the air. this morning, i shock with the anchor. -- i spoke with the anchor. she said she had a coanchor to help her get through. the morning show paused at 6:45 this morning to remember two journalists who were murdered on-air by a former coworker. >> please join us now in a moment of silence. >> reporter: reporter ail son parker and photographer adam ward were shot wednesday. the gunman, vester flanagan was station. hours after the shooting, he shot himself. to move on. >> we got support i think just from the love and the outpouring of community support that we have gotten here. >> reporter: a memorial of flowers and balloons continues to grow outside wdbj's studios journalists. investigators are looking into the gunman's troubled past.

before shooting himself, he tweeted under his on-air name that parker made racial comments and that ward reported him to hr. on "cbs this morning," a former fbi deputy director john miller called flanagan an injustice collector. >> he viewedded himself as a guy that should be is on network news. and he found the masseter thible way to get there. >> reporter: and investigators searched his apartment for more evidence, answers will be harder to the find. victimky gardner is still hospitalized. she is expected to have more surgery today but she has been upgraded to good condition. and her husband said his wife is doing better. back to to you. >> live in virginia, thank you. and today we are hearing from alison parker's father. he is sharing his heart break and outrage over the killings. we have his story.

>> she was so loved by all. and i know, my heart is broken. >> reporter: andy parker struggling to cope with the death of his daughter, killed while pursuing her broadcast dreams and reporting the news in her hometown of roanoke, virginia. >> her life was cut short. she had so much potential. >> reporter: he talked to her every day and always watched her stories on wdbj. he says the 24-year-old continued to want his input. >> she would be texting me right now saying, dad, what did you think of my story? what did you think of it? that again. -- and i'm never going to hear that again. >> reporter: this parent never imagined her shift yesterday morning would be the last for ward. >> it's senseless that her life and adam's life were taken by a

crazy person with a gun. how many newtowns? how many allisons is this going to happen to? but i can promise the american people, i'm not going to rest until i see something get done here. >> reporter: andy parker says he believes in the second amendment but he just wants something to change so that guns don't end up in the wrong hands. in the news room, cbs 2 news. >> and parker's father says he got a call from virginia's governor following the shootings and he expressed his concerns at guns and mental illness. stay with cbs 2 news for continuing coverage on the news crew killed. we will bring you any new developments beginning at 5:00 and on cbsnewyork.com. in other news, a devastating morning for three families in new jersey. an intense fire ripped through their homes overnight. >> reporter: she is unable to control her sobs because for

her, this wasn't just any house, it was first place she ever called home. >> six of us. five girls and one boy. and when they moved into this with me. >> reporter: 604 east 2nd street where her father still live, their family home for 56 years gutted by flames. firefighters rushed to the scene just after 2:00 thursday morning. >> within seconds, the house across the street was engulfed in fire. like it took just seconds to put the whole house -- all you see is a big ball of fire. >> when the companies pulled up, one house fully involved and extending to two other exposures. >> reporter: and no one was home but the flames spread to the two homes on either side of it. those residents caping. >> it went from roof to roof. and then it went down. >> reporter: and one neighbor home left with so much water allowed back.

the third house, the side, melted right off. but they are taking comfort knowing everyone survived and while their valuables are gone, their memories they'll take with them. >> we grew up in that house. even though i have my own place, this is still home. >> reporter: and once firefighters wrap up their investigation here, what is left of the house will come down. the family though not sure yet whether they'll rebuild. reporting from plainfield, new jersey, cbs 2 news. >> thank you. and the family's displaced are staying with relatives at had hour. and new at noon, chopper 2 was over the scene as firefighters pulled a worker to safety. investigators say the man fell into a seven-foot deep trench. this morning. he was take on the the hospital with minor injuries. another new york lawmaker has come out against president barack obama's nuclear deal with iran. the congresswoman says she

believes the deal does not block iran from eventually acquiring nuclear weapons. senator charles schumer and a representative and others are also apposed to the deal. -- also opposed to the deal. a mother of two followed an attack as she walk -- excuse me, walked home from work as police searched for the attemped rape suspect. the woman is talking about the ordeal. she spoke to cbs 2 news. >> reporter: yeah, like you said, i spoke with the victim who told us her story this morning saying she's hoping the public attention will help police catch her attacker. she claims he threatened to return to assault her again. this is the man police say tried to rape a 34-year-old woman. surveillance video shows the long-haired suspect chasing the victim up to her front porch as she was walking home from her bakery job. the victim whose identity we're protecting says she's been living in fear.

the attack happened at 2:30 a.m. on wednesday, august 5th. the victim says the man started following her on 19th avenue and 74th street. and he grabbed her from behind and started kissing her neck. and she broke free and ran home. she says she couldn't unlock the front door so the suspect ran up to the front porch, terrorizing her with a threat to return. >> he threatened her saying that any of these day, he will come and rape her because he knows where she lives. actually it creeps me out. it's scary. >> reporter: she is the victim's friend and livers in the same multi-family home. she and many neighbors say they can't believe this attack happened on their peaceful block. >> i was really shocked because you never see this stuff going on in here. >> for 32 year, this block is nice. >> reporter: how scary is this for you to hear? >> very scary because we have all the time, don't open. >> reporter: the victim tells us that her husband went

looking for the attacker right after the attack happened and he actually found him. and the victim says the issued and the suspect got -- says the husband and the suspect got into a fight and the suspect bit a part of the suspect's finger off and claimed he would return with friends to finish what he started. cbs 2 news. >> thank you. happening today, the queens driver accused of killing a father and two young children on the southern state parkway will appear in court. police say he was speeding and driving while intoxicated when he rear ended the family's car last month. the car burst into flames. a 37-year-old and his 8-year- old son and 4-year-old daughter died. police say he left the scene of the crash. also happening today, divers have resumed their search for a missing fisherman in new jersey. tom anderson sunk a 40-foot boat and it was found yesterday. state police used sonar to locate it.

he is believed to have been onboard alone. the recovery mission was suspended yesterday because of dangerous water currents. and crews have started the installation of a new track on the long island railroad system. it gets underway. when complete in 2019, the upgrade will allow half hourly service during weekends and peak hours. and the second track will stretch for 18 miles. cooing up here on cbs 2 news at noon, -- coming up here on cbs 2 news, the new task force being used to crack down on costume characters. >> find out when they'll hit the streets. plus cost of markers, pencils and crayons can add up. see how one teacher hopes to save cash this school year. and tropical storm erika is headed to the south with 50 miles per hour wind gusts. we will look at the latest stats on erika and make you smile with the forecast for your area.

don't go away. this just in, despite federal orders, a kentucky clerk refuses to issue a marriage license to a same-sex couple. two men were turned away today for a third time. the clerk citing her christian belief has declared she would

refuse licenses to all couple, gay or straight. a police officer in louisiana was shot to death, apparently with his own gun after responding to a domestic violence incident. the suspect is the officer's cousin. the violence unfolded in the town 16 miles west of baton rouge. police say the suspect stabbed his wife and two other women inside home yesterday. one was killed. and now according to strong suspect then shot -- to investigator, the suspect then shot the officer during a struggle. and he ran and barricaded himself inside a nearby store. s.w.a.t. teams broke into the building to arrest him. it's been 10 years since hurricane katrina made land fall as a category three storm. president barack obama will be in new orleans today. the it's the single most catastrophic natural disaster in u.s. history. also happening today, mayor

de blasio is set to announce new flood protection plans for new york city. the city will spend $110 million on the project to shield new york city. the plan includes flood walls and more parkland to soak up flood waters. it stretches from the tip of manhattan to the lower east side. and now the cost of school supplies could add up, not just for parents but teachers too. a teacher says she typically spends about $1,000 of her own money each year to ensure students at ps-111 in hell's kitchen have the supplies they need. all teachers ask for help from the parents. but sometimes it's not enough. so this year, she started a gofundme page to fill the gaps. >> literally the next morning i woke up and i had like $100 the. the next day, $150. so it's been people, spreading the word. >> in the three weeks, she's collected more than $1,000.

and she is hoping to reach $1,500 before september 9th. still to come on cbs 2 news at noon, talk about run away animals. oh, kangaroos feeling the effects of the flooding down under. the situation creating problems for humans and the animals. plus, end of august and the heat, but who has hot days ahead of us in how about john elliott with the weekend

forecast. storm watchers in south florida are tracking tropical storm erika. it's expected to make land fall by monday. power companies are moving workers and equipment to areas most likely to be affected but it's too early to say how much force the storm will have. erika will inch closer to virgin islands today. flooding from heavy rains is a problem for residentses of sidney. this kangaroo had no trouble hopping right through the rising water. the area has been pummeled by rains over the last two day, forcing the evacuation of about 300 people. homes have been flooded and schools closed. >> you just don't see -- we show a lot of flooding video and you didn't see the kangaroos very often. and now let's bring in john elliott. a perfect day for florida. and they have a problem come

the end of the weekend. >> yeah, monday. it might hug the coast too so we will be watching erika. good afternoon. what a delightful afternoon for you. all the weather watchers reporting for duty with the great numbers. but look at tony, 67 degrees. absolutely a fall-feel in the air. come on tony, let's not get too excited about winter just yet. daniel sent this picture in. and definitely more clouds. just got off the phone with my buddy george and there are a lot of clouds over sparta and a cool feel there. and this is a picture from brooklyn. obviously brighter blue skies here. but there's a little bit of movement in the atmosphere. so some of that cold air is keeping our neighbors northwest in the 70s. and that's likely where they'll stay this afternoon. it's interesting. 78 in the city right now. but i think we will tap into the 80s here.

77 in babylon. and 78 in the hamptons. these numbers compared to yesterday, doing the math, on average, two to the three degrees cooler. so we will be right around 82. cooler than we have been. and right around where you should be this time of year. nowhere near the record of 101 set back in 1948. if you are going to enjoy the great outdoors this afternoon, sunscreen a good idea. and that forecast still at a 7. and how about this? have you noticed, oh,man man, that pollen count is high. that's the one down they are time of year. particularly ragweed. so watch for that. and this is what i'm talking about, parts of orange, there's a little bit of cool air sinking so you get the clouds or head. and too dry for rain. feel. and high pressure from the area to the great lakes. so we are looking at pretty nice conditions. and we want to show you the latest on erika. 50, moving west at 16 miles per hour. where is she going? well, again puerto rico, not a

lot of strengthening between now and tonight. and could see up to 60 miles per hour with the storm in haiti. and then it gets interesting through the bahamas. by monday morning, a category one storm. and then looks like it wants to hug the coast. so we are concerned about this. and then storm surge gets to be more of a concern too for parts of florida. and in our area, hey, let's have some fun. it's time to play golf. can you believe it? the barclays are here already. great today. and over the next few day, yeah, sweating to the oldies. and then a warm start to next week. could see some thunderstorms tuesday into wednesday. >> soften up the greens. >> absolutely. to find out the weather any time, down the load the cbs 2 weather app. it's free. and available in the itunes store. a tasty side dish with great nutritional value.

here's your tip of the day. >> reporter: today we're going to talk about one of the best greens with a really intense flavor and fantastic health benefits. and that's the dandylion. it has such a great value to it. look for that the greens are nice and green. you don't want to see yellowing or light green. and now also that being said f you see anything that looks too dark, make sure it's not slimey. and with these, you will actually probably see dirt in the store but that's because they grow like weeds, they are wild and that means they're great because they're from the earth. but again, that means when you bring them home, continue to store them unwashed and then when you wash them, rinse them, pat them dry and rinse again. thoroughly wash them to make sure you're getting rid of that

before you cook them. and preparation, slightly branch them and then cook. it has more of a bitter flavor but as you come accustomed, you will learn to love them. >> i usually pass by them. thank you.

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a new task force to clean up times square should be patrolling by october. the force will crack down on aggressive costume characters. officers will also be on the lookout to make sure characters don't spread to coney island and battery park. coming up on cbs 2 news tonight at 5:00, a wedding memory stolen. how thieves got away with the bride's dress hours after she got married. and then at 6:00, a dangerous snapping turtle discovered on long island. the it's powerful to bite off a man's foot. find out how experts think it got there. those stories much and much more tonight at 5:00. oxford has released a new words added to the dictionaries. some key words added include bruh which is a male friend. and butt dial when you accidentally call someone's cellphone. hangry which is when you're

angry and hungry at the same time. and fur baby which is a furry pet. >> and awesomesauce was also add. >> yeah, sorry. >> that's it for us at noon. for john and the cbs 2 news team, thank you for joining us. >> we will see you tomorrow morning at 4:30. have a great afternoon. look how beautiful it is... honey, we need to talk. we do? i took the trash out.

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