she's a ham. >> fiona the hippo. from premature baby to bonafide brand.se and given her own ice cream flavor. >> chunky, chunky hippo. >> and time magazine naming her person of the year. >> fiona joining the ranks of animal celebs with massive social reach like marty the dog 2 million instagram followers and the nala cat with $3.5 million and april the girard 56 last year was born and 14 million watched in one day. but hippos are not the cuddliest of animals how did the journey to stardom begin, in the womb, first hippo to be barn in the cincinnati zoo for 75 years but almost didn't make it as her mother went to labor six weeks early, and weighed just 29 pounds. typical weight is 55 to 120 pounds. >> she was little. >> she was placed into a ad hoc hippo nicu and put on iv and given round the clock care. the keepers and zoo staff fighting to keep the baby hippo alive. >> it was very touch and go at the beginning. had to make it up on the fly didn't know what was in hippo milk had to milk the mom and have that analyzed. >> her daily struggle documented on f

she's a ham. >> reporter: fiona the hippo, from premature baby to bona fide brand, featured on merchandiseown ice cream flavor and even a campaign to make her time magazine's person of the year. >> fiona, over here. >> reporter: her journey to stardom began in the womb. the first nile hippo said to be born at the cincinnati zoo in years. >> we were told prognosis was not very good at all. >> reporter: she was placed in an ad hocnicu. her daily struggle for survival documented on the facebook page. small moments becoming big victory. the world watching as she learned to stand. >> i stand. i'm a big girl. >> reporter: how to swim and even took her first steps. >> i became emotionally attached just like the rest of the world and a few times i really didn't think she was going to survive. >> reporter: but the little one didn't just survive, she thrived. here's a six-week old fiona stubbornly learning how to walk up and down a ramp. what does she typically eat? >> we're weaning her off a bottle. so she's getting 3,000 milliliters of formula and she loves produce like hay, squash and on special

we're visiting the most famous hippo in the world. fionag 1, people. >>> plus a former doctor being sentenced for abusing gymnasts. hear what the judge told him after hearing him complain about hearing victims in court. judge judy would have been proud. you're watching "world news now." judge judy would have been proud. you're watching "world news now." >>> we're looking at new video tonight over copacabana beach. 15 people, some of them, children, are hurt after a car slammed into a crowd along a walkway. right now they say it's not an act of terror. it's believed the driver suffered an epileptic attack. the beach was more crowded than normal. >>> here at home this is the last day of victim's testimony in the case of the former usa gymnastic's team dr. larry nassar who abused more than 100 people. >> nassar was hoping to avoid today stating listening to his victim's stories is detrimental to his health. but it judge wasn't having it. linsey davis has more on this. >> reporter: for three days now more than 80 women have unleashed an onslaug

. >>> fiona the hippo is turning 1 on wednesday. the celebration is already under way at the cincinnati zoo. the birthday girl made a special appearance this weekend and enjoyed a hippo-friendly cake by the zoo nutritionists. the zoo posted a fun few photos and video of its famous resident. fiona stole many hearts after she was born six weeks premature and struggled to survive. she proved to be a fighter. she has grown from a mere 29 pounds at birth to 600 pounds. the nutritionists are clearly doing a good job. >> very cute. she should have her own instagram. >> i think she does. >>> from all of the us here at abc7 news, thank you for joining us "who wants to be a millionaire" is coming up next. at at&t, we believe in access. the opportunity for everyone to explore a digital world. connecting with the things that matter most. and because nothing keeps us more connected than the internet, we've created access from at&t. california households with at least one resident who receives snap or ssi benefits may qualify for home internet at

from fiona the hippo -- the fidget spinners.. we look at what went viral in 2017..ee your one, two and three dollar deals. tell you what, i'll raise you five. introducing value jack's way. five great ways to save. like i tell jack jr., it's all about big values, jr. prices. that's value jack's way. ( will ) an s-u-v crashed into a 7-11 store in san leandro. here are some pictures from the scene. it happened last night on 1240 manor blvd. a white s-u-v crashed into the store ... causing damage to property inside. alameda county officials say there were no injuries in this ( will ) happening today... the king tides are expected to bring some minor flooding in low lying areas in the bay area. the national weather service says ... they will happen today and tomorrow. they could cause flooding of parking lots ... sidewalks and coastal trails. officials say entrances and exits to coves and narrow beaches may be affected too. (rebecca) and i'm tracking your morning forecast. a full weather report right after the break. rebecca:outside of a few sprinkles over the north bay

. >>> and happy birthday to fiona the hippo who turns one today. s born six weeks premature at just 29 pounds, but my, has she grown to a healthy 655 pounds. becoming the star of the cincinnati zoo. >>> up next here tonight, the amazing >>> up next here tonight, the amazing story of one woman's each years 58,007 steps. that's the height of mount everest. because each day she chooses to take the stairs. at work, at home... even on the escalator. that can be hard on her lower body, so now she does it with dr. scholl's orthotics. clinically proven to relieve and prevent foot, knee or lower back pain, by reducing the shock and stress that travel up her body with every step she takes. so keep on climbing, sarah. you're killing it. dr. scholl's. born to move. vof hundreds of families, he'se hmost proud of the one the heads he's kept over his own. brand vo: get paid twice as fast with quickbooks smart invoicing. quickbooks. backing you. for her compassion and care. he spent decades fighting to give families a second chance. but to help others, they first h

program. >> you hit success when facebook calls you and says we want fiona to have her own show. >> reporter: the serve-episode show drew a hippoeporter: at a time of divisiveness in our world, it's no wonder that this -- ♪ happy birthday to you ♪ >> reporter: -- now 600-pound baby hippo's first birthday could be an inspiration to so many. >> everybody was able to follow the story of her and fall in love with her. she became a part of everyone's family almost. >> reporter: a family that watched fiona put the hip in hippopotamus. for "today," kerry sanders, nbc news. >> that's adorable. >> millions of people watching that. >> happy birthday fiona. >>> just ahead, we are revealing the people that inspire us the most. we start with al's pick. who is his man crush monday? first this, is "today" on nbc. sfx: tinny headphone music sfx: feet shuffling life can change in an instant. be covered when it does... ...with a health plan through covered california. we offer free expert help choosing the best plan for you. and all of our plans include free preventive care. financial help is available, so check for yourself to see what savings

. >> you hit success when facebook calls you and says, we want fiona to have her own show. >> reporter: the serve-episode show drew a hippoer. >> 2017 was the year of fiona. >> reporter: at a time of divisiveness in our world, it's no wonder that this -- ♪ happy birthday to you >> reporter: -- now 600-pound baby hippo's first birthday could be an inspiration to so many. >> everybody was able to follow the story of her and fall in love with her. she became a part of everyone's family almost. >> reporter: a family that watched fiona put the hip in hippopotamus. for "today," kerry sanders, nbc news. >> that's adorable. >> millions of people watching that. >> happy birthday, fiona. >>> just ahead, we are revealing the people that inspire us the most. we start with al's pick. who is his man crush monday? first this, is "today" on nbc. >>> we're back with the launch of a new series. we're excited about it. we're calling it "tag us today." we're going to ask you to follow some of our favorite folks. and, al, you sleep in today? >> i thought, what the heck? i didn't like the way you did the 7:40. >> or you liked it too much. >> b

all right, bill, how about everybody's favorite hippo fiona was treated to a cake made of fruit at thezoo as adoring fans surrounded her with a happy birthday she earned thousands of fans who followed her on social media. zoo keepers provide round the clock care. look at that cake. >> that is beautifully well done. >> i know, right? too bad there isn't real icing and cake in there, too, just fruit. fiona loves it. >> i'd take it. >> we thank you for being with us. i'm fraes riveranc.commute.. you can see from our radar-- the rain is widespread.. 4:30 right now and a wet morning for us with that commute. you can see right here from our radar, the rain widespread this morning. making for some wet roadways for us. hey, you will get up to speed before you know it right here on "today in the bay." good morning and thanks for joining us, i'm brks. >> -- marcus washington. >> and i'm laura garcia. >> let's check with kari for that forecast. >> it will be a wet start but we won't have the soggy conditions as we go through the day. we will see a soggy morning commute but the afternoon commute i

(pam) 'fiona the hippo' is celebrating her first birthday.ke for the birthday girl. the baby hippo captivated the community last year, with her struggle to survive after being born premature. she is not on display to the public yet. but already, there are books about her, greeting cards with her picture on them and even a flavor of ice cream named after her. the zoo had a special weekend celebration for fiona's birthday, which is actually on wednesday. zoo officials say, she is doing well and weighs 6- hundred pounds. they think fiona will be ready to make her public debut soon. (steve) let's take a look outside right now...(pam) chief meteorologist chief (pam) chief meteorologist lawrence karnow joins us now with the four zone forecast. lawrence karnow: the day started with some rain and ended with some sunshine. storm clouds moved in overnight to bring the rain. some of the norht bay locations had over an inch of rain with lesser amounts futher south. the rain has ended now and we are looking at partly cloudy skies. you can see on the doppl

. >>> so the month-long celebration that is the birthday of fiona continues. the hippoa birthday party for her on the 20th. yeah, people there were all excited. >>> this morning on "abc news now." breaking overnight it senate >>> this morning on "world news now," breaking overnight, the senate failed to clinch a deal to end the government shutdown, sending a new vote today at noon. so is a new deal in the works? >>> a new winter storm is on the move. blizzard conditions are expected for parts of the midwest. dangerous driving conditions, sure to cause havoc for many during this morning's commute. >>> in this half hour, embattled missouri governor on calls to step down. >>> he is speaking out about his admitted extra marital affair. his first interview since the scandal broke and what he's saying about allegations of blackmail and hush money. >>> and while the eagles are soaring, their fans are slipping trying to climb greased up poles. it's pandemonium overnight in the city of brotherly love on this monday, january 22nd. >> announcer: from abc news this is "world news n

a thing as a hot toy getting too hotif 2017 had a mascot, it may very well have been a baby hippo named fionaharmer, born 6-weeks premature at the cincinnati zoo, seemed destined for viral stardomwith millions of viewers gobbling up new videos from the zoo almost weekly ...showcasing fiona's adorable antics ... which included her wobbly first steps...bonding time .... playtime ...naptime ...you get the idea. she even managed to remain the center of attention during a couple's engagement at the zoo ...pulling off a successful photobomb, fiona-style!that's our fiona! speaking of epic photobombs ... an historic building implosion in atlanta had its thunder stolen by one commuter bus' ill-timed arrival after 25 years of hosting events, atlanta's georgia dome was set for implosionbut when the moment arrived, a metro atlanta commuter bus rolled right in front of the money shot ...live on the weather channel (nats- bleeped profanity- "get out of the way, bus!")the blocking bus turned into a block-bus-ter online ...quickly becoming the go-to meme for spoiling climactic moments of.sporting events ...w

. >>> happening today, america's most beloved hippo turns one year old. fiona six months premature. experts gave her low chance of surviving, but she did and in a big way becoming a social media phenomenon along the way. >> look at that. >> fiona branded merchandise is selling wisely from t-shirts to ice cream to beer. fiona even stars in her own reality show airing on facebook, 37 million viewers tuned in. in case you're wondering now, fiona now weighs just a little small 630 pounds. >> wow. >> a big baby. >> those premies can grow, let me tell you. let me tell you. goodness. >> you have to get your kids named after -- >> they were wee ones, but they are not that big. >> so, yeah, the zoo may be around here would be a good place to head as we go into the weekend. today not so much because we will have some rain rolling through and if you're one of the early risers, lucky you, you don't have to deal with this rain for the morning commute. it's still well to the north of us, but we will be tracking this heavy rain as we go through the day and that's the reason w

hippo-friendly cake. >> looks tasty. the zoo posted a few fun photos and video of its famous resident. she was born six weeks premature and struggled to survive. she proved to be a fighter. >> fionaat birth to 600 pounds now and will put on a lot more than that. >> just wait. >>> should columbus day be replaced? what berkley did more than 25 years ago. >>> and kristin is here with what's ahead at 5:00. >> new at 5:00. two little girls lost. a family's grief deepens as the accused killer sees another murder charge. plus, k-9 cops. and the speculation that the i phone 10 won't live to see its first birthday. and all hail the crown putting quite a shine on netflix >>> coming up tonight on abc 7 at 8:00, it's not one but two hours of "the bachelor", followed by "the good doctor". then stay with us for abc 7 news at 11:00. >>> san francisco is in the middle of a controversy over a name. they are considering joining a long list doing away with the columbus day holiday and celebrating a day that honors native-americans. it's an idea not everyone is in favor of. ca carolyn tyler reports. >> reporter: they rechristened it indigenous people's day. several tribes have pushed for the change,