from off the ship friday night, a few hours after the accident, with furious port authority captain defalkoafter days in jail, the captain was released and place under house arrest. his attorney claims he may have saved many lives by acting quickly to beach the ship. otherwise it may have sunk completely in deeper water. back to you. >> that was nbc's michelle kosinski reporting from italy. >>> in the pacific northwest, folks are bracing for a winter storm. travel is already been snarled in cities like portland and seattle where the average annual snowfall is barely 6 inches. nbc's kirk gregory reports. >> reporter: old man winter is slamming into the pacific northwest. snow has been falling steadily in parts of oregon and washington making road conditions hazardous. with the worst expected later today. seattle, more used to rain than snow, is preparing for a major winter wallop. the national weather service has issued a winter storm warning for much of the region, where up to two feet of snow is forecast in the cascade mountains. >> off on 34 and turn around. closed until tomorrow. >> real