janet shamlian out in oklahoma for us tonight. janet, thanks. >>> more violence in ukraine today adding to fears that nation could split in two. in fact, the former u.s. ambassador to moscow says this is real and what we're witnessing here is war. pro-russian separatists have taken over buildings in at least a dozen cities in eastern ukraine and the unrest has now spread to the key port city of odessa in the south. with crimea already in russian hands, vladimir putin has raised the specter of what he calls new russia. a band of territory that would give moscow some prime black sea real estate and leave ukraine landlocked and divided. nbc's keir simmons has more for us tonight from eastern ukraine. keir, good evening. >> reporter: hey, brian. good evening. another military helicopter was shot down over the eastern ukrainian city of slavyansk today. these pictures unverified by nbc news appear to show it being targeted. it is the third such attack in just a week. while four ukrainian soldiers were killed as the government here tries

>> janet shamlian in guthrie, oklahoma, as the wind picks up yet again. janet, thanks. >>> oklahoma is also in the news for another reason. the ground beneath that state has been very active of late. and the u.s. geological survey is warning the state it's at increased risk for what it called a damaging earthquake specifically in central oklahoma. quakes there have risen dramatically. the red areas on the map show earthquake activity over the last five years with more than 180 quakes with a magnitude 3 or higher in just the last six months. geologists say they fear fracking and the oil and gas industry is, quote, a likely contributing factor. >>> overseas, the volatility continues in ukraine. a former u.s. ambassador to russia says what's happening now is real and it's war. dozens more have been killed during a round of intense ed fighting in the eastern part of the country as ukrainian forces try to pull back from russian-backed insurgents. our chief foreign correspondent richard engel has made his way to kiev tonight with a look at where things stand on

our report tonight from nbc's janet shamlian. >> reporter: there is a line to get into castaway cove in wichita falls because this water park is the only recreational water attraction for miles. and they're not coming by it easily. catastrophic drought restrictions are in effect, forcing the city-owned park to truck in well water just to stay open. 9,000 gallons a day. >> it comes with a price, the price of probably $70,000 is what it's going to cost us this year to bring water in. >> reporter: it's the price they have to pay to help keep the city's economy afloat. it's a modern-day dust bowl in texas, forcing desperate measures. wichita falls also has plans to recycle the water people flush down their toilets for drinking water. >> this is probably when it's all said and done going to be our drought of record. >> reporter: the latest drought monitor shows texas bone-dry. 90% of the state is in drought. to date, 11 public water systems could run out of water in the next 45 days. >> really more than anything, it's just kind of scary. you know, we're very cautious about how we use our

nbc's janet shamlian has more from wichita, kansas. >> reporter: it is the biggest crop in kansas, but wheat this year is in trouble all over the state. >> this is probably one of the worst crops at this stage that i've ever seen in my 52 years. >> reporter: john jenkinson is an ag specialist. his family has been in farming for generations and he knows this year's harvest has been hard hit just by looking tat. >> wheat should be waist high on both of us. >> reporter: that's less than half of where it should be. >> and we're going to have more than less half of a crop from what we should have. >> reporter: kansas is locked in a heat wave. august-like temperatures in early may. it was as high as 103 last weekend. >> what you see on this map is where we expect temperatures to be either colder or hotter than they normally would be. where the drought is so bad, temperatures are going to be hot because the atmosphere is just going to continue to bake. we expect the drought to build even more so into the plains as we go through the summer months. >> reporter: in oklahoma, it could be another

we get more tonight from nbc's janet shamlian. >> reporter: 36-year-old ellen has spent years building a career as an ob/gyn surgeon but having a family was also part of her plan. >> i realized i needed to do something before i became a desperate person looking to find anybody to marry just so i can have a baby. >> reporter: so two years ago at 34, ellen froze her eggs at the cleveland clinic. her mom karen helped pay for the procedure. ellen is among a growing number of women freezing their eggs. no longer called experimental, many say it's insurance against an uncertain future. >> they don't have the panic of i've got to get out and meet mr. right. they can put that on hold and think about their career and when the time is right, they have their eggs to go back and consider for transfer at that point. >> reporter: freezing eggs is expensive and rarely covered by health plans. the average cost for one round is $13,000 and also an annual storage fee and the longer a woman waits, the less likely eggs will be healthy. that's why companies are cutting costs or offering payment plans to ma

nbc's janet shamlian has more from wichita, kansas. >> reporter: it's the biggest crop in kansas, but in trouble all over the state. >> this is probably one of the worst crops at this stage i've ever seen in my 52 years. >> reporter: john jenkin son is an ag specialist, his family in farming for generations. he knows this year's harvest has been hard hit just by looking at it. >> this harvest should be waist high. >> that's less than half. >> we'll have more than less than half of a crop. >> reporter: august-like temperatures in early may, it was as high as 103 last weekend. >> what you see on this map is where we expect temperatures to be either colder or hotter than they normally would be. of course, where the drought is so bad, temperatures will be hot as the atmosphere is going to continue to bake. we expect the drought to build even more so into the plains as we go through the summer months. >> reporter: in oklahoma it could be another 1930s-type dust bowl. 39% of the wheat crop there is in poor or very poor condition. a tour last week of farms in kansas forecast the weakest crop

here's nbc's janet shamlian. >> reporter: bernie tidi was released on bond after 17 years behind bars for the 1996 murder of 81-year-old marjorie nugent. >> brought you some bubble bath. >> reporter: the story inspired the movie "bernie," a dark movie starring jack black. >> he was just about the most popular man in carthage. >> just made you feel real good about yourself. >> he cast a spell over the entire area. >> shirley maclaine -- the relationship turned sour in november of 1996 and nugent disappeared. nine months later, he confessed he shot nugent in the back. >> no, no, what have i done? >> reporter: and hid her body in a freezer under packages of frozen food. now 17 years later, he is free on bond under the conditions he get counselling and live with richard linklater, director of the movie, and one of tedie's biggest advocates. his lawyers uncovered new evidence that he was sexually abused as a teen and argued in court along with harsh treatment from nugent meant he deserved a lighter sentence. the prosecuting attorney agreed. >> when i am given the new information that would

nbc's janet shamlian scored an exclusive ticket into the elite flying club. >> reporter: pampered.orter: is this really an airport? >> i do enjoy it. hard to believe. such a far cry from the usual crowds. >> expedited check-in process. >> private check-ins, transfer between flights and a special direct phoneline with a team ready to trouble shoot. >> you have a number to call and they will know it is you. >> it's the single best thing about the program. >> it's a secretive club for top sky warriors and all of the major carriers have one. you want in? not so fast. you can't qualify on miles alone and you can't buy your way in. it's invite only. reward for the airline's best customers and a lure for new ones. alexander runs united airlines global services program. >> the types of tickets you buy, the amount of travel you do, where you are flying, all these are factored into the equation. >> and secret. >> absolutely. >> what the airlines are going after is the high value passenger, someone who flies several time as week and buys a full fare or first class ticket. hefty fares reap hef