Transcripts For WMAR ABC News Good Morning America 20101229

fires back at the reverend with a rap sheet. and dog gone it. how did this german shepherd puppy get in such a tight spot? we'll talk to the officer who finally rescued rebel. good morning, everyone. we both have jack russells, right? >> yes, we do. >> we're used to them doing things like that. but not a german shepherd. rebel is just fine. we'll talk about that later. george off today, enjoying the family. so glad to have chris cuomo back again. so many people, trying to get back home. the airports all across the country, especially in the northeast, like o'hare, in chicago, still very messy. and all of the flights out of jfk, jetblue had to cancel after 8:00 p.m. yesterday because of poor conditions. three days and counting. those are people sleeping on cots at laguardia. >> a live shot. when you have troubles like that, the politics of the snow start heating up, as well. the mayor of new york, finally admitted the situation is bad. over 1,000 abandoned vehicles have been towed from 3 major city highways. and there's tons of snow clogging up streets, preventing plows from getting through. and we'll have more on the scary chair lift accident in maine. were high winds to blame? some feel that way. we'll hear from some that were on the lift when it plummeted some 20 or 30 feet to the ground. many travelers still stranded four days after the blizzard first hit. and as airports reopen, there's a mad scramble for the few flights taking off. and for some frustrated travel everies, well, it's just too much. chris bury is at o'hare international airport in chicago for us. good morning, chris. >> reporter: good morning, robin. more than 1,700 travelers were stranded here because of backups on the east coast. and the ripple effect causing major headaches, far and wide. like thousands of frustrated flyers, melissa just wants to go home. stuck at o'hare, after three days at the madrid airport, where her husband got the last seat to cincinnati. >> i don't even know where he is right now. >> reporter: 6,000 flights canceled, since the blizzard hit on sunday. leaving tens of thousands stranded and scrambling for rare standby seats. >> we've been here two hours now. and i heard it's a four-hour wait to get through this line. >> reporter: in cleveland, police were called when passengers desperate to finally board a plane, rushed the gates. >> everybody has -- move back. everyone move. come on. move back. >> reporter: at jfk in new york, four international flights were stuck on the tarmac. passengers felt like prisoners. not allowed to get off for nine, miserable hours. >> we were sitting on the runway for about 6 1/2 hours. >> sitting on the tarmac was easily from about ten past 10:00, to 3:20 in the morning. >> reporter: trying to call the airline and actually talk to a human? >> due to weather in the northeast, we're experiencing unusually high call volume and are unable to take your call. thanks for calling continental. good-bye. >> they don't even answer the phone. i think that's horrible. >> reporter: those frustrations, shared by many of our abc news colleagues, hoping to get back home this morning. >> the 12 days of christmas have turned into the 12 days of travel hell. >> i'm attempting to go through security. we'll see what happens. >> my flight was scheduled for sunday. now, they're telling me i can't even get back to new york until saturday. >> i was supposed to leave los angeles on monday. now, the best i can do with delta is get out on friday, new year's eve, at 9:30 p.m. certainly not the way i thought i'd be spending my new year's eve. >> reporter: back at o'hare, melissa spent two hours in this line, hoping for a seat to cincinnati. all of it in vain. >> i found out that i was sent to the wrong counter. so, i now have to stand in this line for united. and i think i missed my flight. >> reporter: the security lines here at o'hare are already getting crowded. people have been waiting now for several hours. by the way, some airlines are still playing those annoying messages. others are telling passengers, no seats will be available on planes until after the new year. and all of this is expected to cost the airlines more than $150 million. chris? >> chris, it's a big number. but you know, a big problem for a loft people. we saw something in "the new york times," about how they couldn't book a nonstop flight from new york to chicago. a very common route. here we are at the smart screen, right? chicago to new york. 125 a day. how many could we book? today, nada. four on thursday. these people that are stranded, there's ten major city destinations. when you look at the destinations, 7,000 of the flights have been canceled. how many people does that mean? 1 million people stranded. how many planes could those million people fill? look how fast they go by. 2,500. 2,500 planes. these four, major carriers would have to fill up all their seats. we didn't look for cheap flights. we were looking at flights anyway we could get them. $800 to $1,000, one way. that's the magnitude of the problem. you were saying earlier, chris, the politics of snow getting pretty heated here in new york. much of the city, still waiting for the plow to clear snow-clogged streets. sharyn alfonsi is right outside and has more on this. >> reporter: good morning, robin. what a mess. the fire department says they haven't dealt with this many 911 calls since 9/11. everybody is stuck. there's roads that are still not plowed. there's buses stuck. ambulances stuck. cars stuck. the mayor is urging patience. but new yorkers are not known for their patience. and they want heads to roll. if only hot tempers could melt snow. >> this was a royal screwup, to use the current terms. >> reporter: up and down the east coast, but especially in new york city, people are furious their streets are snowed over, and now are snowed in. and now, they are looking for someone to blame. >> we have been forgotten. >> reporter: city leaders say this was a perfect storm at an imperfect time. a holiday weekend. private tow truck and plow operators are on vacation. so, there's not enough trucks to clear roads. >> we cannot do everything all the time. and we are doing the best we can. i think this city has pulled together. i don't think that we should sit around and think that the end of the world is here. >> mayor, wear my shoes. wear my shoes to try to walk down here, do my job. >> reporter: some are questioning if manhattan, the city's wealthier burrough is getting special treatment, a point made by "the new york times" blog. pointed to in this treatment, and this one. something echoed loudly by the borough's president. >> move them out of manhattan, into brooklyn. every available vehicle you've got, to clean this place up. >> reporter: meantime, anger also boiled over into new jersey, where chris christie, the state's brash and often outspoken governor. >> accountability is more now than ever. >> reporter: was nowhere to be found. christie, a rising star of the republican party, was at disney world. in fact, about the only politician to weather the blizzard may be newark mayor, cory booker, who spent the day responding to tweets from str d stranded residents. personally helping shovel out cars. how many times have you seen that before? back here in new york, our mayor says, listen. he hopes that most streets will be plowed within 24 hours. but he refuses to promise, saying, he doesn't want to anger more residents. robin? chris? >> thanks, sharyn. now, to the trouble on the mountain in maine. a ski lift accident at a popular resort sent about 30 people plummeting to the ground. jeremy hubbard is at the ski resort, carrabassett, maine. good morning, jeremy. >> reporter: three children were among the injured. none of the injuries are life-threatening. but the big question, what was the cause? was it gusty winds? or a mechanical problem? two state investigators are on the scene this morning to find out what sent the skiers crashing down. the slopes turned into a triage center. >> i held on. and somehow my mom slipped through underneath the bar. >> reporter: the mountainside, cluttered with fallen skiers, who just plummeted through the air. >> my wife, daughter and i, immediately started helping out. getting chairs off of people. >> reporter: high above, 150 more skiers, stranded on the crippled lift for more than an hour, waiting to be rescued. the broken lift wires, dangling overhead. a pulley system, eventually brought them to safety. >> we looked down. there were some skiers who were skiing down. they saw the chair bounce, too. they stopped. and they looked up the hill. they were going, oh, my god. oh, my god. >> it was pretty scary. we didn't want -- i mean, we were up there for a really long time. so, we didn't want anything else to happen. >> reporter: it was about 10:30 tuesday morning, when the chair lift broke. the rope derailed from the tower, sending five chairs crashing 30 feet to the ground. witnesses say a worker appeared to be in the middle of repairing the lift tower at the time of the accident. we asked a resort spokesman about that. there was a worker on the pole at the time. is that right? >> i cannot confirm that. i do not know. >> reporter: investigators are also looking at wind as a possible cause. there were 40-mile-per-hour gusts at the time. in fact, the lift had been closed earlier in the day, due to high winds. but reopened, just a half hour before the accident. they wanted to replace the lift. it was their first priority, under a new improvement plan. they hoped to replace the 35-year-old lift at the end of this season. robin? . >> all right, jeremy. thank you very much. we're going to talk to rebecca london. she was on the lift. rebecca, it is so good to see you. you weren't injured, seriously. >> no, i wasn't. i was a little sore this morning. >> tell us what happened on the lift. >> i was riding the lift, and it stopped. which is completely normal. and it started again. and it stopped a second time. and it kind of jerked backwards. all of a sudden, i could feel myself falling and could see the chair in front of me falling, as well. >> what was going through your mind when you saw the chair in front of you falling first? >> it was happening so fast. i didn't even really have time. i guess at one point, i did kind of think, we're falling. but it was just happening so fast. i didn't even realize what had happened until i was on the ground. >> and because there was, what? 22 inches of fresh snow on the ground, you think that helped? >> i think that helped a tremendous amount. that trail has been known to be pretty icy during the wintertime. and i know i wasn't have been as lucky as i was if we hadn't gotten all that new snow on monday. >> yeah. rebecca, we heard there were high winds that shut down some of the lifts on the mountain. do you think wind was a factor in any kind of way? >> i mean, maybe it was a small factor. but i don't think it was a giant factor because i know the mountain wouldn't have opened the lift if it wasn't safe. and i also have been on that chair lift in higher winds. i don't remember it being outrageously high winds yesterday. >> so, you hit the ground. you know -- you check yourself out. thankfully, you're not injured. and then, you go and try to help other people? >> yeah. what happened was, i was at first worried about myself. and once i knew that i was all okay, i took my skis off. and i got up. and i started walking around. trying to find out what i could do. i don't know very much about medicine. so, i kind of focused on my strength of being able to calm younger kids down. and see if they were injured. and try to get help to them if they needed it. >> okay, rebecca. so, are you going to hit the slopes again? >> absolutely. i'm definitely planning -- i'll probably be out there tomorrow. >> so, this isn't going to prevent you? it is rare, to say that something like this has happened. but it's not going to keep you off the slopes? >> not at all. i know this never, ever happens. it didn't even enter my mind that something like this could happen, whenever i ride a chair lift. so, i know i'll be safe the next time i get on the hill. >> rebecca, thank you very much. glad everything worked out for you and everyone else. >> robin? >> yes. >> i wondered if i could say i'm thankful for what happened to me yesterday. but i want everyone to know that our thoughts are with those that weren't as fortunate as i was. >> well said, rebecca. thank you. and we're thinking of them, too. you take care. >> thank you. you have a nice morning. >> thank you, rebecca. you do the same. chris? >> what a good kid. good head and good heart. while the east coast struggles to recover from the epic blizzard, the west coast is bracing for round two of rain, flooding and mudslides. mike von fremd joins us from highland, california. he has the latest. mike? >> reporter: good morning, chris. as you can see, this devastated community is a long way from cleaning up the mud from the first storm. what we expect to get hit with today is really a triple-threat, of rain, wind up to 70 miles per hour, and it's already starting to get cold. hundreds of volunteers tried to shovel and clean up what they could, before highland gets slammed again. those who came to help, say they underestimated the task. what did you think when you first saw this? >> we got here, it was a lot worse than you see on the news. >> reporter: engineers estimate 50,000 cubic yards of debris, flooded the main storm sewer. they work to clean it. but today will be the test. volunteers say they've done their best. is it back-breaking? >> it's hard work. you feel it after a couple hours. but it's good work. >> reporter: residents have been evacuated. but say they want what they were forced to leave behind protected. >> i have nothing. i'm done. all i do is cry and sit here and cry. we need more help. you know, we need big help. >> reporter: in lan canada, near los angeles, big trucks are trying to clear the drain basins. if they get plugged up, the mountains could collapse on the homes below. now, the earth all across the golden state is saturated. experts say it will not take much rain to create serious problems. chris, we're in for a tough day. >> boy, mike. thank you for reporting from out there. a lot of weather situations around the country. in for samuel champion is our friend from minneapolis, station kstp, chikage windler. good morning. >> good morning to you, chris. mike was talking about the threat of more rain. look at how much more could fall. locally, three inches possible through the san joaquin valley. that's fresno and bakersfield. there continues to be quite a bit of rainfall today. then, the cold air comes in. 17 states, from washington, oregon, california and east, all the way to the dakotas, as well as minnesota, there could be a winter storm watch, warning or advisory. and in new mexico, blizzard warnings in effect. talking showers of a different storm system, from louisiana and texas, towards cincinnati, ohio. on the east coast, sunshine for a change. we'll have your latest local weather forecast in 30 seconds. and, robin, coming up, we'll talk more about the cold down in florida. >> all right, chikage, thanks so much. a new setback this morning for the most expensive broadway play ever created. "spider-man: turn off the dark" has been plagued with delays. now, one of the lead actresses who suffered a concussion one of those days is leaving the show. rob nelson has the details. >> reporter: the web of problems continues to get bigger for the sensation, "spider-man," with word that one of the lead actresses is making an early exit. natalie mendoza, who played a spider villainess, is leaving the blockbuster. the departure is the latest setback for the stunt-heavy show. >> the first actor left on a stretcher. and natalie mendoza made the decision to cut her losses. >> reporter: mendoza, who is best known for her lead roll in the 2005 horror movie, "the descent," also suffered a concussion last month, when she was struck in the head by a rope. the show has suffered several injuries. an actor in october, broke both wrists.s. another actor a broken toe. and last week, a stuntman fell 20 feet, after his harness snapped. putting him in the hospital with a hairline fracture and four broken ribs. mendoza tweeted about the ordeal. saying, a light in my heart went dim tonight. >> i didn't know much about it. at this point, people buying tickets to a preview of "spider-man," has to have heard that the show is having trouble. >> reporter: theatergoers are still lining up. >> it's a special effects are incredible. >> the special effects were absolutely fabulous. >> the flying work was so cool. >> reporter: for "good morning america," rob nelson, abc news, new york. >> despite all the trouble, many are looking forward to seeing it, when it opens, as rob said, later. but broadway did not shut down with all of the snow. >> the bright lights stayed on. one of the interesting developments during something like a blizzard. we keep hearing amazing stories of what people do to get home. this is a great one we want to share with you. one family stranded in buffalo. they didn't know how to get back to new york city. what did they do? actually, long island. the solution, hail a cab. $900 is what they wound up paying. but could be a discount. we talked to the mom about her very long and expensive ride home. take a listen. >> we went on dream vacation to disney world. but on the day we were supposed to come back, which was on sunday. we arrived at delta, around 12:30. but they told us they canceled all the flights. but we were lucky to book a flight with jetblue, to take us to buffalo. and then, we took this cab. when we got to the greyhound bus, he said that one of us should go and check if the bus is running. and there is none. what the airport taxis are charging to take people to new york is $1,100. he decided to waive $200. he charged me $900. it was so dark. the snow with the wind blowing. he was so careful. he was driving like 30 miles per hour. several times, we stopped. and, you know, we got some coffee. and then, we all use the bathroom. and then, we start again. i'm from nigeria. he's from jordan. so, we were talking about how life is. and we bonded, you know, a lot. we left disney at 9:00 a.m., december the 26th, on a sunday. and we got back to new york, in front of my door, on december the 27th, 10:00 a.m. >> through all of the hardship, though, people come together through unique ways. >> she really wanted to get home. >> she did. coming up, is this pastor not practicing what she preaches? accused of burglary, stealing from one of her parishioners on christmas eve. now, the person who was robbed speaks out. when you've lost interest in everything. when you've had one too many days feeling sad or anxious... aches and pains, fatigue. when it becomes hard to ignore that you need help. that's the day you do something. depression hurts. cymbalta can help with many symptoms of depression. tell your doctor right away if your depression worsens, you have unusual changes in behavior or thoughts of suicide. antidepressants can increase these in children, teens, and young adults. cymbalta is not approved for children under 18. people taking maois or thioridazine or with uncontrolled glaucoma should not take cymbalta. taking it with nsaid pain relievers, aspirin, or blood thinners may increase bleeding risk. severe liver problems, some fatal, were reported. signs include abdominal pain and yellowing of the skin or eyes. talk with your doctor about your medicines, including those for migraine, or if you have high fever, confusion and stiff muscles, to address a possible life-threatening condition. tell your doctor about alcohol use, liver disease, and before you reduce or stop taking cymbalta. dizziness or fainting may occur upon standing. side effects include nausea, dry mouth, and constipation. is today your day? 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[ male announcer ] it's here. the all-new chevy cruze. msn autos called it "the class of its class right now." but that's not the only story. it's got turn-by-turn navigation, onstar, an available six-speed automatic transmission, remote keyless entry, and 10 air bags. it's a big story for a compact car. the all-new chevrolet cruze. get used to more. very well-qualified lessees can get a low-mileage lease on a 2011 chevrolet cruze ls for around $159 a month. call for details. to stay fit, you might also want to try lifting one of these. a unique sea salt added to over 40 campbell's condensed soups. helps us reduce sodium, but not flavor. so do a few lifts. campbell's.® it's amazing what soup can do.™ funny thing about vegetables... they fill you up without filling you out. yes! v8 juice gives you three of your five daily servings of vegetables. that's what i'm talking about! v8. what's your number? now, maryland's most powerful doppler radar and the forecast certified most accurate by weatherate. good morning. 7:26 and we have got 27 degrees in the thermometer. 30 in east op and we have had clouds skirt in from the north and west side. overspreading the area and not blocking out the sun for today. butted on a indication of variable cloudy skies. not clear and we are watching the main stream moisture come up from the deep south where the rain is as close as arkansas. so no threat of getting wet. we will have a partly sunny sky. with the two degree guaranteed high of 44. tonight we slip to 23 and seasonable and tomorrow look for more clouds and maybe a late day hour and -- shower and hive 45. >> reporter: thanks. we -- high of 45. >> reporter: we have a lighter than usual volume. no major problems or delays. 695 at liberty road traffic is moving well. and baltimore city, we have reports of a crash southbound 95 at the fort mchenry toll plaza that blocks the right lane. a closure at richard and him aton avenues closed because of police being a at this time. here's megan the morning news update. >> 7:27. here a top stories this morning. two people are dead, three in serious condition after a carbon monoxide leak. this happened at an apartment on gillford -- guilford in east baltimore. three people remain in the hospital this morning. fire investigators say the fumes were confined to one of the apartments in the building. and the 2011 pro bowl picks for the ravens are in. ed reed and ray lewis will start at free safety and middle behind backer and billy cundiff is the kicker in the afc place. suggs and ngata are reserves. that's all the time we have. now back to new york for "good morning, america" úcú;ckca/ ♪ that's a bow wow, with the emphasis on the ow. look at the tight spot this poor pooch got himself in. how did he get in there? how did he get free? >> oh. >> that's the backside. >> 8 months old. just a puppy. good morning, everybody. george is off this morning. i'm chris cuomo. >> good to have you here with us, chris. i'm robin roberts. also this morning, let's call it a wake-up call for cell phone users and a lot of us that, of course, use cell phones.phone could we also be dialing for disease? what we found living and thriving on cell phones. why? >> hold this for me. >> that's all right. i'm good. no telling where that phone's been. no way. you're just out and about. you're a kind of out-and-about reporter. >> segue. >> uh-huh. keep going. remember the story yesterday about the husband that may be facing five years because he supposedly hacked into his wife's e-mail. huge response from you. big opinions object whether it was right or wrong. but the main question that came up with all of it is, what kind of privacy issues do you have with your spouse? a very provocative question from this case. we're going to unpack it for you. >> heard from a loft viewers. many siding with the guy. >> a lot of strong opinions, worth taking a second look at. we will. first, we want to talk to you about the pastor police say they caught red-handed stealing from a parishioner's home on christmas eve. the pastor said she had good reason to take $10,000 worth of furs and electronics. she also, though, has a long rap sheet. ryan owens has the story. >> reporter: on the night before christmas, there was a creature stirring in this dallas house. and police say it was pastor sandy mcgriff. detectives say the 52-year-old broke into a home of a member of her own church. >> i'm not a particular. >> reporter: police have charged her with stealing more than $10,000 worth of fur coats, purses and a laptop. and she's under arrest. >> my big mistake was going through the window. >> she stepped right here. and she went inside the house. >> reporter: a neighbor spotted the pastor breaking a window. and then, allegedly taking the loot out to her car. but pastor mcgriff tells a very different story. she says she was in the neighborhood to pick up a peach cobbler, when something told her to go by that house. she says she spotted what looked like two burglars nearby. so, she broke into the home to protect the woman's belongings. in case those men came back. >> on the way out, the coats were right there. and i just grabbed everything at once. >> reporter: the pastor made her unusual defense surrounded by nine fur coats. she says, to prove, she didn't need to steal anybody's. it turns out sandy mcgriff has more than a dozen aliases and a criminal record from prostitution in the 1970s. her tiny chapel is in the back of her husband's furniture store. and after spending most of the day behind bars, she posted bail and was back to preaching for sunday's service. ryan owens, abc news, dallas. we're joined by sorita agnew, the woman who accused her pastor of robbing her home on christmas eve. thank you for being here. i know it's not easy to talk about. but thank you for being here. >> thank you for having me. >> what did you think when you heard that your pastor was accused of robbing your home? >> i was devastated. i was devastated. and in disbelief. it was devastating. >> now, looking back on that day. the pastor had contacted you that day, right? >> that's correct. she had contacted me approximately half an hour before i got a phone call from the dallas police department. >> do you believe that through that phone call, the pastor knew you weren't going to be home at that time? >> she absolutely knew that i wasn't going to be home. she asked me if i was with my family. it was christmas eve. so, she knew that i was not going to be home. >> so, now, the hard reality. the allegation is, that the pastor went to your home, very simply, to burglarize, to take your things. can you believe that? >> no, it's kind of hard to. i'm in total disbelief, chris. i'm in total disbelief. >> you know the alibi, the story. do you accept that? do you think that, on the way to get a cobbler, the pastor saw people she thought was burglarizing your home, so she thought she needed to protect it by breaking in through a window? does that make sense? >> it does not. it does not make sense to me. furthermore, her version of the story has changed. you know, initially it was -- i asked her to stop by there. the dallas police department asked me, did you ask her to go into your home? and i said, i did not ask anyone to go into my home. and then -- now, the story is, the burglars. thank god for neighbors that, you know, will call the police when they see something that looks suspect. >> right. they certainly stepped up and did the right thing. that's for sure. so, let me ask you, serita, i know you've been talking to members of your church about this. this wasn't just anybody. this was your pastor. so, what does this make you think in terms of being a person of faith? how do you explain it to yourself? >> being a person of faith, i -- i've come to believe that, we are presented with challenges in our lives. and i believe that all of those challenges are tailor-designed, for us specifically, to bring us closer to god. and i have -- if i believe that for myself, i have to believe that for sandy. >> well, they say god has a plan, right? >> and my hope is -- yeah. my hope is that she finds her way. >> that has to be the hope right now. thank you to you, serita and your family. i hope you have a very happy new year and move past this quickly. thank you for joining us today. >> thank you very much for having me, chris. >> all right. have a happy new year. let's check in on other stories that are developing right now. sharyn alfonsi is here for juju chang at the newsdesk. good morning. >> good morning, chris. good morning, robin. we're going to begin with the growing double-dip in the housing market. new fug years show an unexpected drop in home prices in the fall in the largest cities. a passenger at miami airport is under arrest after his bag exploded on the tarmac, causing a security scare and delaying flights. turns out the bag was pull of bullet parts. the incident does not appear to be terrorism-related. overseas, an entire town in northeastern australia has been forced to evacuate because of the worst flooding in half a century. water seeped into nearly every building in town. and the floodwaters have yet to peak. and finally, times may be tough. but not at disneyland. only two hours after opening, the park had to turn people away tuesday. it was at capacity. full, for the second day in a row. the blizzard here in the northeast gets the credit. many tourists got stranded because their flights were canceled. so, they went to disneyland. seems like a good idea. splash mountain instead of dodging puddles in the northeast. good call by the parents. >> is this the part that we say that we're owned by disney? >> probably, right. if you're going to wait in a line somewhere, i'm going with any amusement park beats the airport. >> good company person there. thanks, sharyn alfonsi. >> earning your ears. time for the weather. in for sam champion, from our minneapolis/st. paul station, kstp, chikage windler. >> it was cold in florida. they had record lows. it was in the 20s yesterday morning. heavy rain out in portland, courtesy of katu. you can see it's rain causing a loft flooding issues. that rain could turn over to some snow. speaking of snow, lake tahoe area in california, already dealing with a lot of snowfall. with this next major storm system that's going to be pulling through. and you see the energy pulling off toward the east. and it will push its way toward disneyland, disney world. same difference, right? this weather report brought to you by wisk laundry detur gent. coming up next, dirty talk. the cell phone, we found things on it you need to know. the swab, never a good sign. ♪ hey! wait up! ♪ [ female announcer ] you see a mud stain. but new wisk sees a particulate stain. with our breakthrough stain spectrum technology, wisk is engineered to fight all the major stain groups like particulates and oils. 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[ female announcer ] you'll never look at stains the same way again. for a powerful clean against a full range of stains, use new wisk. fight stains with science. how about a coastal soup and grilled shrimp salad combination at red lobster? or maybe skewers of tender, wood-grilled shrimp. or your choice of shrimp paired with wood-grilled chicken. all served with unlimited, freshly-baked cheddar bay biscuits. seafood lunches starting at just $6.99 that fit into your budget and your lunch hour. only at red lobster. pediatrician recommended pain reliever for children. plus, children's advil® brings fever down faster than children's tylenol®. choose children's advil®. relief you can trust. 295 million americans, a majority of the country, carry cell phones.ion americans, a but what many people don't know is they're carrying a lot of germs. that's why chris has the sanitizer out right now because he has his phone with him everywhere. our consumer correspondent, elisabeth leamy, gets the dirt on this story. >> reporter: our cell phones typically harbor more germs than an office desk. more than a computer keyboard. and even more than a toilet seat. and unfortunately, researchers have confirmed that when you pick up a phone, about one-third of those germs transfer to your hand. the fact that cell phones contain lots of germ cells hasn't made much of an impression on the public. >> i'm not a germophobe. >> reporter: okay. you may become one. we traveled to sunny arizona, to see what we could find on the phones of arizona state students. >> what's that say? >> that i'm going to die. >> reporter: over an acceptable limit. environmental science researcher sherry carlino was able to tell how much bacteria was on the cell phones. people that pay attention to cleanliness did better. with scores like 83. 59. do you ever sanitize it or anything? >> i do, actually. >> reporter: and our lowest, 41. they're the lucky ones because researchers have found the flu virus, staph infection, mrsa and more on mobile phones. and since so many people handle their phones while they're eating, those germs have a direct path into our bodies. young people are at particular risk because their phones are their constant companion. extensions of their hand. >> we're in the mobile generation. and germs have adapted to that, as being transmitted that way. you share these devices, you share germs. >> reporter: more than half of the phones we tested had unacceptable levels of germs. then, we tested caylin's phone. >> 442. >> reporter: it was our worst. that means our phone contains something like 100,000 bacteria. no need to be embarrassed because last, we tested my phone. i think you're being particularly thorough. >> i am not. >> reporter: the flip phones tend to trap bacteria more than a flat smart screen. my read out. 970. what do you think of the germs on your phone? some companies claim to sell anti-microbial coatings for phones and solutions. but there's other solutions. you can take down rubbing alcohol and wipe down your phone. if you're using hand sanitizer, and your hands are damp, not wet, you can rupp them over your phone. and don't share phones. if someone hands you their phone to look at 3pictures or something, don't do it. >> i can see a huge difference with your phone after you did that. >> want to use it? >> not at all. next, stuck in a very tight spot. how the german shepherd puppy finally got free. rebel's okay. at i did before gps. >> gps: turn left ahead. >> woman: actually, i got lost a lot. now i just follow the steps, and i can get anywhere i want to go. turbotax lets me do my taxes the same way. its unique gps feature guides me step-by-step. searching over 350 deductions. so i get everything i deserve which helps me know it's done right. and gets me right to my maximum refund, guaranteed. >> man: try turbotax online now. you don't pay unless you're satisfied with the results. 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"around the watercooler," this picture. how did the poor little puppy, rebel, get stuck in this situation? an 18-inch hole in the concrete wall. neighbor hears some whining. finds rebel like this. tail down. that means he's not happy. animal rescue came and got rebel unstuck. one of the officers that got rebel unstuck, on the phone with us now. thanks for joining us. >> thank you for having me. >> ever seen anything like this before? >> one other time.ing like this that was a very small puppy. that was not clear as exciting or dramatic to get him out of there. >> any idea how he got in this situation? >> we are unsure whether or not there was another dog or a robert that ran through and he was trying to get at it. or just that he was an 8-month-old puppy and at 7 months, he could get his head in and out whenever he wanted to. >> how long do you think he was stuck like that? >> we believe he was in there for ten minutes before we got there. and took us another 20, 25 minutes to get him out. >> how did you get him out? >> it took a lot of very gentle pushes and pulling. a lot of help from rebel, helping us pull him back out. and just a lot of really, really careful pulling and pushing. >> what was the owner thinking when they found out about this? traumatic thing. >> the person that was home at the residence, was very upset. i mean, obviously. anybody would be when they saw their dog in that predicament. you know, we were able to calm her down. as soon as we got there, the first thing we did was to make sure he was breathing okay. his airway wasn't obstructed. once we knew he was fine and just stuck, we knew we could take our time to get him out without hurting him. we said, give us time. we promise. >> thank you, sergeant huffman. we're glad rebel is okay. thanks. >> thank you. we'll be back. 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[ male announcer ] hey, it's your breakfast, make it the way you want. try the subway egg white muffin melt with fresh tomatoes, jalapenos or whatever... build your better breakfast today. subway. eat fresh. to bring you a low-price medicare prescription drug plan that has the lowest national premium in the country of only $14.80 per month. so you can focus on the things that really matter. go to walmart.com for details. switch to tide free & gentle. it removes more residue from dirt, food, and stains. so nothing spoils this tights enthusiast's enthusiasm. tide free & gentle. style is an option. clean is not. ♪ [ female announcer ] tide with acti-lift technology helps remove many dry stains as if they were fresh. dad may try to ruin your style, but dry stains won't. ♪ tide with acti-lift. style is an option. clean is not. get acti-lift in these tide detergents. now, maryland most powerful radar and forecast certified most accurate by weatherate. >> it's 7:56. we will go out to this bea. look at this on boardwalk. 16 at the greece under mostly clear skies. under a foot of snow and that's the difference because as we go closer to town we will go to roland park, 32 with clouds that rolled in early in the morning and no snow. cloud line basically right through baltimore. high clouds trying to mix through and hang tight in the north and west of the area. more clearing south and east. overall, a mixture of cloud and sun average sunny and 44 our two degree guaranteed high into the mid-20s overnight. and the mimed trend continues. mid to upper 40s tomorrow. maybe with a small chance of an afternoon or evening rain shower. we are looking for 50 by friday. high temperatures up to 56 on new year's day with rain showers that could last through sunday morning. may affect tailgateers more than the ravens game with a high of 48 in the afternoon. kel. >> reporter: justin, this morning we are dealing with an accident on the jfx southbound side at northern harkway. you will see fire and rescue on the scene of a crash there that is block right lane. look live at pictures you will see the right lane taken away traffic is going to be slow from the beltway but it clears out once you make it past the scene of the accident. in anne arundel county, dealing with a crash at general's highway in beth gayle -- bethgate road. baltimore city a road closure because of police activity on richard and hamilton avenues. water main breaks around the area causing icy conditions. one in condition daubing at avon beach road and perry hall slater avenue at slowed and southbound york at ailsbury. yeah. um, i thought this was going well for a first date. look at your it is. suckometer. oh, i just quit smoking, and the craving's really suck after a meal. okay. ding! [ male announcer ] quitting sucks. nicorette makes it suck less, doubling your chances of success. that let me know something was wrong. i love birthday cake. i bit into the icing and i justot a shocking pain. the dentist recommended sensodyne. i didn't think that the solution would be as easy as changing my toothpaste. i use the sensodyne every day. ♪ i'll give you my dirty little secret ♪ ♪ dirty little secret why are we playing "dirty little secret"? not just because i rock out to it at the skate park. but because we got huge response to the story about the husband who was accused of hacking into his wife's e-mail. the husband now, he might be facing five years in jail. raised a very important question. so many of you weighed in. the idea of what is your right to privacy from your spouse? we're going to dig into in a. >> a huge response on our message board about that. plus, i had the opportunity, it was really a blessing, to sit down with steven curtis chapman, and his family, his wife, mary beth. we talked to them about how they turned a personal tragedy, into a message of hope and healing for everyone. it's a beautiful family. a beautiful message. and mary beth has a new book out that i highly recommend. we're going to talk to some of the chapmans a little later. >> cannot wait for that. also, obviously counting down to the new year. getting ready for our big bash. we're going to get help from someone who designed really big bashes. later this hour, bryan rafanelli is going to show you how to throw a new year's eve party. but budget-wise. the blizzard of 2010, brought some frightening moments for expectant moms here in the northeast. officials were telling people to stay home, stay off the roads, stay safe. that's not easy to do when you're in labor, headed toward the hospital. this morning, two stories of babies who really wanted to make dramatic arrivals. >> at about 6:30, i said to brad that, i think we need to make our way to the hospital. we shoveled ourselves out of the door. and out of our driveway. it was almost 8:00. >> reporter: joan and frederick mann headed to the hospital from their jersey city home. but their usual 20-minute ride stretched to over an hour and a half. and the baby simply wouldn't wait. >> my wife said, we're about to have a baby. she didn't say, i'm about to have this baby and -- right now, at this very second. >> right. well, the head is coming out. that was the next moment. >> i turned and i looked at my wife. and she had the baby in her arms. and it was one of the most -- just amazing experiences. >> reporter: and in oakland, maine, 25-year-old hillary pratt and her sister-in-law, were on their way to the hospital. it would be a cab ride they would never forget. >> mother, oh, my gosh. >> it's coming. >> oh, my god. it's coming. >> i didn't want to deliver him in the cab. >> the baby is crying. >> yep. it's crying. >> apparently, he wanted her to deliver him, i guess. like i said, it was pretty much like, one second and he was here. >> reporter: the healthy baby boy, named kielan, has an appropriate nickname. snowflake. >> when i had the door open, it was snowing. and snowflakes were landing on us. it was cold, it was a blizzard. and he was born in the midst of it. >> reporter: two babies. two miracles. >> and the manns named their baby, daniel christopher bellomore, which means beautiful love. let's go to sharyn alfonsi, in for juju at the newsdesk. >> it is day four after the blizzard that socked the northeast. chaos and confusion at many airports. thousands of passengers are trying to figure out how they will get home. it could be 2011 before things return to normal. hundreds slept on cots where some waited for nine hours on the tarmac tuesday, for an open gate. there is one success story. a pennsylvania marching band, grounded by the blizzard, has finally arrived in los angeles to rehearse for the famous rose parade. continental airlines scheduled an extra flight to get them there in time. >> i've always wanted to go to california. to go with the band. we almost didn't make it because the flight got postponed. but thank god. >> but you're here. >> we got here. we got here. >> and that high school band is 1 of only 12 playing in the parade. inspectors are getting down to work at a ski resort in maine, trying to determine if wind or mechanical failure caused a skilift to snap. 8 people were hurt after falling 30 people. the snow pack helped cushion their fall. extreme weather has not been limited to the east and the west coast this morning. in fl 234r, farmers say the cold weather has cost them $100 million in lost crops of fruits and vegetables. nutrition labels are coming to the meat aisle. beginning in 2012, labels that list calories, fat and cholesterol, will join your favorite cuts of meat. many nutritionists say the labels will be a wake-up call for meat eaters. a change at the post office. beginning next month, all stamps will be forever stamps. that means you will be able to use them when stamp prices go up again. no searching for the 1 cent and 2 cent stamps. and the future king and queen of england are breaking with tradition. prince william and his fiancee, kate middleton, say they will live without servants. they say hired help would spoil anywhere intimacy at home. yes. because scrubbing the floors always puts you in the mood. that's the news at 8:05. we go on to the weather with chikage windler. >> and, sharyn, we're starting -- [ cheers ] -- starting to thaw out here. is it cold out here? it is plenty cold. and not just here in new york. check out this video from miami. imagine being dressed in a scarf and maybe gloves, all the way south into florida. yep. the cold stretches all the way down south. i've got some good news. if you want to warm things up, check out the next few days. temperatures will be moderating in a big way. we could see 70s in miami. new york city, surging into the 40s. 53 in chicago. and across the west, we have western snow, eastern showers and lots of sunshine expected here in new york. we have folks from texas, braving the cold. and having a great time here. d everyone's giving a shoutout to their football team. these folks, from kansas state. i get to sigh go sooners on saturday. i'm from oklahoma. >> very strong. very strong. so, hundreds of you wrote to us after we told you the story of a man who could go to jail after logging into his wife's e-mail account. so, this morning we're going to bring you a cross-section of your very opinionated comments. we're also going to unpack this line of the secret. where can you and your spouse be and not affect your marriage? yesterday, we told you about leon walker. walker could go to jail for snooping in his wife's e-mail. >> i definitely feel it was okay to confirm that i read her e-mail, in our home. >> reporter: it didn't take long for the "gma" shoutout board to see a flurry of strong opinions on both sides. you live together, you pay bills together, wrote one viewer. you should be sharing everything in your personal and private lives as spouses. and that includes e-mails and social network accounts. norma cook everest wrote in, too. and we reached her by skype. >> each of us does need personal space. and we need private places in our lives to keep our thoughts and ideas and really to communicate freely. >> reporter: but there are so many new places in our electronic world. e-mail, text messages, social networks sites. so many of our conversations are being transmitted over the air waves and internet. which raises the question, what can get you in trouble these days? at what point do secrets go too far? >> being able to get access to people's calendars. to be able to stalk them to know where they're going. to be able to access the social networks sites. once you have the realm of public information, the areas in which you can invade privacy become endless. >> reporter: that includes secret bank accounts. secret friends. even secret shopping. david and brooke ashton are newlyweds. congratulations. would they snoop? >> yeah. but i think i would tell her first. >> i would probably tell him also. don't know before or after. but -- >> reporter: others differ. even amongst themselves. >> no. >> i mean -- once in a while. if his phone vibrates, i might take a peek. >> reporter: really? >> it can be helpful. >> reporter: ultimately, legal experts say, best to set some ground rules. >> if they don't agree on what information should be shared up front, there may be signs there are bigger problems in place. >> makes my hands sweat. let's talk more about the legal and emotional consequences of kwlishs like this one. on one end, we have robin sax. and in new york, we have couples mediator, lauren pew, author of the book "fight less, love more." thanks for being here. robin, let me start with you. specifically with the case we covered yesterday, with the man in michigan, do you think he goes away for what he did? >> well, if you look at the letter of the law, he has committed a crime here. the key issue, as a prosecutor, is that the prosecutor's going to play up, is there was a line in the sand drawn because he and his ex-wife, or soon-to-be ex-wife, actually already had a divorce filing in place. i think that's where the prosecutor's going to focus, that this is an invasion of privacy while you're still married under the same roof. this is an invasion of privacy after that line has been drawn. and i think your hands are sweating, chris. we know that we want to take a look see every now and again. >> i get you. that line in the sand. that's a fact that will turn the case on where they were with the course of the divorce. i get that. in general, laws will vary from state-to-state. but in general, how do you see laws across, on how we police spousal interference in our digital lives? >> digitally speaking, the law in this case, and many of the laws that are around the country right now that exist on the books, are way behind our technology. so, these laws are intended for identity theft cases. not necessarily spousal situations. but once you start extending it here, if this jury convicts this guy, i'll bet you we see more of this to come. >> let's be honest. we're opening this up to lori on the emotional side. the real concern is not going to the big house. it's going to the dog house with your spouse. on the emotional side, what are the rules at play here about what you should be able to see in my blackberry or online. what do you think? >> well, the rules from our world out here should translate to the technological media. and i write about this in my book, "fight less, love more," that we need to have five-minute conversations with our mate. if your mate is going out after work and having drinks with co-workers. you're not telling your mate don't do that. but every once in a while, you would like an invitation to join in. and the same is true with facebook and e-mails. you should be aware of the accounts that your partner has. all of the bank accounts. all the credit cards. all facebook, twitter and what not. if you want the passwords for comfort, you should ask for them. >> this is sticky. let's play it out. you see on the blackberry i have a password. oh, you have a password. and if i say i don't want you to have the password, how can i do that and not sleep on the couch? >> right. here's how to persuade your mate. and this is the key thing about verbal communication. how to say it the right way. you want to say to your mate, listen. i understand that you want privacy. but it really makes me uncomfortable. and it makes me feel suspicious. i don't want to be suspicious. so, can we put the relationship first? and allow each other, you give me yours. i'll give you mine. and let's be open book with one another. and i'm not going to abuse it. but this is how we can keep that trusting foundation. >> i get you. what you're saying is, start on the open side. be inclusive. and that will build trust. and just like everything else in the relationship, that is the key to freedom. >> let's not forget nowadays, if you're cheating, you're going to get caught. it's just a question of when, thanks to all of the technological, historical records we have. have that conversation tonight. you should know everything. and it's just like in a home. we have the expectations of privacy. if a door is shut and the partner's in the room, you better knock on the door. but you expect to hear come in. >> i got you. laurie, thank you so much. good luck with the baby. >> thank you, chris. >> if it doesn't work out so well, you have robin sax in los angeles, an attorney. this conversation, clearly far from over. i can hear the controversy out there. weigh in on the shoutout board. abcnews.com/gma. we'll keep following up on those. when we come back, five-time grammy winner steven curtis chapman and his family, after an unimaginable tragedy. their message 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"beauty will rise," the recording coming out of an incredibly hard times in our lives and season, the music being a gift, i felt like, from god, as i walked through the grieving and all of that process of losing our daughter. >> reporter: this is a portrait of the chapman family, before the tragic loss of their 5-year-old daughter, maria. two years ago, she was struck by the family suv. her brother, will, was behind the wheel. >> to see the title come to life, "beauty rising out of that," this record, having connected with so many people. that's a real blessing. >> reporter: also a blessing and a real gift, mary beth, your book. "choosing to see." so incredibly raw in such a positive way, to express yourself through words like that. what was that experience like for you? >> it was difficult. you know? but really felt confirmed that it was time to write. not just the story of maria. but kind of look back in my life and write some of, you know, the ups and downs and the difficulties that we've had. and i felt like when i finished writing it, though, that god kind of whispered to me, you did that for yourself to work through so many things. and it's really okay to file your copy up on the shelf. i'll take it from here. >> reporter: you talked about your depression. as a woman, how you put that on the back burner because you don't want to let your family down. >> it was important to me to kind of put it out there and go, this is who i am. i thought i needed to make this a really honest book because i think it can help more people in the long run. ♪ search the ground >> reporter: the chapmans just wrapped up a tour together. it was part music/part soul-bearing. mary beth capturing audiences by speaking candidly about her death. >> this is an amazing woman. to have the courage to do what she's done this year. writing this book. doing the tour. getting up and sharing her story. and i'm just incredibly proud. and just blessed at how obviously her stewardness to walk through this. and it has been so hard. ♪ >> reporter: and it really was a family affair. the suns also performed on tour. their band, caleb, the opening act. a night with the chapmans on stage. part of it is talking about the healing and what has happened since the tragedy with your little sister. being there and hearing it, how are you? how are you when it's talked about so much? >> we spend a lot of hours praying about how this night should be. but for me, it was more of just the continuing of the healing process. to be able to celebrate more kind of like maria's life. you know, to see my mom up there and speaking. you know, about it. >> it was really a night of proclaiming, you know, what we believe. where our belief really is. and the beauty that's coming from, you know, the ashes, the dark story of that. and so, for us, it was like, to say that night after night after night, it -- you know what? you just -- you hang on to that and take another step the next day. and i think, you know, you can't help but see some of the good that's come from that. you know, as a mom, i still have the questions i wrestle around with. i would rather her be back with us and him not have to shoulder the burden. and all of us. it radically changed our lives. >> reporter: how is it being the big brother in this family? >> it's amazing. i'm kind of a spectator of miracles happening all around me. so much of the last 2 1/2 years have been about how our family's been doing with the accident. as weird as it is saying that, it's an honor to take part in the healing process. and just being supporters of my family. >> reporter: maria's little sisters, they're growing up. does one have the actling bug a little bit? >> our joy was the voice of the rhubarb in the new "veggie tales" dvd. it's called "it's a meaningful life." and they asked if one of our daughters would do the voice of an adopted little girl. she was awesome. it was great. ♪ let your light shine >> reporter: what's your wish for the new year? >> i think there's just some things that we have sort of been on hold last year, which sort of started to -- the numbness started to wear off in some ways. so, i really believe that this coming year is going to be a year with some real new healing and some new -- i just feel like kind of new. just got to be a thing that is going to happen for us as a family. >> and since we first met the family, both caleb and their dou daughter emily, have gotten married. you can read an excerpt of mary beth's book and see an extra performance on abcnews.com/gma. and i went online to find a way. ♪ what really excited me about chantix -- it's a non-nicotine pill. i didn't want nicotine to give up nicotine. while you're taking the medication, for the first week, you can go ahead and smoke. 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[ male announcer ] it's a new year. so, ask your doctor about chantix. and find out how you could save money on your prescription go to chantix.com to learn more and get terms and conditions. and find out how you could save money on your prescription nothing starts your day like honey roasted, honey bunches of oats. the perfect balance of crunchy flakes and clusters, with a kiss of golden honey. delicious. and the same calories per serving as special k original. so, try honey roasted, honey bunches of oats! heck try 'em all. fitting into clothes is naturally satisfying. so select harvest light soups are 80 calories or less, 100% natural. and-oh-so-satisfying. select harvest light from campbell's.® it's amazing what soup can do.™ uh oh, sesame stir fry from lucky dynasty. oh, me too! but mine's lean cuisine, so no preservatives. wait, did you say? i did! no preservatives. 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[ female announcer ] no preservatives, all delicious. lean cuisine. now, maryland's most powerful doppler radar and forecast certified most accurate by weatherate. good morning. 8:27. sun and clouds. range from 0 degrees in easton to 26 in baltimore. 21 hagerstown and 22 up towards york, pa. not much of a wind chill to speak of. that's good news. there are the clouds we talked about strolling into the area. lingering on the north and west. they are trying but eroding away pushing across the beltway and on the eastern shore. partly sunny day. a high temperature of 44. and the outlook calls mid-40s a small chance of late showers tomorrow. 50 by friday. kim. >> reporter: we are going to see minor delays at the usual trouble spots but so far so good on the area roadways. earlier crash we had southbound on the jfx at north parkway has been cleared off to the right. traffic flows freely. earlier delays are gone. police activity in baltimore city with richard closed at hamilton avenue plus a variety of water main breaks in perry hall, dundalk and timonium. here charlie crowson with the morning news update. >> thanks a lot. a 13-year-old boy is dead after police say he and a friend were playing with a handgun. according to police reports, charles diesmesor when at his home when the gun accidently went off. police are trying to find out who owns the gun and if it was registered. a dunkin donuts owner took matters into his hand when a man tried to rob the place e suspect walked in and demand cash. they say the property owner struggle with the suspect and ended up shooting him and the suspect died and the investigation is ongoing. time to head back up to new york for more of "good morning, america." mealingan and i are back -- megan and i are back at nine for "good morning maryland" see you then. ♪ tonight we're going to party like it's 1999 ♪ that is where the ball is going to drop, right there. here in times square. good morning, america. here with chris, i'm robin. george, taking a little time off. of course, that is prince's "1999." there's no party like new year's eve. but you don't have to spend a lot to have a great celebration. no, no, no. master events planner, bryan rafanelli joins us. he's going to show you how to put on a new year's bash on a budget, with items we already have around the house. >> beautiful stuff. and if you aren't coughing and sneezing, you probably know somebody that is. it's wintertime. primetime for colds. but how can you tell when it's something more serious? and can you do anything to not get sick at all this winter? we'll have prescriptions for staying healthy. >> how many have you had already? i remember this from you. >> you're right. i was a petri dish. now, i'm getting more sleep these days. and getting sick a little less. >> rub it. ? also, whodunit? we can only tell you who wrote it. we go inside the pages of a new murder mystery, by best-selling author, mary jane clark. now, fun on wheels. it's called the ride. it's the wildest ride you'll ever take. joining us is its president and ceo, jonathan danforth. >> the ride is once in sort of a lifetime. you need to experience it, brand-new in new york. essentially, it turns the streets of new york into a stage. and what happens is, people go on this ride. and they sit and watch performers all over the streets of new york, on about a 4 1/2-mile route. and they're entertained like they've never been entertained before. >> sometimes your audience, they're a little unique. this is intentional. the ride, it brings a lot of what people suspect about new york city to life. which is you'll always see something that will amaze you. there it is. no reason to stop. who else have we got? uh-oh. that's my move. that is my move. oh, that's good. yep. >> nice. >> impressive. impressive. thank you very much. and, homeboy, what have you got? >> i'm just a rapper. >> you could have had a back beat going during the other ones. that's okay, though. ♪ this is my promo i'm here with robin roberts ♪ ♪ and chris cuomo >> came to you, just like that. >> that's old-school. he's from queens. >> this is being well received, isn't it? >> it is. we're going into the new year with new things for the ride. every one is different. >> you got that right. >> in the new york spirit in the best way, you're going to give. you're going to help us with the warm coats, warm hearts drive. >> we are. >> what have you got right now? there it is. >> dropping it in the bin for us. >> we're choreographing it. wait for it. >> and you're back on camera. and drop it. there you go. go to any local burlington coat factory, if you'd like to donate a gently-used coat. the tally is getting higher and higher. we have a few more weeks that are left. i like the kiss thing again outside of times square. can we see that again? >> like that. >> nice. >> warms the heart. you want to find out where you can doe dmat a gently-used coat to someone in need, go to abcnews.com/coatdrive. now, time for the weather. in for sam champion is our good friend from our minneapolis/st. paul station, kstp. chikage -- where are you, chikage? >> i'm over here. i don't think anyone here is going to breakdance or kiss or rap. these are "gma" fans. most of them from texas, loving our cold weather, right? i'll tell you, all the way down to atlanta, they had an inch and a half of snow a few days ago. but things are improving. it should be in the 50s in atlanta today. courtesy of wsb, the live shot with the clouds rolling in. let's talk about cold temperatures. yesterday, two dozen record lows set. today, orlando waking up with 20s for lows. across the nation, storms in the west. dry here in the east. and this weather report, brought to you by lean cuisine. robin? >> chikage, thank you. it is the season for coughs, colds, fevers, flus. and the average person can get as many as eight to ten colds a year. this morning, we've got your prescription for staying healthy this winter. dr. keith roach is here. he's an internist, at cornell medical center. thank you for being here. >> thank you. >> how do you know the difference between a cold and flu? >> it's not always easy to tell the difference. a cold starts slower. you start with a runny nose and a scratchy throat. and you may get eight to ten colds a year. flu, on the other hand, is much more severe. it starts off more suddenly. my friend, dr. felton says people get hit by the flu truck. sometimes they call up and say, i'm too sick to come in. i'm lying on the bed here, terrible body aches. temperature of 102, 103, 104. just miserable. >> is that when you should see a doctor? >> the thing about the flu, is we have a specific treatment for the flu. a medicine that goes by the name of tamiflu. if you start it in 24 hours of getting flu similar thomas, you can reduce the symptoms by a day or two. >> if you have the fever and the things you're talking about. >> fever is known with the flu. >> so, we have that going on. and you hear so many things. and you see ads about medicine you can take to prevent getting the cold or flu. are any of them really on the up and up? >> afraid not. >> sorry about that, guys. sorry. i tried. >> they can make you feel better once you get it. >> yeah. >> but there's really nothing that's going to cure things. and there's nothing that's going to prevent it. i heard chris say, he's getting more sleep now. getting sleep can ward things off. but the best way of not getting a cold, is not to catch it in the first place. >> how about the flu shot? is it too late to get it? >> it's not too late. we haven't hit epidemic levels. but we're on the upswing. it takes two weeks for flu shot to be effective. you want to get it as early as possible. >> and which age groups? seniors? babies? we go back and forth with who should get the flu shot? >> now, we're saying pretty much everybody should get the flu shot. if you don't want to get the flu, get a flu shot. >> all right. then, those tips that we hear about. beginning with wash your hands. i know it sounds really simple. buteffective, isn't it? >> i wash my hands somewhere in the order of 50 times a day. before i had kids i hardly ever got sick, keeping my hands so clean. we can't say it often enough. if you keep your hands clean, you're much less likely to get sick. >> any other suggestions? >> if you have to sneeze, we teach you to sneeze in the elbow. if you're going to be sick and you have to be sick, then stay at home if at all possible. try not to come into work. it's not always possible for everyone. if you have to come in, keep your hands clean. keep your dealings with other people to a minimum. >> we see the cold weather we have here and in much of the country. is it best to bundle up as best you can and ward it off as best use can? >> keeping warm doesn't make too much of a difference. keeping away from people with colds is going to prevent it. >> thank you very much. we appreciate that. especially this time of the year. thank you. time, now, for the final, finalist in our "gma" advice guru search. here's what scott nimmer had to say about beating holiday stress. >> the holiday season is stressful for everyone. my advice is take some time for yourself. that doesn't mean run away from your problems or your family. rather, take a look at what or who is causing your stress. step back. take a break for a while. you don't have to be by yourself. find what or who makes you happy. whether that's friends, family, a pet, or your computer. go there and unwind. if you spend time with others, it helps them relax, you can chalk that up as a good deed for the holiday season. >> you can tell us what you think about all of our finalists, read their personal essays and see how they responded to your questions. coming up next, inside best-selling mystery author mary [ female announcer ] letting go of your cigarettes can be hard. but the nicoderm cq patch gradually steps you down off of nicotine in just three steps, doubling your chances for success. nicoderm cq. 3 steps, 10 weeks and you're free. [ smack! ] [ smack! smack! smack! ] [ male announcer ] your favorite foods fighting you? fight back fast with tums. calcium rich tums goes to work in seconds. nothing works faster. ♪ tum ta tum tum tums it's cold outside. you know what that means? many people are curling up with books right now. and we've got a brand-new one from best-selling author, mary jane clark. you know her. she wrote 12 books set in the broadcast world. how exciting that is. and now, a new mystery in the world of weddings. the mother who turns out to help at the family bakery, finds herself in the middle of a murder. "to have and to kill." mary jane clark joins us now. this is a good one. i'm going to show the cover. it deserves the promotion. did you make this cake on the cover? >> i wish i made the cake. i think we'll show pictures of cakes i have made. and they're pretty amateurish. >> you master the genre. you make the news because you are involved in it. 12, successful books. you change. why? >> after 12 books, i think it's good to shake it up a little. while i was working on the 12th book, i was watching morning television. and martha stewart was on, promoting her book on wedding cakes. and looking at each one of these minimasterpieces, many keyed into a location for the wedding. i started to think, what if we did wedding cake mysteries. and each book in the series will have a different bride and groom. different family and friends. and different people that populate the location of the wedding, who become characters and suspects in the crime. >> i've never heard of anyone watching martha stewart do a segment and come with an idea for a murder story. i don't think that's ever how it's supposed to work. it did for you. and interestingly, and obviously, we're not going to give away what happens. >> right. >> but it is a very, very signature mary jane clark multidimensional narrative. you don't see things coming at you. but just as interesting is this confectionery aspect of it. you got into the cake game. >> yeah. >> a little bit of family history, right? your mother. >> my former mother-in-law, is mary higgins clark. >> yeah. cake, you understood a little bit. but tell me how this has developed for you. >> well, actually, i didn't know anything about cake decorating. and i took a cake at the cake decorating school. i think they will show pictures of the cakes i made. my families and friends enjoy them. but nobody has to worry that i'm going to go into business, for certain. but i do know how to write about it now. >> what does macular degeneration mean? >> macular degeneration is an eye condition where you can lose your sight. and one of the characters in the book has macular degeneration. my uncle has it. so, i was interested in it. and i went to the jersey library for the blind and met some people there, who have it. and was so impressed by the wonderful lives they had created for themselves, in spite of, you know, being visually challenged. and i decided i wanted to do a character based on that. and piper donovan, my main character, who is on facebook and you can friend her on facebook. her mother has macular degeneration. >> the news person in you never dies. you still have that interest in letting people know about things in the world beyond themselves. >> i think so. yeah. i definitely think so. it's good to be interested. you know, having worked in television news, it helps in the suspense writing because it's very adrenaline-based. you want to get to the bottom of things. >> it works for you. few do it as well. good luck with this. and good luck with the cakes. as you say, you need it. >> i do. >> but this is sure to be a success. thank you very much for bringing us to us. >> thank you for having me. >> happy new year. i'm going to go friend this piper. >> okay. >> piping around the cake on facebook. >> great. thank you very much. >> now, i know i've enticed you about the book. you want to read an excerpt and you can. mary jane clark's mystery, "to have and to kill," at abcnews.com/gma. and you get a taste there. when we come back, how to throw a new year's eve bash on a budget. oh, yes. time for our countdown to new year's eve. you have a couple days to put together a terrific theme party to ring in 2011. but how will you keep to your budget? our events designer, bryan rafanelli, the man behind president obama's inaugural ball and chelsea clinton's wedding is here. please become bryan to our program. >> thank you. >> all on a budget. you said you should have a theme. you can tell i'm in the party mood. thinking about a party makes me happy. >> at the end of the day, it's a great place to start. what's new year's all about? the countdown, the big moment. i hunt and gathered around the house. and found every clock i can get my hands out. we brought these out. use them as decor. took this right off the wall. turned it into a tray. or it can simply be design. and think about setting the alarms. the egg timer. the cell phone. have them go off at midnight. >> and you said this is all from one roll. >> yes. they like that. a $4 roll of ribbon. >> 4 bucks. that's it. >> put it all over the table. your guests will be wearing it on the way out. >> what's with the sugar here? >> i'm a planner. we do 100 parties a year. it's three days before new year's eve. you go to your house and a superstore. everything you see here you can do that. bring out the glass vases we love to save. these are sugar inside these. i love to reinvent them. it's sugar. >> we never use all of the sugar in the house, right? >> there you go. here's our countdown coming into this. all the numbers. when you walk down the aisle of the hardware store, you'd be surprised how many numbers are there. and spray painted them. >> love this idea of crystallizing them. >> create a little surprise. personalize things. check this out. we went online, went to facebook. grabbed people's faces. your beautiful face is right there. >> why, thank you. >> and you know what? >> i love you. i love you back. >> these circles, it's a hole punch that side. everybody hates the tiny, confetti. make it big. >> what's up with the hats? >> i love the hats. my uncle used to throw a party. he had a big hat collection. and he would send us to the basement to get the hats before midnight. in this case, ask your friends to bring a favorite hat. everybody loves a hat on new year's eve. >> it says a little about them. >> it does. >> sorry about that. i can't ever go to a party. that's me at a party. i love this right here. >> this is a big tip. think about this. you're in a crowded cocktail party. what do you see? all designs should be shoulders and above. the other thing i like to think about is what are you going to use at the party? you're going to have champagne glasses. why not turn them into a theme. here's our countdown again. and i only broke a few trying this out. anyway, this is an old chestnut in our design book. this is bubble wrap. it's good for new year's eve. roll it out. >> doesn't it sound like new year's? >> clear tape seaming it. might be easier on a square table. but it's a really good idea. >> clever. all of the gifts we've received, may be wrapped in bubble wrap. you have it right here. what do you have here? >> check this out. okay, so. i heard about this through a client of mine. they were at a crazy crowded party here in new york. 1,000 people in the party. take over the air rights to the party and create a little bit of a surprise. when we pull this down, look what we have here. little sweets, right? >> are these edible? >> of course. they're real. they're actually my favorite. >> ooh. >> and they're light. >> what is this? >> meranges. they're good for your heart. >> carry the theme. >> think about going to one place and what you can find in that one place. >> bryan, thank you so much. >> happy new year. >> happy new year to you, too. you can get full details on the budget-friendly party planning tips on our website, abcnews.com/gma. we'll be right back. cheers. salsa? ♪ [ female announcer ] the cleaner the counter, the smoother the counter. with bounty you can be confident you'll get your counter clean. in this lab test, one sheet of bounty leaves this surface 3x cleaner than the bargain brand. ♪ big mess? bring it. super absorbent, super durable, super clean. bounty. the clean picker upper. and for huge value, try bounty huge roll. here's what you should be watching: your cable bill, because you could be paying way too much. stop spending more for second best. upgrade to verizon fios and get tv, internet and phone, for just $99.99 a month for a year -- call now for this special holiday bonus. over 25 hbo and cinemax channels free for 3 months, plus hbo go and max go. watch you favorite movies and shows anytime, anywhere. there's no term contract required. if you don't love fios, you can cancel anytime with no early termination fee. get the best channel lineup, superior picture quality, more hd, plus internet rated #1 in satisfaction, speed, and reliability. why keep paying for cable? get fios for just $99.99 a month. plus hbo and cinemax free for 3 months. call 1.877.717.fios. call the verizon center for customers with disabilities that's 1.877.717.3467. at 800-974-6006 tty/v. it's time to get more this holiday season. it's time for fios. it's been great having chris here and chikage. you're going back to minneapolis tomorrow. >> i am. >> explain your name again? >> chikage is japanese. it means thousands of views or vistas. >> there's an actress by that name, right? >> chikage. >> whatever you say. we're back together tomorrow. and ryan seacrest tomorrow, too. is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is is kim. well, we have had a fairly uneventful morning rush so far so good as we check the area roadways. no major problems around the beltway. 695 is look good on both inner and outer loop. we have an accident northbound 95 approaching caton avenue. blocking the left lane and shoulder. not causing a huge impact on traffic right now because we have lighter than normal volume because of the holiday week. we have water main issues around the area including dundalk broening highway at avon beach road. that's partially blocking the right lane on the southbound side of broening highway also perry hall slater avenue at schroeder and timonium york road all three expect to see icy conditions because of broken water mains and east baltimore, police have intersection at richar and hamilton closed because of the activity. you can use hoffa as a alternative. good morning, maryland is up next coming back at nine.

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