>> linzie janis on the story for us tonight. linzie, thank you. >>> new storms this evening. we are tracking them in the northwest and in the mountains. this semitruck crashing on the snow and ice in spokane, washington. i-90 there shut down in both directions for some time. 40-mile-an-hour winds blowing fresh snow in kasper, wyoming, tonight. meantime, we are also tracking the warmup elsewhere. let's get right to ginger zee, she's live along the westside highway in manhattan tonight. >> reporter: hey, david. we made it to freezing today, how exciting, here in new york city. actually just above. i want to take you to the maps, though. because that milder pacific air is not just here along the east coast, but it's moving that jet stream also to the north and allowing that mild air in. so, you can see some of numbers. wednesday's highs, some ten degrees above average. near 50 degrees in washington, d.c. now that's wednesday. but it sticks around, david, as we go through the holiday weekend. a lot of folks will have a mild christmas on their hands. >> in the meantime, ginger, fo

linzie janis with us. linzie, thank you. >>> also tonight, new developments in the deadly shooting in america's georgia. the second officer shot has now suspect, coming to an end this morning, the s.w.a.t. team swarming a home. the suspect, barricaded inside. police say he took his own life. the two officers were killed, responding to a domestic dispute. >>> we turn next here to the heated debate over the shooting of a high school student in nevada. he had a knife. students were terrified all around him. the 14-year-old boy is seen on camera swinging that large knife, threatening classmates, critically wounded by a school officer. abc's matt gutman reports questions, did the officer have any other options? >> reporter: tonight, as reno police investigate a school resource officer's shooting of this knife-wielding teen -- >> bro, he just shot the kid. >> reporter: the 14-year-old's family is saying, what you see here -- >> back up! >> reporter: bunt a thwarted loan wolf attack, but a case of self-defense go

abc's linzie janis reports from times square. >> happy new year! >> reporter: law enforcement announcing the unprecedented security for the year's biggest celebration at times square. 65 sanitation trucks filled with sand like the ones used for the thanksgiving day parade will be deployed for the first time at a new year's celebration. this in response to the berlin and nice truck attacks. the trucks setting up a perimeter from times square to central park, 7,000 extra police officers on duty across the city, from highly visible special ops units to rooftop surveillance teams. inside the command center, monitor more than 10,000 video feeds and track millions of license plates. >> this is the center. anything that happens anywhere in new york city, coming in here and we'll be able to react to it. >> reporter: officials assure 2 million people are expected here in times square when the ball drops that they'll be well-protected. abc news, new york. >> linzie, thank you. >>> the storm that dumped snow on new england is moving out to sea. >> so streets

linzie janis has mohr. >> reporter: the heavy rains are helping, but high winds sparked great smokey mountains. these firefighters taking their first break in 30 hours. >> they have not wavered. even the ones that's lost everything. >> why is everything on fire? >> the death toll rising. now at least seven killed since the fires exploded sunday night. forcing thousands to flee for their lives. >> go, go, go. >> it appears to be human caused. >> reporter: several still missing. michael reed is searching for his wife and daughter. >> i told her to call 911 and i haven't heard from her since. displaced residents survey the damage. >> everything's gone. >> reporter: we went with travis cog dill as he got a first look at his parents' home of 43 years. >> the kitchen table was right there. >> reporter: the rubble still too hot to search for his father's purple heart. >> fire can't take memories. so we still got those. >> reporter: more than 700 buildings have been damaged or destroyed. all that's left of this home is the chimney. this could not have come at a worse time. just ahead of the

here's abc's linzie janis. >> three, two, one. happy new year!reporter: tonight, law enforcement announcing the unprecidented security for the year's biggest celebration at times square. 65 sanitation trucks filled with sand like the ones used for the thanksgiving day parade, to be used for the first time at ka w year's's celebration. this in response to the berlin and nice truck attacks. the trucks setting up a perimeter from times square to central park in that proverbial ring of steel. 7,000 extra police officers on duty from special ops units to rooftop surveillance teams. inside the command center, teams will monitor 9,000 video feeds and track millions of license plates storing them for five years. >> this is the center. anything happens anywhere in new york city, phone calls coming in here and we'll be able to rea >> reporter: officials are assuring the nearly 2 million people expected here in times square when the ball drops that they will be well protected. tom. >> linzie janis for us, tonight, thank you. >>> there's still much more ahe

our thanks to linzie. >>> now we turn to a mid-air mystery on the verge of being solved.shes into a mountain in bolivia in 1985. the crash site inaccessible but not to two intrepid explorers from boston, setting out to gather evidence to answer decades-old questions. abc's david kerley has their story. >> reporter: on this remote bolivian peak two guys from boston with no mountaineering experience -- >> whoo! this is worse. >> reporter: -- are hoping to solve a more than 30-year-old mystery. >> it's around the corner there, and we just can't do it. >> reporter: it was this wikipedia page about 19 unrecovered black boxes that started dan futrell and isaac stoner's adventure. >> was it the sense of adventure or was it the mystery that appealed to you? >> i think a little bit of both. maybe we could succeed where all these other expeditions had not managed to. >> reporter: it was a boeing 727 with 29 on board including eight americans that mysteriously slammed into mount illimani on new year's day 1985. but so remote that investigators couldn't get to the site before it was

>> linzie janis, thank you. >>> when we come back, the new headline about bill cosby tonight. screaming match erupting in court. >>> also, the call for help. the young boy trapped under that flipped atv. the officer, the rescue, and you'll see it here. >>> and the big change tonight. coming to the super bowl. so dad slayed the problemt with puffs plus lotion, instead. with lotion to soothe and softness to please. a nose in need deserves puffs, indeed. [ crowd noisewhoa. [ gears stopping ] when your pain reliever stops working, your whole day stops. try this. has the strength to stop pain for 12 hours. tylenol and advil can quit after 6. so live your whole day, not part... with 12 hour aleve. the market.redict but through good times and bad... ...at t. rowe price... ...we've helped our investors stay confident for over 75 years. call us or your advisor. t. rowe price. invest with confidence. ♪ as soon as i became a parent i changed as a person, drastically. ♪ i tried hard to quit smoking. ♪ but when we

>> linzie janis, thank you. >>> next tonight, new reporting on that devastating fire in oakland. investigators have now searched the entire building, saying the fire most likely started on the first floor, trapping most of the 36 victims on the second floor. the conditions inside fueling those flames, propane tanks and a blocked staircase. the question now, who, if anyone, is responsible for this? this image of police officers inside the building in october. they'll be asked what they saw and whether more could have been done at the time. >>> next tonight here, to dangerous driving across this country at this hour. and the arctic chill sweeping in. winter alerts in 16 states right now. traffic at a standstill on highway 36 near boulder. icy conditions shutting it down. here's abc's alex perez. >> reporter: tonight, from kansas city to colorado, snow and wind making for a white-knuckle commute. kansas city emergency vehicles responding to multiple accidents on slick roads. while in the northern plains, that 300-mile stretch of interstate 94 finally reopened, that monster blizzard

hi, linzie. >> reporter: good morning, paula.re just some of the 65 sanitation trucks the nypd is packing with sand. they'll form a kind of ring of steel around times square. it is the first time they've been deployed at the new year's celebration to prevent the kind of attacks we have seen in france and germany. this morning, the nypd preparing an unprecedented level of security for the 2 million people expected to gather in times square to watch the ball drop. >> this will be a very well-protected event. probably our most protected event with multiple layers of security. >> reporter: the plan months in the making includes that perimeter of 65 sanitation trucks packed with sand. plus, 100 blocker vehicles designed to prevent terrorists from driving trucks into the crowds like they did during those attacks in berlin. killing 12, and in nice, killing 86. there will be an extra 7,000 police officers, from highly visible special ops units to rooftop surveillance teams. authorities putting up 65 viewer pens from times square to 59th

>> all right, linzie janis, thank you, on the fires, the tornadoes. and as i mentioned, this system reaching all the way up to the northeast. difficult driving along the i-95 corridor, right at the rush hour tonight. so, let's get right to meteorologist rob marciano, tracking it all for us. hey, rob. >> reporter: hi, david. another day here in the south. so, we begin there. severe line of thunderstorms rolling across into the carolinas. a tornado warning out right now for charlotte, north carolina, a dangerous situation there. you certainly want to be taking cover. and these storms roll all the way down into the florida panhandle. with the bad has come the good, though. five inches of record-breaking rain in knoxville. some of that getting into the fire zone, helping that situation for sure. tomorrow morning, the heavy rain moves into the northeast. some wintry precip in through maine and heavy rain through boston. by tomorrow, it moves offshore, and finally, some quiet weather for two days. that will be good. david? >> rob marciano, thanks, as always

cooking, christmas trees, they can all pose fire hazards, and abc's linzie janis has tips for keepingy safe. >> reporter: tonight a reminder the festive season bringing fire dangers. authorities say the blaze ripping through this manhattan apartment building injuring more than two dozen people was caused by a woman burning a candle while wrapping gifts, the sleeve of her bathrobe hanging in the open flame, catching fire. off and dropped it maybe on the floor or on a couch, left the apartment and left the door open. now you have fire in the hallway. >> reporter: the top four days for home candle fires in the u.s. are christmas eve and christmas day and new year's eve and new year's day. >> we recommend flameless candles. battery-operated candles. they look the same, they're very pretty. >> reporter: but it's not just candles. there are more house fires in december and january than any other time. this demonstration shows just how quickly a real christmas tree can go up in flames. safety experts say keep real trees watered and turn decorative lights off when you're away or sleeping and

abc's linzie janis on the recall and the concerns tonight over furniture and heavy items, tvs topplingver, and the simple kit that might protect your family. >> he was an amazing little boy. he was the light of our lives. >> reporter: jackie collas' son, curren, was tragically killed when an ikea dresser like this one fell on him. he wasn't alone. three families sued ikea, and tonight, their lawyers say a $50 million settlement has been reached. >> these were completely preventable accidents. had eikea made its furniture stable and safe like other manufacturers, none of these kids would have suffered the terrible death that they did. >> reporter: the tentative settlement comes just six months after 29 million ikea dressers were recalled due to tipping hazards. under the recall, customers could return some models or get anchor kits to secure dressers to the wall. tonight, a reminder. the government recommends securing all top-heavy furniture, regardless of brand. every 24 minutes in the u.s., a child goes to the emergency room because of a tipover incident. david, ikea says that settlem

>> all right, linzie. that's taking a chance. >>> when we come back here tonight, the new hemedical headline about pregnant women, and how pregnancy might affect the brain. >>> also, that deadly crash. you can see the christmas packages piled up there on the highway. >>> and you might have seen this over the weekend. the football star celebration seen by millions, jumping into that giant kettle. there was talk of a penalty. tonight, though, what's happened instead. it's america strong. at planters we know how to throw a remarkable holiday party. just serve classy snacks and be a gracious host, no matter who shows up. do you like nuts? the full value of your totaled new car. the guy says, "you picked the wrong insurance plan." no, i picked the wrong insurance company. with new car replacement™, we'll replace the full value of your car plus depreciation. liberty mutual insurance. ♪...nausea, heartburn,♪ indigestion, upset stomach, diarrhea!♪ ♪nausea, heartburn, indigestion, upset stomach, diarrhea!♪ here's p

here's linzie janis. >> reporter: tonight, as millions of orders are boxed up and sent on their way, a warning for all of us shopping online. criminals are sending fake e-mails disguised as delivery notices from amazon, fedex, and u.p.s., attempting to steal your credit card details or even take over your computer. take this legit-looking fedex e-mail, warning you your amazon order is delayed. what pops up looks just like the real amazon sign-in page. but fill out the fake one, and you've given the cyber thieves access to your account, and any credit card information you have stored. >> i would, if i saw that, absolutely think it was from fedex. >> reporter: security experts say it's always safest never to click on a link embedded in an e-mail. >> go to the actual shipping website, put in the tracking number, and see what it really is. >> reporter: another tip, look closely at that url. it should read https. the "s" means it's a secure site. and david, experts also say use a separate e-mail address for your online shopping. that helps protect your personal and work accounts from the

>> linzie, thank you. >>> there are new developments tonight in the trial of the man who killed ninearishioners in a south carolina church. 22-year-old dylann roof telling a judge he will not call any witnesses in the penalty phase. roof is representing himself, as he faces the death penalty. he's trying to keep a jailhouse statement out of the trial that could embarrass his mother and family, though it's not clear what he's referring to. >>> one of the holiday season's hottest gifts now at the center of a murder case. the electronic gadget, the amazon echo, raising serious new questions about user's privacy. police want amazon to turn over day from one suspect's device. abc's mara schiavocampo with the clues they're looking for. >> alexa, alarm off. >> reporter: from the moment you wake up -- >> alexa, what's on the calendar today? >> reporter: until you go to bed, the amazon echo, delivering music, news, weather and more. but police in arkansas say it could help prove their case against this man, james bates, accused of killing his coworker, victor collins, found dead in bates' hot

hey, linzie. good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, dan.o hitting the road or flying this holiday season. and for parts of the country what has been a white christmas, travel is slow and dangerous. overnight, near whiteout conditions across the northern plains. residents digging out from under a christmas blizzard packing heavy snow and winds. in grand forks, north dakota, freezing temperatures and an ice storm leading to dozens of crashes and spinouts. closing major highways across the state for hours. high winds also wreaking havoc. this semi toppled by a powerful gust in grand island, nebraska. several trailers at this car dealership knocked over, too. >> looks like it might have been a twister or tornado. >> reporter: this building flattened by strong winds. in flagstaff, arizona, heavy snow stranding trucks and cars on the roads for hours. leaving many to wait out the treacherous conditions on christmas day. >> yeah, no, i don't know. i'm just waiting. all i can do, right. >> reporter: thousands of air travelers also forced to wait. th

>> linzie janis, our thanks to you tonight. >>> when we come back here, the new holiday health warningonight involving your heart. what researchers have discovered between christmas and new year's. >>> also, a wild police chase. the stolen truck suspect then taking off on foot, swimming across a pond. you will see the takedown, right after the break. >>> and then, the trip on the court seen by millions, followed by the tantrum. the duke basketball star in hot water tonight, coach k not happy. we'll be right back. te to severe ulcerative colitis, the possibility of a flare was almost always on my mind. thinking about what to avoid, where to go... and how to deal with my uc. to me, that was normal. until i talked to my doctor. she told me that humira helps people like me get uc under control and keep it under control when certain medications haven't worked well enough. humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal infections and cancers, including lymphoma, have happened; as have blood, liver, and nervous system problems, serious alle

linzie janis, abc news, new york. >> our thanks to linzie there. >>> coming up in the next half hour, e-cigaretting igniting, this time on a city bus. we talk to doctors concerned with the increase in fires involving those devices. >>> but first, on a much lighter note, we go to what's been called the super bowl of crafting. the etsy open call competition is attracting entrepreneurs from all across the country, but can they truly make it big? you're watching "world news now." >>> "world news now" continues after this from our abc stations. ♪ you better watch out you better not cry you better not pout i'm telling you why ♪ ♪ santa claus is coming to town santa claus is coming to town ♪ >>> all right, all you procrastinators, looking at you kendis, two shopping days left until christmas, so we wanted to take a look at what's been called the super bowl of crafting. >> abc's rebecca jarvis followed do-it-yourself entrepreneurs turning up to the pressure-filled opportunity of a lifetime. >> reporter: tis the season for holiday shopping, so where can you get everything from a unicorn horn t

linzie janis, abc news, pigeon forge, tennessee. >>> overseas now, where thousands of fans have gathered to mourn the brazilian soccer team killed in the plane crash in colombia. family members of the victims gathered on the center of the arena as fans chanted the players' names. and we're getting new details about the crash. according to audio from the final moments of the doomed flight, the floot repeatedly told air that he had run out of fuel. dozens were killed. six people survived. nearby farmers were able to hear their screams for help and were the first to come to their aid. >>> on capitol hill, a deal is in the works, so california national guard members won't have to repay their re-enlistment bonuses. lawmakers were outraged over a pentagon decision to force them error, even though they were not at fault. >>> we all know how a lack of sleep affects our health. but new research said itlack of sleep is costing. people who slept fewer than six hours a night had a 13% increase of early death and lost about six days of work productivity per year. >> that was a buzz kill. >> six hours