here's clayton sandell. >> reporter: blink and you might miss kelly, kentucky.mic coincidence is putting this community of just 300 at the dark center of eclipse frenzy. it's all happening on the 62nd anniversary of the night in 1955 when aliens supposedly terrorized a family farmhouse. geraldine sutton stith's father was there. >> it affected all of them. my uncle j.c. couldn't hold down a job after that. and dad, he didn't want to talk about it. >> reporter: investigators never found any proof. one suggested the aliens arrived in a bottle of kentucky moonshine. but the story made kelly famous, inspiring ufo enthusiasts and even steven spielberg when he made "e.t." kelly is hoping to cash in on the eclipse with the little green men days festival. >> we're raffling off a mitsubishi eclipse car. >> reporter: raising money to build their first-ever community center. and during that two minutes, 40 seconds of darkness, some wonder if just maybe the aliens will come back. >> i'll have my little glasses on and i'm gonna be like, okay -- try to watch -- okay, okay. th

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clayton sandell, abc news, houston. >> another disaster in the making there. well, in the meantime, nfl superstar j.j. watt, well, his goal this time of year is usually sacking quarterbacks. well, now he's tackling the disaster left in harvey's aftermath. >> he wants to raise $10 million for the flood victims and he's already more than halfway there. here's abc's t.j. holmes. >> reporter: j.j. watt for the houston texans is taking to social media to raise money forharvey efforts. >> it's hard to watch your city hit and not be there to help. >> reporter: starting with his own $100,000 donation he challenged his followers to match it and raised over half a million in less than a day. and after tackling that goal, he raised the bar even higher. >> i've upped the goal to 1.5 million now. >> reporter: and higher. >> $2 million. >> reporter: after raising nearly $9 million, the nfl star >> everything is bigger in texas so i'm raising the goal to $10 million. >> reporter: money pouring in from over 85,000 individual donors. t.j. holmes, abc news, new york. >> every d

here's clayton sandell. >> there's a swimmer coming down. >> reporter: daniel hartung's very first whitewaterrip nearly killed him. coming down six mile creek near hope, alaska, saturday, you can see he has been thrown into the water. >> hey he's pinned! he's caught! >> reporter: fellow kayakers begin a rescue as hartung fights the raging current. >> the more i tried to extract myself, the lower my head went until i was not able to breathe anymore. >> reporter: then hartung goes under. >> i just came to the realization that i was not gonna get out of this by myself and this was probably the end. >> reporter: that's when a stranger jumps into action. >> i knew at that point there was no way that i could let this man die if i had a 1% chance of doing something that saved his life, i was going to try it. [ cheers ] >> reporter: rescuers used cpr to revive him. for jenkins who turned 33 that day, there was no better present. >> i said to him, nobody dies on my birthday. >> reporter: clayton sandell, abc news, dedenver. >> he told him his wife said the kayak trip was a bad idea, and he is home and

tonight, that student's mother now speaking out, and here's abc's clayton sandell. >> reporter: in this, the cheering is replaced a lot of pleading. that's freshman ally wakefield. her mother says the teen is being forced into the pretties, held down by the coach. >> i saw girls being tortured to where their screams and cries sounded like a serial killer had come after them. >> reporter: the video was recorded in june at a cheer camp in east high school in denver. >> it didn't feel right. somebody had attacked my little girl, and people sat around and let it happen, and nobody stopped them, and she was begging him to stop, and he kept doing it anyways. >> reporter: the school district has now placed williams and several other staffers on leave, including the school principal, assistant principal, and assistant cheer coach, saying we absolutely prohibit any practices that place our students' physical and mental health in jeopardy. we will not allow any situation where a student is forced to perform an activity or exercise beyond they wish to stop. police tell us they are involved. they h

for "good morning america," clayton sandell, abc news, denver. >> and our thanks to clayton sandell.llowing that all week. >>> now for the weather and rob "rocky" marciano. >> that a way, baby. >>> this use to the be hurricane franklin traversed the mountains of mexico including mexico city and reformed in that's about it. it won't be affecting the monsoon which did this yesterday in las vegas. 2/3 of an inch in a very short amount of time and 68-mile-an-hour winds in henderson doing damage. look at that tree coming down. >>> more in the way of monsoon moisture. but southern california, beach temperatures, temperatures in the waters in the 70s. by the way, showers potentially seattle and portland trying to get some of that smoke out from all the wildfires but on the east side of the cascades still have smoke and red flag warnings. as a matter of fact, they have raised the level of readiness for fires across the u.s. to the highest level because of the dry lightning that's happening there. might have lightning coming molly: rain winding down. we have a flood warning until 9:30 this mo

for "good morning america," clayton sandell, abc news, denver. >> and our thanks to clayton sandell who's all week. >>> now for the weather and rob "rocky" marciano. this used to be hurricane franklin traversed the mountains of mexico and mexico city. that's about it. it won't be affecting the monsoon which did this in las vegas. flash flooding there, and 68-mile an hour winds in hernandez son. look at the tree coming down. more in the way of monsoon moisture east of california. southern california, temperatures in the water, laguna beach in the 70s. cooler up north. by the way showers potentially seattle and portland trying to get the smoke out from the wildfires. on the east side of the cascades we have smoke and red flag warnings. as a matter of fact they have raised the level of readiness because of the dry lightning coming through the northeast later on today. that's a check on the national headlines, here's the local forecast. george, -- >> reporter: goodgood morning, everyone, i'm meteorologist chris sowers with this accuweather update. we have showers around kay may and the wildwo

for "good morning america," clayton sandell, abc news, denver. >> a lot of people want to see how thatrica" no matter where you live the solar eclipse is going to be very cool. what you're going to see in your neck of the woods even if you're not in the path of totality but how to stay safe getting a look at it. we're back with more. how to stay safe getting a look at it. we're back with more. some whitening toothpastes only remove surface stains, but colgate optic white high impact white is different. it has hydrogen peroxide, to whiten four shades for a visibly whiter smile. trust your smile to colgate optic white. i do! atmore than one flavor, oruch texture, or color.ing. a good clean salad is so much more than green. and with panera catering, more for your event. panera. food as it should be. frida is a work appof art. the arts. when it's time to eat, frida enjoys the culinary-inspired taste of meow mix bistro recipes. made with real chicken, salmon or tuna. it's the only one cats ask for by name. fios is not cable. we're a 100% fiber optic network. and with the new fios gigabit co

clayton sandell, abc news, denver. >> and swift is expected to take the witness stand at some point inial. >>> coming up in the next half hour, outrage over a back to school sale, an image of an in-store rifle display at a walmart that's triggering anger across the country. >>> but first, as americans flock to the eclipse zone, hear why it has energy companies you're watching abc "world news now." rding mishap? nope. so let's be clear: clearasil works fast on teen acne, not so much on other teen ings. ltry align probiotic.n your digestive system? for a non-stop, sweet treat goodness, hold on to your tiara kind of day. get 24/7 digestive support, with align. the #1 doctor recommended probiotic brand. also in kids chewables. ♪ i've got the power ♪ >> i miss running man to this song. >> we're just 11 days away from the solar eclipse with 20 million americans expected to have a great there. but along with that view comes a lot of problems. here's t.j. holmes. >> reporter: small towns are turning into boomtowns as millions flock to rural america to catch a

. >> reporter: for "nightline" i'm clayton sandell in denver. >> thanks for watching abc news.ys, we're online 24/7 at abcnews.com and on our "nightline" facebook page. thanks again for watching and thanks again for watching and good night. ♪ ♪ award winning interface. award winning design. the volvo xc90. the most awarded luxury suv of the century. to receive sommar savings of up to $4,500. finding the best hotel price is whoooo. now a safe bet. because tripadvisor searches... ...over 200 booking sites - so you save up to 30% on the... ...hotelock it in.

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here's clayton sandell. >> reporter: this weekend, more than half a billion dollars is on the line. the powerball jackpot drawing tomorrow night, growing to $286 million. take the cash option and you're still pocketing a cool $178 mil. tonight's mega millions drawing is even bigger, cash option, $199 million. lottery officials tell us the last time the games both had jackpots this big was just over a year ago, but the amounts still nowhere near last year's $1.6 billion powerball payout. >> reporter: the chances of winning powerball one in 292,201,338. there is always a chance, so the crew and i have got our tickets. we'll be back on monday to report on the results, unless we're sitting on a tropical beach somewhere. >>> authorities say the mother and two children held captive for two years, making their escape. how they finally got free. >>> also, the controversy over dunkin' donuts. the possible major change sparking heated debate. we want your opinion on this one. >>> and your money tonight. major car deals this weekend. how low will dealers have to go? how little do they have to

abc's clayton sandell has more. >> reporter: the rain has stopped but the water is still rising.he addicks dam reservoir is so full it's spilling into nearby streets. people evacuated on boats, humvees, even this garbage truck. you're trying to think about when that critical point is to call for help? >> it's now. we decided we need to get out. >> reporter: neighborhoods downstream from the barker and addicks dam reservoir are pressured too. >> the idea is to balance the inflows that we can't control, based on the unparalleled level of rainfall upstream. and the outflows that we can control. which is what you see here. >> reporter: the man in charge of monitoring the dams says he believes they will hold. >> these dams are currently performing as expected. you can see that the releases are performing as we expect them to be able to with this amount of rainfall. it's unparalleled. you can see that the water pooling behind the dams is still controlled. >> reporter: officials say they see a glimmer of home as waters begin to slowly go back down. but there are some places like this ne

. >> reporter: for "nightline" i'm clayton sandell in denver. >> thanks for watching abc news.always, we're online 24/7 at abcnews.com and on our "nightline" facebook page. thanks again for watching and good night.

our clayton sandell is en route to hopkinsville, kentucky. >> reporter: this is the inter state 70 hereget a sign like this, warning drivers that traffic is going to be heavy on eclipse day. >> reporter: schools planning to keep kids indoors for eye safety. and in states like california who rely on the power grid, they are keeping a close eye but say there's little reason for concern. thousands streaming here which nasa says is the best spot to view the eclipse. from this perch, you can see the tents. 5,000. this quadruples the entire town of madras. nasa's dr. jim green says this is a rare chance to see the sun like never before. >> what we want to look for is how extensive the atmosphere of the sun is. >> reporter: the last time americans got a good look at one, jimmy carter was in the white house. >> not until august 21st, 2017 will another eclipse be visible from america. >> reporter: let's say you don't have nifty solar glasses. there are a couple work arounds. turn your back to the sun, put your phone on selfie mode. take a cracker with holes in it. turn your back to the sun and w

that levee was later fortified but officials are keeping a close eye on other abc's clayton sandell shows >> reporter: the rain has stopped but the waters are still rising. the addicks reservoir in west houston is so full it's spilling into nearby streets. people and pets evacuated on boats, humvee, even this garbage truck. right now you're trying to figure out when this critical point is to call for help and get out. >> it's actually now. we decided we need to get out. >> reporter: neighborhoods downstream of the reservoirs are flooding too as officials are forced to release water to relieve pressure on the dams. >> the dilemma is to try to balance the inflows that we can't control based off of that unparalleled level of rifle that's he kurred upstream and the outflows we can control which is what you see here. >> reporter: the man in charge of monitoring the dams says he believes they will hold. >> these dams are currently performing as expected. you can see that the releases expect them to be with this amount of rainfall that's unparalleled and you can see that the water is pooling beh

abc's clayton sandell is in austin with the latest. >> reporter: tonight, in texas military might helping the search and rescue mission. the coast guard saving 18 boaters today, including these four from a sinking tug near port aransas. near rockport, one couple stranded with their dog got a chopper lift to a nearby hospital. in houston, floodwaters turned this suv into a submarine. one man escapes out the back, another helps to tow it out. >> hurricane harvey. >> reporter: the national guard force now battling harvey, up to 1,800 troops. their effort, appreciated by even the smallest texans. >> thank you! >> thank you! >> reporter: and tonight, swift water rescue teams across texas are gearing up for what they believe will be a very busy night of water rescues as the remnants of harvey move inland, tom. >> they will be stay busy, and thank you. >>> still ahead on this special edition of "world news tonight" saturday, with all eyes on texas, president trump issues a pardon. the massive backlash tonight. >>> and blackhawk down. tonight, the desperate search for the american service member

here's abc's clayton sandell. >> reporter: houston's fleetwood neighborhood tonight is a marina. dozens of volunteers like kenny evans -- >> hello! rescue! >> reporter: -- showing up with their own rescue boats. >> have you ever seen anything like this? >> never, no. >> reporter: people here say they were caught off-guard by rising floods overnight, supercharged when officials say they were forced to release water from the nearby addicks and barker reservoirs. the lypkie family, 3-year-old jude and 2-year-old ollie. >> here why don't you guys sit right here together. you okay? >> reporter: stranded with mom and dad for 13hours. >> you guys excited for a boat ride? >> reporter: the army corps of engineers is sending water downstream to relieve pressure on the dams. but they're filling faster than they can be emptied, meaning homes on the backside of the reservoirs are flooding too. nearly three dozen subdivisions, hundreds of homes, at risk. evans estimates he has carried more than 100 people to safety. >> we have called 911. >> 911 won't help you. i'm here to hapelp you. >> repor

here's clayton sandell. >> reporter: tonight crosby texas is dealing with too much water.nd now the potential for fire or worse. the new danger coming from a flooded manufacturing plant. the ceo of arkema inc. reportedly saying today he expects chemicals stored there will catch fire or explode within six days telling the wall street journal there is "no way to prevent it." in a statement, the company describes the situation at the plant as "serious." dozens of homes are nearby and everyone living within a 1 1/2-mile radius has been ordered to evacuate. families, their pets and whatever they could carry leaving in school buses and military vehicles. the chemicals used to make things like hoses, foam cups and plastic pipes need to be kept cold. but more than 40 inches of rain knocked out electricity killed backup generators and now threatens the remaining cold storage units. what is not clear tonight is exactly how big a fire or explosion might be, and exactly what the impact would be on people or the environment. tonight, state, local and federal officials are watching clos

abc's clayton sandell is there in crosby, texas tonight. >> reporter: tonight, fire and water. flames burning through this flooded arkema chemical plant in crosby. two explosions already, and no way to stop any more. overnight smoke fumes sending fifteen sheriff's deputies to the hospital. worried residents here are getting mixed messages from the government. local officials downplay the danger. what does it mean for people's health? >> what does it mean for people's health? you don't want to stand in smoke, do you? so the sheriff says it's like a campfire. >> reporter: so the things burning there are no more dangerous than a campfire? >> i did not say that, sir. you don't want to inhale smoke. that's plain and simple. >> reporter: but from fema, the message was more alarming. >> the plume is incredibly dangerous. >> reporter: the chemicals used to make plastics are only stable if kept cold. this demonstration shows what happens if they're not. but under 6 feet of floodwater, the plant lost all power, killing the cooling system. when arkema alerted authorities an explosion was

here's clayton sandell. >> i can not imagine what's going through his mind right thousand. >> reporter pitcher chad bettis is taking the mound again. his first time pitching since late last year. under the welcome signs, bettis flew fastballs topping 93 miles per hour. making a remarkable comeback after a batting his toughest opponent, cancer. >> and that is see you later strike three. >> reporter: then a standing ovation. >> standing ovation for chad bett bettis. >> reporter: handshakes from his coach. >> reporter: and bear hugs from teammates. >> reporter: and win not just for chad bettis. his team family and an inspiration to others fighting cancer. >> keep going and surround yourself with people that are positive it's never really done. you are always fighting for someone next to you. >> as the sign said, bettis is back. i'm david muir. i hope to see you right back here tomorrow. until then, good night. it's disney sea & shore, and it starts right now. wheel... of... fortune! ♪ [ cheers and applause ] ladies and gentlemen, here are the stars of america's game --