flooding, snow, and ice from a storm that won't quit. also tonight: caught in mexico. the teen who once beat a prison term by claiming to be too spoiled to know right from wrong. walking into danger-- the consequences of paying too much attention to the cell phone. and-- >> music should be color blind, and to make it that way, you have to infuse in it all of the colors. >> axelrod: a maestro on a mission. captioning sponsored by cbs this is the "cbs evening news" with scott pelley. >> axelrod: good evening. scott's off tonight. i'm jim axelrod. and this is our western edition. the deadly storm system that claimed 56 lives as it swept through the south and midwest is now dumping snow on northern new england.

it's also producing historic flooding in missouri, where they're filling and stacking sandbags to hold back the surging mississippi river. bad weather is blamed for more than 10,000 flight delays in the past few days, and more than 4,000 cancellations. we have a team of correspondents deployed, beginning with adriana diaz at chicago's o'hare airport. adriana? >> reporter: jim, all day long, we've seen lines stretch across the length of the terminal as passengers try to get through security and to their gates, but many flights were canceled or delayed. crowded chaos took over the terminals here. check-in lines, six rows deep. security checkpoints, packed with passengers, running out of patience. >> i don't even know what to think. i'm really nervous. >> reporter: 800 flights were canceled or delayed by late this afternoon, on top of the nearly 1,400 canceled yesterday with an estimated 80,000 trying to get to their destination through o'hare today, emotions were high. >> now they won't even let me speak to someone! this is such ( bleep ). it's such ( bleep )!

stranded last night with no place to go. 850 were able to get cots, but scott millman and his girlfriend hope fiser, slept on the cold, hard floor after their flight to portland, oregon, was canceled. >> i've been using my coat as a blanket or a mattress. >> yeah, this is my pillow right hire. >> flightaware's dan baker says o'hare's location is critical to air travel nationwide. >> it's a large hub for american airlines and united airlines as well, so chicago is really a vital artery for the united states air traffic system. >> reporter: as the wintry mix moved east, dumping as much as a foot of snow from new york to maine, delays moved with it. more than 800 flights at new york's three area airports were canceled or delayed, and another 400 or so at boston's logan airport. back here at o'hare, american airlines rebooked scott and hope on another flight, but it leaves next year , on new year's day. is the airline paying for your

>> no, they won't pay for anything. >> reporter: it will take at least one more day for flights to return to normal here at o'hare. jim, part of the problem is that flights are mostly full because of the holidays, leaving few seats for rebooking. >> axelrod: adriana diaz with the stranded travelers at o'hare. thank you. torrential rains have swollen rivers in illinois and missouri. the mississippi river is expected to crest on thursday, south of st. louis at levels that could exceed the historic 1993 flood. union, missouri, has already flooded. russell kinsaul of our st. louis affiliate kmov is there. russell. >> reporter: yeah, jim, at least two dozen homes are underwater, and a number of businesses as well. this mcdonald's, there's a gas station, a hotel, and a jimmy john sandwich shop that opened up a week ago, is now flooded. there have been 13 deaths, most from people driving through water rushing across roadways.

declared a state of emergency. he was in the st. louis area today, touring some hard-hit areas in st. charles county. all of this heavy rain over the last three days has created what is basically 10 extra vertical feet of water. there have been mandatory evacuations and requests for volunteers to fill sandbags. in st. louis today, they needed volunteers to fill 20,000 sandbags and some of the volunteers that showed up today were children on their holiday break. in some places, water is up to the rooftops of homes, and as is showed you, some businesses are under water. here in union, missouri, it's the burbis river that is causing all of the flooding, and they say it will reach an all-time high when it crests later today. jim? >> axelrod: russell kinsaul with the devastating floodwaters in missouri, thank you. let's bring in eric fisher, chief meteorologist at our cbs boston station, wbz. so eric, the flooding is already bad. how much worse is it going to get? >> what we're watching is a widespread area of eight- to 14- inch rainfall just over the last seven days alone and that is creating the huge situations we are seeing.

states here and all the rivers that feed into the mississippi, reaching at least major floodingis if not record flooding and a lot of the crests the highest in at least several decades. what we're watching as the water feeds into the mississippi river in st. louis, cresting on thursday, at 44 feet. so 14 feet more to rise. the arkansas river at little rock will be cresting on friday at 26 feet, very high water levels. now, the good news here is that, as we look over the next seven days, a much drier pattern is going to set up all across this region. it won't stop the flooding that's expected here, jim, but at least it won't exacerbate the problem any more. >> axelrod: eric fisher, thank you. garland, texas, has begun to clean up after tornadoes damaged or destroyed nearly 800 homes there. tonight, david begnaud has a heartbreaking reminder that property can be replaced but lives cannot. >> in bad shape. i lost my wife. she was my best friend.

petra ruiz were married for 10 years with four young children. they both worked as paralegals. for christmas, ruben surprised his wife a special hair appointment. she was on her way home saturday night when she connected with her husband on facetime. >> we were just talking about dinner, and all of a sudden, she just started screaming. >> reporter: she starts screaming and-- >> and she starts saying-- all i said was, "babe,", you know, "what's wrong?" the image just became-- black.il >> reporter: using a mobile app, and g.p.s., he tracked his wife's phone to the crash site. he asked his brother-in-law to drive him there. blocked by fire trucks and debris he ran the last mile and a half to find his wife. >> and i looked to my right, and i see-- it was crushed. i see her vehicle. it was crushed. i was hoping she would still be alive in there, you know? >> reporter: you crawled into

>> i crawled into the car, to try to help her. >> reporter: about five hours later, porras came home and called his children together. >> i said, "mommy was in a terrible accident, and she has left us. she will be watching over us." >> reporter: petra ruiz was one of eight people who died in the city of garland. jim, all of those victims died in their vehicles. e >> axelrod: david begnaud with the heartbreaking story. thank you, david. now to ethan coach, the so- called affluenza kid. couch was wanted for possibly violating probation in texas after beating prison time in a fatal drunk driving crash with a defense that left many people shaking their heads. after a three-week manhunt, omar villafranca reports couch has been arrested in mexico. >> reporter: ethan coach's newly

mexican authorities who caught the texas teenager on monday, despite looking very different than he did two years ago when he was first charged in the deadly drunk driving accident. tarrant county sheriff dee anderson: >> we worked a tremendous amount of leads, and learned through some interviews, that they hadt planned to disappear, that they even had something that was almost akin to a going away party. >> reporter: investigators say couch and his mother, tonya, drove a pickup truck into mexico and ended up more than 1,200 miles from north texas in the coastal resort town of puerto vallarta. they fled shortly after this video surfaced that appears to show couch at a party with alcohol, which might have violated his juvenile probation. even though he's 18, tarrant county district attorney sharen wilson says couch is only facing juvenile justice. >> i'm not satisfied with four months in a juvenile facility. we're asking for him to be moved to an adult court.

when he avoided jail time and was sentenced to 10 years' probation for killing four people in a drunk driving accident. his defense team argued that the teen suffered from something they termed "affluenza," arguing that his rich parents never taught him right from wrong. sheriff, now that he is in custody, what do you want to happen to ethan couch this time around? >> well, i'd like for him to be held accountable. i don't think 10 years' probation was appropriate for-- for killing four innocent people. >> reporter: even if couch's case is transferred to adult court, he only faces four months in prison because he was convicted as a minor. jim, mexican officials tell cbs news that couch and his mother will be flown back to texas tomorrow. >> axelrod: omar, thank you. chicago police officer jason van dyke pled "not guilty" today in the shooting death of laquan mcdonald. van dyke faces first degree murder charges after shooting the teenager 16 times.

confrontation sparked days of protests when it was released last month. van dyke's lawyer says he may ask for a change of venue. the last day of the year is always among the most challenging days of the year for the new york city police department. and two days away, paris and san bernardino have only raised the stakes. here's don dahler. >> reporter: with over a million people expected in midtown manhattan and a billion more watching on tv, new york officials are determined to make times square the safest place on earth. mayor bill de blasio. >> we're the best prepared city in the country. we know how to do big events. we've shown it time and time again. >> reporter: 5,000 uniformed and undercover officers will be in times square. snipers on rooftops. garbage cans will be removed, manhole covers sealed shut, radiation detectors deployed. this year, the n.y.p.d. established a 500-person special response unit that holds regular

at a new operations center in downtown manhattan, officers monitor thousands of camera feeds. on new year's eve, the room will be staffed with members of governmental and private agencies. last month, chief james o'neill gave us a tour. do you think people should feel safe? >> you know what, i'm not going to tell people not to be concerned, but i'm going to tell them to feel safe. i don't think anyone does this work better than the n.y.p.d., along with our federal partners. >> reporter: but memories of the paris and california terror attacks are fresh. commissioner bill bratton: >> the pattern this year has been terror attacks on relatively small, soft targets. with all the focus on times square, what about the thousands of businesses outside this area? >> both through our capabilities on the threat analysis beforehand, the prevention side of it, as well as the capability to respond very quickly, we believe we are as prepared as anybody can be. r >> reporter: spectators coming into this area will all be

there. jim, they will also not be allowed to bring in large bags, backpacks, or alcohol. >> axelrod: don dahler in times square, where it will be even busier in two nights. thank you. now, to new information about the federal government's handling of the texas ice cream maker blue bell, the subjectave cbs news investigation this fall. cbs news has learned the department of justice has started an investigation into blue bell after their ice cream was linked to a deadly listeria outbreak earlier this year. three people died. an f.d.a. investigation found listeria in three of blue bell's production plant in alabama, oklahoma, and texas, as well as records indicating the company knew one plant was contaminated as least as early as 2013. the f.d.a. investigation uncovered other troubling problems, including condensation dripping directly into ice cream, and unsanitary equipment. in april, blue bell shut down

and recalled all its ice cream. sources tell cbs news the justice department is trying to determine what blue bell management knew about potentially deadly hazards in their plants, and when they knew it. in october, gerald bland, who worked in the blue bell factory in texasdescribed to cbs news unsanitary conditions on the factory floor. >> on the wall by the three- gallon machine, if it had rained real hard and water set on the roof, it would just trickle down that wall. >> axelrod: rainwater? >> yeah. >> axelrod: from the roof? >> from the roof. >> axelrod: would get into the factory? >> yeah. >> axelrod: another worker, terry schultz, told us his complaints to management about unclean conditions went nowhere. >> the response i got at one point was, "is that all you're going to do is come in here and bitch every afternoon." >> what do you think the message is? >> production is more important than cleanliness. >> axelrod: all three of blue bell's plant are back up and

month its ice creams will be back on the shelves in 15 states. blue bell did not respond to our requests for comment today. this investigation into blue bell is being led by the same justice department lawyer who prosecuted the peanut corporation of america, whose owner, stuart parnell, was sentenced to 28 years in prison for shipping salmonella- contaminated peanut products. that is the longest sentence ever for a food safety-related crime. coming up next, walking while distracted is sending hundreds to hospitals. a former star of "glee" is arrested for child pornography, and mike tyson loses to a

news continues. >> axelrod: distraction turned deadly for a man who fell off a cliff on christmas day. he had been staring at his phone or camera unaware of the looming

as kris van cleave reports, this type of thing happens all the time. >> reporter: investigators believe joshua burwell may have been trying to take a picture of the sunset when he made the deadly 40-foot fall. san diego life guard sergeant bill bender. >> he wasn't watching where he was walking, looking more down w on the device. >> reporter: research shows so- called distracted walking, especially from handheld devices like cell phones, is a growing problem. the number of e.r. visits for related injuries, most often due to falling, doubled between 2005 and 2010, to more than 1500, with millennials ages 21- 25 the most likely to get hurt. >> it's important to recognize this is a problem. >> orthopedic surgeon claudette lejam believes the true number of injuries is higher. >> when they come into my office, for instance, they'll have an injury and say they tripped over the curb but they'll never admit they were looking down at their phone instead of looking in front of them. >> reporter: mall security cameras captured this woman who was so focused on her cell phone

this man walked right off the train platform. we spotted jordan benston video- chatting while walking across a busy new york street. >> knew i shouldn't but i do it. >> reporter: kelly, you have ever had a moment where you walked into something or fallen or-- >> oh, absolutely. i've walked into one of the very short, like, light posts. >> reporter: she may not be surprised by the findings of a 2014 study that estimated nearly 10% of all pedestrian injuries are due to distraction. jim, i know it sounds obvious, but if you're looking down at your phone, you may not see an obstacle that's right in front of you in time. >> axelrod: kris, thank you. an unlikely pedestrian was

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at salling's home and took the 33-year-old actor into custody. "glee" aired its final episode earlier this year. mike tyson was once one of the most feared men on the planet but the heavyweight became a heavy weight on a hover board. that could be the hardest he's ever hit the floor. tyson's daughter got him the hoverboard for christmas and clearly it won this round. in northern california, this question-- why did the elephant seal want to cross the road? she tried several times to cross highway 37. wildlife teams shooed her back in the san pablo bay each time, but she kept coming back. they believe she may be pregnant. late today, they tranquilized her and plan to take her to a national seashore. some of this country's top concert musicians have a singular goal.

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this winter./// ((paul joncich)) > hi there, i'm paul joncich, coming >> axelrod: we close tonight with a mission to change the composition of classical music. not the sound, but the color. fewer than 4% of symphony musicians in this country are black. lee cowan found it's not for lack of talent. >> reporter: rachmaninoff was seamless this night in charleston, south carolina. remarkable because this was the very first time many of these musicians had ever played together. maestro marlon daniel conducts not only the orchestra but this festival, called the color of music, now in its third year. >> a lot of musicians of color get pigeonholed into jazz and hip-hop. >> reporter: it's a stereotype.

a lot of people claim there are not any musicians of color out there doing classical music, when there actually are, in reality, tons of us. >> reporter: clarinetist robert davis says, in most symphonies he sticks out as a black classical artist, but not here. >> you usually see the same ones, but then i came down here and there's a whole other group. it's like, where are they coming from? i was very shocked about that. >> reporter: the festival also highlights black classical composers; on this night it was adolphus hailstork and his church street serenade, performed just one block from the historic black church where in june a white gunman opened fire, killing nine. >> we're very lucky. >> reporter: businessman lee pringle, who founded the event, hopes sights like this will help diversify other orchestras. >> i think that most orchestra want to change.

change. >> reporter: and how do they change? >> by having people at the table who look like me. >> music should be color blind, and to make it that way, you have to infuse in it, all of the colors. >> reporter: a unique unity that for a few days at least, makes for an especially powerful sound. ( applause ) lee cowan, cbs news, charleston, south carolina. >> axelrod: and that's the cbs evening news. for scott pelley, i'm jim axelrod. thanks for watching. and good night. captioning sponsored by cbs captioned by

access.wgbh.orgpeople... under a flood warning: i am worried. i don't know what to do.