our clayton sandell showing us how quickly the weather changed. >> here in colorado, you never know what you're going to get in spring. this was saturday. and this is today. some areas around denver got up to nine inches of snow. >> reporter: south dakota showing the extremes of this storm. on the western side of the state, a cold blizzard. on the eastern side, warm weather, but a devastating impact. here in denton, you hear the buzz of chain saws as they continue to clean up here. this home, definitely damaged, a mother and her three children huddled in the bathroom. they're okay tonight. >> rob, who remains in the danger zone? >> we still have tornado watches posted, and significant flood threat. parts of oklahoma and texas have seen over a foot of rain. the storms have been very, very wet. that threat will continue. and tornado watches from here to iowa. tomorrow, it pushes up to the east, houston, through the ohio river valley. and threat of severe weather and potentially tornadoes. and across the carolinas, ana is downgraded to a tropical depression. just north of wilmington. an ear

clayton sandell is there. >> reporter: protests in santa barbara. angry at an environmental disaster. experts say animals are showing up as far as 50 miles from the california coast. >> we're keeping teams in the area as long as we have to. >> reporter: over the weekend, this sea lion died. teams are scrambling to contain and clean tuesday's rupture. the company says they're still trying to figure out exactly where it failed. >> we're sorry this accidental release has happened and we're bringing in all the resources we have to respond. >> reporter: miles of beaches are closed and cleanup is far from over. clayton sandell, abc news,los angeles. >>> and animal control officers are looking for a coyote that attacked a girl in a park. here's aditi roy. >> reporter: tonight, wildlife officials in one southern california community are on high alert looking for a coyote who attacked a 3-year-old girl at a park. >> they said that the coyote charged the little girl. >> reporter: the 3-year-old suffering a minor cut in the neck. and just last week tonya easte

clayton sandell, abc news, denver. >>> now to the weather. across the country, millions enjoying a near-perfect spring weekend. shorts picnics in new york. rob marciano is here. there are some severe weather threats right? >> yes, across farparts of wisconsin, minnesota and through tomorrow we go to the south, omaha, kansas texas. >> and through the week 10 to 15 degrees above average. temps in the low 80s for highs, more like we would have in june. and extremely high levels of pollen. if you suffer from allergies, you're dealing with that. >> thank you. >>> and from sfan francisco a narrow escape from a tour bus. smoke coming from the back people running to tell the driver know. no one was injured. >>> and now to the mediterranean sea, where the italian coast guard rescued refugees. and not everyone on the boats survived. hamish macdonald with the images tonight. >> reporter: today off the coast of italy, a rescuer tosses life jackets onto a boat in distress. a young boy is carried to safety. others jump and climb onto the coast guard cutter

clayton sandell is there. >> reporter: protests in santa barbara. angry at an environmental disaster. now rippling far beyond this shoreline turned oil slick. experts say animals are showing up as far as 50 miles up and down the california coast. >> we're keeping teams in the area as long as we have to. >> reporter: an intense rescue is now under way to save the birds and animals coated in oil. over the weekend, this sea lion died. teams are scrambling to contain and clean tuesday's rupture. in a line owned by a texas-based plains all american pipeline. the company says they're still trying to figure out exactly where it failed. >> we're sorry this accidental release has happened, and we're bringing in all the resources we have to respond. >> reporter: a commercial fishing area where this man makes his living is shut down. >> it knocks out a huge chunk of area until they can determine whether or not the seafood is safe to eat. >> reporter: miles of beaches are closed, and cleanup is far from over. clayton sandell, abc news, los angeles. >>> and anim

clayton sandell, abc news, denver. >>> now to the weather.cross the country, millions enjoying a near-perfect spring weekend. here in central park, a day for picnics and shorts. spring flowers in bloom. rob marciano is here. there are some severe weather threats right? >> yes, across parts of wisconsin, southeast minnesota and through tomorrow, we go to the south, omaha, northern kansas, parts of texas. and through the week, 10 to 15 degrees above average. temps in the low 80s for highs, more like we would have in june. with that early heat trees are blooming. and extremely high levels of pollen. if you suffer from allergies, like i do, you're dealing with that. >> thank you. >>> and from san francisco, a narrow escape from a tour bus. the double-decker bus was packed with tourists when smoke and fire started coming out the back. people running to tell the driver know. no one was injured. >>> and now to the mediterranean where the italian coast guard rescued thousands of refugees. dozens of boats packed with people going on dangerous voyages.

clayton sandell in south dakota for us tonight. and of course we'll stay on the watches and warnings throughout the night, right here on abc news. >>> in the meantime we move onto los angeles tonight and that emergency landing. a sky west plane slamming into the runway at lex.a.x. rescue teams rushing to the scene. passengers on board told to brace for impact. abc's david kerley covers aviation. >> reporter: passengers and pilots pour out of the small jet after its emergency belly landing, without a left landing gear. emergency workers and their equipment swarming the scene. happy praise for the pilots. >> great job, man. >> it was a perfect landing for the situation we were in. >> reporter: the pilots on the flight from monterrey california knew something was wrong as they prepared to land in los angeles. the tower and another pilot took a look during a low pass by l.a.x. >> 5316, appears there is no left main gear. >> yeah, it's up and locked. >> reporter: the jet dumps fuel over the ocean. passengers brace, then it comes in. the

>> clayton sandell in colorado. clayton, thank you. >>> and we have two headlines out of nebraska tonight. in just 24 hours, two landmark moves. first, dropping the death penalty. tonight, removing the ban on drivers licenses for young undocumented immigrants. brought here as children the so-called dreamers going against the governor there. nebraska the last state in the nation to have such a ban in place. >>> there is still much more ahead on "world news tonight" this thursday. the accused imposter at a well-known children's hospital. the man posing as a doctor seen in patient's rooms. and we'll have the latest on this investigation coming up here. >>> we also have a medical headline for you tonight involving coffee. how much is too much? the number of cups a day. >>> and then the stunning underwater treasure hunt tonight. and what they expect to find in a shipwreck, right there in the great lakes. don't go away. yself for so long that i needed to quit smoking. i would quit then i'd go right back to it. chantix abs

here's abc's clayton sandell. >> reporter: it was supposed to be a routine training flight. but as this marine mv-22 osprey kicks up a dust cloud yesterday in hawaii it suddenly makes a hard landing, erupting in flames. >> dude look how black that smoke is now. >> reporter: 22 marines based at camp pendleton in california were on board. one was killed. 21 were taken to hospitals. one is still in critical conditions. >> it's tragic and our condolences go to the families and to the loved ones of the victim. >> reporter: the osprey is an aviation hybrid. part helicopter for takeoff and landing, transforming into an airplane, for high speed cruising. it's a complicated machine with a troubled history. during early test flights, a series of osprey crashes killed 30 people. earning it a nickname. the widow maker. >> osprey is not as good as most helicopters could conduct a mission and it's not as good also most airplanes would be able to conduct a mission. >> reporter: today, the marines told us the modern osprey is reliable and safe and has proven itself remarkably in combat sinc

here's abc's clanton sandell. >> reporter: everybody in windsor, colorado, seemed to know john jacoby. tonight, they want to know who killed him. >> john was known by many people loved by all. >> reporter: the 48-year-old was riding his bicycle monday when he was shot twice. he was gunned down on this rural stretch of road. it was the first homicide here in eight years. now, investigators in this small town have asked the fbi for help, concerned jacoby's murder may be connected to another shooting. >> i'm just really -- i'm just scared. >> reporter: 20-year-old cori romero was driving home on a nearby interstate last month when someone shot her in the neck. >> you don't really think that something like that would happen to you. >> reporter: in the last month several other cars have had windows blown out. it's not clear if gunfire is to blame, but even the possibility of a serial shooter has people on edge. a triathlon scheduled here for this weekend, now canceled. >> people are going to be concerned when they hear of something like this. >> reporter: in all of these mysterious cases,

clayton sandell, abc news denver. >>> when we come back here the grocery store known for its fresh food but high prices. sprices. >>> also the home improvement company announcing a big change today, amid a federal investigation over possible chemicals used. >> and then that video tonight. so many reacting to this scene from "dirty dancing." did it go too far? we'll have the reaction, coming up next. the world is filled with air. but for people with copd sometimes breathing air can be difficult. if you have copd, ask your doctor about once-daily anoro ellipta. it helps people with copd breathe better for a full 24hours. anoro ellipta is the first fda-approved product containing two long-acting bronchodilators in one inhaler. anoro is not for asthma. anoro contains a type of medicine that increases risk of death in people with asthma. it is not known if this risk is increased in copd. anoro won't replace rescue inhalers for sudden copd symptoms and should not be used more than once a day. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition, or high blood pressure. tell your doctor if you have

here's clayton sandell. >> reporter: meet the incredible hulk. aydhun byars of aurora, colorado. the speedy 5-year-old is hard to keep up with. but monday, he slowed down just enough to save his mother's life. >> hello? >> i don't know what mom is doing, but i need someone's help. >> reporter: his mom tara was having a diabetic shock. >> i called 911. >> is she sleeping? >> yeah, she's sleeping, but she just opens her eyes and she never answers me. she just kept looking and never responded. >> reporter: but just dialing that phone was tough. aydhun was born with a condition causing stiff joints. he's had ten surgeries. acting faster than a speeding bullet, little aydhun saved the day. do you have a super power? >> my super power is love and peanut butter. >> reporter: love and peanut butter. not even kryptonite beats that. clayton sandell, abc news, aurora, colorado. >> saving his mother. thank you for watching tonight. i'm david muir. and we'll see you back here tomorrow. good night. >> >>> body cameras for deputies in the san francisco main jai

clayton sandell, abc news. >>> a troubling detail to give you following the death of a police officer here in new york city. showing you surveillance video. this is of a thief here taking more than 20 guns from a pawn shop in georgia. this was more than three years ago. nine of those guns have been recovered on new york city streets and one of them was used to shoot officer brian moore. that happened last weekend and the 25-year-old moore died on monday, his funeral set for tomorrow. >>> a man accused of stalking actress sandra bullock entered a plea of not guilty in los angeles court. corbett was arrested after breaking into bullock's home last year. bullock called 911 from a closet where she was hiding during the frightening incident and directed police through her home until they found him. investigators later found a huge cache of illegal weapons inside his home. >>> sir elton john appeared on capitol hill asking lawmakers to keep up the global fight against aids. he called the disease a horrifying killer but one that could be totally eradicated with continued support. the grammy-

here is abc's clayton sandell. >> reporter: huge plumes of smoke and fire erupting into the sky.100 cars long loaded with crude oil, derailing, then catching fire. six cars engulfed. so much smoke, residents in the tiny town of handle had to be evacuated but no one injured. it's the eighth royal train derailment this year. a few months ago in west virginia, another train carrying crude oil jumped the tracks sparking this huge fireball. hundreds of families evacuating. >> i've never seen anything like this in my life. >> reporter: every day in the u.s. over 1 million barrels of crude oil travel by train, often on tracks that critics say are ageing and in need of upgrade. >> these are in many times going very near our homes, our schools and businesses. >> reporter: just last week american and canadian regulators issued tough new rules for these oil cars, including lower speed limits, and requiring stronger tanks and better brakes. but critics say it will be years before all tankers are up to those new standards. in the meantime, the huge surge in u.s. oil production means more tank

clayton sandell, aurora, colorado. >> what a cutie. love and peanut butter.hould teach your kids. important. teach your kids. important. e your car unprotected. but a lot of us leave our identities unprotected. nearly half a million cars were stolen in 2012. but for every car stolen 34 people had their identities stolen. identity thieves can steal your money damage your credit and wreak havoc on your life. why risk it when you can help protect yourself from identity theft with one call to lifelock, a leader in identity theft protection? lifelock actively patrols your sensitive personal information helping to guard your social security number, your bank accounts and credit, even the equity in your home. your valuable personal assets! look, your credit card company may alert you to suspicious activity on the accounts you have with them, but that still may leave you vulnerable to big losses if a thief opens new accounts in your name or decides to drain your savings, home equity, or retirement accounts. and your credit report may only tell you after your identity

clayton as is sandell. on the scene. deflate gate tom brady learns his fate today. jesse palmer to give us his take on the scandal. >>> outrage at one airline after an oregon family was kicked off the flight due to the daughter's special needs. the girl's mother is speaking out on why she is planning to sue. >>> we'll kick off our week of adventure our own ginger zee takes us to the end of the earth. this morning they say braving an island of unbelievable creatures, she brought along drones so you can see every bit of the action. all coming up next on "g.m.a." >> i love adventures. >> reporter: it's an adventure getting to work today. the action is coming in, this is delaware county this is new happening on i-95 northbound past the blue route an accident blocking the two right lanes you can see how serious it is. ambulance on the scene car facing sideways, we're heavy from 452 to past the blue route. >> reporter: dress the kids in shorts and ts we're starting out in the 60s by 9:00 a.m., 70. the high today 85 degrees, slight chance of a spotty shower around but the

clayton sandell, abc news, denver. >> let's turn overseas to nepal's earthquake zone. relief comes in the form of several u.s. military osprey aircraft which can reach remote villages without needing a long landing strip. that's especially convenient since the main airport in the capital of kathmandu was closed because of runway damage. u.s. military helicopters are also being put to work. >> they're going to make an immediate difference. so we've got search and rescue teams waiting to go out to the remote areas. we've got relief supplies especially shelter. >> he calls shelter the most pressing need especially because the monsoon season will soon be under way. the death toll from the quake is now more than 7200 people. also, one of the survivors pulled from debris over the weekend is a man reportedly 101 years old rescued from his collapsed home in a remote village close to where the quake was centered. most people there still fending for themselves because aid hasn't reached them. >>> turning to politics now, two more republicans are entering the presidential race. d

and clayton sandell has the story. >> reporter: they're three or four little numbers that can cost youig money. you'll find them, the security code, on the back of your credit or debit card. and scammers are trying to get you to give it up. here's how it works. a scammer calls you, pretending to be from your credit card company. they tell you there appears to be fraudulent activity on your account. and they're opening a fraud investigation. but the scammer wants proof you are in possession of the card. so, they ask for that security number. once you give it to them, that fake credit card company employee can start doing real damage. credit card fraud cost $11 billion last year. once criminals have your info, they sell it online. >> it's readily accessible. there's much more supply of the cards. there's a real flood of the cards available on the black market. >> reporter: investigators advice -- check your statements carefully. report suspicious activity. and never give out the security number over the phone when someone has called you. clayton sandell, abc news, denver. >> it's fascina

as abc's clayton sandell reports. >> reporter: protesters in santa barbaba.gry over an environmental disaster now rippling far beyond this shoreline turned oil slick. wildlife experts say animals swimming through the oil spill here are now showing up as far as 50 miles up and down the california coast. >> we're keeping teams out in the environment as long as we have to. >> reporter: an intense rescue is now under way to save the birds and animals coated in oil. over the weekend, this sea lion died. teams are scrambling to contain and clean the rupture in a line owned by texas based plains all-american pipeline. the company says they're still trying to find out exactly where it failed. >> we're sorry that this accidental release has happened. and we are bringing in all the resources at our disposal to respond. >> reporter: a commercial fishing area where harry makes his living is now shut down. >> the area of the closure knocks out a huge chunk of area till they can determine whether the seafood is safe or not to eat up there. >> reporter: miles of beaches are

clayton sandell, abc news centennial colorado. >> a major bank is reportedly cutting back.ournal" says jpmorgan chase eliminating more than 5,000 jobs 2% of its current workforce. insiders say the cuts have already started part of a move to rely less on human tellers and more on technology. the average branch would lose one employee over the next two years. >> george pataki joined the crowd of republican presidential hopefuls making his announcement on youtube. pataki told supporters as a mod he can pull a divided nation together. he served three terms as governor of a heavily democratic state. the republican governor of another democratic state chris christie is changing his tune on education. christie now says the "common core national education standards aren't working." and new jersey should do something different. just a few years ago, he supported them. his latest effort to be more appealing to conservative voters as heconsiders a bid for the republican presidential nomination. >> how many are we up to now? is it seven officially? >> are we talking republican or just

abc's clayton sandell with ways to stop the thief cold. >> watch this thief walk you have to an audisto the door unlocks. he gets away from a suitcase and a custom $15,000 bicycle. how did he do it? >> it's believed he used an unknown electronic type of device or remote to open the car doors electronically. >> it could be a device transmitting signals that mimic a car's key fob, tricking the car into unlocking the doors. these high-tech versions of the old slim jim are popping up from long beach, california to chicago. another technique uses a radio amplifier to in theory unlock your car from much further away than normal, say after you've already gone inside. to help defeat this particular ruse the experts say you can put your keys in something metal to block the signal like your freezer. >> the best prevention is to lock your car, take your valuables out of it park in a well-lit area. >> reporter: high crime going high tech clayton sandell, abc news denver. >> i have never been so happy that mine doesn't work. i actually have to put the key in. >> old school. >> what do you drive?

clayton sandell has the story. >> reporter: they're saying they're connected. >> this week we recovered evidence that these shootings are linked together. >> reporter: in april, 20-year-old corey romero was driving home when she says someone in a dark suv shot her in the neck. >> i'm just scared. i knew there was a pain in my neck. i thought it had come from the glass of my window. >> reporter: since then other drivers have reported their windows blown out. police won't say exactly what the evidence is that links the two cases, but they've formed a new task force, including the fbi, to try to find the shooter. as of tonight, there's a $10,000 re reward. >>> now, to the passenger jet that had to move to avoid a collision with a drone. here's david kerley. >> reporter: this morning, on final approach to laguardia, a shuttle america commuter jet takes evasive action, climbing 200 feet to avoid a drone, flying illegally over brooklyn. the search for that person is on tonight. all that, after another type of air scare near jfk. >> they're shining green lasers, it's flashed us a couple times.

clayton sandell is there. >> here in downtown denver the waters are rising too. the river and creek have overflowed their banks. normally it looks like this. >> reporter: in the rockies, a snowstorm, just a month away if summer. that severe weather system heading east. >> this is the latest radar. storms stretching nearly 1,000 miles. >> west texas in for more severe storms today with those showers stretching across the midwest, packing damaging winld, hail, the possibility of more tornadoes. >>> another developing story. efforts under way to clean up a large oil spill along the california central coast. estimated 21,000 gallons of oil from a broken pipeline flowed into the pacific ocean about 20 miles west of santa barbara. that oil stretched about four miles along the beach. some sea birds coated in oil. all happened at a beach that is popular with campers. the coast guard on the scene monitoring the cleanup. whiles could be seen near the oil at one point. workers attempting to push them away. unclear how long it might take to clean up. >>> several tense hours

clayton sandell reports. >> prosecutors seeking the death penalty say the notebook shows careful planningget agairport, ruling it out because of substantial security. he diagrams several auditoriums but notes to avoid theater one, too many exits. he estimates police would arrive in three minutes. on the other side his attorneys pursuing an insanity defense point to this long list of mental problems holmes claims he suffers including schizophrenia. >> my mind period. it is broken. i tried to fix it. >> holmes describes having an obsession to kill since childhood and seems to suggest that when a psychiatrist prescribed antidepressants, he will no more fear of launching his attack. writing research firearms laws and mental illness. nearly eight pages are filled with just one word. why. that is the question that still haunts families of the 12 people killed. >> i can only deal with everything day by day. >> and dozens injured like jarell brooks shot in the leg. >> there's still some things we're dealing with. >> in addition to the writings in the notebook theres are video. 22 hours of holmes

abc's clayton sandell tonight. >> reporter: huge plumes of smoke and fire erupting into the sky. the train, over 100 cars long, loaded with crude oil, derailing then catching fire this morning. six cars engulfed. so much smoke, residents in the tiny town of heimdal had to be evacuated, but no one was injured. it's the eighth oil train derailment just this year. a few months ago in west virginia another train carrying crude oil jumped the tracks. sparking this huge fireball. hundreds of families evacuating. >> i've never seen anything like this in my life. >> reporter: every day in the u.s. over 1 million barrels of crude oil travel by train, often on tracks that critics say are aging and in need of an upgrade. >> these are in many times, going very near our homes, our schools and our businesses. >> reporter: just last week, american and canadian regulators issued tough new rules for these oil cars including lower speed limits and requiring stronger tanks and better brakes. but david, critics say it will be years before all tanker cars are up to those new standards. in the meantim

clayton sandell has the story. >> reporter: they happened six miles apart. seemingly random. but now, investigators saying they're seemingly connected. >> this week, we recovered evidence that these shootings are linked together. >> reporter: this man shot twice, killed while riding his bicycle. in april, 20-year-old cory romero was driving home when she says someone in a dark suv shot her in the neck. >> i'm just scared. i knew there was a pain in my neck. i thought it had come from the glass of my window. >> reporter: since then, other drivers in the area have reported their car windows blown out. though it's not clear if all were gunfire. >> no other cases have been linked to this shooting. >> reporter: police won't say exactly what the evidence is that links the two cases, but they've formed a new task force, including the fbi, to try to find the shooter. as of tonight, there's a $10,000 reward. david? >> clayton, thank you. >>> now, to the passenger jet that had to move swiftly to avoid a near collision with a drone. just one in a series of frightening incidents in the p

chief meteorologist ginger zee with the new track this hour but first, abc's clayton sandell with the extraordinary images coming in right now. >> reporter: tonight, ominous clouds over oklahoma. >> it's trying to pull itself together to make one large tornado. >> reporter: at least eight tornadoes reported between there and texas. >> holy [ bleep ] the thing's big. >> reporter: golf ball-sized hail put a few dents in cars and covered roads near pecos. in 24 hours, san angelo got the most rain it's seen in 35 years. more than 20 drivers trapped in sinking cars. >> dispatch, this vehicle is completely under the water. >> reporter: it was waist-high in louisiana, thanks to record rain. >> i have never seen this much rain and i've been in shreveport for 32 years. >> reporter: in ruston, lousiana, where an 11-year-old boy drowned monday, another boy, just 7 years old survived, clinging to a tree before help arrived. colorado is also getting a drenching. here in downtown denver the water is rising, too. this is where the south platte river and cherry creek come together. you can see, they

let's get the latest on all this nastiness from abc's clayton sandell. >> reporter: a rash of tornadosng over oklahoma. >> the most significant of all tornado warnings that we can have. again, a tornado emergency. >> reporter: the storm system packing winds up to 150 miles per hour. meteorologists telling rush hour motorists to stay inside. >> i'm telling you, please stay at work do not get on the highway. >> reporter: twisters cutting a path of destruction just south of oklahoma city. >> it's a lot of damage out here and it's still raining. >> reporter: farms, houses all kinds of buildings destroyed. a shell is all that's left of the bridge creek fire department. >> buildings that are completely collapsed, power is out out here. >> reporter: the extreme weather system hitting nebraska and kansas. >> we have a large multiple-vortex tornado on the ground south of lincoln. >> reporter: sirens across the heartland warning residents of impending disaster. >> we have a roof that just flew through the air here. this is a serious situation. >> reporter: the storm stretching all the way to tex