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2016 has been a very violent year in chicago and there has been no let-up during the holidays. 753 homicide this year, a jump of 58%. police say most of the victims were targeted by gangs. here's dean reynolds. >> long weekend's carnage included a shooting at a family holiday party. armed ambush of a motorist. and on christmas day, itself, the murder of 25-year-old jamil farley, shot to death outside

the labor of love apostolic church. barely two hours after pastor anthony williams led the congregations christmas service. can you believe that there was a murder outside a church on christmas day? >> yes. i believe that. that's not the first. >> this afternoon he welcomed the victim any mother, june bolden to plan a funeral. >> and to lose him on christmas. >> christmas, yes. i still can't believe it. but i know he is not around me. >> reporter: is this a particularly violent neighborhood in the context of chicago? >> yes. yes. >> i mean are shootings common around here? >> yes. >> reporter: in fact a second fatal christmas day shooting just down the block from the church. and when we visited this afternoon there was a heavy police presence in the area. violence here prompted the police to look elsewhere for advice. police superintendent, eddie johnson, recently toured new york's police training academy and plans to introduce chicago recruits to new york style training method next year. in addition, johnson said he will continue to press for longer jail time for gun offenders. >> i am not a fan of mass incarceration or arresting of

minorities. but the simple fact of it is i don't care how you wrap it, if you pick up a gun and shoot some body you should go to prison period. >> reporter: over the next two years, marg retd, the city plans to hire an additional 1,000 police officers to try to combat the rising tide of violence, which is showing no sign of abating even on christmas. >> thank you, dean. >> chicago, searches for a solution. there is good news in another big city that struggled with violence. newark, new jersey's murder rate dropped 10% in 2016. other crimes are down too. so what's changed? here is demarco morgan. >> reporter: in a city where violent crime scenes were all too familiar and the police chief darnell henry and city official have been working with state and county law enforcement to reduce crime. >> crime is down. you still have a long ways to go? >> yes, we do. going to work harder. 2017.

definitely going to ask the men and women on the force to give extra. >> newark has not only added more police, they have reassigned many of them to street beats and partnered with citizens groups to promote community policing. public safety director, anthony ambrose says the city is targeting gun violence, adding more officers to shooting response team. >> treating it like a homicide. sending out intelligence people. sending out a team of detectives and taking the people off the street before they did their second shooting or a murder. >> reporter: nonfatal shootings are down 21%. robberies are down 23%. auto theft is down 16%. newark mayor, ross barraca. >> you can't do it alone. the community has to be a part of this? >> they have to have faith, confidence police are there to help them and not occupy their neighborhood. they see violence and crime they report it. >> reporter: a community advocate here in newark. the numbers are down?

>> you know what, i don't like to use that word down. because -- when you say that's, to a mother, particularly a mother that lost her child. that doesn't sit well with the mother. >> there have been three homicide here in newark since last week. margaret, officials say they're not claiming victory with today's announcement. they're calling it progress. >> demarco, thank you. >> searchers today recovered the flight data recorder from the russian jetliner that crashed into the black sea christmas day. it was found about a mile off the resort city of sochi. data could help determine what brought the plane down all 92 people on board were killed. there is a lot more ahead. including this -- >> an up-close look at the nation's first offshore wind % farm. >> and later, we'll look back at the life of carrie fisher.

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>> awesome, isn't it? >> it is. >> just spectacular. first of the kind in u.s. >> reporter: 15 miles off the coast of rode island, the 600 foot turbines stand, anchored in 90 feet of atlantic waters. they're expected to generate enough energy to power 17,000 homes. jeff grabowski is ceo of deep water wind which built the wind farm. >> we see producing lot of energy for the united states. the wind is really strong. >> reporter: the turbines will most benefit block island because of its location, 45 minutes by boat from the mainland current leap gets oil and gas shipped in. residents pay a premium at peak times, nearly 60 cents a kilo watt. the wind farm will cut the cost to 24 cents. >> hi. >> reporter: great news for 68-year-old steve draper. his family runs one of the oldest businesses on the island. the 1661 inn. >> the bill last year was around $200,000.

try everything to cut your cost. a major factor doing business here. >> reporter: while denmark have been using offshore wind farms since the early 90s, u.s. based projects have been stalled due to court fights over environmental fears. and protests over the turbines blocking beach front views. >> it took a long time to get here. took eight years to build the project. >> other projects are in the works, potentially bringing 200 wind turbines to the area within the next ten years. steve draper expects people will get used to the new scenery. >> we all got used to telephone poles and telephone poelds. they're not beautiful. >> reporter: a view of the future, powering the future. jericka duncan, cbs news, off the coast of block island. >> coming up, a mother's dangerous hike to save her stranded family is called a

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survival. it began last week with a drive to the north rim of the grand canyon and ended in a desperate hike to safety. here is john blackstone. from the warmth of her hospital bed, karen klein and husband eric described how a christmas trip to the grand canyon with their 10-year-old son almost turned tragic when they hit bad weather. >> major road were closed. impassible. >> their gps showed alternative down an unpaved road. >> it became a little more harried. the car got stuck in the mud. >> karen, 46, a fitnessen thutz yas who had grown up camping and hiking set off alone searching for cell service to call for help. >> it really didn't feel like there was a point of no return until -- it started to snow, it was night time. and, karen was not in the car any longer. >> afraid to sleep in freezing temperatures, karen hiked for 11 hours, often struggling through deep snow.

>> i didn't have winner boots. my shoe filled up with snow. and i couldn't put my shoe back on. >> by sunrise with no sign of his wife, eric and his son hiked to higher ground found a signal and 911. a massive search discovered karen asleep in an empty cabin near the north rim of the grand canyon. she walked almost 26 miles. >> it wasn't about surviving for me. i just kept thinking i have to do this for my son. i have to do this for my husband. >> she remains in the hospital, being treated for frostbite, and dehydration. john blackstone, cbs news, san francisco. next, on screen and off, carrie fisher lived a remarkable life.

carrie fisher as princess leah, the star wars actress died in los angeles after reportedly suffering a heart attack last friday on a flight from london. co-star harrison ford said carrie was one of a kind. brilliant, original. her mother, debbie reynolds said thank you to everyone who has embraced the gifts and tal enterof my beloved and amazing daughters. and filmmaker george lucas had this to say. in star wars she was our great and powerful princess, feisty, wise and full of hope. ben tracy looks back. >> what the hell are you doing? >> somebody has to save our skins! into the garbage chute, fly boy. >> reporter: when the world got to know carrie fisher she was royalty, princess leah in the 1974 film "star wars."

>> i love you. >> reporter: fisher, a rare princess, revered for her beauty and take no prisoners personality. she went on to play the iconic role three more times including just last year in the force awakens. >> our sister is the next target. >> i think you have exactly the same eyes -- >> reporter: her career spanned four decade. she flirted with warren beatty in "shampoo." >> they are. >> they're not. they're not. nothing like my mother. >> reporter: meg ryan's gal pal in "when harry met sally." >> he spent $120 on a new night gown for his wife. i don't think he is ever going to leave her. >> no one thinks he is ever going to leave her. >> bride and handsome groom, debbie and eddie are finally mr. and mrs. >> reporter: carrie fisher was born into show business in 1956, the daughter of singer eddie fisher and actress debbie reynold. in her semiought biographical book, postcard from the edge,

fisher wrote about her relationship with her mother and her own drug addiction. in 1990, the book became a hit film, starring meryl streep and shirley mclane. >> remember my 17th birthday party when you lifted your skirt up in front of all of those people. >> i didn't lift my skirt. it twirled up. >> this is my house. >> reporter: in 2009 on pbs she told charlie rose she was no longer held hostage by her problems with addiction. >> i can't overcome it. but i can use it instead of it using, i have problems, problems don't have me. i'm not afraid of anything. >> reporter: carrie fisher was 60 years old. ben tracy, cbs news, los angeles. that's the "overnight news" for this wednesday. for some of you, the news continues. for others, check back with us a little later for the morning news and cbs this morning.

welcome to the "overnight news." i'm tony dokoupil. friends, family, and millions of star wars' fans are mourning the death of carrie fisher, she passed away days after suffering a heart attack on an overseas flight. she was a child of hollywood who went on to become a best-selling author and will be best remembered for princess leah in the star wars trilogy, a role she reprised in last year's seek willing. ben tracy takes a look back at the life. of a hollywood icon. >> just one person me! what the hell are you doing? >> some body has to save our skins. into the garbage chute, fly boy.

>> reporter: when the world got to know carrie fisher she was already royalty, princess leah in the 1974 film "star wars." >> i love you. >> i know. ♪ >> reporter: fisher, a rare princess, revered for her beauty and take no prisoners personality. she went on to play the iconic role three more times including just last year in the force awakens. >> our sister is the next target. >> i think you have exactly the same eyes -- >> reporter: her career spanned four decade. she flirted with warren beatty in "shampoo." >> they are. >> they're not. they're not. nothing like my mother. >> reporter: meg ryan's gal pal in "when harry met sally." >> he spent $120 on a new night gown for his wife. i don't think he is ever going to leave her. >> no one thinks he is ever going to leave her. >> bride and handsome groom, debbie and eddie are finally mr. and mrs. >> reporter: carrie fisher was

born into show business in 1956, the daughter of singer eddie fisher and actress debbie reynold. in her semiautobiographical book, postcard from the edge, fisher wrote about her relationship with her mother and her own drug addiction. in 1990, the book became a hit film, starring meryl streep and shirley mclane. >> remember my 17th birthday party when you lifted your skirt up in front of all of those people. >> i didn't lift my skirt. it twirled up. >> this is my house. >> reporter: in 2009 on pbs she told charlie rose she was no longer held hostage by her problems with addiction. >> and i'm proud of myself i have been able to get through this stuff. and i have been able to, i can't overcome it. but i can use it instead of it using, i have problems, problems don't have me. i'm not afraid of anything. >> reporter: carrie fisher was 60 years old. ben tracy, cbs news, los angeles. it was chaos in the malls,

it had little to do with holiday sales or people returning christmas presents. fights and riots broke out at malls in more than a dozen cities. manuel bojorquez reports. >> reporter: this fight broke out last night at a mall in fort worth, texas. when police arrived, they found a melee of more than 100 teenagers. >> this is crazy. >> reporter: rihanna austin was there and recorded it live on facebook. >> i remember people are looking for their kids. they were looking for family members. and where is somebody? >> it was chaos? >> very chaotic. >> over the course of a few hours monday, more than a dozen similar incidents occurred in as many states across the country. like this one in beachwood, ohio. that mall had to be temporarily shut down until law enforcement could regain control.

mall goers were stunned. >> running, screaming, i seen a girl get trampled over. it was scary. it was really scary for real. >> reporter: at the chicago suburban mall, more than 1,000 were inside when the fight erupted. eight juveniles were arrested on charges ranging from disorderly conduct to battery and resisting police. in some cases, large groups seemed to randomly start running in one direction. or falsely yell claims of shots fired inciting confusion and chaos. police believe some of the disturbances were triggered by posts on social media. and even inspired copycats. but there its no evidence of a coordinated effort behind all of that. president-elect donald trump has a few key administration posts left off to fill before he takes office. then he can move on to remaking the foreign service. one diplomat who has got a new job lined up is u.s. ambassador

to denmark, rufus gifford, he is a reality tv star. mark phillips reports. >> reporter: in the last months of rufford gifford's time as united states ambassador he had to handle some tough questions. >> it is a frightening thought for millions of people in the world that donald trump could be elected and thus have his fingers near the nuclear launch buttons. >> if there is one thing ambassador gifford has been, it's candid. >> on this one, i'm not certain that i can give you anything reassuring. gifford, former obama fund raiser, and political appointee as ambassador to denmark will be leaving copenhagen soon, and the danes will miss him. because he has been more than another faceless diplomat. he has been a tv star.

>> thank you. >> this is the entitled i am the ambassador from america. >> i have the best job in the word. >> the only way you can explain it to people is by living it. >> this its just your average wednesday. >> reporter: it was supposed to be a behind the scenes look at the ambassadorial life designed for a cult audience of foreign policy geeks. >> not caring is a real sort of cancer. >> we thought if we were lucky we might have 50,000 danes tune in. >> reporter: but the audience of danes, hundreds of thousand of them, rolled in like copenhagen at rush hour. and with an appealing central character, all of the show needed was a plot twist. enter kitchen left rufus' partner, steven. >> should be home by seven. evening is free. >> what they wanted and maybe what the show needed was a little drama. how about a good old new fashioned wedding? theirs.

complete with ban tore. >> i'm so not sure i am going to go through with it. >> that makes two of us. >> it did go ahead. a happy day, a show business hit, and a political statement. >> i therefore proclaim that you are legally married. congratulations. [ applause ] >> and there was an element of diplomacy there. or politics, whatever you want to call it. >> what were you trying to prove? >> we were in the same place in copenhagen city hall, the first same sex unions in the word took place, steven and tie got married. >> come on, yeah, yeah. >> as a diplomatic pr exercise it all works in liberal denmark. could it play elsewhere? hans moritson, heads a think-tank. >> where couldn't it work? >> it couldn't work in eastern europe in russia. >> because of attitudes to gayness? >> mostly, yeah. >> because it worked so well in denmark the show has been picked up by netflix. >> you never know what sells on tv?

>> that its true. that its true. yes, indeed. >> reporter: the ambassador, turned accidental tv star is going global. and looking for a new job. i'm mark phillips in copenhagen. i really did save hundreds on my car insurance with geico. i should take a closer look at geico... geico has a long history of great savings and great service. over seventy-five years. wait. seventy-five years? that is great. speaking of great, check out these hot riffs. you like smash mouth? uh, yeah i have an early day tomorrow so... wait. almost there. goodnight, bruce. gotta tune the "a." (humming)

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overseas, a group of singers, that has been working overtime this holiday stae son. the sistine chapel choir, really the pope's choir. charlie rose has a listen for 60 minutes. >> reporter: the music is sacred, contemplative, mystical, it soars whether in concert at the sistine chapel. or during mass next door at st. peter's basilica. when the pope presides, the choir provides a holy sound track. made up of 30 boys and 22 men, the choir helps spread the pope's message. ♪ ♪ >> we have a job to inspire people. the men understand a word of

what is going on in the vatican. when they hear us singing, we have to direct them to consider something which is transcendent and divine, that's our job. mark sparapalus, baritone from britain, and chesere stah, tenor from poland, consider themselves more than voices of the pope. what does it mean that you are called the pope any choir? >> we are the pope's family. >> pope's family. >> yes, he is personal choir. >> pope francis is the most popular pope in a generation. he spends much time tending to the poor and the dispossessed, it is this humility that also makes his choir feel at home. as mark learned when he joined last year. >> when i met him the whole thing was overwhelming. he said you are from london. he said welcome to the vatican. i was expecting sort of. i was so welcomed by this, it was, very surprising. and very impressed by quite how, what a personal touch he had. ♪

♪ >> reporter: as it tours italy performing in some of the country's great cathedrals the choir sings in harmony. but until recently the choir wasn't worthy of the name or where it sang. for decade the choir lacked cohesion. many members came from opera and made sure they were heard. the choir was called the sis sis teen screamers. >> we were aware that we were singing too loud.

>> victorio remembers the era of the booming voices. he has been with the choir for 30 years and three popes. >> reporter: can you sing for me the difference between it was and it is now. >> for example, we used to sing -- now we sing -- it's completely different. because we are looking for -- a very -- spiritual sound. not another sound. >> the choir turned around after he was hired in 2010. only the sixth man to be appointed director of the pope's

choir in 200 years. >> translator: i didn't have to invent a sound, i had to rediscover a sound. which was the sound the choir once produced in the sistine chapel. he went back to the past. combining high tech and ancient texts. he studied endlessly looking for the precise vocal range that was originally intended when he wrote the sake rhett music that provides the bulk of the choir's repertoire. he composed music with the sistine chapel in mind. after michaelangelo finished painting his masterpiece. >> he was writing when the paint was still wet. of these incredible frescos. when we sing, it's not like looking at a fresco. it is equivalent of being in a fresco.

he also softened the tone by hardening the workload. the choir went from rehearsing three hours a week to three hours a day. so you have to be a perfectionist, tough. >> exactly right. >> if you are on a journey, of excellence, how far along are you? on your journey? >> halfway. you sound like an american sports coach. >> a choir is very, very terrifying beast. because -- if you are not able to -- to handle it -- it goes away. it runs away. >> this is not so far. just more you have to handle the choir. we were compared to a ferrari. but you have to drive ferrari to do dressage like a, like the horses. just little bend, little, very light, dressage. dressage. not --

>> reporter: at rehearsal and in concert, he conducts the choir like a manic traffic cop. the maestro was born on christmas day. but with his choir, he is not always in a holiday mood. for the boys in the choir commands from the maestro can be jolting. >> when he is not happy, lorenzo? >> uh -- >> what? >> translator: he has some explosions of anger. but then he calms down because then we sing the piece properly. >> 13-year-old lorenzo is one of the boys, all sopranos, able to produce the high notes that give the choir its celestial sound.

just listen to how the boys warm up. ♪ ♪ the vatican refers to them as the white voices for the purity of their sound. ♪ ♪ >> you can see the full report on our website, cbs news.com. the overnight news will be right back. ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ >> you can see the full report on our website, cbs news.com. the overnight news will be right back.

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holiday season is the poinsettia or the poinsettia? mark strassmann unravels the story. >> reporter: in greenville, south carolina this 1905 craftsman style home is a canvas of christmas color. >> are they in every room? >> they're in every room. >> every room is different come lore. >> travis and wade have a

passion for poinsettias. with his eye for color, chose five different varieties. >> i try to keep the room the same color. >> this is a room. this is all red throughout this, hallway. >> they are christmas. they speak christmas. and if you have lots of them they scream christmas, i guess. >> reporter: greenville has poinsettia pride. at the airport, new arrivals see it in this massive tree. more than 10 feet tall. built with 168 plants. >> you can't live in greenville and be a part of the community and not understand that the poinsettia has a special place. they have the poinsettia parade, christmas parade, and, so -- >> poinsettia hotel, bridge, historic, poinsettia highway. hard to miss there is a connection. >> hard to miss in this house. >> yes. >> what's less obvious is the history of these plants. which grow wild in mexico. in the 1500s, the aztecs the first to cultivate them. franciscan missionaries arrived in the 1600s and thought plant's red color symbolized the blood of christ. they called it la flor de nocha buena, or christmas eve flower. in taxco, this showcased the poinsettia power. street mosaics in the city pay tribute to the plant. >> it is the christmas plant. >> jim faust, horticulture professor at clemson, university is an authority on the plants. >> poinsettia, or poinsettia? >> yeah, most academics and

horticulturists will say, poinsettia, and he said himself, poinsettia. >> poinset, 19th century politician lived in greenville. >> joe poinsett, first ambassador of the united states to new mexico, an avid plants person. he was involved in the exchange of plants to and from mexico and the united states. and so he happened to, in 1828, send the first poinsettias to this country. >> americans became enamored of the plant that blooms only once. around christmas. >> it is really in the early 1900s when poinsettias become unpopular that you start to see stamps, christmas cards and stuff that really start to have much more of their red and green, as the dominant colors. >> so the red and green we associate with christmas coincided with the popularity of poinsettias? >> yeah, absolutely. >> by the 1960s and 1970s. u.s. green houses produced millions of them. poinsettias decorated the sets of christmas specials on television.

♪ ♪ and the "tonight show" with johnny carson. >> well, well, well. poinsettias. >> today, they're america's second most popular potted plant. behind orchids. there are more than 150 varieties. >> well have varieties, titan marble star, ice punch. freedom. >> shade of red make up 90% of the $200 million market. contrary to widespread belief, poinsettias are not poisonous to people or pets. >> if you taste the nectar on them, tastes really good. it's really sweet. >> reporter: it is sweet. >> look honey. >> reporter: it is look honey. >> who knew? >> reporter: consumers typically buy one or two. travis seward has bought more than 80. >> reporter: how do you know when to stop?

>> he doesn't ever know when to stop.

still not known what caused the death of pop star george michael. he passed away at his home at 53. michael leaves well behind a well known treasure trove of music and little known legacy of philanthropy. >> reporter: much of jrj michael's life was fodder for the tabloid but there was a side to him that rarely made headlines. his philanthropy. stories of him paying off people's debts and helping a woman who needed fertility treatments and he did most of it without fanfare. ♪ freedom >> reporter: george michael's freedom 90 marked his growth from international pop star and

sex symbol to an artist with a conscience. ♪ over the years, he quietly gave millions to charities. he donated royalties for don't let the sun go down on me, his duet with elton john, to britain's leading charity for people with hiv and aids. ♪ you smiled at me like jesus to a child ♪ earnings from another hit, "jesus to a child" went to a hot line for kids in need. >> he did not want to trumpet his generosity. in the way that a lot of pop stars tend to. billboard senior editor. says the singer had become disillusioned with his fame, later in life. ♪ last christmas i gave you my heart ♪ ⌞> it's very possible given both what happened in his life, his mother died of cancer, his first long time partner, died of aids related illnesses, that made him think about what he was doing. >> i think it was just as much a press exercise for the chinese as for us.

>> michael showed a worldly jut look early on as a member of wham. ♪ i don't want your freedom >> reporter: when the duo toured china in 1985 they brought pop music to the country for the first time. ♪ baby >> in 2011 he became the first star to appear in carpool karaoke with james corden. ♪ if you are going to do it, do it right, right ♪ >> it was to been fit comic relief which helps impoverished people. and also gave to project angel food which delivers hot meals to sick people in los angeles. the group tweeted, thank you, george michael for your love and support. we will miss you. following george michael's death, social media was flooded with tales of his generosity. one woman tweeted, george michael worked anonymously at a homeless shelter i was volunteering at. i have never told anyone. he asked we didn't. that's the "overnight news" for this wednesday. for some of you the news continues. for others check back a little later for the morning news and cbs this morning.

captioning funded by cbs it's wednesday, december 28th, 2016. this is the "cbs morning news." into the garbage, you fly boy! >> the role of princess leia and "star wars" brought carrie fisher stardom but her actions off screen will be her true legacy. never again. the message the prime minister of japan delivers during his historic visit to pearl harbor. good morning from the studio 57 newsroom at cbs news headquarters in new york. good to be with you.