the >>grant: fire officials say a connecticut house where five people died in a christmas morning fire has been torn down. the mother was a prominent new york advertising executive and a man who works for the family made it out of the whole life. the woman's three young children and her parents died in that fire. a fire official says that the firefighters on scene tried to reach the family members on the second floor but intense fire and he drove them back. because of the fire is under investigation. >>gabe: the holidays are over, what do you do with your old gadgets? i will show you how to get cash safely >>grant: a contest were san mateo county residents can submit ideas for new laws. the congressman will take a winner in february. this will be the fourth year before the contest. >> in california, if you want a law passed, you can collect 400-5 for the signatures to go on the ballot for, 120 legislators can do it. people come up with great ideas and suggestions. >>grant: we caught up with some residents who had a few ideas of their own. >> there are a lot of indians on the road. peop

a fire official says a connecticut house where five people died in a christmas morning inferno has beenbut her parents and three daughters were killed. >>> president obama continues his hawaiian vacation with the first family after visiting the the troops at a marine base on christmas. >>> and matthew mcconaughey apparently liked it and put a ring on it. the lincoln lawyer actor proposed to his longtime girlfriend with whom he has two children. more news in about an hour. for now, though, it's back to "the squeeze." >>> for every threat that they diffuse, investigators know there's many more brewing at any given time at chicago's cook county jail. >> you put these guys all together in a confined area with rules that they've never had in their whole life, there's going to be violence. and that's what you're going to be subjected to every single day. >> right now, a civil war within the top ranks of the gangster disciples poses the greatest danger to the entire compound. so authorities are getting ready to shake up the main suspects. >> what we're going to do is within the jail, we're goi

well, what caused that connecticut house to burn down on christmas?lus a grandfather's final attempt to save at least one of his grandchildren. >>> also, billions of dollars spent on gift cards this holiday season and even billions more wasted. what is it about taking a first step that we find so compelling? is it because taking a step represents hope? or triumph? at genworth, we believe in taking small steps every day to keep your promises, protect what matters, and prepare for a secure financial future. no matter where you want to go, one step at a time is the only way to get there. go to genworth.com/promises. >>> a clang and a whimper. that's how things went this morning on wall street. stocks are down as investors backed off ahead of any 2012 bets. no real change on the equities front, but the s&p fell below the 200-day average. we will keep you posted as the day goes on. >>> well, if you received a larger than usual number of gift cards this holiday season, you are not alone. according to the national retail federation, holiday sales linked to g

>>justine: we are getting an update on the deadly connecticut house hire that happen christmas day. fowl play has been rolled out in the blaze that killed five people. he who believe the fire was a fireplace or related. the fire started christmas morning. the house has now been torn down. the mother was a prominent new york advertising executive. for she did make it out of the stanford house alive. her three young children and parents died in the fire. the culinary investigation is showing that the fire was just a tragic accident. >>darya: the man suspected of killing a nine year-old girl in indiana told police that he beat the girl with a brick and then cut her up. that is a picture of him. he admitted in an affidavit. cut the >>darya: here are the remnants of a helicopter crash that they were on their way to picket a hard for a transplant. they do not know what made the chopper crashed. they left the mayo clinic in jacksonville at 545 a year carrying a surgeon, a technician and a pilot. the cause is under investigation. >>darya: closed christmas shopping was big. it did turn violen

in the connecticut house, five people died in a christmas morning fire. the mother who is a new york agency advertising executive meted out of the stanford law alliance. her children and her parents died in the fire. the first firefighters on the scene tried to reach the family on the second- floor but intense fight. he drove them back. the cause of the fire is still under investigation. >>daniel: a blanket of low cloud cover. it's theft widespread fog and clouds there it's not afternoon, partly cloudy conditions and smiled for jurors. if how mets take a closer look at those numbers. 56 expected in redwood city. 57 and concord and nt of syrian the wet weather is coming home the pacific northwest. behind have had half her hands meatloaf lybrand >> here is a live look at the golden gate bridge. traffic is improving. we were just told that things are looking better. meanwhile, we're taking a look at the san mateo bridge. hah will take a short story can see right back. >>grant: oakland police are investigating for different shootings over the holiday weekend.

houses. connecticut passed a bill a couple of years ago to end the death penalty that was vetoed by the then republican governor who is no longer in office. this is for states in four years and we expect more on the way. >> this deserves applause. >> we're making progress in california. the statue was enacted by the voters and it will take the voters working together to into the death penalty in california. this is a very daunting task. although the initial process gave people a voice in politics, this has turned into a situation where money has a voice in politics. this is going to be a challenge to raise the funds that we need to actually mount an initiative campaign with the death penalty, but we're getting closer and closer every day. the people of california are ready to end the death penalty. a couple of weeks ago we were able to do a poll on the question of the governor converting all of these 713 death sentences to life without possibility of parole, and a change would save the city california $1 billion in five years. 63% of the voters support this idea across the entire state. ever

she was on her way to grandma's house in connecticut. but the airplane took a wrong turn. she was stranded in baltimore for hours. we have restored. >> all she wanted was to spend christmas at their grandmother's house. she boarded her southwest flight in tennessee with strict instructions. >> the lady and check out said, don't cut off this plane, only when you see laguardia airport. >> but then her plane got detoured, touching down in cleveland and ohio before getting to baltimore. >> the flight attendants said people going to a quarter have to get off at baltimore. -- the flight attendant said people going to laguardia airport have to get off at baltimore. >> unaccompanied minors have to be booked on flights that do not include plane changes. she said she was nervous that her family would not know where she was because southwest did not call them. >> i was kind of scared but i knew i was able to get hold. >> it was a different story for grandmother. >> it was scary. not knowing where she was. >> now that she is home save, the family is hoping to have a safe and relaxing h

. >> another awful christmas day story in stanford, connecticut where a house fire killed five people. stanford police say the house was engulfed in flames before 5:00 yesterday morning. the homeowners, 10-year-old and 7-year-old twins along with her parents all were killed. firefighters tried to reach the victims on the second floor of the home but the heat drove them back. the homeowner and another man were able to make it out of the home fine. >>> well, most of us know someone who had to travel for the holidays. one colorado couple had quite a journey getting home from africa. as jeff todd reports, it wouldn't have happened without an outpouring of support from their family and friends and the whole effort started on facebook. >> we want you guys home for christmas. when are we going to see you next? i said it is not going to happen this year. it is not in our plans. >> the reason it was impossible is because jen and her husband, sean, live almost 6,000 miles away in senegal with their missionary. >> we're working in a small kind of like a bible study sized church that's growing an

. >>> tonight you hear about that deadly house fire in connecticut and once you found out how it started it gives us a jolt to do something to our own homes to protect our own families and that's what t. j. winick is going to do for us tonight. >> reporter: officials now know those three young girls and their grandmother who died in that horrific christmas day fire in connecticut succumbed to smoke inhalation. the grandfather was killed by head and neck trauma. he fell through the rafters. the house was being renovated on most of the second floor. the family was not supposed to be staying there yet there were no hard wired smoke alarms. >> that's the sound. be familiar with that sound so that you know what to do right away. >> reporter: a friend of the connecticut ad executive who owned the home the only two survivors had put ashes from the fireplace in a bag into a trash enclosure attached to the rear of the house. while overall fire deaths are down over the past five years deaths from accidental causes are up 18%. in this last week of december homes are three times more likely to catch

house. a town in connecticut is struggling with a horrific holiday loss after five fellow members die in a housee. a neighbor shot cell phone video of the blaze which killed three children and two grandparents on christmas morning. thousands of residents in washington state had to celebrate the holiday without lights because trees were toppled by a high winds. city workers had to come in to close roads. the wind reached gusts of more than 50 miles an hour in the seattle area on christmas day. american retailers are preparing for many happy returns. stores are bracing for returns of almost 10% on any dollar spent. brian mooar has more on one of the biggest shopping days. >> after speeding around the globe to deliver all his gifts on time -- >> jingle bells jingle all the way. >> santa and his friends spent some time surfing in cocoa beach, florida. and if facebook's any measure, the man in red did a pretty good job this year. foul weather left ups scrambling to get tens of thousands of packages delivered on time. and speaking of scrambling, it's now crunch time for the republican presidential can

. >>> now we turn to a wrenching story, a christmas day house fire in connecticut that killed five members of the same family. three children and their grandparents. and a reminder that these kind of fires peak in the winter months. especially, according to government figures, in this month of december. tonight, officials have revealed the cause of the christmas day fire in connecticut. and nbc's craig melvin has our report. >> reporter: just before 5:00 christmas morning, neighbors heard screams and saw flames shooting from the badger house on shiphand lane. >> there's a huge fire at the house next door to us. the whole house is on fire, a major, major fire, with people in the house. >> we have the fire department on the way, ma'am. >> please, please come quickly. >> reporter: today firefighters described a frantic scene. 47-year-old madonna badger desperately trying to direct them to the rooms where her family members were trapped. firemen had to drag her away. also today, officials revealed what caused the deadly fire. >> the fire appears to have been caused by hot fireplace ash and emb

. >>> and this is cell phone video of a house fire in stamford, connecticut. ve members of a family died in this fire. 7-year-old twin girls, a 10-year-old girl and their grandparents did not make it out of the house after the early morning fire. firefighters did try several times to rescue them but were pushed back by the intense heat of the flames. the children's mother and family friend were able to make it out of the house. the cause of the fire is under investigation. >>> we are following breaking news in iraq. iraqi officials say a car bombing killed seven people in baghdad. it was set off at the checkpoint to the interior ministry during the morning rush. it follows thursday's wave of explosions that killed 72 people in baghdad. u.s. and iraqi officials have warned of violence in the wake of u.s. troops leaving the country this month. and the white house is condemning what it calls a senseless christmas terrorist attack in nigeria. a radical muslim sect claimed responsibility for the coordinated explosions that killed 39 people. most who died were on the

. >>> we now know what caused that christmas morning house fire in connecticut that killed a couple and three of their grandchildren. officials say the fire was an accident caused by a hot fireplace that was smoldering when the embers were thrown away inside the house. neighbors say they were awakenedded by screams sortly before 5:00 a.m. and rushed outside to help but it was just too late. >>> brit i'm's prince philip is back home after a brief stay in the hospital. queen elizabeth's husband was taken there last friday after complaining of chest pains. drrs successfully inserted a coronary tent to treat a clogged artie. it is the 90-year-old's most serious health issue to date. >>> coming up, a tribute on the 28th president of the united states. >>> and from tainted canted lope to a more simplified way to eat healthy. we'll run down the top health- related stories of the year. >>> no shortage of sunshine. we don't have the rain. we do the winds however and they are going to be gusty. i'll have a look at what you can expect and a look at that all-important forecast coming up. i'm just a

. >>> investigators should know by tomorrow what caused a deadly house fire on christmas day in stamford, connecticute children and their grandparents were killed. fox's marianne rafferty reports. >> i've been on this job 38 years. reporter: three children and their grandparents have been killed in a christmas morning house fire in connecticut. >> it was absolutely incredible. you take the towering inferno, any of the worst things you've ever seen in the movie and it was by a factor of five, mine just flames shooting from the sky, not -- i mean just flames shooting from the sky, not just peeking out of the windows. reporter: two people were able to escape, a female new york ci her male quaint answer. neighbors wound up to screaming -- acquaintance. neighbors woke up to screaming. >> the develop, i heard her say my whole -- the woman, i heard her say my whole life's in there. reporter: firefighters knew the victims were trapped inside. >> first units on the scene attempted rescues within the structure. they were pushed back by intense flame and heat. reporter: the partially collapsed roof is all that'

ahead on news 4, new details about that house fire in connecticut that killed a couple and their three grandchildren. why authorities say no one should have been in the home in the first place. >>> welcome back. time now 4:41, where we've got temperatures throughout the area upper 30s and low 40s. we're at 42 degrees right now. temperatures are not going to rise very much. in fact, i think it will be the fifth chilliest day out of the month. it's been so mild. so many days in the 50s and 60s. 45 today. we've got a few clouds around the area now. overall, though, a mostly sunny day. by the time we get to 5:00 today, we'll be back in the upper 30s. and then it's going to be a cold night coming our way. we're going to be dipping down eventually, 11:00 p.m. there, 31 degrees. eventually, 22 to 27 degrees, the range in temperatures. that will be some of the coldest air that we've gotten this season. as far as friday goes, we'll peak at 55. two real chilly days with very cold air headed our way next week. carol? >> thank you, veronica. >>> 66 moving well inside and outside the beltway as wel

. >>> and this is a cell phone video of a house fire in stamford, connecticut. five members of a family died in this fire. 7-year-old twin girls, a 10-year-old girl, and their grandparents did not make it out of the house after the early morning fire. firefighters tried several times to rescue them but were pushed back by the intense heat of the flames. the children's mother and a family friend were able to make it out of the house. the cause of the fire is under investigation. >>> now to breaking news in iraq, an explosion has killed seven people in baghdad. iraqi officials say a suicide bomber has detonated a car bomb at a checkpoint. it happened at the entryway to the interior ministry in baghdad during the morning rush. five policemen were among those killed, and 32 people were hurt. u.s. and iraqi officials had warned of violence in the wake of u.s. troops leaving the country this month. the white house is condemning what it calls a senseless christmas terrorist attack in nigeria. a radical muslim sect claimed responsibility for the coordinated explosions th

. >>> now we know what caused the deadly christmas morning house fire in connecticut that killed two people and three grandchildren the fire was an accident caused by hot fireplace embers still smoldering when thrown away inside the house neighbors were awakened by a scream shortly before 5:00 a.m. they rushed outside to help but at that point it was already too late. >> three security contractors released by the iraqi army after being held more than two weeks two are americans one from long island new york the other georgia. the iraqi ministry of defense rejected paperwork prepared on their behalf by iraqi ministry of interior, the men were not charged with any crime. >>> another example why you might want to thing twice before you post something on facebook a mexican anti poverty official fired after posting a comment suggesting poor people smell bad it reads quote truth is, this smells impressively bad poor things. that comment was retweeted on other sites, he offered an apology on his facebook page. >> cheetah the chimp passes away at 80 years old. >> how a child 's relationship w

he was found guilty in october of killing the petites and setting their house in connecticut on fire. william petite survived the brutal attack. he says quote we believe justice has been served. >>> they gathered last night for a candlelight vigil at virginia tech, a campus police officer was shot and killed there thursday. state police, 22-year-old believe ross ashley killed himself. >>> more than 4 1/2 years ago 33 people died in a mass shooting on that same campus. >>> a new child sex abuse allegation involving a sports figure surfacing today. this time against the head of the amateur athletic union. two men tell espn that robert bobby dodd molested them back in the 1980s when they were playing on dodd's aau basketball team. police in memphis, tennessee have opened an investigation. one of the men says dodd drugged him and offered him $1,000 for oral sex. no comment from dodd who is battling colon cancer. >>> the robert dodd investigation is on italy latest child sex allegation to hit the athletic world. it started with charges against former penn state assistant football coach jer

cassidy's first christmas we shot at our house in connecticut. we had a glass coffee table.was underneath it. i will never forget. cassidy was over it going, cody, cody. it was just sweet. those are the kind of things you remember. how about you, hodi? >> i have great childhood memories of the holidays. it's like when you're carefree. you didn't have worries, you didn't have bills to pay. you rode a sled down the hill. you just felt great and you waited for santa. i like when you didn't have a lot of worries, unlike right now. >> next up, we have kate and libby from georgia. >> hi. >> what do you want most for christmas? >> world peace. it's true. what would you like? >> i want peace in my own home. my son is returning from college and we never know who is going to show up, the one that loves his mommy or the one who can't stand her. i'm hoping the one that loves his mother is on a plane tomorrow. that's all i want, peace in our own home and a little sunshine down in the keys. have a merry christmas, you guys. >> see you later. still to come, the animals you never want to ru

fire officials released the calls made as residents of stanford, connecticut watch their neighbor's house christmas morning. three children and their grandparents were all killed in the fire. take a listen. >> 911, what's the address of your emergency? >> i'm calling about a major major fire with people in the house. >> we have a fire crew on the way. >> please. >> they believe that embers may have sparked the fire. the grand father who was killed was found near one of the girl's windows. they believe he was trying to save his granddaughters's life when they both succumbed. >> facebook is helping to free a utah woman and child who were held against their will on five days. erica carver managed to sneak a computer into a closet and posted a message begging for help. replies went unanswered, but a friend offered up her address. police say they arrived to find an uncooperative troy krichfield. he was arrested in a similar kidnapping last year. >>> an armed man trying to rob a cash for gold store. check this out. friday night instead of the clerk giving up the cold hard cash, surveillance vid

. >>> a deadly fire ripped through the house of an advertising executive in connecticut on christmas morning. five people were killed including the executive's three daughters and their parents. two were able to escape from the burning house. >>> to campaign 2012 now. with the first caucuses and primary due in early january, most of the republican presidential candidates are back on the campaign trail tomorrow. all of them took christmas day off. whit johnson reports. >> mitt romney got a christmas gift from new hampshire. a new state poll has him leading by 22 points over rivals newt gingrich and ron paul. the poll also shows him favored by 32% of the state's independent voters. although he trails newt gingrich nationally and in iowa, romney has historically polled better with independents. a recent study in "usa today" shows that there are now 24 billion registered independents and a poll from earlier this year say their numbers have increased over 8% from the last decade to 37% of american voters. the most of any time on record. democrats and republicans still have them beat with m

it's the house next door. >> trapped inside the stamford, connecticut, home, grandparents and their threear-old lily and 7-year-old twins, grace and sarah. >> calling about a major, major fire with people in the house. >> we have the fire department on the way, ma'am. >> please, come quickly. >> reporter: the house was under renovation. it appears fireplace embers placed in an outdoor trash enclosure near the home ignited the blaze. the mom, madonna badger, managed to climb out on the scaffolding frantically directing firefighters to the third floor where she said her children were sleeping. >> the crew pushed through two rooms unable to find the children. they were pushed back by the intense heat and flame. >> reporter: grabbing two of the frightened girls, family friend michael borcina, seen here on his facebook page, reached the second floor. >> the heat drove them to get separated. it looks like one went back upstairs and another was found with the grandmother. >> reporter: grandfather lomer johnson, spent christmas eve playing santa at saka fifth avenue. he managed to leave one grand

so much stuff there, so i'm taking it up to -- i have a house in connecticut, so i'm dragging it up theren't know what i'm supposed to do with it. >> jimmy: you should open a museum. that's really what i think -- >> you know, honest to god, i just went through the lobby. it would be nice for a little nest, a little wing starring regis. >> jimmy: we will build you a little museum. >> why not? i have all those pictures, all those emmys. everything. what do you want, it's there. >> jimmy: we could put -- do i have the statue? no, i don't have the statue. remember the golden gelman statue that we gave you? >> oh, sure. >> jimmy: you left it here. you forgot to take it with you. we can start with that and build on it. i think it would be bigger than -- >> right here on hollywood boulevard near regis' star. what's wrong? >> jimmy: do you have a wax figure? >> absolutely. >> jimmy: pull that over here too. >> sure. the more regis, the better. >> jimmy: we can make a lot of money from this. >> that's right. >> jimmy: yeah, and when you say we, i mean i could make a lot of money. >> absolutely. wh

investigators say that disguarded embers from a fireplace sparked a deadly christmas day house fire in connecticutldren died in that -- grandchildren died in that blaze. on this day in 1932, thousands turned out for the grand opening of new york city radio city music hall. the art dzeko theater was the brainchild of john d. rockefeller jr. he built it as the corner stone of rockefeller complex in a formerly run down manhattan neighborhood. more than 700 films premiered on the stage setting sun. the

reporter: three children and their grand patterns have been killed in a christmas morning house fire in connecticut. >> it was absolutely incredible. you take the towering inferno, any of those, the worst things you have seen in the movie and it was by a factor of five. flames shooting from the sky. peaking out the windows. these were blasting out of every window and through the roof. >> reporter: two people escaped. a female new york city advertising executive and a male acquaintance. neighbors woke up to the squad of screaming. >> the woman, she just -- i heard her say my life is in there. >> the biggest fire in stamford in a couple of decades. >> reporter: firefighters knew the victims were trapped inside. >> first units attempted rescues within the structure. they were pushed back by intense flame and heat. >> reporter: the partially collapsed roof is all that is left. neighbors say the house was undergoing renovations and the male acquaintance that escaped was a contractor doing work on the home. firefighters don't know the cause of the fire and they are working on trying to get into the home

. >>> investigators are trying to determine the cause of a connecticut fire that killed five people. the house has been torn down after the christmas morning fire that killed three children and their grandparents. the home was being renovated by advertising executive madonna badger who escaped but could not save her family. >>> some charity groups will have to return some improper donations. the group calling itself anonymous gave money to the groups after stealing credit card information in a cyber attack on a security company. anna werner reports. >> reporter: visitors to the stratfor intelligence website looking for analysis of world affairs found this video calling card posted by the hackers who broke into servers, stole a list of the company's subscribers, then posted their personal information on the internet. >> they released their name, a credit card number, the expiration date. >> reporter: internet security expert alex stavos says the information is a treasure trove for people who want to commit identity theft. >> the list of users is very interesting because it contains people who w

. >>> fire officials say there are many lessons we can learn from the connecticut fire that killed 5 people. the house was being renovated and the family was not supposed to be staying there yet. there were no hard wired smoke alarms. fire officials say in older homes the fire could engulf this room in 18 minutes. with new material the home could go as much as 3 minutes at a time. >>> one family's trash is another thief's gold boxes from your christmas gifts that you toss out on the street may be the inviting a they have you're broadcasting what your big haul was for this christmas. police say to prevent this take the labels off and fold the ones with the big ticket items fold them up and tuck them in between other ones so nobody can see them. >>> kim leonard called it her dad's favorite. they have the best rice pudding outside geek town. but this place is known for its sausage and hot dogs when they closed the place in baltimore you open the door of memories. the closing of poll okay johnnys another lexington market. >> reporter: sausage that is and diane wilkins who has worked at the market for more