the coldest with the possibility of patchy ice would be in marin, napa, sonoma counties. on the broadcast tonight, desperate for answers. the first victim identified in that airasia crash is buried. but bad weather is keeping so many others from being recovered, leaving their families in limbo. polar plunge. 2015 off to a frigid start all across the nation and not even the annual rose parade in sunny southern california can escape the chill. on the books. everything from a minimum-wage hike to a ban on selfies with tigers. a host of new laws, some stranger than others, in the new year. and out with the old. the promises we make and the habits we're hoping to break to start 2015 on the right foot. "nightly news" begins now. from nbc news world headquarters in new york, this

is "nbc nightly news" with brian williams. good evening. and happy new year. i'm kate snow in for brian tonight. and for most of the families of those onboard airasia flight 8501, it's been another long day of waiting. of the 162 passengers and crew onboard that plane, only nine bodies have been recovered. the search area is huge, extending some 5,200 square miles. and it's easy to see how difficult the conditions are when you look at the weather radar for that region. it's the rainy season in indonesia, and wind and rain are making it very difficult for rescuers and investigators to do their jobs. the forecast for the next 24 hours doesn't look much better. we begin tonight once again with nbc's katy tur on the ground in surabaya, katy. >> reporter: kate, as you said, weather just a big issue out here. but they did manage to recover bodies eight and nine. and now family members are saying they just don't expect that anybody survived.

the start of 2015 in surabaya was marked by the arrival of coffins, each victim given a number and a ceremonial tribute by honor guard and military and air force and naval personnel. so far only nine of the 162 passengers onboard have been recovered. outside the crisis center family members waited for word, among them josef, he showed us what could be the last photo taken of his son. this snapshot from inside the cabin with him and his three friends five minutes before takeoff. >> reporter: do you guys think that you're going to be able to handle this if you get the worst news? >> we have to handle it because we have to face the fact that he was on the airplane and the plane is crashed. >> reporter: day five was another surreal day, media mixed with volunteers as still-stunned relatives lingered. what will you remember most? bernard broke down as he told us about his daughter, son-in-law and two grandchildren.

my daughter was very afraid that her kids would die before her, he said. i'm happy the fear is gone because they have died together. portraits of the missing passengers continue to emerge. oscar documented his journey to becoming a flight attendant and more recently a father on social media. two weeks ago he wrote to his pregnant wife, i love you so much, till only death do us apart. on the water the weather was once again a hindrance. divers who hoped to deploy left waiting. searchers are focusing on a dark shadow about 100 feet below the water that they believe could be the bulk of the plane's fuselage. and within it most of the passengers. >> everybody expected that. so it's going to be -- but we never know. >> reporter: today in a dark polished casket topped with flowers, the body of hayati lutfiah hamid, reunited with her family. she was the first passenger to be identified.

the ceo of airasia indonesia personally overseeing the return of their loved one's remains. as her grieving relatives laid her to rest, more families continue their vigil waiting for news. and once they find the bulk of that wreckage, they say the priority will be the recovery of victims. and then the black boxes. and then the bulk of the wreckage. obviously though they do want to figure out what went wrong as fast as they can. kate, back to you. >> katy tur in indonesia once again tonight. thank you. it is impossible to ignore the similarities between this air disaster and the disappearance of that other plane back in march, malaysia airlines flight 370. but while wreckage has been found in this most recent airline disaster, no leads have panned out in the search for 370. as one of the biggest aviation mysteries in history stretches into the new year, our report tonight from nbc's tom costello. >> reporter: nearly ten months since malaysia airlines flight

370 disappeared, and still not a trace of the 777 and the 239 people onboard. some 1,200 miles southwest of australia search teams have been mapping the ocean's floor in an area thought to be the plane's most likely resting place based on pings between the plane and a satellite before it went missing. but what makes flight 370 different from the airasia crash is the lack of any physical evidence. >> where's the floating debris? i've expected for months that we would find light objects, things like styrofoam cups or flotation cushions or other light particles from the airplane. >> reporter: not even a wing tip or a suitcase. it was march 8 when flight 370 left kuala lumpur on a red eye flight to beijing. >> all right, 132.6 -- >> reporter: but radar and satellite evidence suggests someone turned the plane around and disabled its transponders and then flew the plane far

south to the end of its fuel reserves. >> hi everyone. >> reporter: captain zahari shaw remains one of those at the center of the investigation. investigators believe somehow everyone onboard was incapacitated. and the plane eventually ran out of fuel before crashing into the water. but many surviving family members are skeptical. >> we don't have proof it's crashed into the water at all. there's not been a trace, not a tiny, tiny bit of evidence that it crashed in the water. >> reporter: search teams expect to finish scouring the ocean floor in the current priority search zone some time in may. at that point all of the countries involved will have to decide whether to keep searching and where. >> that's a big ocean. that indian ocean down there is really big and treacherous. it's really hard to cover all of that and try to find out where it is. >> reporter: it may be little consolation, but investigators still believe they're looking in the right ocean. tom costello, nbc news, washington.

for so many of us around the country, 2015 came in like a bucket of cold water. most of the country is gripped in a deep freeze right now with nasty weather pounding the west and more of it on the way to many other parts of the nation. there's almost nowhere to hide from it. and that includes southern california. our report tonight from nbc's joe fryer. >> reporter: at the rose parade in pasadena, the floats were covered in flowers while the people were covered in blankets. the temperature, 33, just one degree higher than the parade's record low. why many even brought their own fire pits. >> i was like, okay, i don't want to think about it. let me just add another log. >> reporter: despite the cold temperatures thousands of spectators showed up early, even camped out overnight so they could get the best seats possible along the parade routes. the mood is far different in du boise, wyoming. it could be days before it's safe enough to enter a row of historic buildings devoured by flames. firefighters faced temps that were 25 degrees below zero.

>> had problems with frozen nozzles. and as you can see around us we have a lot of ice. >> reporter: other parts of the west are recovering from a winter storm that dumped snow in unexpected places including southern arizona. and yesterday stranded more than 40 people on a ski lift in central california after winds blew a cable off its line. the system is moving east turning roads to ice in oklahoma and texas causing hundreds of accidents. to the north, blowing snow and slick roads caused a major pileup in ontario, canada. in parts of new york and pennsylvania could see more than a foot of lake effect snow. the forecast calls for more trouble tomorrow night with freezing rain and thunderstorms in the south and mid-south. >> notice that on saturday and saturday night there will likely be a swath of significant snow lining up from northern kansas through missouri, parts of iowa and even wisconsin. and notice in the northeast, guys, we may start with a wintry mix of sleet and/or freezing rain saturday night, but on

sunday it's probably going to go over to mostly rain. >> reporter: back in california a gradual warmup is in store offering hope the weather could soon be coming up roses. >> of course americans aren't going to let a little cold get in the way of a good party. the u.s. joined countries around the world in ringing in 2015 with all the customs and traditions that come with the new year. but not all of those celebrations came to a happy end. our report tonight from nbc's john yang. >> reporter: around the world the first day of the new year was marked with the usual celebrations and traditions. but in shanghai, 2015 began on a somber note, a makeshift memorial on the bund, the city's iconic waterfront promenade. last night a huge crowd gathered for a midnight light show and people became unruly. pushing and shoving quickly turned to a stampede. people keep falling on those

behind them layer by layer, this man said. at least 36 people died and nearly 50 others injured. at the vatican, pope francis delivered his new year's wish, no more war. peace is always possible, he said, and our prayers are at the root of that peace. more festive scenes along parades in london and philadelphia where a 115-year tradition continued with the mummers parade. from rome's tiber river to the north sea in the netherlands and south boston's dorchester bay. >> we're probably go in and probably come back out and then -- >> scream a lot! >> reporter: thousands of bravehearts marked the day by plunging into frigid waters. in new york's times square, the first chore of the new year, cleaning up a ton and a half of confetti left behind after a

crowd estimated at 1 million people watched the annual crystal ball drop. around the country other cities have embraced that tradition with a local flavor. in plymouth, wisconsin, an 80-pound cheese wedge dropped at the stroke of midnight. sports played their usual new year's day role, the nhl winter classic played outdoors in a sunbathed washington baseball stadium. and college bowl games, including the kickoff of the first-ever college football playoffs. around the world it may be hard to top manila's fireworks free-for-all. pyro tech nick bursts lighting up the sky for as far as the eye could see. one last big bang before getting down to business for 2015. john yang, nbc news, chicago. the new year will also bring fatter paychecks to 3 million workers throughout the country. new year's day means a minimum

wage increase in 20 states. the smallest hike is in florida at 12 cents more an hour. the biggest increase, south dakota, an extra $1.25 per hour. those are just a handful of the new laws that go into effect as of today. nbc's pete williams takes a look at what is now on the books. >> reporter: starting today in california and connecticut, any qualified state resident can get a driver's license, even immigrants here illegally. state officials say 1.5 million people could be eligible to apply. >> i have my passport, my colombian passport. >> reporter: many have been applying ahead of time and advocates say it makes sense because drivers should know state laws. >> people are driving with licenses from their countries or other states with different rules and they are not properly trained in california driving safety. >> reporter: one catch, the new licenses will be marked to show they cannot be used as a federally approved id to board an airplane. under a new law in illinois, employers must provide

accommodations to their pregnant workers, such as more frequent rest and bathroom breaks, help with lifting and modified work schedules. >> we shouldn't be putting women in the position of choosing between their work and a healthy pregnancy. most of these accommodations are no cost or low cost to employers. >> reporter: more states are limiting the use of drones with cameras attached. north carolina is the latest state to ban them for use by hunters or by animal rights activists to spy on hunters. similar laws are now in effect in alaska, colorado, montana and new mexico. and california now bans using them to capture images that could only be seen without a drone by trespassing. starting today in new hampshire hikers, skiers and hunters can buy a $25 hike safe card. and then if they're injured or get lost and have to be rescued they won't have to reimburse the state for its expenses which can run up to $50,000. and people on social security will see a slight boost in their

checks in the new year, a 1.7% cost of living adjustment. that means the average retiree gets about $22 more a month. pete williams, nbc news, washington. and one more new law we feel obliged to mention, in new york state it will be illegal starting in february to take a selfie with a tiger, seriously. more specifically, the new law bans close contact between the public and tigers and lions and any of your big deadly cats. so that can put a dent in the tiger selfie craze, which pops up a lot on social media. and believe it or not on dating profiles.

>> i'm joe flyer in los angeles, nbc news has learned that former new york governor mario cuomo has died. a democrat he served three terms as governor starting in 1983. he was the son of italian immigrants, born in queens, and

became a lawyer before entering politics where he was known for his rhetorical gifts. his son, andrew cuomo is the current new york governor and was inaugurated for his second term today, invoking his father's name during his speech. mario cuomo spent time in the hospital recently for heart problems. he was 82 years old. now back to kate snow in new york. for months now, we have followed the story of three 43 students who disappeared in mexico. tonight, new questions about what the mexican government knew when the young people vanished our report from nbc's dave gutierrez. >> reporter: at times it is a country in chaos. last month more violent clashes between police and protesters in mexico after new allegations of corruption. >> nothing was an accident that night. >> reporter: anna belle is a reporter, now working as a

fellow at uc berkeley. she says she's uncovered thousands of pages of documents from the state investigation into the disappearance of 43 mexican college students in september. prosecutors alleged corrupt local officers had turned the students over to a drug gang following orders from the town's mayor, but hernandez believes federal authorities played a role. >> the government knew exactly what was happening. >> reporter: she claims these cell phone videos taken by some of the surviving students and the documents reveal that federal police were also at the scene that night and had been monitoring the students before the confrontation. based on your investigation, has the federal government been lying? >> absolutely. >> reporter: the mexican federal police referred all questions about the allegations to the attorney general's office, which repeatedly declined to comment to nbc news. but the attorney general told cnn in espanol he had not seen the evidence hernandez cites and did not know where it came from. there's frustration here on the streets of new mexico city --

in november we were in mexico city as protests shook the capital. the father of one of the missing students told us his son had recently enrolled at the teachers college in search of a better life. now, after these latest allegations, he and other relatives are demanding answers from mexico's president who will meet with president obama next week. as he finds himself in the middle of a growing crisis. gabe gutierrez, nbc news, berkeley, california. we're back in a moment with a man who got the shock of his life when he found out what was causing pain in his arm.

it's been a long journey for a houston area woman badly injured in the boston bombings in 2013. but now after 17 surgeries in 18 months, she's standing tall once again. rebecca demartino took her first steps with her new prosthetic leg. she had worked hard to save her own leg, but ultimately the pain and limited mobility led to her

having it amputated in november. both her husband and young son were also wounded in that attack. it's hard to know what this illinois man needed more, a doctor or a mechanic. a few weeks ago his arm started hurting, and surgery revealed this. that is a seven-inch turn signal lever that was lodged inside his arm. the kicker, it's been there for 51 years. it happened during a bad car wreck in his ford thunderbird way back in 1963. the lever was embedded without him ever realizing it. and then his arm healed over the wound. it didn't start bothering him until recently. a family in washington state was worried they would never see their missing dog ever again, but then she turned up 2,400 miles away in pittsburgh, of all places. apparently penny caught a ride across the country nearly two weeks ago. her family set up a facebook page called bring penny home for christmas. fortunately, penny was wearing a microchip. and after turning up in a pittsburgh vet's office she's

now being reunited with her family. well, today is the huge day for college football. and this is one sport where loyalties form early, very early in the case of ohio buckeyes. at one hospital in columbus, home of ohio state university, newborns are getting special blankets that read, beat alabama, for tonight's matchup in the sugar bowl. in buckeye country it is apparently never too early to start rooting for the home team. when we come back, one day down, 364 left to go. how are you doing with your new year's resolution? >> my 2015 new year's resolution is --

new year, new start. and that means new resolutions. it's easy to talk a big game when you're filled with optimism and maybe a glass or two of champagne. but now that all the confetti has settled, it's time we actually live up to what we promised ourselves. so we went out and asked what is your resolution for 2015. >> my new year's resolution is to get back in shape. >> to workout every day and try to eat healthier. >> to drink more water. >> my new year's resolution is to run a marathon. >> i plan on canceling my gym membership to save money.

>> my previous resolution was to drink more rum. >> i tried eating a raw egg every day, for protein, and that didn't happen. >> my goal last year was to go to the gym. didn't last too long. hopefully this year i'll get it going. >> we're getting engaged. >> in 2015 you guys are getting engaged? >> yeah. >> no. >> yes. >> absolutely not. >> we are. >> my new year's resolution is to get more me-time. >> be nicer to my sister. >> get a 4.0 average in school. >> be a more patient father to my four beautiful daughters. >> be more grateful for the things that i have and the things i will get in 2015. >> be happy more. and i plan to do that by smiling more often and looking on the bright side of things. >> i really don't have a resolution yet. i'm working on that one. >> for 2015 i'm doing the same thing i did last year cause 2014 was the best year of my life. woo!

>> and that is our broadcast for this new year's day. i'm kate snow in for brian tonight. we hope to see you right back here again tomorrow. have a great night. nbc bay area news starts now. >> no proof of residency? no problem. you can now get your driver's license, even if you're an undocumented immigrant. it's all because of a new state law designed to make the roads safer for everyone. good evening and thanks for joining us. i'm janelle wang. raj and jessica are off tonight. one new law that takes effect today allows undocumented immigrants to drive legally. assembly bill 60 opens the doors for undocumented immigrants to get a driver's license. and when dmv offices open tomorrow morning long lines are

expected. nbc bay area's damian trujillo is live outside a new dmv office in san jose which was built especially because of this new law. damian? >> reporter: janelle, they're expecting ones of undocumented immigrants in the south bay alone to go through the dmv process at this office here on center road. proponents say it will make everyone safer on the roads. they go to the shopping center for a new year's day lunch, a drive that wasn't legal because none of them is has a driver's license. frederico says driving is not a luxury f rather a necessity. undocumented immigrants are now able to drive in california under a new law that took effect today. assembly bill 60 only requires new dmv applicants have a valid id. >> very important to the people. >> reporter: the mexican consulate in san jose issues the valid ids for undocumented immigrants and the consulate had been holding