 25%. other shop and ship companies are seeing similar spikes. >> a lot is people are saving

money, getting a new home at a decent price they can afford. >> reporter: mark and sue headley snatched up this one to rent it out. >> if it goes well we'll do a few more. >> reporter: back at the empty lot, the caravan pulls in, and the house safe and sound. >> it's like recycling at its best, i think. we're taking a home that somebody else used to have and fixing it back up again. >> reporter: the american dream, delivered. thanh truong, nbc news, portland. we learned today that academy award winning actress dame judi dench is battling to save her sight. she has been diagnosed with macular degeneration which can cause blindness. the 77-year-old says her vision is so poor she can no longer read scripts. she has family and friends read her lines to her. when we come back, a woman who proves that age is just a number and forever young at heart. ♪ ♪ if you are among the very

young at heart ♪

finally tonight, we wanted to introduce you to a remarkable woman who can teach us something about staying young at heart. she was born more than a century ago when teddy roosevelt was in the white house. but you might not believe it from the way she zips around. faster than a lot of folks half her age. here's nbc's kerry sanders. >> reporter: if you think work is a four-letter word, then you haven't met dorie norak.

>> that's it. going rolling again. >> reporter: she has been sorting and delivering the mail as a volunteer at memorial regional hospital in hollywood, florida, for the past 38 years. a job she started when she was 67 years old. math a little rusty? let her calculate her age today. >> 105. >> reporter: you're 105 years old? >> yeah. >> reporter: you're smiling. >> i just can't believe it myself. ♪ happy birthday >> reporter: the day she was born -- >> february 15, 1907. >> reporter: newspaper headlines reported the senate was stalling discussions on immigration bill. it was japanese immigrants back then. and as new york bustled that year, oklahoma became our nation's 46th state. >> thank you so much. be good. >> you're welcome. >> reporter: do people used to tell you you're a good looking lady?

>> no, they tell me that now. you're beautiful. but i don't see it. >> reporter: born in england, she was jewish and emigrated to canada during world war ii and then to the united states. a mother, grandmother, great-grandmother. she has outlived seven brothers and stz -- sisters, two husbands. on rounds these days, she's a rock star. even the doctors can't explain it. >> unbelievable. i'm super impressed. >> i think a lot depends on attitude. if you look at the full half of the glass and not the empty one. >> reporter: you had cancer. >> well, that didn't bother me. >> reporter: she credits that laughter, her faith, crosswords to keep her mind active and one other key to a long life. would you like to have a cookie? cookies. lots of cookies. kerry sanders, nbc news, hollywood, florida. >> that's a recipe for a long

life i like. when "nbc nightly news" continues -- actually, that's it for us. that's "nbc nightly news." i'm lester holt reporting from new york. i'll see you tomorrow morning on "today" and right back here tomorrow evening. have a great night. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com good evening. i am diane dwyer. there is word that w o