. >> and tucson remembers on the eve of the anniversary of the shooting, ben tracy has the story of a woman who survived and the little girl who didn't. >> held the hand of a nine-year-old and watched the life go out of her eyes. >> captioning sponsored by cbs this is the "cbs evening news." good evening, i am anthony mason, with just three days to go before the first primary of this election year in new hampshire, the republican candidates are gearing up for a 1-2 punch of televised debates. round 1 is tonight in manchester, with all eyes on the front runner and the rivals who hope to block his path. >> jan crawford is in manchester tonight, good eastern, jan. >> tonight and tomorrow we have it all here in new hampshire, a front run whore is looking to cement his status, we have the surging challenger trying to grab the lead and a couple of former front runners who are fighting to get back in. it is setting the stage for what is shaping up to be let's say a real melee in manchester. >> desperate to stop an early mitt romney knockout, newt gingrich is pummelling the former massachuset

ben tracy, cbs news, tucson. >> pelley: ben mentioned the brain's singing center.earch has found that it's overdeveloped in professional singers, which may explain why some of us sing opera and others can't carry a tune. also on our minds today, researchers in britain have made a surprising discovery. the loss of memory can start as early as age 45. until now, most research on dementia has focused on seniors. this new study published today may lead scientists to take a closer look at middle aged people. and here is the most memorable picture of the day. a tractor-trailer for target stores missed the mark and wound up in a frozen pond near minneapolis. the driver got out okay and a diver was called in to hook up the cables to haul the truck away. but it's still unclear what caused the accident. as condos go, you won't find many like this. it's kind of a prewar conversion. "on the road" with steve hartman is next. over forty-percent of adults don't meet the recommended daily intake for many vitamins and minerals through diet alone. try... each serving... with 26 esse

. >> pelley: ben tracy in alaska where the national guard has come to the rescue of a town in deep, deep trouble. and a white house interview with th the first lady. cbs "this morning"'s gail king as asks michelle obama about her advice to the president. >> i am one of his biggest confidantes but he has dozens of really smart people who surround him. captioning sponsored by cbs this is the "cbs evening news" with scott pelley reporting tonight from manchester, new hampshire. >> pelley: good evening. the polls are still open, but not much longer in the first presidential primary of 2012. mitt romney, who essentially tied for first in the iowa ca caucuses last week, is hoping far decisive win tonight to give him momentum heading into the south carolina primary next week. one big question tonight: who will emerge as the anti-romney alternative? when we asked voters leaving the poll what is they were looking for in a candidate, the largest group, 33%, told us the ability to defeat president experience. we can also tell you that many voters decided on a candidate la late. 19% made up their mi

ben tracy in alaska where the national guard has come to the rescue of a town in deep, deep trouble. and a white house interview with the first lady. cbs this morning's gayle king asks michelle obama about her advice to the president. >> i am one of his biggest confidants, but he has dozens of really smart people who surround him. captioning sponsored by cbs this is the "cbs evening news" with scott pelley reporting tonight from manchester, new hampshire. special western edition. good evening. mitt romney is now 2-for-2 in the race for the republican presidential nomination at this moment he is giving his victory speech here in manchester new hampshire. cbs projects he has won today's new hampshire primary with the help of both moderates and conservatives. ron paul is leading jon huntsman for second place. here's a look at the tabulated votes so far. 21% of the vote in, ron paul is running strong in second place with huntsman at 17%. our projections are based on the early vote count. on the polling that we did of voters after they cast their ballots. when we asked those voters what t

ben tracy, cbs news, tucson. >>> the cost to get into the aquarium has gone up 10%. the first price hike in three years. general admission is now $32.95. an aquarium spokesman said the goal is to remain the best aquarium in the world and operating revenues are what paid for it. research by the aquarium shows people won't mind paying an extra $3. nearly $2 million people visit each year. it's not aquarium weather as beach weather. >> it is warm and balmy this weekend. another lovely weekend pattern taking shape here as we continue dry and mild into the beginning of the year here. it looks like this dry pattern will be with us through the middle of the month at least, there's nothing on the horizon threatening rain. we have strong offshore flow howling through the north and east bay hills. clear and breezy tonight. that will keep the fog from forming and also keep those overnight lows above the freezing mark across the interior. look for the wents to settle down. remaining mostly clear and slightly warmer. continue dry and mild through midweek as we do have wind adviso

we sent ben tracy up there. >> reporter: the national guard is still digging out corcova, working 24 hours a day to unbury homes and businesses, and now with temperatures in the mid-30ss, mump of that snow is turning to slush. the snow is now becoming slop. >> well, yeah, that's today. it might-- it will probably freeze tonight and then you've got a hell of a mess. >> reporter: a steady abe has made the snow even heavier and hard tore move. glenn anderson is the deputy harbormaster. he's trying to keep boats from sinking. >> each shovel lode, i don't upon what it aways, it's like picking large stones out of a quashie. >> reporter: they called in the coast guard to help save cordova's harb oar. >> these guys need us. we're here to help. >> petty officer tyler juel spent hours digging out the piers. what does a boat mean to people out here? >> survivalhood. it means everything to them. guys here, all they have is fishing. these boats go down, can't feed their families. can't do anything. >> reporter: those 15 feet of snow contain more than 20 billion gallons of water. folks here now fe

ben tracy looks back one year later. and birthday kate, mark phillips tells us how the new irs royal is celebrating the big 30. >> this is the captioning sponsored by cbs this is the "cbs evening news" >> good evening. iran told the world today that it has taken another step in its nuclear program, enriching uranium inside a new underground facility. and that wasn't the only sign of defines from iran today. bill plante is following this story from the white house. bill, good evening. >> reporter: good evening. the announcement of the new uranium facility appears to be iran's response to the possibility of new u.s. sanctions against its oil trade aimed at persuading iran to stop its nuclear program. >> our red line to iran is do not develop a nuclear weapon. that's a red line for us. >> reporter: iran's new uranium enrichment site is deep underground, less vulnerable to attack by the u.s. or israel. even so, on face the nation today, defense secretary leon panetta made it clear that the u.s. will not allow iran to make a

reason enough to send ben tracy to alaska. >> reporter: the national guard's motto is "always ready,lways there." they are living up to those words in cordova, alaska, where 57 members of the 761st military police are now on the gr ground. >> this thing pops. >> reporter: if it looks like they're training for combat, that's because their enemy is vast and weighty. jeff bailey has been digging for days and was relieved to see the guard. >> hi! we welcome! (laughs) i wo i would love some help, guys. i don't even know where to begin, though. >> reporter: more snow is now falling on top of the nearly 18 feet of it that has buried cordova since just before christmas. houses are being swallowed by all that white, changing the skyline of this remote coastal fishing town. cordova resident kathy long has been posting pictures online of the most snow folks here say th they've seen since the 1970s. she says they are running out of places to put it. >> there's alleyways that are between buildings that used to be used as thoroughfares to get from one part of town to another and those have gotten

well, today ben tracy tells us one well-regarded school near los angeles admitted that a top officialheated to improve its status. >> reporter: sam mitchell is a senior at claremont mckenna college. he chose the school because of its growing reputation. >> it's a really cut-throat world for schools, especially sort of up-and-coming institutions like this one. they have to do anything they can to climb the ladder. >> reporter: his school was ranked number nine among the best liberal arts colleges in the latest "u.s. news and world report" rankings. for five years, a school official falsely inflated the incoming s.a.t. scores of incoming students by 30 point, a small change but enough to move up on the coveted rankings. >> they are probably the single most important attribute in the minds of families and applicants. >> reporter: barmak nassirian helps run an association for college admissions officers. he thinks rankings confuse students. >> they simply look at the number and assume-- incorrectly-- that number nine is better than number ten. and as long as families believe that, institu

i'm going to get out and take that all the try the finish line. >> pelley: ben tracy in alaska whereational guard has come to the rescue of a town in deep, deep trouble. and a white house interview with th the first lady. cbs "this morning"'s gail king as asks michelle obama about her advice to the president. >> i am one of his biggest confidantes but he has dozens of really smart people who surround him. captioning sponsored by cbs this is the "cbs evening news" with scott pelley reporting tonight from manchester, new hampshire. >> pelley: good evening. the polls are still open, but not much longer in the first presidential primary of 2012. mitt romney, who essentially tied for first in the iowa ca caucuses last week, is hoping far decisive win tonight to give him momentum heading into the south carolina primary next week. wie big question tonight: who

our ben tracy did manage to get there. he'll show us how they're surviving this especially brutal winter. >> our favorite city. but first as we do every morning. we begin with a look at today's eye-opener. your world in 90 seconds. >>> thank you, new hampshire. tonight we made history. >> mitt romney makes it two for two, putting himself on the fast track for the gop nomination. >> he certainly had a clear-cut victory, but we're nibbling at his heels. >> i'd say third place is a ticket to ride, ladies and gentlemen. >> new hampshire voters gathered to decide which candidate looked best in dockers. >> we can win this race. >> make a list of every person you know in south carolina. >> in just two weeks away which means i have to get home to put my pig in the smoker tonight. >> take my michelle off. we need this man in office. >> first lady sits down for a first interview since the release of a controversial white house tell-all. >> i don't have conversations with my husband's staff. i don't go to the meetings. >> another ira

ben tracy on the man hunt on mount rainier after the shooting death of a national park ranger. and barry petersen on the real estate boom. yes, there is one-- down on the farm. >> black gold is what you're holding in your hand. it's not oil, it's dirt. and it's worth more than ever before. captioning sponsored by cbs this is the "cbs evening news" with scott pelley. reporting tonight from des moines, iowa. >> pelley: good evening from the starting line of the race for the republican presidential nomination. we're in the library under the dome of the skate capital building in des moines. that dome soars 275 feet above ground and is covered with 23- carat gold. but more precious than gold to the republican presidential candidates tonight are votes and one day before the caucuses they were trying to win over the nearly half of voters who say they haven't settled on a candidate. the latest polling shows mitt romney in the lead with 24% followed by ron paul at 22%, rick santorum 15 and newt gingrich 12%. santorum is on the rise. in the past month his numbers have more than doubled w

ben tracy, tucson. >> this sunday giffords and her husband will attend a candlelight vigil to remember those that died in the shooting. >>> red wine may prevent cancer in women. researchers looked at women who drank at least one glass of red wine. the hormone pattern changed. >>> tiger woods' ex-wife buying a $12 million home in palm beach then tears it down. after getting 100 million from tiger woods, elen edgren buys the mansion and tears it down. no word on what she's planning to rebuild. >>> waves crashed over the pier today flooding walkways and hitting higher than the bluff. officials are advising beachgoers to stay off jetties and exposed rocks near the surf zone. but there's no way you will keep the surfers out. the word has spread up and down the west coast. kawabunga surfs up. >> i think vic would have been out there too. >> maybe years ago. >> 30 years ago. >> we're 47 degrees. west winds down to five-miles- an-hour. the barometer holding steady. just puts you in a good mood. it was a great day today. 43 at ocean city and 42 in elkton. locally temperatures in the mid- to upp

we'll talk with ben tracy about the celebration. >>> dr.althwatch. >> good morning. in today's healthwatch, black tea and heart health. researchers say there's new evidence that black tea may lower your blood pressure. a study found people who drank three cups a day lowered their pressure by an average of two to three points. that may not sound like much. but even small reductions can have a major impact. researchers say their results would translate into a 10% reduction in the prevalence of hypertension and a 7 to 10% reduction in heart attack and stroke. high blood pressure is the third leading cause of death in the u.s. and it's a factor in more than 300,000 deaths a year. nearly one in three american adults has high blood pressure. a quarter have pre-hypertension putting them at risk. researchers believe the tea may improve the function of cells in blood vessel walls and that certain compounds called flavonoids may play a role. whatever the cause, it seems like almost mi time is a good time for tea. i'm dr. holly phillips. >> cbs health

ben tracy has more now from olympia, washington. reporter: snow has been coming down across washington state for the past four days. from puget sound to the cascade mountains, an icy blast is blanketing the area. slick roads are making driving treacherous. >> all kinds of conditions, ice, cold, frozen, people sliding all over the place. it's pretty bad out there. reporter: snow plows not often seen here are working overtime all over the state. >> we'd handled about 160 collisions, that same time period last week we handled 14. reporter: according to the national weather service, the city of seattle is bracing for as much as six inches of snow. they normally average eight inches for an entire winter. the city itself has very few snow plows and its drivers are not used to icy roads. back in november 2010, a crippling snowstorm paralyzed parts of the city. city officials are taking this storm seriously. the emergency command center is already up and running. >> it takes time to remove a significant accumulation of snow. we're going to

ben tracy is in seattle to tell us what's behind the rare snowstorm. >> reporter: a city normally usedo drowning in rain is now covered in snow. even four inches is enough to wreak havoc in a place with few plows and salt trucks. seattle's buss have found themselves in need of a lift, and its steeps hills are now only fit for snowboards and sleds. further south in olympia, more than a foot of snow has fallen, forcing morning commuters improvise. how is this walk to work compared to your normal walk to work? >> it's slower. ( laughs ) >> reporter: in an entire winter, celtics normally gets eight inches of snow. cca stevenson is keefe meteorologist at kiro, our cbs affiliate in celtics. rebecca stevenson is chief meteorologist at kiro, our cbs affiliate in celtics. >> it's not often that seattle gets wet and cold at the same time. >> reporter: the jet stream pattern that helped pummel alaska with more than 15 feet of snow over the past couple of weeks finally dipped south, allowing arctic air and precipitation to flow into the pacific northwest. this winter's la nina, the result of the p

ben tracy in in hollywood this morning.ing from hollywood. here is the famous grauman's chinese theater. they have hand prints and foot prints from all sorts of famous people. this will be the latest. michael jackson. the imprint of his famous seq n sequinnsequi sequinned glove over there, his footprints and the hand prints of his three children, who took steps to ensure their father's immortality. >> i speak for him as well. this right here is his lifetime achievement award. >> reporter: in his lifetime, michael jackson had been celebrated with gold records and grammys, but this was a recognition like none other. for the first time ever, a celebrity was honored by grauman's chinese theater after their death. michael jackson's children took their father's shoe and famous sequinned glove and left an impression that will never be erased. >> it's only fitting that michael be enshrined here today in front of grauman's chinese theater alongside -- >> reporter: jackson's long time producer quincy jones joined thousands of fans to

ben tracy with how one woman is coping with a tragedy that took the life of her nine-year-old friend. >> i wish i could pick you up and carry you down, but i can't. >> susie has every reason not to once again bond with children. on january 8, susie took her neighbor's daughter, nine-year- old christina taylor green to meet their congresswoman, gabrielle giffords. shortly after they arrived, the first of 31 shots rang out. >> congresswoman giffords slid down. >> we first talked to her last year. just after she got out of the hospital. she was shot three times. her pain was still raw. >> i remember lying on the ground holding christina's hand and looking at her. telling her to stay with me and not to do this alone. sweety, i love you, and stay here and christina, christina. sorry. christina died, but her memory lives on. it lives on today in tucson at this walk held in her honor, in the playground christina's parents had built nearby. and her corneas donated so two other children can now see. >> when we heard that, we knew it was the best decision in the world. and you know, i know chri

ben tracy marks the anniversary of congresswoman giffords' shooting. first here are the headlines for the 8th of january, 2012. the new hampshire primary is tuesday, and the candidates for the republican presidential nomination debated last night in manchester. most of them focused on mitt romney. he focused mainly on president obama. here's a sampling. >> he says i'm going to be... i have business experience. well, business experience doesn't necessarily match up with being the commander in chief of this country. the commander in cheer of this country isn't a ceo. it's someone who has to lead. it's also being the president is not a ceo. >> the wall street journal captured it the other day. their dialogue when their editorial board met and said i have a very aggressive pro jobs program. they said that by contrast this is their words not mine that governor romney's program was timid and more like obama. >> we have a president who had no experience in leadership. he never led a business. he never led a city. he never led a state. and as a result he learn

ben tracy is there. >> reporter: swat teams tracked 24-year-old benjamin colton barnes for two days acrossw-covered terrain. this morning, a helicopter spotted a body. >> a body had been spotd from the air in a drainage above the falls. >> reporter: authorities believe benjamin colton barnes died due to exposure to the elements. >> the condition he was in and the clothing he had on him, he was not equipped to make it a night or two in the winter conditions that were up there. >> reporter: the mant hundredth began on new year's day when the iraq war veteran ran a roadblock in mount rainier national park. he allegedly shot and killed ranger margaret anderson, a mother of two, when she tried to stop him. barnes was last seen running into the woods carrying a semiautomatic rifle. dozens of other park visitors were quickly evacuated. >> a ranger came down that had gunshot holes in their window and said we need to get out of the area, there is somebody that is shooting. >> reporter: police have linked barnes to a shooting at a seattle-area house party early saturday that wounded four people. the

ben tracy, cbs news, tucson. >>> now let's take a look at a new book about president and mrs. obama that's causing quite a stir in washington. it reveals a reported rift between the first lady, michelle obama, and some of the president's most senior advis s advisers. we are pleased to have our chief white house correspondent nora o'donnell. she has a copy and has been talking with officials about it. >> good morning. this is a pretty nice set. fancy digs here, huh? congratulations to both of you. >>> yeah, this is a big book that just came out. i can tell you there was a lot of disagreement in the white house about whether they should even cooperate with this book. now while some top advisers did speak to the author, the obamas themselves did not grant an interview, fearing it would end up in some gossipy details that might help sell books but not help their image. the most provocative passage describes a white house staff meeting where former press secretary robert gibbs cursed the first lady. he was challenged over the handling of a fallout from a remark mrs. obama allegedly

for "cbs this morning," ben tracy, seattle. >>> that's a tough story.he pictures. she's so enthusiastic. i remember watching her. so exuberant. you think maybe, maybe things will turn around. so sa >>> if you have a heart attack, how long before it's safe to have s-e-xs-e-x, also known as . it's something you and your doctor may be embarrassed o talk about but dr. john lapook has answers today. >>> cbs coverage of the afc championship game, baltimore at new england begins at 2:00 p.m. eastern time. the winner goes on to the super bowl. you want to check in for that. you're watching "cbs this morning." you can't just throw this at me. dad's in the doghouse again. he just showed up with his client unannounced. not even a text. luckily, we've got kraft homestyle mac & cheese in the pantry. so mom can save the day. well isn't this nice. ♪ [ whispering ] dad really screwed this up. [ male announcer ] kraft homestyle macaroni & cheese. cheesy noodles topped with golden-brown, breadcrumbs. you know you love it. cheesy noodles topped with golden-brown, breadcru

ben tracy was there and has a look at the winners and big moments. >> tonight. you get britain's biggest comedian hosting the world's second biggest awards show on america's third biggest network. [ laughter ] >> hollywood's elite was ready for bad boy comedian ricky gervais to toy with their fragile egos. after he made fun of madonna. >> she's just like a virgin. please welcome, madonna. >> she struck back. >> why don't you come over here and do something about it. i haven't kissed a girl in a few years. >> george clooney won best actor in a drama for the descendants which won as best dramatic film. clooney says there was a dploeb moment that stood out for him. >> jane fonda in that dress. my god -- she looked great, didn't she? wow. >> most of the celebrities spent three hours drinking during the show. that means they're ready for the after parties. >> one of the biggest parties of the night was thrown by the weinstein company, the force behind the sigh let film the artist which won for best comedy. >> we will stand on principle. >> and then there was the iron

ben tracy, cbs news, tucson. >> very inspiring. >>> now to new york and debbye turner bell. >> she'sesk with a check of this morning's other headlines. >> good morning to you. >>> government is out with december's employment numbers this morning. economists estimate 150,000 jobs were added last month. 120,000 were added in november. >>> in campaign 2012, jon huntsman has won the endorsement of "the boston globe," mitt romney's hometown paper. the globe says huntsman articulates goals and ideas and called his priorities far-sided. this is the second time that "the globe" has snubbed romney. in 2008 it endorsed mccain. >> republican party officials said mitt romney in the iowa caucuses beat rick santorum by eight votes, but one vote counter says romney was counted for 20 more votes than he should have been. santorum says he considers it a tie either way. >>> and joran van der sloot goes on trial for murder in peru this morning. at court in lima, van der sloot will face charges he killed a peruvian woman he met at a casino in may of 2010. the video shows them entering into a hotel and v

here's ben tracy. >> reporter: it was a stunning moment, just seven months after being shot in the headman gabrielle giffords walked into the capitol and cast her vote to raise the nation's debt limit. >> it's a day none of us will ever forget. it was really emotional, watching the reaction of the most conservative members of the house to the most liberal members of the house, equally as moved, seeing her there was really something. >> reporter: it was the only vote giffords has made in the past year. >> let's see what the list looks like. >> reporter: but nothing is on hold in her office except phone calls. they just keep coming. >> congresswoman giffords' office. this is isabella. >> the caseload has increased quite dramatically since the shooting. we had a 23% increase in constituent requests in the first month. and that's continued. >> i need to report back to gabby on this. i don't have all the details. >> reporter: in washington, giffords' staff is working on border security and solar issues. priority giffords made just before the shooting. >> there's never been a moment that we'v

the last time we checked with national correspondent ben tracy, he had made it as far as anchorage.cordova. through the blizzard to get there. >> the pilots told us we had a 1% chance of making the landing here in cordova. as you can see, we made it. we're driving in on the only road that goes into cordova. it's surrounded by mountains and glaciers. the national guard has been doing everything they can to keep the road open. it's really the only way into town. when we got into town, we saw this. >> the only melting snowmelter that's mobile in alaska. >> they brought this thing in on a barge. it heats the snow to 150 degrees and flushes it down the sewer. >> are you melting the snow because there's nowhere else to put it? >> yeah. that's one word for it. >> this is a treat. it's completely backed up with snow. >> you got to get the snow out of here. >> the alaska national guard has been on the ground here now for three days racing to clear snow from roads and rooftops to keep them caving in. they prepared for this like combat. because their enemy is proving to be relentless. several

ben tracy is reporting for wjz. the mayor is telling people to stay off the roads. >> reporter: snow has been coming down across washington state for the past four days. from puget sound to the cascade mountains. an icy blast is blanketing the area. slick roads are making driving treacherous. >> all kinds of conditions. ice, cold, frozen. people sliding all over the place. it's pretty bad out there. >> reporter: snow plows, not often seen here are working overtime all over the state. >> we've handled about 160 collisions. that same time period last week, we handled 14. >> reporter: according to the national weather service, the city of seattle is bracing for as much as 6 inches of snow they normally average 8 inches for an entire winter. its drivers are not used to icy roads. back in november 2010, a crippling snow paralyzed parts of the city. city officials are are taking this storm seriously. the emergency command is already moving. >> we're going to focus on priority routes. on ones the police and fire department

as ben tracy reports for wjz, the worst, though, may be yet to come. >> reporter: in cordova, they are quite simply, buried. buried under a record 18 feet of snow. >> good girl. good girl. clean off my car. >> six feet in the past few days. >> a lot of businesses have already started to cave in. >> buildings have collapsed. avalanches are rolling down the mountains. and boats are sinking in the harbor. >> it's getting to where there is more snow and people and troubles to deal with it. >> reporter: cordova declared a state of emergency sunday and called in the national guard. they will move mountains of snow, which can weigh 100 pounds per square inch. they will also clear the roads to the airport. besides boat, air is the only way in or out of this isolated coastal fishing town. >> i've been in cordova, almost 30 years. and i have never, never seen this much snow. >> reporter: while still a far cry from the record seasonal snowfall of 165 inches, the southern alaska coast has been pummeled so far this winter, when nearly 300 inches of snow. that's triple cordova's average for an entir

ben tracy on the man hunt on mount rainier after the shooting death of a national park ranger.n the real estate boom. yes, there is one-- down on the farm. >> black gold is what you're holding in your hand. it's not oil, it's dirt. and it's worth more than ever before. captioning sponsored by cbs this is the "cbs evening news" with scott pelley. reporting tonight from des with scott pelley. reporting tonight from des >> pelley: good evening from the starting line of the race for the republican presidential nomination. we're in the library under the dome of the skate capital building in des moines. that dome soars 275

ben tracy's in arizona. and a postscript to the cold war, a missile silo goes condo. the road" with steve hartman. captioning sponsored by cbs this is the "cbs evening news" with scott pelley. >> pelley: there f there's one number the presidential candidates are watching as closely as the polls it's the unemployment rate. today the labor department reported the rate fell two-tenths of a point last month to 8.5%. that's the lowest level since n three years

as ben tracy reports for wjz, it may not be over. >> reporter: in cordova, they are quite simply burieded under a record of 18 feet of snow. >> good girl. >> reporter: six feet in just the past few days. >> a lot of businesses have already started to cave in. >> reporter: buildings have collapsed. avalanches are rolling down from the mountains and boats are sinking into the harbor. >> it's getting to where there is more snow and people and troubles to deal with it. >> reporter: so cordova's mayor declared a state of emergency sunday and called in the national guard. they will help move mountains of snow, which can weigh 100 pounds per square inch. they will also help clear the one road to the airport. besides boat, air is the only way in or out of this isolated coastal fishing town. >> i've been in cordova, almost 30 years. and i have never, never seen this much snow. >> reporter: while still a far cry from the record seasonal snowfall of 561 inches. the southern lassan coach -- alaskan coach has been pummeled with nearly 300 inches of snow. that's nearly triple cordova's average for an

ben tracy has more on giffords' confident showing. >> i pledge of allegiance to the flag -- >> reporter: in tucson sunday night, gabrielle giffords did what nobody would have thought possible a year ago. >> with liberty and justice for all. >> reporter: giffords' remarkable recovery was on full display. but she will soon need to make a decision about her political future. her husband, mark kelly, says she will decide whether she will seek re-election this fall, well before the may 30th deadline. >> what does your gut tell you? >> some days, i think she could do the job today. but other days, she gets really tired and she is really focused on her therapy. >> reporter: giffords' staff says she has full comprehension, even holding a weekly video conference with her washington audience. yet giffords has cast just one vote this year, shocking congress by showing up to vote to raise the nation's debt limit in august. >> there's really only a handful of complaints that the congresswoman is not there to be voting on the floor. i think everyone recognizes that she is working hard to recover. >>

i want to get back to work. >> ben tracy, cbs news, tucson. >>> joining us from tucson now is danielng, dan. >> good morning. thanks for having me, john. >> it's good to see you. you know, in the piece, once again, you heard president obama refer to you as a hero. you have resisted that label for a long time. do you still feel that way? >> i still feel the same way that i felt back in january of last year. it's hard to disagree with the president but i'm going to keep doing it because i still don't think i deserve the title. >> i think the title emanates largely from the fact that when the shots were fired and a lot of people instinctive run the other way, you ran into the fray. he what did you first see and what do you do? >> when i got to the front of the line because i was in the back of the line registering people as they were coming in, i saw multiple injuries. so i started trying to figure out who we can actually help. trying to check for pullses and check respirations. it was after two or three people hi checked before you say that the congresswoman had been injured and that i