NBC Nightly News - 2009-02-16

Channel: malgent

Transcript

Language: English (original, YouTube automatic captions)

[0:02] On our broadcast tonight, searching the

[0:04] scene to find out why flight 3407 fell

[0:07] out of the sky. Tonight, the very latest

[0:09] on what they've been able to piece

[0:10] together. Hard at work, the president

[0:12] comes home to work on the economy. His

[0:14] new secretary of state arrives in Asia.

[0:17] While new trouble breaks out in another

[0:19] volatile front, a busy holiday for the

[0:21] Obama administration. to your health.

[0:24] What is there in that big stimulus bill

[0:26] that will help with America's health

[0:27] care? And the gold rush. Tonight, we

[0:30] bring you the story of a town that's

[0:32] actually booming these days. Also, what

[0:34] was that in the skies over Texas?

[0:37] Nightly News begins now.

[0:43] >> From NBC News World Headquarters in New

[0:46] York, this is NBC Nightly News with

[0:48] Brian Williams.

[0:50] >> Good evening. It may be that the only

[0:52] people who know exactly what happened in

[0:55] the last seconds of flight 3407

[0:58] died on board the aircraft as it slammed

[1:01] into a suburb of Buffalo, New York, and

[1:03] as cold precipitation blew through the

[1:05] area that night. In the days since the

[1:08] crash, however, thanks to the trail of

[1:10] electronic signals they left behind, we

[1:13] have learned a lot about the conditions

[1:14] of loft and what the cockpit crew was

[1:17] struggling with that night. the efforts

[1:19] underway to learn if procedures were

[1:21] followed and if lessons can be learned

[1:23] from this flight and the death of 50

[1:25] people who were remembered today. Tom

[1:28] Costello starts us off again tonight in

[1:30] Amherst, New York, where the NTSB

[1:32] briefed the news media again late today.

[1:34] Tom, good evening.

[1:37] Hi, Brian. Good evening to you. We

[1:38] learned this evening that the pilot of

[1:40] this plane was new to this type of

[1:42] plane. He had just 110 hours on it. We

[1:44] also learned that another -8 landed 27

[1:48] minutes after 3407 tried to land at

[1:50] Buffalo. That plane also experienced

[1:53] some icing conditions but had no

[1:55] difficulty landing.

[1:58] Near Buffalo today, the NTSB escorted

[2:00] surviving family members to the street

[2:02] where flight 3407 crashed last Thursday

[2:05] night and where recovery teams were

[2:07] still removing the plane's engines and

[2:09] digging for clues. But now

[2:13] I'm found.

[2:15] >> Meanwhile, memorial services for the 50

[2:18] people who died and a single rose for

[2:21] each one of them.

[2:24] >> And so let us pray. Into your hands,

[2:27] Father of mercies, we commend our

[2:29] sisters and brothers who have died into

[2:32] your eternal embrace.

[2:34] >> Investigators are now focusing on what

[2:36] happened in the cockpit. The flight

[2:38] seemed normal departing Newark. Just 11

[2:40] minutes after leaving, the crew

[2:42] activated the deicing boot system to

[2:44] blow any ice off the wings and tail. But

[2:47] on approach to Buffalo, the crew

[2:48] discussed significant ice. Then, as they

[2:51] prepared to land, the plane's stall

[2:53] alarms went off, automatically pushing

[2:55] the nose down to regain speed. Then, a

[2:58] dramatic pitch up and a violent bang to

[3:00] the right before crashing to the ground.

[3:02] But why had enough ice built up to slow

[3:05] the plane's air speed? Had the crew paid

[3:07] enough attention to air speed while on

[3:09] autopilot? And did the pilot perhaps

[3:11] worsen the stall by pulling the nose up?

[3:14] >> Recovering from a stall is part of all

[3:16] any pilot's training. Uh given um

[3:18] whether you're learning to fly small

[3:20] airplanes, large airplanes, if you're

[3:21] flying for the airlines, if you're

[3:22] flying for the military, uh you're

[3:24] always practicing to recover from

[3:25] stalls.

[3:26] >> Investigators will also be looking at

[3:28] the crews experience level. Pilot Marvin

[3:31] Renslo had flown SAB 340 props and was

[3:33] only certified as a captain on the -8

[3:36] prop in December. 24year-old co-pilot

[3:38] Rebecca Shaw joined Kolan Air a year

[3:40] ago, but had seven times more flight

[3:43] time in the D8 than the captain.

[3:45] >> We'll be looking at uh their training.

[3:48] We'll look at their training records,

[3:49] how they did in training. We will look

[3:51] at the uh how many times they had flown

[3:53] in the last seven days. We will look at

[3:56] their rest that they got.

[3:59] The NTSB is cautioning yet again tonight

[4:01] that it's far too early to draw any

[4:03] conclusions about this particular crash

[4:05] and whether the crew should have been on

[4:07] autopilot in those icing conditions.

[4:09] This investigation could take the better

[4:10] part of a year and maybe even longer.

[4:12] Brian, Tom Castello starting us off just

[4:14] outside Buffalo, New York tonight. Tom,

[4:16] thanks. And now to Washington. After a

[4:19] weekend back home in Chicago, President

[4:21] Obama is back in Washington and facing

[4:23] some extremely important issues.

[4:26] struggling automakers, record home

[4:28] foreclosures, and of course that massive

[4:30] economic stimulus package that gets

[4:32] signed into law tomorrow. Our chief

[4:34] White House correspondent, Chuck Todd,

[4:36] with us tonight to preview what's

[4:38] already going to be an eventful week.

[4:39] Chuck, good evening.

[4:40] >> Good evening, Brian. Well, it may be a

[4:42] short work week for many Americans, but

[4:44] the president has a very full plate on

[4:46] his hands as he once again is going to

[4:48] be hitting the road in an attempt to

[4:50] avoid the Washington chattering class.

[4:54] The president put in a half day at the

[4:56] office devising a plan for the

[4:58] government to review the future of

[5:00] America's suffering auto industry. With

[5:02] GM and Chrysler required to submit their

[5:04] business survival plans to the

[5:06] administration on Tuesday, triggering

[5:08] another $4 billion in aid to GM. The

[5:11] president set up a special task force

[5:13] today led by his top economic adviserss

[5:16] to oversee the industry's restructuring.

[5:18] >> The president's spokesman today on Air

[5:20] Force One. Uh we've had teams of

[5:24] uh teams of people from our economic

[5:26] team working on this issue throughout

[5:29] the transition uh in the first few

[5:32] weeks.

[5:32] >> The auto task force will hold its first

[5:34] meeting later this week. As the

[5:36] president arrived back at the White

[5:37] House from his long weekend in Chicago,

[5:40] so did his economic stimulus bill,

[5:42] literally. The official bill, which

[5:44] needs Obama's signature, was shipped up

[5:46] Pennsylvania Avenue to the White House

[5:48] at 12:46 this afternoon. He'll carry the

[5:51] bill with him to Denver, Colorado

[5:53] Tuesday where he'll sign it there as a

[5:55] way to showcase his support for this

[5:57] bill in a setting outside of Washington.

[5:59] The presidential road show continues

[6:01] Wednesday in Phoenix where he'll unveil

[6:03] a detailheavy 50 to 70 billion housing

[6:06] plan. His aids say the detail is

[6:09] intended to contrast to the vagueness of

[6:11] the bank bailout plan introduced by

[6:13] Treasury Secretary Tim Gner last week.

[6:15] that getting to the root of the

[6:17] foreclosure uh crisis and helping

[6:19] deserving, responsible homeowners avoid

[6:22] foreclosure when that's warranted.

[6:24] That's what this plan is going to be

[6:25] about.

[6:26] >> Next, President Obama heads to Canada

[6:28] Thursday for his first international

[6:30] trip. The top three issues for

[6:32] discussion with his Canadian

[6:33] counterpart: energy and climate change,

[6:36] trade, and Afghanistan. The president

[6:38] hopes to convince the Canadians to

[6:40] continue their troop deployment to the

[6:42] embattled country. his power to persuade

[6:44] may be bolstered if, as some expect, he

[6:47] signs off on an order as early as

[6:48] tomorrow to increase the US commitment

[6:51] to Afghanistan by at least 10,000

[6:53] troops. Now, Brian, the White House

[6:55] feels these campaign style events on the

[6:57] road have actually been very helpful to

[6:59] the president. It's re-energized him.

[7:01] Uh, and frankly, it's been a way to get

[7:03] away from the Washington echo chamber,

[7:05] which they feel has in some way bogged

[7:07] their own staff down and almost

[7:09] distracted them.

[7:10] >> Chuck Todd on the White House lawn for

[7:11] us tonight. Chuck, thanks. Another first

[7:14] for this administration. The new

[7:15] Secretary of State on her first overseas

[7:17] trip and Secretary Hillary Clinton is

[7:20] already breaking with a diplomatic

[7:22] tradition of sorts. Instead of going to

[7:24] Europe or the Middle East first, she's

[7:26] visiting Asia where the global financial

[7:28] meltdown has hit hard. First stop,

[7:30] Japan. Our chief foreign affairs

[7:32] correspondent Andrea Mitchell is

[7:34] traveling with the secretary.

[7:36] Arriving in Tokyo tonight, Hillary

[7:38] Clinton's top priority, tackling the

[7:40] economic crisis that threatens to

[7:42] a once thriving region. Japan

[7:44] has announced its sharpest decline in

[7:46] economic growth in 35 years.

[7:50] >> With more layoffs to come, thousands of

[7:52] temporary workers are already homeless.

[7:54] So it's really shocking uh for the

[7:57] Japanese entire society to see a lot of

[8:00] people actually losing their jobs and uh

[8:04] being homeless and you know spending

[8:06] night on the street. It's it's really

[8:08] shocking. That's what's happening

[8:10] >> still. Even after its latest plunge,

[8:12] Japan remains the world's second largest

[8:14] economy. And Clinton says Japan's

[8:16] economic stability is key to any US

[8:19] recovery. We also know that we have to

[8:22] work together uh to address the global

[8:25] financial crisis which is affecting all

[8:27] of us. Increasingly, Japan's leaders

[8:30] like China's blame the US.

[8:31] >> A lot of people look at this as a made

[8:33] in America crisis and America's got to

[8:36] reach out more to its allies in the

[8:38] region to solve this.

[8:40] >> Japan also wants to hear what Clinton

[8:41] says about North Korea's nuclear threat.

[8:44] As its leader Kim Jong-il turned 67

[8:46] today, Clinton signaled a new

[8:48] consiliatory tone toward Pyongyang. But

[8:51] the North is still threatening to fire

[8:53] another long-range missile, possibly

[8:55] even this week. Japan is nervous the new

[8:57] US president may be too eager for a deal

[9:00] with Pyongyang. But while testing Barack

[9:02] Obama's policies, the Japanese don't

[9:04] seem to blame the president. He is

[9:07] hugely popular here, especially compared

[9:09] to their unpopular government.

[9:12] This shopkeeper said he's firing those

[9:15] bank guys and sending a message to those

[9:17] CEOs flying their private jets while

[9:19] Japan has done nothing. This week is

[9:22] also a big test for Clinton, trying to

[9:24] carve out a new role as America's top

[9:26] diplomat while making it clear that the

[9:28] message she's carrying is Barack

[9:30] Obama's. Andrea Mitchell, NBC News,

[9:33] Tokyo. Officials in Pakistan say a US

[9:36] predator drone fired missiles into a

[9:39] Taliban stronghold near the Afghan

[9:41] border today, killing at least two dozen

[9:43] people. In the last 3 days alone, drone

[9:46] launched attacks have left more than 50

[9:48] people dead in what some are calling a

[9:51] kind of escalation of the military

[9:53] campaign along the border. As we hear

[9:55] from our own Richard Engel tonight,

[9:57] however, the Taliban's hold in the

[9:59] region is actually getting tougher to

[10:01] break.

[10:03] From the snowcap mountains on the border

[10:05] between Afghanistan and Pakistan, the

[10:07] Taliban's influence is spreading. Now,

[10:09] moving deep into Pakistan's Swat Valley,

[10:12] a resort area once called the

[10:14] Switzerland of Pakistan.

[10:16] For over a year, Pakistani troops have

[10:18] been locked in a tough battle with the

[10:20] Taliban in Swat.

[10:23] Tens of thousands have fled as the

[10:25] Taliban burned 200 schools for girls,

[10:28] banned music, and beheaded barbers for

[10:30] shaving beards. But today the Pakistani

[10:33] government said it's ending its

[10:34] offensive in SWAT and in exchange for a

[10:37] ceasefire agreed to impose Islamic law,

[10:40] a key Taliban demand.

[10:43] Islamic law will be implemented and

[10:45] after this peace will be restored, said

[10:47] a tribal leader. But from these growing

[10:50] safe havens in Pakistan, the Taliban is

[10:53] pushing further into Afghanistan.

[10:55] Last week in Kabell, Afghan officials

[10:57] say Taliban militants were on cell

[10:59] phones with their leaders in Pakistan

[11:02] just before they killed 20 people in

[11:04] Kabell.

[11:05] >> Pakistan helped Taliban to gain strength

[11:09] in capacity and then to threat

[11:11] Afghanistan.

[11:12] >> Kabell now feels under siege. This

[11:15] morning at a bus station in Kabell,

[11:16] passengers packed quickly and

[11:18] strategically, squeezing boxes onto

[11:21] buses, even piling cars on top of them.

[11:23] Why? so they don't have to travel the

[11:26] increasingly lawless highways more than

[11:28] once. The government has very little

[11:30] control outside of Kabell. This bus is

[11:33] headed to Kandahar. It's about a 7-hour

[11:35] drive from here. But passengers and

[11:37] drivers say the Taliban will sometimes

[11:40] set up roadblocks just 10 miles outside

[11:42] of Kabul. And that the militants will

[11:44] often board buses just like this one,

[11:47] check the passengers ID cards, and take

[11:49] away anyone associated with the

[11:51] government.

[11:52] This driver told me he's seen the

[11:54] Taliban behead Afghan soldiers by the

[11:57] roadside as the Taliban expands its

[11:59] control on both sides of Afghanistan's

[12:02] border. Richard Angel, NBC News, Kabell.

[12:06] When we continue here this holiday

[12:08] Monday night, what were those bright

[12:10] lights in the skies over Texas? Also

[12:13] tonight, not long ago, it was the

[12:15] hottest thing going. Now it's gone cold

[12:17] suddenly. And who do we see about that?

[12:20] And later, our search for places where

[12:22] the economy is in good shape has turned

[12:24] up a town where for now at least they

[12:27] are golden.

[12:31] >> I, Sam Bailey,

[12:32] >> Clara

[12:34] >> Dennis, do hereby pledge to chase the

[12:36] wind whichever way it blows

[12:39] >> and forgive pollen when it gets carried

[12:40] away. I promise to grant dust a reprieve

[12:43] >> and I will find the strength in Zerek to

[12:45] relieve my worst allergy symptoms

[12:47] indoors and outdoors. I solemnly swear

[12:50] to catch the breeze no matter which

[12:51] trees are blooming. Because with Zerek,

[12:54] >> I can love the air.

[12:56] >> Try Zerek 5 or 14 count. If you don't

[12:58] love it, we'll refund your money.

[13:01] >> Olay goes beyond everyday clean to a

[13:04] deep micro clean. Olay deep cleansers

[13:07] reach the microparticles of dirt some

[13:09] basic cleansers can leave behind. For a

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[13:17] left hand and I'm left-handed, but I've

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[13:20] >> Only two Al leave can stop pain all day.

[13:22] That would take twice as many Advil or

[13:24] four times as many Tylenol.

[13:25] >> I've been bowling for 50 years. I would

[13:28] feel bad if I couldn't bowl.

[13:30] >> I never thought it could happen to me.

[13:33] Heart attack at 53. I had felt fine, but

[13:37] turns out my cholesterol and other risk

[13:39] factors increased my chance of a heart

[13:41] attack. I should have done something.

[13:45] Now I trust my heart to Lipur.

[13:47] >> When diet and exercise are not enough,

[13:49] adding Lipur may help. Unlike some other

[13:52] cholesterol-lowering medications, Lipur

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[13:56] heart attack, stroke, and certain kinds

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[14:06] Lipur is not for everyone, including

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[14:20] a rare but serious side effect.

[14:22] >> I was caught off guard, but maybe you

[14:25] could learn from my story. Have a

[14:27] heart-to-heart with your doctor about

[14:28] your risk and about Lipur.

[14:32] >> Big winter storm battering California

[14:35] bringing heavy snow that closed part of

[14:37] I5 through the mountains. Driving rain

[14:40] is also raising concerns about extensive

[14:43] flooding and mudslides in areas ravaged

[14:46] earlier by wildfires, even the surface

[14:49] up in Southern California. Now to a once

[14:51] hot commodity that has cooled off

[14:53] rapidly in this country. Ethanol made

[14:56] from corn was seen not all that long ago

[14:59] as a homegrown crop that could drive the

[15:02] nation closer to energy independence.

[15:04] But then lower gas prices turned the

[15:06] boom into a bust almost overnight.

[15:09] Dozens of ethanol plants have shut down.

[15:12] And as the industry struggles, so do the

[15:14] small town farmers who were banking on

[15:17] it. Our own Kevin Tibbles has the story.

[15:21] >> Just a year ago, Chad Bundorf's corn was

[15:24] in such demand that the ethanol

[15:25] industry, paying top dollar, contracted

[15:28] to buy almost half his crop. Then the

[15:31] bottom fell out. Some people could be in

[15:33] danger of losing their farms.

[15:35] >> The corn was supposed to go here to the

[15:37] county's brand new VeraSun ethanol

[15:39] facility, one of the largest in the

[15:41] country, but it never opened, and a

[15:44] bankruptcy judge ruled that VeraSun

[15:46] could break its contracts. Now, Buundorf

[15:49] and some 200 other Minnesota farmers are

[15:52] left holding corn they'll have to sell

[15:54] at a loss. For local farmers, the

[15:56] ethanol that was to flow from this plant

[15:59] represented liquid gold to their small

[16:01] communities. So far, it hasn't produced

[16:03] a single drop.

[16:05] >> There was a massive overbuilding of

[16:07] capacity in the industry to try to cash

[16:09] in and was what was perceived to be an

[16:12] alternative fuels bonanza.

[16:15] >> A bonanza fueled by high gas prices that

[16:17] have since fallen and with it the demand

[16:20] for ethanol. The price of corn has

[16:22] plunged from a peak of nearly $8 a

[16:24] bushel last summer to less than half of

[16:26] that today.

[16:27] >> What they saw as an economic boon has in

[16:30] fact become a real real hardship for

[16:32] them.

[16:33] >> It's uh game of Texas hold them and they

[16:35] know what all the cards are.

[16:36] >> Howard Mack runs a small grain elevator

[16:38] just down the highway in Waterville. He

[16:40] says grain orders he had with Verrison

[16:43] have also been cancelled.

[16:44] >> They made a decision to either try to

[16:46] get filthy rich or to walk away. and

[16:50] they're going to walk away, but somebody

[16:52] else is paying the bill.

[16:53] >> Verison declined an interview, but says

[16:55] it is trying to sell all of its

[16:57] facilities. Still, in tight-knit farm

[17:00] communities, where deals are often made

[17:02] with a handshake, it may take years for

[17:04] their economies and their trust to

[17:06] recover. Kevin Tibbles, NBC News,

[17:09] Jainsville, Minnesota.

[17:12] There were eerie bright lights moving

[17:14] across the skies of Texas Sunday

[17:16] morning, but we're now told it was not,

[17:18] as first thought, debris from that space

[17:21] collision of two communication

[17:23] satellites last week. The lights visible

[17:25] at first in the background of this

[17:27] videotape of a local road race in

[17:29] Austin, Texas. Astronomers say it

[17:32] started out as a single meteor estimated

[17:34] to be the size of a pickup truck. Enough

[17:38] people saw it in the region to light up

[17:40] 911 switchboards from Austin all the way

[17:43] to Dallas. When Nightly News continues

[17:46] in just a moment. All that federal aid

[17:48] money on the way and the massive

[17:50] stimulus bill. How is any of it going to

[17:53] affect your health care? Some answers

[17:55] tonight.

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[19:57] >> Tomorrow,

[19:58] >> anger does kill.

[20:00] >> The best ways to control anger and

[20:02] stress so you don't have a heart attack.

[20:04] The hearthealthy man on today on NBC.

[20:11] We're back with NBC News in depth

[20:13] tonight. It's about the economy and

[20:14] healthc care. As we mentioned earlier,

[20:16] President Obama is going to sign this

[20:19] massive economic stimulus package

[20:21] tomorrow. One of the goals of it is to

[20:24] improve the health care system, but how

[20:26] exactly will all that money translate

[20:28] into help for people who need it right

[20:30] now? Our chief science correspondent

[20:32] Robert Pazelle has our story.

[20:35] >> Looks like he saw about what 14

[20:38] >> The Open Cities Health Center in St.

[20:39] Paul, Minnesota offers primary medical,

[20:42] >> you're brushing, so that's good.

[20:44] >> And dental care on a sliding scale to

[20:46] anyone who walks in the door.

[20:47] >> Do what we need to do to stay afloat.

[20:49] The clinic's director, Dory Bolo, is

[20:51] thrilled that the stimulus package

[20:53] provides $87 billion nationally for

[20:56] Medicaid, the federal insurance program

[20:58] for the less fortunate that covers many

[21:00] of the patients. How important is it to

[21:03] you that some of your patients have

[21:04] Medicaid when they come in the door?

[21:07] >> It helps pay the bills. What can I say?

[21:09] We're running a business. to help cover

[21:11] its five billion dollar deficit.

[21:14] >> Minnesota was going to cut coverage for

[21:16] many adults like Mary Price who just

[21:19] lost her job as a nurse's aid. But the

[21:21] legislation stops many of those cuts.

[21:24] >> I need medical attention, you know,

[21:26] blood pressure and I have a knee

[21:27] problem.

[21:28] >> The clinic is converting its records

[21:29] from written to electronic.

[21:31] >> We have thousands of charts.

[21:32] >> The package provides $36 billion for

[21:35] such conversions at clinics, doctor's

[21:37] offices, and hospitals across the

[21:40] country. Hopefully by the end of this

[21:41] year we'll be totally electronic.

[21:44] >> The stimulus also helps people covered

[21:46] by private insurance. Eric Olsen and his

[21:48] wife Bev have four children.

[21:51] >> They're certainly learning instruments.

[21:52] >> He lost his managerial job last October

[21:55] and the health insurance that came with

[21:57] it. Under federal law, a person can keep

[22:00] private insurance through a program

[22:02] called COBRA, but only by paying both

[22:04] the employers and his or her share. The

[22:08] Olsson's turned it down. $1,250 a month,

[22:11] which if when your unemployment

[22:12] insurance is 2,200 a month and you still

[22:14] want to pay your mortgage and eat, it's

[22:16] not a very difficult decision. But the

[22:18] stimulus will pay 65% of the cost of

[22:21] Cobra insurance for 9 months,

[22:25] offering the Olsen and millions of

[22:27] others at least temporary protection.

[22:31] Robert Bazelle, NBC News, St. Paul.

[22:35] And on this President's Day here in New

[22:37] York, the Morning Paper brought word of

[22:39] a major error that has gone undiscovered

[22:41] for years, right here under our noses.

[22:43] It's a quote from George Washington,

[22:46] emlazed on the Manhattan Supreme Court,

[22:48] and it's wrong. By the way, if the

[22:50] building looks familiar, it's been in

[22:52] the background of a ton of TV shows and

[22:54] movies, including The Godfather. The

[22:57] inscription chiseled into the granite

[22:59] exterior reads, "The true administration

[23:02] of justice is the firmst pillar of good

[23:05] government." Turns out the father of our

[23:07] country actually referred to the due

[23:10] administration of justice. Not true.

[23:12] Correcting the mistake that dates back

[23:14] to 1927 when the building first opened

[23:17] might not be an option cuz here in New

[23:19] York, that courthouse is a protected

[23:22] landmark. We're back in a moment tonight

[23:24] with one American town enjoying a boom

[23:27] during a bad time.

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[24:17] I love coming here, Grandma.

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[24:20] >> Ask your doctor how Advare helps improve

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[24:25] >> Find out how to get your first full

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[24:30] >> When I was told I had diabetes, I felt

[24:32] amazingly boxed in.

[24:33] >> Now Joe uses the new Contour meter from

[24:35] Bayer.

[24:36] >> My meter absolutely adapts to me and my

[24:38] lifestyle. I'm Joe James. Being outside

[24:41] of the box is my simple win.

[24:42] >> Now available in four vibrant colors. If

[24:45] you've had a heart attack caused by a

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[24:49] attack could be lurking, waiting to

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[25:58] Stay with Plavix.

[26:00] >> This is a KJW News Channel 8 update.

[26:03] After nightly parents, teachers, and

[26:05] kids rally at the capital to save school

[26:07] funding, how much Oregon will get from

[26:09] the stimulus bill and why Goodwill is

[26:12] tossing toys left and right. And rain

[26:14] and snow in California. Will we see any

[26:16] in Oregon? Your forecast is coming up

[26:19] tonight.

[26:22] We'll close tonight with the story of a

[26:24] town that's doing well in the midst of a

[26:26] downturn. And here's why it's a story.

[26:28] For two years now, the state of Nevada

[26:30] has led the nation in home foreclosures.

[26:33] Half of all Nevada homeowners are behind

[26:36] in their payments. And yet, one town

[26:38] there is booming because of what they've

[26:40] got beneath their feet, and they can't

[26:42] get it out of the ground fast enough.

[26:44] NBC's Janet Shamlan is there.

[26:51] >> In the high desert, a big party,

[26:56] Jimmy.

[26:58] Thousands of pounds of fresh crab flown

[27:00] in for a fundraiser.

[27:02] >> Are you ready?

[27:04] >> And at $35 ahead, there's a line out the

[27:07] door.

[27:08] >> Thank you very much. Have a good time

[27:09] tonight.

[27:10] >> And why not? Battle Mountain, Nevada.

[27:13] With its 3,000 residents, just may be

[27:16] the most recessionproof city in America.

[27:18] >> When the country does poorly, gold

[27:21] rocks. We've got gold mines all the way

[27:23] around us. So, that's our main economy.

[27:25] And we're booming

[27:26] >> and building and spending and hiring.

[27:29] >> The drills are working up in here.

[27:31] >> Mike manager Mark Evitz has a few jobs

[27:33] to fill. Salaries averaging 65,000 a

[27:36] year.

[27:37] >> Our hearts go out to the rest of the

[27:38] country and the folks that are suffering

[27:40] that way, too. We're just trying to do

[27:42] our part here and uh and be successful.

[27:44] >> That's not a problem with gold above

[27:46] $900 an ounce. And in a state drowning

[27:49] in foreclosures, Battle Mountain has had

[27:52] just three in the last year. We can come

[27:54] in and we can do alternate finishes on

[27:56] the exterior.

[27:57] >> Kimberly Davis built this house on spec.

[28:00] Certain her investment will sell.

[28:02] >> Once we fine-tune it and polish it up

[28:04] and clean it up and get her on the

[28:05] market, then she should move within 90

[28:07] days.

[28:07] >> You have no doubt?

[28:08] >> I have no doubt.

[28:09] >> Even as Battle Mountain enjoys

[28:10] relatively good times, there's not a lot

[28:13] here. A couple of casinos and a handful

[28:15] of restaurants, but the closest theater

[28:17] or takeout Chinese is some 70 m away.

[28:21] But if you don't mind that, you'll find

[28:23] a tight-knit community

[28:25] thanks to Gold, a city on top as a

[28:28] nation wrestles with tough times. Janet

[28:31] Shamlin, NBC News, Battle Mountain,

[28:33] Nevada.

[28:35] >> And that's our broadcast for this

[28:37] holiday Monday night. Thank you you for

[28:39] being

[28:39] >> the next place to get the American

[28:42] dream.

[28:44] >> Join us tonight at 9 here on OPB.

[28:50] Ask your employer to match your gift to

[28:53] OPB and double the impact. Go to

[28:56] opb.org/match.

[29:00] The wild pigs invading parts of Oregon

[29:02] not only look dangerous, they are. These

[29:04] vicious predators are also responsible

[29:06] for destroying valuable land. We'll show

[29:09] you what's being done to try and stop

[29:10] this non-native and why some folks want

[29:13] them around. You'll also see some

[29:15] fascinating behavior from wild fish

[29:17] struggling to survive.

[29:19] And find out more about one of Oregon's

[29:21] more unusual cash crops, swampland.

[29:25] Oregon Field Guide, Thursday night at

[29:27] 8:30.

[29:29] Life doesn't often give you a second

[29:31] chance, but now you've got one. Because

[29:33] millions of people across the nation

[29:35] have yet to make the switch to DTV, the

[29:37] government has just moved the date to

[29:39] June 12th. If you haven't requested your

[29:41] government coupon, set up your converter

[29:43] box, or purchased a new digital TV, now

[29:46] is the time to take action. Make sure

[29:49] you continue to get free overtheair TV.

[29:52] In the new digital world, call us today

[29:54] at 1 800241-8123

[29:57] or visit our DTV information page online

[30:00] at opb.org/digital.

[30:04] >> Join Oprah Winfrey as she traces her

[30:07] roots through America's past. This

[30:09] unlocks the door for me.

[30:11] >> An extraordinary journey of

[30:12] self-discovery.

[30:14] >> I come from this from endurance and

[30:16] suffering and triumph.

[30:18] >> We are your people.

[30:19] >> Oprah's roots. uesday night at 1000 p.m.

[30:36] Patia Brothers providing cleaning of

[30:39] oriental rugs, wall-to-wall carpeting,

[30:41] and upholstered furniture in Portland

[30:43] and Eugene.

[30:46] >> The Rose Quarter presenting Thomas and

[30:48] Friends live on stage. A circus comes to

[30:50] town February 18th and 19th at the

[30:52] Memorial Coliseum.