Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
Seattle Home Explodes; Bishops to Held a Conference to Address Issues Within; Seven Luck People to Join the CNN's Fit Nation Challenge Identified
Aired February 05, 2012 - 17:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Parents unleash anger and frustration over the mysterious twitching episodes and seizures among some New York teens.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFED FEMALE: You need to prove to us that it is safe to put our children in this school.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: This mother joins us in THE NEWSROOM. Plus --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFED FEMALE: It's important to offer people this kind of information because for so long people did not know who their ancestors were.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Private slave documents go public. Some African-Americans get new tools to trace their ancestry. It starts now in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Angry, frustrated parents in western New York take a stand and demand answers now. Almost four months after more than a dozen teenagers and an adult from Leroy developed uncontrollable twitching and verbal tics. Last night at a community meeting organized by the school district, outraged residents didn't hold back.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MELISSA CIANCI, PARENT: I'm done listening to you. You guys need to do something. My child, my children, all of them. I run a business in this town. It is not safe. Why is it you need to prove to us that it is safe to put our children in this school? As a community, we need to come together, we need to pull our children out, there is other places we can take them and give them the education they need. You are not doing your job. You are not doing your job. And not answering questions. I'm tired of it! We need to stand up as parents to fight for the rights of our children. You're not.
(END VIDEO CLIP) WHITFIELD: That was Melissa Cianci. I spoke with her earlier today.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: So, Melissa, what kind of response did you receive after directing your questions and your outrage to that panel?
CIANCI (via telephone): I really did not receive a response. And I ended up walking out.
WHITFIELD: What do you want the city or the school district to do?
CIANCI: I want them to do soil samples, water samples. I want to see everything in documents showing us exactly what they tested and what the results are.
WHITFIELD: Because you think they have not done a good job of publicizing those results?
CIANCI: No, they have not. They have only done air testing. They have not done any other testing.
WHITFIELD: Are you encouraged at all that activist Erin Brockovich has been leading an independent investigation, taking soil samples and water samples from the area. We don't know what the results are as yet, but are you encouraged at all there would be this outside entity to do this?
CIANCI: Yes, I believe that they're doing their job and they should come in and do it because they'll do it for free and we won't as taxpayers have to pay for it like the school wants us to do.
WHITFIELD: So, Melissa. You have kids in school. You also run a day care business. How is it impacted your day to day life? Are you drinking tap water, you and your family, are you bathing with tap water, are you trying to avoid touching the soil? How has this impacted you?
CIANCI: Well, I could, you know, depending on the testing that comes back on my property could shut my business down. Right now we still are living our lives like we have been, using the tap water, drinking the tap water, bathing in it. But we got to have testing done. I got to make sure my kids are safe at my home, not only at the school, but at the home.
WHITFIELD: So, you haven't this until they change your habit. Now, what about your kids attending school? I understand that one of your kids has had some headaches recently. Do you think there is a connection?
CIANCI: I think there is. But I'm not 100 percent sure. We don't have any proof so we don't know.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: All right. Melissa Cianci, thank you for your time. And meantime, tests done by the school and health department have found no environmental link. But the school says further testing will be done.
All right, breaking news out of Washington state. A home south of Seattle exploded a short time ago. Police think inside that home were the husband of Susan Powell, a woman who went missing out of Utah, back in 2009 and her two young children.
Powell is a mother who turned up missing back in 2009. A search has been under way ever since. Her husband, Josh Powell, told authorities that she disappeared while she had taken the children camping in Utah during a winter storm. We're working to get more information now on this story.
So once again, what we understand is the two children of that woman who is still missing were taken to their father's home in Washington state and somehow an explosion occurred and now authorities believe that the two children have been killed in that explosion. Unclear what may have caused that explosion there in Washington state. When we get more information, we'll of course bring that to you.
Alright meantime, an illness sweeps through two ships belonging to the princess cruise line, leaving nearly 500 people sick. Both vessels returned to port in Florida. Passengers had mixed reviews for the crew on how they handled that outbreak.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No accommodations made for how horrible it was. Nobody from the crew bothered to say they were sorry.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sometimes it seemed a little overdone because you had to sterilize your hands as soon as you went in to eat, and then once you had sterilized it, they still wouldn't let you touch it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think they did an excellent job. Told you not to touch any surfaces. So that left me hugging my wife.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: The cruise line says everyone who got sick is suffering from what is called norovirus which is something like a stomach disorder that spreads from person to person.
Alright, turning to politics now. As of today, it looks like Mitt Romney has the lock on his front-runner status. Romney won 48 percent of the vote in yesterday's Nevada Republican caucus. He is the first candidate in this primary season to win two states in a row. And he celebrated that win with his Nevada supporters, vowing to take on Obama in the fall.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CROWD: Mitt! Mitt! Mitt! Mitt! Mitt! Mitt! Mitt! Mitt! Mitt! Mitt! Mitt! Mitt! Mitt! Mitt! Mitt! Mitt! Mitt! Mitt! Mitt! Mitt!
MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Let me ask you. Let me ask you here a question. Did Obama care encourage businesses to hire more people?
CROWD: No!
ROMNEY: Did Dodd-frank get banks to renegotiate and make more loans?
CROWD: No!
ROMNEY: Did --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: All right, Nevada behind them now. Next up, Colorado, Minnesota and Missouri. Three states all holding contests on Tuesday. Then next Saturday, it is off to Maine for caucuses. So right now all four GOP candidates say they are in the race for the long run.
And remember to check with us Tuesday evening. Our entire political team will be here bringing you the latest results of those contests on Tuesday. Our coverage begins that evening at 6:00 p.m. Eastern time.
Fidel Castro appears in public for the first time in nearly a year. He's plugging a book, his memoir. We'll find out if he reveals anything new about his rise to power next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right, sure you love your family, but can you really picture this, grandparents, mom, dad, kids, grandkids, all living under one big roof? A lot of people are doing just that.
Christine Romans finds out why and how's it working.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Meet the Loeffler.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm dad.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm the mom.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I am the son.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I am the grandmother and great grandmother.
ROMANS: Three generations, plus one dog living under one roof. Make that four generations when granddaughter Ella visits.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I really value family. It means a lot to me to have everybody together a lot.
ROMANS: For the first time in decades, more generations are moving in together, reversing a trend that has been in place since World War II. It is about culture. It is about convenience. It is about money.
The trend has grown 30 percent over the past decade, fueled by immigration, people living longer, and more recently job losses and foreclosures.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have a couple of bedrooms upstairs.
ROMANS: New Jersey builder Don Gyrness renovates single family homes to accommodate more than one generation.
When you look at what's been happening in the housing market, you can see this as an area of housing that is showing growth no question. Are you seeing that in your business?
DON GYRNESS, SPECTRUM CONSTRUCTION: Absolutely. We have been doing multi-gen houses for 20 something years. We spotted. One a year, two a year, zero, and then in 2009, it has grown to three to five projects per year.
ROMANS: One of those projects, building an addition for the Loeffler.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is the kitchen.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I could have never lived by myself. I could have never afforded it. I couldn't, you know?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: For her it was definitely an economic. But for us, I think it was peace of mind having her here.
ROMANS: Peace of mind also meant a new social dynamic to keep the peace.
SHARON LOEFFLER. LIVES IN MULTI-GENERATION HOUSEHOLD: Mom is sensitive to our family dynamics too.
TOM LOEFFLER, LIVES IN MULTI-GENERATION HOUSEHOLD: It was important for us to keep her room separate. I mean, she's an integrated part of the house, but, you know, she could make it separate and she has a separate entrance on to the back deck. So she -- hopefully she feels like, hey, it is separate. I think those are the important things.
ROMANS: But change comes with unexpected perks too.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My washer and dryer right here.
MATT LOEFFLER, LIVES IN MULTI-GENERATION HOUSEHOLD: Every couple of days I bring my laundry down, drop it off and when I come home from work, it is all pressed and good to go.
ROMANS: Christine Romans, Secosana (ph), New Jersey.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Fidel Castro says his memory is fading, but still has plenty to say about himself and his rise to power. The former Cuban president has released a two volume memoir. A thousand pages, covering his life from infancy to the 1958 revolution that installed him as Cuba's leader. It was the first time anyone has seen Castro in public since last April.
Ralitsa Vessileva is here from CNN International with more on this. So he made himself public. He didn't look so bad, did he?
RALITSA VASSILEVA, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: No, dent. But he's been --
WHITFIELD: Frail, but not as frail as some --
VASSILEVA: He's 85 years old, yes, yes. So he's come up with these memoirs. He said his memories are fading, so he wanted to make sure he put this on paper, how he felt, his ideas. So basically the format is -- it is like a question and answer with a journalist and basically she wrote the book, based on the answers he gave her. So it is like a question and answer format. We know very little about it, as you mentioned, a thousand pages, two volumes. We know the Brazilian president. She was visiting so she got an advance copy.
WHITFIELD: Signed, no less.
VASSILEVA: I would think so. But, it is interesting. There was one quote I was able to get, what he says to this journalist who wrote the book. He prefers, he says, I prefer an old clock, old eyeglasses, old boots and in politics, everything new.
And actually he still is staying on top of politics. He talked politics in fact the presentation of his book as well about his good friend, Chavez, of course the Venezuelan president and praised Chilean students who were protesting for free education. He praised them for doing that. So, he's still through the with opinions and --
WHITFIELD: Is there any feeling he's also appealing to the Cuban people, trying to embrace all that is old just as the Cuban residents really have to do by no choice, whether it be the cars that are, you know, dated back to the 1950s.
VASSILEVA: Well, basically he's relinquished power. He's transferred it to his brother, Raul, in 2008. So he's basically been staying out of politics, writing these memoirs. He also writes a column in the local media called "Reflections" where he talks about current events.
WHITFIELD: By way of staying reporting?
VASSILEVA: NO. It is like his reflections. Call it a blog, Fidel's blog in the media. But - so, that's what he's been up to. It is interesting. We saw, if you look at the pictures, we always used to remember Fidel Castro, you know, in the military fatigues and giving speeches that lasted for hours and hours. But right now, he was -- this is the way we see him. He's in a track suit, a dark track suit. That's the fashion he's embraced in his old age.
WHITFIELD: He loves sports too.
VASSILEVA: Book presentation, have you heard of a book presentation that was six hours?
WHITFIELD: Interesting.
VASSILEVA: Or by his standards, it is a short one.
WHITFIELD: By Fidel Castro?
VASSILEVA: Yes, for six hours.
WHITFIELD: That is a long time.
VASSILEVA: That is a long time.
WHITFIELD: Hopefully everyone was seated.
VASSILEVA: But, everything is relative.
WHITFIELD: That's right. That's fascinating. OK. And so this book, more likely to be available for those in Cuba and other allied nations?
VASSILEVA: We don't know yet where it is going to be published.
WHITFIELD: Mystery shrouded.
VASSILEVA: It was released on Friday. We'll see, maybe we can call the Brazilian president and ask her.
WHITFIELD: You'll bring us the answers as soon as they become available first. Ralitsa, thanks so much. Good to see you.
VASSILEVA: Good to see you, too.
WHITFIELD: All right. News from Rome coming up next. Catholics' gathering tomorrow, trying to stop sex abuse in the church.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right. This week, a federal judge will consider whether to throw out some priest sex abuse claims in the Milwaukee diocese. More than 550 people alleged they were abused. The archdiocese filed for bankruptcy last January and these claims are part of that case.
The archdiocese is asking the judge to throw out up to 95 percent of the claims saying this, on many of the claims were filed beyond the statute of limitations. The alleged abuse involves someone who wasn't a church employee. And some victims already got settlements from the archdiocese. Many victims are furious that the archdiocese is trying to throw out the claims.
Pope Benedict XVI wants all catholic churches to have guidelines in place to prevent clerical sexual abuse and to respond appropriately when allegations are made. And that's the focus of an international conference happening next week in Rome. More than 200 representatives from Bishops conferences and major religious orders around the world are invited.
I spoke earlier with our Vatican analyst, John Alan.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: This conference seems very focused on action, finding solutions for how to deal with this issue. Is that what you're hearing?
JOHN ALLEN, CNN SENIOR VATICAN ANALYST: Yes, Fredricka. That's absolutely right. These would be the people coming together who are representing these Bishops conferences and religious orders would be experts in child protection. That is people on the ground working for the church on this issue in various parts of the world, trying to identify best practices in preventing, detecting and then prosecuting abuse and trying to make sure that those best practices become a global standard.
One of the problems here with the church's response is that supervision of personnel is handled locally, that is handled sort of parish by parish, diocese by diocese, religious order by religious order. It always has been difficult to come up with a uniform global approach, but that's what this conference is trying to achieve.
WHITFIELD: Is it also the case that some alleged victims, are planning to attend this conference? And if so, what is the role going to be?
ALLEN: Yes, in fact, one of the first major speakers is going to be a victim of clerical abuse from Ireland. Ireland, of course, has had one of the most massive catholic search abuse crises anywhere in the world and this is a victim by the name of Mario Collins who has publicly talked about her experiences and as in fact been very sharply critical of what she sees as the church's failures to get its hands around this. She has been invited to make one of the first presentations because organizers say that they want to hear the voices of victims and the way they go about trying to fight this.
WHITFIELD: And is the catholic church, in large part, publicizing that there is this conference about to be under way to address the fact that membership worldwide in some parts is dropping significantly in the catholic church?
ALLEN: Well, I don't think it is quite as crass as that. I men, first of all, the truth is that globally the catholic church is growing significantly. I mean, it is true. It is losing membership in some parts of the west. But, you know, you take a place like Africa, the catholic church actually grew by 7,000 percent in Africa during the 20th century. So, I don't think trying to stem membership losses is the issue.
I just think that the church, however, realizes it is taking a massive blow to its moral authority and to its public image. And I do think they want to try to turn that around. But fundamentally, I think the motive for this conference is that church leaders want to try to make sure that the church is a safe place for children and for everyone else for that matter and try to put policies in place to make sure that as much as humanly possible that's the case.
John Allen, thanks so much for joining us from Rome.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: And more now on a breaking story we are following out of Washington state. A home has exploded there and it is believed that two children have been killed. You're looking at a picture now of Susan Powell. She's a woman who went missing back in 2009 in Utah. Well, it is believed that the children of this woman, Susan Powell, just may have been in that home that exploded in Washington state. Reportedly the children were going to visit the father, Josh Powell, whose home just exploded there in Washington state. And apparently this comes just days after the father, Josh Powell, have been denied custody of these children.
And we're trying to get more information of what may have sparked this explosion at this house. But right now, investigators do believe at least two children have been killed in that explosion. Let's get more information now on the investigation from fire chief Gary Franz who is on the line with us now.
So, Mr. Franz, give us all that you know about this home explosion.
GARY FRANZ, FIRE CHIEF (via telephone): OK, Fredricka. Look. I'm at the scene right now of the thoroughly extensively damaged single family residence. We -- the fire department received this call at about 12:15 this afternoon. Immediately the units were given information from our dispatch center of reports of an explosion with fire. There was clearly a large fire in progress. All of our units reporting a large column of smoke on the way to the fire.
The building had fire virtually at every level, significantly damaged home. Our crews were not able to make entry. We were forced into a defensive fire fight operation given the amount of fire and the damage to the building. Several minutes later we pretty much had the main body of the fire knocked down and then we were able to start, you know, clearing out a little bit where we could make some visual assessments of the inside of the building for access. And one of our fire crews located what appeared to be two small fire victims, clearly deceased, inside the building early on here.
And then just about half an hour ago or so now we located a male victim in the house. We have been able to do a thorough search of the building. We do not believe at this point there are any other victims inside the fire building or outside the fire building.
Firefighters are all safe. Everybody is good to go. We're currently in mop up operations right now, just simply trying to get the fire completely extinguished so the fire investigators and the police investigators can now begin the process of determining with clarity, who these bodies are.
WHITFIELD: My goodness, so chief Franz, now we're looking at images just now coming in. The remnants of that house with firefighters on the scene there, trying to, you know, battle what is left of that smoldering mess there.
You mentioned, OK, that the -- what appear to be remains of two small bodies, maybe these two children, and possibly the remains of another, which may be an adult were in fact located at that residence, that residence is that of Josh Powell, the onetime husband of Susan Powell.
We were looking at images of a woman that a lost folks may have been seeing on our air. Susan Powell went missing back in Utah in 2009. It is believed that this residence is that of Josh Powell and the two children that he had been fighting for custody of were visiting him today. And this explosion took place shortly after the children's arrival.
Did residents -- had any resident said anything about the smell of gas or anything suspicious surrounding that home prior to this explosion?
FRANZ: No, Fredricka. Here is what I understand from reports given to me here at the scene. A CPS worker had apparently brought the two Josh Powell children to this house for a supervised visit. And as she brought them to the door, the door opened, she saw Mr. Powell. She allowed the children to come in and as soon as the children came in, apparently he closed the door in a way that prevented her from entering this building.
She tried to get back in. There was no answer, no reply. She also began to smell gas. What kind of gas, I don't know. All I know is that she reported a smell of gas and then moments to minutes later this house exploded and she was calling her supervisors to report the situation.
WHITFIELD: My goodness, so she was still in the proximity, she was still close to that property and she miraculously escaped any kind of injury?
FRANZ: Yep, that's absolutely correct, very miraculous and good for her.
WHITFIELD: And we're looking at the images still and when we had a wider view, we could see another property nearby. As far as you can tell us, no other properties have been involved in this?
FRANZ: Yes, we have no other damage on any other property. We had been four engines here initially, four, five engines, a ladder truck and they -- it is obviously a defensive fire fight on the house itself and so, you know, a lot of our focus initially goes directly to savable buildings. This was clearly not a savable building.
WHITFIELD: Are these old properties? Are they fairly new properties? What can you tell me about this neighborhood or this structure?
FRANZ: This is an area -- I can't -- I don't know exactly, but my sense about looking at the type of construction here, we're probably looking at mid'70s, early '80s construction.
WHITFIELD: And as far as you know, any complaints or any problems with gas leaks anywhere in the vicinity? FRANZ: No. We have had nothing in this area that way to my knowledge at all.
WHITFIELD: All right. Fire Chief Gary Franz, thanks so much for your time. Tragic situation there.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: So, again, Chief Franz letting us know that the remains of three bodies, two very small, possibly that of the children of Josh Powell, the father who had just recently been fighting for custody and was defeated in court just days ago, trying to win custody of these children.
These children are also that of Susan Powell, who went missing back in 2009 in Utah. And that investigation had never been closed, but this sad situation of this explosion taking place at a house there in Washington state, still unclear why this explosion occurred. And we'll have more news right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Each year, CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta picks a team of viewers to train for and compete in the fit nation triathlon challenge. They get a bike, wet suit, personal trainer and a trip to Hawaii to race with Sanjay in the nautical Malibu triathlon. This September, here is this year's lucky seven.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NANCY KLINGER, FIT NATION PARTICIPANT: My name is Nancy. And I'm sending you this video on a really chilly November night here in Minnesota.
DOCTOR SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Nancy Klinger recently separated from her husband after a 26-year marriage. And though she's in OK physical shape, mentally she's finding it tough to stay motivated.
KLINGER: I'm finding it really hard to generate the energy needed to get through the day, let alone get some really good regular exercise.
GUPTA: Glenn Keller is a truck driver from Texas. He runs a call-in ministry from his cell phone when he's on the road.
GLENN KELLER, FIT NATION PARTICIPANT: Here I sit making this video and I'm at least 100 pounds overweight. I think the first life I need to make a difference in is mine.
GUPTA: Denise Castelli from New Jersey was a star college softball player when a tragic accident on the field forced doctors to amputate her leg.
DENISE CASTELLI, FIT NATION PARTICIPANT: I have always prided myself on being a top notch athlete and I miss that and I desperately want that back. GUPTA: Radio host, Jeff Dauler, has just gone through a divorce and is looking to reinvent himself.
JEFF DAULER, FIT NATION PARTICIPANT: I realize that one of the only things that any of us can control in our lives is our bodies, what we put in them and how we take care of them.
GUPTA: Carlos Solis has dedicated his life to helping troubled kids but often doesn't take time to focus on his own health.
CARLOS SOLIS, FIT NATION PARTICIPANT: I'm a type 2 diabetic. My doctors told me I need to lose weight and diet and exercise and bring my sugars under control.
GUPTA: Rick Morris is a web designer and volunteer firefighter in North Carolina. But the smoke he's battling most often comes from his own cigarette habit.
RICK MORRIS, FIT NATION PARTICIPANT: After my career in the army, I started smoking and quit exercising. I don't want to die young from controllable circumstances. I want to live.
GUPTA: And Adrienne Lagier, a journalism teacher from Maryland, has a big event coming up, just two weeks before our race day.
ADRIENNE LAGIER, FIT NATION PARTICIPANT: Getting married to the father of my twins, Chris, after eight long years. And the biggest gift I feel like I could give him is starting our life in fitness and health. This teacher wants to be your student.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: And you can follow the fit nation lucky seven from now until the race at CNN.com/fitnation.
All right, now to a search for roots and family history, a new project traces the ancestors of African-Americans.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It is important to offer people this kind of information because for so long people did not know who their ancestors were.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: We'll tell you what makes this such a unique archive right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: This breaking news out of Washington. You're looking at remnants of a house, a house explosion took place there and according to fire chief that I spoke with just moments ago, the remnants, the remains of three bodies were found. Two of small bodies and it is believed that they are the children of a woman who went missing, if you recall, back in Utah in 2009. Her name was Susan Powell and recently the children were part of a custody battle.
And Josh Powell, who is the owner of that house that exploded, just days ago last week was denied custody. He was trying to gain permanent custody of the children and then today according to the fire chief that I spoke to just moments ago, a supervisor with the state was dropping off the children at that residence for a supervised visit. And according to that counselor, that supervisor, as soon as she dropped off the children, the children went into the house and the father, Josh Powell, immediately shut the door.
The supervisor claims she smelled gas and as she was making her way to the vehicle to make a phone call, back to the office, the house exploded. And the fire chief says that all three believed to have perished in that fire. The two children and the father, Josh Powell, in that residence, unclear what may have caused that explosion. That is still under investigation.
Again, you're seeing the images here, the remnants of that house. And the fire chief did tell me earlier there were no complaints in the neighborhood of any kind of gas smells, nothing of the sort in that neighborhood, just that supervisor who was dropping off the children for that supervised visit said she smelled gas as she was walking to her car.
We'll keep you posted on that.
Meantime, the Virginia historical society is compiling a database to help African-Americans find their ancestors. The catalog hopes to fill in the holes in America's slave history.
Athena Jones finds out why so many are excited about this project.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): African slaves first arrived in Virginia in 1619. Now in fading ink and yellow paper, more of their stories are being told.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is just the beginning.
JONES: A new online database allows users to track down information about their ancestors in this state, whether they were slaves, free blacks or slave owners says Dr. Lauranett Lee.
DOCTOR LAURANETT LEE, VIRGINIA HISTORICAL SOCIETY: You can see all of the enslaved people that were listed in this broad side.
JONES: More than 80 people came to the Virginia historical society's first workshop to learn how to navigate their site, including a history teacher who flew in from Indiana.
GALE CARTER, HISTORY TEACHER: I think it is just innately human to want to know our origins.
JONES: An amateur genealogist Robert Payne. ROBERT PAYNE, AMATEUR GENEALOGIST: Researching black folks is difficult. So, anytime you can find a new resource, it is always good to investigate.
JONES: The unknown no longer project and workshops made possible with 125,000 in grants from the energy company Dominion, is aimed at helping people fill in the gaps in their own family history, and in the process the nation.
LEE: We're not only looking at African-American history, we're looking at American history, from a Virginia perspective.
JONES: The society amassed more than eight million documents, donated mostly by well to do Virginia families.
More slaves lived in Virginia than any other state. And this city, Richmond, was at the heart of the U.S. slave trade. Many black men, women and children were brought here to be sold to other states.
Some 3,200 names of slaves, free blacks and slave holders have been entered to the database so far and the site is updated weekly.
LEE: For so long people did not know who their ancestors were, did not know where to go to look for it. And it is important for people to know who they are, because having that sense of identity enables people to have a sense of dignity, a sense of knowing who they are within this American landscape.
JONES: The documents, deeds and wills, papers granting slaves their freedom, and even passes that allowed slaves from one plantation to visit another, are now searchable for free with the click of a button. Assistant archivist Paige Newman walked me through a search of a slave inventory list.
So, you have the names, the ages, their occupation.
PAIGE NEWMAN, ASSISTANT ARCHIVIST: Values.
JONES: The Virginia Historical Society is helping to fill in the details of America's slave history, uncovering pieces of the past, name by name.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I need to know my history.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: And Athena Jones, joining us live now from Washington. So Athena, how complicated are these searches?
JONES: Well, they're really not complicated at all. That's the whole idea you can just go to this site. It is unknownnolonger.vahistorical.org and within a few minutes, you can -- as soon as you get there, you see on the screen a place to enter names. You can enter a first name. That was one of the suggestions that they gave the workshop yesterday. You may only have known a family member's first name, go ahead and enter that. There are more complicated searches. More advances searched, I should say, where you can put in may be a plantation name or a county in the state. So, it is really easy to use and only a matter of minutes you can find out if there are records, either on your family or maybe even a slave holding family.
WHITFIELD: That's going to be a fascinating link. So many families don't have that kind of information. How about you? I understand that you were able to do a search.
JONES: Well, I was. I mean, as you can imagine there are a lot of people whose last name is Jones. So, I found a lot of Jones. It is hard to know if those people were related to my family. Most of my family is in Louisiana and Texas. We know that Virginia shipped a lot of slaves to other states. But it is kind of hard in that brief search yesterday at least to kind of figure out all the links there, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: Yes, very difficult. We know that a lot of names change along the way. Who knows, you and I could be related. My roots are in Louisiana and Texas as well. We'll have to check later.
JONES: Absolutely.
WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks a lot, Athena.
JONES: Thanks.
WHITFIELD: All right. If you want to look for your ancestors, go to unknownnolonger.vahistorical.org.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: The U.S. department of education wants help from everyday Americans to stop teachers from cheating.
CNN's education contributor Steve Perry weighs in on the government's campaign.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEVE PERRY, CNN EDUCATION CONTRIBUTOR: I don't know that there is any particular way to stop people from cheating on examinations.
The fact that the department of education would request our input on what should be done in our schools I think is the best way to do it. I applaud the secretary for reaching out to "both experts," quote, unquote, and parents and other people in the community to ask them for their opinion on a way in which to solve a problem.
I don't think that this represents that the government is out of options. We are the government. It is we the people. Ultimately, education is a local issue, so local as best served to the parents, students, and faculty at that school. So the government, as it were, the federal government should ask for the opinion of the community when it comes to the decisions that will impact their children.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: All right. Music industry types and millions of fans took time this weekend to remember Don Cornelius. And he would have loved this. A "Soul Train" line up and down Broadway. Don Lemon talks to an artist who says she owes her career to the doors that he opened for her, you recognized her, right? Jodie Watley, she will be joining Don Lemon coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: A tragic house explosion took place in Washington state. And this tragedy all the more mysterious because of the people involved. It is believed that just about three or so hours ago two children were dropped off at the father's home. Father by the name of Josh Powell there in Washington state. And this home exploded just moments after the children arrived.
And what makes this even that much more mysterious is that these children belonged to a missing woman, back in Utah that by the name of Susan Powell, back in 2009. And just days ago there was a custody battle over these children. The father, Josh Powell, was denied custody and then a supervised visitation was to take place when the children were dropped off at this house. And then the fire chief explains what happened next.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FRANZ: Fredricka, here's what I understand from reports given to me here at the scene.
A CPS worker had apparently brought the two Josh Powell children to this house for a supervised visit. And as she brought them to the door, the door opened. She saw Mr. Powell. She allowed the children to come in and as soon as the children got in, apparently he closed the door in a way that prevented her from entering this building.
She tried to get back in, there was no answer, no reply, and she also began to smell gas. What kind of gas? I don't know. All I know is she reported the smell of gas and then moments to minutes later this house exploded as she was calling her supervisors to report the situation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Extraordinary set of circumstances. The fire chief confirming they did find the remains of three bodies believed to be the two children and that father. We're going to talk with the fire chief Gary Franz again next hour for an update on this investigation. Still unclear what caused that explosion but you heard one eyewitness account a smell of gasoline.
Don Lemon will be joining us at the top of the hour with more in the NEWSROOM. You'll be following this one as well. It's tragic, sad.
DON LEMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Terrible, terrible. Alright, we're going to be following that, and then I was here until 1:00 a.m. in the morning --
WHITFIELD: I know. That election coverage. That was an interesting caucus.
LEMON: Have you been playing the Newt Gingrich press conference? He came out swinging, Fred. He is still bitter about some of Mitt Romney's campaign tactics. Gingrich said he didn't expect to win Nevada but he's not happy about the barrage of negative ads he's been facing. We're going to break down his news conference late last night. I will play some of it for you.
Also, this bizarre scene last week. Mega church pastor bishop, Eddie Long, being really anointed a king wrapped in a torah and lifted in the chair. One rabbi says that's just not right.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's very offensive. A number of people have reached out to me and said how offensive they find it for a few reasons really. One is the reverence that we show for the torah. It's not something that's to be used or to utilize in some way and to pronounce some kind of coronation ceremony which frankly just doesn't really exist is pretty deeply offensive.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: And as we have been reporting, he has apologized, Bishop Eddie Long. We are going to be talking about that, apologized today and saying it was taken out of context. Also, as you mentioned, Jodie Watley will be joining us to pay tribute to Don Cornelius.
WHITFIELD: Yes. A lot of people have been remembering him. He just made such an incredible indelible mark.
LEMON: Yes. You were talking about the "Soul Train" and I was doing it as you were brief - getting here early. Want to do one?
WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks so much, Don. Not right now, but maybe later. Alright, we will see you in a bit later. Thanks so much.
Hey, gardeners alert, I know that's not you. You're not into the gardening thing --
LEMON: Yes, I am.
WHITFIELD: All right. You are? OK.
LEMON: Yes.
WHITFIELD: Jacqui Jeras is going to be along. Because, you know, it's been such a warm winter.
LEMON: Yes.
WHITFIELD: So, Does that make you want to get out in the dirt? Start digging, planting bubs? LEMON: Not right now.
WHITFIELD: She's going to explain.
LEMON: Seventy two today here, crazy.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right. If you're a gardener or are considering putting a few seeds or bulbs in the ground this spring, listen up. Those gardening zone maps we all rely on. Well, they are changing and those changes could affect how you plant and what you plant.
Let's bring in our resident gardener, Jacqui Jeras. A couple years ago you were showing us our fruit and vegetables.
JACQUIE JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes. Our victory gardens so to speak. And now, we're talking about the timing of planting, Fredricka, and also what you plant. You might actually be able to plant things in your area that you've never been able to plant before. So this is the first time that this has been done since 1990. And basically the USDA has these zone maps that we're all familiar with them.
If you garden you know what I'm talking about, but they changed the average now. They've lengthened the amount of time they've been looking at these averages and we've been warming in the last number of years. So they have all shifted up by about a half of a zone. So, for example, let's take a look here in parts of Iowa, big gardening state here. And we've turned into zone five now into northern parts of Iowa when you used to be zone four.
So, that means you might be able to plant a little earlier. You might be able to plant that magnolia tree you have always wanted and you might even be able to plant a dogwood.
Now, part of the reason they're not saying this is because of global warming. They're saying it's due to some of that warming but also technology. They have better resolution.
So, look at Atlanta for example. Do you see this yellow in here, Fredricka, while everything else is green? That's the urban heat island effect because of all that concrete. You go up into elevation. You will start to see those temperatures changing as well. So they're counting elevation into all of this. So, technology is improving. You can add in your zip code here and find out what your zone is in your area. I'll put it on twitter by the way, so I'll give you a link to this map.
WHITFIELD: Like it. Alright, thanks so much, Jacqui.
Alright, that's going to do it for me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Thanks so much for being with me this afternoon. Much of the NEWSROOM straight ahead with my colleague, Don Lemon.
Have a great week. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
