came true. bombshell evidence. shocking revelations in the case of a missing mom. could the letter she left behind have saved her children's lives? disaster warning. scientists sound the alarm. if you think this season's wild weather is extreme, wait until you hear what's to come. and talk of the town. an entire zip code up for sale. the schoolhouse, the general store, even the gas station all the schoolhouse, the general store, even the gas station all included. captions paid for by nbc-universal television good evening. there probably won't be much sleep to be had in at least three american households tonight. that's assuming they've checked their lottery tickets and have discovered by now they've won a share of that world record setting jackpot, which will likely be more than $640 million. $1.5 billion worth of tickets

were sold for last night's drawing, but in the end, only three had the winning numbers. they were sold in kansas, illinois and maryland. and tonight as the rest of us snap back to reality with our wildest dreams back on hold, the wait is on to find out just who the winners are and what they're going to do with that cash. kevin tibbles starts us off in illinois. >> reporter: redbud, illinois is a fairly small town and tonight i can tell you there are all sorts of rumors flying around, but here, as of elsewhere, so far, no one's come forward saying they are the big winner. the motomart was all abuzz in tiny redbud, illinois. >> couldn't wait to talk to somebody and share it. like you can't believe it. we sold the winning ticket. >> reporter: when news that someone in their midst had

shared in the largest lottery jock pot ever, folks got to talking. >> it's in the cards. >> reporter: population 3,500 is about an hour east of st. louis. there was a redbud mentioned in a movie once. >> we're look iing for a dog crk road. and that would be near the town of redbud. >> if i've gone to dog creek road, i sure as hell wouldn't start from here. >> reporter: but that redbud was in vermont. as of now, this redbud is much more famous. just ask the mayor. >> kind of puts it on the map a little bit. >> reporter: still, the winner hasn't come forward even though the lottery man with the big check has been spotted around town. in maryland, customers checked their numbers at the 7-11. >> except for this store here. i'm glad i won the 500. >> reporter: officials say a winning quick pick ticket was bought here. sfl our advice is to safeguard the ticket. sign the back of it.

>> reporter: they're eager to pay it out to whoever steps forward, but many maryland, you have the right to keep that to yourself. it's not just the jackpot winners cashing in. if you got all five numbers without the ball, you won $250,000. three numbers nets you a modest $150. lakisha won the smaller prize, yet, she's not complaining. >> i won 150. >> reporter: and the third big winner is somewhere in northeast kansas, but in kansas, you're in the required to come forward, either, and besides, lottery offices are closed there for the weekend. back in redbud, everyone just wants to know who is their lucky neighbor. and rules differ from state to state as to whether or not any lucky winner has to come forward at all. meanwhile, the employees here at the motomart are going to be sharing in some form of prize

because they get some extra money for selling the winning ticket. >> thanks. want to turn to the latest on the trayvon martin case. tensions were on display again today on the streets of sanford, florida, where thousands of protesters marched on the city's police department demanding the arrest of the shooter, george zimmerman. ron allen has our report. >> reporter: the nation's civil rights leaders have vowed to make the city of sanford's name as infamous as selma and birmingham were in the 1960s for racial injustice. as hundreds once again converged on the place where george zimmerman gunned down trayvon martin and claimed self-defense. >> we'll use sanctions. we'll use boycotts. we'll use civil disobedience. we'll use every weapon in the

non violent arsenal. >> reporter: in a rare public comment, martin's older brother said he does not believe zimmerman's relatives, who claim his brother attacked and threatened to kill the crime watch volunteer. >> that doesn't sound like my brother at all. >> reporter: this week on piers morgan tonight, robert zimmerman insisted his brother had to fire to save his life. >> and there would have been george dead had he not acted decisively in that moment when he was being disarmed. >> i think we just need to relax. >> reporter: julie tongs just said what many feel in this place many call the friendly city. proud of its historic downtown, m merchants say business is down and everyone wants the tragedy resolved by investigators, not on their streets. >> i feel sorry for the family and the kid, but enough's enough. >> we came because the parents asked us to come. >> reporter: and one person who encouraged protesters to come

was this freshman at trayvon martin's high school. >> he came from our school and was friends with a lot of people. he was like family. >> reporter: just a short time ago, zimmerman's attorney told nbc news that his client is not a racist, that he's been cooperating with authorities and will continue to do so and added once again that zimmerman acted in self-defense and that florida's stand your grand law aplies to this case. in a looming showdown in the state of wisconsin, our new marist poll shows mitt romney leading rick santorum ahead of tuesday's primary, though it's not all good news for the former massachusetts governor. ron mott is on the trail for us tonight in wisconsin. ♪ >> reporter: looking ever more like the leading man again, mitt romney's performance is also

sounding more like a starring role. >> this is about an election, not just about a person. not even about a party. >> reporter: today, romney, rick santorum and newt gingrich all spoke. former massachusetts governor ignored his gop competitors, instead, sending zingers towards president obama. >> the president says he wants to transform america. i don't want to transform america. i want to restore to america the principles that made us the hope of the earth and together, we're going to do that on tuesday and every day until we get back in the white house. >> reporter: after a week of key endorsements, romney appears to be calibrating for the general election and a victory here on tuesday could be seen as the affected end of the primary race. he's ahead in the polls. the latest nbc news marist poll shows romney up seven points over santorum in the badger state. even the coch brothers seemed focused on the campaign as well, funding a multi-million dollar ad buy hitting the president on

high gas prices. >> since obama became president, gas prices have nearly doubled. >> reporter: but rick santorum continued firing at his health care history, saying he's uniquely disequalled to debate the issue to the president while acknowledging his battle to remain in contention. >> one of the campaigns for president a week or so again suggested that it would take an act of god for rick santorum to win the republican nomination for president. well, i don't know about you, but i believe in act of gods. >> reporter: as for heeding calls to get out of the race, today, rick santorum again said this campaign is far from over, but hinted he would not be unrealistic when or if the time comes to yield the nomination to mitt romney. >> and rick santorum and chuck schumer will be among the guests tomorrow morning on "meet the press" and tuesday morning, a "today" show exclusive. sarah palin goes one-on-one about the president, the republican candidates and much

more. that's tuesday morning on "today." overseas tonight, secretary of state hillary clinton is attending a summit with world leaders discussing two mideast hot spots. iran and syria. and the secretary of state isn't mincing words, issuing warnings to both. our chief foreign affairs correspondent, andrea mitchell, is traveling with secretary clinton. >> reporter: she is warning time is running out over iran's nuclear program and expressing doubt about whether iran is even serious about a solution. >> what is certain, however, is that iran's window to seek and obtain a peaceful resolution will not remain open forever. >> reporter: more than a year after iran broke off nuclear talks, negotiations with iran will resummer two weeks from now here in istanbul. during meetings in saudi arabia before arriving in turkey

tonight, clinton is also urging the gulf countries to strength b their defenses against iran. meanwhile, on the eve of a summit here on the crisis next door in syria, saudi arabia wants to arm the rebels. the u.s. is offering non lethal aid only, arguing that the syrian opposition is too disorgani disorganized, but both leaders are calling for a deadline on kofi annan's diplomacy. president assad has continued to shell neighborhoods even after saying he was accepting the proposed cease fair. the u.n. estimates that more than 9,000 people have died since the rebellion began. now to those bombshell revelations in the case of souter powell. she is the utah mom of two who gained national attention when she vanished almost two years ago. almost immediately, suspicion surrounded her husband. he later took his own life,

along with the lives of his two young sons. only now however are we learning about the stunning amount of evidence collected against him. more now on the case from miguel almaguer. >> two little boys in the house and there's an adult man, he has supervised visitation and he blew up the house and the kids. >> reporter: when josh powell murdered his boys and took his own life in a house fire last february, police in washington state call ed it an admission o guilt in his wife susan's disappearance. now, search warrants just released reveal detectives in utah where the couple lived together, may have suspected josh powell murdered susan from the very beginning. chuck cox, susan's father, buried his grandchildren last month. >> that would have never happened. if josh had been in jail, the children would be safe. >> reporter: josh told utah police susan vanished december 6th, 2009, the same night he claimed he took the couple's children camp aing in a

snowstorm. we now know police found a generator, blankets, a gas can, tarps and a shovel inside the car. inside the home, investigators found susan's blood and two fans were set up and blowing on to the sofa, that appeared to have just been cleaned. >> it wasn't impossible for them to go forward, but it would have been a lot more solid with the body. >> yep, that's seaweed. >> reporter: weeks after susan disappeared, powell moved with his children to washington state, where police there say they waited for the call to arrest him. >> there's direct evidence, motive, everything but the body. >> reporter: susan's body was never discovered and utah police never charged powell with murder. investigators have always defended the handling of their case and won't go into details about the latest developments. >> as dift as it may be at this time, i am not going to address any specific questions. >> reporter: the search warrants

were released because josh powell's father faces separate charges in a case he's pled not guilty to. the documents became public late friday. another twist in the tragic story that's left two children dead as their mother remains missing. miguel almaguer, nbc news, los angeles. when "nbc nightly news" continues, scientists sound the alarm about our wild, extreme weather and what's in store for our future. and later, the smallest town in america up for sale and wait until you see what's included. until you see what's included. ? slip-on's the way to go. more people do that, security would be like -- there's no charge for the bag. thanks. i know a quiet little place where we can get some work done. there's a three-prong plug. i have club passes. [ male announcer ] get the mileage card with special perks on united, like a free checked bag, united club passes, and priority boarding. thanks. ♪ okay. what's your secret? [ male announcer ] the united mileageplus explorer card. get it and you're in. explorer card.

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we're back we're back with the question on my people's minds. what has been causing all this strange and extreme weather we've been seeing in cent months. a new report out this week brought deepening concern out about climate change. anne thompson has more. >> reporter: it's been a whacky and unpredictable winter. not much snow and cold in the u.s. in marchnow and cold in the u.s. in march alone, more than 6,000 highs broken. snow blankets in february and arctic blasts killing hurrica i. but elsewhere, people are relishing spring fever, including here in scotland, where the daffodils are out early. and so are the beachgoers. with the thermometer climbing to

74 when it should hover around 50. perfect weather to stretch the legs. >> this time of year, it's usually pretty stormy. luckically for me, it's my long weekend. >> reporter: but scientists say ping-ponging between extremes may be a bigger problem. >> the warming we've seen actually increases the chances, kind of loads the dice, that we're going to see these kinds of events more often. >> reporter: dr. david easterling is a co-author of a united nations report out this week that points to climate change as leading to extreme weather events since 1950. >> the unusually warm days and nights, you can begin making that link between climate change and those events. >> reporter: they also link it to heavy precipitation and the floods that follow. some scientists now wonder if the decline in sea ice is altering the jet stream and our

weather. >> right now, we're not sure how that is impacting the climate. >> reporter: nor are they sure if climate change has played a role in the deadly tornados that have roared across the u.s. in recent years. scientists connecting some of the dots between how we power the planet and our seemingly unusual weather. up next here tonight, here's an assignment to ponder. the homework debate. how much is too much and should it be eliminated all together? two new schools have thought, reigniting an age old argument. and now i build them. i am a bigger is better kind of guy. i absolutely love building locomotives. i knew i wanted to design locomotives from when i was very young. [ jahmil ] from the outside it looks like such a simple device. when you actually get down into the bare bones of it, there's so much technology that's submerged. [ rob ] my welds are a signature, i could tell my welds apart from anybody's. you lay down that nice bead

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we're back with a new debate and an issue that causes stress for countless of american families've night. we're talking about homework. how much is too much and is it necessary at all? sound familiar? this week, two new studies came out on the subject and rehema ellis has our story. >> reporter: it's a typical afternoon. the homework routine kicking into gear. >> it's like four sentences a night. >> reporter: oh, so paragraphs. >> yeah. >> reporter: before tv or video games, the boys have to finish their homework. >> they have to focus after being busy all day at school, takes a long time. >> reporter: now, two new studies with different findings are bringing the age old homework debate back into the spotlight. an australian study looked at

the link between homework and achievement. it found little benefit for elementary and junior student, it did improve achievement for students in 11th and 12th grades, but a british study found homework has benefits for all students. the time kids spend on homework varies. >> yesterday, i did four hours. >> maybe an hour and a half to two hours. >> five or six hours. >> so do the opinions about it. >> well, i think you get a fair amount of homework. >> when i hear other pashts say my child needs more, i think that's crazy. >> reporter: some experts recommend the ten minute per grade rule. for a third grader, about 30 minutes. for older students, it depends on their course work. >> i think it is important because i think some children struggle with mastering the concepts right away. >> reporter: some teachers say

homework is an opportunity to practice lessons learned in class, but also say it helps develop lifelong skills. >> i think learning time management, that is the most important thing and being responsible for something. >> reporter: love it or hate it. >> i don't actually like homework very much at all. >> reporter: the daily ritual seems to be here to stay, along with the debate about it. >> and scared everybody. rehema ellis, nbc news, new york. and when we come back, it can be all yours. a whole town, a piece of the oldest, up for sale. [ speaking in japanese ] yeah, do you have anything for a headache... like excedrin, ohhh, bayer aspirin... ohh, no no no. i'm not having a heart attack, it's my head. no, bayer advanced aspirin, this is made for pain. [ male announcer ] bayer advanced aspirin has microparticles, enters the bloodstream fast, and safely rushes extra strength relief to the sight of your tough pain. feel better? yeah...thanks for the tip!

[ male announcer ] for fast powerful pain relief, use bayer advanced aspirin. [ male announcer ] for fast powerful pain relief, and on small business saturday bothey remind a nations of the benefits of shopping small. on just one day, 100 million of us joined a movement... and main street found its might again. and main street found its fight again. and we, the locals, found delight again. that's the power of all of us. that's the power of all of us. that's the membership effect of american express. [ roger ] tell me you have good insurance. yup, i've got... [ dennis ] ...allstate. really? i was afraid you'd have some cut-rate policy. [ kyle ] nope, i've got... [ dennis ] ...the allstate value plan. it's their most affordable car insurance --

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finally, it's a quiet little spot, has plenty of property and room for expansion, plus income potential and some history. and that just begins to describe a unique piece of real estate that you, too, can own. kristen dahlgren takes us to the place that gives new meaning to small town. >> reporter: ever dreamed of being famous? seeing your face on billboards? owning the town? no, i mean literally owning the town. >> the whole town, everything, but you also get your own zip code. 82052. >> reporter: buford, wyoming is for sale. there's just one catch. that's don samons on the billboard. the only resident. >> i really couldn't believe it. that there would be one person

here. >> reporter: don was on the "today" show last summer and things have changed since then. he has a new look and he's ready to hang up his hats of mayor, store clerk, mechanic. >> i have so say, i visualize some kind of palm tree and sand at some point. >> reporter: and maybe a book about his one-man town, which maybe by then will be somebody else's. on thursday, it will be auctioned off. bids start at 100,000. don's house, post office boxes, cell tower and the one-room schoolhouse from the 1800s when 2,000 people lived here. >> it takes someone that wants something out of the ordinary. >> reporter: he's had interest from all over. >> well, i've heard from moscow, russia. not idaho. i've heard from beijing. >> reporter: and at a recent open house, even some from nearby lairmy came.

>> we'd have two here, then that would be 100% increase in population overnight. >> reporter: things are bound to change. don hopes whoever buys it loves buford like he has. >> i will miss that. the interaction with people that are traveling. >> reporter: but as he hits the road himself, don can't help but wonder if he's ready. >> you know, i don't know. i might turn out to be a bad neighbor. that's "nbc nightly news" for this saturday. i'm lester holt reporting from new york. i'll see you tomorrow morning on "today." i'll see you tomorrow morning on "today." have a good night, everyone. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

>> peter cook cries crocodile tears as the war of words between him and ex-wife