Good wednesday morning. Im Marci Gonzalez in for diana perez. And im john muller. We begin with another massive winter storm barreling across the country. Take a look at the radar. Dozens of states are feeling those effects. But this storm is a bit different than previous systems this winter. Ice is the biggest concern. We get more now from abcs tahman bradley. Reporter it just wont end. Another winter storm, the second one this week, is blasting more than two dozen states. Its dumping a mix of heavy snow and freezing rain on more than 160 million americans. Im ready for it to end a little bit, so it seems like its been a lot. Reporter across the midwest an army of plows are out in full force. Snow removal crews are working around the clock. We just take the snow from the left side and we push it all the way over to the right. Reporter kansas city braced for up to 12 inches of snow, the biggest storm in 20 years. A number of cities have declared a snow emergency and canceled school. The storm was so bad in the midwest, that a southwest jet got stuck in the snow after landing in kansas city. At least one engine was half buried in the snowbank. Passengers had to be bused to the terminal. Icy, slick roads are making driving dangerous and deadly. Weve had situations where people thought that because they were in a fourwheel drive vehicle, that they were invincible. Reporter in texas one person was killed when a truck went careening into a sheriffs deputy and bystanders. This brutal winter is also having a huge economic impact. In the midwest there is a salt shortage. Its very difficult getting salt right now, whether its bagged salt or bulk salt. Reporter if you can get salt, youre paying a lot more. Just yesterday the price doubled actually, so if it cost 300 to fill a truck up, now its 600. Reporter in the northeast local communities are running out of snow removal money. Were already 66,000 over budget because of the storms this year. We do have surplus available within our budget. Reporter and, marci and john, new yorkers are waking up to this. More snow and ice, up to 8 inches expected, and if that wasnt enough, another monster winter storm is headed here this weekend. John and marci . Tahman bradley live in new york city. Hang in there, buddy. Thank you. Oh, goodness. More than 2,000 flights have already been delayed or canceled today. Accu meteorologist jim dickey tells us who is facing the worst of the storm today. Good morning, john and marci. After dumping nearly a foot of snow in many locations across the nations midsection, a storm system now moving into the northeast here today bringing widespread heavy snowfall, a mixed bag of precipitation here too, ice and sleet. These areas marked in pink, boston, new york city, back into philadelphia. Some soaking rain by the coast and as far as accumulations are concerned, we are looking for an area of more than a foot of snow just to the north of boston into northeastern p. A. With a wide area of 6 to 12 inches expected. John and marci, back to you. All right, jim, thank you. New this morning, police have arrested four people as they hunt for the dealer who supplied drugs to Philip Seymour hoffman. Those four are likely to be charged with selling heroin. The bust took place not far from the apartment where hoffman was found dead of an overdose, apparently anyway. Police say last night the last night of the actors life, he withdrew 1200 from local atms. None of the cash was found in his apartment. Well, a private Funeral Service will be held on friday for hoffman here in new york city. A public memorial is planned at a later date. Breaking news overnight from iraq, a wave of bombings has rocked central baghdad striking mainly near the heavily fortified green zone where key government offices are located. At least 16 people have been killed. The deadliest blast took place outside of the Foreign Ministry building where two parked car bombs went off at the same time. The white house is pushing back over a government report which finds obamacare will eliminate millions of full time jobs. Republicans say the report is more proof that the health plan is not working, but its not that cut and dried. The report actually says about 2 million fewer people will choose to work full time. Their choice, though, not because of a lack of jobs. The white house says that reflects that people will have more freedom to make choices. A second major cheating scandal has hit the nations military. The Navy Investigating 30 senior sailors that are now linked to alleged cheating on exams that qualified them to train others on nuclearpowered reactors. Unlike the air force cheating scandal, the sailors have no responsibility for nuclear weapons. Virginia state police now say they suspect foul play in the disappearance of a reserve police captain. Kevin quick was supposed to host a Surprise Birthday Party for his brother on saturday, but he never showed up. Surveillance cameras spotted quicks car in two locations where family and friends say he wouldnt have gone. Local Business Owners are offering a 10,000 reward leading to quicks whereabouts. A top target official back on capitol hill today defending the companys handling of a major security breach. John mulligan appeared before a Senate Committee yesterday alongside executives from other top retailers. Mulligan says target is planning to spend 100 million to upgrade its system and win back the trust of shoppers. We know this breach has shaken their confidence in target, and we are determined to work very hard to earn it back. To prevent this from happening again, none of us can go it alone. We need to work together. Senator. Senators are pushing for retailers to use a much more advanced and Expensive Technology to prevent fraud. A Roman Catholic cardinal is ignoring the explicit wishes of the late Pope John Paul ii by publishing a book of his notes. The book comes out today in the popes home country of poland and catholics there are being urged not to buy it. John paul ii had left instructions in his will that his notes be burned. But the cardinal said he didnt have the courage to follow the popes wishes. All right, well, they say that weather will be sunny if a bit cold today for seattles big super bowl celebration. Spots along the seahawks victory parade route were already being claimed yesterday. Theyre expecting up to 500,000 hawks fans to cheer on their heroes. Public schools are open, but plenty of excused absences are expected so kids can attend. You know, thats a onceinalifetime event. Id say so. Oh, yeah. Well, the weather is doing damage to the countrys food supply, and it could start hitting you in the wallet. And welcome to sochi. People are sharing their pictures of the olympic host city, and theyre not all that flattering. Plus, circus shot. A pacers player takes a scary spill but makes it count. Will one day be affected by some kind of vision problem. Save your vision for the years ahead. Call. Or log on to seeabettertomorrow. Org to learn about glaucoma and macular degeneration. I am beautiful in every single way words, cant bring me down welcome back. Severe Winter Weather is about to impact all of us at the grocery store, first beef. Californias drought has forced ranchers to liquidate herds shrinking the cattle population to a 61year low. Prices are already being driven higher. And the drought coupled with the deep freeze that gripped california in december wiped out nearly a quarter of the states citrus industry. Thats a loss of more than 400 million. Growers have also had to scale back on hiring, and food prices are expected to go up in the coming months. After a twoyear battle, lawmakers on capitol hill have finally passed a farm bill. That bill costing 100 billion a year provides a financial cushion for farmers who face unpredictable weather and market conditions. It also cuts about 1 from the food stamp program. Thats much less than republicans had wanted. President obama signs the bill friday in michigan. And just days after airing a popular super bowl commercial, reality has come crashing down on radio shack. The ad poked fun at the electronics chains been there done that reputation, but yesterday was no fun as the Company Announced it will close around 500 stores due to restructuring. No word yet on which stores or when. Microsofts new ceo, satya nadella, has laid out his vision for the future of the tech giant. Nadella told staffers he envisions a softwarepowered world that puts mobile and Cloud Solutions first. Analysts say nadella must push microsoft to reclaim the imagination and innovation that has fueled its rivals. Apple has yet to even announce a socalled iwatch or even in these drawings are just speculation by the tech site cnet, but all of that has not stopped Morgan Stanley from predicting the new product will generate massive profits. The bank tells investors the watch will earn a whopping 17. 5 billion just in first year sales. I dont know. Im not convinced about a watch yet. Well see. Well see. Cut to the next scene and ill be like this spinning it around. Youll be glued to it. The wrong person to mess with. Two burglars come face to face with an 84yearold guy who is ready to fight. Plus, looking for some company. A tall dinner guest prances into a restaurant and gives a pretty big surprise to the diners there. [ woman ] i will embrace change. Everything life throws my way. Except for frown lines. Those im throwing back. [ female announcer ] olay total effects. Nourishing vitamins, and seven beautiful benefits in one. For youngerlooking skin. So while your life may be everchanging. Your Beautiful Skin will stay beautiful. Total effects from olay. Your best beautiful. Here goes. Yep. [ crunching ] oh cheddar, sour cream onion, and salt vinegar. Wow wow how did you do that . i can see through the blindfold. [ male announcer ] pringles who feel like theres a brick on their face. Who are so congested, it feels like the walls are closing in. Who are so stuffed up, they feel like theyre under water. Try zyrtecd® to powerfully clear your blocked nose and relieve your other allergy symptoms. So you can breathe easier all day. Zyrtecd®. Find it at the pharmacy counter. Well. Your boss loves the beach. Really . Shes been to london, paris and her son plays baseball. You psychic . No. I speak pandora. He went to jared. [ female announcer ] celebrate lifes unforgettable moments with a fabulous selection of pandora charms and bracelets including this charm and bracelet, exclusively at jared, the galleria of jewelry. Telling her lifes story with just a turn of the wrist. Youre good. I know. [ female announcer ] thats why he went to jared. Youre looking at the snowy streets of new york smack in the middle of another storm system slamming the northeast today. This one is expected to cripple the entire area with a wintry mix of snow, freezing rain and ice. And those conditions will make this mornings commute a real mess. Expect slow going across a huge area stretching from michigan and indiana all the way into maine, and roads are very wet around the rockies. And if youre flying, plan on plenty of delays in washington, d. C. , philadelphia, new york city, boston, atlanta and charlotte. Well, the most expensive olympics ever held are set to open on friday in sochi, russia. Thousands of athletes and journalists are pouring in. Among them is abcs matt gutman whos found the place isnt quite 100 ready. Reporter a confident Vladimir Putin touring sochi even petting a snow leopard which later growled. But did his tour include this . Seven years after winning the games, sochi is scrambling, stores, hotels, even the key road still needs to be finished. Crews saying theyve been ordered to work around the clock. When they started this road, all of this was just dirt. Now they have almost a mile of road finished. My friend over here says that in two hours, this whole thing will be done, and its not just roads and hotels. Snowboarders are demanding work be done on their new slopestyle course to make it safer. American olympic icon shaun white jammed his wrist on a jump calling the course intimidating. Another boarder broke his collarbone, and a female snowboarder suffered a concussion. Officials say the course is fixable, but its clear the sprint is on to get these games to the starting line. Matt gutman, abc news, sochi. All right, some other problems being reported from sochi, notice the sign here coming up asking users not to flush toilet paper, instead theyre supposed to throw it in the trash can. And that is not some athletes postworkout drink. It is the tap water in one Journalists Hotel room. She was told not to use it on her face because, quote, it contains something very dangerous. Thats a vague word, something very dangerous. Gross. No thank you. All right. New this morning a woman who escaped from a michigan prison nearly 37 years ago has been found living in san diego. Now 60 years old, Judy Lynn Hayman is in jail awaiting extradition back to michigan. When police initially questioned her, she showed documents identifying herself as jamie lewis. She later admitted to escaping from prison back in 1977 while serving time for attempted larceny. Police say her grown son was there when she was arrested, and he seemed, quote, quite surprised to learn that his mother was a fugitive. An 84yearold new mexico man managed to fend off two violent Home Invaders with a single punch leveled in just the right place. Tom, who doesnt want to give his last name, says he woke up staring into the barrel of a gun after the intruders kicked in his back door and piled up his valuables. Tom said they forced him to his knees and tried choking him. He tried to tie it around my neck, the cord, the black cord. I just took my fists and because hes right at high height. If im kneel be on the floor and hes standing, im the right height for the groin. Oh, tom credits his Marine Training for that single blow to the groin which sent the robbers running out the door. Unfortunately, they did get away with his tv, his laptop and his car. Police have arrested one suspect and they expect to pick up the other very soon. Single shot to the groin. Yeah, just the right place and that suspect is speaking a little higher this morning. Yes. A gang of bears has been dropping in on a neighborhood in naples, florida, and taking a liking to one home in particular. Brent smith and his family captured this video of a bear just hanging out and just casually strolling around the furniture. He said one bear even came face to face with his son. The son is all right, though. Wildlife Officials Say the family should probably look into getting an electric fence. Immediately. All right, big day for College Football fans. Plenty of talented High School Recruits will go on with signing today with all major programs. And as for college basketball, we get some highlights now from our very enthusiastic friends at espn. Good morning, america. Thats better than your caffeine right there. Hes stan. Im neil. This is the sportscenter set in los angeles. Were talking college basketball. Missouri taking on florida. The gators have won 27 straight on their home floor. They got a talented freshman, chris walker. Had some ncaa problems first semester, but hes eligible now and able to throw that one down. Casey hill with the alleyoop for walker. We go second half, gators up 3. Michael frazier ii. Hes got three. He had 14 points. Gators up 6. And they really clamp down on missouri defensively. Got a friendly roll for patrick young, and florida, another 20win season, theyre perfect in the s. E. C. At 90. Well, Lance Stephenson is not happy he didnt make the allstar game. Hes not going to be happy about the way he landed on this particular shot, although he is going to be happy about the what happened with this shot. The circus came to town and then Lance Stephenson left the game. It says here hed be okay. I dont know if thats someone speaking on behalf of his lower back or not. Paul george, you know this company would or this country would be better if we just harnessed paul georges wind power. The pacers won by 4 to beat the hawks. Yep. Im thinking about getting a neck tattoo. Dont do it. Dont do it. If you do, make sure its below the collar line because i enjoy working with you. See ya. Back to you. All right, visitors to african animal sanctuaries are used to seeing wild animals roaming free except maybe in a cafe. This is a little different. Its our play of the day. Diners employees watching as this exceptionally nonchalant female giraffe named perdy just wandered off her normal route and sauntered through the animal park cafeteria near johannesburg. Perdy clearly didnt find anything too appealing on the menu and she just casually walks her way back out. That is pretty incredible. Isnt that awesome . Man, oh, man, and its neck is really low in there peeking out for some food. Yes, what are my options here . Ill go for the ice cream. Sorry. Up next, the pulse where there is a big brouhaha about the super bowl halftime show. What some eagleeye fans noticed about the performance. And a model gets so hungry, she decides to eat her purse sort of. Well explain. Abreva can heal a cold sore in as few as 2 1 2 days when used at the first sign. Without it, the virus spreads from cell to cell. Unlike other treatments, abreva penetrates deep to block the virus, to protect healthy cells so cold sores heal fast. As fast as 2 1 2 days when used at the first sign. Learn more at abreva. Com. Dont tough it out. Knock it out fast. [ female announcer ] only with abreva. One, for making my perfect cup of coffee. One for being the perfect neighbor. And one for no reason at all. You make me feel like ive been locked out of heaven all right, time for the pulse and we start with the Red Hot Chili Peppers coming clean about their part in the super bowl halftime show. All right. In a letter to fans the bands bassist flea admits his playing was preordered. Only the vocals live. The band didnt plug into amps because they thought it better to pretend not to playing live. Still he writes im grateful to the nfl for having us. I would do it all the same way again. They werent plugged in. But so what. It was still a great performance. Righ