Or plan b, we spend more time with the grandkids here. Reporter up to a foot and a half of snow is expected in northern new england, with snow expected to fall throughout friday morning. The storm also brought with it freezing rain and sleet, making driving treacherous. If you can stay out of it, stay out of it. Reporter those who dont have to travel are making the best of it, getting out and enjoying the snow. As the storm zeros in on the northeast, drivers are being warned to stay off these treacherous roads. And our coverage continues with the latest from accuweather and meteorologist andrew baglini. Good morning, andrew. Thank you, and good morning, brandi and muhammad. The most of the storm is over with. Cooler air into the southeast. The cleanup continues along interstate 10 and 25, between mobile and houston. The Winter Weather aspect of our storm very much alive. Heavy rain along i95 in boston, throughout your thursday. The heavy snow blanketing new england. Many areas could pick up over one foot of snow. Muhammad and brandi back to you. Thank you, andrew. Former president george h. W. Bush is in intensive care after another health setback. A Spokesman Says doctors are not able to lower mr. Bushs high fever. So, he is on a liquid diet. He is said to be alert and conversing with medical staff. The spokesperson says doctors are cautiously optimistic. Hes in a bad way. But the doctors believe theres a path for him to recover from this. And if we can get him to rally a little bit, we can Start Talking about a discharge date. But were not there yet. Former first lady, barbara bush, and the former president s children have been at his bedside during this medical crisis. Former South African president Nelson Mandela is out of the hospital. The antiapartheid icon spent more than two weeks in the hospital with a lung infection and other ailments. The 94yearold will receive other medical care at his johannesburg home. Now, to the fiscal cliff, still looming large as president obama returns to the white house this morning. The president cut short his christmas vacation in hawaii to get back to washington. Congress will also be in session today, amid fading hope that a deal could be reached by the new year. No agreement would mean deep spending cuts and historic tax hikes for virtually every american. Officials in newtown have a message for people who want to send gifts to the griefstricken town. Please dont. They say gifts, from School Supplies to artwork, have arrived in such numbers, they overwhelmed the small communitys ability to process them. A fund established after the shooting to support newtown has grown to 3. 5 million. Meanwhile, hundreds of schoolteachers plan to attend Firearms Training today in salt lake city. The 200 teachers come from districts across utah. They have volunteered for the concealed weapons training. Its offered every year. Organizers say in past years, only a few dozen teachers attended the training. Theyre expecting an overflow crowd because of this months tragedy in newtown, connecticut. The two firefighters hurt in that deadly shooting near rochest rochester, new york, are doing better. West webster volunteer firefighters, who had been in guarded condition, are now being upgraded to satisfactory condition. The hospital released a statement on their behalf saying theyre, quote, humbled and overwhelmed by the outpouring of wellwishes for us and our families, end quote. A Police Officer who was slightly injured in the shooting is also just overwhelmed. A very difficult, Emotional Experience for me because im trained to help people. At that point i cant because i dont have anything. Ritters windshield was hit by a stray bullet. He says it was divine intervention which kept him from being killed. There is growing controversy over a suburban new york newspapers decision to publish the names and addresses of hand gun permit holders. Even though the information is a matter of public record, its publication has outraged many readers of the journal news. They say it puts permit holders in danger because criminals have a guide to places they can steal guns. In albuquerque, a Police Officer is being credited with stopping what could have turned into a deadly shooting. Drop the gun. Drop the gun. Drop the gun now. Wow. That is the officer intervening, possibly saving a mans life. Every dramatic moment was captured on his lapel camera. Police say the confrontation involved two military veterans, arguing over an antiobama bumper sticker. When one man objected to the sticker, the other man pulled out a gun and was holding it to the other mans head when that officer arrived. Coming up, why a private investigator thinks Whitney Houston was murdered. First, how starbucks is getting involved in negotiations to avoid the fiscal cliff. And later, one mans priceless reaction as he opens his christmas gift. The video has gotten millions of views already. Now, his family is sharing the inside story with us. Welcome back. Toyota has agreed to one of the largest settlements in history, involving auto defect claims. The company has okayed a 1. 1 billion deal to settle a classaction lawsuit involving complaints that vehicles unintentionally accelerated. Owners of about 18 million vehicles are covered by the settlement, which still needs approval from a federal judge. The year is ending on a high note for the housing market. Nationwide home prices are on track to put up their first annual gains in six years. The latest numbers show home prices in the 20biggest cities jumped 4. 3 in october. Thats compared to a year ago. And the Standard Poors case schiller report shows, since january, prices are up 6. 9 . Its a different story for holiday sales, which are turning out to be the weakest since 2008. One retail report says sales in the two months leading up to christmas were up just 0. 7 from last year. One reason being given is the impact of Hurricane Sandy across the northeast. Now, stores are trying to lure in shoppers with some deep, deep postchristmas discounts. And some Starbucks Stores in the Nations Capital are serving up a political message with their coffee. Ceo Howard Schultz is urging employees in washington, d. C. Area starbucks to write come together on the customers cups today and tomorrow. Its a message to urge lawmakers to work out a deal to keep the country from going over that fiscal cliff next week, which would send taxes soaring while slashing spending. Meanwhile, hollywood has something to celebrate as we close out 2012. Its been a very big year in the movies, with the number of tickets sold in the u. S. Up for the first time in three years. The Domestic Box Office take is set to hit a record 10. 8 billion, with ticket sales up 5. 6 . Quite an accomplishment in the age of impressive home theaters. Meanwhile, when we come back, travelers werent the only ones fed up with holiday deals. What an angry pilot had to say to his passengers about the matter. Also, proof that you do not have to be a kid to get excited over your christmas present. You really have to stay tuned for this. The family behind this viral video is sharing their joy. How do you do that . Well, inside the brewer, theres this train thats powerful enough to carry more coffee and fresh water to make coffee thats stronger and bigger. And even hotter actually, i just press this button. Brew the coffee you love stronger, bigger, or hotter with the keurig vue. Trying to find a better job can likbe frustrating. 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Thats insurance for the modern world. Esurance. Now backed by allstate. Click or call. Look at that. As weve been telling you, a large chunk of the nation is still getting hammered by snow, sleet, winds and rain. The storm is already blamed for at least six deaths. And its knocked out power to tens of thousands of people. And the severe weather, it is not over yet. This storm is making a mess of the morning commute across much of the northeast. Wet and windy roads from philadelphia to new york and boston. And drivers will have to navigate snowcovered highways further inland. A slick ride from des moines to the Northern Rockies and pacific northwest. And if youre flying, good luck. Airport delays are possible from d. C. To boston. Also, in detroit and minneapolis. Well, the frustration is boiling over as the storm continues to force hundreds of flight cancellations, leaving thousands of people stranded. Of course, passengers arent the only ones who have had enough. An American Airlines pilot was clearly fed up and he addressed his passengers who had been stuck onboard for nearly five hours, five hours onboard, waiting to take off from dallas. Its beyond reproach. I have no words to tell you how sorry i am for all of this. Decisions are being made way above our heads by people that obviously, in my humble opinion, dont have a clue what theyre doing. Needless to say that flight never took off. As for today, the number of cancellations are at 200 and counting. A san diego area teenager may well be heading into the new year with a new appreciation for life. Yeah. You have to see this. He was rescued by a Good Samaritan after his car flipped and landed upside down in a river. Paramedics and the chp arrived to find the man coughing up water and choking. Medics and firefighters ended up carrying the victim up the rocks where he was rushed to the hospital. Jorge escalante was that Good Samaritan. I just encouraged him. I told him he was going to be all right. You know, he has a mom he has family that cares for him. Just to hang in there. And kept him conscious. He was coming in and out. You know, i just did i would expect someone to do that for me. So, i did i helped him out. Lucky he was there. Look at that car. Incredible. And just before the accident, escalante happened to be jogging nearby. He saw the victims car careen across all lanes of a busy interstate, before it flew into the air and flipped into the water. Today is the deadline for Lance Armstrong to appeal his lifetime cycling ban because of allegations he used performanceenhancing drugs. When cyclings International Body imposed that ban earlier, armstrongs seven Tour De France victories were erased. Armstrong signaled he has no intention of appealing the ban before todays deadline. Time, now, for more sports. Here is espn news. Good morning. Randy scott here with your sportscenter update. Great night in the nba. A great finish in phoenix. It was the knicks taking on the suns. No carmelo anthony. No Raymond Felton for new york. Yet, theyre only down two. 15 seconds to play. J. R. Smith, never met a shot he hasnt liked. Had a seasonhigh 27 points. But he saved his best for last. One second to play. Heres mike breen on the call. Smith catches, shoots. Puts it up. Puts it in at the buzzer. J. R. Smith with another gamewinner. Mike breen, calling it as he sees it. His second gamewinner there for j. R. Smith in the month of december. Celebrate however you want, young fella. Then, its steve nash and the lakers. Theyre taking on the nuggets in denver. The nuggets got taken by the clippers in los angeles. Kobe bryant tried to do the same. He went for 40. He has 4 40point games this season. No one else in the nba has more than one. Second quarter, though. Thats corey brewer throwing down of a pau gasol turnover. Third quarter, things getting physical. Kenneth faried driving. Hard foul from dwight howard. In fact, it was a flagrant two. And howard was ejected. Take another look. Referees determined that howard didnt make a play on the ball. Mike dantoni, the lakers head coach, was asked after the game, what did you lose . With howard off the floor, he said, not a whole lot. Could have used him there. Mcgee throwing down. Nuggets win by 12. We have a trio of College Bowl Games starting on espn this afternoon. Hope youll join us. Im randy scott. Thank you. Pro athletes can be pretty dapper when theyre not on the court or on the field. And in the spirit of the season, two of the star players on the l. A. Clippers attended their Postgame Press conference in style. Most guys have family here. To get a win like that and to be able to play on christmas is, it means a lot. Check out chris paul and blake griffin. How they managed to keep a straight face wearing these outfits is anyones guess. They did win the game, by the way. And apparently, they also got the ugly sweater of the year award. We need to get those on the show. An alabama man is going to have to contain himself until game day after shedding tears of joy over his christmas gift. Don buchanan was happy to get the hat he wanted. But the lifelong alabama fan couldnt believe the surprise hidden inside by his son. Were going to the game, pop. Were going to the game. Millions of people have enjoyed the video over the past couple of days. Buchanan and his son have been season ticketholders for 20 years. But theyve never gone to a postseason game. They just raised the bar. Were extremely happy with what weve got. Family. And an opportunity. They just raised the bar for every giftgiver. You know, for dad next year. I think every one of my dads gifts ive gotten him do not compare to that. Dad, were getting you Something Better next year. Oh, wow. Coming up next in the pulse, these bears are more than just adorable. Theyre also very lucky. Plus, a disturbing report about Whitney Houston. A private investigator says she was murdered. And he says he has proof. Stay with us. So long. But hed wait for her forever, for any reason, and would always be there with the biggest welcome home. For a love this strong, dawn only feeds him iams. Compared to other leading brands, it has 50 more animal protein. To help keep rockys body as strong as a love that never fades. If he ever lets her leave again. Iams. Keep love strong. Up high ok. Dont you have any usefull apps on that thing . Who do you think i am, quicken loans . At quicken loans, our amazingly useful mortgage calculator app allows you to quickly calculate your mortgage payment based on todays incredibly low interest rates. Right from your iphone or android smartphone. One more way quicken loans is engineered to amaze. I get congested. But now, with zyrtecd®, i have the proven allergy relief of zyrtec®, plus a powerful decongestant. Zyrtecd® lets me breath freer, so i can love the air. [ male announcer ] zyrtecd®. Behind the pharmacy counter. No prescription needed. Time, now, to check the pulse , the stories youll be talking about today. And the shocking claim about the death of Whitney Houston. A private investigator says houston may have been murdered by a drug dealer over a huge drug debt. He says he has Video Evidence pointing in that direction. And hes already turned it over to the fbi. The Surveillance Video allegedly shows two unknown men who repeatedly went to the Beverly Hilton where houston was staying. Kate winslet is now kate rocknroll. The actress married her boyfriend in a secret ceremony in new york city. His name, ned rocknroll. Yes, that is his legal name. He is the nephew of billionaire sir richard branson. And winslet was given away by titanic costar leo dicaprio. This is kates third marriage. It is rocknrolls second. If they have kids, you have to wonder. Do the kids go by winslet . Rocknroll . Id take rocknroll. Pretty interesting. Now, this, weve been waiting for. A dose of cute and cuddly. A Second Chance for two adorable baby bears. Meet mashka and mishka, 3monthold cubs that were rescued in eastern russia. The cubs mother was apparently killed by hunters. That means the cubs would have been doomed in the wild. Things are looking up for them. Theyre reportedly being well taken care of. Thats the cutest moment right there. Pops right out. Okay. From that to this. An incredible reunion between a woman and her cat. Its being called a christmas miracle. An arizona woman got her beloved cat back, seven years after she lost her. And little sofia was found in san diego, about 400 miles from her home in phoenix. Heres the reunion. Family could no longer care for sofia. So, they turned her into the humane society. And luckily, she had one of those identifying microchips. Im beyond excited. I just want to get her back home. Seven years later. Tricia osterman says getting sofia back is a present she will never forget. Also this. Bestselling writer, Dennis Lehane is so anxious to get his missing dog back, he will name a character after in his next book for his beloved beagle. He said he jumped the fence at his home in suburban boston. As of last night, no luck in finding the lost dog. You get a deal out of it with the book. For some of you, your local news is next. For everyone else, well be back with a celebration of the season. [ female announcer ] unlike other sour creams, daisy is 100 pure with nothing else added. Meals are simply better with a dollop of daisy. Do a dollop, do, do a dollop of daisy a deep, throbbing, persistent ache. My doctor diagnosed it as fibromyalgia, thought to be the result of overactive nerves that cause chronic widespread pain. Lyrica is believed to calm these nerves. I learned lyrica can provide significant relief from fibromyalgia pain. And for some people, it can work in as early as the first week of treatment. So now i can do more of the things that i enjoy. Lyrica is not for everyone. Lyrica may cause serious allergic reactions or suicidal thoughts or actions. Tell your doctor right away if you have these, new or worsening depression, or unusual changes in mood or behavior, or any swelling or affected breathing or skin, or changes in eyesight, including blurry vision or muscle pain with fever or tired feeling. Common side effects are dizziness, sleepiness, weight gain, and swelling of hands, legs and feet. Dont drink alcohol while taking lyrica. Dont drive or use machinery until you know how lyrica affects you. With less pain, im feeling better now that ive found lyrica. Ask your doctor if lyrica is right for your fibromyalgia pain. Good thursday morning. Im eric thomas. And im Katie Marzullo in for kristen sze. Police in walnut creek have shot someone. Amy hollyfield is live at the scene. Reporter police have confirmed that it was an officerinvolved shooting. They have not said the condition the person is in. Who was shot and why. We did see an ambulance leave without lights and sirens. This happened an hour ago. We just saw someone from the District Attorneys Office arrive. Police have pushed us further away from the crime scene. Extended their crime tape in this area. It looks like they are bringing in more and more this happened at 3 15 this morning on creek side drive and main street this is a full of apartment complexes. It looks like a lot of people live on this street, this are a lot of cars parked here. So far it has been quiet this morning. Not a lot of people seem to be awake and aware of what is happening. The Police Department will not release any more details, right away. They plan to put out a press release later this morning. As soon as we more details well give them to you. Stay with abc7 news, we will have updates throughout this newscast. Amy hollyfield, abc7 news. 4 29. Time for a look at the weather forecast. Is this break, mike . This is it so enjoy it while it is here, 24, possibly 36 hours of rainfree sky then the rain is; bc coming back friday and saturday. Live doppler, no radar returns buy a lot of cloud cover that t not formed yet, visibility unlimited just about everywhere. Today brighter and dry, around 50 at the coast, in the mid 50s around the bay, low to mid 50s inland this afternoon. Vs3el dont put umbrellas away, rain coming. Heres sue with traffic. We are going to the golden gatead8xhhbridge first,u see the caution sign flashing, theres roadwork northern portion of the span one lane each direction. Mid span both directions opens up to two lanes, eventually