science lesson. what's different for this teacher and how she's changing lives outside schools. and in the middle of winter, 18,000 snow blowers recalled. people to the respect to come here for cari -- corey and the fire department. just a great deal of pride to see this much support. >> a sad week for the chicago fire department continues tonight as a brotherhood says goodbye to another one of the city's bravest. good evening to you. i'm lourdes duarte. >> and i'm dan ponce. our top story scene around the country on wgn america. remembering corey ankum.

marcella raymond has the latest. >> reporter: it is the third day of raw emotion as firefighters from across the country pay their respects to the second chicago firefighter to die in the past week. the firefighters from across chicago, the country, and even canada lined up 50 deep for a formal walk through. as a group they pay their respects to corey ankum and his family. his wife demica and his three children. the ladder that holds the american flag was scrubbed down and shined until it sparkled. this is part of what firefighters do to make sure fallen comrades are honored properly. ankum was still on training. he'd been on the department for about a year and a half. >> i was relieving his shift but i'd see him in the morning. he was a wonderful guy. >> you were happy to have him on board. >> happy to have him.

keep on accepting that type through and it'd be wonderful. >> reporter: there is so much pride throughout this department especially over the past week. losing one firefighter is devastating enough, losing two is almost unfathomable. they were killed last wednesday when a roof collapsed on top of them. >> nothing is predictable. there is no routine call. so we know that. we know and and every one of these people standing here still do the job. most of the time it's protecting people they don't know. it's why i'm so proud of them. >> reporter: the support firefighters give to one another in times of tragedy is strong. it's the kind of support commissioner bob hoff's family received when his firefighter father died in a building collapse. >> there's firemen's wives, there's firemen supporting micah. that's not just this week.

that's going to go on and on. >> reporter: days like these are reminders to all of us about how life can change very quickly. >> you have to live every day to its fullest because you never know especially in this profession what can happen. >> reporter: so true. corey ankum's funeral will take place at this same church tomorrow at 11:00. and one thing is for sure. that's what commissioner hoff was talking about. that the support that was given here tonight, that has been given to both families for the last week ever since this happened is the same kind of support that they will see that will continue for years to come. >> thank you, marcella. tomorrow we will broadcast the funeral of firefighter corey ankum. you can watch it on cltv or wgntv.com. a teenager is now charged with a shooting to death of a

chicago police officer. bernard williams is accused of killing officer david blake. blake was found dead inside his suv back on november 22nd. he was a s.w.a.t. officer, was with the police department for 15 years. he was one of six chicago police officers to die in violence this year. unconfirmed reports of a secret meeting tonight. chicago magazine saying the top african-american candidates for chicago mayor are getting together to see which one may possibly blink own drop south of the race. judie garcia joins us live with that tonight. >> reporter: chicago magazine had said they brought jesse jackson and davis would get together tonight to decide who would be the candidate. both campaigns deny that to wgn. meanwhile, it does appear that race is becoming a big factor in the last two months of the bid for who will succeed mayor daley here on the fifth floor

of city hall. >> both braun and davis are trying to become the black candidate. >> reporter: paul greene says the motivation may be to force rahm emanuel into a runoff. >> if you can't beat emanuel in total numbers, if you come in second you're in the race. >> reporter: citing black support for mayor, davis hopes clinton will not go for rahm emanuel. >> i said it will hurt his relationship with the black community. >> i think that what we have is an outsider running for mayor and bringing outsiders to help him. >> reporter: shirley brown spent six years in washington and the voters said no. danny davis is from washington. so that's just silly. >> reporter: as for a meeting to decide who should be the consensus black candidate. >> an ultimate game of political chicken. it's not in the interest of either davis or braun to drop

out now. why? what is in it for them if they drop out? >> i'm reflective of the african-american community and the african-american community is reflective of me. >> we're talking about the neighborhoods and not just bringing in outsiders to make the case for us. >> reporter: state senator and reverend james meeks rentaller dropped out of the chicago mayoral race. he says clinton may hurt his once strong support in the community if he comes to campaign for rahm emanuel. meeks also says he hopes that braun and davis would sit down to decide who -- which one of them would be most likely to win a mayoral race and succeed mayor daley here on the fifth floor of city hall. wgn news. >> thank you. earlier today, mosley braun said superintendent jody weis should be replaced.

adding it's nothing personal. said should not have to get a guide book out to run the department in a big city. she also pointed to morale saying she has a sister who is a police officer and is from a police family herself. >> our police department is more demoralized now than i have ever seen it. i've been in a police family all my life. i've never seen the police personnel as demoralized as they are now. >> coincidently weis said chicago's homicide rate is at a 40 year low thanks to changes instituted during his tenure. the rate occurred when hiring slowed to a trickle in the department. four years probation for the man who shot and killed his neighbor after his dog urinated on his lawn. charles clements was found guilty of second degree murder facing up to 20 years in

prison. the judge rejected jailtime saying he has no record of wrong doing and he was reacting to being assaulted. 23-year-old joshua was walking his dog when clements confronted him after the dog urinated on his manicured lawn. clements fatally shot him with a 45. clements apologized. >> we want to hear from you. do you think the judge handed down the right sentence against clements? text yes or no to 97999 or vote online on wgntv.com. we will have results after tom skilling or jim ramsey's seven- day forecast. coming up: retaking control. what a group of teachers, community leaders, and parents are proposing to watch over chicago public schools. and a packed plane from o'hare skids off a runway in snowy wyoming. a little light rain is falling around the chicago area tonight. but things could get a bit more

interesting on friday. i'll have details and the full forecast still ahead. can i eat heart healthy without giving up taste?

a man can only try... and try...and try. i heard eating whole grain oats can help lower my cholesterol. it's gonna be tough...so tough. my wife and i want to lower our cholesterol, but finding healthy food that tastes good is torturous. your father is suffering. [ male announcer ] honey nut cheerios tastes great and can help lower cholesterol. mayor daley took over

chicago public schools 15 years ago and shook up the system with mixed results. >> now that he's on his way out, they want to return control to the people. jae miller joins us with this passionate call for change. >> reporter: the chicago teachers union says the system just doesn't work. and with the elections less than 60 days away, the candidates seem split on the issue. >> we say give real democracy a chance. >> reporter: chicago teachers union president karen lewis along with parents and community leaders demanding change in public education. calling for the return of an elected school board instead of an appointed one. a system that's been in place for the last 15 years under mayor daley. >> the fact is the top-down decisions made by non-educators have not shown the significant improvement that the very people who destroyed it are now clamoring for. >> reporter: since 1995 daley

has had control of the chicago public schools. he created a business model of education. vacating the position of superintendent and creating a ceo and appointing the school board. the group wants a 13 member board to geographically represent the city. >> what we're basically saying here that the boards do not demonstrate there's a pa nasi. >> reporter: should not control publication. are waying in on the issue. danny davis is for the idea as is miguel devalya. other candidates such as rahm emanuel, mosley braun, and chico who once served as board of education president oppose the idea. >> our public schools don't exist in a silo in a vacuum over here. they are part and parcel the

fabric of our city. the people on that board need to be from the business community in many cases because those are the people who will employ our graduates. >> reporter: the board currentingly includes members from the top businesses in the city. instead they want the seats to be made up on parents, teachers, community members, educators and one business professional. they plan to meet with state lawmakers in coming weeks to rework this plan. >> we'll keep watching. thank you. $1000 for information leading to air bag thieves in naperville. crime stoppers is putting up the reward to clues of whoever took air bags. this happened between 7:00 saturday night and noon on monday. the thieves forced their ways into the cars. the value of the air bags about $5600.

taking a look at stories you'll find in chicago's tribune. ford helping parents make sure their teenagers drive safely. the company's technology is being improved to allow parents to control both speed settings and satellite radio programming in their family's car. come new years, parking meter rates will jump. chicago will have the most expensive street parking in america. and the big apple should now be called the sour apple. outrage and anger on the streets of new york. what's being done to dig the city out from a snowstorm. and meet a woman who traded a research lab for a classroom and is teaching kids about being green. [ male announcer ] new maxwell house international cappuccinos. ♪

♪ maxwell house international. stop your world. ♪

she sings the praises of going green. our teacher of the month for december left the career research to have a hands on experience with students. a cure for me common science lesson. >> enthusiasm i want to hear you. >> reporter: today singing, science lesson, rocks. >> one, two, three, go. [ singing ]

>> it's easy to memorize the things about the science. >> for as long as i remembered i wanted to be a teacher. then i thought i wanted to be the csi route. then when i got into the research, a couple of months, i thought wow this is not what i wanted to do. >> reporter: julie's journey may of started in a lab but now with her favorite football player looking on, her most important experiments are done here at manhattan junior high school. >> it is the best job in the world. every day is a new adventure and being able to see kids and help kids and see them get it, it's huge. there's nothing that compares to this job. >> reporter: and according to her students, no one compares to mrs. sinca. especially when it comes to going green. >> i've learned so many things like beyond science class like how to help the earth. >> you can help the environment no matter your age. >> reporter: meet the green

team. a growing group committed to ecofriendly projects at school and in their community. >> it was two teams of kids that wanted to do it three years ago. since then it's grown into 37 kids. they come up with the ideas and expand on them and they run with it. >> we had a car wash this year and we raised over $200. it was a two buck car wash to show the people we can wash with just two buckets of water. >> then we go farther. >> reporter: like helping kids who were impacted by the earthquake in haiti. inside the containers, granola bars and fruit snacks and crayons. >> every day is a great day. my enthusiasm to be here, i love kids, i love science. i'm doing what i love. >> and now for the moment we've all been waiting on. >> implied to give you this

gift certificate toward the school supplies. congratulations. >> thank you very much. >> and congratulations on being our teacher of the month. >> thank you. [ applause ] >> reporter: in honor of her achievements, they presented manhattan junior high with a $1000 certificate for school supplies. >> nice to see the students supporting their teacher behind her there. terror on the tarmac. still to come: a packed plane from o'hare airport skids off a snowy runway. plus deadly, relentless rain and snow hammers california. we'll show the damage. and a dramatic increase in food allergies in emergency rooms. what's to blame for the rise.

a plane from chicago slid off the runway on landing today in jackson, wyoming. the american flight came to rest in snow piled up at the end of the runway. no one was hurt. luckily a half foot of snow had just fallen but no word yet on whether weather was to blame for the failure to stop sooner. new york city under snow and now under investigation. scene of a tow truck driver pulling out a stuck snowplow has only made new yorkers even angrier about removal. council demanding to know why residential streets are still covered two days after the storm. the owner of the suv can't believe what they did to her vehicle. >> the suv, he hit it but he didn't stop. everybody is screaming whoa stop. they just ignored everybody yelling to stop and continued to crunch it to get it out at

all costs. >> and the new york city council has called for an investigation into why so many side streets are still buried in snow there. another storm to report. southern california getting drenched again and people fearing more mudslides. state officials have closed several stretches of highways. the rest of the state is getting pounded with rain and snow as well. a man was killed when heavy rain and winds toppled a tree on to his tent. thousands of snow blowers being recalled tonight. honda is pulling more than 18,000 machines from stores. snow blowers are leaking fuel and there's concern that may spark fires. look at your screen. here are the model numbers of those effected. they were sold nationwide from april 2005 to last november. honda is urging people to stop using the machines and bring them to dealers to fix the

problem. for more information, check out our website wgntv.com. the new year is going to bring higher fees for chase bank customers. chase says it will have to charge more to stop payment on a check, do wire transfers, and use a foreign atm. it says it has to increase fees due to changes in competition, regulation, and customer behavior. for example is stop payment request increases from $32 to $34. and atm and debit card withdrawals at a chase atm outside the u.s. will rise $2 to $5. chase is chicago's biggest bank in terms of branches. it won't quite be shorts weather but is big warm-up is on the way. jim ramsey will tell us how warm it'll get this week. >> is it flip-flop weather maybe? and the special honor for people who took quick action to save another person's life. hurry in.

right now, smartphones talk free. add any smartphone to a family shareplan and share minutes for free. and more. if you replace 3 tablespoons of sugar a day with splenda® you'll save 100 calories a day. that could help you lose up to 10 pounds in a year. [ male announcer ] look in this sunday's paper for even more ways to save with splenda® brand products. now you can save money, save calories, and get the great taste of splenda®. [ female announcer ] that's how splenda® is sweet...and more.

i'm going to share a little knowledge with you of only 7% of new year's eves have been 50 degrees or warmer. [ laughter ] >> you were trying to get the stat in the commercial break. she comes here and messes it

up. >> only 7% have been 50 degrees or warmer. >> get a grip. it's okay. it has happened ten times in the last 140 years dating back to 1970 that we've seen temperatures rise to 50 or above on new year's eve. that's what she's trying to tell you. that represents 7% of new years eves since 1870. now time lapse pictures. we had sunshine for part of the day today. but then we saw the clouds roll in. those clouds have been thickening up ever since. now they're producing light rain. we saw a couple of reports in fact at 9:00 of light rain in the area. it's going to be a short-lived rain event. it's probably going to end in hours then we'll have dry periods through much of thursday. we do have fog in the area, however. we'll show you the visibilities in just a moment.

look at our high temperature today up to 36 degrees. out to the west warm air is surging through the central plains. that's the air mass that will be moving into chicago tomorrow and get warmer by friday. up to 51 or friday. that will produce for fog. it looks like it'll be a gloomy two days ahead with both fog, periods of some rain, and diminishing snow cover. there is plenty of cold air up in canada. we will get a taste of that again. that's probably going to come into the area saturday into sunday when temperatures are expected to fall back into the 20s. look at the temperatures across the area at the moment. this is probably about as cold as it's going to get tonight. with all that flow of moisture that will tend to keep our temperatures sted i did. maybe even rise slightly as the night continues. however, if you're traveling tonight, it is possible that some areas like bridges and

overpasses may have some icing. it's a good idea to take extra care. winds are strengthening as well. that's producing some windchill numbers that are just a few degrees below the wind temperature. look at this now. visibilities across the area. notice usually we have maybe about 10-mile visibility. it is down now to about a mile and a quarter in some places and down 2 miles in others. if you're driving around tonight, you could encounter visibilities to a quarter mile or less. should that happen, take it easy. this is our computer projection of what the rains will be doing. and you can see them moving across the midwest through the chicago area. but it isn't going to be much of a rain event tonight. could be interesting tomorrow night into friday. in fact, as this rain pulls out, another batch of rain will be coming in from the west and we may even hear a clap of thunder or experience a downpour with that.

we'll keep you posted. this is the snow forecast. we're on the warm side o of this system so the snow will stop about the time you get to iowa or nebraska. the rain on the other hand, this is the precip forecast. you can see the chicago area only expecting a few hundredths of an inch tonight. take a look at this. cloudy skies. foggy at times. the winds growing a little stronger. temperatures steady. low temperature 31-35 degrees. we're looking at south- southeast winds at 10-20 miles per hour. as for tomorrow cloud write skies across the area. areas of fog. most of the day i think will be dry. but those showers will begin to occur late in the afternoon. tomorrow night, scattered showers develop, maybe a clap of thunder. pockets of dense fog. low temperature warm but nothing like we're expecting for new year's eve. look at that temperature spread, lourdes. we haven't seen that but ten

times. >> it only happened 7% of the time. >> exactly. i didn't include it but we're weighing the possibility there may be a convection thunderstorm flash of lightning as well. >> i have one more stat for you. 50% of the news anchors here are able to accurately rattle off statistics. >> wow. i'm not the 50%. >> yo kidding -- no kidding. [ laughter ] >> i tried. that's all that matters. we want to remind you of a new tv channel. it's called antenna tv. it will feature classic tv shows. you can find it on wgn 9.2 in chicago or comcast digital 353. national viewers can check out antennatv.com to check out the channels. three's company is one of the things you could watch. >> what's all this? >> it's food. >> i know it's food. but for what?

>> for eating. [ laughter ] >> but it's not just for you? >> yes, it is. see. [ laughter ] >> a little threes company for you there. launches on new year's eve with a 27 hour three stooges marathon. other programming includes all in the family, sanford and sons, and threes company as well as maude. on tonight's medical watch: what's behind an alarming rate of allergy reactions reaching the e.r.

in tonight's medical watch: it is the deadliest form of

cancer but research funding to fight the disease is weak. lung cancer kills more people each year than colon, breast, and prostate cancers combined. breast cancer research received about $28,000 in federal funding for every death in 2010. that's compared to about $1400 per lung cancer death. advocates for lung cancer research says more money should be directed toward detection and better treatments. emergency room visits are on the rise for food allergy sufferers. about 200,000 people end up in the e.r. each year because of a severe reaction to common culprits such as eggs, soy, milk, shellfish. a significant increase from the 1990s when it was estimated about 30,000 visits a year were attributed to food allergies. changes in kids' diets and less exposure to germs early in life may be a factor in the increase. it is not all fun and

games. play time pays off later in life it turns out. play time provides time to play with books, toys, and other objects. and social skills and imagination are all important tools they'll use throughout their lives. palatine is honoring three people who went for a workout and saved a life. they moved fast when a man had a heart attack last month at the midtown athletic club. steve holland owes his life to the fitness members and directer. they used a defibrillator to restart his heart and did cpr. they were awarded awards today. >> the great personal pride and satisfaction that comes from saving a life. that of a complete stranger. whenever we come across an incident where members of the general public selflessly step up and save a life, we want to

recognize them. >> holland is back to his morning jobs after valve replacement surgery. recognition goes to neil wivelosky. there were hand shakes and hugs all around. looking for places to dump your christmas tree. we'll have details on where to get rid of them. coming up in sports: the bears have the second seed locked up. but now they decide who will play against the packers on sunday.

tonight, millions of people will go to sleep lying on something like this .... just as they have for a hundred years. coils...springs...matting. ..some kind of soft stuff.... and what's the result? insomnia rampant. it's couples everywhere sleeping in separate beds and separate bedrooms. and back pain in epic proportions which is why we're here to tell you about a revolution in sleep that can change your life: the sleep number bed. a bed so ingenious, at your command it transforms on each side into the precise zone of comfort each of your bodies need - your sleep number setting. call now to find out more. we'll send you a free dvd, brochures and prices for the revolutionary-and affordable-sleep number bed. if you call now, you'll get a $50 savings card good toward any bed-for a limited time. this bed is people waking up finally without back pain. i found my sleep number two years ago. now i wake up pain-free. it feels like my lower back ... like there's no pressure on it at all. i found my sleep number ... and i don't have the

pain in the morning anymore. it's couples enjoying a great night's sleep in the same bed at the same time. now that we have the bed we have one less thing to argue about-'cause i've got my soft bed, she's got her firm bed. most of all, this bed is the deep, nurturing sleep that you've always dreamed of. and in clinical studies, 87% fell asleep faster on the sleep number bed and slept more soundly, and 93% experienced relief from back pain. call now and find out how the revolutionary sleep number bed can help you sleep in total comfort from now on, though it costs no more than ordinary beds-yet lasts twice as long. call now. call the number on your screen. we'll send you a free dvd, brochures and prices for the amazing yet affordable sleep number bed. you can even try it in your own home for 30 nights, risk free. if you call now, you'll get a $50 savings card good toward any sleep number bed - for a limited time. call the number on your screen. everybody has a sleep number.

and those who find it sleep a whole lot better than those who don't.

this is one example of regifting. that environmentalists would say is not tacky. turn your christmas tree into mulch for gardeners. trees can be dropped off in the tree corral at 23 locations across chicago. crews will not be onhand to receive the trees. just drop off your tree beginning january 7. a limited amount of mulch will be available at the site. for a list of dropoff locations, log on to wgntv.com. >> and we are going to be stepping away from christmas weather into something a little warmer. let's check in with jim ramsey to tell us how much warmer we'll get. >> maybe about 20 degrees warmer by friday, left side. looks like it's going to be a toasty friday for a change. but it's going to be a mixed

blessing. satellite picture shows storms out of california bringing snow into the rockies. that's going to be part two of the weather we're expecting friday. notice the showers right now from the gulf will be passing out of the area in a couple hours. but as you can see, it's not going to be a completely dry day tomorrow. it could be some afternoon sprinkles or showers that cross the area. again, not a big event. probably about .08-.1 of an inch. as that cold front drops through the chicago area, probably friday night we'll look for colder temperatures to reemerge in the area for saturday and sunday. in fact, the seven-day forecast reflecting that trend. you can see the nice temperatures for tomorrow and friday with rain in the area. also fog as we say a chance of thunderstorms as well on friday.

but saturday through wednesday all expected to be pretty chilly. the weekend especially chilly. the heart of the cold air builds in on sunday. with temperatures expected in the 30s through the week. so dan and lourdes, there you have it. kind of a messy new year's eve. >> thank you. chicagoans pay their respects to another fallen firefighter, politicians get edgy in the race for mayor, and christmas tree recycling gets underway. >> all in the trib photos of the day. music ] ♪

>> be neutral. don't come in and campaign for anybody. >> i suggest that an elective school board is not the way to go in chicago. >> ours is going to be a city of diversity or inclusion or not? >> and you can find more photos on our website wgntv.com. coming up in sports: the blackhawks lose their captain to injury but coach q says it's not long-term. and the fighting play their first bowl game in two years. [ female announcer ] these are the crescents you love on a holiday.

and these are the ones you'll love on a friday. pillsbury crescent pizza pockets. with just a few ingredients, you have an easy to make dinner. they're crescents for the other 364. try them tonight. with cinnabon cinnamon have such a sweet and delicious aroma that my family can't wait to get their hands on them.

enjoy cinnabon cinnamon... now in all pillsbury cinnamon rolls. time now for sports. the bears looking great. we have a number two seed locked in for sure. what are the chances we'll see cutler in the 2nd half?

>> i don't think you'll see him. right now i'm saying cutler is not in there the 2nd half. >> put your money down right now? >> right now. but we'll see. >> i don't know. >> have an outside chance for the top seed in the nfc and home field. but carolina beats the panthers or the beat green bay. will they rush the regulars the answer from lovie smith was no. >> reporter: lovie smith's track record has been to rest with starters in games. but he'll not do so against the packers. he still feels need for fine tuning. >> we know we have a couple of time next week. it'll be a couple of weeks before beplay. that's why it's important to get some good work in. good competition this week. we want to keep it going. we don't want to take a step back. we want to continue. even though we play our best

football here as of late, can't say that we've peaked yet. and there's still areas we need to improve upon. >> reporter: the bears starters had their own reason for wanting to play. among them a chance to knock the packers out of the playoffs. it would give a clean sweep over all their foes in the north. >> trying to make it to the playoffs. i think if they win this game, they are in the playoffs. and packers is a great team. i don't want to keep facing the packers. so i'm hoping we could go out and eliminate another good team. they are a good team. i'd hate to see them three times in one year. >> green bay is -- that's always been a rival. and we're -- our goal is to sweep this division. so with that in mind, i mean, it'll be a huge win for us to beat green bay this weekend. meantime, the investigations of the brett favre case is over.

he was fined $50,000 for failing to cooperate with nfl officials during its investigation of allegations favre sent text messages and lewd photographs to a former game day hostess with the jets. tough year for the chicago blackhawks. captain will be out with a shoulder injury for two weeks. he was checked into the board last night. the regular season may of ended poorly for the fighting football team. but they made up for it in the texas bowl tonight. they came out and won in a blowout. they made it a worthwhile trip for their fans. get 9-0 in the 2nd. nathan found ryan langford. touchdown to make it 16-0.

to the end zone for a 13-yard run. to ensure rushing. set a new school rushing record for the season. yet wins it for their first bowl victory since 1999. opening the big ten season in the carver hawkeye arena. nails a three from the corner. he was a perfect 4-4. illinois leads that game in the 2nd half. mike and the fighting irish opens up. irish up 28-23. for a jumper. ayish a 14-2 run the the 2nd half. notre dame wins 69-65. they're 12-1 for the season. duke once was over greensboro and surpassed dean smith on the list. and finally there was a frequency malfunction with a wireless phone in the illinois-

baylor game tonight. so they went to wire on the sidelines and it was a mess. quarterback robert griffin jumps over there. tailback ford falls down getting tangled in the wires. nobody got hurt. but the good thing, illinois was wired for a victory. get it? wired. >> that is good tv writing there. and we heard it here first right? cutler not in the at any time half? >> what is today's date the 29th? >> mark it down. that's the news this wednesday night. i'm dan ponce.

[ 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. ♪ and these are the ones you'll love on a friday. pillsbury crescent pizza pockets. with just a few ingredients, you have an easy to make dinner. they're crescents for the other 364. try them tonight.

right now, smartphones talk free. add any smartphone to a family shareplan and share minutes for free.