but i think it was gender related too. >> east st. louis has lost a ton of population over the years. what was it like living there? how long did you live there? >> we moved there, i was in about second grade, about 8 years old. i lived there through high school my grandmother lived there until she passed away in just the past few years. i saw it change from a fairly diverse city, though not necessarily balanced in terms of the government and jobs, to one that's about 98% african-american today. and in that time, of course, a lot of businesses left, the main street that used to be a bustling place on a saturday, i think it's mostly boarded up now, very little commercial activity there anymore, at one point there was a study that about 5% or more of the population was on public assistance. it's prime real estate for development, it's going to turn around, it's got enormous potential that i think is untapped. >> when you lived in east st. louis, illinois, you went to the high school, catholic high school, in st. louis. >> yes. >> how did that

it was comfortable, easy to get to from st. louis. >> going back to the fact that you grew up being shy, when did you begin to get rid of that? >> when i was a cadet in the rotc, because you are put into leadership roles early, and when you go to your advanced course between your junior and senior year, i went to fort lewis, about a 6-3 period, and you are rotated in various leadership roles, so you were going to be the platoon sergeant for the day, and you're going to be responsible for getting our people from point a to point b all day long and being accountable for them, and keeping a schedule, so you have to stand up in the front of the room and assert yourself and gain control over that group and capture their attention, so you are just compelled to. >> in your speech -- but the way, what was the crowd you were speaking to back in early november, sponsored by "time" magazine and aarp -- what were you there to talk about? >> to talk about how the american dream for me was very real and to talk to some of the young people in the a

meantime in downtown st. louis to control a blaze right downtown at a building there. it is a five-alarm fire. we understand that there may be some chemicals within that building. so there is grave concern for the firefighters who are trying to douse this blaze. with us from the st. louis post dispatch, reporter kristine buyers, you're on the scene. tell me what you're seeing. >> reporter: right now i can see at least five trucks with hoses trying to bring this fire to a close. there was one firefighter holding a hose from the neighboring building and dousing the building with water as well. all of the fire trucks are out here for this major event. they have blocked out for several blocks around the building at this point. and the north side of the building, we're told, is buckling. >> so kristine, you said there are streets blocked off. we understand according to our reporting there, that one of the buildings has been evacuated. is it still the case according to earlier reports that there is concern for the firefi

st. louiss search the stallings' home, and in the basement they find an open container of antifreeze. antifreeze they believe this mother may have used to poison her own child. while ryan is still in the hospital, in concern for his safety, the missouri department of social services removes him from patty and david's custody. after 11 days, ryan, now in stable condition, goes to his new home with a foster family. the state allows the stallings only supervised visitations with their son. during one of their visits, patty is left alone with ryan for a few minutes and gives him a bottle feeding. two days after the visit ryan again falls ill. and his foster parents rush him back to the hospital. the st. louis sheriff's department believes patricia stallings may be to blame. >> we have sent formulas, baby bottles to a laboratory to be tested. >> lab tests once again confirm in ryan's blood the presence of ethylene glycol, a main ingredient in antifreeze. the bottle patty used to feed ryan during the

of course, you know, i love st. louis.. you said if the president is serious about his veto, is there some reason to think he is not serious about his veto threat on that? >> well, look, i think the president probably feels that throwing in the pipeline is not a good deal. i think the president is a good government president. but i think whether or not he will delay the deal is another issue. so, i think he is serious, but at the end, it may be here is an opportunity to get a deal and get what i want and we go home. so, you know, consider the fact that in previous debates like this, before the end of the summer, the president never said i will veto. i don't know the strategy in washington, in the white house right now. i've got to say that the president is serious. but in politics, i think everybody understands that you get the best deal you can. >> congressman, let's talk about infrastructure for a moment. how are the cardinals going to replace albert pujols? what's what's the mood among cardinals fans today in st. louis?

how is st. louis reacting to this news?ture of anger, disappointment, and, quite frankly, i think it's also a mixture of people who don't know whether they should be mad with albert or whether they should be mad with the organization, but one of the things that i could not help but listen to in that bill whitaker piece was john mozeliak, the cardinals general manager, this was a friendship relationship they had with albert pujols. no, it never was. it was a business relationship and this is proof positive of it because i honestly don't believe they ever had any intention of bringing albert pujols back. >> he is beloved in st. louis and the statue you just saw. at the end of the day was it just about the money, do you think? >> well, for who? the cardinals or for albert? >> for albert. >> i think it was more than the money for albert. i think it was a matter of respect. i think that he looked at the way the cardinals treated him in this negotiating process where they had two years to get this deal done and the angels swooped

if you're anywhere around st. louisn interstate 70 heading down into indiana and maybe even eventually kentucky, that's where we're going to deal with some wet, cool conditions. actually thunderstorms outside of san diego this morning. how often do we say that? phoenix is actually getting rain, too, with some snow in the high elevations. today a lot like yesterday. maybe a degree or two warmer. southeast starting to warm up nicely. new orleans, pretty good day. atlanta into the 60s. we'll take it. florida looks pretty good. rainy weather will develop today in the middle of the country. that'll be with you tomorrow. mike, as you were mentioning, brown christmas looking more and more like a sure bet for so many of us. >> looking at that map, there's really no need for you to come to work. >> some people say that all the time. >> you could just phone it in. another great monday night football game last night. >> this one was really exciting. i stayed up to midnight watching this. >> a stellar match-up. the seattle seahawks

temperatures today, chilly not only st. louisthe country. 9 degrees in minneapolis, 25 in chicago, 36 degrees in new york city. just some light snow showers from chicago back through cleveland, up through upstate new york. some lake effect today. that is about it. the storm that rolled through yesterday with rains and snow is off to sea, so pretty tranquil conditions, including look at that big sunny sky there in southern california. how can you resist that, carol? i don't blame albert, one bit. good luck to him. >> i do. there's such a thing as loyalty. >> yeah. that's so last century, carol. >> i know. >> so last century. >> you're a yankees fan. what would you understand about players being loyal? >> we're paying rodriguez's salary, the ten-year salary we can't get rid of. >> i know. you're stuck with it now, baby. thank you, rob. >> see ya. >>> it's called a dignity strike and it could be the latest protest in jar. syrian activists may pack the streets blocking roadways and urging small businesses to shut down this week. this

sharks put themselves in harm's way in st. louisperiod, handzus is hooking and in for two minutes. seconds later, justin braun hooks and it gives st. louis a two-man advantage and that is why they call them penalties. the blues make them pay, shattenkirk beats. it's the shark's fifth loss in their last seven games. they are shutout for the fourth time this season and they will try to find the net tomorrow night in chicago. coming up we'll sew you the soft side of the sharks as they share the holidays with their families and fans. >>> last year stanford quarterback andrew luck went to new york knowing he had no chance

this is just a rain event -- mixing from st. louis back into indiana. >> a new study shows stem cells from a baby's placenta can repair a mother's damaged heart tissue during pregnancy. >> the movement of field stem cells was tracked. had migrated to the damaged tissue in the mother's heart. researchers are hopeful that in the future placentas be used in other people to treat a broad range of heart diseases. this is not the happiest time of year for 5% of americans. >> symptoms include fatigue and trouble concentrating. the use a start in the early winter and buffeted by spring. light therapy treatment helps most people. there isn't any way to prevent it but experts say spending time outdoors can curb symptoms as was eating healthy and exercising. >> that always helps. 5:41. 39 degrees on tv hill. facebook partners up to save lives and spread awareness. >> john harbaugh talks about the kick coverage that has been shaky. the playoff scenarios for sunday's game against cincinnati. >> it is a nice-looking morning but it is kind of chilly

sharks put themselves in harm's way in st. louisndzus is hooking and in for two minutes. seconds later, justin braun hooks and it gives st. louis a two-man advantage and that is why they call them penalties. the blues make them pay, shattenkirk beats. it's the shark's fifth loss in their last seven games. they are shutout for the fourth time this season and they will try to find the net tomorrow night in chicago. coming up we'll sew you the soft side of the sharks as they share the holidays with their families and fans. >>> last year stanford quarterback andrew luck went to new york knowing he had no chance to beat cam newton and this year he was the favorite until rg3 pulled the quarterback sneak. >> the 2011 winner of the heisman trophy is robert griffin iii. >> he becomes the first baylor bear to win a heisman. >> rg3 bates luck by 300 points and he becomes the first player to finish up runner-up two years in a arey. he threw 36 td passes including completing 72% of attempts for 9-3 bears. >>> president obama tosses the coin for

the middle of the country we'll see rain, umbrella day, chicago, st. louis, kansas city, even san antonio yoe. east coast, you're dry. partly cloudy skies. not a bad day. cold start but philadelphia northwards through new england and the ohio valley, you won't have a lot -- as much sunshine today. temperatures will be warmer. chicago, that's a chilly rain for you at 41 degrees. that's kind of the theme. we'll see some rain out of this storm but not a lot of snow. >> bill, thanks so much. >>> well, coming up, stocks stagger. deceptive data and a dollar coin sells for millions. >>> plus, it seems like she's won every award possible this year. we'll tell you who beat her out for billboard artist of the year. >>> coming up, the seahawks keep their playoff hopes alive and more bad news for sidney crosby. you're watching "early today." >>> good morning and welcome back to "early today." i'm lynn berry. the supreme court has agreed to rule on arizona's controversial law targeting illegal immigrants. the obama administration has challenged several of the law's provi

>> obviously size is a difference and there again, this is the st. louis spin on it. this is the baby back ribs. >> i see it. i kind of like -- spare ribs are the longer, larger ribs. >> have an appetizer. >> it runs down your wrist. i like that, fall off the bone. and then the baked beans, of course. are they good? >> best baked beans you ever had in your life? >> we put everything, brown sugar, maleses, it is a -- molasses, it is a secret. >> did you give me a recipe to put on my web site, jchayward.com. >> absolutely. >> which recipe? >> what we're going to do, ma'am, include the pulled pork egg roll. we have the cole slaw, our version will be on there as well. and the barbecue burr blanc sauce that you serve typically with the egg roll. >> what is it made of? >> white wine. a little shallots in it. >> really? >> the finished product is going to be the add on memphis style barbecue sauce. >> i'm hungry! i'm ready to eat. all right. when you go out to the memphis barbecue in crystal city, ask for alan and red rick, both are managers. they will take care of you! i pr

some believe his heart was in st. louis.the end, his decision came down to four simple words. >> and the angels did just that. they signed pujols to a ten- year, $254 million deal. second highest in baseball history, and the spree didn't stop there. the angels also signed pitcher cj wilson to a five-year, $77 million deal. the sharks taking on the stars. brian sets up logan. the first 11 goal of the season. they get on the board again. jamie comes out with the puck wide open. sharks up 2-0. dallas would tie it. san jose takes control with three goals in the second period. joe thornton stays with it. the last 14 games, sharks beat the stars 5-2. 49ers will be without linebacker patrick willis on sunday against the cardinals. willis injured his hamstring in last week's win against the rams. they'll be cautious with willis. now the team does not plan to rest its starters down the stretch. the 49ers have one game lead over the saints for the second seed in the nfc, which of course would mean a first round bye. >> pretty darn goo

conversation to discuss how we would ensure that the st. louis was not the only health care provider in the system. and also incorporated too important community clinics within that period. we also want to have another one in the tenderloin area. that is a new service, a new way of providing care and they will have benefits. it was a very important constructs that we created to insure that patients would be able to take advantage of the program. the other was the fact that working internally in terms of its discharge, many times the discharges from the hospital's heart difficult and you kind of lose their community connection. it is a warm handoff, and we have asked them to work with community programs to assist them in the patient's navigation program. those are the major three areas, and trying to keep to the charity care physician and continuing that in the future. supervisor campos: if i may ask you more specifics about that, the issue of charity care is an important issue. i don't know if you are aware of this independent study that just cam

he'll be in a st. louis cardinals uniform. two-year deal, $26 million. he was a free agent.ould play wrepted. so far obviously -- where he wanted, and he got the best deal. no trade, good for him . carlos beltran now with the st. louis cardinals. now -- >>> the oakland as. goodbye gio gonzalez! he was dealt to the washington nationals. he's an all-star pitcher, 16 wins. the as they're just having to do what they have to do. it cost the oakland as' fans ultimately, but they're looking down the road thinking, well, maybe new stadium, new location, new start. >>> basketball, are holy cross, 88-83. stanford men's, they had a perfect, perfect record at home. but it was bumped tonight. stanford against the butler bears. andrew luck and the football team down for the the fiesta bowl at halftime. josh owens, it was tied at 47. and the bull dogs have an up and down year. they just don't go away. jackson aldridge, he was fouled, had 15 points off the bench. ronald norrad with a shot clock winding down. he hits butler. they turn back stanford. final of 71-66. >>> st. mary 's and baylor

they will hit the road for three games starting saturday in st. louis.t was a much needed win for the sharks after they struggle last saturday and again a couple nights ago. >> to 32? >> yeah. he'll be 42 years old. that's a long contract for a guy who might have a bad back. >> one really great thing we were talking about is california wins in all this because of the taxes. >> that's right. that's about $120 million coming. >> we'll add it all up at 11:00. >> thanks for watching. [ woman ] my boyfriend and i were going on vacation, so i used my citi thank you card to pick up some accessories. a new belt. some nylons. and what girl wouldn't need new shoes? we talked about getting a diamond. but with all the thank you points i've been earning... ♪ ...i flew us to the rock i really had in mind. ♪ [ male announcer ] the citi thank you card. earn points you can use for travel on any airline, with no blackout dates.

and then lastly, at st. louis, a similar type of improvement. an upgrade of the park, which is a temporary park that has been established, upgraded lighting and fencing. potential lighting on portions of several streets run around st. luke's, and pedestrian safety and streetscape improvements around several of the streets right around st. luke's. getting to the health services system, there has been concern raised about premiums from the city. these may be going up due to the cost of the public benefits package been requested by the city. we are aware of this concern and are currently discussing with cpmc ways to assure that this does not occur. and then lastly, just our next steps procedurally, once we reach a full agreement on the development agreement with cpmc, a draft development agreement will be circulated to the public for a period of a couple of weeks, and then there is the process of the planning commission, the certification of the eir and roger approval at the planning commission and the hearings for possible action at the land use co

interstate 70 snow changing from st. louis over to indianapolis, up to ft.ayne, a batch of moderate snow that could accumulate. snow transitioning into detroit, toledo and cleveland towards the end of the day. temperatures pretty warm out there especially the east coast ahead of that storm. we're in the 40s in d.c. and 40s in new york city to start your morning and eventually it will move into the big cities. it'll take a while, d.c., midmorning or so. as we go through the afternoon new york city will see rain. hartford, boston, it won't be until after the sun sets when the rain moves into your direction. all of these big cities, it's an all rain forecast. no snow at all. only areas that will see snow eventually as we go through western new york, pittsburgh, erie, cleveland and back up into western portions of new york state so, veronica, maybe a little snow for the kids to play but most of us plain old rain. >> sounds good. who is getting married? who had a baby and who is fighting over a dog. plus a new lawsuit against lady gaga makes her sound not the gre

pujols has played his entire career in st. louis and st. he'll re-sign with his old team. they signed heath bell to a $27 million and a $106 million deal with jose reyes from the mets, all part of an effort to fill the seats at the team's new $634 million retractible roof stadium that opens this spring. last season the team had the lowest attendance in the national league. stadium not the only thing new to the marlins. a few weeks ago we showed you pictures of their new unis and a ray of orange, yellows and blues you won't see anywhere outside of the miami vikes in 1984. the folks imagined what albert pujols would look like. got the black hat. that works. awful lot of orange but marlins fans would love to see him in that uniform. we may know today. >>> in basketball news orlando magic ceo has resigned after reportedly drunk dialing superstar center dwight howard at 1:00 in the morning. bob vandeweghe walled him to try to convince him not to leave orlando when he becomes a free agent. vander weide denies being intoxicated saying i was playing

if you're anywhere from southern illinois, st. louis, kansas city back through kansas, have the umbrella with you today. it's not going to rain hard. there'll be a steady light rain through southern missouri. areas of arizona, definitely umbrella from phoenix northwards. around flagstaff, snow. notice the thunderstorms. if you're joining us here really early out in the west coast, thunderstorms just off the coast of san diego. i probably say that once a year that we have thunderstorms near san diego. that's the case. i-5 up to oceanside. could get downpours early, early this morning. as far as the rainfall forecast, light rain will move eventually through the middle of the country. this is the next 48 hours. as that storm moves we'll watch some of that rain, the steadiest of it up iowa, wisconsin, michigan. normally this time of year you'd be talking snow. it's just too warm. temperatures today in the upper 30s to low 40s. in chicago if you get any rain it'll be mostly late in the day. kansas city and st. louis could even see a rumble o

st. louis, nothing. jim harbaugh the third coach in franchise history to win the division.e said the gatorade bath at the end of the game was not a problem. >> i was fine with it. got my all-purpose black sweater, don't even need to change it. just rolls off this thing. an incredible fabric. >> after winning the division, the 9ers got plenty of motivation. their final four regular season games, they're trying to secure a high seed so they can secure one, two playoff games. if green bay can lose a through and they play the rest, they can play all three. >> more concerned with the coach. he has a good smile. >> i kind of like that jim harbaugh. >> i did a little google search yesterday. >> checking out his family life and the whole she bang. >> more his personal life and work life. got to get the full picture. >>> tiger woods is celebrating a tournament viaductly for the first time in two years. >> yeah. he finally won a tournament. >> this was the world chevron title yesterday. this is his first win since 2009 when that little car accident and a scandal of extramarital affai

. >>> and in sports, a stunner in st. louis!lugger albert pujols is headed to hollywood after signing an a-rod-sized deal! plus a craftsman 200-piece mechanics tool set is 50% off. come shop the early preview. real deals. real savings. sears ready, go! sears super saturday is on! 60% off coats, sweaters and fleece for the whole family. 50% off all heated blankets, throws and flannel sheets. come shop the early preview. real deals. real savings. sears i took some steep risks in my teens. i'd never ride without one now. and since my doctor prescribed lipitor, i won't go without it for my high cholesterol and my risk of heart attack. why kid myself? diet and exercise weren't lowering my cholesterol enough. now i'm eating healthier, exercising more, taking lipitor. numbers don't lie. my cholesterol's stayed down. lipitor is fda approved to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke in patients who have heart disease or risk factors for heart disease. it's backed by over 19 years of research. [ female announcer ] lipitor is not for e

only the st. louis rams are worse.edskins have currently lost eight of the last nine and dropped back to back december home games to the jets and the patriots surrendering 34 points in each game. the head coach was asked what makes a successful team more successful late in the season? >> you've got to have a little depth on your football team so if you do have injuries, you can stay at a certain level. winning, you get used to winning. you know how to win. to me the great organizations, great teams can do that even when they do lose players and it's part of the process of building a great team and great organization. >>> steelers linebacker james harrison has been suspended one game without pay for this helmet to helmet hit last thursday on the browns quarterback colt mccoy. it's harrison's fifth illegal hit against a qb in three seasons and the loss of a game check will cost him $215,000. he has appealed. >>> the wizards continue season prospectses without last year's leading scorer nick young. the guard is a restrict

indianapolis, st. louis, chicago, even up into st. louis, there is no cold air anywhere. most of this moisture will travel to our north. we're going to be kind of getting just some light activity as we get into tomorrow afternoon. so a dry morning commute it looks like. there's going to be some clouds around obviously but dry. showers for the pm commute. now that said, i don't think everyone will have a wet commute tomorrow. it's just not that well organized after a system quite frankly. pleasant but cooler on friday. and the weekend chilly but dry. really a nice mid december weekend. could see some clouds late friday night that may linger into saturday morning. that system passes to our south and mr. bernstein will have an update on that tomorrow. clouds tomorrow morning. but notice there is no green blobs anywhere, so that is good. by 12:30 lunch time, maybe some showers. leesburg across the river up into frederick. but notice it's all light activity. and then we get into the evening hours. some showers across most of the metro area and everything is light. they move ou

cardinals fans are devastated. >>> there is a restaurant in st. louis which erected a 10- foot statue of pujols. they hired a security guard today to make sure no one vandalized the half ton statue. there are many videos of fans burning his jersey. the angels also signed pitcher cj wilson to a $77.5 million deal. that one day total spend, $331.5 million. pretty shocking considering owner artie marino bought the team in 2003 for a measly $184 million. three of the 49ers last four games of the season come against division opponents all of them with records below .500. the 49ers have a lot to play for this weekend in arizona. the first round bye in the play- offs is up for grabs. brian jennings is the lone player left of the roster from san francisco's last trip to the play-offs. >> we flew back from detroit, the plane flight home felt a lot like that year where guys were hanging out and having a good time and felt, you know, we're a good football team. we're winning games. this feels repeatable. you know, so it doesn't feel like luck. it feels like we're

they go to st. louis. they bring tsa to the stapled.m they are right there on the bus. >> interesting. frankly i assume they didn't good through all the security but interesting they do. >> it's a production. >> all right thanks. >> that's this edition of abc 7 news. for all of us here, thanks for watching. we'll leave you with a lack at times sq

heavy rain so chicago and st. louisis all come our way but slowly and as a result i don't think we'll have to worry about rain until the tuesday time frame. for today a clear sky to get things started. high level clouds on the increase by later on today and tomorrow. rain chances hold off until late monday or more likely tuesday. here is your saturday forecast, mostly sunny, high clouds coming in later today. a pleasant enough day to be outside. highs today upper 40s and low 50s and tomorrow, a little bit more in the way of cloud cover but a south breeze will put temperatures into the mid and upper 50s for tomorrow. the seven-day forecast great looking weather through the remainder of the weekend. highs today near 50 and mid-50s tomorrow. near 60 degrees on monday with the clouds increasing, rain chances are in the forecast for tuesday and for wednesday. we turn breezy and cold as we finish it out next weekend and go on into that. one of the things that i did this week, the 20th annual senior holiday lunches at the nova

and there is anger in st. louis tonight.at least one store is now reportedly giving away its pujols jerseys. >>> when we come back here tonight, the new christmas gift craze when it comes to the ugliest christmas sweater in america. what you sent in to compete. iti. back then, he had something more important to do. he wasn't focused on his future but fortunately, somebody else was. at usaa we provide retirement solutions for our military, veterans and their families. from investments... to life insurance... to health care options. learn more with our free usaa retirement guide. call 877-242-usaa. you spend all day cooking it. so why spend even a moment considering any broth but swanson? the broth cooks trust most to make the meal folks spend all year waiting for. in stuffing and more, the secret is swanson. with less chronic low back pain. imagine living your life with less chronic osteoarthritis pain. imagine you, with less pain. cymbalta can help. cymbalta is a non-narcotic treatment that's fda-approved to manage chronic m

and that could cause some airport delays, dallas, kansas city, st. louisago, detroit and minneapolis. >> good morning.ing on around the average high temperature is 46. we will be above that mark this afternoon. but the clouds will be thickening up. ♪ money money money >> and time for today's money 911. that's where we answer your financial questions and dole out some expert advice. this morning we've got jean chatzky, the author of money 911. david backe, author of "debt free for life." and sharon epperson, personal finance correspondent for nbc and cnbc.com. good morning. >> good morning, al. >> we go right to skype with y von skyping from santa barbara, california. good morning, yvonne. >> how are you? >> good. what's your question? >> good morning. i'm 55 years old, and about a year-and-a-half ago, i was able to take advantage of an early retirement offer. i haven't started drawing my pension, but i'm thinking about starting. so i received some estimates, giving me an idea of how much i could expect in terms of a monthly annuity, based on the age at whi

de la salle wins their 20th ncs division title. >> the sharks left st. louis