see you then. have a good night. >> on this saturday night, a triple threat at the unofficial start of summer. tonight, a gathering storm, raging fires and dangerous heat across america. massacre in syria. government forces unleash a vicious attack. tonight, dozens of children are dead. vatican scandal. new fallout from tha bombshell book, secret documents and corruption allegations, and the pope's butler under arrest. heart risk? millions of americans take them. tonight, the new concern about calcium supplements. and making a difference this memorial day weekend by promising to never forget. an entire town's stunning contribute to a fallen field of heros. captions paid for by nbc-universal television

good evening. while often referred to as the unofficial start of summer, this memorial day weekend is feel a lot like the middle of summer from temperatures approaching the century mark in the country's midsection, to a subtropical storm system taking aim at the southeast coast. tonight, tropical storm warnings are up from northern florida to south carolina for berle ber, the second-named storm system of a season that durnt officially begin until next week. and then there is the heat with temperatures in the 90s up and down the middle of the country. and on top of all of that, dangerous brush fires in the west. nbc's kerry sanders has more on the weather's impact on this busy holiday weekend. >> reporter: from storms to wildfires to extreme heat, mother nature does not seem willing to let everyone relax this holiday weekend. among the most anxious spots in the nation, central kansas where

as many as five tornadoes touched down just before dawn, destroying homes and bidses. even the division of emergency management was hit by a twister. luckily, no one was killed but several folks were injured by flying debris. in various states, including arizona, new mexico and michigan, strong winds combined with dprie conditions are blamed for raging wildfires. holiday campers evacuated the u.p. in michigan where firefighters are still losing the battle against three fires there that started two weeks ago. so far, 21,000 acres have bur d burned. in arizona, 25-mile-an-hour winds are fuelling sot-called glat aye tor fire. it's burned more than 16,000 acres so far, but here, good news. firefighters have now gained control of 40% of it. in orlando, a wildfire that had sent clouds of smoke towards theme parks today was contained. inner state 4 that had been closed now reopened. from the indy 500 to chicago to a good portion of the nation,

temperatures today were unusually hot in the 90s. in miami shores, the heat today drove ally williams' high school graduation party into the air conditioning. >> how was the graduation? >> it was really nice. it was indoors so it was cool for everyone. no one had to stand outside in the heat. >> reporter: from jacksonville to south carolina, tropical storm beryl has whipped up the surf, creating dangerous rip currents. in georgia, lifeguards have rescued more than 20 people, caught in the powerful ocean action. officials in some communities have now closed the beaches to swimming. wading and sun tanning is still just fine. while beryl will ruin some barbecues and roof top party, it will also bring much-needed rain to one of the worst drought stricken regions in our nation. lester? >> kerry, thanks. we want to bring in meteorologist paul goodloe from the weather channel headquarters. >> as kerry mentioned, this is now the second-named storm and

hurricane season starts next friday. let's take a look at subtropical storm beryl. it's subtropical because we have more of a banding inside versus a clear center of rotation in terms of activity. we're dweting that, though, so we could see this form more tropical characteristics, but the bottom line, it continues to head on towards the northern florida, southern georgia coastline here, potentially around jacksonville late sunday evening and perhaps a slight strengthening in the wind. but this is really going to be a surf and a heavy rain maker. perhaps three to six inches of much needed rain across parts of florida and georgia and eventually it will turn towards south carolina and offshore as we head to the middle of next week. the other story we're dealing with is the dangerous heat here. we're talking temperatures from 10 to 20 degrees above average across much of the east, while temperatures well below average across the west. yellowstone dealing with snow. st. louis, chicago 97 tomorrow.

but phoenix, only 89 for sunday. >> thanks. we want to turn overseas where we're learning about a horrific massacre in syria. government forces unleashed one of the deadliest attacks yet in that country's 14-month uprising. many of the dead are children. richard engle has our report and we want to warn you, some of these images are quite disturbing. >> reporter: the scale of the atrocity is only hinted at by this long trench. a mass grave after a massacre that included dozens of children in the syrian town of hula. >> the violence is unacceptable and it's unforgivable.

the l the death of 32 young children, the future of syria. >> reporter: this video appears to show the moments right before the houla massacre. after that, witnesses say, government-backed militias swept in and started stabbing and shooting a and killing children at close range. this woman, her face covered, said 12 members of her family were executed in her home. tonight, this 1-month-old infant clings to life after her mother was killed along with so many others. the syrian government calls the massacre the work of armed terrorist gangs. the syrian opposition clearly doesn't believe it, but wonders if even this will be enough to move the world to stop the killing. there's growing frustration in

syria with the u.n. observers, too. they're accused of being powerless. richard engle, nbc news, cairo. now to a story that's the stuff of hollywood thilers. a very real scandal involving secret stolen documents and allegations of corruption rocking the gatt van, leading to the arrest of one of the pope's most trusted aides, his butler. >> reporter: he was always up front b in the pope mobile, but it's what he did behind the scenes that has him locked up. in his home, police found hundreds of confidential documents which he's accused of passing to the media. a book out last week details cronies at the vatican. they call the book criminal. >> everyone who's known this

young man, paolo gabriele, including me, is stunned by this. this is a pious, quiet, young man who's worked in the holy city for 15 years. >> reporter: and today a vatican spokesman said there's certainly surprise and pain and great affection for his beloved family. surprise, too, for many vatican watches who are asking if he's being used as a scapegoat. perhaps there's a clue in the documents that have been released. not only do they show alleged financial corruption in the vatican, but many are also aimed at discrediting its secretary of state. this cardinal is the pope's number two. many believe it's the part of a wider power struggle at the heart of the catholic church. how wide is still being investigated, but if paol paolo gabriele is found guilty, he could face up to 30 years in prison. become in this country,

there are new questions about the man accused of murder in one of the most infamous gold cases in our time. if pedro hernandez really did kel etan patz, will his reported confession be enough to convict him? also two of his sisters are speaking out. we get the story from nbc's michelle franzen. >> reporter: the police never considered him a suspect until pedro hernandez confessed this week to killing etan patz in 1979. back then, he was 18 years old, working as a stock boy at a neighborhood store. a surprise twist for those who have closely followed the case, including lisa cohen. >> this is something that nobody saw. co-ing. nobody had a clue. >> reporter: hernandez moved to new jersey soon after etan disappeared. his sister norma told "the new york times," he began telling other relatives he killed a little boy and she noticed

changes in his behavior, saying he was acting very strange. he was always very quiet, his stomach was always very upset. another sister who asked for her identity to be concealed and her voice alter said she can't imagine her brother killing anyone, but offers a message to patz's family. >> i'm so sorry. >> reporter: experts say investigators will need to build a case beyond his confession. >> we don't seem to have any physical evidence, anything that links him to the crime and the crime scene other than his proximity in new york at the time that etan went missing. >> reporter: back then, detectives like william butler worked tirelessly on the case going door to door. >> hi, juan. have you heard anything? >> reporter: three decades later, investigators are back in the neighborhood, searching for evidence again. today there are flowers and a

makeshift memorial in front of a building where the suspect says he killed etan. a little boy once again capturing the attention and hearts of people here and throughout the country. michelle franzen, nbc news, new york. crew members aboard the international space station opened up their latest care package from earth today. but in this case, the box it came in was almost as exciting as what was in it. the docking marked the first commercial space delivery and a glimpse into the future. nbc's kristen dahlgren reports. >> the crew getting their first look inside this spacecraft. >> it's the first look inside the dragon capsule. for the world below it's a first look at what happens when a private spacecraft links up with the international space station. the crew wore protective masks and goggles.

nasa has been relying on russian spacecraft to get astronauts and supplies to the space station until yesterday, when the private spacecraft docked. >> i think this is one of the top 10 days of space exploration. when we've go ton a new level of space access. >> reporter: it's only the size of a large walk-in closet. >> it looks like it carries as much cargo as i could put in my pickup truck. >> while dragon may be small, plans for the capsule. >> there's not enough room in here to hold a barn dance, but there's plenty of room in here for the envisioned crews. >> reporter: dragon was built by california company space x, a firm that's only 10 years old, with the average age of its worker, just 30. the founder said his ultimate goal is to some day send people to mars. in this new commercial space race, space x already has plenty of competition. but for now, it is the only

company that can boast this. >> taking a look around inside drag groo dragon. >> a private company docking here, a feat only four countries have done before. a health warning for millions of americans who take a popular supplement. and later, the incredible outpouring for an entire town this memorial day weekend.

there's new warnings on the risk that too much calcium can pose. >> reporter: 22% of adult americans take a regular calcium supplement, including 57-year-old mindy reichman. >> i don't miss a day. >> reporter: but she's also aware of how much calcium-rich food she eats. a controversial study from switzerland suggests that women who take too much calcium might have a higher risk of heart attack. scientists have worried about calcium supplements because they can build up deposits in the arteries. >> we're not really sure whether excessive calcium may cause a rise in heart attack risk or not. >> reporter: but too much calcium can put men and women at

risk for kidney malfunction, kidney stones and a stiffening of blood investigate tell vess tissues and now heart attacks. don't people have the idea that if something is good for you you should take more of it. >> in this case more is not better. enough is enough. >> reporter: women over 50 take 1,200. but it says no one over 50 should be taking more than 2,000 milligrams a day. what's your take home message about calcium supplement ps . >> i think they are just that. they are to supplement your diet to a total amount of calcium of 1,200 a day. >> reporter: the trade association representing supplement makers says the swiss study itself is not reason enough to discount the important benefits of calcium. experts say people who eat a diet low in dairy often do need a supplement. they just have to take care like mindy reichman, not to overdo

it. robert bazell, nbc news, new york. up next, a family vacation where every photo is a postcard. attracting a new crowd to wide open spaces this summer.

thousands of people will spend this holiday weekend taking in the history own beauty of america's national parks. but now the parks find themselves competing for the business of younger americans. the average age of visitors is climbing along with worry of the future of these national treasures. >> hi there. welcome to rocky mountain national park. >> reporter: in the mountains of colorado, park rangers are seeing more than green this

spring. they're also noticing a whether itle more gray. the average visitor to national parks is getting older. cyclist john o'malley has enjoyed the trails for almost half a century. >> you do get close to nature. >> reporter: apparently that love of nature isn't what it used to be. back in 1996, death valley national park, almost a third of visitors were in their 20s. but in the last few years, that number has dropped to just 11% at yosemite and 6% at yellowstone. here at rocky mountain national park, the average age of visitors has risen to 46. what is the biggest challenge for the parks? >> well, right now we see a lot of youth not coming to the parks. i think there are a lot of distractions right now for young people. >> reporter: overall, attendance has dropped only slightly the last two years. but with fewer young visitor, some conservationists worry about what could happen in the decades to come. >> if we do not do a better job

of inviting young people to national parks, the parks will become less relevant. >> reporter: so the park service is mounting a campaign to attract children. >> it's really cool. >> reporter: like this school group just outside of washington, d.c. >> they get excited. they discover things. for them to know that not only they can come back, but they own this place. this is their park. >> reporter: back in colorado, the sheaffer family is also fighting the trend. >> ooitit's sad to see the next generation will perhaps forget this. >> reporter: driving their kids and grand kids all the way from ohio. >> reporter: it rejuvenates you to see all the wonder. >> reporter: the goal -- to leave their computers behind. >> you can't capture it on a picture. you have to be there to see it. >> reporter: and nurture their love of nature for a lifetime. we wanted to show you the viral video that's got a lot of folks talking once their pick their jaws up from the floor. that's 81-year-old laverne

everett who decided to go sky diving to celebrate her birthday last year. that is until it was time to take the plunge and she didn't want to do it. too late, her instructor jumped and she fell out of her harness hanging on for life all the way down. we want you to know she's okay. wow. a soccer field transformed,ic maing a difference this weekend by keeping memories alive.

as we honor erk many's war dead this week, another grim milestone was reached in afghanistan. a 26-year-old sailor became the 3,000th american service member to die there. but thanks to the people of p e pocatello, idaho, neither he or his fallen comrades will be forgotten. >> reporter: such a simple idea -- what was your motivation back in '03? >> he stopped and held up his arms like this and said hey, you baby burner. >> reporter: so he vowed that those in iraq and afghanistan would be remembered differently. this is pocatello's field of

heroes with seemingly the whole town pitching in, a cross for each of those fallen in those two wars. the crosses made by korean war vet oscar and the name, rank of each service member. >> it's not just a name on the cross. it's a soldier, it's a family member. >> reporter: sergeant blake stephens killed in iraq and buried in his hometown. his mother kathleen thankful that anyone who wants to learn the story behind his cross can share what she knows, his passion to serve. >> he had a sense of well being. he really knew who he was. but he loved protecting people.

>> reporter: so did tiffany petty's husband jarrett. >> it hurts your heart, it hurts your soul. we need to remember them, not as a group of people, but as specific people. >> reporter: so here throughout the weekend, they're remembered by visitors from all over the west. those who have lost a loved one to war and those who haven't. >> how old is your little girl? >> 6. >> reporter: even dennis the sign maker learning the stories behind the signs that he makes. >> a single mother who had one small child. >> reporter: each heroic story remembered here. mike taibbi, nbc news, pocatello, idaho. and that's "nbc nightly news" for this saturday. i'll se i'll see you tomorrow morn on

"today" and right back here tomorrow evening. good night. "nbc bay area news" starts now. p. good evening. idiane dwyer. we begin with news of a strike on the eve of the 75th anniversary of the golden gate bridge. ferry workers walked off the job today. stephanie a