fix it. nbc "nightly news" is next and the localews :0goig >> on this saturday knew, wild weather. as parts of the country get ready for a springtime trifecta of rain, wind and even some snow. plus, a warm weather health hazard coming early this year. secret service scandal. one week into the embarrassing affair, a new raid in colombia, and new questions on whether others may have been involved. one of the president's men. charles colson, a key figure in the watergate scandal is dead tonight. and working to stay fit. and washington clean-up, one man's mission to help the capital out of a very sticky situation. 4

captions paid for by nbc-universal television good evening. various parts of the east are brace issing now for everything from snow to possible tornadoes. a storm system tonight is expected to bring plenty of rain and yes, even wet snow to parts of the northeast by sunday. and heavy rains are already soaks part of the south with the risk of thunderstorms and damaging winds along the gulf coast into the southeast. it's a potent and potentially dangerous weather mix so we want to start with kelly cass at the weather channel headquarters where they're tracking all of it for us. kelly, good evening. >> good evening. this is a huge system with impacts to millions of people, whether it's severe weather or even a heavy, wet snow. this is really not going to be

fun for you to dig out from. we've got two storm wes ear watching. one along the gulf coast, another one that's stronger, moving out of minnesota and iowa. we actually had tornado touchdowns in that part of the country tonight. but it's florida and eventually the east coast. we're going to have to watch out for severe storms as we head into sunday. we can rule out the possibility for tornadoes. the good news is we will see some drought relief. we're talking anywhere from two to four inches of rainfall including new york, hartford and boston where we've had a rash of brush fires lately. then this tracks more towards the north, gathering steam and cold air to the west side of it. several inches of snow, if not a foot of snow from jamestown, new york, to the mountains of west virginia. leste e lester. >> kelly cass, thank you. we learn that the shooter of trayvon martin will likely not be getting out of jail this week

after all. today, his attorney says his client's family doesn't have the money. nbc's kerry sanders is in florida with the developments. kerry? >> reporter:. good evening. zimmerman's lawyer says the logistics of getting him out has been more than anticipated. at the seminole county jail, his attorney said george zimmerman's family is having trouble to secure the $150,000 bond. >> it's a lot of money to come up with. it's not a family of much means. >> reporter: friday, despite prosecutor's best efforts to keep him behind bars, a judge ruled the 28-year-old, who stands accused of second degree murder for shooting and killing 17-year-old trayvon martin can go free if he posts bond. in court yesterday, he apologized to martin's parents. >> yesterday was an emotional roller coaster, just being in

the same room with the killer of your child. and then for him to give that insincere, very self-serving, untruthful apology. >> that apology, says hi attorney, was george zimmerman's idea. >> i wanted to say i am sorry for the loss of your son. i did not know how old he was. i thought he was a little bit younger than i am. and i did not know if he was armed or not. >> reporter: zimmerman's attorney says that apology was specifically to answer questions first asked by the parents on nbc's "today show." >> i would ask him, did he know that was a minor, that that was a teenager and he did he know he did not have a weapon. >> in sanford, some say zimmerman's bond is fair while others believe he should remain in jail for the trial. >> the charge he got, he shouldn't have got a bail. >> he doesn't seem to be a flight risk. he seems to be a person that's going to stand up for his responsibility. >> reporter: george zimmerman's

attorney believes the bond should be in place by mid next week and he hopes once george zimmerman gets out, he goes into hiding until the trial which is likely more than a year away. >> kerry sanders, thanks. now more on the scandal involving secret service agents and prostitutes in colombia last week before president obama arrived in that country. a prominent republican senator is ask whether other american officials may have been involved. nbc white house correspondent christian walker is at the white house with the latest. >> reporter: a week after one of the biggest scandals to hit the secret service in decades. ix six employees are under the process of being removed from the service. also one employee was cleared of serious misconduct but still faces administrative action.

and now another agent is under the microscope, leaving five on administrative leave. 11 military personnel are also imp will i kated. nbc's mark potter has details on new video 37. >> investigators are hoping to question all the prostitutes involved in the scandal and also see if any of them are underage. in a video shot thursday, colombia police can be seen arriving at the play club where officials say some of the u.s. agents had been last week. this man says several officers told him the play club and three other clubs were rated in an attempt to locate women identified in the investigation. >> reporter: back in washington, republican senator chuck grassley posted a video on his facebook page, lashing out at the secret service. >> i always said if heads don't roll, then the culture of a federal agency won't change and reforms won't take hold. >> reporter: and in a letter to the director, grassley asked if investigators obtained all the records for white house advanced staff on the trip. did the secret service reserve

rooms at the hotels for representatives of the white house communications agency or the white house advance team? a law enforcement official with knowledge of the investigation says there is nothing to indicate that white house staff was involved at this point. senior administration officials bristled at grassley's letter, calling it pure politics. on friday, the white house press secretary also addressed the issue. >> i have no reason to beliebelieve, i do not know otherwise that this did not involve anything but the agents and the military personnel. >> reporter: now nbc news has learned investigators confirmed the identity of the women involved with the help of surveillance video taken from that hotel. lester? >> thank you. prominent member of the nixon white house who became a key member in the watergate

scandal today. we get more tonight from nbc's pete williams. >> reporter: the life of charles colson was marked by a profound met mor metomorphosous once said he would walk over his own grandmother to get nixon re-elected. he worked on the 1972 campaign. he was never charged directly with anything due to the watergate break-in. instead he pled guilty to trying to block an investigation of another break-in, the office opsychiatrist treating daniel elsburg who leaked the pentagon papers. after serving seven months of his prosecute prison sentence, colson came out a man changed by the scandal and the punishment. >> in my own life, i look at it with gratitude. by going to prison, i've now seen how god has been able to use my life. >> reporter: he found an organization can called prison fellowships in 1976, reaching out to prisoners, ex-cons and

their families here in the u.s. and around the world. >> those nonviolent offenders ought to be out of prison, working, paying back their victims instead of sitting in a cell. that would give them a sense of accountability and responsible for their behavior. >> reporter: he offered a christian view on current affairs. in 1993, he was awarded the templeton prize for promoting religion and applied the $1 million that came with it to his advocacy for helping prisoners and improving prison conditions. president george w. bush presented colson with the presidential citizens medal in 200 for his prison work. he had recently been in declining health, requiring a pacemaker, then suffering a brain hemorrhage. charles colson died at age 80. pete williams, nbc news, washington. and here in new york today, investigators say they found something that could aid them in the renewed search for a 6-year-old boy who disappeared 33 years old. nbc's michelle franzen now with more on the search of eta

etan paetz. >> reporter: in the heart of the laid back and upscale soho district, possible new clues in the renewed evidence of the etan paetz case. sources close to the investigation tell nbc news forensic teams cut out a section of dry wall from the basement with which was described as a skein of interest. authorities say they don't know if it is significant but have taken the section to a lab for analysis. the latest search has recaptured the city, the nation's attention. 33 years after etan disappeared while walking to his school bus stop. >> i do remember when this happened 30-some years ago. and we just happened to be out this afternoon walking around. we noticed all the trucks. we walked up to see what was going on. >> reporter: his disappearance rattled the country and changed the way they search for missing children in this country. experts say advances in technology include the internet and social media. >> we're disseminating missing

child information instantly across america and around the world, reaching millions of people, and as a result, more missing children come home safely today than at anytime in american history. >> reporter: allen says in 1990, the recovery rate for cases in his center was 62%. today, the recovery rate is 97%. but allen says thousands of kids, just like etan, are still missing. and the latest search also sends a strong message. >> it is a very important message to the public and to law enforcement across this country that you don't close these files. the search continues. >> reporter: back here at the scene, investigators describe their search as slow and methodical, a process of sifting through debris and dirt. they have finished up for the day. they estimate they're about halfway down and they'll be back out here tomorrow morning. lester? >> michelle franzen here in manhattan tonight.

turning overseas, more than 100 people were injured today in amsterdam when two commuter trains crashed head on. it wasn't clear while the trains were moving in opposite directions on the same track. about 50 people suffered serious injury. some had to be lifted from the wreckage by cranes. officials in afghanistan say security forces have arrested five militants who smuggled a huge shipments of explosives into that country from neighboring pakistan. 272,000 pounds to be precise hidden in a truck under a load of potatoes. officials say the suspects were taliban members from afghanistan and back stan apakistan and wer another big attack on the capital. new action today on the kroo is sis in syria. with violence increasing since a cease-fire more than a week ago, the council voted to expand the number of u.n. observers authorized to be sent to syria from 30 to 300. it also demanded an immediate halt to the violence. and back in this country, an

unusual discovery on a remote island in alaska. a soccer ball and a volleyball that were washed away from the tsunami in japan more than a year ago were found by a beech co -- beachcomber. the soccer ball has the name of a school on it. the man who found them hopes to return them to that school in japan. when we continue on this saturday night, an early season for a warm weather threat that could make you very sick. and a new movement at work, as the desk job gets a makeover.

we're back with a health menace that could be higher this year. there's a higher threat of lyme disease, which is transmitted by ticks. >> catch. >> reporter: like so many others, the lowe family is enjoying the unseasonably warm spring. but this year, spending time in the great outdoors can carry a greater risk. >> the ticks are coming out and kids are playing outside more than they would with less cleting. >> on shelter island, new york, dealing with ticks comes with territory. >> i got bit by a tick a couple of days ago. >>. >> reporter: deer ticks carry lyme disease. it shows up with flu-like

symptoms and telltale circular rash. >> we believe 2012 is going to be the worst year yet for lyme disease. >> reporter: rick osfeld is a disease ekolgts. eh said more ticks are infected this year. and the weather will only make things worse. thanks to a mild winter and a warm spring, the insects are active earlier, and a threat to people spending more time outside. >> we suspect there will be hords of infected tick nymphs ready to grab a hold of us and possibly make us sick. >> reporter: and they're not just a threat to people. dogs are at risk, too. the ticks are hard to spot on fur. >> we deal with it on a daily basis. about 20% of our dogs have a positive antibody test for lyme disease. >> reporter: the ticks are barely larger than a poppy seed, but experts say detection is

key. the lowell family checks for ticks every day. the mom has had lyme disease before and knows just how serious it can be. >> it's just something you have to deal with. >> reporter: the danger from a tiny test with a very big bite. nbc news, new york. up next here tonight, why a new standing order is in place at some american companies.

the scene in seattle today. the first perfect game in almost two years as um ber from the white sox led his team to a 4-0 win over the mare northwesterns. it was the 21st perfect game in history and am dumber's first g. the nhl said phoenix forward raffi torres will be suspended for 25 games for an illegal hit on marion hossa of the blackhawks. he had to be removed on a stretcher. it's the third largest suspension in league history in terms of games lost. and helping people to become more fit is becoming a growing movement in this country. to get office workers up from their desks. nbc's anne thompson with that story tonight.

working here, pat tarantino is going nowhere in her job. >> we're walking the walk. >> reporter: it's a growing trend to get the work force out of their chairs and moving. workers sign up for one-hour shifts on the treadmill. >> i wanted to check in on our project. >> i would think this would be distracting. >> no. >> focuses your mind? >> sometimes if you're realing e-ma e-mails, the clock is kind of ticking in your head and you come up with solutions. >> blue cross says it causes more productive, active and engaged workers. >> they' thatting the stairs

much more than in the past. >> reporter: if you're wondering if this is really necessary -- consider this -- in 1960, almost half of all american jobs required some kind of moderate physical activity. today, less than 20% do. frightened by studies that link sitting at work with higher obesity waits, this worker is standing at her desk and encouraging her colleagues to do the same. >> it makes me be a better worker. >> reporter: more than 10% of her fellow workers are on their feet, increasingly, meetings are held standing. they are shorter and participants are no longer distracted by smart phones or blackberries. >> people stopped bringing their devices with them. they knew they weren't going to be able to use them anymore. >> reporter: standing or walking, american workers try to improve their fitness and focus. anne thompson, nbc news, boston. if you're in the right place

tonight, you might be in for a spectacular sky show. a meteor shower will be send late tomorrow and tomorrow morning. you can also watch it all live on our website. nbc nightly news.com. and up next, one man's mission to clean up washington.

finally tonight, if things

in washington seem sticky in places, met a man determined to do something about it. >> it's springtime in the capitol. time for a major clean-up. we're not talking about sweeping out some of the folks that work up there. that may come in the fall. but something down here, those mysterious spots on the sidewalk. what are they? it's not tar. it's old chewing gum. >> it just ehave beenvaporates. goes away. >> reporter: how? making a call to these guys. >> i fell into this being a cleaning service. wreert y >> reporter: you got it. the gum busters. people like duane who take gum off the streets. >> how much gum is ready to be cleaned up? >> millions andle manies.

>> reporter: how do you feel getting people out of a sticky situation. >> it's rewarding. >> metro sites, an influx of people who have no place to go really mad. >> reporter: and not just here in america, gum busting is an international business. and it doesn't come off cheap. jobs can cost thousands of dollars. >> it depends on, it could be anywhere from 9 cents to 50 cents a square foot. >> lying pressure, 100 degrees of steam and a brash brush and a solution. it returns to sugar. once the sun hits it, the exposure just bakes it on the sidewalk. >> reporter: cleaning up washington, never an easy job. luke russert, nbc news. >> and that's "nbc nightly news"

for this saturday. i'm lester holt reporting from new york. see you tomorrow morn on "today" and right back here tomorrow evening. good night. nbc bay area news starts now. >> good evening. i'm diane dwyer. temperatures around the bay area soared nearly setting records along the way. but the hot weather is also causing some problems. nbc bay area's kimberly terry is in san jose with a look for us. >> reporter: hello, diane. what