Transcripts For WNBC Saturday Today In New York 20160430

Police say the 19yearold was walking down 10th street when three teens started following him. Police say one of them began punching him. Another with a pipe in his hand started yelling isis. There was a third teen with a baseball bat in his hands. They ran off when they noticed a witness watching aefrlg unfold. We spoke to that witness. He ran to me and said these kids are trying to hurt me. I was like, who . I thought they were your friends. Not sure what the relationship was. And then they ran that way when they saw him talking to me. And then young mans cousin came out and she chased them. Reporter and he tells us that victim had a pretty big bruise right here on the top of his head. He was not taken to the hospital and is expected to be okay. Those flee suspects are believed to be between the ages of 17 and 19 years old. If you know anything about them, give the nypd a call. Were live in astoria this illeda, today in new york. And we have a surveillance image of a suspected gunman. Hes dressed in construction clothing. Police believe he wore that outfit to blend in with workers nearby. He shot jones as he stepped out of his front door. Dispute inside a homeless shelter ended with the slashing of a man on wards island. The victim cut in the face, taken to the hospital. He is expected to survive. Were told the accused attacker was taken into custody. But this slashing comes just two weeks after a man was murdered in a kips bay homeless shelter. 53yearold William Smith was arrested in that slashing. He was also accused of a livery cab slashing. A woman crashed into a home you can see where she slammed into this house. Now investigators are looking for that woman who was behind the wheel and ran ai wa. If you use the tappan zee bridge, you may need to choose some alternate routes this weekend. Three lanes are going to be closed on the northbound side until 2 00 this afternoon. And from 9 00 tonight until 2 00 tomorrow, sunday. That means only one northbound lane is going to be open during those hours. The southbound side will be open as usual. We have new information about a chemical sheen floating on the hudson river. The coast guard now says that oil is dispersing. The sheen spotted yesterday near englewood cliffs, the coast guard leading that investigation. Another day, another corruption scandal. Apparently this one aimed at the state capital in albany. This time it appears to go inside the Governors Office and could involve one of his closest advisers. Reporter Governor Cuomos office confirm it got served. Subpoenaed for records all part of the criminal investigation that is focusing on part on allegations of improper lobbying and undisclosed conflicts of interest by those who defrauded the state. Socalled buffalo billion plan upstate. Were ready to invest 1 billion in an Economic Development package for the city of buffalo. Reporter Governor Cuomo himself not a target but one of the men facing scrutiny, joseph percoco. He ran Governor Cuomos Reelection Campaign and was once cuomos top advisers. Investigators looking into his ties to developers and lobbyists. His lawyer issued a statement. Mr. Percoco was a dedicated Public Servant who is proud of people of new york. Announced a former federal prosecutor has been hired to review all billion plan contracts. Hinted a few weeks ago charges could soon be coming. Both in city and state government. Executive offices in government are far from immune from a creeping show me the money culture that has been pervading new york for a long time now. Reporter no charges have been filed. And last night no comment on if or when charges might come in this case. Jonathan dienst, today in new york. Mayor de blasio says the recent allegations into Corruption Campaign in his campaign will not keep him from running for reelection next year. The mayors insisting that he and his team followed the law. They are accused of violating election laws by sidestepping krix limits several of the mayors aides have been subpoenaed. He questioned the timing of they have investigation. How convenient that when were doing a lot of work to help everyday people there are all sorts of efforts to obscure that work. What exactly are you alleging on the part of whom . Nothing specific. Im saying it should be looked into. I think all of the media energy thats being put into this, everyone has a right to look at anything they want to the. But they should be look at that question too. The mayor says he has been singled out. So far no charges filed in this case. California cooling off this morning following two days of angry protests directed at donald trump and his supporters. You can see it there. Protesters mobbing the Bay Area Hotel where trump addressed the convention friday. Several say they were roughed up by the protesters. However, the today i dont say outside the hotel forced trump and his security detail to hop the entrance. That was not the easiest entrance i ever made. Felt like i was crossing the border, actually. Its true. I was crossing the border but i got here. Trump is now off to indiana where rival ted cruz just picked up a major endorsement from governor mike pence. And democrat Bernie Sanders also campaigning in indiana. That was on friday where polls show him trailing Hillary Clinton ahead of tuesdays primary. A tornado in southern oklahoma left a trail of destruction. This morning were getting a look at that damage. Dangerous weather just pummelled parts of the state with heavy rain, high winds, and softball sized hail. In oklahoma, a pile of debris, all thats left of one home after a multivortex tornado ripped through that town. The twister also destroyed barns and knocked down power lines. Fortunately, though, no reports of any injuries. And that alarming sound in dallas, texas. Severe weather setting off tornado sirens. And the weather system dumped a lot of rain in that area too. Look at that, windshields cracked by hail. A teenage girl has died in a horrific carnival ride accident in texas. A girl and her friend were ejected from a spinning ride called the sizzler last night. They say the girl struck a metal barricade when she was tossed from that ride. Her friend has nonlifethreatening injuries. A third girl who managed to cling to a safety bar wasnt hurt. Authorities are investigating. At least seven people are now dead after a Building Collapse in kenyas capital. Rescuers are trying to reach survivors in the city of nairobi. At least three adults and a child have been rescued. It is still not clear how many people are still trapped in that rubble. New york on this saturday morning, she wows audiences as the woman behind the fiddler on the roof. That is where she plays between shows thats inspiring. And raphy joins us with trivia. The Cherry Blossoms are in bloom outside. This weeks trivia are inspired by those blooms in spring. Cherry blossom trivia is coming oh, my gosh. I was just over there by that water. That is crazy. Thank you, lord, that i got off of there. Indeed. Youd be thanking the lord, too, if the road was floating away in front of your car like that. Wow. This is a Severe Weather system in texas that blew through. We showed you minutes ago images from that area where a tornado may have touched down. The mayor declared a disaster. Thankfully that man there got away. Uhhuh. Thats a lot of water, raphael. From that perspective for the road washing away. That was interesting. Yeah. We usually see the aftermath, but wow. That system is coming our way. Much weaker. We are expecting rain from that system thats going to be tracking across the country over the next day or so. It arrives tomorrow morning. But not today. Today is the dry half of the weekend. And were hoping for some sunshine. Were waiting to get a few peaks of that sun later on this morning into the afternoon. Theres the queensborough bridge. It is still dry. Were not dealing with any rain. Its a quiet and cool morning. 49 degrees in central park. We have those mostly cloudy skies. A cool start to the weekend. But a dry start. If you have to head outside, its a light jacket kind of day. Temperatures stuck in the 50s. Winds are pretty light. It all gets nasty tomorrow though. The rain picks up, temperatures drop and the winds pick up as well. Thats a raw combination for your sunday. Looking at cameras around the region. Want to show you orange county. And notice there are some blue skies in the Hudson Valley. Thats going to be the trend as we head throughout the day. Still trying to get those clearing skies going 41 degrees for our friends in the Hudson Valley. Its warmer around the city. Were back to 51 now in dyker heights. 49 degrees in staten island. As you look at Storm Tracker, notice the clearing trend in the Hudson Valley. Thats where were starting to see breaks in the cloud cover. As we take a wider view, this is our storm thats going to be approaching under all that Severe Weather and flooding across texas ppz still stormy in the south and the storm advances east as we head throughout the next 24 hours. We can see them on future tracker. Quiet today though. Not a bad day. Tomorrow morning, its bad. Rain is moving in. But 5 00 a. M. Already if youre out early tomorrow you will need the umbrella. It goes on and on right through lunchtime. Brunch inside tomorrow and then by 6 00 p. M. , a few showers continue to linger. We may even see rain lasting into monday morning. Sevenday forecast shows the temperature trend is a cool one. Today 59. But look at tomorrow, 49. Thats your high. We should be well into the 60s this time of year. That does not feel like the first day of may at all. 65 on monday. Tuesday back to the mid60s and feeling better as we dry out towards the middle of the week. Want to stay uptodate with the unsettled pattern. Tap the news 4 logo in the corner and select the weather tab. There you can find the latest forecast, our interactive radar which you will need tomorrow, and learn how to submit your own weather video. The news 4 new york app for store now. Thank you. Happening today, bicyclists of all faiths can get a blessing before taking their bikes out for the 5 boro tour tomorrow. The annual blessing of the bikes will be held this morning at the cathedral of st. John the divine. The reverend will actually sprinkle holy water on every bike before a moment of silence remembering the cyclists who were lost in the last year. The event precedes last nights 5 boro tour. And the blessing gets under way in an hour. Time now 8 44. And the fiddler on the roof enjoying a robust revival on broadway. But the woman behind the music plays to another audience outside the theater. Natalie pasquarella has her story. A fiddler on the roof im a violin soloist all the fiddler for fiddler on the roof. Reporter Kelly Hall Tompkins plays eight performances a week on broadway providing the real music for the fiddler on stage. What you might not know is what she is doing here in new york city between shows. In her free time kelly plays at homeless shelters. I really love sharing great music and i love sharing it with underserved audiences that have no other access to this type of performance. Reporter on this day we caught up with her at turning point shelter for young women. Its real soothing. When you have a hectic day, its good to listen to it. Itll put you in a nice space. Reporter kelly performs with a Chamber Orchestra she created called music kitchen. Food for the soul. They are curious. They are happy. And thats what it is about. We want them to be special. The executive director of turning point brooklyn is dedicated to providing more than basic services. Tata rogers is on a mission to give women the tools to join society as a whole and that includes music. Services are not the only thing they need. Art is part of what they need also to thrive. Reporter these young women may be more familiar with jay z than jay broms but that does not mean they appreciate this any less. Music is very, very powerful and can get to places that other things cannot. Just be cool. Everything will get better sooner before you know it. Oh, yeah. Natalie pasquarella with that story. Playing. Ey usually have a bunch of different jobs. Its a long day. Performance. They do other gigs. The fact shes doing that is remarkable. By the way, our theater coverage always online on our in the wings section of our website. Take you on stage, backstage, broadway. Still ahead on this saturday morning, as concern grows over the zika virus, well look at what local officials are already doing to protect residents. And its time to ask produce pete. Hey, good morning. Now, we heard raphy say its cold out. You know what . Im doing mangos. They remind me of the caribbean and that summer is coming and its going to be good. Coming up next, all you want to know about this really unique mango. And here comes our wnbc sunshine right here. Hi, how are you today . Do you like mangos . I do. Good. She likes mangos. Dont you just love it since 1961, Pearle Vision has been providing expert eye care. Today, we make caring for your eyes even easier. Right now, buy one pair of glasses, and get another pair free. This is genuine eye care in your neighborhood. Fighting cancer a misdiagnosis or other errors can have serious consequences. For almost 40 years Jacoby Meyers has successfully represented thousands of clients. Winning them the money they need to take care of themselves and their families. You fight the cancer. Well fight for you. Are you up and dancing . Its time to i wish i was. Youre getting there, pete. Its a process. It takes time. Its a process, youre right. So it is time to ask produce pete. Today what are we asking him about . Mangos. Haitian mangos to be exact. Whats the difference between these and a typical one . Mangos have been around for like 4,000 years. These are stale then. Theres over a thousand and theyre grown all over the world. The haitian variety or the haitian mango which is called the francis mango only grows in haiti. Thats where it is. Okay. This to me is one of the best mangos. I like them. We see mangos in the store. The most popular of all the mangos are called the tommy atkins mango. Its red. The haitian mango isnt that popular basically for one reason. Its not that pretty. Its ugly. The mango has got a green tint to it. Its kidney shaped and shows a lot of scarring on it. But listen, folks. This is probably one of the take that. I put that piece there for you. Just for me . Yeah. Im telling you. This is probably one of the finest mangos youve ever eaten. Its really sweet. Uhhuh. One thing is when you start to cut it up, put a bathing suit on and stand in front of the sink. What happens is its very juicy, so people ask me how do you cut a mango. Theres a lot of different ways. Years ago, mom would take her old potato peeler and use that and she would scrap this off to get the skin off. Thats smart. People in haiti, the haitian people would stick a stick in here or we would stick a fork in her and kus this down like this and peel it back and eat it off of the thing. You have to remember, though, with the mango, theres a flat pit on the inside. What happens is when you cut the mango if you hit that pit if you hit the pit, youre in trouble. The pit is right here. Its a flat pit here. You get the fruit right here. When buying the mango, what you want to do is youre probably going to see them in the store with a green tint to them. Counter. 55 degrees and above you have to keep these mangos. You dont want to really refrigerate them to a point where they get too cold. They just dont like the cold. Ditto. You want to leave them on the counter. You also want to remember that these mangos, once they ripen, you want to eat them right away. You can take a mango thats lets say that the mango got to the point where its nice and yellow and you say ill eat it in a couple days. Like this one, its ready. Eat this now. Thats too late. You see that mango there . Cut that mango right now and you want to eat it. Once you cut the mango in half or you cut the slices off the mango, you can always take the mango like this and do the tictactoe method and eat the inside. But theyre out there. Theyre available. Theyre not as stringy as regular mangos. Theyre far more sweeter than most mangos. Theyre sweet. And theyre really like i said, theyre really good. Before i leave, i have to sorry, i have to put my glasses on because i cant read in im. Its okay. Im going to be tonight 6 00 hack etstown. For the fifth annual food and tasting festival. If youre in the area you want to stop by, theres a meet and greet. Ill say hi. People with wine sampling wine. Theres food there. And theres a lot of things. The donaldson farm and the Donaldson Family are great people. As are you, pete. Theyre out there. Hopefully im going to try to get up there in a few weeks. The asparagus is coming up. I want to show how that grows. Theyre available. If you dont see them, youre the boss. All you got to do is ask. And its a haitian mango. Eat them while theyre yellow. Thank you, pete. Thanks. All righty. And you can send your questions to pete producepete. Com. And you can find his on facebook farm. Theres a lot more ahead on today in new york. Including live coverage of our top story. For three teens police say may be responsible for a bias related attack. Im ray villeda live in astoria with the surveillance of the suspects. Life is what you make it. Blinds to go makes it easy. Blinds to go. Blinds for life. Blinds to gos new cascade shades. Gentle diffused light when you want it. Darkened privacy when you dont. Right now take 30 off our entire selection of beautiful cascade shades. Let the sun shine in. Or dont. Its all good. Blinds to go. Blinds for life. Sky cam live in queens as we take a look at a place we call alphabet junction. On a saturday morning as you watch nbc. 49 degrees. Interesting forecast taking shape. Its going to be one of those 50 50 deals. And todays the better half so says raphael. Welcome back to saturday today in new york. Im pat battle. And im gus rosendale. Lets get to raphael to take us through the changes headed our way. Thats right. Unless you love the rain. Then tomorrows your day. Youll have plenty of that to go around. You can see on Storm Tracker some sunshine now in the Hudson Valley and Fairfield County as well. Lots of clouds around the coast. New york city down the jersey shore. Still mostly cloudy. The sunshine will return as the day goes on. As far as temperatures go, still below average. 59 for your high in central park. Up to 60 in arrive rye brook. 64 your high in madison. Cool, 58 degrees in babylon. Winds are light. Overnight tonight the rain returns after midnight. Probably like 4 00, 5 00 a. M. Well after midnight. Showers begin to return. Temperatures in the 40s overnight tonight. Its a chilly and late night ahead. And we stay chilly and rainy. From ft over to you. Thank you. Happening now, police trying to track down a group of teens who beat a man in a bias attack. Ray villeda joins us in ray . Say that teenager was walking down 10th street near the corner of 33rd when he was approached by a group of teens. They yelled racial slurs and started to beat him. Lets look at the video of the suspects. It happened just before 1 30 wednesday afternoon. That man was walking down the him. One of them began punching him. Another with a pipe in his hand started yelling isis. There was a third teen who had a baseball bat in his hand. The three of them ran off after everything unfold. I just spoke to that witness who told us what he saw. They were coming out from the park. And when i saw the lump on his head, i just thought it was a little rough. You know . So i got concerned. I was like who are you. He said i live across the street. I says, go across the street to your family, well call the cops. Reporter the victim was not take ton the hospital and is expected to be okay. The suspects are believed to be between the ages of 17 and 19 years old. You saw them in that video. If you know anything about them, give the nypd a call. Im ray villeda, today in new york. Thank you. New this morning, police in new jersey are investigating a crash in clifton. It brought down power lines. At this point we dont know the extent of the damages. We will bring more as we learn also a traffic stop sparking a wave of angry posts on the departments facebook page. This was taken last month. Omar was driving behind a police car when the officer slammed on his brakes. Its brake checking. He said he stopped because omar was tailing him. You brake checked me. I braked because i thought you were going to run into me. So i was going to run into you . The officer issued omar three tickets for not having a front license plate, tailgating, and for having tinted windows. The officers actions are now under heavy criticism and the Department Says internal Affairs Investigation is under way. As for omar he turned down a plea bargain. A police chase in harlem ended with two nypd officers and a suspect in the hospital. The officers were hurt when their cruiser slammed into a gray acura as they were trying the two people inside the acura were suspected of robbing a man at gun point in inwood. Witnesses say the two cars were racing through the neighborhood. Really fast. Really fast. Thats what happened. I had to look around. You see how bad the other car looked and the police car there was terrible. Well, both the officers and the suspect expected to be okay. Charges against the suspect are pending. A videotaped confession is revealing details about the fire that killed an nypd officer. Marcel dockery told investigators why he set fire to the mattress in a hallway in his apartment building. He said he was bored. The flames got out of control and the officer died there. His partner was seriously injured. I was just bored. So when i set it on fire a little bit, i thought i could have sworn i blew it out. Dockery was 16 at the time f that fire. His lawyer says the confession is false and was coerced. And we have an update now on a bizarre fight involving a Shopping Mall easter bunny. This week a judge downgraded aggravated Assault Charges against kasim charles, thats the man in the bunny suit. Fuzzy tail and all. You could see him trading punches with juan jimenez guerrero. This happened in the mall in jersey city. Guerrero got upset when his daughter fell out of a chair while taking photos with the bunny. Charles, the bunny, now facing simple Assault Charges while guerrero the dad is still facing aggravated Assault Charges. A texas law man on vacation in new york found himself back in the line of duty chasing down an alleged thief along 5th avenue. Allegedly stole a bottle of cologne. When the two started to fight, sean jumped in. They got on the ground and started fighting. Thats when i decided i should help the kid out. I told him i was a Police Officer and took him to the wall and held him until nypd could get there. Afterwards, he took this photo with responding officers. He says hes glad he got to meet some of the great guys from the nypd. Well, the first zika virus related death has been reported in the united states. Officials in puerto rico say a 70yearold man died from a rare complication of the virus back in february. The fda has just approved the first commercial test for zika which may speed up diagnosis. Tested patients could have results within days instead of weeks. If you look at the continental united states, were still getting more and more what we call travel related cases. People who were infected elsewhere be it south america, caribbean, who get infected there and then come back to the united states. Meanwhile, funding to fight the zika outbreak has stalled. Congress adjourned for the week without approving nearly 2 billion in emergency zika funding that has been requested by the white house. That first death in puerto rico is raising the level of concern in the u. S. As we mentioned friday, the first commercial test for the zika virus received emergency use authorization from the fda. That should be available to doctors next week. And zika carrying southern mosquitoes could travel all the way to iowa and southern minnesota this summer. Cdc if officials met to talk about the preventing of the spread of the virus. I have a Family Member that is pregnant in peru. Theyre wearing certain clothing now in peru that prevents things that are happening. Do we have to do that here in new jersey . Reporter not necessarily, officials gathered for this center. There are so Many Puerto Ricans and people throughout Central America who live here. When theyre visiting family or friends that they could be bringing it back with them. Reporter not in the form of the stowaway insect but with the virus in their brood stream. While pregnant women is the biggest threat. Even though the virus only lasts in the blood stream for about a week, men can transmit it for a much longer period of time. Reporter this doctor is chief of pediatric infectious disease. Men whove had the virus should use condoms during sex for six months. For men who have travelled to an area and may have been exposed but didnt get sick, we still recommend waiting eight weeks. Reporter pushing for congress to approve a billion the virus causes severe birth defects defects. Babies born with brain damage and extremely small head. Using repellant. Wearing long sleeves. People need to take this seriously. A few hundred prince fans turned out to celebrate the music legend in brooklyn. Deejays played three hours of music and then showed purple rain on the big screen. Autopsy results are pending but police are looking into painkillers found on the singer and also at his property. Still ahead on today in new york on a saturday morning, call it the end of an era. Elephants will no longer be part of the ringling brothers circus. Why theyre leaving the show and where theyre headed. And Raphael Miranda returning with a check of the forecast and a changing weekend. Pet moments are beautiful, unless you have allergies. Then your eyes may see it differently. P flonase is the first and only nasal spray approved to relieve pboth itchy, watery eyes and congestion. No other nasal allergy spray can say that. When we breathe in allergens our bodies react by over producing six key inflammatory substances that cause our symptoms. Most allergy pills only control flonase controls six. And six is greater than one. More complete allergy relief. Flonase. 61 changes everything. Well, this weekend mark this end of an era for the ringling brothers and Barnum Bailey circus. Retiring the famous elephant act and sending them to a florida conservation. Go on. Reporter kids are still captivated at the sight of an elephant. Elephants. Reporter but now after 145 years, performing at the ringling brothers and Barnum Bailey circus, the tradition is coming to an end. Animal activates said it was perform. And changed local laws. Its very hard to operate when were touring week in and week out and in every city the rules and regulation and the guidelines are different. Youre a good looking girl. Reporter in all 40 performing elephants will retire to florida. At ringlings center for elephant conservation. To eat, pedicures. Really its pretty much going to be like their life on the show reporter while the elephants wont be performing anymore, they will still be working. We have cells actually from an asian elephant reporter researchers at the Huntsman Cancer Institute are searching for answers in elephant blood. They want to know why they rarely get cancer. This weekend a final curtain call on the greatest show on earth. Kerry sanders, providence, rhode island. Interesting about the medical research theyre doing there. But im certainly happy for them. Ill miss them when they used to do the march at Madison Square garden. But im happy theyre it does seem like a better existence. We can visit them in florida now. Lets talk about this weekend. Well, its overcast. Its getting there. Were waiting for some sun. We are seeing sun to the north. What time do you need the sun by, pat . Comcast cares day. Were going to be up in harlem. Thats true. But we need the sun. I dont have enough layers. I know. Its a layer morning. And afternoon. Theres sunshine. How did that happen . There was no sun up town. Sun i guess. Even a few blocks makes a difference on this saturday morning. 51 degrees, still mostly cloudy in central park. Taking a look at the weather headlines. Cool start to the weekend but turns into a decent afternoon. We will have more pictures like the one you saw. Itre gets nasty tomorrow though. Wet and cold for your sunday. Another good spot this morning, look at that. Fairfield county. Beautiful blue skies already. They jumped the gun up there in Fairfield County. 54 right along the shore there. Just a fantastic picture. Thanks to our friends at Weather Underground for that picture. As you head north of town to the 50s. 48 in millwood. Quiet morning. Were seeing clearing skies especially north and also east. Maybe looking good in suffolk county. But mostly cloudy conditions in new york city down the jersey shore. A storm is heading our way, but not until tomorrow. Heres a look on Storm Tracker as we pull out wide here. This is our storm moving through the center of the country responsible for all that Severe Weather and flooding over the past few days. Its on the move now. So you can see this is our area of low pressure. Tracks east over the next day or so. Arrives in our neck of the woods by tomorrow morning. Ill show you on future tracker how it times out. Heres a look at 2 00 p. M. Later on today, decent afternoon. Sunshine and clouds. And a cool feel. Temperatures in the upper 50s to around 60. By tomorrow morning, were tracking rain already. Especially from new york city west of town. This is 5 00 a. M. And its already a wet go. A wet roadway through the morning. Lunchtime, brunchtime, good day to stay inside. On and off through the afternoon. As we jump ahead now to monday as were heading back to work, still unsettled. Few more showers. Maybe even some rumbles of thunder as we try to warm things up on monday. Were going to see if a warm front can clear the region. Were not 100 sure if it will do so. Were back to the 60s there and drying out nicely on tuesday. 67 and dry. You want to stay up to date with the app of course. Just tap the news 4 logo on the corner. Then select the weather tab. See our interactive radar and learn how to submit your own weather video. The news 4 app for iphone is available in the app store right now. Of course while online, you want to play our interactive trivia game. This weeks questions inspired by spring blossoms. Theyre out there. Theyre beautiful. I sound like produce pete there for a second. Theyre available. Heavy in the hand. Stay with us. We are back to play this mornings interactive trivia game. And raphael has the goods. Take it away, raph. It is trivia time. This weeks trivia is inspired by sacura celebration at the brooklyn Botanic Garden. For those joining for the first time, heres how you play. Log onto nbcnewyork. Com trivia. You have to hit refresh because your web browser must be uptodate. When we begin the questions will pop up on the tv screen and you have 12 seconds to choose an answer. Plenty of time. While online chat with fellow trivia players right there on the site. All right. Lets get the countdown clock started. The festival is a celebration of traditional and contemporary Japanese Culture and a chance to see the splendor of the Cherry Blossoms at the brooklyn Botanic Garden. Dont worry. You havent missed them. In march but different types of cherry trees are still in bloom through midmay. The only way to play is by logging onto nbcnewyork. Com trivia. Answer as quickly as possible. Its the speedy correct answers that will up your score. Good luck, everyone. Weve got over a thousand players. Lets go. Number one, how long do cherry trees usually bloom . Many people say one of the most beautiful things about the cher tree is that the blossoms are fleeting appearing just a short time each year. Sop how long is it . The answer is number one. Just one to two weeks. Many of the trees have already bloomed for the year while different species bloom later. You have until midmay to catch them. Question two. Which band sings the song cherry pie . The song was an anthem for many long hair rock obsessed tarnls they enjoyed chart success until alternative music exploded on the scene in 1992. Question number three. Which country holds the recor for largest cherry pie . Two cities in michigan display cherry pie tins that were once the biggest in the world. Produce pete knows it but do either city hold the record . Its number three. Oh, pete, no. Its number three. Its canada. The small town of albert, british columbia. Question four. What country gifted cherry trees to the u. S. . This country originally sent 2,000 cherry trees in 1910 but the department of agriculture found they were diseased and destroyed them. The answer is number one japan. It nearly caused an international innocent. Second group of 3,000 trees to replace them. Which first lady helped plant the first cherry trees in the u. S. Capital . By the way, number two, helen taft is the answer. First Lady Helen Taft and the wife of the japanese ambassador two cherry trees along the tidal basin in our nations capital. Question six. Cherries belong to which family of flowers . Pete, you got this. Heres a hint. Its this flower by any other name would still smell as sweet. As sometimes you have to stop and smell the roses. Answer is number two. Almonds, apricots, peaches, and plums are also in that same family. Fruits. Question seven. What is the japanese word for the custom of Cherry Blossom viewing . More than a Million People a and thousands visit the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens to see the trees. The answer is number three hanami. Question number eight. What is the life span of a typical cherry tree . Japanese cherry trees have much shorter life spans than many other trees. Redwoods can live more than a hundred years. The answer is number two. Just like Cherry Blossom, cherry trees dont last long. Most live between 30 and 40 years. At the brooklyn Botanic Garden, they are replaced as soon as they die. Question nine. What is the right weather for Cherry Blossoms . You may have guessed it but Cherry Blossoms are temperamental. The answer is number one. Warm then cooler weather. We sure had that this year. When the temperature is just pink buds that transfer to softer pink blossoms. Question ten. When did the brooklyn Botanic Garden plant trees for the cherry walk . The two key places you can enjoy the beauty are at the cherry walk and the cherry esplinad. They were planted on the cherry walk back in 1921. The brooklyn Botanic Garden later planted in 1931. Web id 9161 is our winner. Tough, huh . 7,000s and 6,000s. All right. It was not the easiest trivia. We all know how to get to carnegie hall. Practice, practice, practice. For a teenager from ohio it also took sheer determination. Simmons was born with Three Fingers on his right hand and only one finger on his left. No bones below his knee. But at the age of ten, he taught himself to play pia know and posted the videos online. Attention of the pianist who invited the teenager on stage to perform with him. I want everybody to know that if you set your mind to something, you really can do it. I want him to, you know, keep on working on his new music. The two met believe it or not for the very first time just about an hour before that performance and they played music that darius composed himself. Wow. And playing the main stage of carnegie hall. And standing ovation, of course. Just remarkable. Remarkable young man. Great inspiration. Thank you, darius. Got to get that youtube. Before we go, we have the 50 50 weekend going. Yeah. This is the better half. Got some sunshine in time for you to enjoy the day. Sun is returning on this day. Pat, you dont believe me . I believe you. Im just looking hard. Its there in some spots especially north of new york city. Temperatures are cool today though. 59 is your high. Its a light jacket kind of day. But dry throughout the day. And overnight tonight, thats our next storm approaches after midnight. If you have plans tonight, hitting the club maybe, youre fine. Unless youre coming home at 5 00 a. M. , thats when the showers are rolling back in. Thats when we need the umbrellas. Tomorrow is an umbrella day throughout sunday. Showers on and off throughout the day. Chilly, damp, and breezy. High temperature of 49 degrees tomorrow. Yikes. We should be well into the 60s this time of year. We get back into the 60s on monday with a few lingering showers and storms. Takes until tuesday were in the clear and warming up by the end of the week. Thank you. Heading up to harlem for comcast cares day. Thanks for spending your saturday morning with us. And thank you for having us life is what you make it. Blinds to go makes it easy. Blinds to go. Blinds for life. Blinds to gos new cascade shades. Gentle diffused light when you want it. Darkened privacy when you dont. Modern elegance always. Right now take 30 off our entire selection of beautiful cascade shades. Let the sun shine in. Or dont. Its all good. Blinds to go. Blinds for life. Since 1961, Pearle Vision has provided the neighborhood with expert eye care. That was dr. Stanley pearles vision and we still proudly carry on his legacy. Today, doctors like Lisa Hamilton perform eye exams that can help detect diabetes. Because we care for you. And your eyes. In your neighborhood. This is Pearle Vision. Early detection is critical in fighting cancer a misdiagnosis or other errors can have serious consequences. For almost 40 years Jacoby Meyers has successfully represented thousands of clients. Winning them the money they need to take care of themselves and their families. You fight the cancer. Well fight for you. [music playing] hi im kelly yench, and were here in crotononhudson, new york. I am an office manager