>> i met brittany when brittany was 17. we kept in touch over the years. >> larry: how did you meet her? >> i took her photograph. >> larry: you were a photographer? >> part-time. it was a hobby. we just became friends. >> larry: it was friendly. >> it was friendly for years. yeah. i visited her on sets and would see sharon. it was very -- she was infectious. an infectious angel. >> larry: the romance was later? >> the romance was later. honestly, brittany didn't date until she was in her early 20s. >> larry: really. >> never, no. she just was not -- >> larry: wrapped up in her career? >> it wasn't that. it was that sharon was there, she wasn't -- she was a late bloomer. >> that's what i was saying with late blooming, that she was always the smallest in her class and the most petite and the latest. although highly intelligent. way above everyone at her level. >> larry: you can't be that good without being intelligent. >> no. >> larry: we're going to take a break and before we go, the autopsy was performed. i'm going to ask

brittany morehouse joins us with tree safety tips. brittany. >> reporter: that's right, derek. you look behind me and you see there is a bunch of evergreen trees. they are planted very close together. and they say that's a dangerous combi naltion, especially when -- combination, especially when you are dealing with this kind of weather. you have saturated grounds. limbs that are heavily weighed down by snow and the high winds that we expect tomorrow. that combination could be very dangerous. trees could come falling down. but as i learned today, there are some times ways that you can prevent that. >> the tree emergencies have been exponential really. we're exhausted. >> reporter: for endless hours, crews from capitol tree care have been working. >> everyone has been pushing snow and getting salt, we've been out with four-wheel drives doing tree emergencies. >> reporter: tree emergencies like this one where trees fell blocking an amount building. a -- apartment building. a certified arborist. he predicts it will only get worse as the winds get heavier. >> do not park under city

brittany's parents say she dedicated her life to helping others. >> brit was always watching out for the underdog. that's one of the reasons she went to haiti, to help those that needed it the most. >> a fund has been set up in brittany's name to help the poor in haiti and the u.s. >>> at least 32 people are dead from heavy flooding. floods swept away cars and knocked do un houses at the islands. power and phone lines are down. portugal's prime minister says emergency aid is now on the way from the mainland. >>> seven years ago today, 100 people lost their loved ones in a fire. the fire broke out when pyrotechnics from the rock band great white ignited foam surrounding the stage. a memorial service will be held tomorrow. >>> heavy snow then a roof collapse snapped gas lines then finally a huge fire. that chain reaction disaster left the sykesville carroll county fire department in ruins. now one week later, mike schuh reports how the firehouse is rebounding. >> reporter: the damage is massive, the social hall completely destroyed, the kitchen went up in flames. >> you can look out ov

reporting live. >> thank you, brittany. we hope for an early spring. 9news now will be on bright and early at 4:00 a.m. with the latest weather and traffic conditions and the all important school closings. >> absolutely. >>> congressman john mersa is in the intensive care tonight. he is suffering from complications after gallbladder surgery. he is serving his 19th year in congress. he is also the first vietnam vet to serve as a congressman. >>> new at 11:00, the fredericks county department need your help. these two men robbed a bank earlier today. they say the pair showed a weapon during the crime and then left in a tan passenger car. nobody was hurt. >>> what started as a minor fender bender ended up with two men drunk along the road hit by a drunk driver. two men had a minor collision so they moved over and stepped on to the showeder. according to police, a person driving an suv slammed into both of them and a 30-year-old and 34-year-old were killed. >> someone got drunk and got behind a wheel of a car and took two innoc

brittany murphy's mother and husband will join us tomorrow night.aled the cause of her death today. hear what the loved ones had to say about brittany's health, the prescription drugs and what they say on the day she died. that's tomorrow night's "larry king live." more with the prime minister after this. fancy feast appetizers. [dinner bell chimes] simple high quality ingredients like wild alaskan salmon, white meat chicken, or sea bass and shrimp in a delicate broth, prepared without by-products or fillers. fancy feast appetizers. celebrate the moment ♪ [ female announcer ] get the taste of a home-cooked meal at work with new marie callender's homestyle creations. marie callender's homestyle creations -- a little touch of home for lunch. aren't absorbed properly unless taken with food. he recommended citracal. it's different -- it's calcium citrate, so it can be absorbed with or without food. also available in small, easy-to-swallow petites. citracal. hi, ellen! hi, ellen! hi, ellen! hi, ellen! we're going on a field trip to china! wow. [ chuckles

but as brittany morehouse reports it is something that is can sometimes be prevented. >> we are exhausted>> reporter: for endless hours crews from capital tree care have been working. >> everybody has been pushing snow and putting down salt. we have been out with our four- wheel drives doing tree emergencies. >> reporter: tree emergencies like this one where two cypress every evergreens fell blocking an sand parking building. a typical sight lately. >> the tree is now out of shape. >> bill is a certified arborist and he predicts it will get worse as the winds get heavier. >> do not park under trees that are leaning, with large dead limbs, limbs that are bent heavily. be aware. >> reporter: and be aware of what you can do to help. first, by pay aing attention. >> this tree to me looks a little precarious because now it is starting to lean and it has a tremendous amount of weight on the middle bows. if you look at the top you can see the snow is fallen, laying heavy in the middle and going to crush the branch below. >> reporter: which is where you should focus if you are knocking snow off o

. >>> act stress brittany murly died from pneumonia. according to the coroner, if murphy had seen a doctor sooner, she probably would be alive today. >>> and it appears pluto is undergoing a makeover. mass sa says pluto has rapidly become significantly redder in recent decades. exactly why is a mystery to scientists. but it proves to them pluto is not simply a ball of ice and rock. >>> and one new orleans saints fan will probably be watching what she it's at this week's super bowl party. she was taking her vitamins when she swallowed an earring shaped like a saints's logo. she's going to be just fine. we hope we didn't destroy your breakfast. >> and now here's a look at how wall street will kick off the day. the dow opens at 10,002 after dropping a whopping 268 points. the s&p up 34. >>> taking a look at overtrace trading this morning, the nikkei fell 298 points, while in hong kong the hang seng sank 676 points. >>> investors already worried about rising dent in greece were in a panic yesterday over fresh fears that several more europea

. >> the los angeles county coroner concludes that actress brittany murphy dies of pneumonia but that iron deficiency and drug intoxication played a role in her death. the actress was found dead in her holly woods home in december. according to an assist tan coroner no illegal drugs were involved. she was using a pain reliever for menstrual cramps and an antibiotic and cough medicine. >>> florida officials say a man was killed by a shark attack off the atlantic case. 38-year-old steven howard schaffer was kite boarding yesterday when a lifeguard spotted him in trouble about 500 feet offshore. he paddled out on a large surfboard and found schaffer surrounded by sharks. schaffer died at a hospital. experts say he's the first person killed in a shark attack in florida in five years. >>> dubai's government is reporting the discovery of its first new offshore oil field in decades. a statement from the city state's ruler gives no details on the size or potential of the fine but promises it will, quote, boost the economic capabilities of dubai. a million year building boom and bust coupled w

. >>> the los angeles county coroner says actress brittany murphy died of pneumonia complicated by anemia and prescription drug use. the 32-year-old murphy died a few days before christmas after collapsing at her home in the hollywood hills. >>> straight ahead, your friday morning weather forecast. and in sports, lebron james does his thing scoring 36 points to beat the heat in cleveland. whatcha doing, little bite? trying to be big like you, dad. you're so good at keeping everyone full and focused with your fiber. but you already are great at doing that. - really? - sure! you're made with fiber just like me. but best of all, you're the perfect size for smaller kids. give your little ones kellogg's® frosted mini-wheats little bites™ cereal. in chocolate and now original flavor. they're an excellent source of fiber packed in a smaller size. oh, it's original little bite. we're off to practice keeping 'em full and focused. yeah, we've got big shoes to fill. did you know that, for a limited time, you can earn double extra bucks with your extracare card? for every two prescriptions purchased,

. >>> we're getting new information on actress brittany murphy's sudden death.coroner's office said it was cause bid pneumonia. drug intoxication was also a factor. murphy appeared in films like "clueless" and "8 mile." she died in december at just 32. we'll give you more details throughout the day. >>> here's a story we want you to chime in on. we're talking about high school education, specifically we want to know are schools dumbing down their curriculum? here's why we ask. usa today reported last month pennsylvania dropped comprehensive exams thousands of students were failing. the paper says arkansas and ohio as well as other states set passing grades for some classes below 40% and it says in some years, new jersey has graduated nearly 15% of students who failed their exit exams. another 24 states don't use end-of-course or graduation exams at all. so richelle carey has your views on this. i don't know about you, but i have heard from at least one or two teachers on the subject, too, which is interesting. >> we want people like that to chime in. they certai

the history, the culture. >> reporter: college sweethearts drew and brittany bruce have fallen in loveeans since moving through therein 2006 and the city is loving him back. drew so worshipped in this up to that people wear t-shirts that say breeses. how do you keep him from thinking he walks on water? >> it's not hard to do. i mean, when drew comes in after a long day, he comes home and he's a dad and he's a husband. even, you know, being a parent, you have no sleep and you're getting up in the middle of the night with the baby and i couldn't even complain. i mean, he was up before i was, he was up before the baby was, and then he was going to sleep before we did. >> a lot of women watching this will look at their husband and be like are you kidding me? you must have some faults, though. give me a few. >> he can really com part men allize things which is wonderful. it's such a gift. but can he also do that with myself when we're sitting there watching tv and i'm talking to him for about 15 minutes and i realize that he hasn't heard anything that i said. >> i'm off in my own world thin

. >>> now we've got also breaking news out of hollywood about brittany murphy's death. the coroner saying she died from pneumonia, prescription drug intoxication was also a factor. the coroner declined to say what types of drugs were involved. more details will be complete when a complete autopsy is ready two weeks from today. >>> bank of america and two top former executives have been charged with fraud over the bank's acquisition of merrill lynch. new york attorney general andrew cuomo accuses former ceo and cfo for intentionally not disclosing losses that were stacking up. they call it utterly false. >>> it's the jobs stupid. as democrats announce their plans for unemployment and boost small businesses. at any minute we're expecting to hear from the speaker of the house nancy pelosi. new numbers from the labor department revealing the unemployment situation is getting worse with unemployment claims up by 8,000 last week. the overall number of americans out of work still over 10%. >> we must use every legislative tool available for good paying jobs for american worker

. >> there's new information tonight in the death of actress brittany murphy. the los angeles coroner's office ruling the 32-year-old died of pneumonia, anemia and overdose of prescription medication. her death has been ruled an accident. >>> a deadly shark attack in florida, it was a kite surfer killed wednesday off the coast of stuart beach, about 100 miles north of miami. authorities say the experienced kite surfer was a quarter mile out from shore when he was surrounded by several sharks, bitten multiple times and later died at the hospital. >>> taking the oath on capitol hill, scott brown sworn in today as senator from massachusetts. the republican who won the seat in part on a wave of tea party sentiment, pledged to do the best job he can. his victory brings an end to the democrat 60 seat supermajority. >>> in australia there is bad news for '80s band men at work. a judge ruling a flute solo, there you hear it, from one of their biggest hits "down under" was actually stolen from a nursery rhyme. an australian schoolteacher, it was actually the estate for

brittany writing why can't we dress our kids in tutus and fishnets if that's our style?here you go the debate is on. 1-877-tell-hln. back with us to talk about it, kim sierra fin from "in touch" and michelle golland clinical psychologist. kim, go ahead. your thoughts on this. >> well, first of all i think there are a lot of erroneous reports about this clothing line which has made people very angry about it. initially, the reports and rumors came out this was a lingerie line they were starting. that turns out not to be true. turns out it is dresses like little tutus girls can wear and this line em he will grace collection, emily reeves and mily's sister is not involved other than she has worn some of the clothes and is friends with emi emily. i think there were erroneous reports that started a lot of the anxiety around this and, also, if you look on youtube, i know there are some of these pictures that are a little risque but others they have tutus with t-shirts and sneakers and don't look sexualized at all. i think there are pikery pictures that are disturbing and you d

county coroner's office says brittany murphy died from a combination of pneumonia, iron deficiency and drug intoxication. it did not list the drugs involved but a spokesman says they were not illegal and not the primary cause. brittany murphy was just 32 years old. >>> still ahead on the most news in the morning, a tea party on the high seas. when it comes to president obama, this is no love boat. we'll explain still ahead. eight minutes past the hour. (announcer) a cold or flu can start fast. it can go from a scratchy throat in the morning. to a cough. to a full body ache... at night. new tylenol cold rapid release gels day and night work fast too. they release medicine fast to relieve painful coughs, congestion and sore throats. so you can rest, day and night. feel better, tylenol cold. >>> it's ten minutes after the top of the hour. a quick check of other stories new this morning. democrats are now stuck with a not so supermajority in the senate and president obama is telling lawmakers we "should take our time before finalizing a health care reform bill." the president says he wants

brittany morehouse, 9 news now. >>> still to come, we get a closer look at the roads in maryland. >>>e looking good but what about those side streets? we will get the answers in two minutes. >>> we're back with the extended coverage of the latest winter blast. loo a live look at route 355 and shady grove road in rockville, maryland. joining us on the phone is the snow operations center manager in montgomery county. steve, thanks for joining us. tell us what do the roads look like out there? >> the main roads are looking good. mostly wet at this time. the neighborhood roads, however, are still snow covered. the ones we haven't plowed yet but the plowing operations we have been doing that for several hours now and we are working through the neighborhoods. >> about those neighborhoods, we always get the calls people want it done like yesterday when can they expect to see some pavement on neighborhood streets? >> probably sometime this afternoon at the very latest. the weather is working well with us. the temperatures are coming up above freezing right now. we're looking at temperatures j

. >> hi, my name is brittany. i'm also a student at columbia college and i have some questions. was wondering, in your writing, do feel like it's a major responsibility to take on the tax of being a blackmail out there as been compared to others? and the second question is, do you read a lot of other black male authors for further inspiration? >> do i feel us sense of responsibility as a black man writing? i would say yes. i record my ancestors ancestors of my soldiers. i have a shrine in my office about my intellectual ancestors, i have framed photos of all of them. so yes, they're actually looking at me when i write. so i do feel a sense of responsibility when i create. into every band? yeah, i read them with some intensity. i try to read african american male writers of my own generation, but as a drudgery previous generation read previous generation with some intensity, some regular devotion. people like dubois and james baldwin and i'm a huge ralph allison accolate and many other writers as well. >> i came from new york and i'm hoping you can help me think of venues to come