a new backpack with a lot of goodies in it. ok. now i would like to have the fire chief come up. >> i cannot wait to go to school. [laughter] >> thank you very much, mr. mayeor. after we in formally acknowledged last week, a lot of people from the media came up. if i could echo what i said last week -- what you did was phenomenal. it made a huge difference. mike is with us today. i know you two will always have a special bond because of what you did last week. like i said to you, you played a special role, too. you did exactly what your mom told you to do. you state in the car so she could go out and do what she needed to do. a lot of people would not have done that. especially having your daughter in the car -- like the mayor said, you did not hesitate. it was instinctive. for that, all of us that where the uniform and have the training are in complete awe of what you did last week. at 22 years old with a 5-year- old daughter, it has got to make you feel good. i can tell what a special bond you have got. you have got your daughter

i guess it's sort of that fairy tale, you know, that you go to school, you get a new backpack, you get don't get that. so i decided to do it. i decided to give them those things. >> ellen: i am about to call sherrie gahn, who is a principal at whitney elementary. >> hello? >> ellen: hey, sherrie, it's ellen degeneres calling. how are you? >> no. >> ellen: yep. >> no. >> ellen: yep. >> no way. >> ellen: yep way. >> no way. >> ellen: yep way. yep way. everybody's been telling me about you and everything that you're doing and how you're helping all these kids and these families. you know what? i actually want to talk to you. why don't you just be on the show. then i can talk to you on the show. >> oh, my god. >> ellen: i wanted everyone to know of you and meet you. i want more people to know about you and hope that you inspire other teachers and principals out there. then i thought i know a lot of people and i know people at target and what they want to do is give you and whitney elementary school $100,000. >> oh, my god. [cheers and applause] >> ellen: how about that? >> that's amazing.

i guess it's sort of that fairytale that you go to school, you get a new backpack, you get new clothes. birthday you get a present and a cake. and these kids don't get that. it's huge. it's your self-esteem. it's who you are. so i decided to do it. i decided to give them those things. i made a deal with the families and i asked them if you give me your child, i will give you whatever you need. i'll pay your electric bill, your utilities, i'll give you food or clothes, whatever you need, as long as you give me your child and then help raise that child as a person of character. it started out with me actually going to every person i knew and calling them up and saying, hey, i have this school and i need help. that's how i started the donations. almost everyone who donates to whitney is an individual. or a small business. we take everything. we take everything, because when you're in poverty, you need everything. >> miss gahn got me a new bed in my new apartment that she got me and my family. >> when my daughter came to school and mentioned our water and electricity were off, they got aho

. >> they get a brand new backpack, hat, gloves, and sock s. >> students have raised money to buy all new. the total raised by the community was $24,000. that is enough money to buy roughly 980 backpacks. >> the children go crazy. they change diapers and a box for walks. they do all kinds of things to make money. -- the change diapers and take a box for walks. they do all kinds of things to make money. >> when we handed her the envelope with $900, she freak out. that brought some a strike. >> all the backpacks will be distributed on christmas eve on the streets of baltimore city. for those who have not, they say it is like changing. >> they are so happy. they feel loved. people have told me that. >> it is almost scary and along the lines are. it is in an alley and wraps around the building. it is sad. >> >> you are going to the christmas card in the bottom. >> those who will receive these gifts will find something to warm their hearts of the bottom of every pack, homemade cards from kids to care. jennifer franciotti for wb wbal-tv 11 news. >> the current deputy fire chief accuses his

those, njibullah zazi, an al qaeda operative from afghanistan, who planned to attack new york subways with backpack bombs. >> i have nothing to do with al qaeda. >> after months of surveillance, the f.b.i. arrested zazi. had the senate been law, zazi would have been handed over to the military. the proposed law would allow the administration to exercise a so-called waiver and keep a suspect like zazi in the civilian system, but opponents say that process could hamper investigations. >> the system we have is working. let's not fix it if it's not broken. >> secretary of defense leon panetta and f.b.i. director robert mueller agree. in blistering letters to capitol hill, panetta warned the bill imposes a restraint on the flexibility to pursue our counter-terrorism efforts. mueller added, "it will inhibit our ability to convince arrest tees to cooperate." >> congress, just like it did when it denied funding for the transfer of guantanamo detainees to the united states, is sending yet another message that they don't have faith in the administration's ability to deal with the detainee issue at large. >>

new warning sign for doctors. >>> and the montgomery county backpack kicks in tomorrow and there are a few exceptions. >>> today, we went to silver springs to collect a few wishes and here are some of our favorites for bent 12. >> and i hope there -- 2012. >> i hope there are going to be now jobs in the new year and programs for senior citizens, and i wish everyone would have hays and joy in their life. >> i am going to pay attention to my teachers, do all of my homework and i schedule people to help me when i don't understand.  >> the end-of-the-year brought a new death investigation for d.c. police. they found a man's body near a creek in the 4200 block of hunt place in northeast. the name is araz allali. investigators have not determined how he died but they have ruled it a homicide. >>> and some new information in maryland two. doctors accused of illegal abortions are behind bars. the doctors are charged with several counts of murder. >> they didn't have a sign on their door. it's unbelievable. >> reporter: investigators said what happened here constitutes murder. >> they would start the

iowa's caucuses just five days away, new poll numbers show ron paul is closing in on front-runner mitt romney and those same numbers show a sudden surge from backpacker rick santorum. brian mooar joins us with more from washington. good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, lynn. it's clear iowa's social conservatives are still shopping around and that's good news for mitt romney. five days before iowa, the gop presidential deck has been reshuffled again. this time mitt romney's on top. >> this is an exciting time. we're going to take back the white house thanks to you guys. thank you. >> reporter: ron paul has slumped to second but picked up a key endorsement from michele bachmann's co-chair. she says he was one time offered a lot of money to switch sides. he denies 2. >> i believe opportunity to elect conservatives. >> reporter: rick santorum has suddenly vaulted into third place. >> how many times do you hear this as a conservative. don't try to impose your morality on us. >> reporter: newt gingrich is now on a slide, and he's lowering expectations. >> what do you have to do here in iowa? >> you have to be in the top three or four. >> you hav

backpacks. this morning on good day new york police commissioner ray kelly said officers will screen revelers with mag notice top meters and -- magnetometers. officers will not just be focused on times square. >> there will be 33 cruiser on the water, so our patrol will be very active. reporter: but times square will be the center of the world for many including people we spoke to who cannot wait to be here. >> i think i'm going to jump up in the air and act like a lunatic. i can't wait. we're quite excited. reporter: so you're going to be in times square for the ball drop. >> sure. >> it's going to be good, going to be very happy event and we're going to go home with very fabulous memories. >> looks like a great time. that's fox's robert moses reporting. there are 238 new waterford crystal panels on the new year's eve ball which now weighs nearly 6 tons. did you know every year has a theme? this year it's let there be friendship. >>> well, the new year will bring a new measure in security here in maryland. all five states toll bridges will be outfitted with new lights and a sensor that will pick

the owner of the backpack, his nickname is bang-bang. >>> some new numbers are out showing 2.5 millionts have health insurance. now, under the new law children can stay on their parents health insurance plan until any turn 26 years old. family members have been eager to help their children making the transition to the workplace. >>> :-- 8:34. planned parenthood has set up a mobile clinic until a permanent site can be found. it operates out of the parking lot of the human services building on middlefield road. the mobile clinic is only open on tuesdays. it will offer limited services like pregnancy tests birth droll and treatments for seengs you will -- birth control and treeglnlts for sexually trans-- treatments for sexually transmitted diseases. >>> mothers are happier spending their days out than in the home. the art ket published in this -- article published in this month's issue of "journal of family psychology" interviewed 1500 mothers right after their child's birth and then ten years later. they found that mothers employed, at least part time, had better overall death and less d

backpacks. authorities are being strict because this is -- of course, new york city is always a terrorist threat, but is also a big party. about a ton of confetti are set to be -- one set the ball drops anderson cooper and kathy griffin will be ringing in the new year. we spoke to the organizer of the world's biggest party to find out exactly what goes into this whole process. >> what you see behind me is this is like organizing a super bowl show except you have half a million people every day every day. the crowd is already here. the crowd is in your way. it's great, but it makes it a lot more complicated. >> now, of course, new york city, like i said, is a terrorist threat. police have come out in force. we have plain closed police officers, helicopters flying overhead with infrared cameras. manhole covers have been removed. you have a ship protecting some of the cruise ships that will be going along the hudson and seeing those fireworks taking place so a heavy security presence, as always. >> as they have mentioned, anderson cooper and kathy griffin live in "new york times" square tonight. th

news, like, from virginia. doug, i understand this area where police found the backpack, it is not easy to get to. is that doug? >>reporter: it is not. in fact, it is not middle of the campus, the complex, but this area where they found the backpack, it is very remote and you have to wind your way through several greenhouses and it is in a small alcove and not well after the lockdown was lited that dogs found a scent and led police into this little alcove and that where though found the backpack. but, perhaps, even more peculiar, is the writing on the wall just above the backpack on the glass of the green house, it is a dried condensation and script belled was a quote "sarah, i'm so glad i left you and you didn't give me herpes, good luck and good riddance." if the suspect's name is mac it would shed insight or light into what the state of mind of the suspect was, and what his motive was. >> is there a reason why police are not releasing the suspect's name? >>reporter: that is another good question. i have enough been to an investigation where the suspect has been dead and this time has passed whe

soqpodz we have people coming down to new york city, there's not going to be alcohol or any kind of backpacksd right here in times square. they'll be put in these pens, about 65 of them. once they're inside, they won't be allowed. so no coffee, no bathroom breaks. people have to stick it out and wait until 11:59 when that balÓ drops. anderson cooper and cathy griffin will be right behind me on that platform there. you can see now people are starting to congregate here. earlier this morning, we had a mix of a number of individuals. there's a sentiment of new year's. you can feel it in times square taking hold. for this reporter, it's taken hold, as well. so happy new year. >> well, now you're ready. thank you very much. >> yeah. >>> it is time to say good-bye to 2011. do you have any big plans? cnn does. ring in the new year with anderson cooper and cathy griffin. you'll see all the action, lady gaga, justin bieber, bieber fever. it's all going on and you can kab catch it from the comfort of your own home. >>> ron paul looking pretty good in iowa. but what would a ron paul win really mean for

caucuses now just five days away, new poll numbers show ron paul is closing in on front-runner mitt romney, and those same numbers show a sudden surge from backpacker rick santorum. nbc's brian mooar joins us from washington with the latest on all of this. brian, good morning. >> reporter: thanks, lynn. iowa's social conservatives appear to still be shopping around, and that is good news for mitt romney. five days before iowa, the gop presidential deck has been reshuffled again, and this time, mitt romney's on top. >> this is an exciting time. we're going to take back the white house, thanks to you guys. thank you! >> reporter: ron paul has slumped to second but picked up a key endorsement from michele bachmann's state co-chair. bachmann says her one-time supporter was offered a lot of money to switch sides. he denies it. >> i believe that we have an >> how many times do you hear this as a conservative? don't try to impose your morality on us? >> reporter: newt gingrich is now on a slide, and he's lowering expectations. >> what do you have to do here in iowa? >> you have to be in the top three or four -- >> but you've got to win either iowa or new

the backpack -- >> she's been showing up -- >> difference places, exactly. let's go inside. natalie's at the newsk. hi, natalie. >> good morning once again. good morning, everyone. >>> we begin with the breaking news they just mentioned. former penn state assistant football coach jerry sandusky waiving his right to a preliminary hearing. it now clears the way for him to go to trial on charges of him sexually abusing young boys. sandusky spoke briefly outside of the courthouse after the decision. >> to stay the course to fight. we await the opportunity to present our side, and we couldn't do that today. >> for more on this story, i want to turn to nbc's national investigative correspondent michael isikoff, who was in the courtroom. michael, this is a surprise decision, wasn't it? >> reporter: quite a surprise, natalie. you know, as recently as last night, joe amendola, sandusky's defense lawyer, was assuring reporters he was going to go ahead with this hearing. he had been giving every indication in recent days he was preparing for his defense, preparing to question these witnesses who were going

backpacks. authorities are being very strict. this is, of course, newis always a terrorist threat but also a big party. a ton of confetti set to be dumped once that ball drops. anderson cooper and kathy griffin ringing in the new year starting at about 11:00. we spoke to the organizer of the world's biggest party to let us know exactly what goes into this whole process. >> what you see behind me, this is like organizing the super bowl half time show except you've got half a million people every day in a city alive all around you. it's so different from setting up in some empty stadium until the crowd comes in. the crowd is already here. the crowd is in your way. it's great, but it makes it a lot more complicated. >> reporter: now, of course, new york city, like i said, is a terrorist threat. so police have come out in force. about 10,000, part of that task force through the streets. plain clothes police officers, helicopters flying overhead with infrared cameras. you have manhole covers removed. you've got an armada the ships,d seeing fireworks takes pl

new eu guideline. so the last night of 2011 is set to be louder and brighter than in previous years. large groups of modestly dressed and well-behave young people with backpacksin berlin. >> that is right, and they're only here for a short time. they are members of the tazay community who have chosen the german capital as this side of their youth meeting. they were founded in france in 1940. >> the conference, some 70 countries, flocking to the grounds of the berlin trade fair. most of the thousands of young people have already visited the tazayai community in france. is the sense of togetherness that has come to typify the annual gathering. >> so much people in one place, and we're not all catholics. some are processed and -- some are protestant. summer or the dogs. i think that is great. we can together parade. >> there are a lot of people you can meet. i met austrians and germans. " the organizers are delighted with the visitor numbers. the head of the committee hopes those present will address key questions. >> how can we continue to believe, believe one we live in a world in which god apparently plays no role? what does that mean today? we have to think

backpack bomb along the parade route in spokane. the bomb was discovered before it could explode. >> new from overnight, firefighters battle the flames at a northwest d.c. apartment building. this morning police are trying to figure out who shot and killed a man outside a busy shopping mall outside the nordstrom store at the towson town center. many continued their holiday shopping without knowing a shooting occurred. no one could enter or leave the mall while they investigated. stores did turn over surveillance video to the police, but no word on whether security cameras caught the shooting. police have not released the identity of the victim. >>> d.c. police are also trying to figure out who's responsible for a deadly shooting in northeast washington. last night homicide investigators were called out to the 1000 block of taylor street north and east. d.c. police are not releasing too much information. no arrests have been made. >>> meanwhile, two boys were shot last night in the 3400 block of 22nd street in southeast washington. no word on their condition. police have made no arrests in the case. >>> d.c. police are asking for your

backpack, knapsack, purse, whatever. bring as little with you as you probably can, but dress to stay warm. brand news year is entering on the 17th streets, 17th and c street side whereas previous years we've entered from 15th street. >> fantastic. thank you, bill. along with the national parks service and for folks coming down or traveling in this area, know there are plenty of roads closed because of this. so if you can avoid this area altogether, that probably will be a good idea to avoid the rush. back to you in the studio, jeff. >> tracey, thanks very much. >>> you time is now 5:51. plus, it's a new tree down there. >> by the way, just as soon as tracey was finished, she put that fur lined hood up. >> i bet. >> des like tracey wilkins this morning. we have had the cold air coming in yesterday afternoon on the blustery winds. right now at reagan national, it's 39. the wind gusting to around 10 to 15 miles per hour. it doesn't seem like a lot, but it's enough for the windchill to be down into the 20s this morning. so yes, dress accordingly. the averages for december in washington are right now ave

bulpitt 1940 died giving his got special backpacks 62 year old monkey off of their back >> mikan realize it is real and kind of putting us to higher awareness >> bad newsxas a and that a 10. favorite early on upset 62 your thing off their back that is the news tonight have a good night. wgntv.com never look a howler monkey in the eye. we built the entire library out of recycled bottles. fried ants are delicious. really. that was a confidence builder. my students actually ended up teaching me. so i learned this dance, let me show you this dance. in lak'ech ala k'in! the classroom was more of a class-tent. you think managing a sales team is tough... try working with five different villages. my alarm clock was a rooster. beans for breakfast, beans for lunch, beans for dinner. we ate a lot of beans. i learned a third language. my seatmate on the bus was a goat. always include the village elders, always. my morning commute was by canoe. after two months i was ready to quit, but after two years, i didn't want to leave. i didn't know i had it in me. turn two years of service into a lifetime of experience.

passengers showed up in backpacks and flip-flops and crammed into the back of 747s and that was the end of the age of he eloquence. >> have you seen the new show? what do you think about it. >> i like the back drops, the music and the glamorous steward he is. i would like to show them more of the sky gods in the cockpit, as well as the cabin and the pan am building. >> it's fascinating. it's fun to live back in those days by watching those shows. i watched last night, in fact. thanks for being with us. i appreciate it. i will have to check out the new book. have a good day. >> it's been my great pleasure. >> thank you. >> we certainly want to see more of bob and his fellow pan am employees, which needs to be a second season. if you think so, sign the petition. the link is on your screen to save the show "pan am." is pelosi ready to pack her bags? yesterday she predicted she would leave leadership. now another big development. plus just looking at this makes your heart race. a dog and her owner stranded on the side of this cliff, barely hanging on, as you see, but there's a lot more to this story. wait until you hear how they wound up ther

backpack on a parade route this year. he pleaded guilty in september. the christmas day underwear bomber is requesting a newent. he has pleaded guilty to attempting to bring down a 2009 flight over the u.s. with a device hidden in his underwear and is facing life in prison. >>> i'm like to report the safe return of the colors of united states forces iraq to the rightful place in the united states of america. >> and just days after the last u.s. convoy left iraq, the military flag which flew over baghdad has returned to u.s. soil. president obama and vice president biden attended the ceremony today marking the formal conclusion of a mission ahead of the end of the year deadline for withdrawal. >>> the republican presidential candidates are narrowing their focus as the first contest gets closer. speculation growing about ron paul's chances of winning the iowa caucuses two weeks from today. we're going to hear from the state's republican governor. and one of the most controlled countries in the world loses control as north koreans see the body of their dead leader, kim jong-il. ♪ sen♪ co-signed her credit card

. >>> a man in new york has confessed to a shocking crime, burning a grandmother to death in her apartment building elevator. the suspect, the local handy man, wearing a backpack canister holding the gas he used to douse the victim with before setting her on fire with a lighter. he claimed she owed him some $2,000. >>> a sharp increase in the number of young americans being arrested. nearly 1 in 3 americans will be arrested before their 23rd birthday. experts credit no tolerance policies and other adolescent crimes. >>> it's the end of the road for saab today. they filed for bankruptcy liquidation. >>> and on day when ton defeated green bay packers fell from glory. tim tebow just couldn't sustain the magic against tom brady and the new england patriots. tebow and the brong coast coming off a six-win streak sort of crashed back to reality. three second quarter fumbles didn't help things. they did, though, lose 41-23. in typical tebow fashion, he's keeping the faith. he said it was a big loss. but it only presents bigger opportunities for the team to turn things around. probably helps that the broncos are still in first place this morning. you know who did look

. >>> a man in new york has confessed to a shocking crime, burning a grandmother to death in her apartment building elevator. the suspect, the local handy man, wearing a backpackanister holding the gas he used to douse the victim with before setting her on fire with a lighter. he claimed she owed him some $2,000. >>> a sharp increase in the number of young americans being arrested. nearly 1 in 3 americans will be arrested before their 23rd birthday. experts credit no tolerance policies and other adolescent crimes. >>> it's the end of the road for saab today. they filed for bankruptcy liquidation. >>> and on day when ton defeated green bay packers fell from glory. tim tebow just couldn't sustain the magic against tom brady and the new england patriots. tebow and the brong coast coming off a six-win streak sort of crashed back to reality. three second quarter fumbles didn't help things. they did, though, lose 41-23. in typical tebow fashion, he's keeping the faith. he said it was a big loss. but it only presents bigger opportunities for the team to turn things around. probably helps that the broncos are still in first place this morning. you know who did look go

that want to ring in the new year in times square, what should you keep in mind when you head down to that area? >> well, a few don'ts. don't bring alcohol. don't bring backpacksre early. entertainment starts early. it starts about 6:00 and some big-name people. >> lady gaga. >> justin bieber will be there. it will be a big, big deal. the people waiting there will be entertained. >> it is going to be a huge party. with those two acts performing, you might get bigger crowds, commissioner. >> the weather -- >> last year it was snow and cleaning up from that. this year, a little different. you know, let's talk a little bit about, there's that famous saying, if you see something, say something. if you're going down there and you're looking around, obviously, you want to have fun, but you're looking around for suspicious activity. any tips for people who are down in times square and what they should be looking out for and what they should do if they see something suspicious. >> you see something suspicious, tell one of the police officers. look at your world or whatever activity you're engaged in through the prism of september 11th. if you see something different,