"this realtime program captioned by veronica witherspoon." >> holiday travelers stranded in chicago, a major snowstorm in the northeast is causing flight cancellations all over the country, including more than 100 at o'hare. now, would be flyers are planning for extended time in chicago. good evening, everyone, i'm robert jordan. >> and i'm jackie bange. >> dan ponce is at o'hare with our top story. dan? >> reporter: as you mentioned,

dozens of airports around the country are backed up at this hour and for once, you can't blame the weather in chicago. newark, new york, canceled, washington, d.c. , canceled. phily? nope, boston, not a chance. travelers trying to fly out east are in for a long wait. many are told it might be tuesday, wednesday, before they could leave chicago. linda and her family are trying to get home. >> it's unlikely we will get on, but we are thinking we are going to be spending the day here. >> reporter: some people are giving up hope and driving out to hartford. >> it's a a long drive. >> it is a long drive, but i think we will get there faster than if we drived. >> reporter: this couple is trying to get to raleigh, north

carolina. >> you are trying to get to raleigh? >> yes. >> and you they canceled your flight? >> yes. >> reporter: what is your plan? >> we have to get a hotel. we actually were originally scheduled at 5:00 and we are taking the 12:40. >> reporter: that was a good move. >> a very good move. >> reporter: not so lucky, this guy, after his flights were canceled. not even his friends in chicago could come and pick him up. >> i have to catch a cab. everybody was watching the bears game. >> reporter: here's the latest numbers from the chicago department of aviation, 185 flights canceled out of chicago, 150 from o'hare and 35 from midway, compare that to the 1400 flights canned in and out of new york's airport.

bob and jackie, you think it's a conincidence that the bears beat the jets? >> i don't think so. >> it made things happy for some people. >> down right torture in parts of the east coast. weather advisories from atlanta to maine. more than 400 flights have been canceled out of new york's major airport. amtrak shut down train service between new york and boston and in boston as well as philadelphia, officials are key claireing snow emergencies, warning residents to plan for the worst. >> if everybody cooperates with us, we will get through it. >> the snow, wet and heavy, temperatures below freezing and winds will be high. >> reporter: blizzard conditions affected holiday travelers and also football fans. in philadelphia, the eagles and

minnesota viking game was postponed. >> in georgia, they saw a white christmas for the first time in decades. travel particularly hazardous, temperatures at below freezing, put a sheet of ice on some roads where drivers are not the least bit used to those types of conditions. >> back here, heavy lake-effect snowfall hit the north and northwest sides overnight. dumping up to 10 inches of snow in some places. driving was hazardous, especially in parts of lake county. city south of belmont, snowfall was late light ir. o'hare had 3 1/2 inches, but midway barely got an inch. 200 trucks cleared the streets -- >> our truck drivers have been out there since early afternoon friday and have done a great job of pacing themselves. we will continue to be out there all afternoon and this evening to do side streets and finish up the mains.

>> reporter: he adds that the snow command will continue to monitor the weather, while things improve. on top of all of that snow, there was a water problem to deal with in chicago. a water main break flooded part of milwaukee avenue in the 1300 block north milwaukee avenue. streets and sanitation crew managed to shut off the flow and reopen the roadways. >> it looks like we are done with the snow, here, for now, right, jim, please? >> that's right, jackie, never say never. the big problems, still as you mentioned are out on the east coast and looking from the mid- atlantic to the northeast, quite a storm. it's an area of low pressure tracking northeast of the coastline. snowfall rates are incredible and that is compromised by strong winds, in fact, take a look at the watches, warnings and advisories, the pinkish area from maine to the coast? that's a blizzard warning and they are looking at as much as

10-16 inches in places like boston and new york city. locally, the cloudiness is beginning to erode just a bit. we should have mostly sun tomorrow, take a look at these numbers. beach park. 9.9 inches, gurnee -- this, of course, all lake-effect snow from last night, a plume of lake-effect snow refused to leave lake county alone. that's where the most impressive totals have occurred. everybody else getting up to three inches. it was a mess in lake county. we'll talk about the upcoming days ahead in a few minutes, back to you guys. >> we are looking forward to the warmup you were talking about last night. an early morning car crash in chicago killed one woman and injured two others. according to police, the car, the driver traveling in the 1600 block of west harrison crashed into a utility pole. 22-year-old woman of fargo,

north dakota, declared dead at the scene. the driver, a 23-year-old man, taken to the hospital in critical condition. a four-year-old boy taken to the hospital for observation. police are investigating, but they have not determined what caused the crash. >> a fire burning on the cta blue line track shut down at logan square. cta said the fire was from trash burning near the third rail of the track. crews were able to snuff it out and no one was hurt. shuttle buses carried cta blue line riders around the station still things were declared under control. >> christmas is in the books, now back to the stores. next, chicagoland malls flooded with bargain hunters. >> marking 20 years since the chicago congregation took a

stand. >> white house spokesman has news about the president and cigarettes. . [ female announcer ] guess what? your gift card goes even farther at walmart.

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little poem here, the day after christmas and all through the mall -- >> people are shopping, but nothing is rhyming here. >> and you know the cause. >> "cause" and "mall" kind of rums. wgn's amy rutledge has the report. >> reporter: today is turning out to be a stellar day for

retailers here at woodfield. the entire holiday season with the exception of two day were very good and they are saying with huge discounts being rolled off, they don't expect it to slow down any time soon. santa may be long gone, but the giving and getting is not over just yet. bags being filled. customer volume at its peak and deals can be found at every corner. >> jeans, shirt -- >> reporter: clothes. >> clothes. >> perfume, shoes, and a couple of shirts. >> there is always good deals after christmas. we want to take advantage of those. >> reporter: despite the tiring excitement of saturday. deep sales have kept shoppers coming out today and all season joy to customers after years of lackluster business in the bad economy. >> it has been a good year for us at woodfield, our merchants

had a lot more merchandise than a year ago. >> reporter: so good that returns and gift cards are not the only order of business today. it's a chance for many to plan ahead, like this man who is buying toys for kids with educational difficulties. >> when there is a sale like this, it's time to load up. >> we like to get some of our shopping done for next year, now. you have to get birthdays, a couple of birthdays coming in july. if you can find great deals like coats and winter gear, now is a great time to do it. >> reporter: what was the big seller today? most of the people we talked to were looking for christmas decorations, most of which were going for 80% off. hours are extended until 10:00 and then tomorrow, things get back to normal. amy rutledge, wgn news. >> all indications are that merchants had the best christmas since 2007, even

online spending was up 16%. >> congressman danny davis picked up an endorsement from the endo-american democratic association. >> danny davis like a family member to us. not only like a family member -- >> reporter: the group said it endorsed davis because he is the best person to keep the city moving forward. members say they worked with him for 40-years. the group is anation american political association that advocates on a variety of issues including immigration, hate crimes and equal access to government. >> a historic day in city politics. today, mayor richard daley has surpassed his father's record as longest serving major of chicago. as of today, he has served 7,917 days in office, 21 years and eight months. mayor richard j daley had a

record of 7,916 days when he suddenly died in 1976. last week when reporters asked chicago's current mayor which daley was the best mayor, he said his dad. he leaves office on may 16th, 2011. >> 20 years ago, today, a vigil outside of chicago's second largest church began if in an effort to keep the building from being torn down. it gained national attention as father george lane and a handful of of parishioners prayed and sang christmas carols on the church steps. the building, that had fallen into disrepair needed millions of dollars of repairs. when the tame time, the group raised $300 thousand in the one week it had left before the end of the year.

today, the church has doubled its congregation and is a testament of the faithful. >> it's our history and our heritage and we need to remember that and things like this are testimony to faith of those who preceded us. you know? nickels and dimes of little people built it and nickels and dimes of a lot of people saved it. >> reporter: the latest fund- raising goal of $80,000 is going on right now to complete restoration and modernnyzation of holy family's main doors, dating back to 1866. >> that's something. >> that is quite an accomplishment. >> still to come, a major malfunction on an unmanned space mission from india, all caught on tape. >> a police officer in california is being credited with saving a family from a

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a tourist bus slammed into a truck in egypt, today, killing eight americans and injuring 21 people. egypt's national news agency reported that the accident happened early this morning as the tourists were headed to the site of an agent egyptian tim mr.. the injured were taken to a military hospital. several were air-lifted to a hospital in cairo.

travel experts say poor road conditions and laxed enforcement of traffic rules make accidents in egypt fairly common. it's estimated 8,000 people die in car accidents there each year. in india, a rocket carrying communications equipment in orbit exploded soon after takeoff. the unmanned vehicle veered from its planned launch and exploded .7 seconds after liftoff. videos showed huge plumes of white and copper colored smoke streaming across the sky. the launch had been postponed because of an engine leak. it's not sure what caused this engine failure. >> the president may be an exsmoker for good. white house spokesman robert gibbs said it has been nearly a year since president obama's last cigarette. >> he has done enormously well in quitting.

it was a commitment he made to himself at the end of health care and with his two daughters in mind. >> quitting for good, was a campaign promise to his wife. when making the decision to run, the then senator promised his wife he would quit. >> a california sheriff's deputy helped to save a san diego family from a christmas morning fire. authorities say deputy mike cruz was patrolling a neighborhood in spring valley when he saw flames coming from the house. he jumped on his car and pounded on the door to wake everyone up. a father and his three children heard the deputy and quickly escaped the burning home. >> me and my family thank him and god bless him. we are just very grateful. the family is okay, but a dog and several pet birds did not survive. >> tonight's live illinois lottery drawing is coming up next. >> then, after that, the snow is clearing out of chicagoland for a few days.

jim ramsey will be in to tell us about that. and a possible warmup. on i'm dan roan, tonight @ó "instant replay," the holiday trifecta. the bears looking to close in on a playoff buy. the bulls hoping to bounce back from their loss at the garden yesterday and blackhawks try to shake off their holiday hangover and keep the winning streak intact. all in all, a pretty good day, we'll run it down for you tonight at 9:40. also, the rest of the nfl and we take a swing at the top golf stories. "instant replay," 9:40 tonight. [ older brother ] hey, that's the last crescent. [ younger brother ] oh, do you want it? yeah. ok, we'll split it. [ female announcer ] made fresh, so light... ...buttery and flaky... this is half. that is not half. guys i have more. [ female announcer ] do you have enough crescents?

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i remember jim called it last week, you talked about the northeast was really going to get slammed. it did. >> it did, and they are, they are really being buffeted by strong winds even as we speak. that will be around for probably another day or so before it finally pulls out completely. it will not be a pretty situation. if you are traveling to the northeast, be sure to check with the airport before you depart. now, time lapse cameras, we have some great shots from the morning. we had, as you know, lake- effect snow in parts of the area. a lot of it in lake county. up in illinois, not in indiana this time, but the lake snows have stopped. winds have shifted directions.

we are looking at skies trying to clear in some areas. i was checking a radar picture, there is a small disturbance producing snow in joliet. look at the temperatures across the region. in the low 20s across major reporting stations. wind running 7-14-miles per hour at the moment and wind chill numbers very, very chilly, low teens in most areas around the midwest, today, we have managed a high temperature of 33 degrees. but check this out, a little area, very cold air is moving toward the chicago area. i'm going for a high tomorrow of 29, but, don't get attached to that, because there is a good chance we'll see our temperatures, at best, 20 or 21, i'm hoping the sunshine will make up the difference. a pattern will change, though, before the end of the week. there is plenty of cold air to the north. winter still in full gear around here, so we are not expecking too strong a warmup, but it looks like we have a couple of nice days to look

forward to this week. already on the satellite pictures, breaks in the clouds, it looks like tomorrow it should be mostly sunny a day around the area. computers trying to produce snow on the other side of the lake, lake-effect snow as a result of west and southwest winds that could add a few inches to extreme western michigan. snowfall totals, maybe as early as wednesday evening. we may see a few 10th of an inch of snow around here, but there will are that will just be a tease because what is coming in behind that will be rain. the changeover to occur late wednesday into early thursday with rain expected for thursday and friday across the region. this, of course, is the mess in the northeast. take a look at the snows. in fact snow is reported as far south as parts of alabama into georgia, stretching all the way into maine. buffeting high winds and up to 16 inches of snow possible for new york and bought. here's our forecast for tonight across the area, mostly cloudy skies this evening, low

temperatures, 7-12 and then for tomorrow, a lot of sunshine, high temperature, 27-32 with winds turning southwesterly. clear skies monday evening. 7-14 for low temperatures. tuesday, mostly sunny skies, high temperature, 29-35 degrees. again, the 29 degrees we are calling for monday may be a bit too strong. i'm thinking we have been dropping the high forecast temperature all day, we probably should drop it. look what happens thursday and friday, in comes the rain and by next weekend, look at these numbers, saturday, 36 and a high temperature, sunday of 29. so the warmup is, in fact, going to be free, but the 49 on friday looks good. with rain. oh, yes, some areas could hit 50. >> it will wash away all of the snow. >> we'll have to build a whole new set of snow accumulations. >> we got a couple of months.

>> thank you, jim. >> all right. >> we'll need a turn that is a little stronger that may- december romance. >> next, chicago native hugh hefner said he is ready to get married again. [ female announcer ] why settle for plain bread when you can have pillsbury grands! flaky layers biscuits? the warm, light delicate layers are like nothing else.

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chicago's star, jennifer hudson is playing politics, giving some help to rahm emanuel in the race for mayor. hudson is scheduled to performed a a fund-raiser for the former white house chiefs of staff scheduled for january 10th at the house of blues, yesterday, we learned former president clinton will campaign for rahm emanuel as well. a date for his visit has not been set up. >> hugh hefner is engaged to be married for the third time. the 84-year-old publisher said he has proposed to miss december 2009, crystal harris and she has accepted. harris is 24 years old. hefner divorced playmate kimberly conrad. he and harris watched a movie last night, after which time, he popped the question and gave her an engagement ring. a comedy sequel lead the way in a lackluster weekend at

the movie theaters. >> i'm calling the plays, now. you have to step back and accept the fact that i have got this. >> the ben stiller and robert de niro movie, "little fockers" lead the way with $34 million. weekend totals brought down because of christmas falling on saturday. here are the other box office winners --

[ female announcer ] why settle for plain bread when you can have pillsbury grands! flaky layers biscuits? the warm, light delicate layers are like nothing else. add a layer of excitement to your next meal. ♪ start with cookie dough. ♪ add frosting. [ giggles ] [ female announcer ] then sprinkles. [ both giggle ] [ female announcer ] fun. easy. [ child ] wow. [ female announcer ] at pillsbury.com.

some well-known chicagoans strapped on scales and took to the united center ice this afternoon. >> a celebrity charity game before tonight's matchup with the blue jackets. and they raised money, for a worthy cause. very good. >> and that's going to do it for us on this sunday night, i'm robert jordan. >> and i'm jackie bange. "instant replay" with dan roan is coming up next. have a good night, everyone. [ female announcer ] why settle for plain bread

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