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Two Missing Boys Found; Celebrating Life and Remembering Legacy or Martin Luther King Jr.

Aired January 15, 2007 - 09:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning, everyone.
You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

I'm Tony Harris.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Heidi Collins.

For the next three hours, watch events as they come into THE NEWSROOM live on this Monday, the 15th of January, the King holiday.

Here's what's on the rundown.

Four years under the thumb of a kidnapper. Missouri teen Shawn Hornbeck never escaped despite apparent opportunities -- hiding in plain sight.

HARRIS: Iced over -- thousands in the Plains and Midwest lose power and traction in a slippery blast of winter.

COLLINS: Saddam Hussein's secret police chief and his top judge hanged today in Iraq. Double execution in THE NEWSROOM.

HARRIS: At the top this morning, the boys snatched off the streets and hidden in plain sight. The details of their captivity still a mystery, at least for now. What we know, the 41-year-old man accused of kidnapping them is in jail, but what kind of prison held the boys, one for our days, the other for four years.

The latest now from CNN's Chris Lawrence.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): From the few people who knew Michael Devlin, answers are emerging to the question -- who is this alleged kidnapper?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Very kind of soft-spoken, low key.

LAWRENCE: And how could Devlin do what he's accused of -- hiding two boys in plain sight an hour's drive from their families.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There was never any mention of any children at all.

LAWRENCE: Investigators have filed a first degree kidnapping charge against Devlin, with possibly more to come.

ROBERT PARKS, PROSECUTING ATTORNEY: He's behind bars, he's not going anyplace. And now we have a little bit of the luxury of time to really pull this case together.

LAWRENCE: The case turned Thursday on a lucky break. Police working an unrelated case spotted a white pickup outside Devlin's apartment. It matched one described in last week's kidnapping of Ben Ownby. The officers who discovered the boys inside his apartment say initially Devlin was happy and respectful to police.

OFFICER GARY WAGSTER, KIRKWOOD POLICE: As the questions began to get more specific, that's when the attitude changed. And as the attitude changed it, you know, it was like a 180 degree difference and it threw a lot of red flags up for us.

LAWRENCE: The middle-aged, heavy set man grew up in Missouri. He has a lot of family still in the area. One of his brother's worked at the same pizza place Devlin now manages.

MIKE PROSPERI, OWNER, IMO'S PIZZA: I talked to Jamie and they're not -- you know, I mean they're holding up, but they're not doing well. You know, Jamie's response was one -- you know, one word response, he said, "Mike, he's my brother. This is our family and we're lost."

(END VIDEO TAPE)

HARRIS: Chris Lawrence joins us now from Kirkwood, Missouri -- and, Chris, how do police suspect Shawn was able to stay there in that house for four years.

LAWRENCE: Well, Tony, they weren't hiding. Although Shawn did not attend school, he did have friends. I spoke with someone earlier this morning who told me at one point one of those friends told Shawn that hey, you look like the missing boy and Shawn just kind of brushed it off.

We also know that at least one or both of them was active on the Internet. I accessed Shawn's Yahoo! profile this morning and although it is the profile for a Shawn, a teenage boy, the actual e-mail address reads mdevlin.

These are all just things that investigators will be going over as they try to piece this case together -- Tony.

HARRIS: And Chris Lawrence for us in Kirkwood, Missouri.

Chris, thank you.

COLLINS: What do neighbors say about the suspect?

Quiet with a quick temper.

Well, here's what they had to say on CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "AMERICAN MORNING")

ROB BUSHELLE, MICHAEL DEVLIN'S NEIGHBOR: He called the police on me for parking in his parking spot one time in a building where -- or a parking lot where most of the parking is unassigned. You know, there's a few labeled handicapped spots and it says that the parking was for that building in particular. And I was kind of in the spot right next to where he normally parked, double parked a little bit, and he just got completely irate about the situation.

BILL ROMER, MICHAEL DEVLIN'S LANDLORD: From my sort of external landlord perspective, he was a fine tenant. He paid his rent on time. He was always pleasant to me. I never received any calls complaining about him directly. In fact, I inherited him as a tenant from two years ago. From what I understand, even if I had done a background check, I would have pulled up a traffic violation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Stay with CNN throughout the day as we shine the spotlight on America's missing children -- from survival tips to tracking your kids, stay with CNN for complete coverage of America's missing children.

HARRIS: Ice coated roads, trees, power lines, hundreds of thousands of people in the dark -- that's the scene this morning across a big part of the nation's heartland. From Missouri to Texas, a major winter storm has left its mark and now parts of the Great Lakes and Northeast are feeling its impact.

At last count, about 330,000 homes in Missouri were without power. The number in Oklahoma, 122,000.

The storm, which blew in on Friday, is blamed for at least 21 deaths in four states, 12 in Oklahoma, six in Missouri, two in Texas and one in New York.

COLLINS: St. Louis just one of several major cities slammed by the big winter storm.

CNN meteorologist Reynolds Wolf is keeping track of what's happening there right now -- Reynolds, how are people dealing with the power problems?

It always makes it, obviously, so much tougher.

REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Kind of with a resigned frustration. What's interesting about power outages in this part of the world -- and I can tell you, as someone who lived here in St. Louis -- a lot of times when you have these ice storms, what's so frustrating is you'll have the power go out and then the power is restored, it's really sporadic, at best.

For example, on one stretch of the street in any neighborhood, you can have a few lights that will pop on while everyone else is in the dark and then it just takes time for everything to get back and up. The latest numbers we had were that there were over 30,000 people across the state that were without power. And Governor Blunt activated the National Guard to help take care of all the issues the state has had, and they've had plenty of issues -- a lot of downed trees, a lot of downed power lines.

And, you know, Heidi, one of the reasons why we've seen so much tree damage is due to that ice. And I've heard so many people -- so many people have asked the question why is ice such a devastating thing?

And plain and simple, the reason why is because it's so heavy.

Now, bear with me for a second. We've got a little bit of a visual for you. I want you to imagine this being just a standard tree, just an oak tree, a pear tree, any kind of tree. Now, when you have ice that coats to a tree, it's incredibly heavy. In fact, if you had, say, if this were a 40-foot tall tree, it would hold up to four tons of ice. And as that weight continues to bear down on those branches, eventually they're going to give way and break. And that is exactly what you see right behind me. Right over my shoulder you see what was once -- what still is a fairly nice tree, about 50 feet tall or so, that's suffered significant damage.

And that's what we've seen all over Missouri, all over St. Louis. And they're cleaning that up bit by bit. And things are going to get better, because they are making progress. I'm sure within hours we're going to be hearing chainsaws, people cleaning up the roads, cleaning up front yards, etc. And power crews are going to get out doing what they can to restore power to many of these homes.

But thankfully the weather is going to start cooperating. And the way it's going to start cooperating is going to be that we're not going to see as much moisture. A lot of that is going to start leaving the state, moving off more to the north and off to the east.

Chad will give you the latest on that coming up.

But at the same time, even though that moisture is going to come out, we've got a couple of other problems that are coming in, weather- wise. One will be that the wind is going to pick up. So a lot of those trees that have been suffering that damage from the ice, well, they've been weakened. And with the strong wind that we can expect, winds anywhere from, say, 15 to 30 miles per hour and then the occasional gust that may top 30, maybe 35, you'd see more of these branches topple. They're going to topple back into those power lines, which means yes, possibly more outages.

So it's kind of a domino effect, and certainly a frustrating one at that, for people across the Midwest.

COLLINS: All right, Reynolds Wolf, we know that you are watching this for us.

We're going to get on over to Chad now and get the very latest, as well -- Chad, I think we want to hear a little bit more, if we could, about the good side of this. Reynolds kind of indicating that things were going to get better, a little bit of relief coming in.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Right. At least the precip stops for him. There will be no more snow, no more sleet, no more rain, whatever. Nothing at this point in time. The air is getting dried out. The problem is when that wind starts to blow and those trees -- and I know the pictures where Reynolds is may be not so impressive, but let me tell you, if you get to Jefferson City, to Columbia -- and they can't even watch us this morning, because they're without power -- all the way down through the Ozarks into places like Tulsa and Broken Arrow and down to McAlister (ph), the trees are still completely coated.

So, therefore, you get that four ton tree that Reynolds was talking about and now you get it swaying, it's going to bring a lot more power lines down and some of these trees are going to end up on top of your car and on top of houses, as well.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HARRIS: Well, we've got a moment to tell Chad just how on the mark he was with all of this Friday.

COLLINS: Yes. No kidding. Good job, chad.

HARRIS: I mean he was so on the mark with all of this, warning folks that this was coming.

We've got a note from the White House now...

COLLINS: Yes.

HARRIS: ... that Oklahoma has been declared a -- a state of emergency there in Oklahoma so...

COLLINS: Which is good, because they'll get help for it.

HARRIS: They'll get help.

COLLINS: Yes.

HARRIS: So, boy, we just wanted to update you on that.

Thanks, Chad.

MYERS: You're welcome.

HARRIS: Appreciate it.

Implementing the president's new Iraq strategy -- the top U.S. commander there says it won't be easy and there are no guarantees it will work.

CNN Baghdad bureau chief Colin Powell joins us live -- and, Cal, good morning to you.

What are U.S. authorities saying in Iraq today? CAL PERRY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, first and foremost, from the top general himself, it's not going to be easy. There is no easy solution to this problem and there are no guarantees. It's really up to the new commitment, according to the top diplomat here for the U.S. Zalmay Khalilzad.

The U.S. ambassador saying that there is a new, fresh commitment from the Iraqi government that more troops will make a difference, that they plan to stay this time. They plan to take these areas of Baghdad piece by piece and they plan to stay and have a foothold.

Now, of course, there are many problems to overcome. One is simply insurgent violence. Another major problem, the militias. They change day by day here. They now have a foothold on both the government and in the streets.

This is what America's top diplomat on the ground here had to say about militias during that press conference.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ZALMAY KHALILZAD, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO IRAQ: The prime minister and the Iraqi government's commitments are all who break the law will be targeted. There will be no sanctuary for criminals or murderers. Any killer, no matter who he is, will be pursued. No militia will be a replacement for the state or control local security.

The military commanders will have freedom of action and the ability to do what's needed without political interference or micro- management.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PERRY: Now, obviously the reality on the ground here is that militias often, in many places around Baghdad, do control the security on the streets. This is something that we're going to have to wait and see how it plays out on the ground in the coming weeks and months -- Tony.

HARRIS: Cal, two more executions yesterday.

What can you tell us about those?

PERRY: Well, actually, some new news. These two gentlemen, one, the half-brother of Saddam Hussein; the other, the former chief judge for Saddam Hussein; both widely feared here in Iraq under his regime. Executed about 14 hours ago.

We've heard very recently from a government spokesman that the execution itself was videotaped. The reason for this, an unfortunate incident in which Saddam's half-brother's head actually was removed from his body during the hanging.

They want to get out in front of this story, Tony. They want to show people that this happened during the hanging, that it did not happen after the hanging. Clearly, this is a hangover from the way the Saddam execution went. The government very interested from a P.R. perspective to get out in front of this story and show people this video, which they say they will not release publicly. They showed it to a private, select group of individuals -- Tony.

HARRIS: So the head came off during the hanging, is that what you're telling me?

PERRY: that's exactly what we're hearing from the Iraqi government. And apparently they have video to prove it. They have shown this video to a select group of journalists, to a prosecutor, to a judge and to a doctor as they are filling out these forms, as, clearly, this was something that was not planned. And they want to prove to people -- they want to have eyes on proof...

HARRIS: Oh, boy.

PERRY: ... from witnesses that can tell the Iraqi people this happened during the hanging, not afterward.

HARRIS: This is unbelievable.

Cal Perry, our Baghdad bureau chief.

Cal, appreciate it.

Thank you.

COLLINS: Standing firm and digging in -- President Bush says he will not budge on sending more troops to Iraq despite Congressional opposition. In a CBS News "60 Minutes" interview which aired last night, the president insisted a troop surge is the right thing to do.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "60 MINUTES," COURTESY CBS NEWS)

GEORGE BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Some of my buddies in Texas say, you know, let them fight it out.

What business is it of ours?

You got rid of Saddam. How come, you know -- just let them slug it out. And that's a temptation that I know a lot of people feel. But if we do not succeed in Iraq, we will leave behind Middle East which will endanger America in the future.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Missing for weeks, the search called off. But then the unexpected -- a woman lost in the wilderness now found. Survival in THE NEWSROOM.

COLLINS: Middle East agreement -- Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice brokers an important step toward possible peace. Details ahead in THE NEWSROOM. HARRIS: And a powerful voice and unshakeable dream -- from prayers to parades, the nation remembers Martin Luther King, Jr. Live coverage ahead in THE NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: A possible step toward peace in the Middle East.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice with an agreement in hand.

CNN's Ben Wedeman is live in Jerusalem now -- and, Ben, tell us, how big of a step is today's agreement?

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, basically all they've agreed upon is to meet some time within the next four or five weeks -- the leaders of the Palestinians, of Israel and possibly the United States -- somewhere in the Middle East.

So, really, it's not much of a step forward at all because there's no guarantee that this meeting or summit meeting could possibly result in success.

You have to keep in mind that the Palestinians, their president, Mahmoud Abbas, is up to his neck in domestic trouble. He's had a very -- he's having, he's in the midst of a very bloody power struggle with the Hamas-led government.

The Israeli prime minister, Ehud Olmert, has record low opinion polls and, also, he's facing possible corruption charges, as well.

So there's no guarantee not only that this summit will succeed or result in success, there are some who doubt it will even actually take place -- Heidi.

COLLINS: Well, I think that's a great point, too, Ben, because what we've been reading is that this agreement to meet has been only in principle.

Any idea what it will take to actually agree upon sitting down and seeing these people at the table together?

WEDEMAN: Well, I don't think that there is any doubt that the three parties -- the United States, Israel and the Palestinians -- have a desire to meet and hold these talks.

The question is what can they come up with?

There really isn't much agreement beyond a general desire to resolve the issue. But on the details -- and the devil is inhabiting those details -- there's really not a lot of agreement. And, as I said, all parties, or at least the Palestinians and the Israelis, are so preoccupied with their own domestic troubles that there may -- it may be very difficult for them to agree on much of anything.

At the center of all of this is, of course, the U.S. brokered so- called road map for peace. This is a step by step, a gradual plan to eventually end up with some sort of peace agreement and the establishment of a Palestinian state.

But the very first element of that roadmap for peace is the halting of the Jewish settlement building in the West Bank by Israel and the dismantling of groups like Hamas by the Palestinians.

Neither side seems either capable or willing to abide by those basic first steps. So there's a lot of skepticism out here at the moment -- Heidi.

COLLINS: Understood.

Ben Wedeman live for us this morning from Jerusalem.

Ben, thank you.

HARRIS: we are Minding Your Business this morning.

Ali Velshi here now with a preview -- Ali, good morning.

ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Tony.

You've got to check those drawers, because January is the month where a lot of people's gift cards, if they're not used they could go missing. So check them out and I'll tell you what to do about it when we get back.

HARRIS: Oh, good.

And, plus, who will strike gold?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don't ever let somebody tell you you can't do something.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: The awards season officially gets underway with tonight's Golden Globes. A look at who may have the inside track, ahead in THE NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: So who did you give those gift cards to this holiday season? Your parents? Children? Your spouse, maybe?

Well, how about your favorite retailer?

Ali Velshi is Minding Your Business this morning -- Ali, good morning.

VELSHI: Good morning, Tony.

I don't give these things. I don't get these things.

HARRIS: Yes, I'm with you. I'm with you. VELSHI: But I was surprised to find out about how big a seller they were. This was the biggest seller this holiday season. Take a look at this.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

VELSHI (voice-over): It wasn't PlayStation 3. It wasn't even TMX Tickle Me Elmo. The hottest gift this past holiday season can't be plugged in, played or cuddled. It was the gift card.

But getting a gift card and actually using it are apparently two different things. Americans spent $82 billion on gift cards in 2006, according to the research and advisory firm TowerGroup.

BRIAN RILEY, TOWERGROUP: We know that most of the cards get used, say about 60 percent get used in the first 30 days they're received.

VELSHI: OK, so what happens to the other 40 percent?

Well, some eventually get used, some expire, others get lost or simply forgotten. TowerGroup estimates that more than $8 billion worth of cards bought in 2006 will never be redeemed. This isn't a gift card specific problem. Despite the best of intentions, gym memberships go unused, too.

Imagine what would happen if you got a gift card to the gym?

And, by the way, like gym memberships, when you don't use your gift card, the company wins.

RILEY: A large example is Best Buy, who was able to actuarially show that, over the course of three years, large numbers of these did not get used and they were able to recoup them into their revenue stream.

VELSHI: That was a $40 million gift for Best Buy courtesy of the lazy, forgetful American consumer. $40 million for Home Depot, as well. $30 million for Limited Brands, which owns Victoria's Secret and some other companies.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

VELSHI: Now, I don't mean anything by calling the American consumer lazy and forgetful. I'm totally one of them. I routinely find these little gift cards in my closets and drawers and don't even know what they're for or how much -- I actually just took one the other day to J. Crew and said what's on this card?

HARRIS: Exactly. Exactly.

But I have to ask you, what -- what can you do if someone gives you one of these gift cards and to a store that you don't care for? Or it isn't close to you or something like that?

VELSHI: I hear you. I've got those. HARRIS: Yes.

VELSHI: You can regift them, I suppose.

In some of my research I found -- I found some Web sites where you can actually swap these things or trade them in. I make no warrantee as to what they are...

HARRIS: Well, that's not bad.

VELSHI: ... but it may be worth checking if you have a collection of these things and they don't really work for you.

But, yes, this is one of those things. Listen, I'm obviously -- you and I are obviously the odd guys out...

HARRIS: Yes.

VELSHI: ... because people are buying these things and they're selling them. I think it's a little lazy as a gift. I've seen a lot of guys buying them sort of the day before Christmas or the day before Valentine's Day, because they didn't get anything else. But, well, listen, if it works...

HARRIS: Yes.

You mind that, Heidi, a little lazy as a gift?

COLLINS: Totally.

HARRIS: Yes. Yes. Put a little thought and consideration. Think -- Ali, appreciate it.

VELSHI: That means we have to start looking for Heidi's gift now.

HARRIS: Yes. Now. Yesterday.

COLLINS: Regifter. I heard that.

HARRIS: Minding Your Business, Ali Velshi.

Ali, thank you.

VELSHI: See you.

COLLINS: Breaking the case...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our gut feeling was sending off all sorts of red flags. And I asked Gary if he got the same feeling and he asked me the same thing. And when we're -- both of our guts are telling the same thing, it's -- we're probably usually dead on.

(END VIDEO CLIP) COLLINS: Gut feelings paying off with the discovery of two missing teens. More from the officers ahead in THE NEWSROOM.

HARRIS: Icy glaze, thousands across the heartland facing days without electricity. In the dark, in the cold, in THE NEWSROOM.

COLLINS: A powerful voice, an unshakeable dream -- from prayers to parades, the nation remembers Martin Luther King, Jr.

Live coverage ahead in THE NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Among our top stories this morning, piecing together the puzzle in Kirkwood, Missouri. Police there are trying to unravel a pair of kidnappings. Both ended happily with one shocking discovery -- one boy found after vanishing four days earlier, the other missing more than four years. Their alleged kidnapper, a 41-year-old man, who is being held on a million dollar bond. On CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING", neighbors describe Michael Devlin as a loner with a short temper.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROB BUSHELLE, MICHAEL DEVLIN'S NEIGHBOR: He called the police on me for parking in his parking spot one time in a building where -- a parking lot where most of the parking is unassigned. You know there's a few labeled handicap spots and it said that the parking was for that building in particular. I was kind of in the spot right next to where he normally parks, double parked a little bit and he just got completely irate about the situation.

BILL ROMER, MICHAEL DEVLIN'S LANDLORD: From my sort of external landlord perspective, he was a fine tenant. He paid his rent on time, he was always pleasant to me. I never received any calls complaining about him directly. But in fact, I inherited him as a tenant two years ago. From what I understand, even if I had done a background check, I would have maybe pulled up a traffic violation.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Good police work and a gut feeling, that's what authorities say led a couple of police officer to the two missing boys. CNN's Jonathan Freed has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JONATHAN FREED, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Police officers Gary Wagster and Chris Nelson are the ones who told the FBI they thought Michael Devlin could be the kidnapper they were searching for. They're the ones who started questioning Devlin outside his apartment building when they realized his truck matched the description of the suspect's vehicle. And while they were talking to Devlin.

Did something in the eyes change. Was it physical? Did he get cold?

OFC. CHRIS NELSON, KIRKWOOD POLICE DEPT.: All of those.

FREED: So what was it?

NELSON: All of it. I mean his eyes, his speech, his attitude towards us, it wasn't the same person that we were talking to two seconds ago.

FREED: The officers say it's ironic that the man they knew as Mike the pizza guy, because he managed the restaurant near the police station would ultimately be charged with kidnapping 13-year-old Ben Ownby on Monday and he was alleged to have held 15-year-old Shawn Hornbeck for more than four years. Mike Prosperi owns the pizza parlor and says he has known Devlin for a quarter century.

MIKE PROSPERI, OWNER, IMO'S PIZZA: There's not too many people to stay with the same job for 25 years. I mean I never had any problem with him at all. I mean he was my manager, he counted my money. And you just don't do that with somebody that you don't trust.

FREED: Prosperi says he did become suspicious of Devlin when he thought about his white truck and called in sick the day Ownby disappeared. He told police, who say investigators were getting ready to look into the tip when Wagster and Nelson spotted the truck themselves.

NELSON: We're focusing on the positive that the kids were returned home. That's the best thing anybody can get out of this. We're the happiest for that.

FREED (on camera): The officers say they knew they had to do something about the way Devlin was acting, when they both had the same gut feeling about it. Jonathan Freed, CNN, Kirkwood, Missouri.

(END OF VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: The kidnappings, the trauma, the most horrific nightmare of any parent. On CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING," we heard from John Walsh, a child safety advocate, whose own son was kidnapped and murdered. He says parents need to limit the risks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN WALSH, HOST, "AMERICA'S MOST WANTED": There's this new phenomenon of bus surfers. These are pedophiles like this alleged kidnapper who follow school buses, particularly in rural areas, where they think people are not so street smart, not sophisticated, and there's not a great concentration of law enforcement, they're stretched thin and they wait for the kid who has the long walk home to school. And I think parents should be very vigilant and talk to their kids about that and I say don't take the crapshoot. If your child is a small child, if you can help it, don't make that child make that long walk from the school bus stop home. It's insane.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: And we encourage you to stay with CNN throughout the day as we focus on America's missing children, from survival tips to tracking your kids, complete coverage of "America's Missing Children," only on CNN.

COLLINS: Shivering in the dark, sliding on icy roads, not a good way to start the week for millions of Americans. The big winter storm that blew into the central plains on Friday, still causing a lot of problems from Texas to Missouri, hundreds of thousands of people still without power. Ice coated highways are a serious problem. At least 21 deaths now being blamed on the storm. And as the system moves to the east, it's spreading misery from the great lakes to the northeast.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HARRIS: Celebrating a life and remembering a legacy that changed a nation. Today is a national holiday honoring Martin Luther King Jr. Next hour a service will be held at the church where his powerful voice still echoes. Our T.J. Holmes is at the King Center outside Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta. Good morning my friend. T.J., set that scene for us if you would this morning.

T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Well I'll set it for you like this. It's been kind of a dreary day today to be honest with you, it's been raining out here a little bit, been a little cold. And by all accounts, the crowds aren't what they have been over the past few years. However, we still see just to my right, right now, even a group of kids coming in to come by and to celebrate and commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his legacy and of course his message. So still people coming by but unfortunately maybe the rain keeping some folks away. But still, this is a day, Tony here, that's actually his birthday and the holiday falling on the same day. That's fairly rare, so really a lot to celebrate and remember here today. But kind of a new sadness today because this is the first King Holiday we've seen without Coretta Scott King who of course died last year. But even with that new sadness, of course this day always brings a renewed sense of that message and Dr. King. And there's a new excitement here in Atlanta as well because of the new King documents that are going to be going on display here in town. They give a fascinating new sense of the man, his mission and of course that dream which is still talked about and lives on to this day.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

I have a dream.

HOLMES (voice-over): From his most famous speech at the march on Washington to his first sermon in Montgomery, Alabama. Today, the nation gets a chance to see Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. through his own words. More than 600 personal documents go on display at the Atlanta History Center. CNN's Soledad O'Brien gave us a sneak peak in her series, "Words that Changed a Nation."

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: This is the actual sermon written on four pages, back and front of lined notebook paper in Dr. King's own handwriting. It's preserved here at the library at Morehouse College, the start of what is literally a treasure of Dr. King's thinking at the critical moments in civil rights history. HOLMES: After the exhibition, the papers will be reserved at Morehouse, Dr. King's alma mater until a new museum for civil rights is completed. Today is also a poignant holiday, the first without Coretta Scott King who died last January. Today, at Ebenezer Baptist Church, their family will celebrate their lives in a commemorative service, carrying on the dream spelled out in their father's speeches that inspired and changed a nation.

Free at least, free at last, thank God almighty, we are free at last!

(END OF VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: So we're starting to finally here and hopefully get a break in the weather, starting to clear up a little bit. But the crowds are coming in, like you said, the service starts at 10:00 at the historic Ebenezer Baptist. And right across the street at the new Ebenezer, they're having an overflow area really, where some people who don't get into that main service will be able to at least watch it on big screens over there. So the folks are coming in, starting to certainly get into the mood, the dignitaries, the VIPs of course starting to show up. So we'll be here and really expect it to be another great day of service. As I say Tony, on a day on, not a day off, on this holiday.

HARRIS: Well said. All right T.J., appreciate it, thank you man.

And a closer look at the documents and papers left behind by Martin Luther King. We will talk with a woman who has unique insight and a close connection that is ahead in the NEWSROOM.

And be sure to tune in to Soledad O'Brien's special, MLK, Words that Changed a Nation, February 17th, that's at 8:00 p.m.

COLLINS: Plus, missing for weeks, the search called off. But then, the unexpected, a woman lost in the wilderness now found. Survival in the NEWSROOM.

HARRIS: A child looking and looking to change the rules on the road.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you can't talk on a cell phone or eat while driving a vehicle, how come you can still smoke?

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: A question that could lead to legislative action, details ahead in the NEWSROOM.

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COLLINS: We want to take you over to Betty Nguyen now, we have some news just into us here, a refinery fire Betty in California. BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, in Richmond, California to be exact. You have to take a look at these pictures. At one point, according to our affiliate KGO out there, these flames were shooting some 50 feet into the air. You can see this fire is well under way. Emergency crews are on the scene, firefighters have several trucks there, trying to put this thing out. We don't know exactly how it started, but we do know from our affiliate is that it is a level 3 emergency out there. No word so far on any injures. But because of this fire, toll operators had to be removed from the Richmond, San Rafael Bridge, the toll booth there, due to health concerns. They have also set up a shelter there near this refinery for folks who are seeking some kind of shelter away from the flames there. Again, no word on any injuries or how indeed this started. But just look at that Heidi, something you don't see. It's very early out there in California and this fire is well under way. And as soon as we get some more information on it, of course we'll bring it straight to you.

COLLINS: All right very good, thanks Betty.

HARRIS: A 9-year-old is asking a pretty simple straightforward question. If some cities ban talking on the cell phone while driving, why not ban smoking behind the wheel as well. CNN's Dan Lothian looks at that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's illegal to drink and drive, and in some cities to drive and talk on the phone. Now if 9-year-old Justin Kvadas get his wish, it will also be illegal to smoke and drive in Connecticut when a young child is in the car.

JUSTIN KVADAS, 9-YEAR-OLD: If you can't talk on a cell phone or eat while driving a vehicle, how come you can still smoke?

LOTHIAN: Justin's effort began with a petition and email campaign. Then the 9-year-old got the attention of a Connecticut lawmaker.

HENRY GENGA, CONNECTICUT STATE REP.: He's he is committed to this, and he certainly is a constituent. Good ideas are not affected by age.

LOTHIAN: Representative Genga made some tweaks, then submitted a bill that he says will protect children under the age of seven from second hand smoke.

KVADAS: I think it's cool that this is happening.

LOTHIAN: It's also happening in Bangor, Maine, where the city recently passed an ordinance banning smoking in cars carrying passengers under the age of 18.

CHIEF DON WINSLOW, BANGOR POLICE: They're concerned for the welfare of children who don't have the ability to make decisions as to whether or not they want to be in a car with somebody that smokes like an adult would. LOTHIAN: And according to the Centers for Disease Control and the American Cancer Society, secondhand smoke can lead to heart disease. Another effect, an increase in the number and severity of asthma attacks in up to one million children each year. But some worry these latest efforts to further restrict smokers go too far.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're just pick, pick, pick on the smokers. It's pick on someone else.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's all good to keep it away from the kids, but I don't know. Like, where do you draw the line with that?

LOTHIAN (on camera): The Connecticut bill is set to make its way through various committees. The ordinance in Maine is expected to go into effect later this week. Violators there will face fines of up to $50. Dan Lothian, CNN, Boston.

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HARRIS: A missing Missouri teen in public view, his picture apparently on a personal web page. The odd kidnapping case in the NEWSROOM.

COLLINS: And who will strike gold?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WILL SMITH: Don't ever let somebody tell you, you can't do something.

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COLLINS: We don't have the answers yet but the award season officially gets under way with tonight's Golden Globes, a look at who may have the inside track, ahead, in the NEWSROOM.

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COLLINS: Back now to the story we've been following, a refinery fire in California, those pictures Betty are still pretty unbelievable.

NGUYEN: And you know what, they really haven't changed much since we last spoke. Check this out, flames shooting into the air as I mentioned a little bit earlier. Our affiliate there KGO out in California, this is Richmond, California to be exact. These flames were shooting some 50 feet into the air at one point. Now this is the Chevron refinery out there and we don't know exactly what started this blaze and at this point, there have been no reports of injuries. But you can tell right now that this is something firefighters are trying to get a handle on, a number of them on the scene. But to tell you a little bit more about this refinery, just give you some background, Chevron's Richmond refinery processes over 240,000 barrels of crude oil a day. The refineries primary products are motor gasoline, jet fuel, diesel fuel and lubricants. So you can see why this fire is really burning brightly right now. And it's very early out there in Richmond, California, only about seven minutes till 7:00. And again, no word as to how this fire started except the fact that it is fully engulfed right now. Firefighters say this is a level 3 emergency. I don't know if that indeed has increased since first reports of it. Just by looking at those pictures though, quite remarkable. Heidi we're going to stay on top of this and bring you more information as soon as we can get it.

COLLINS: Yeah, when you're talking about jet fuel, which is JP8, that is a very, very pure fuel, and I imagine goes up, as we're seeing right here, quickly and fast and furiously, so a good thing to stay on top of for sure. Betty Nguyen, thank you.

NGUYEN: Sure.

COLLINS: An amazing story of survival now in the New Mexico wilderness, 52-year-old Carolyn Dorn rescued over the weekend, she was stranded for five weeks in a national forest, trapped when she couldn't cross an icy swollen river. Dorn ran out of provisions, searchers gave up looking for her two weeks ago. Two backpackers happened to stumble upon her and hiked about 20 miles to find help. Dorn was weak and dehydrated but otherwise ok.

HARRIS: The first big movie awards being handed out tonight, the Golden Globes. If recent trends hold up, the awards will likely go to actors who have a good grasp of real life. CNN's Sibila Vargas explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SIBILA VARGAS, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: From her majesty Queen Elizabeth, to a homeless stockbroker named Chris Gardner, children's book author Beatrice Potter, to African dictator Edi Amin. Many of this year's Golden Globe nominees seem to follow a popular trend taking place in Hollywood, non-fiction roles leading to Hollywood gold.

MIKE FLEEMAN, PEOPLE MAGAZINE: If an actor plays a real person, we can look at their performance, then we can look at the real person and say, ok, that was good acting.

VARGAS: In recent years Charlize Theron, Jamie Foxx, Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Reece Witherspoon have all won Golden Globes and Academy Awards for playing real people. "People" magazine's Mike Fleeman says Hollywood's obsession with true stories is based more on fear than lack of creativity.

FLEEMAN: I don't think Hollywood has run out of good ideas. There's plenty of people with good ideas. Hollywood is running low on courage to present good ideas to the audiences.

VARGAS: Fleeman says studios focus on selling movie tickets have turned to sequels, remakes and bio pics to play it safe.

FLEEMAN: They feel in Hollywood that audiences want to see something a little more familiar, a little less difficult to grasp.

VARGAS: For the stars, however, what's safe at the box office is often risky for them?

HELEN MIRREN, GOLDEN GLOBES NOMINEE: It was such a dangerous thing to go into. If we made a misstep, not only would it have been humiliating and upsetting, but I think also one would have felt that we betrayed the real people.

FORREST WHITAKER, GOLDEN GLOBE NOMINEE: I researched it really hard, I really went deep inside of it. I tried to understand, like not just the history of the man, the language and finding the spirit of this guy. So yeah, it was a big journey for me.

VARGAS: For Whitaker and Mirren, the risk is expected to pay off. They are both favorites to win in their category. Sibila Vargas, CNN, Hollywood.

(END OF VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Two boys, one fate, snatched from the streets, but were they also imprisoned by their own trauma. A closer look in the NEWSROOM.

HARRIS: Prospects for peace in the Middle East and Iraq. Secretary of state Condoleezza Rice trying to drum up support on both fronts. What can the U.S. realistically expect to achieve on her Mideast trip, that's the question. We'll take a closer look in the NEWSROOM.

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