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Six Dead in Tornado Outbreak; Busy Travel Weekend; Fix the Economy; GOP Resolution; Battles Awaiting Congress in 2011; That's the Ticket; School Bullying; Videos Gone Viral; Burglar Caught on Cam

Aired January 01, 2011 - 11:00   ET

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

SUSAN HENDRICKS, CNN ANCHOR: This definitely is not the way anyone wanted to start the New Year, 2011. A massive cleanup is ahead after a tornado outbreak left at least six people dead in Arkansas and Missouri.

This is the aftermath in Fenton, Missouri, just outside of St. Louis. Our affiliate KPLR says there is a path of damage at least a mile long in Fenton. Survivors had to move fast to make it to safety in time.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As soon as I shut the door, everything started rumbling underneath me. It -- it -- the whole house looked like it imploded. And I got picked up and down at least three times, I know of, and before I come to a slamming halt up against a small little tree up behind the house.

JON PRICE, FENTON, MISSOURI RESIDENT: So I ran to the front window and I was looking out and all of a sudden I saw like a funnel coming down over here. And that's when I told everybody to get to the basement.

ROGER JESSE, FENTON, MISSOURI RESIDENT: I saw things flying by our window on the first floor of the house, a patio table, chairs, barbecue grill went flying by as I was coming around the corner to get down into the basement.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HENDRICKS: Imagine those jarring images, a grill flying by the window. This is the scene about five miles away in Sunset Hills, Missouri. Just look at the massive damage here. High winds tore apart homes like this one. Roofs ripped off, literally. Entire homes flattened.

One of our iReporters lives in Sunset Hills and grabbed these shots for us, planks of wood driven right through the windshield of this van. Check it out. Look how bad that is. This is the scene that led Missouri Governor Jay Nixon to declare a state of emergency. Some folks in the storm's path are left with absolutely nothing now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) RUTH HICKS, STORM VICTIM: Everything's gone. We don't -- there's nothing left. Maybe a few of my son's toys that I might be able to salvage, but -- the Christmas tree was still up I mean, everything -- everything we had and everything I owned is gone.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HENDRICKS: The powerful storms also left a deadly trail of damage in Arkansas. The hardest hit area, the small town of Cincinnati in northwest Arkansas where three people were killed. Look at that aerial shot there, you see how bad it is.

More than a dozen other people were hurt and taken to local hospitals. The town's volunteer fire department took a huge hit with winds demolishing that building and crushing a fire truck, a much- needed fire truck. Firefighters were not there at the time.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAY NORTON, FIREFIGHTER: They were unable to respond from their station, because they couldn't. Their station was totally destroyed. We had responding fire departments from all over Washington County converge with equipment and stuff and -- and -- and help us and help them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HENDRICKS: The storm knocked out power across the area and in neighboring Oklahoma too. Damage also reported in central Mississippi as well.

Reynolds, what a terrible way to start the year for so many folks, waking up to their homes, their neighborhoods literally gone.

REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: That's right. I mean, people are waking up and they are going outside to an entirely different world. I mean, everything has changed. It's an amazing thing.

You know, when you have those kinds of storms, the most deadly component of it really isn't the wind, but rather the stuff the wind picks up.

For example, you see this pen. If it's picked up and carried by winds of 160-miles-an-hour, this pen could become a deadly projectile. Same situation when you have trees ripped out of the ground, you've got roofing tiles, you've got glass, that is really the dangerous component.

So when you have a tornado, the safest place to be of all is to be underground. If you have a (INAUDIBLE) cellar or if you happen to have a basement, those are really your best spots.

But many people don't have that luxury. And I'll tell you that is something that people are going to be doing, is at least searching for some kind of shelter. We've got some good news in parts of the southeast and some bad. Good news that we see one area of a tornado watch that has just expired, however, it has now been joined by another as we make our way down in extreme southern Alabama and along the I-10 corridor, we have a new tornado watch that is in effect.

Not a warning, but a watch. A watch meaning that the situation in the atmosphere is favorable for tornado formation. We do have some very strong thunderstorms, some right near Perdido Key if you look right along the water's edge through the Gulf of Mexico and where it meets up with extreme southern Alabama.

And I'll tell you, right near Wolf's Bay and back over towards Perdido itself, we've got some very strong thunderstorms we need to watch very, very carefully. The problem with these particular storms, too is that they happen to be rain-wrapped.

So if there are any tornados, the likelihood of being able to see them is going to be very limited. Showers and storm are not just in southern Alabama, they extend for well over 100 miles -- several 100 miles in fact all the way up in Ashville, North Carolina. Rome, Georgia, back into Cleveland, Tennessee, even into Anniston, Alabama you're getting the heavy rainfall.

And then farther to the northern plains, we're going to leave the southeast. And in the northern plains, the situation is very different. In the next 30 seconds we're going to tell you about what they're getting there. A little bit of snow on the ground. Strong winds may cause some whiteout conditions. And before that, we have a blizzard warning that is in effect for this region through midday today.

Temperatures, brutal; it feels like five degrees right now in Grand Forest (ph). Up along the border, about 16 below; six in Rapid City; five in Sioux Falls and Minneapolis, it feels like six.

In Atlanta, again, the bottom into that frontal boundary, it is going to be coming along through. Already, they've got the cloudy skies, we've got the raindrops. Centennial Park, it looks pretty gloomy for the time being. But once the front passes through drier air will be coming through and will be much better stable condition across the country for many people. And then the cleanup will really begin in earnest, especially for people in Missouri and Arkansas.

Let's send it back to you Susan.

HENDRICKS: Yes, we're thinking about those people, waking up as you said to a whole new world. A lot of people also have to travel, Reynolds, as you know. It is shaping up to be a very busy travel weekend for people returning home from the holidays.

CNN's Samantha Hayes is standing by live along the I-95 just north of Baltimore. And Samantha, the weather looks pretty good there compared to other parts of the country. How's it feeling out there?

SAMANTHA HAYES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Susan, it is, it's much better. The eastern United States is seeing a much more palatable travel weekend than say, last weekend, when so many people, especially air travelers, you know, trying to get in and out of those northeastern airports were stuck for days.

So a much different scenario, the temperatures are really pretty mild for January 1st. The roads are dry. So this is good news for folks who are driving home, either from their Christmas holiday or even if they traveled for New Year's.

And the auto club AAA estimates that more Americans are traveling during these yearend holidays; 92 -- more than 92 million. That's up three percent from last year, by car, 85 million. That's also up three percent and even flying, two and -- 2.75 million people going by air. That's -- that's up almost three percent over last year.

And Susan, people are also spending more money, according to AAA, on average about $670 for these last two holidays of the year. That's also up.

So that could be good news for the economy, although it looks like many folks will be spending at least part of that money on gas, if they're traveling by car, because gas prices are up, in many parts of the country, at least $3 a gallon.

And a lot of analysts estimate that it's going to continue to increase. So by spring, I've heard anywhere between $4 and $5. Hopefully it won't go up that high, but it doesn't look like it's going down anytime soon.

Back to you, Susan.

HENDRICKS: Not so bad compared to a year ago, so I guess we should appreciate the $3 mark.

All right, Samantha, thank you.

All right. How many of you tuned in right before midnight to count down to 2011? The Grand Daddy of all celebrations is, of course, in New York.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CROWD: Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HENDRICKS: In case you missed it, there it is again, bringing in 2011, happening last night. About a million people crowded into Times Square to watch that huge crystal ball descend on cue.

And right after that, more than a ton of confetti rained down on them. You may be thinking, who's cleaning up all that stuff? Well, once the crowd cleared out, an army of sweepers began attacking the mountains of confetti. 175 city sanitation workers are tackling nearly 40 tons of the stuff, trash, and debris dropped by the partygoers -- 40 tons. At their disposal, though, to help out, 23 mechanical sweepers, 21 trucks, and 36 leaf blowers.

A brand New Year arrives today, 2011. Throughout the hour, we are taking a look at the celebrations, as we just showed you New York, across America. The New Year brings new fights to Capitol Hill, though. We will check out some of the biggest issues facing the new Congress.

And "Blue Valentine" is just one of the new movies debuting in the New Year. We will check in with our movie critic to see which ones get the thumbs up and the thumbs down.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HENDRICKS: All right, look closely. You are seeing what we're showing around the world, revelers welcomed 2011 in different ways you could say.

How about this, a drag queen drop in Key West, Florida, they are in a high heel. It wasn't a crystal ball, it was lowered to usher in the New Year -- a big pink high heel shoe. Happy New Year.

In Seattle, a spectacular fireworks display lit up the sky at the stroke of midnight. The celebration took place at the city's famous Space Needle. Seattle calls it the West Coast's version of New York's Time Square.

More celebrations from across the U.S. still to come, so stay with us for that.

Both President Obama and GOP leaders are marking New Year's resolutions, they're making them. In his weekly address, President Obama says he will do everything he can to keep the economic recovery on track.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: At the start of 2011, we're still just emerging from a once in a lifetime recession that's taken a terrible toll on millions of families. We all have friends and neighbors, trying to get their lives back on track.

We are, however, riding a few months of economic news that suggests our recovery is gaining traction. And our most important task now is to keep that recovery going. As President, that's my commitment to you, to do everything I can to make sure our economy is growing, creating jobs, and strengthening our middle class. That's my resolution for the coming year.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HENDRICKS: Well, for their part, Congressional Republicans say it is time to change the way Washington does business. Senator-Elect Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire says Congress needs to cut government spending. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KELLY AYOTTE (R), NEW HAMPSHIRE SENATOR-ELECT: For Republicans, the start of the 112th Congress on Wednesday will mark the opening of a new chapter for our country and our party. We're keenly aware that the American people are relying on us to change business as usual in Washington, and we're well positioned to do just that.

The American people sent us to Congress with clear instructions. Make government smaller, not bigger. And stop spending money we don't have on programs that aren't working. It's now our responsibility to carry out the will of the people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HENDRICKS: Ayotte is one of 13 new Republicans to be sworn in next week in the Senate; 87 new Republicans will be taking their place in the House of Representatives.

Congress finished 2010 by passing a lot of last-minute legislation, but don't expect the cooperation to continue when a newly realigned Congress returns in the coming week.

CNN deputy political director, Paul Steinhauser joins us now from Washington. And Paul, as we know, a lot of last-minute changes. What are the biggest battles in 2011 to look out for?

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Yes there are a lot of big battles and there may not be so much common ground as we saw in the lame-duck issues.

You know what, Americans want this compromise, Susan. They like what they want, they like it when Democrats and Republicans work together. But take a look at this. The big issue is coming up very soon in the New Year and some of them, right off the bat, a budget. Remember, the lame-duck Congress passed a budget to keep the lights on in the federal government only until early march. They've got to pass a new budget. Raising the debt ceiling for the country.

That's a big crucial vote coming up as well. Tackling the massive deficit this country faces and taking action on that. And of course, you're going to see action by Republicans in the House to try to repeal the new health care law on all of these issues, not a lot of common ground between Republicans and Democrats.

It was a very different story when you saw the President sign into law just a few weeks ago the repeal of "don't ask, don't tell". That along with that nuclear weapons treaty with Russia, the START treaty and also the tax cut compromise.

Susan, on those issues, there was actually some common ground between Democrats and Republicans. That's why things got done, maybe tougher in the New Year.

HENDRICKS: Yes, the big word, Paul, is "compromise." Well, will the makeup of the new Congress, I guess is the question, allow that to happen in 2011?

STEINHAUSER: Yes, it may be tougher, because in this new Congress, as you said, it takes -- jump the 112th Congress starts up on Wednesday. John Boehner will be the new House Speaker. The Republicans will have a much larger, much -- the large majority. They're taking back control of the House. They're going to have a large majority in the House of Representatives.

And you're going to have more conservative members of -- of that majority.

In the Senate, the Republicans, they didn't win back the Senate in the midterm elections, but they will have a stronger, larger, more conservative minority. You put those two things together, and you're going to have -- you're going to have some tougher times to maybe reach a compromise, because a lot of these people were elected by the support -- with support of the Tea Party movement.

And the flip side, the Democratic coalition in the house now, smaller but also much more liberal. And also may be less prone to try to compromise. So, yes, it's going to be tougher. No doubt about it, Susan.

HENDRICKS: Could be fireworks ahead. Paul Steinhauser, thank you.

STEINHAUSER: Thank you.

HENDRICKS: If you are looking for something fun to do this first day of 2011, some intriguing new films are hitting the theaters. We will see what's worth watching.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HENDRICKS: We will head to the box office for a look at the New Year's new movies; that is next.

But first, top stories. It's been a rough start to the New Year in parts of the south and Midwest, after powerful storms tearing through those regions. At least three people were killed in Missouri. Three more deaths were reported in Arkansas. A suspected tornado tore through the small town of Cincinnati in northwest Arkansas. It demolished the town's volunteer fire department building. You see it there.

A deadly fire in Redmond, Washington on this New Year's day. Five people were killed in a blaze at an apartment complex. Sadly, four of the victims were children. Investigators say the building did not have a sprinkler system.

Security has been increased at churches across Egypt today in the wake of a deadly car bombing. A car parked outside the Christian Church of Two Saints in Alexandria exploded just after midnight. Twenty-one people were killed; dozens of others were injured. A nearby Islamic mosque was damaged in that blast and eight Muslims were wounded. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano is spending the first day of 2011 in a war zone. She rang in the New Year with U.S. troops in Kabul, Afghanistan. Napolitano's trip comes as the U.S. is working to beef up security operations along the Afghanistan/Pakistan border.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JANET NAPOLITANO, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: In many areas, progress has been made, but it's fragile on the issue of sustainability. I think that there's a lot of assistance that we at the Department of Homeland Security can provide, where civilian law enforcement is concerned. And to help build capacity in Afghanistan on the civilian side as opposed to the military side.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HENDRICKS: Napolitano is also expected to meet senior U.S. and Afghani officials.

2011 is here, the New Year. New movies to review, that means. Stephanie Zacharek joins us from New York. She's Movie Line's chief film critic.

Hi Stephanie, great to see you.

STEPHANIE ZACHAREK, CHIEF FILM CRITIC, MOVIE LINE: Hi Susan.

HENDRICKS: Let's start with "Blue Valentine", a lot of buzz around this one, especially because of some racy scenes in it. Let's see a clip and then talk about it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RYAN GOSLING, ACTOR: That's it, boom.

MICHELLE WILLIAMS, ACTRESS: Baby. Did you make it?

GOSLING: I didn't make it, but I got us a song. You know, I got a song that would just be for you and me. Because everybody's got songs, but they're lame. And they all share them, you know, it's disgusting. Not us. We have our own song.

WILLIAMS: We have our own song.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HENDRICKS: Two amazing actors there. There's some Oscar buzz surrounding this one, but is it a good movie? That's what we're wondering. Stephanie, what'd you think?

ZACHAREK: It is a good movie. It's the second feature by a young director named Derek Cianfrance and it stars Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams as a young couple. They're in their mid- to late 20s, they have a child. They've been together for probably about six years and their relationship is disintegrating before our very eyes. It's a very piercing and honest look at what can happen to a relationship that starts out with a reasonable amount of promise.

HENDRICKS: And there was a lot of discussion about this. I know with the actors as well. They were pretty mad -- Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams -- about the NC-17 rating, which has since been changed, right?

ZACHAREK: Yes, it has been changed. And that's good news. It's very important, that R rating is very important for a movie, particularly an independent movie, because it affects the number of people who will be able to see it. And also, that R rating, you know, directors need to have a little bit of freedom to portray people the way they really live, to portray things that we can believe in. And they shouldn't be -- they shouldn't be too constricted in that respect.

HENDRICKS: Stephanie, that seems like a good movie, as I watch the clip, "Blue Valentine", but not necessarily a feel-good movie, right?

ZACHAREK: No, it isn't. Actually, it is kind of an emotional workout. I mean, you see these two people who are really struggling to keep it together and you know, Michelle Williams, in particular -- I mean, both of these performances are terrific.

For me, the performances really make the movie, but she -- you know, she's been working for a while, she's not a newcomer, necessarily. She's already been nominated for an academy award for "Brokeback Mountain", but even so, I think this is a real breakthrough for her and I think she'll be getting a lot of attention. I hope so.

HENDRICKS: Ryan Gosling even said how amazing she was. It was like baseball, he said, when he'd throw her she'd slam it out of the park when you threw her a ball meeting the line.

Let's move on to "Another Year", fittingly so, it's called. First, here's a quick clip on that one.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did Jerry tell you about me getting a car?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What'd you think?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Exciting. What are you going to get?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, I don't know. Something small and red.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That narrows it down.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. Hope you're hungry.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm starving, you know me. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have to fatten you up.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Always love having your dinner cooked for you. You don't really bother when you're by yourself, do you? I don't anyway.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're looking well.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, thank you Tom.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You're nice and slim.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Am I? I've always been slim, haven't I?

Unlike me, middle-age breadth.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Shut up, you're perfect, gorgeous in every way, and you know it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HENDRICKS: Some funny lines there, Stephanie. What do you think about that one, "Another Year"?

ZACHAREK: Well, that is by a British director named Mike Lee and it stars Jim Broadband and Ruth Sheen as you saw in the clip. As this sort of well-healed, well-educated couple and their friend, Leslie Manville is the third wheel. She's unmarried, she drinks too much, she is really on the outside of their relationship looking in with a lot of envy and it's -- her performance is actually very poignant.

And this is the sort of thing that Mike Lee is really good at drawing, you know, drawing those kinds of performances forth from his actors.

HENDRICKS: All right. Let's move on to "Beautiful", am I saying it right? It stars Javier Bardem, it's a Golden Globe nominee for Best Foreign Language Film. Bardem's character company is a single dad in Barcelona who works in a shady business, he learns he has cancer, and has to make sure his kids will be taken care of. What did you think about this one? I've been reading rave reviews about his performance?

ZACHAREK: Yes, this is another movie, it's not exactly a fun night out, but really Javier Bardem's performance really makes the film. I mean, I think he has one of the great faces in movies today. I mean, you look at that profile, he's like this bruised lion.

And you know, of course, I've never seen him give a bad performance, but this one in particular, I really think this is super.

HENDRICKS: So do you recommend -- it doesn't look like a film to bring kids to. Would you recommend teens seeing this? Who would you recommend seeing this movie, if anyone? It sounds like you liked the performance, but would you go see it on New Year's Day? ZACHAREK: Yes, well, it's one of those movies, frankly, I think it's kind of -- it's one of those movies, if it makes you feel terrible, it must be really good. And I actually, I think it's definitely worth seeing for Bardem. You just have to brace yourself, because one bad thing after another happens in this film. It's a little bit of a tragedy pileup. So be prepared for that. But the performance is great.

HENDRICKS: Out of the three, what do you like the best?

ZACHAREK: "Blue Valentine" is my favorite overall. I just think -- it's a really honest picture. I think a lot of people can relate to it, sadly.

HENDRICKS: I have a feeling a lot of Oscar buzz, maybe some awards in all those films.

ZACHAREK: Yes.

HENDRICKS: Thank you, Stephanie. Appreciate it. Thanks, Happy New Year.

ZACHAREK: Sure, thank you. Happy New Year.

All of us have probably had some experience with school bullies growing up, but it's got so bad lately, it's drawing national attention. A bullying victim and his mom speak out. You don't want to miss it -- that's next.

Also we are following a developing story. A prison on fire after inmates riot.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(NEW YORK CELEBRATION NEW YORK)

HENDRICKS: That is a peach. New York may have the big crystal ball, but Atlanta has the big peach. And it too dropped on cue, delighting the tens of thousands who packed underground Atlanta. Headlining the event, Tito Jackson of the Jackson Five. He was there.

For some, the celebration began six hours earlier. An accident on one of the Atlanta's busiest highways -- yes I said accident -- right here. shut down all lanes of traffic for about two hours. It didn't stop these revelers and the traffic jam. They decided to pass the time, dancing in the street.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HENDRICKS: An accident on one of the Atlanta's busiest highways -- yes, I said "accident," right here -- shut down all lanes of traffic for about two hours. It didn't stop these revelers in the traffic jam. They decided to pass the time dancing in the street.

The accident was caused when debris fell off a truck and hit several cars. One person was hurt.

Dancing to Michael Jackson.

A CNN poll finds more than a third of teens say they have been ridiculed, or threatened even. That is just one sign that bullying in schools has become a huge problem, forcing many parents and schools to confront the issue head-on. One Pennsylvania teen and his mom are trying to bring about change.

CNN education contributor Steve Perry talks with them in "Perry's Principles."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. STEVE PERRY, CNN EDUCATION CONTRIBUTOR (voice-over): For some bullying victims like 16-year-old Joey Kemmerling, school must be survived.

JOEY KEMMERLING, HIGH SCHOOL JUNIOR: We don't go to school to get an education. We go to school to make it through the day without being killed or without being to the point where we feel the need to kill ourselves.

PERRY: Joey's trouble started in middle school when word got out that he was gay.

(on camera): So what did the kids do to you?

KEMMERLING: A lot. A lot of threats. One kid said that he wanted to light me on fire, like the faggot I was.

PERRY: The child was not reprimanded?

KEMMERLING: The child was not suspended. The child was not given anything other than a talking to, and then sent back to class.

PERRY: If I'm your son's principal, and this has happened, what can I do to help you as a mom feel like I'm doing my job.

JOYCE MUNDY, JOEY'S MOTHER/EDUCATOR: Teachers need to be trained, or be given permission in their classrooms to simply, succinctly address intolerant comments and behaviors.

PERRY (voice-over): Joyce Mundy is Pennsylvania's 2010 middle school principal of the year. She's also Joey's mom. Together they're teaching current and future educators how to stop bullying.

MUNDY: The culture in schools doesn't really change until the whole school community takes it on.

PERRY: Joey has created a Facebook page where everyone can share stories and lend support to those being bullied.

KEMMERLING: The messages are all the same. Schools across America do not know how to deal with the issue of bullying.

PERRY: But Joey and his mom are hoping that will change.

KEMMERLING: There is a part of me that is dead, and I don't want any other child to have to deal with that.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HENDRICKS: That student making a huge difference. Our thanks to Steve Perry there.

A woman keeping an eye on her dog while at work instead spies a cat. We're talking about a cat burglar, crook catching. Apparently there's an app for that. We'll tell you about it and show it to you.

And this week's snowstorm may have been more than some people could bear, but this puppy couldn't get enough of it. This video is so popular, it's gone viral. We'll show you more.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GROUP: Five, four, three, two, one! Happy New Year!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HENDRICKS: 2011 is here, and in Raleigh, North Carolina, nothing says Happy New Year like a giant acorn. People there have been dropping the giant copper and steel acorn for 20 years. Raleigh is, after all, the City of Oaks.

In fact, cities all across North Carolina seem to have come up with unique New Years symbols. In Eastover, they dropped a 30-pound flea. It is true.

In Kure Beach, it's a giant beach ball. Mt. Olive, famous for the giant pickle. And people in Brasstown, North Carolina, gathered to watch the lowering of a giant possum. Pretty unique.

We are checking our top stories for you.

A deadly start to the new year in parts of the South, and Midwest, too. Many communities are in recovery mode today after a tornado outbreak. At least three people died in the small town of Cincinnati, Arkansas.

Look at that mess there, the aftermath. Entire buildings are demolished, including a volunteer fire station with two engines still inside.

Three other deaths are blamed on the severe weather in Missouri. Governor Jay Nixon has declared a state of emergency there. He is touring through the devastated areas today.

In Russia, a deadly explosion and fire aboard a passenger jet. At least one person is dead, three others are missing. An engine reportedly flamed out during takeoff, and the plane had to make an emergency landing in the city of Surgut. Authorities are launching a criminal investigation there.

In England, a fiery riot at a prison two hours south of London. Prisoners smashed windows, set themselves on fire -- set it on fire, rather. At least one building was destroyed. No injuries reported. Fire engines went to the scene, but they had to be escorted by riot officers.

Meteorologist Reynolds Wolf joins us again.

(WEATHER REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HENDRICKS: Some New Year's Eve celebrations for you in Nashville. All was going as planned despite the pouring rain, when suddenly, the big guitar stopped. No word on why it got stuck halfway down. They probably went through it a million times. It didn't stop the celebrating and the fireworks over Music City.

And look at the celebration in San Francisco. A dazzling fireworks display lit up the skyline and the Bay Bridge at the stroke of midnight. At estimated 200,000 people bundled up to take in this waterfront tradition. Fireworks launched from barges in the middle of San Francisco Bay.

More celebrations from across the U.S. still to come.

Well, New Year's wouldn't be the same without a healthy dose of viral videos. Josh Levs joins us with the highlights.

What have you got, Josh? Hi.

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Welcome to "Viral Video Rewind."

HENDRICKS: Thank you. Great to be here. I love it. I love the wall.

LEVS: I know. She loves the wall. We all love the wall.

So we highlight the hottest viral videos around. And it's cool, because this week we get to start with an iReport, a couple of them.

Take a look at this one. This is so cool. Watch this little doggy. Loves to bury himself in snow. He's just gone.

HENDRICKS: Where'd he go?

LEVS: iReporter Andrea Wallick from Short Hills, New Jersey, shot this video Monday after a blizzard there. Jack is her Norfolk terrier. He goes out first thing after a blizzard. He couldn't wait to get in that snow.

HENDRICKS: Oh.

(LAUGHTER)

LEVS: Oh, Jack. He wasn't scared burying himself down there.

HENDRICKS: Look at how cute!

LEVS: He just loved it.

HENDRICKS: I heard the owner saying, "Jack? Jack? Jack?" And he's not coming in.

LEVS: No, he's fine. Dude is in control of that snow. I love it. Now it makes me want to go do that.

HENDRICKS: With Jack.

LEVS: Yes, with Jack. Seriously, if he got me through there.

Now we've got another iReport that's really gone viral. Take a look at this.

It's a time-lapsed video taken by iReporter Michael Black from Belmar, New Jersey. He took these time-lapsed pictures that shows the snow falling. And it goes across an entire day.

And starts off with nothing at all, and it goes through the night. They just kept the picture going. And you can see it pile up.

HENDRICKS: The first two videos from New Jersey. Did you know I'm from New Jersey?

LEVS: Yes, they're for you.

HENDRICKS: Oh, they are? I was wondering if that was a coincidence.

Thank you, Josh.

(LAUGHTER)

LEVS: Well, I'm from upstate New York, so you and I both know what it is to be surrounded by the snow.

HENDRICKS: Northeast, shout-out.

LEVS: We both escaped it. Northeast refugees who came south to Atlanta.

All right. Our next video is really beautiful. This is nice. Take a look here.

This guy filmed his kids going down the stairs every Christmas for 25 years. And now they've put together this YouTube video set to music by Vince Guaraldi, "Christmastime is Here."

So here they are back in the '80s. Now skip to the next section of the video, and you see them as they get older going down --

HENDRICKS: I wonder if they're embarrassed. You know, there's some rough years in there. My dad did this as well, filming us coming down the stairs every year.

LEVS: He did?

HENDRICKS: Yes. Some awkward moments. My sister and I dressed alike in pajamas. I'm so happy we're not showing my video of especially the fifth through eighth grade years. Not good.

LEVS: Well, when we get off the year, we should call your dad and get them for tomorrow. Right?

HENDRICKS: No way. They're in a locked box.

LEVS: It's all gone?

Well, skip now to the last section. I'll tell you this -- I know the guy is not -- by the way, there's a new guy there, which is the sister's husband. The guy is not embarrassed, because Nick Confolone (ph) has posted about this on his Twitter account, saying he and his dad are so glad people are loving the video.

HENDRICKS: Even when they're older, they're sliding down. Good sports.

LEVS: Yes, they are. Beautiful stuff.

OK. Now we're going to get some of the funky, wild videos that pop up each week. Take a look at this.

It might make you very slightly dizzy, but basically what you're about to see as this comes in is this guy takes a camera, puts it at the end of a sword, and decides to start spinning it like crazy. Swordfish 2010, the sword forum. They Duck tape the camera.

HENDRICKS: I'm already dizzy.

LEVS: I know. I don't want to make our folks sick.

HENDRICKS: Especially New Year's Day. If they had a little champagne last night, close your eyes.

LEVS: Right. Just waking up to this. Sorry about that.

HENDRICKS: Good morning!

(LAUGHTER)

LEVS: All right. We'll let it go another few seconds. By the way, that's Flo Rida there with "You Spin Me Right Round."

HENDRICKS: Not to be confused with Florida, Flo Rida.

LEVS: Not to be confused with Florida.

HENDRICKS: Flo Rida.

(CROSSTALK) LEVS: Very cool.

OK. Take a look at the next one here. This is a pretty funky song -- funky video, rather.

What you have here is a -- you know, every week we have an adorable video, and this week it's a cat that decides it wants to look like a bunny.

HENDRICKS: You know, those two things are cute alone. You put them together --

LEVS: I know. Look what happened. The cat wants to be a bunny, so look what he does.

(LAUGHTER)

HENDRICKS: Does the cat really want to be a bunny, or did the owner just put some catnip in that bunny hat?

LEVS: That's a good question. Maybe there was some nip. I'm trying to figure out how it got the cat to do that on its own.

HENDRICKS: The cat wants to be a bunny. Let's see it again. Wait.

LEVS: Well, we're getting Freudian, deciding that it wants to be a bunny. But look at that really smooth move there by the kitty. And I love that look.

Folks, if you've got a cat, this might be the new hot trend.

HENDRICKS: Cameras on swords and cats with bunny hats.

(LAUGHTER)

LEVS: Oh, man.

HENDRICKS: Good 2011 to you.

LEVS: You never know what you're going to get in viral video world.

All right. Two more things to bang through before they make me go.

Take a look at this guy, the pizza acrobat. I've never seen this one before.

This guy travels around, Scott's Pizza Tours, doing incredible things with pizza dough. People have these wild skills, and because of the era of viral videos, now everyone can share them.

HENDRICKS: That is a skill.

LEVS: And I'm going to toss in one more here. Last week I was looking at some of my favorites from the past year, and I didn't get to this one, which is the best daily affirmation motivational speech ever. Listen to this girl.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I can do anything good! I like my school! I like anything!

I like my dad! I like my cousins! I like my aunts! I like my elephants!

I like my mom! I like my sisters! I like my dad!

I like my hair! I like my hair! I like my haircuts!

I like my stuff. I like my room! I like my whole house! My whole house is great!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEVS: I run through that every day. This girl is so inspirational.

Her name is Jessica. She was 4 years old here. And this was back in 2001, but her folks just posted it online a couple of years ago. And so now she would be about 12 or 13 years old.

HENDRICKS: I would love to get her on the show today. We talked about New Year's resolutions, about not being down on yourself. She is an example for all of us. "I like my sister. I like my cousins."

(LAUGHTER)

LEVS: I like my anything.

HENDRICKS: "I like my house."

LEVS: I love that girl.

HENDRICKS: I love her. She's my favorite.

LEVS: I can't watch that enough.

OK. I posted everything for you so you can see it yourself. So here's my screen -- I'm at Facebook and Twitter, JoshLevsCNN.

Go ahead, check out the favorite links here, all the links we just had. And tell me some of your favorites, because I will show some of your favorites tomorrow, right here on "Viral Video Rewind."

HENDRICKS: All of those are my favorites.

LEVS: I know. They're awesome.

HENDRICKS: Good job, Josh.

LEVS: Thank you.

HENDRICKS: Thanks.

LEVS: Thank you. It's good to have you here.

HENDRICKS: We're going to go "Cross Country" now on this New Year's Day.

First stop is Kansas. Some teenagers jumped into action when a wildfire started threatening homes in their neighborhood.

They grabbed shovels and rakes and started putting out the fire, working alongside firefighters. They jumped into action.

This is Bend, Oregon. A dog ventured out on a local pond and fell through the ice. Well, a firefighter moved right in, risked his own life to save the animal. He said he did it to save someone else from risking his life to rescue the dog.

Good for him.

Last stop, New Holland, Pennsylvania, where a rabid group of 13 bulls broke out of their pens and rambled through a neighborhood, tearing up yards and fences, and forcing people to hide. Bulls! It took police several hours to corral the animals, calling on cowboy skills they didn't know they had. No one was injured, luckily.

Got a burglar? Well, there is an app for that. Here is reporter Kevin Torres with CNN Denver affiliate KUSA.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There he is.

KEVIN TORRES, REPORTER, KUSA (voice-over): What a day.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A creepy, creepy guy.

TORRES: What a night, for that matter.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Last night, I just -- my roommate and I just did not sleep.

TORRES: It started Tuesday morning. Claire (ph) was away, left her computer on, and connected to its camera through an application on her phone called iCam.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And you can have up to four cameras going at a time.

TORRES: She uses it to check in on her dog while she's at work.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Gosh, that must have been awful, huh?

TORRES: Instead of seeing her dog Tuesday, she saw this man, a burglar, rummaging through her stuff. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Now, there is so much stuff he could have taken. It's so odd he didn't take it.

TORRES: The burglar did get away with a few iPods and other electronics, a couple hundred bucks worth of stuff, to be exact.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm really grossed out.

TORRES: Last night we showed the video during this exact newscast, and the result was promising.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Last night somebody was watching Channel 9, and they saw -- I guess they were able to see his face from the footage that was there. I know it wasn't awesome or anything, but they called and tipped it in, and he was able to get picked up.

TORRES: That information was given to Claire (ph) by a detective with Denver police.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He was like, "I believe we have your perp in custody. He says he didn't take anything and that he just walked around and looked in your house." I was like, "Oh, all right. Well, that's interesting, because I have the feed of him actually putting my iPod in his bag."

TORRES: Claire (ph) is grateful to the viewer who spotted the man --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Krusher McGee (ph).

TORRES: -- knowing she will be able to sleep safe and sound tonight.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just a huge relief.

TORRES: In Denver, this is Kevin Torres, 9 News.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HENDRICKS: Pretty amazing. There's an app for that.

From a sheet of solid ice, to the wood flooring of a basketball court, we will show you a different kind of full-court press.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GROUP: Five, four -- Happy New Year!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HENDRICKS: That's kind of a party before the party. Thousands of kids celebrated the new year hours early at the LEGOLAND amusement park in California. It was complete with a Times Square style countdown with a LEGO brick dropping from a 22-feet-tall tower. They didn't wait until midnight though. This celebration started around 6:00 p.m. Great idea.

Have you ever wondered this, how some sports arenas change from an ice hockey rink into a basketball court? As part of our award- winning "Favorites in Focus" series, we take you behind the scenes of Philips Arena here in Atlanta.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The final score for tonight's game, Tampa Bay Lightning 2; your Atlanta Thrashers, 1.

RICHARD MANLEY, PHILIPS ARENA: The games end at 9:30 at night. We're starting at 10:00. We change this building over every night from hockey to basketball, basketball to hockey.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is what we call the third shift, the night shift. When everybody else is asleep, this is when this building can change from one thing to the next. It's extremely physical and very hard work.

MANLEY: It is hard work. Sometimes you get those two days off, you really enjoy those.

ERIC COLLINS, PHILIPS ARENA: A lot of people don't like working at night. Then, again, I know people who wake it up at 4:00 in the morning to go to work. And I don't think I could do that.

MANLEY: It's 12:00 now, and we've got hockey deconstructed. The ice is covered. The basketball court is still coming out. I have 15 cartloads.

COLLINS: We're putting the pins in the floor pieces and putting the floor together.

MANLEY: It's 1:15 in the morning. We are about seven carts into our basketball laydown.

COLLINS You get used to it. You stay busy, so the time goes kind of quick.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They have a morning skate at 10:00. I have to have the ice ready for that. And the same thing for basketball -- 10:00 in the morning is usually the first shoot-around, unless there is a matinee game.

COLLINS: By 4:00 or 5:00 we usually get through.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The basketball floor is down. No we're heading into the final finishing touches.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You have certain bleachers over here that has to come out. You just have to train your body to be up at night if you're night a person.

MANLEY: It is what it is. The middle of the night, and this is like -- somebody has to do it. I'll take it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HENDRICKS: Somebody's got do it. That's pretty amazing, isn't it?

"Favorites in Focus" brings you the stories behind the headlines on topics ranging from the economy, to military issues, to giving back. That's at 2:00 Eastern. Don't miss it.