a fast-moving out of control brushfire near reno, nevada forces thousands to evacuate and scorches more than 20 home. >>> gingrich bites back. the former speaker lashes out following a question about his ex-wife. >> i am appalled that you would begin a presidential debate on a topic like that. >>> and special delivery. a postal carrier is caught on camera not handling a package a postal carrier is caught on camera not handling a package with care. captioning funded by cbs this is the "cbs morning news" for friday, january 20, 2012. >>> good morning everybody. thanks for joining us on this friday. i'm betty nguyen. firefighters in reno, nevada are hoping the weather cooperates today as they try to get the upper hand on a brushfire that destroyed more than 20 homes. that fire forced thousands of people to evacuate their neighborhoods thursday evening. the fire started just after noon near a highway and was helped by dry conditions and wind gusts of more than 80 miles an hour. >> to say that we're in the thick of battle is an understatement. we have people to protect homes and neighborhood

a wall of flames stoked by 80- mile per hour winds raced out of the mountains and into reno's suburbs. janice was working out when she smelled smoke. >> just the winds started blowing it. >> it was coming from all directions. it was just from one area to the next. >> how scary was that? >> i was scared. i didn't know what to do. >> she rushed to pack photographs into her car as sheriff deputies ordered an evacuation. >> how fast did they say get out of here? >> five minutes. she kept pushing me. and i threw the dog in the car. she was yelling at me in the street. you have to leave. >> fire was moving fast toward dianne's neighborhood as she was hurrying to get home. >> i got more and more panicked the further i drove. >> she was worried about both her husband and her horse. he got out, but couldn't bring the horse. >> i hate to think she died in a fire. that would be awful. >> at an animal rescue center this afternoon, they learned their horse had been saved. >> on these blackened hillsides, fire crews are out searching for hot spots and getting help from the weather. although it's st

11 killed and 70 injured when the plane crashed at the reno national air show last september. the faa is reviewing regulations in response to the accident. a top official says he expects there will be changes that clarify faa's current safety regulations but doesn't expect any of them to be significant. >>> nation's first primary is taking place now in new hampshire. republican candidates romney and huntsman are claiming small but important symbolic victories after the first votes. katie marzullo is here with the results from tiny dixville notch. >> reporter: nine registered voters in the town cast the first ballots romney and huntsman are tied with two votes a piece. polls predict romney will win by much more than that in part why others are attacking him. jon huntsman, newt gingrich, ron paul, rick santorum and rick perry share a common goal, stay in the race. romney heads into the contest up 24 points according to recent polls. in part why the others took every opportunity to knock him down after he said this yesterday. >> i like being able to fire people who provide servic

11 killed and 70 injured when the plane crashed at the reno national air show last september. the faa is reviewing regulations in response to the accident. a top official says he expects there will be changes that clarify faa's current safety regulations but doesn't expect any of them to be significant. >>> nation's first primary is taking place now in new hampshire. republican candidates romney and huntsman are claiming small but important symbolic victories after the first votes. katie marzullo is here with the results from tiny dixville notch. >> reporter: nine registered voters in the town cast the first ballots romney and huntsman are tied with two votes a piece. polls predict romney will win by much more than that in part why others are attacking him. jon huntsman, newt gingrich, ron paul, rick santorum and rick perry share a common goal, stay in the race. romney heads into the contest up 24 points according to recent polls. in part why the others took every opportunity to knock him down after he said this yesterday. >> i like being able to fire people who provide servic

a wall of flames stoked by 80- mile per hour winds raced out of the mountains and into reno's suburbs. janice was working out when she smelled smoke. >> just the wind blowing it. >> it was in all directions. it was coming one way and come this way. it was from one area to the next. >> how scary was that? >> very. i didn't know what to do. >> she rushed to put photographs in her car, as sheriff deputies ordered an evacuation. >> how fast did they get out of here? >> 15 minutes. she kept pushing me. and threw the dog in the car and yelling me on the street. you have to leave, you have to leave. >> fire was moving fast toward dianne's neighborhood as she was hurrying to get home. >> i got more and more panicked the further i drove. >> she was worried about both her husband and her horse. he got out, but couldn't bring the horse. >> i hate to think she died in a fire. >> an animal rescue center this afternoon, they learned their horse had been saved. on these blackened hillsides, crews are out searching for hot spots and getting help from the weather. although it's windy, it started to ra

. >> a wild fire near reno is raging this morning, how quickly it's spreading. >> plus, a tense start to last night's presidential debate. how newt gingrich responded to the opening question about his personal life. >> what a gorgeous shot of the bay bridge on this friday, january 20th, this is "today in the bay." >>> yes, yes, yes. it is friday and it feels good. good morning. it's 4:30. i'm jon kelley. >> tgif. i'm marla tellez in for laura garcia-cannon. first let's check the forecast the rain has arrived for sure. meteorologist christina loren in the nbc bay area weather center. good morning. >> good morning. we've got showers on the radar we'll be tracking for you all morning long. right now we're getting the ligh tr rain,li heavy periods moving in, a stronger storm on the way. first, already some problems out there. we don't know whether it's weather related but mike inouye has the details. >> good morning. we know the roads are slick in san jose. this accident was declared a sigalert but it has cleared so now all lanes are open southbound 280 at the 87 connector downtown san jo

. >> complicada situaciÓn, la mÁs importante es mantenerse seguros, en reno, nevada, un voraz incendioaÑos ha dificultado la tarea de los bomberos. miles de pernas continÚan fuera de sus casas y como nos dice vilma, la amenaza es grave. >> ilia, buenas noches, este incendio forestal obligÓ a las autoridades a cerrar varias autopistas y se abrieron varios refugios para personas que fueron obligadas a salir de sus casas. parecieran ya mÁs de un dragÓn que escupe fuego de una pelÍcula de ficciÓn, generadas por efectos especiales de hollywood, pero no, esto es real. se trata de un voraz incendio en reno, nevada, alimentado por fuertes vientos convirtiÉndose en un poco anhelado aliado. estÁn rápido que constituye un riesgo para los 700 bomberos que trabajan para sofocarlo. miles de acres han sido consumidos, al menos 29 casas quedaron en ruinas, estÓ obligó a por lo menos 10.000 personas a abandonar sus viviendas. el fuego sacÓ corriendo al vicepresidente joe fantin. >> ellos me dijeron que si no los dejo salir de aquÍ, ellos los marca sacar. >> las devorados llamas amenazaban con alcanzar

bigad shaban has more from reno of.ter: the keniso family still doesn't know if their home near reno, nevada was destroyed. janice evacuated as the flames swept through the lot next- door. >> it just came from nowhere. reporter: there are among more than 2,000 people not allowed back in their homes. the fast moving wildfire has destroyed more than two dozen houses. firefighters are making progress and have the blaze about 50% contained. >> our primary focus today is extinguishing hotspots and securing the perimeter. reporter: flames broke out thursday and heavy winds caused them to spread quickly. the last few months have been unusually dry in reno. in fact, the city set a record this winter, 56 days without any precipitation. >> the grass is still extremely dry and essentially we're still in august conditions here. reporter: but it is raining lightly now and heavy rain could be on the way. that should help douse the flames, but with all the charred land it also increases the chances of flooding. bigad shaban, cbs news.

pat thomas from reno, nevada. a rough situation.ow many times in your career have you seen this play out in parts of california, florida and texas. it could happen anytime, any place. it looks rough in nevada. the weather is going to help out considerably. >> devastating and dangerous. thank you. >>> the polls are now officially open in south carolina. let the rush begin. voters in the state are getting their chance to pick the republican presidential nominee. here is where they stood in the last cnn time orc poll earlier this week. romney on top. gingrich second. santorum third. that was before the cnn debate thursday night and rick perry's departure. gingrich has been surging since then. an adviser is predicting a six point win in the state. don lemon is joining us from south carolina. it's great seeing you. is anybody at the polls yet? it's 7:03 right now. >> reporter: are you kidding me? if you wouldn't have done that fire thing, you would have seen them running in here. are you ready to vote? this is a county that decided the e

. >>> also, we have developing news in reno. a wildfire forces thousands of people to evacuate. >> good evening, everyone. >> we needed this, after more than 30 days without rain. now, comes the soaking. >> we have team coverage for you tonight on the storm. jeff ranieri, tracking not one, but three storms at the weather center right now. >> we begin with cheryl hurd. stage one may be winding down. but is everyone ready for stage two? >> reporter: i don't know if everyone's ready for stage two. i am ready right now. the rain did come down pretty hard today. but it is, as you said, winding down, at least here in oakland. we did check in here at the oakland international airport, where rain and snow was on everyone's mind. the flights were canceled or delayed at oakland international. the latest winter storm made traveling challenging. >> our plane was delayed coming from spokane. so, stuck in all the snow. but we made it. >> the plane came in late from boise to denver to san diego. and we're a couple hours late here. >> reporter

another fire near reno last week burned 29 homes. investigators say fireplace ashes that were not properly disposed may have sparked that fire. >>> venecia police are looking for an armed robber who held up a check cashing store. the robbery happened last thursday at the check cashing business on interstate 80. the robber showed two clerks a handgun. got the money and fled on foot. the suspect is described as an 18 to 25-year-old black man with a thin build and medium height. >>> the city of pittsburg is running into community opposition as the city is looking for a site for a homeless shelter. many business owners are calling this a step back ward. >> reporter: people here say for a long time this part of town was run down. but now it's on the upswing, that's why some business owners were worried when they got this letter that says this site may be the future for a homeless shelterment business owners along tenth street are saying don't put it here. >> the area is being cleaned up. the last thing we want to do is bring them back in.

. >>> a wildfire burns near reno. we'll have the latest. but rain is on the way.re even more worried about that. >>> i'm danielle nottingham in charleston. coming up, can newt gingrich keep the race in south carolina close with just one day until voters head to the polls? ♪ [ music ] ♪ so in love with you [ applause and cheers ] >> who knew, from commander-in- chief to singer-in-chief, why president obama belted out a little motown tune when we come back. th yesterday along >>> reno firefighters are trying to hold the line on a firefighter that already destroyed dozens of homes. it started midday yesterday along i-395 and quickly spread to more than six square miles as high winds fanned the flames. 20 homes destroyed, 10,000 people evacuated. about 200 will without power. one death may be linked to the fire. >> just came up pretty fast. miles from here and just 5:00 everything came over the hill and here we go. >> that fire currently about 50% contained. there are concerns the burned land and heavy rains may cause some flooding issues as well in reno. you can see

miguel almaguer, nbc news, reno, nevada. >>> overseas now. six u.s. marines were killed today when their helicopter went down in helmand province in southern afghanistan. u.s. officials say there were no signs of enemy fire. the crash is still under investigation. >>> in syria where that violent uprising has been going on for nearly a year, the u.s. is considering closing the embassy in damascus and pulling out all american personnel. last summer, pro government demonstrators attacked the u.s. compound and the security situation is deteriorating. nbc's ayman mohyeldin's reporting inside syria continues tonight on our website nbc nightly news.com. >>> we reported earlier this week on the high technology strike that some of the world's biggest websites organized to protest an anti-piracy bilk pushed by major media companies, including our parent nbc universal. the protests by sites including google, facebook, wikipedia and craigslist seems to have worked. both houses of congress have now delayed votes on the bill indefinitely with senate majority leader

reno area in two months.t one in november, destroyed 30 homes. >>> fans around the world are mourning the loss of legendary blues singer, etta james. denise has a look back at her life. >> reporter: james died today in california from complications from leukemia. but she'll be remembered as one of the greatest singers of all time. >> at last ♪ >> that was it. the song that in 1961 was a hit, "at last." it put james on the map. she got her start singing at a baptist church in los angeles, then joined a girl group, and finally started making blues record. she went on to win three grammy awards. her manager says she died at riverside community hospital with her husband and her sons at her side. vic? >> thank you, denise. james was 73 years old. she had been hospitalized with breathe breathing problems. >>> costa concordia slammed off the ground off the coast of italy. 21 are still missing. divers had to suspend work in deeper waters after the cruise liner began shifting on the reef today. the ship's captain rema

the crash in reno killed 11 people and badly injured about 70 more. there are different types of shows, some riskier than others. regulations might take that into consideration. >>> it's a girl for beyonce, witnessing here the star treatment in the hospital wing. >> we've had star treatment this weekend, temperatures well above seasonal. that's about to change, some cooler air headed our way and some precipitation to talk about. i'll have the details. we'll be back after the break.  ♪ i'm feelin', feelin' a sunny day ♪ ♪ sunny day ♪ i'm feelin', feelin' the taste i crave ♪ ♪ subway ♪ i'm makin' it, makin' it how i like ♪ ♪ it's meant to be ♪ i'm feelin' subway ♪ i'm feelin' subway today [ male announcer ] hey, capital area! are you feelin' subway®? then heat up your day with the big hot pastrami melt! it's fresh toasted and piled-high with pastrami, then topped with pickles, mustard, and cheese. head into a subway® restaurant today for this melty, mouthwatering sub! ♪ i'm feelin' subway ♪ let's go >>> we're starting to get a cooldown, temperatures to

in reno, nevada, bigad shaban, wjz eyewitness news. >> this is the second major wildfire to hit the renomonths the last one, mid- november wiped out 30 homes. >>> today in iowa, areas were hit with half a foot of snow. schools across the region were closed today. and a state of emergency has been declared in those areas that were hardest hit. and a live look over baltimore now. no precipitation yet. but it's certainly a chilly end to the workweek. wjz is live with first warning weather. bob lets us know when that wintry weather will make it here. >> we will see some snow here late. probably after midnight. 1:00, 2:00 in the morning. that storm moving through the chicago area. that's about as far east as the snow has been reported right now. so the air is extremely dry right now. very, very light winds. eventually, some of that precip starting moving in late tonight. it will eventually turn into sleet and freezing rain for a while. so we've got kind of a really wintry mix coming in during the overnight, into your saturday morning. here's what we expect, as far as precip totals are concern

and ray hager in reno, the political reporter for the reno gazette journal.you as well. all right, so, steve, let me put you on the spot first. why did your paper endorse romney? >> well, you know, they don't ask me before they do these things. i keep trying to get them to do it. i keep trying to get them to do it, but they just don't. but i think the reasons that they articulated in the editorial were that the social issues that are championed by rick santorum are not as critical as the economic issues and they believe that mitt romney has the chops to beat barack obama on the economy, and to fix the economy. so i think that's really why they gave him the nod. >> okay. let's talk about three of the biggest issues according to a number of nevadaens and all of it really does have to do with the economy. we're talking foreclosures, problems on the strip, and maintaining or at least increasing business of conventions. and so if you had to, i guess, coach any of the candidates to prioritize these items based on what the voters want, what would you tell them, ray?

here we go. >> by nightfall, the flames could be seen from reno's downtown casino district. but an evening rainstorm helped to stop the fire at a high school where just a few hours earlier vice president joe biden was speaking. the fire forced biden to cut the speak short. >> they've just told me, if i don't let you guys get out of here relatively soon, they're going to make you get out of here. >> as many as 120 more firefighters are arriving today to help battle those flames. they'll work through the weekend to get the fire under control. one person was found dead in an area that was burned. but authorities have not determined the cause of death. >>> the search of that capsized cruise liner off the italian coast has been suspended this morning. a fire official says the costa concordia moved again. rescue crews are evaluating the situation. at least 11 people died in last week's grounding. the company which owns costa cruises called for a review of all safety and emergency procedures. >>> now to politics. the rapidly evolving race for the republican presidential nomination.

today he testified about a rape journal he said was located inside joseph naso's reno home back in 2010. he testified in reading entries, it starts off with women's names and locations and dates. then a list by decade of violent sexual assaults. the deputy district attorney hannah questioned brown about the common issues of the journal and the graphic photos of the nude, and partly nude women inside the home. brown said the journal talked about legs, women wearing high

that's about 10 miles south of reno. heavy smoke has forced the shutdown of an eight-mile stretch of highway 3 95. this is a live picture of that right now. that's the main north/south artery connecting reno with carson city. >>> san francisco sheriff pleaded not guilty today to domestic abuse charges. it was his first court appearance since prosecutors charged him last week with abusing his wife. joe vazquez was in the courtroom today. he has the latest. joe. >>> reporter: as a matter of fact, i just stepped out of the courtroom. they just broke up. this hearing started at 2:30. a very long arraignment process that in fact the charge of domestic abuse was almost like a side issue because the main issue today was a protective order that orders the sheriff to stay away from his wife and child. now, i want to show you video. this is eliana lopez the wife of sheriff ross mirkarimi as she strided into court today and went before the judge and made an impassioned plea to lift a protective order. she said she wants to see her

. >>> there's a new push to bring the winter games back to reno.bers of the board hope to make the reno lake tahoe area host of the 2022 winter olympics. the winter games in reno was back in 1960. >>> according to the daily beast, san francisco is in the number eight spot out of 25. a list shows that 61% of san francisco's population is single with an average salary of $60,000 a year. atlanta believe it or not is in the number one position followed by gainesville florida and beautiful lincoln nebraska. >>> hundreds of people came together in san francisco's little saigon to mark the beginning of the chinese new year. today's celebration comes a few days early so people can spend time with their family on the eve of the actual day january 23rd. >>> new baby bison have been added to the herd. now this comes just a week after a baby bison died after running into a fence while being chased by a dog. the park is working to protect the bison which are north america's largest land animal. >>> a very large owl is attracting attention. it's a gray owl that'

and vice president joe biden, he was forced to cut short a speech at reno high school. and a reporter shows us why. >> we're being evacuated from this room where this press conference just took place. you can see right out the door, this is how close the is at camino high school. the fire is right outside here. >> the crews say they'd been able to stop the flames from advancing, but not before strong winds helped it grow to six square miles. >>> now to a developing story we've been following overnight here at abc 2. disturbing video surfacing showing an autistic boy being attacked while at a bus stop. abc 2 new's linda stow is here with that video and the parent's reaction. linda, this is an unbelievable story. reporter: it's going to have your shaking your head once you see this story and if you are a parent, it'll really get to you. watch how an autistic boy is threatened by another student at a bus stop. reporter: the video was posted on facebook. it shows 11-year-old caleb coola, a sixth grader at elkton middle school getting punched in the head while everyone else

john blackstone at the scene of a fast-moving wildfire near reno. it's already destroyed dozens of homes. alan pizzey reports a new danger in the search for victims of the italian cruise ship disaster. and steve hartman on the road with a refreshing politician, one with absolutely no political aspirations. >> we're here to talk about your political career. >> oh. >> reporter: you don't seem too excited about that. >> no. captioning sponsored by cbs this is the "cbs evening news" with scott pelley. >> pelley: good evening. we are hours away from the first primary there the south, south carolina, and it's turning out to be a more critical battle for the g.o.p. nomination than anyone might have imagined. have a look at what just happened. in the latest preprimary poll out today, newt gingrich has passed longtime front-runner mitt romney. gingrich now holds a six-point lead, 32% to 26%. we have a team of campaign 2012 correspondents covering the south carolina primary. first, dean reynolds is in orangeburg with the gingrich campaign. dean? >> reporter:

. >> a massive wild fire burning out of control near reno. we'll tell you what fire crews are doing to try to save homes. >> reporter: so just how confident are fans that the niners can take out the giants this sunday? we'll take you to knbr to find out. >> here is a live look at the golden gate bridge just before you get to the toll plaza. you can see all of the wet roads out there on this friday, january 20th, "today in the bay." >> good morning everybody. thanks for being with us. i'm marla tellez in for laura garcia-cannon. >> good morning. i'm jon kelley. we check in with meteorologist christina loren. the football game isn't till sunday but she's cheering like the game's going on. you love this weather. >> i love the weather that i accurately forecast. let's put it in those terms. we've got a lot of rain now, you saw christie smith live and those were not light droplets coming down on her. we've got moderate rain, showers continue to ramp up. then it gets really, really heavy as we head through tonight. some of the heaviest rain that i'

reno nothing. no rain or snow. that is the driest december since 1883. a lot of cloud cover over us. the system will drag across us. there is a few returns on live storm tracker two. i doubt anything is reaching the ground. it's slicing through mendocino county and lake county. 40s temperatures have been going up due to the cloud cover. a little hint of a south breeze. we'll have a cooler day today. behind that i wish i could say there is something coming in for rain. i don't see it. it looks very quiet. but temperatures today will cool off under cloudy hazy skies. there could be a few showers to the north. the extended forecast after today night and morning fog. a little cooler thursday but dry pattern and warmer as we go into the weekend. >>> thank you. time is 6:20. the u.s. stock markets are closed after a wild ride for investors each of the three major end cities had a different end to 2011. dow jones gained 5.5% for the year. the s & p 500 had no change after its year of ups and downs in 2011. >>> the impossible mission forces topped the box office

a ranging wildfire in reno forces thousands to evacuate.eat to homes and what firefighters are facing today. >>> voters head to the polls in south carolina tomorrow with gingrich and romney now in a virtual dead heat. i'm susan mcginnis this charleston. that story coming up. >>> and "occupy" wall street planning a huge day of protest in san francisco. it remains to be seen if the weather might dampen their spirits. we'll have the story coming up. >>> and if you are headed to the 49ers-giants game this weekend, you won't be alone. a lot of police officers and undercover cops will be there, too. coming up we'll tell you what sparked this decision for more law enforcement. sweetheart. we need to talk. i've seen your stunts online. i can explain... jumping a ramp in a shopping cart. so 2005. wait, what? and only 3 likes? honey, it's embarrassing. carol's son got over 12 million views on that dancing squirrel video. don't you want that? i...i suppose. now go make your dad and me proud. try something funny. [ male announcer ] now everyone's up to

schools are closed, power is out for some as fire sweeped through one reno community. the damage as the flames begin to die down. >>> new video from inside the costa concordia, the wrecked cruise ship. rescue crews are inside the ship before they had to call off the search for the missing victims. it was suspended was the ship moved making the mission risky for divers. conditions inside are dangerous. crews are focusing on parts of the ship not under water but hope to get back in the water tomorrow. 11 people died when the ship ran aground last week. >>> 26 homes were destroyed after a wind fueled wild fire ripped through reno. the fire started after noon thursday and spread quickly. fire crews are getting a handle on the flames, 2000 people are under evacuation orders. the cause is unknown, yesterday, the flames got less than 100 yards from galena high school, vice president joe biden was speaking there. everyone was evacuated safely. schools were closed today. >>> w 2ás are starting to arrive, chances you are gathering the paperwork and want to get rid of old documen

. >>> also this morning, reno on fire. winds gusting over 80 miles an hour. hours tos are forced to evacuate. >>> and speed roommating. just like speed dating. it's fast, it's uncomplicated, it helps you find exactly what you're looking for. >>> good morning, everybody. i'm rob nelson. >> and i'm paula faris. the final stretch of the fight for south carolina has been a wild ride. a few days ago, it seems like mitt romney would cruise to victory. >> newt gingrich stepped on the gas but ran into a land mine. tahman bradley joins us with more. >> reporter: just as newt gingrich seemed to be coming on strong. a bomb shell from his ex-wife. beginnigingrich may have his pr but so does mitt romney. on the final day of campaigning, mitt romney is trying to hold on to his lead there and his front-runner status. polls in the palmetto state show newt gingrich surging. with rick perry dropping out and endorsing gingrich, there was one less conservative on stage. >> i think the destructive, vicious, negative nature of much of the news media makes it harder to govern this

reno inferno. a wildfire sent thousands of nevada residents fleeing for their lives. >>> and up, up, and away. the u.s. air force conducts the country's first orbital launch of the new year. captions paid for by nbc-universal television >>> hello. good morning. i'm lynn berry. today, we begin with a wild republican ride. a series of shake-ups made for a memorable day on the gop campaign trail thursday. first up, rick perry dropped and and endorsed rick gingrich. we learn mitt romney did not win the iowa caucuses. at the end of the day a fiery debate. nbc's steve handelsman reports. >> reporter: four are left and newt gingrich had the hot hand. the endorsement of rick perry and surging polls in south carolina, so gingrich blew up when the first question in the cnn debate. >> when the story has now gone viral on the internet. >> reporter: was about his ex-wife and infidelity. >> she says you asked her, sir, to enter into an open marriage. >> the story is false. to take an ex-wife and make it two days

reno's fire chief says he admitted to improperly disposing of fireplace ashes. overnight rains have helped crews bring that fire under control. it did destroy 29 homes though, and forced 10,000 people to evacuate. >>> next, a new class that examines how journalism and public policy affects foster children. meet the man who is raising awareness about what happens to kids in the system. the director of fostering media connections joins us next. werewolf movie genre. stillo come, liam mayclem's previef . >>> and before twilight, underworld ruled the wear wolfe movie genre. liam mayclem's preview of the supernatural blockbuster. we'll be right back. laces? really? slip-on's the way to go. more people do that, security would be like -- there's no charge for the bag. thanks. i know a quiet little place where we can get some work done. there's a three-prong plug. i have club passes. [ male announcer ] now there's a mileage card that offers special perks on united, like a free checked bag, united club passes, and priority boarding. thanks. ♪ okay. what's your secret? ♪

. >> reno likes to call itself the biggest little city in the world.used to come when hollywood celebrities would come for a quickie divorce, now it was a bizarre saga that could have been you will. ed from a hollywood screen play. it is the story of power, ambition and enemies. investigators say it's also a story of murder that they believe would have been the perfect crime if not for one slip of a tongue. the photos say it all. she was a prominent politician poised for an even brighter future. she posed with president bush, with the first lady, with the president's father and vice president cheney. nevada state controller kathy augustine put herself front and center any tieam. >> that was evident just upon meeting her. firm handshake and looked you straight in the eye. >> knrtv reporter covered her career for years. >> what were your impressions of her as a politician? >> kathy augustine was ambitious and tenacious and driven. she knew exactly what she wanted. she knew exactly how she was going to do it. she put her whole heart and her efforts into i

happening on othe outskirts of reno. we are told people can see the flames shooting some four stories high all the way from the city's famed casino district. officials say they have the fire about 50% contained. not before it burned down. 26 homes left hundreds without power and even closed a highway, when the heat melted the guardrails. yesterday, deputies went door to door helping families get to shelters. officials evacuated hundreds of children from school and ranchers raced to save their livestock. >> there was fire all around us. and yards were burning. the areas that we took some of these horses out when we came back through, there are those areas were all burning. we got them out just in a nic of time. >> jon: now there is hope that storms will help douse the flames. there is concern tonight the rain could actually make this crisis worse. claudia cowan with the news live in our san francisco newsroom. claudia, the weather cuts both ways, doesn't it? >> it sure does, jon. you know, fire crews need the rain to put

. >> still ahead the future of the reno air show is decided nearly four months after the disaster in the grandstands. >> then at 6:00 a local teenager has been getting social security benefits, a teenager. well now, the government wants some of the money back. we'll be right back here. [ female announcer ] they've been off limits to dieters since time began. not anymore. fiber one is bringing brownies back. at 90 calories, the only thing between you and chocolaty brownies... ♪ ...is a nicely designed package. ♪ you can have brownies again. fiber one 90 calorie brownies. in the granola bar aisle. caramel...pretzel 90 calorie bar. ♪ >>> chp is taking its dui crack down to the air now. there is a small plane flowing low yesterday. and officials say the plane was only 50 feet above the ground. they noticed that the 62-year-old pilot had alcohol on his breath. officer as rested him for suspicion of reckless flying. >> one year after the deadly reno air show disaster the show will go on. the crash put the race's future into question. and today the head of the air raigss association confirm

. >> the special election to replace harry thomas janet reno will be held may 15th. candidates already lining up to replace him including newcomer kenyan mcduffie say the ward needs a fresh start. >> it needs a serious leadership plan. >> i sat down with longtime ward 5 activist who is not running but says the ward is now deeply divided after thomas' corruption conviction. the next leader, she says, must work to unite the community. >> right now where we currently are so that everybody is jostling for their position to see how they can get this particular seat in order to be in control. >> even though there's no official councilmember seat for ward 5 now, all constituent services are being addressed by council chairman kwame brown. >>> the last day to register to vote for the special election is may 5th. >>> there was a large police presence around the clairemont elementary school this morning in alexandria section of fairfax county. parents and police are on the lookout for a man who has been approaching children. investigators say all five incidents happened within

john blacstone, cbs news, reno. >>> the elderly man responsible for starting the fire is cooperating with investigators. but it is not clear if he will be facing criminal charges. >>> 12 teenage girls from the same town believe they contracted a mysterious illness. they started showing symptoms like terex. no agents were the cause, parents think the state's testing was not complete enough. they are also not satisfied with the opinion of a doctor who examined all of the girlless. he says it's a conflict which resulted in mass hysteria. his prognosis is for a complete recovery. >>> a man is recovering after a terrible accident involving a nail gun. the result is a 12-inch nail in dante's head. tragedy was averted by just a few millimeters. >>> former kidnapping victim elizabeth smart is now engaged. the 24-year-old will likely get married this summer. smart was abducted from her home when she was 14. she was rescued nine months later. bryan david mitchell was convicted of kidnapping and sexual assault. no details were released about smart's husband to be. >>> she was one of the pioneer

. >>> reno inferno. massive wind-driven wildfire sends thousands of nevada residents fleeing for their lives. >>> d telltale sign. a long-running edgar allen poe tribute is never more. captions paid for by nbc-universal television >>> hello, and good morning. welcome to our viewers across the nation, including the pacific time zone. i'm lynn berry. today, we begin with a wild republican ride. a series of shake-ups made for a memorable day on the gop campaign trail thursday. we learned mitt romney did not win the iowa caucuses. rick perry dropped out and endorsed newt gingrich. and gingrich's ex-wife gave a scathing tell-all interview. tracie potts joins us with more. good morning. >> reporter: lynn, good morning. of the four candidates on the stage, the one person not there seemed to have the most impact on how this debate started. newt gingrich's wife of 18 years told abc he cheated on her while publicly promoting family values. >> he was asking to have an open marriage, and i refused. >> reporter: ging