village, 24 young girls died in the rubble here and this is a girls high school. 7 of - bodies were unclaimed. there were several that died during the earthquake. most of them had not been claimed because they're parents were also killed in the earthquake. they wanted to build a memorial around the graves to remember the loss of life had not gone in vain for the girls high school. this is patka girls high school. also running other schools. don't have all the resources to put in buildings. this is in afghanistan and this is a ninth grade class. they're going to school in a russian, soviet, old armored personnel carrier. take a look inside. there's 12 ninth graders going to school learning english. the younger boys are going to school in a steel truck container used to bring over united states military supplies. 80 kids going to school in a truck container. the girls are outdoors going to school in the dirt with one mat one black board that keeps blowing down and they keep picking it up in the wind and one teacher. to me, the courage and hope that resonates when i see those kids - some of thes

and the backlog of passengers at the airports is clearing, too, although piles of unclaimed luggage remaint newark's liberty airport. despite weather, the big new year's celebration in times square will go on tomorrow night. today held the final dress rehearsal for the ball drop. one million people are expected to be there to ring in 2011. the news on jobs and the economy has been more positive lately. today, the labor department reported 388,000 americans filed for unemployment benefits for the first time last week. that's a drop of 34,000 from the week before, and the fewest new claims since july of 2008. it also makes four straight weeks of flat or declining claims, and as don teague reports, it's another sign the economy may be turning a corner. >> reporter: in suburban dallas, bill hair's computer repair business is doing something now it hasn't done in two years-- hiring new employees, three in just the last two weeks. >> i see a lot of businesses have held back and they're now realizing it's time to move forward. >> reporter: hair's sudden hiring spree isn't over. he expects to add

the irs says it has hundreds of unclaimed checks for people in the bay area. we'll tell you how to figure out if one is yours. >>> and the surf could soon be up. the window is open for the big wave contest. we'll find out if the mavericks could happen soon. brent and laura coming up. i was told that i was at risk for sudden cardiac death. i was 23 years old, i wasn't overweight. i never dreamed this would happen to me. when the doctor told me i had three blocked arteries, i felt like i was punched in the gut. i found out that one in three women die from heart disease. how did i not know that? >>> new this morning, families all over the bay area could soon lose much-needed unemployment checks. we'll tell you what's happening today and if there could be changes coming up in a live report. >>> warming up to a fire in a

that's left close to $250 million yet unclaimed.hy is it taking so long to reach all these service members to get them what they've earned? >> you know it's a new kind of approach to reach out to our service members to make sure they get this additional compensation. it hasn't been done before. >> reporter: congress extended the filing date giving america's sons and daughters who served this nation more time to apply and receive money they earned. byron pitts, cbs news, washington. >> mitchell: award-winning filmmaker bud greenspan, who had a love affair with the olympics for half a century, died this weekend. he wrote, directed and produced films about the games and their athletes. his film about this year's vancouver winter games comes out in a few weeks. bud greenspan was 84 years old. and next on tonight's "cbs evening news": sticker shock at the gas pump. [ female announcer ] with rheumatoid arthritis, there's the life you live... and the life you want to live. fortunately there's enbrel, the #1 most doctor-prescribed biologic

$100,000 reward for information leading to the capture and conviction of the tylenol killer remains unclaimed. so if you have any information which might help the investigation, contact your local police department. that's our report. thanks for watching. i'm john seigenthaler. >>> unfinished business, what do they think they will accomplish in house? >>> white house, how it will affect the u.s. >>> what does the prize that comes with the burger and fries have to do with it? >>> toy story 3, a look at some of the smash hits on the big screen. >>> good morning. i'm alex witt and welcome to "msnbc saturday." the senate votes on two hotly contested measures, number one, repealing don't ask, don't tell. the dream act offers a road to citizenship for illegal immigrants that are brought here as children. let's go to ken strict land live on capitol hill. what is on the agenda today? >> reporter: good morning, alex, like millions of americans out trying to finish up their christmas shopping, trying to get everything done, so does the senate. a lot of things to do. the first thing is a procedure vote

the unclaimed money from the settlement was placed in a fund that benefits underserved schools. >>> weto check the morning commute with mike this morning. we have a lot of pathology out the -- pooling out there. how are we looking. >> devil's slide, i told folks about it but highway 1 as you're coming through devil's slide, a mud slide overnight has caused a closure. don't expect that to reopen until 10:00 a.m. locals know you go north. you take sharp park heading over to 280. if you're south of there come down through half moon bay, over the hill. 92 takes you to 280 and that's your alternate. 280 past the scene. 10:00 a.m. at the earliest they'll reopen that because likely they'll wait until the daylight hours to tart to clear that. highway 92 moves smooth through the san mateo hills. the camera hashaking here. high wind advisory for the san mateo bridge. hold on tight because slick conditions combined with high winds could be an issue. we had an earlier issue with wires at industrial but flooding reported for all connectors between 880 and 92. a vacuum truck has to head over there.

to find out if you have unclaimed refunds, go to irs.gov. >>> tom sinkovitz is going to share a little holiday spirit in san francisco today. he will host the lighting of the ritz carlton christmas tree at 6:00 and he'll be joined by christmas choirs and musicians. as always, a child gets to throw the switch through the greater bay area make-a-wish foundation. union square will mark the start of hannukah this evening. it starts at sundown tonight at and first candle of the menorah in the square will be lit at 5:00 this evening. this is a video of a menorah-lighting ceremony a few years ago. a new candle will then be lit every night until december 8th. >>> there's nothing like cozying up to a warm fire on a cold winter today, but today your holiday hearth if you light it could get you in trouble. bob redell will tell you why investigators may be knocking on your door if they see smoke coming from your chimney. >> reporter: good morning, laura. it feels freezing out here. today is the first spare the air day of the winter season which means you're not allowed to burn anything in your fir

after it went unclaimed, she turned it in. she was told to keep it. so she went toy shopping.re she is. but not for herself. for children at a local hospital. it was such a good idea, others matched her donations. and eventually $900 worth of toys were donated. bravo to abbigail. and that's the news. >> what a great girl. >> fantastic christmas story. >> i know. i'm going to tell the kids about it when i get home. >> that's great. thank you so much, juju. >> my pleasure. >> let's check in with sam champion now. >> i have to say, that warmed even my cold heart, you know? >> what are you, a scrooge? >> kind of. good morning, elizabeth, george, juju. good morning, everyone. we start with no one knows las vegas better than ktnv. our friends out there were giving everything, all the information we needed about the flooding situation, the rain there. now, this morning, they show us the flooding going on in mesquite, nevada. and it didn't take much rain. it's the runoff from the mountains in the desert area that creates such a problem here. the good news is the storm does pull away.

so most of american cities have millions of unclaimed earned income tax money. we set up free tax centers, brought millions into the pockets of our residents in city hall, connecting residents to other critical services, one-stop centers for grandparents raising their grandchildren. so what we're trying to do is say look, these are tough times but let us help you find creative ways to get more money in your pocketp and stop paying people to do instant refunds when we're working with banks to do it for free. these are the things to do to help through a difficult time. >> we'll watch it all. thanks for being with us. >>> time to get you a closer look at the other headlines. good morning. >> good morning to you and you at home. at least 50 people were killed by suicide bombers in pakistan this morning. two bombers attacked near the afghan border. the dead and wounded included tribal elders, police and political officials, at least 100 others were hurt. this morning the wikileaks website is on the run and so is the man behind it. julian assange supporters say he may

unclaimed money from that settlement was placed in a fund to benefit underserved schools.t here in the bay area. >>> taking a live look outside this morning at the golden gate bridge, traffic picking up just a little bit. we'll have another local news update, including traffic and weather updates, in about half an hour. the "today" show returns in less than a minute. enjoy the clearing skies this wednesday morning. >>> 8:00 now on a wednesday morning, december 29, 2010. we have been so busy with all the snow in the northeast and a lot of people are wondering what the city is going to be like, especially new york city on new year's eve. as lester was saying yer in ing they're really hauling out all the snow so they can get ready for new year's rockin' eve. but here on the plaza, people are in a pretty darn good mood. especially our lenny who has a very cold nose this morning, i know because i just gave him a hug. i'm ann curry out on the plaza with lester and al. >>> does your child have what it takes to excel in sports? >> even babies are getting into athletic training and