in midwood. jim smith is live with more. jim? >> reporter: we are looking at the intersection of avenue o and east 14th street. with -- this all started around 11:15. police were responding to a commercial burglary in the area. we understand there were shots fired by police. it's unknown exactly at who or how many people worth involved in this shooting. -- were involved. property began on avenue p just a few blocks away. there are many streets and blocks that are blocked off at this point. you can see the numerous police cars in the area. command center vehicle was also pulling to the scene a short time ago. details on the situation are still unfolding. again, police responding to a commercial robbie are -- robbery in the area. a male in his 30s has been taken to kings county hospital in serious condition. we'll have more as it becomes available.

a warning about the fast spreading zika virus. centers for disease control is now saying there are 31 travel associated cases and 11 states documented since last year. pregnant women are urged to avoid traveling to several countries. meg baker is in mineola with details on the health alert. >> reporter: five new yorkers have tested positive for the mosquito bone zika virus. officials say two of the patients are in new york city. the other in orange county, monroe county and here in nassau county where county executives joint health officials to ask residents to prioritize safety. >> warning pregnant women to avoid travel to 24 countries, where zika is spreading. >> reporter: the virus has proven to cause birth defects in pregnant women or those seeking to get pregnant. >> we don't want our residents to panic. there is zero chance of catching this disease in nassau

>> reporter: the issue is with returning residents. areas on long island have some populations in the united states. >> we have one of the largest el salvador populations anywhere in the nation. this time of the year, a lot of people go there on vacation. and travel to that location. and a lot of our residents have family there. >> reporter: russell smith and his wife planned a baby moon on a caribbean cruise. they have since canceled but had major issues getting a refund. >> hearing about the cdc travel ban, we immediately started doing research, found that it has serious complications that could result from getting infected by this disease. so we decided safety foremost, we could not travel. while some airlines are doing the right thing and refunding pregnant customers, all carriers and cruise lines should do the same. and that's why i'm submitting

county to refund pregnant travelers. >> reporter: so far the zika mosquitoes in the us. the types of mosquitoes that could potentially transmit the disease biting one person then passing to another are found in this country. in fact, in warmer months, those can be found in regions where 60% of americans live. >> very lucky in the sense that epidemic. we are learning a lot. >> reporter: officials suggest if you have traveled to the regions where the virus is spreading, you immediately get checked out by your doctor especially if you are pregnant. oftentimes the virus can mimic west nile or dengue fever. in mineola, meg baker, cbs2 news. health experts say those who are not pregnant will feel some symptoms. time is running out for presidential candidates to make their appeals to voters in iowa. tonight, most public and hopefuls will make their pitch during the last debate before the caucuses. weijia jiang reports from the morning.

hold their last debate four days before the iowa caucuses. without front-runner donald trump. trump says megyn kelly was unfair to him when she moderated the last fox news debate. >> i got a very unfair question. we don't even talk about that. we don't talk about that. i refuse to talk about that. >> reporter: nearly 40% of ohioans say they could change their mind before monday and trump's opponents will be reaching out to those voters at the debate. >> what does it say when donald tells the men and women of iowa, my time is more important than yours? >> reporter: donald trump will be here at drake university where he will hold his own event, park rally and part fundraiser for veterans groups. >> i give you bernie sanders. >> reporter: with susan sarandon looking on, bernie sanders called out hillary clinton's ties to wall street. >> my opponent is not in iowa tonight.

philadelphia investment firm. >> reporter: hillary had her own star campaigning for her, former president bill clinton. change agent, the only person qualified on economic and social issues and political issues. >> reporter: campaign is baking on get out the vote efforts to hold onto their lead. weijia jiang, cbs news, the morning. gabby giffords, who was shot and injured in 2011, will campaign in iowa this weekend. better voting record on gun control policies and bernie jersey city police shot a suspect early this morning who allegedly tried to take off during a traffic stop. officials say the suspect was in a stolen car when the officers moved to arrest the

to get away, an officer was dragged, hurting his foot. the officer opened fire, sources say the suspect was shot in the back of his head. his injuries are not considered life-threatening. two people are injured after a car crashed into a nail salon in queens, chopper two is over the scene this morning, the accident happened just after 9:00 a.m. at parsons boulevard. driver and a child were taken to north shore hospital with minor injuries. police have not said what caused the crash. chopper two also flew over the scene after an suv crashed into a bridal shop in nassau county. the accident happened just after 7:00 a.m. this morning at 1661 northern boulevard. there were no reported injuries. the front of the store did sustain damage. a bergen county boy is expected to be released from the hospital today after being attacked by a raccoon. it happened while he walked with his mother to school. janelle burrell has his story. >> reporter: at first, mom had no idea what was coming at her son. >> [ indiscernible ] >> reporter: turns out it was an attack by a vicious raccoon.

and a frightening couple of days, six-year-old aryan gavali is expected to head home from the hospital after the encounter doctors say could have disfigured his fair -- his face. they video chat with cbs2 from their hospital room wednesday at hackensack university. hours after the animal clock and swiped at the little boy's face, as they walked to school in elmwood park, new jersey, they say they were near 16th avenue when the raccoon crossed the street, pounced on the little boy from behind, quickly going for the little exposed skin he could find. jacket. and only his face goes over. >> i see his claw into the kid's face, he is biting the kid's face. >> reporter: danny walls watching the attack unfold, jumped out, grabbed his painters pole and started swinging. taking the animal down. >> i killed the raccoon. the kid jumped up, he was screaming and crying. there was blood all over the place.

coat. raccoon, it's remains were taken to a lab for testing to determine whether or not it has rabies. those test results expected sometime on friday. university medical, janelle burrell, cbs2 news. >> the good samaritan is hoping to reunite with him once he is home from hospital. a city sanitation worker who claimed he was mugged while clearing snow in queens has been arrested. 31-year-old michael morelli told police he was pistol whipped by two men early yesterday on liberty avenue. morelli claimed they stole his phone and $25. he's now charged with filing a the sanitation department or the union representing its workers. trash collection resumed today following this weekend snowstorm, residents should place their trash out at the curb according to their normal schedule.

accessible and clear of any snow. a long island woman in need of a kidney gets a call of a lifetime. >> like a miracle. it really was. she said we've got a kidney for you. i almost fell off the bed. >> it came during the middle of a blizzard. how a stranger helped her get to the hospital in that two feet of snow we had. and 30 years later, nasa remembers one of its for -- worst disasters in history. pretty blue skies in the city right now, but there are changes in the works for your friday. pretty important forecast.

coming up. the snowstorm and the mess left behind has been a headache for many people, but there's a woman on long island who will look back on the blizzard as the unforgettable day she got a second chance at life. cindy hsu has her story. >> it was like a miracle. it really was. i almost fell off the bed. >> reporter: 64-year-old melanie had been waiting a year and a half for a kidney transplant. during the blizzard, she got the call from her doctors who had found a perfect match. >> no idea when you went to bed friday night that we were going to have one, to call you in the middle of the blizzard with a kidney. >> reporter: emergency crews

ambulance could make it through the conditions to bring her nearly 20 miles from her home in bohemia, new york to some -- to stony brook university hospital. but peter amato was determined to make it happen. once he arrived at the home, he shuffled through two feet of snow to get her door. nightmare continued when they hit the road. >> we went around cars that were stuck all over the place. spinning out in front of us. my fear was that somebody was going to crash into us. and that was going to delay you getting here. and i wanted to make sure you were going to get the work and >> reporter: amato knows how life-changing a kidney transplant can be. his blood -- his brother transplant a decade ago. >> i thought there was can be competitions. everything is going smooth. >> the realization is when i said to you, one person's tragedy is another persons miracle. >> reporter: this will be their memory of the blizzard of 2016.

>> the kidney came from a brain- dead patient in south carolina. she hopes most people will sign the back there drivers license. imagine niagara falls with no water. why the state could block the water supply to the iconic american waterfall. also ahead, find out what is actor leonardo dicaprio teaming up with pope francis for? sometimes, we all need a little help. today, you helped her plant a garden, and you want to be there to help her with all her tomorrows.

you may need a little help. medications to help you stop smoking... including nicotine patches, gum and other medicines, are available to medicaid members. call your doctor today to get the help you need to quit smoking... so you can always be there for her. approaching medicare eligibility? don't put off checking out your medicare options until 65. now is a good time to get the ball rolling. medicare only covers about eighty percent of part b medical costs. the rest is up to you. that's where aarp medicare supplement insurance plans insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company come in. like all standardized medicare supplement insurance plans,

taking informed steps really makes a difference later. that's what it means to go long . call now and request this free decision guide and explore the range of aarp medicare supplement plans. all plans like these let you that accepts medicare patients. these are the only medicare supplement insurance plans endorsed by aarp. call now and request your free decision guide... and start gathering the information you need

a solemn remembrance for nasa. astronauts aboard the space shuttle challenger 30 years ago today. shortly after liftoff, the shuttle exploded. killing all seven on board. on the international space station at the kennedy space center, a moment of silence was observed today in a bouquet of white flowers. including christa mcauliffe. leonardo dicaprio has met with pope francis. the holy father greeted dicaprio at the vatican where they discussed a shared concern for the environment. dicaprio gave the pope a check from his charitable foundation

about the dutch painter, pointing to a picture dicaprio says hung over his crib as a child. >> as a child, i didn't quite understand what it all meant. but through my child's eyes, it represented our planet, the utopia that we've been given. >> pope francis gave dicaprio a leather bound copy of his book. he also offered his blessing. the thunderous waters of niagara falls could serve turn into just a trickle. officials are considering diverting water from the falls to make some major repairs. don champion reports. >> reporter: to some, the thought of niagara falls going from this to this is unimaginable. but new york officials say it's very necessary. >> so much talk over the last 48 hours has been about the watering. that's not the end. that's a means. >> reporter: parts officials are considering diverting water from the falls for a bridge

-- project. crumbling 115-year-old pedestrian bridges near the brink of the falls. >> i'm glad they are doing something. when they had -- when they had temporary since 2004 looks horrible. >> reporter: water could be diverted for up to nine months. the spectacle happened once before in 1969, when the army corps of engineers did a study on erosion at the falls. >> it's kind of sad that it will be, because people won't be able to come and see it and won't be able to see how pretty it is. >> this is such a beautiful area. one of the wonders of the world. finally, they are putting money back into this place. >> reporter: the project could cost $24 million. so far, funding has not been secured. don champion, cbs news. >> new york officials say the project is still a few years away from beginning and will initially be a tourism draw as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see the falls without water.

that's get to john elliott and find out what we can expect with our forecast. flakes coming? >> something may be falling in weather watchers, so many reporting for duty today. numbers are a little cooler. many regions in the 30s in the hudson valley. so many great comments. let's get out there and enjoy the great day. i have to give the prize to bruce. northport, 44. he's driving around with a car top-down with wcbs tv audio on the radio. that's pretty cool. in there on the delaware. slate hill, hardly any snow left. beautiful this morning, i appreciate that. down to four inches. that is some major melting. we last had about 30 inches, inches. this is just wrong, caitlin is in fort lauderdale right now. thanks for reminding us. that is sweet. we'll get there soon enough.

blue skies now, sunny and 40. a tweak in the forecast a bit, shooting for 42 today. there. a bit of a breeze as well. 44 in the hamptons. nicer numbers for long island. it's actually two or three degrees warmer than it was this time yesterday. to the city north and west, a little colder. 42, slightly above normal. sun sets at 5:08. clouds creep in from the west. in fact, looking west right now, you can see that just north and west of our area, a hint of a clipper system. again, not a very powerful clipper system. some of the model runs are backing away from potential totals. tomorrow morning, the commute should be okay, parts of the area between five and seven, you see some snow and the first few flakes will be slippery. middle part of the day, we have a line of snow showers.

the warmer air takes over, sun mixing before his thing clears up and wraps up and heads on out. real quickly, one of the model runs, this is the nam, now it has the city out of the measurable snow. but still anywhere from 0.1 to 0.5 inch of snow, slight chance of a flurry north saturday. then look at this, 46 on sunday, almost 50 on it. we do see the 50s, middle part of next week. >> how about that? john, thanks. there may be snow on the ground, but it is citrus season. meyer lemons in grocery stores, but how do you choose them? here is stephanie tantillo. >> reporter: now, we are in citrus season. i've been talking about it a lot. very important to remember different kinds. now is the best time. today we're going to look at the meyer lemon. when it comes to meyer lemons,

you don't have that astringency of lemons but they have the sweetness of an orange. almost the color of it also. let's talk about selection. when you see them, they are going to be softer than most lemons. that's a good thing. you want the skin to be nice and glossy. this is beautiful first testing. make sure you wash first. when you bring these home, store them on the counter. i don't like putting citrus in the refrigerator because you want the juices flowing. when it comes to such, i like to use the segments on desserts. sounds strange because you but they are sweet. i'm stephanie tantillo with your tip of the day.

makeover. coming up on cbs2 news tonight, traditional supermarkets are disappearing from the city. the suburbs, the reason for the trend and the new grocery shopping options? a fight club at school? students caught on camera. my coaches in trouble for this. those and much more tonight beginning at 5:00. barbie has gotten a body makeover. toymaker mattel says famous doll will now also come in three new body types.

the company also reviews other skin tones and hair colors. the options come after parents criticized barbie for sending the wrong message about beauty. >> we were hearing that many thought barbie was out of touch. >> they wanted dolls that resumption -- resembled themselves, in terms of their body type and skin tone. >> some of them have brown skin. >> the original barbie was to be available. she celebrates her 57th birthday this year. lots of comments on facebook. i posted and a lot of women said, women come -- >> i agree. the great thing is now they all need new outfits and knew this and that. that's great. >> that's it for us at noon. for john and the entire team, thanks for joining us.

afternoon. meet the moore's! we're the moore family, and we're always looking for ways to enjoy more. so we called time warner cable and got even more than we expected. call now to get more. more speed. like, 300 meg. more tv shows and movies on demand. more places to make more unlimited calls. call now. for $89.99 a month, you'll get 100 meg ultra fast internet, hd channels included, and unlimited calling to international destinations. we find more good things every day! more ways to watch more shows. on more wifi connected devices in our house. time warner cable made switching easy with a one hour arrival window. they even made sure all of our connections were up and running before they left. why settle for less, when you can get more! call now. get free installation with

and ask how you could get