have a great day. it is 4:30, 45 degrees on this last day of 2015. a warmer day today. looking cool and clear for the first week though of 2016. good morning. i'm andrea grymes. >> and i'm diane macedo. chris and mary are off today. we will have traffic and weather and traffic never more than seven minutes away on the 2s in a moment. but first, we are less than 18 hours away from ringing in the new year and that means more than a million people will begin pouring into times square to watch the ball drop. >> and janelle burrell is live in times square where they are putting the final touches on

>> reporter: this year, we have the weather on our side. and we are expecting more people to pack into this area this afternoon ahead of the celebrations. you can see some of the barricades set up. all eyes will be looking up there, the middle of times square to usher in 2016. after a test run wednesday, the nearly 12,000 crystal ball is set and ready to sparkle tonight. >> part of a global celebration. there's no other time like new year's eve where we are part of the global community. >> reporter: hundreds of thousands of people in times square and countless others around the world expected to be watching as new york ushers in 2016 and so will about 6,000 police officers on the ground. >> we are very, very confident new year's eve in new york city will be the safest place in the world to be. >> reporter: the nypd plans to deploy an army of officers including hundreds from their

the new operations center downtown will monitor hundreds of camera feeds. >> the numbers of officers that will be there will be extraordinary and the preparation is extraordinary as well. >> reporter: expect to see many with powerful guns, radiation detectors and bomb-sniffing dogs but there's also security that you won't see. the commissioner says there are no credible threats but in the wake of recent events outside of new york, the department, he says, is prepared. >> we've learned from the past and we plan accordingly and the new threat picture is something that we are very aware of and have planned for. >> reporter: and that's something that you should prepare for as well if you're planning on being out here tonight. there will be dozens of security check points. also, if you are planning on drive, we want to direct you to our cbs new york facebook page for a full list of street closures and parking rules.

let's see how the weather is going to turn out. traffic and weather and traffic never more than seven minutes away on the 2s. murmur is up first. >> well, the weather is looking good. -- vanessa murdock is up first. >> well, the weather is looking good. i don't think the forecast could be much better to ring in the new year. right now, cloudy and 4 5 degrees. the clouds are low this morning but as we go through the day, we will see partial clearing, we will see some sun to end the year but temperatures will remain above seasonable as well. we're talking about temperatures topping out close to 50 degrees today. we have low pressure making the exit, some air will be pumped in. 8:00 a.m., 45 degrees, still mainly cloudy at that point but seeing a few breaks. and by noon, 49 and mostly cloudy and by 2:00, a high of 50 in the city under partly sunny skies and looking good. 9:00 as you make your way out and about, 42 degrees and partly cloudy. the full forecast coming up and what to expect in 2016. but right now, over to alex

>> thank you. good morning. already a couple trouble spots for the morning commute. in clifton, we have an accident, an overturned vehicle blocking two lanes on the eastbound side of route 3 at gross street. plan for that. and construction on the fdr drive. a live look at one of the hundreds of cameras near 79th street blocking a lane in both directions but no major delays through the area. and mass transit is on or close to schedule metro north, p.a.t.h. trains and lirr and new jersey transit, extra service will be offered this afternoon for the holiday weekend get away. alternate side of the street parking rules are in effect city-wide. and remember, be safe, don't text and drive. back to you. >> thank you. police are searching for the person who slashed an employee and a customer inside a mcdonald's on the east side. investigators say they got into a dispute last night. they say the employee was slashed in the lower thigh as

the customer was slashed in the lower torso. both are expected to be okay. police recovered the pink box cutter attacker used at the scene. a brooklyn babysitter is facing criminal charges after police say she was caught on a nanny cam abusing a 6-month-old girl according to document, video shows her grabbing the baby from the crib and throwing her down. and picking up the baby so quickly, the head and body jerked. court documents say she admitted it is her in the video. after dozens of allegations and denial, bill cosby is officially charged, accused in a sexual assault case against a woman. the alleged assault happened more than a decade ago. >> this morning, his lawyer is speaking out. ilana gold joins with us the latest. >> reporter: this is the first time we are hearing from cosby's lawyer since she was charged.

victim had a consensual relationship. >> reporter: bill cosby walked slowly and unsteadily into a pennsylvania court on wednesday where he was officially charged with aggravated indecent assault, a charge his attorney is now talking about. >> certainly it's a disappointing day, it's sad for his legal team, for his family that he would be dragged through this. >> reporter: 78-year-old is accused of sexually assaulting andrea constand, a former athlete and administrator at temple university where cosby also attended. it allegedly happened in 2004. court documents say he drugged her and fondled her at his $2 million home. >> mr. cosby urged her to take pills that he provided and to drink wine. the effect of which rendered her unable to move or respond. >> we expect for him to be exonerated and we are actually glad to have an opportunity for these matters to be worked out in court.

incident in 2005 but the district attorney announced no criminal charges citing a lack of evidence. a decade later, investigators re-opened a case after a judge opened documents from a civil case. >> we're 12 years in, 12 years after an alleged assault that was fully investigated, a former district attorney says there wasn't enough there. >> reporter: it's the first time dozen has faced charges de -- time cosby has faced charges despite years of allegations by women. >> i think it's time that somebody paid some sort of dues for doing stuff like this. >> i think that it's a possibility that it could all be just something that's a farce, you know, just to destroy his character because bill cosby was so integral, as far as black families are concerned.

on $1 million bail. if he is convicted, he faces five to 10 years in prison. back to you. >> thank you. a wake will be held today for a new york service member killed in afghanistan. staff sergeant louis bonacasa, a suffolk county native, was one of six americans who died last week in a suicide bombing. he was on his fourth military tour. his family says he was planning to retire from the armed forces after finishing his deployment. he leaves behind a wife and daughter. his funeral is set for saturday. present arms! [ bag pipes ] >> meantime, thousands of police officers attended a funeral yesterday at st. patrick's cathedral for a second new yorker killed in the same attack in afghanistan. 45-year-old joseph lemm was an nypd detective who also served in the air national guard. police commissioner bill

bratton's remarks were met with a standing ovation. >> he spoke from the heart and he spoke about a true american hero. it brings emotion to everyone's heart and you can't help but rise to the your feet out of respect and love for our fallen brother. >> lemm leaves behind a wife, teenage daughter and young son. 4-year-old ryan lemm rode the shoulders of a detective who worked with his father and now promised to look after his son. a federal grand jury has indicted a friend of one of the san bernardino shooters. prosecutors say he bought the guns used by terrorists syed rizwan farook and tashfeen malik. he is also accused of planning other attacks that never materialized. if convicted, he could spend up to 50 years in prison. it's less than eight hours until most of europe brings in the new year but don't expect big celebrations in belgian.

festivities amid fears of a terrorist attack. the city celebrations were supposed to include a giant fireworks display. still to come, the latest on the affluenza teen's arrest. why he is still in mexico while his mother was sent back to the states. and seniors being forced out of their homes. how they plan to fight the plan to turn their building into luxury condos. and the resolution many people make to get in shape. rain is moving out and the clouds will follow. we will see some sun for the end of 2015. but what about 2016?

up. we're swaying along to the music.

times square is looking quiet. i'm sure it will be different in a few hours. time for traffic and weather and traffic never more than seven minutes away on the 2s. good morning everybody. we are drying out out there so the forecast shaping up very nicely for everybody planning to hang out in times square tonight and for everybody planning to be out and about. we will check in with our weather watchers this morning and head way north. 31 degrees for michael and linda. relative humidity at%. they got about .75 of rain. this is important because there are some spots where temperatures are close to the freezing mark. there could be patchy black ice well outside the city this morning. so please keep that in mind. we are though much more mild in the city. let's take you live outside and show you this picture. we can actually see the buildings this morning. we don't have those -- that thick fog of yesterday. cloudy skies, 45 degrees in central park. northwest winds at 5 miles per hour. and relative humidity at 86%. as we look at the weather

skies are clearing and we will be drying out for today but as we move into 2016, we will finally feel that winter chill hang around, and in addition, it's looking like a dry stretch as we start the new year. temperatures ranging from 37 in monticello, the cool spot, the warm spot, the hamptons at 48 degrees. incredibly mild temperatures today. topping to out close to the 50- degree mark. the rain is moving out. you can see the clouds, the thicker clouds following and we will eventually see the sun today. so the trend is for clearing skies as low pressure makes the exit. and here's what it looks like on the futurecast model, thick clouds for this morning and into the afternoon, note partly sunny skies this afternoon and trending toward partly cloudy skies at the stroke of midnight we will be around the 40-degree mark.

we will start off with sun and notice the hint of a few snow showers well north of the city. this is definitely a possibility we make our way into late tomorrow. for today, none of that, clearing sky, 50 degrees and sunshine and clouds. and winds northwest at 5 to 15 miles per hour. tonight, a few clouds and colder, bottoming out at 35 but remember around midnight, closer to the 40-degree mark. and for your day tomorrow, starting off the new year, 45 degrees, we will see sunshine with a few more clouds, especially late in the day. and for the first full weekend of the year, the low 40s with sunshine and a few more clouds late sunday into monday. and monday a high of 39 and mostly sunny and in the 40s. time now for a check of traffic with alex denis. >> thank you. good morning everyone. already a couple problems. beginning in clifton, an accident with an overturned vehicle blocking two lanes on the eastbound side of route 3 at grove street. and it has the ramp from grove street closed as well.

here in times square, the new year's eve street closures have begun and include central park south down to 42nd street from 8th avenue to avenue of the americas and you can find out all of this information on our facebook page, facebook.com/cbsnewyork. and alternate side of the street parking rules are in effect city-wide. and remember, be safe, don't text and drive. back to you. >> thank you. if you're just wake up, a quick look at some of the stories making news this morning. the mayor of chicago has revealed a plan to try to reduce deadly police shootings. rahm emanuel says every patrol car will be equipped with a tazer. he is under intense criticism, especially after a video was released showing a white police officer shooting a black teenager 16 times. the mother of the so-called affluenza teen has been deported from mexico back to the u.s. this is new video of her arrival in los angeles. a judge delayed the deportation of her 18-year-old son ethan couch for now. they were caught hiding in

while prosecutors in investigated if couch violated his probation. a major interstate highway south of st. louis could be shut down after historic flooding in missouri killed at least 20 people. new video shows a floating house crashing into a bridge on river. 9/11 vies in the st. louis area have been topped by water and another 12 -- nine levees in st. louis have been topped by water and another 12 are in danger of topping. the dow jones industrial average lost 17 points and the nasdaq composite was down 42 and the s&p 500 dropped 15. the u.s. postal service is showing off the new collection of stamps for 2016. and you can now use one of the four "star trek" stamps. stamps featuring the uss enterprise, a crew member being beamed up and a as a rule can

time for the tv show's 50th anniversary. >> so many choices now. dozens of westchester county seniors say they're being forced out of their homes so developers can convert them into luxury apartments. >> we spoke with some who say they won't go without a fight. >> reporter: he is not happy that only five months after being moved in, the 1-year-old is being forced to move out of a senior living complex in white plains. >> the moving process is expensive and nerve racking, as you can imagine, especially for elderly people, 80 and 90-year- olds. >> reporter: the owner sent this letter in november telling them they have to be out by mid manufacturer 2016. >> i think it's a shame. >> reporter: herald is the 90- year-old president of the resident association.

people here who came here thinking it's the last stop for their lives and it's destroying them. >> reporter: while scaffolding is already up, the city still has to review and approve the plan before anything happens. a spokesperson tells cbs 2 news that no one here is going to be the thrown out on to the street. in fact, they are offering anyone who is having trouble finding a new place to move to temporary rooms at their other building across the street. the letter also offers assistance, saying, quote, we are committed to working closely with all of our residents and their families to ease the transition into alternative locations and help you identify and relocate to a new home. but those vague promises aren't enough for herald. >> you're willing to fight? >> 100%. and i advise all the residents here not to pay their rent. just don't pay the rent. get back your non-refundable deposits. >> reporter: he is not going quietly.

time now is 4:49. still to come, keeping those resolutions to get back into shape. and a in addition just short of the new year. the unusual place this adorable little girl came into the world. and another check on traffic and weather on the 2s

this morning. celebrate good time, come on >> you can't see her here. it will be quite the celebration tonight. >> we're celebrating, baby. >> you are celebrating a little early this morning. 4:52. 45 degrees. >> nice way of saying -- >> it's new year's eve. we can start now, can't we? >> never too early. >> the rest of us are yawning. >> we admire your energy. what's the weather looking like? for today, clearing sky, a little bit of sun and temperatures warmer than they

warm, 45 degrees and cloudy skies right now. northwest winds at 5 miles per hour. this afternoon, how about more sun, a high of 50 in the city. 48 for trenton. thanks. how do the roads look? >> in clifton, there's an accident blocking two lanes eastbound at route 3 at grove street. and subway changes at franklin problem. 2 and 4 trains with delays in both directions. and alternate side of the effect city-wide. and remember, be safe, don't back to you. >> thank you. speaking of driving, a family in burlington county, new jersey will celebrate the new year with a new addition, a baby girl that could not wait to pop into the world. she was not due, how adorable, for another three weeks. she was not waiting though. on tuesday, her parents jumped in the truck to head to the hospital but dad didn't have time to pull over. she was born in the vehicle. she weighs four pounds. mother and baby are doing just fine.

>> i know. she's adorable. congratulations. >> congratulations. alex is getting worried over there. in next half hour, some steps to beat the new year's hang over. and a hoverboard catches fire, nearly destroying a brooklyn apartment. a warning from the city fire commissioner. and not only a healthy resolution but sticking to it. steps you can take next on cbs 2 news this morning. the new caramel macchiato from dunkin' donuts. let hand-crafted layers of espresso, milk, and a caramel-flavored swirl uplift your mood.

find your sweet spot today with dunkin's chicken apple sausage sandwich. enjoy sweet apple and savory sausage together for under 400 calories. america runs on dunkin'. when the clock strikes midnight, many of us will make some new year's resolutions but will you keep yours? >> the university of pennsylvania says six months after making a resolution, only 40% are still on track. meg baker tells us what you need to do to beat the odds. >> reporter: that time of year, have you made a promise to yourself? will this be the year to change your life style? now to make that pledge last. >> everyone has different goals. sometimes it's can i fit into a pair of jeans? i want to play better with my kids. i want to do a race.

goal is, not somebody else's. >> reporter: lisa wheeler says set attainable goal, go from the couch to the 5k, not a marathon. >> slow and steady. start with just walking. you can do that anywhere, any time, any place, at the office, at home, dropping your kids off at school. >> reporter: experts say start a new habit. all it takes is 30 minutes a day to begin your health journey. with the initial rush to get fit, a lot of people jump into gym memberships. best to test it out first to ensure you like it or you may get trapped in a lengthy contract. >> most gyms will offer like a month or something. they'll push to you the year because by february, maybe that new year's excitement will have faded. >> reporter: but if you make it over the hump, commit for a year or more because it will save you money over the long- term. and be mindful of your diet. cut out junk food, eat simple,

both fitness gurus say most importantly, don't be too tough on yourself. reward yourself, be proud, move forward. in midtown, meg baker, cbs 2 news. >> cut out junk food. sometimes easier said than done. >> exactly. >> we'll work on it. time now is 4:58. still ahead, the day's top stories including the preparations in times square, the increased security and restrictions in place to make sure the new year's party is a safe one for everyone. and keeping the happy in happy new year. steps experts say you can take to keep the celebration a joyous one. and the clips many people are still talking about. we check out the best viral videos of 2015.

seconds. a good morning to you all. 45 degrees on this new year's eve. less than 19 hours away from the ball drop in times square. we have traffic and weather and traffic never more than seven minutes away on the 2s in just a moment. good morning. i'm diane macedo. >> and i'm andrea grymes. chris and mary are off. we are just hours away from one of the biggest new year's eve celebrations in the world. >> more than a million people are expected to pour into times square to watch the famous ball drop. janelle burrell is live with an update. >> reporter: all eye --

calm before the party here tonight. and this year we have the weather working in our favor. so that's definitely a good thing. and if you are in times square, you will have an awesome view of the ball. this year, 12 feet in diameter, hundreds of thousands of people expected to pack in here to watch this community usher in 2016. after a test run wednesday, the nearly 12,000-pound crystal ball is all set and ready to sparkle tonight. >> part of a global experience, a global celebration. there's no other time like new year's eve where we are part of the global community. >> reporter: hundreds of thousands of people in times square and countless others around the world expected to be watching as new york ushers in 2016. and so will about 6,000 police officers who will be on the ground. >> we are very, very confident that new year's eve in new york city will be the safest place in the world to be. >> reporter: the nypd plans to deploy an army of officers

newly formed counterterrorism unit. the new operations center downtown will monitor hundreds of camera feeds. >> the numbers of officers that will be there will be extraordinary and the preparation is extraordinary as well. >> reporter: expect to see many with powerful gun, radiation detectors and bomb-sniffing dogs. but the commissioner says there's also a lot of security that you won't see. he says there are no credible threats but in the wake of recent terror events outside of new york, the department, he says, is prepared. >> we've learned from the past and we plan accordingly and the new threat picture is something that we are very aware of and have planned for. >> reporter: now back live here, looking at the barricades that police already have set up this morning. anticipation of the hundreds of thousands of people expected to pack in here late they are afternoon. and a note for those of you who plan on attend, there will be dozens of security check points and street close yes, sir as well.

restrictions, hit -- street closures as well. for a full list and parking restrictions, head over to our facebook page. and vanessa murdock is in for john with the forecast. >> the forecast is looking really good for today. we are starting to see a few breaks in the clouds but we still have fog at the surface. at present, 45 degrees and cloudy in central park, west winds at 3 miles per hour and relative humidity at 90%. reduced visibility in places like sparta, it's down to a half mile. in babylon, down to one mile. and also some patchy black ice possible well north and west of the city where temperatures are closer to freezing. otherwise, skies are clearing and we will be warming to roughly 50 today. so temperatures don't move too much. by noon, 49 out there. , partly sunny. by 2:00, it is 50, looking good. and 9:00 tonight, 42 and partly cloudy as we work toward that midnight hour.

right now, alex denis has your time saver traffic. >> thank you. so let's help you get to where you need to be this morning. unfortunately in clifton, a red indicater, an accident with an overturned vehicle blocking two lanes on route 3 eastbound at grove street. and this has the ramp from grove street closed as well. some subway changes due to switch problems at franklin problem in brooklyn. 2 and 4 trains with delays in both directions. and a live look to the george washington bridge. inbound lower level, ez pass- only until 6:00. but delay free at the tolls and lincoln and holland as well. and alternate side of the street parking rules are in effect city-wide. and remember, be safe, don't text and drive. back to you. >> thank you. new this morning, a deadly accident outside a luxury hotel just blocks away from central park. police say a 24-year-old man apparently fell to his death last night after climbing scaffolding next to the four seasons on 57th street and madison avenue. the victim was with an 18-year- old man who also climbed the scaffolding.

or why but police say they had camera equipment with them. after dozens of allegations and denial, bill cosby is officially charged. he is accused of sexually assaulting a woman in an alleged assault that happened more than a decade ago. >> this morning, his lawyer is speaking out. ilana gold is here now with more. >> reporter: this morning, cosby's lawyer is coming to his defense. she calls the charge a political move and questions why this is happening now, more than a decade after the alleged incident and she is ready to put up a vigorous fight. comedian bill cosby walked slowly and unsteadily into a pennsylvania court on wednesday where he was officially charged with ago voir dire evacuated in -- with ago voir dire evacuated indecent assault. a charge his attorney is now talking about. >> it's a disappointing day. it's sad for his legal team, for his family that he would be dragged through this. >> reporter: the 78-year-old is accused of sexually assaulting andrea constand, a former athlete and administrator at temple university where cosby

it allegedly happened in 2004. court documents say he drugged million home. >> mr. cosby urged her to take pills that he provided to her and to drink wine. the effect of which rendered her unable to move or respond. >> we expect for him to be fully exonerated and we are actually glad to have an opportunity for these matters to be ferreted out in court. >> reporter: constand reported the incident in 2005 but the district attorney announced no criminal charges citing a lack of evidence. a decade later, investigators re-opened the case after a judge unsealed depositions from a civil suit constand filed where cosby admitted to giving drugs to women. the new charge filed right before the statute of limitations expired. >> we are 12 years in. 12 years after an alleged assault that was fully investigated, a former district attorney says there wasn't enough there. >> reporter: we talked to local

a lot of them tell us they're shocked but say cosby deserves his day in court. this morning he is out of custody on $1 million bail. >> thank you. a wake will be held today for a new york service member killed in afghanistan. staff sergeant louis bonacasa was one of six americans who died last week in a suicide bombing in afghanistan. his family says he was planning to retire after the deployment. he leaves behind a wife and daughter. his funeral is saturday. present arms! [ bag pipes play ] >> 45-year-old joseph lemm was an nypd detective who also served in the air national guard. police commissioner bill bratton delivered one of five eulogies. bratton's remarks about lemm were met with a standing ovation.

he spoke about a true american hero. it brings emotion to everyone's heart and you can't help but rise to your feet out of respect and love for our fallen brother. >> lemm leaves behind a wife and teenage daughter as well as a young son. 4-year-old ryan rode on the shoulders of a detective who worked with his family and now promises to look out for his family. 21 people were hurt after violent turbulence aboard a plane. frightening. dying. like you see in the movies where they all go up to the ceiling, okay, everything went anchored. >> emergency workers say those injured had neck and back problems and that included three children. and an update on the affluenza teen case. the mother of ethan couch is back in the u.s. after being deported from mexico. we have new video of tonya couch arriving in los angeles last night.

ethan, a judge delayed his deportation. they were captured in mexico on monday. authorities believe they fled the u.s. last month as prosecutors investigated whether couch violated his probation. he avoided jail time after a drunk driving crash that killed four people. the defense argued that he suffered from his rich parents never teaching him right from wrong. still to come, the new app any allergy suffer will want to put on their smart phone. plus this -- >> i would not plug one in in my home. >> a hoverboard fire almost costs a brooklyn fire their home. why the fire commissioner says they're dangerous. and if you have a few too many cocktails tonight, some ways you can quickly recover from the post new year's headache. it's chilly for some. you won't need the umbrella today. you may want to wear the coat. and then, how about some sunglasses? don't forget them.

details coming up. i'm coming up so you better get this party started i'm coming up >> good morning. welcome back to cbs 2 news. it is time for traffic and weather and traffic never more than seven minutes away on the 2s. right now. looks clear and i think people will be happy to hear. >> yes, skies clearing out as

and it's going to be good at midnight. pretty good. let's look at some of the stats from the past. so you can make your own comparison. the warmest was 58 back in 1972. that is not happening today. the coldest, 1 degree in 1917. and the lowest wind chill 21 below back in 1997. so where will we be today? 40 degrees at the stroke of midnight. feeling like 34. all in all, thing is a great forecast. it will be dry. you will see stars. well, hard in times square but outside of times square, you will see the stars tonight and looking good. right now, the clouds are hanging on but they are beginning to break. 45 degrees, west winds at 3 miles per hour and relative humidity at 90%. we are starting off very mild this morning. normal daytime high is 39 degrees. so warm to start, 48 in belmar. and 45 in babylon. 42 in white plains. there are some spot, not on

freezing mark so please be cautious for patchy black ice this morning. as we look at the satellite and radar picture, this is lovely because the rain is moving out and the clouds are following suit. it is going to be a very nice end to 2015. bigger picture, the low pressure system is making the exit. a huge area of high pressure is going to filter in from the west. ultimately giving us a dry start to 2016. but it will be a dry end to the year as well. looking good for today. and partial clearing as i mentioned, so some sunshine today. and tomorrow, a brisk start to new year but we will still be above seasonable in the mid- 40s. maybe late in the day tomorrow, a passing snow shower well to north of the city. and on saturday, the chill will linger, highs getting colder to start the weekend but we will enjoy sunshine. but for today, high of 50 degrees, well above the norm, sunshine, some clouds and looking good, winds northwest at 5 to 15 miles per hour. tonight, a few clouds out

low but at midnight, 40, feeling like 34. and then tomorrow, it will be a chilly start to 2016, a high of 45. a lot of sunshine with more clouds late in the day and maybe a snow shower well north of the city as we head into the late afternoon and evening. so that's what's happening as we start the new year but as we really start to dig in, 42 and mostly sunny for saturday. and 43 with more clouds on sunday. monday, the high is 39. and then we stay in 240s after that. alex, over to -- stay in the 40s after that. alex, over to you. >> thank you. an accident with an overturned vehicle on the eastbound side of route 3 blocking two lanes at grove street. and it has the ramp from grove street closed as well. and new year's eve street close yes, sir have begin and that includes central park south down to 42nd street. and you can find all of that information on our facebook page, facebook.com/cbsnewyork. alternate side of the street

city-wide and remember, be safe, don't text and drive. the horror stories about hoverboards just keep coming. in the latest incident, one device bursts into flames inside a brooklyn apartment building. >> reporter: the 10-year-old is still shaken up after the hoverboard he got for christmas from his parents exploded inside their apartment. this is all that's left. >> the toy was sitting here on the floor and it just blew up. and sparks and fire started coming from the toy. >> reporter: burn marks on the floor show where the johnsons say the board was plugged in. >> you can look at the device and see that the fire started inside the device, in the chamber where the battery was lodged. >> reporter: the fdny showed us the charred and melted board. the family says the batteries were charging for almost four hours when it burst into flame, sending parts flying. >> my kid could have been riding it and it could have exploded. had he had on flammable, he would have went up in flames

>> reporter: they were able to put out the fire with water and carry it into the hallway before firefighters arrived and took it away. >> i would not plug one in in my home. >> reporter: the fire commissioner says this is the city's second fire involving a hoverboard this week. and with similar fires being reported all across the country, the fdny is now look into the safety of the popular riding toy with local, state and federal legislatures. >> which of these devices are dangerous, why they're dangerous and if need be, the government will issue cautions against them and even perhaps make them illegal. >> reporter: he says he doesn't want one anymore. >> ban them. don't sell them. because they can kill somebody. >> reporter: the johnsons say having a joyride isn't worth the risk. hazel sanchez, cbs 2 news. >> riding hoverboards is illegal in new york city but on tuesday, several city legislatures announced a push to make them legal.

allergic to nuts has created a new app to help people living with food allergies. they have spent years sifting through dozen thes of fda alerts and recalls that included other allergies. they decided there had to be an easier way to sort through them so they created an app called alert me. users can choose which specific allergy contaminations they want to be warned about and get immediate push alerts. >> let's say you don't want to be notified about eggs, you just click it. >> i'm thankful that my dad took a time to make an app to make sure i could stay safe. >> the family was inspired to create the app when they almost missed an alert about bagels they had in their home. new york city police officers are doing as much as they can to help new yorkers they say. the daily news is reporting that the nypd is responsible for almost 10% of donations made to the new york blood center.

have given 13,000-pints this year. the report says drives are sponsored by the arch diocese of new york and they are the second largest contributor to the blood bank. many people will be waking up with a hangover tomorrow. so which cures work? the most important thing is the to drink plenty of fluids but instead of just water or sports drinks, try pressed watermelon juice or coconut water. they can hydrate you better than water. and a popular cure is to eat something greasy as well before you start drinking. and a doctor suggest eating pear cactus. >> the pads of the cactus can help hydration so there's no scientific evidence that it helps but there's evidence that people who eat this pear cactus can beat a hangover or lessen the effects of a hangover. >> other things that can help, vitamins and the best choice of course is to drink in

>> that doesn't sound as good as cheese sticks or chicken fingers. >> or a grilled cheese. still to come, ways to beat the new year's blues. and the rangers looking to close out the year on a positive note but would they be

lightning? time for traffic and weather and traffic never more than seven minutes away on the 2s. >> good morning everybody. we're starting to see the clouds break up a bit so we are beginning to clear.

the normal daytime high is 39. as we look at what's happening this afternoon, more sun out there so that's nice, we will top out at 50 in the city. 48 for trenton. and mid- and upper 40s along long island. bridgeport, 43. some sun this afternoon. at midnight, partly cloudy and 40, feeling like 346789 alex, over -- like 34. alex, over to you. >> thank you. we have an accident with an overturned vehicle on the eastbound side of route 3 at grove street in clifton. and the ramp from grove street closed as well. and mass transit currently on or close to schedule. metro north, new jersey transit and the lirr will offer extra service this afternoon for the holiday weekend get-away. and alternate side of the street parking rules are in effect city-wide. and remember, be safe, don't text and drive. back to you. >> thank you. the nets tried to build a winning streak in florida while the rangers were just trying to win a game. >> otis livingston has your cbs 2 wfan sports update. >> only one local team on action on this new year's eve. the islanders will be in

nets in orlando last night, only two turnovers in the first half. nice ball handling and easy hoops will do thatting for. the throw down. the nets led by 13 but fell apart down the stretch, only up one with under a minute left. yeah, finds a wide open harris cutting to the bucket and the nets lose 100-93. rangers in tampa, tied in the 3rd. his fourth of the season, the rangers win 5-2. and jersey boys take their show on the road to ottawa. the heavy lift, two goals on the night, 35 points us this far this season, the devils with the shutout win 3-0. i'm otis livingston. and that's your cbs 2 wfan update. have a safe new year's eve. whether you head to times square or somewhere else, new year's eve is one of the most festive nights of the year for many people but for others, it's a big let down. >> why some people have the

how to overcome them. >> three, two, one! >> reporter: watching people celebrate new year's eve is like watching the world's biggest party but for some people, it's a party they feel like they weren't invited to. >> there's a lot of unnecessary emphasise on like, you know, that we put on being at parties or somewhere fun and having fun plans. >> reporter: a psychologist says it often leads to depression. >> it really is about the expectation that you're supposed to be smiling and having a good time and partying it up as much as possible. so if you're not fitting that expectation, then something is wrong with you. >> reporter: we spoke with new yorkers who are skipping times square and pricy party, opting for different activities to ring in the new year. >> they have a midnight yoga class which is cool. >> i go to a comedy club. >> like a new year's eve run at 12:00 in central park. >> my husband will be away so we will be talking -- skypeing a lot.

church with family. >> maybe volunteer some place. do something like that with other people. >> rent a good movie or a movie you always wanted to watch and have cheese and crackers and treat yourself. >> don't judge yourself if you want to celebrate just sitting on the couch. >> reporter: mental health experts say it did you want matter what you decide to do or not do as long as you make a plan ahead of time. >> even if i'm alone, that the there are two or three things that i will do to at least be action-oriented in bringing in the new year. >> take the moment to think of not how everyone else is doing but what do you want it to be? and take a moment alone and begin it with you. >> reporter: no matter what it is, pick your activity and have a very happy new year. elise finch, cbs 2 news. >> cheese and crackers. i like it. >> a little movie. >> now we're talking. up next, the day's top stories. we're now just hours away from one of the biggest parties

we will have a live report from times square coming up. plus, bill cosby officially charged in a sexual assault. coming up, what his attorney says about that charge. and from pizza rat to living room ball pit, which viral video topped the list for 2015. >> that's what i want to do for new year's eve.

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it is 5:30, 45 degrees on this new year's eve morning. you're going to the want to dress warm like usual if you're heading to times square tonight. it's expected to be chilly. we will have traffic and weather and traffic never more than seven minutes away on the 2s in a moment. good morning. i'm andrea grymes. >> and i'm diane macedo. chris wragge and mary calvi are off today. the ball is ready, confetti is set up and extra security is onhand for one of the biggest new year's eve celebrations in the world. >> more than a million people are expected to ring in new year in times square and janelle burrell is live there keeping an eye on things for us. >> reporter: good morning to you once again. we've been speaking with some of the people who are out here already this morning. one guy telling me, in a word, watching the ball drop here in

it's something that everyone should experience. and we are expecting more than a million people to pack right in here later tonight. and all eyes up at the top of the building to watch the ball drop. after a test run wednesday, the nearly 12,000-pound waterford crystal ball is all set and ready to sparkle tonight. >> part of a global experience, a global celebration. there's no other time like new year's eve where we are part of the global community. >> reporter: hundreds of thousands of people in times square and countless others around the world expected to be watching as new york ushers in 2016 and so will about 6,000 police officers who will be onthe ground. >> we are very, very confident that new year's eve in new york city will be the safest place in the world to be. >> reporter: the nypd plans to deploy an army of officers including hundreds from their newly formed counterterrorism unit. their new operations center

>> the numbers of officers that will be there will be extraordinary and the preparation is extraordinary as well. >> reporter: expect to see many with powerful gun, radiation detectors and bomb-snipping dogs but the commissioner says there are no credible threats but in the wake of recent terror events outside of new york, the department, he says, is prepared. >> we've learned from the past. and we plan accordingly. and the new threat picture is something that we're very aware of and have planned for. >> reporter: now back live here. you're looking at times square where we are expecting all of the people to pack in here tonight. if you're driving, this is not the area that you want to be. to avoid midtown because of all the road closures and of course the parking restrictions as well. for a full list, head to our page, facebook.com/cbsnewyork. reporting live, janelle burrell, cbs 2 news.

driving around there later today. thank you. 5:32. time for traffic and weather and traffic never more than seven minutes away on the 2s. vanessa murdock is up first. >> good morning. a mild start for some but for others, we are at the freezing mark. please be aware, patchy black ice is possible. otherwise, we are looking good and we will see the sun today. at present, clouds overhead, 45 degrees and winds are out of the west at 3 miles per hour. a look at visibility down to a half mile in sparta. and down to one mile in babylon so still some patchy fog out there but otherwise, the trend is for clearing skies, drying out, a beautiful end to 2015. by noon, it is 49 degrees. seeing lots of sun, 2:00, 50 degrees in city. that's 11 degrees above normal. and then at 9:00 tonight, 42 degrees and partly cloudy. if you're wondering what it will be at the stroke of midnight, 40, partly cloudy and feeling like 34. >> feeling like 34 -- >> okay. >> but not like negative 22. >> i was going to say, when you

better about the 34. >> it is a delight. normal daytime high is 39. think about it. very lucky. >> we will enjoy that. >> thank you. alex, how do the roads look? >> here in clifton, let's take a look. an accident with an overturned vehicle on the eastbound side of route 3 at grove street. and it has the ramp from grove street closed as well. and a live look at one of the hundreds of camera, george washington bridge, the inbound lower level, e-zpass-only until 6:00. and mass transit all green, on or close to schedule, metro north, new jersey transit or lirr expect extra service this afternoon for the holiday weekend to help you navigate around. alternate side of the street parking rules are in effect city-wide. and remember, be safe, don't text and drive. back to you. >> thank you. well after dozens of allegations and denial, bill cosby is officially charged, accused in a sexual assault case against a woman. the alleged assault happened

>> and this morning, his lawyer is speaking out. ilana gold joins us now with more. >> reporter: this is the first time we are hearing from cosby's lawyer since the criminal charge was filed. she says he is and the alleged victim had a consensual relationship and she is confident he will be cleared of any wrongdoing. 78-year-old bill cosby walked into a pennsylvania court on wednesday and stumble add long the way before facing a judge. the famous comedian had nothing to say when he was charged with aggravated indecent assault for a alleged sex crime more than a decade old. >> we are going to do everything to make sure it has a successful end for him. >> reporter: the alleged incident happened in 2004 when he supposedly invited andrea constand the to his $2 million home. she is a former athlete and administrator at temple university, also cosby's alma mater. >> mr. cosby urged her to take pills that he provided to her

the effect of which rendered her unable to move or respond. >> he is 78 years old and he's being charged as a 78-year-old blind man 12 years after an alleged incident. >> reporter: constand reported the incident in 2005 but the district attorney announced no of evidence. >> a decade later, investigators re-opened the case after a judge unsealed depositions from a civil suit constand filed where cosby admitted to giving drugs to women. the new charge filed right before the statute of limb takes expired. >> over a decade later, one hot campaign later, we're here. >> reporter: it's the first time cosby has faced charges despite years of similar accusations by women and many of his fans are alarmed. >> never imagined that my favorite comic would be involved in such things as this. it's terrible. >> reporter: although some say

defend the allegations. >> if they would have come forward sooner, it would have been more believable. >> reporter: cosby is now free on $1 million bail. if convicted, he faces five to 10 years in prison. back to you. >> thank you. a brooklyn babysitter is facing criminal charges after police say she was caught on a nanny cam abusing a 6-month-old girl. she was charged with child endangerment yesterday. according to court document, video shows her grabbing the baby and throwing her down and picking the baby up from a changing table so quickly that the little girl's head and body jerked. court documents say she admitted it is her in the video. she was released after appearing in court. a federal grand jury has indicted a friend of one of the san bernardino shooters. 24-year-old enrique marquez faces five charges including conspiracy and making false statements. prosecutors say he bought the guns used by terrorists syed rizwan farook and tashfeen malik. and he is accused of planning

if convicted, he could spend up to 50 years in prison. less than seven hours until most of europe rings in the new year but don't expect big celebrations in belgian. the mayor of brussels has canceled all festivities amid fears of a terror attack. officials arrest 2 people suspected of planning an attack in the city. the celebrations were supposed to include a giant fireworks display. cleanthony early is recovering this morning from a gunshot wound after he was attacked by masked men. scott rapoport reports from the scene in queens. >> reporter: just hours after helping his new york knicks beat the detroit pistons at madison square garden, 24-year- old forward cleanthony early found himself the victim of a bizarre robbery and shooting here in maspeth, queens at 4:00 a.m. nypd detectives tight lipped. >> he was a incompetent victim of a robbery, that's all we know at the time. >> reporter: police say he was

girlfriend in an uber car. about a mile away, cops say he was surrounded by three other car, boxed in when four to six men emerged, two with guns and at least one wearing a ski mask, robbing early of his belongings and jewelry. including, police sources say, the gold caps off his teeth. even worse, early was shot in the right knee, a shell casing of a bullet plainly visible amidst the crime scene. does it appear he was the targe senate. >> we don't know. >> -- was the target? >> we don't the know. >> reporter: from his house, a man says he saw early go to a neighbor's door across the street asking for help and his neighbor told him what early said. >> they were ambushed and he got robbed. his cellphone, everything was stolen, that's why they were looking for help. >> reporter: early was taken to the hospital and is in stable condition. we're told that the injuries do not appear to be life- threatening. the woman he was with was

his teammates saying they are thankful that what happened wasn't any worse. >> just a shocking situation. unfortunate situation for sure. >> to know that he is still here and doing relatively well, as well as you could be, you know, i think we will take that. >> reporter: so far, there have been no arrests. scott rapoport, cbs 2 news. >> police stay uber driver was also robbed and forced to give up his id. early sent out a tweet last night thanking fans for their thoughts and prayers. coming up, a possible new benefit of vitamin d. plus, legal trouble for spotify. why they are being hit with a $150 million lawsuit. and a popular spot in times

good. time for traffic and weather and traffic never more than seven minutes away on the 2s.

>> well, good morning everybody. things are looking up for the end of 2015 with regards to the forecast. we still have some fog out there this morning. it is patchy but it is present. chase has 42 degrees in yonkers. and they have some clouds and she is reporting just over a tenth of an inch of rainfall overnight. and temperatures well to the north and to the west are close to that freezing mark. for example, let's see here, 36 degrees says chris in rockhill. and that's not freezing but there are other locations that are close. please be on the lookout for patchy black ice as well. for the most part, most of us are well above freezing this morning. it is warm it is cloudy. and let's take you live outside and show you what it looks like. sorry, going to start with the ball drop because last year the temperature was 28 degrees and the wind chill was 236789 compare that to this year, and i think you will be happy. the temperature at midnight

cloudy skies and the wind chill 34 degrees. huge change from last year and nothing compared to the coldest years on record. the wind chill one year was as low as 21 degrees below zero at the stroke of midnight so we are looking good to end this year and ring in 2016. as far as what's happening overhead, now we show you outside, beginning to clear, 45 degrees in the city and west winds at 3 miles per hour. and 46 in belmar. 45 in babylon. 38 in sparta starting off this thursday morning. on the vortex satellite and radar picture. what we note is the showers and the rain is making the exit. it's being lifted away as the low pressure moves off in the northeasterly direction and high pressure building in. not just to end this year but for a stretch into the start of 2016. hour-by-hour for this morning, some clouds and some sun, we see plenty of sun is shine today and even at the stroke of midnight, we will call for partly cloudy skies. tomorrow, much sunshine to

get into the late afternoon and evening, some clouds north of the city also and maybe a few snow showers well north of the city, otherwise, a very dry beginning to the new year. for today, sun and and cloud, 50 degrees, -- sun and clouds and 50 degrees. tonight we bottom out at 35 but at the stroke of midnight, 40 will feel like 34. tomorrow, sunshine early, a few more clouds late, maybe a stray snow shower well north of the city. and then toward the weekend, 42, mostly sunny on saturday and sunday, 43 with clouds moving in late. monday, a high of just 39. and that is where we should be. alex, over to you. >> thank you. so several alerts this morning beginning in white plains. the right lane is blocked on route 287 eastbound at exit 6. due to a clean-up from an earlier fuel spill through the area. plan for that. and clifton, a crash with an overturned vehicle blocking two lanes on the eastbound side at

and a live now at times square. new york street closures have begun and include central park south down to 42nd street from 8th avenue to the avenue of the americas there. you can find the information on our facebook page, cbs new york and janelle burrell is live there. alternate side of the street parking rules are in effect city-wide. and remember, be safe, don't text and drive. back over to you. >> thank you. an update on a woman caught on video slashing two subway riders. she was arraigned in brooklyn criminal court yesterday, a day after surrendering to police. the 28-year-old faces assault and weapons charges. a judge set bail at $20,000. cellphone showed her in a violent confrontation on an a train this month in brooklyn. both riders suffered minor injuries. the mayor of chicago wants to equip every police officer with tazers to cut back on the use of deadly force by police officers. rahm emanuel has been under intense criticism following a series of deadly police shootings.

amount of tazers to 1400. the police superintendent says only 21% of the police officers are certified to use a tazer but more will be trained. it's the end of an era for toys r us in times square. the toy store shut its doors for good yesterday. employees posed for pictures to remember the moment. the executives say they decided to look for a new flagship location because of high rent. on money watch, the most illegally downloaded shows of 2015, musicians unite against spotify and a swiss bank ponies up big bucks. >> reporter: a swiss bank has set aside nearly $550 million after an investigation claimed the bank helped wealthy american clients evade u.s. taxes. the fourth largest bank said wednesday they have reached an agreement in principle with the u.s. attorney's office in new york which declined to comment.

led markets lower on wednesday. the nasdaq composite last 42. spotify has been hit with a class action lawsuit to the tune of $150 million. it was filed monday by the band crackers frontman david lowry. it claims the popular streaming site failed to secure and pay for rights of many of the group's songs and other artists could join the suit. and no big surprises in the most pirated tv shows in 2015. game of thrones led the pack. and it was followed by the walking dead, and "the big bang theory." freak which tracks streaming data compiled the list. and that's your money watch report. for more, log on to cbsmoneywatch.com. one stock on the rise is weight watchers and investors have oprah to the thank. she bought 10% of the company back in october. and stocks soared by 7% on tuesday, and up another 19%

your favorite viral videos of 2015. love those. and a gift with purchase but not one this buyer was expecting. but first, the cbs 2 wfan scoreboard. the nets lose in orlando. and on the ice, the rangers beat the lightning.

senators 3-0.

45 degrees as we take a live look at times square getting ready to the huge ball drop tonight. >> we are grooving for sure. a woman in new york city is now looking for the owner of a wedding ring that she found in an unusual place. >> she found the ring in the pocket of a pair of jeans that she ordered for her husband as a christmas gift. it's either white gold or sterling silver with a date engraved. she says she really wants to find the owner because she lost her ring two years ago and still hasn't found it. >> that would be a good way to ring in the new year. >> for sure: time now 5:52. time for traffic and weather and traffic never more than seven minutes away on the 2s. vanessa murdock, how is the forecast looking? >> that story gave me chill, the forecast will not. a high of 50 in the city with sunshine ask clouds. 48 for the high in trenton. 44 at bridgeport.

some fog as well. and maybe some patch black ice but it will be a beautiful end to 2015, at midnight, 40 will feel like 34. time now for traffic with alex denis. >> thank you. traveling in white plain, the right lane is blocked on route 287 eastbound at exit 6. due to clean-up from an earlier fuel spill through the area so plan for that. and clifton, an accident with an overturned vehicle blocking the right lane on the eastbound side of route 3 at grove street. and it has the ramp from grove street closed. and alternate side of the street parking rules are in effect city-wide. and remember, be safe, don't text and drive. back to you. >> thank you. and health watch, vitamin d may help treat people with multiple sclerosis. high doses of vitamin d3 helped reduce the severity of the condition. from only in new york to wacky one, viral videos were a big hit in 2015. even talk show hosts got in on the action.

for youtube. the video sharing site turned 10 in february and since then, there's been no shortage of viral videos that leave you laugh, crying and other time, plain scratching your head. now watch me whip >> reporter: when it comes to 2015's best videos, music makes the cut. "watch me" nabbed the number one spot on youtube's list creating new dance moves like stanky leg. and the internet also said -- the. hello >> reporter: to adele. bad blood and the "see you again," a tribute to the late actor paul walker which has more than 1.2 million views. along with -- going to shake it off, shake it off >> reporter: the police dash cam confessional to taylor swift's "shake it off."

softer side of youtube. it encourages people to face and change bias and prejudice. and while the next video was all for laughs. more than 58 million times people watched this dad fill his house with hundreds of thousands of plastic balls only to have them swallow his girlfriend when she returns. and stephen colbert took over for david letterman. dance with me >> reporter: while the new late late show show host james corden in addition to making hilarious spoofs invites others to sing with him in car pool karaoke. his duet with justin bieb. i know you love me >> reporter: nabbed more than 45 million views. we can't forget about the animals of youtube like pizza rat with 8.6 million views and bears of new jersey throwing pool parties. but first -- >> le me take a selfie. >> reporter: remember these

baseball game because they were too busy on social media? and then the boy who receives exciting news is. >> is that your baby? >> yeah in my belly. >> is it in your belly? >> yeah. >> just now? >> yeah. >> i'm going to be a new big prop! >> reporter: even after 10 years of youtube success, still look. >> [ bleep ] you. find a beast now? >> reporter: hail as the top- earning youtube star by forbes, the foul-mouthed swedish video game commentator is set to annually make $12 million. try topping that in 2016. that's surprised me the most, $12 million? >> reporter: unbelievable. >> we're doing something wrong. >> reporter: we are. through the videos. >> some you forget about. i have so many songs in my head thank you. >> you are welcome. into a ball pit? >> best dad ever. >> totally. is the weather looking today? >> wonderful for the ball drop.

sun, warm still and at midnight, 40 and partly cloudy. >> all right. >> closures in times square in preparation for tonight. we will give you the full list coming up. >> thank you. time now is 5:57 now. still ahead, the day's top the stories including the count down to new year's eve. we are live with tonight's big preparations. and also, bill cosby officially charged. coming up, what his lawyer is saying about the investigation. and the way you start your car could soon be much different. the new proposal to get drunk drivers off the road. cbs 2 news this morning

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good morning. 6:00 a.m. here in new york. midnight. we are taking a live look as they ring in the new year. tee minus 18 hours until the city. i'm diane macedo. >> and i'm andrea grymes.

here's what's new this morning. >> we are very, very confident that new year's eve in new york city will be the safest place in the world to be. >> all eyes are on times square for new year's eve. the ball will drop, the confetti will fall and the champagne will be popping at midnight and the nypd will be on high alert to make sure everyone is safe in times square. we will take a closer look in a live report. mr. cosby urged her to take pills that he provided to her and to drink wine. >> dozens of women have come forward accusing bill cosby of sexual assault and now in one of those case, he faces charges. what cosby's attorney is saying about the case coming up. a deadly accident outside a luxury hotel just blocks away from central park. police say a 24-year-old man apparently fell to his death last night after climbing scaffolding. we will have more details still ahead. a wake will be held today

afghanistan. staff sergeant louis bonacasa was one of six americans who died last week in a suicide bombing. his funeral will be held on saturday. if you had children, a son, would you want him to play football? >> i didn't necessarily want to put my child in that if i could avoid that. >> a jets football play we are a strong reaction after seeing the movie "concussion." why he says he feels betrayed by the nfl. let's do this. >> yeah, baby. watch out people. >> we showed you the previews and now it's finally happened, president barack obama goes for a drive with jerry seinfeld for the comedian's hit web series. some of the hilarious memos from the road trip coming up. time now is 6:02. time for traffic and weather and traffic never more than seven minutes away on the 2s. vanessa murdock is in for john this morning with the forecast. >> good morning and happy last day of 2015. we're almost to the new year and the forecast, i think, couldn't be much better than this. it will be bright this

46 degrees right now with scattered clouds, west winds at 3 miles per hour. this morning, we do have some areas of patchy dense fog. babylon visibility down to a tenth of a mile. in sparta, down to a half mile. on the vortex satellite and radar picture, the rain is moving out and the clouds are beginning to break up and it's setting the stage for a beautiful end to the year. noon, 49 degrees under partly cloudy skies, by 2:00, a high of 50. that is 1 degrees above normal. and at -- that is 1 degrees above normal. at the stroke of midnight, looking at 40 feeling like 34. and let's get a check on the roadways with alex denis ask >> thank you. traveling in white plains this morning, the right lane is blocked on route 287 eastbound at exit 6. it's due to clean-up from an earlier fuel spill through the area so anticipate that for the morning ride. and in the bronx, a disabled vehicle blocks the lane.

metro north, p.a.t.h. trains, new jersey transit or lirr, there's going to be some extra service offered this afternoon for the holiday weekend. alternate side of the street parking rules are in effect city-wide. and remember, be safe, don't text and drive. back to you. >> thank you. we are less than 18 hours away right now from ringing in the new year here and that means more than 1 million people will begin pouring into times square to watch the ball drop. >> janelle burrell is live in times square keeping an eye on things for us. and already new year's in new zealand. >> reporter: well, they are getting ready here in new york. and right now, it's sort of a calm before the big party here tonight. we are right next to the main stage. you can see police already have the barricades set up in anatase operation of the crowds but -- in anticipation of the crowds. but as you know, all eyes will be looking up there to watch the ball drop and ring in 2016. >> everyone has like full of hope and waiting for the next year and it's -- it's impressive. impressive. it's hard not to -- come on,

>> reporter: after a test run pound waterford crystal ball is tonight. a global celebration. there's no other time like new year's eve where we really are part of the global community. >> reporter: hundreds of thousands of people in times square and countless others around the world expected to be 2016. and so will about 6,000 police ground. >> we are very, very confident that new year's eve in new york city will be the safest place in the world to be. >> reporter: the nypd plans to deploy an army of officers including hundreds from their newly formed counterterrorism unit. their new operations center downtown will monitor hundreds of camera feeds. >> the numbers of officers that will be there will be extraordinary and the preparation is extraordinary as well. >> reporter: expect to see many with powerful gun, radiation detectors and bomb-sniffing

there's also a lot of security that you won't see. he says there are no credible threats, but in the wake of recent terror events outside of new york, the department, he says, is prepared. >> we've learned from the past and we plan accordingly and the new threat picture is something we are very aware of and have planned for. a lot of fun. >> reporter: yeah, definitely a lot of fun expected here tonight but won't be fun is if you're driving in midtown. avoid the area because of all the traffic. and we have a full list of the street close yes, sir as well as the parking restrictions now in effect on our facebook page, cbs new york, janelle burrell, cbs 2 news. >> thank you. bill cosby is officially charged, accused of sexually assaulting a woman. the alleged assault happened more than a decade ago. >> this morning, his lawyer is speaking out. ilana gold has more on that.

cosby's lawyer is coming to his defense. she calls the charge a political move and questions why this is happening now and says his legal team is ready to put up a vigorous fight. comedian bill cosby walked slowly and unsteadily into a pennsylvania court on wednesday where he was officially charged with aggravated indecent assault, a charge his attorney is now talking about. >> certainly it's a disappointing day. it's sad for his legal team, for his family that he would be dragged through this. >> reporter: the 78-year-old is accused of sexually assaulting andrea constand, a former athlete and administrator at temple university where cosby also attended. it allegedly happened in 2004. court documents say he drugged constand and fondled her at his $2 million home. >> mr. cosby urged her to take pills that he provided to her and to drink wine, the effect of which rendered her unable to move or respond.

fully exonerated and we are actually glad to have an opportunity for these matters to be ferreted out in court. >> reporter: constand reported the i dent in 2005 but the district attorney announced no new criminal charges citing a lack of evidence. a judge unsealed depositions from a civil suit that constand filed where cosby admitted to giving drugs to women. >> we're 12 years in, 12 years after an alleged assault that was fully investigated, a former district attorney says there wasn't enough there. >> reporter: we talked to local fans about the criminal charge. a lot of them tell us they are shocked but say cosby deserves his day in court. this morning he is out of custody on $1 million bail. back to you. >> thank you. police are now searching thing for the person who slashed an employee and a customer on a mcdonald's on the east side. investigators say the attacker

a dispute last night. and they say the employee was slashed in the lower thigh as he tried to break up the fight. the customer was slashed in the lower torso. both are expected to be okay. police recovered the pink box cutter used at the scene. coming up, the proposal to get drunk drivers off the road that could change the auto industry. plus, dozens of seniors could soon be homeless. the plan that's forcing them from their homes. and a christmas gift burst into flames. the warning from a brooklyn family about hoverboards. skies are beginning to clear and it's going to be a

we will look forward to 2016. time now 6:12. time for traffic and weather and traffic never more than seven minutes away on the 2s. vanessa murdock has the forecast. >> good morning. we are off to a lovely start out there with a few things to note, some fog and maybe some patchy black ice but that would be well north and east of the city. well north, it's 35 and 36 degrees. as we look to holly this morning, 40 degrees is her report. and she has clouds overhead but overall, looking good. and now just a little bit to the south, 50 degrees says ira. the normal daytime high is 39 degrees.

tenth of an inch of rain last night. just .03. we will be drying out. live outside from high atop the empire state build, you can see there are still some clouds, some very low clouds hovering overhead. but the general trend for today is clearing skies and it's already happening in central park, 46 degrees and variable winds at 3 miles per hour. and now we look back at 2015 because it is officially the new year in new zealand. in 2015, september, november, and december were the warmest on record for central park. incredible but don't forget, february was the third coldest on record. and as for meteorological fall, the warmest on record as well. so overall, it has been warmer but we know the winter months were trying. and as we look at what's happening right now, 37 in monticello. 45 for babylon.

clouds are doing the same, drier air will be getting pumped in. not just for today but really we have a dry stretch moving forward. low pressure will not be dominating the forecast and high pressure will be dominating. and looking at what's going down hour-by-hour, for this morning, clouds and fog and by this afternoon, we are seeing the sun and we will see the sun this morning as well. but fewer clouds in the afternoon. and then close to midnight, expect partly cloudy skies and for start of 2016, sun early. and i do anticipate more clouds, mainly north of the city as we get into the afternoon and evening hours. and we could also see a stray snow shower well north of the city tomorrow late in the day. and for today, no wet weather in the mix, just what's left on the ground right now, 50 degrees the high and a mixture of sunshine and clouds and northwests at 5 to 15 miles per hour. at midnight, 40, feeling like 34, we bottom out at 35. and for the first day of 2016, we will be in the 40s.

clouds late saturday and sunday, low 40s and mostly sunny. time now for a check on time saver traffic with alex denis. >> thank you. let's begin with the live drive map. in white plain, this right lane blocked on route 287 eastbound at exit 6 due to clean-up from a fuel spill through the area. plan for that. and also bronx, a disabled vehicle blocking the right lane on the eastbound side of the cross bronx at white plains road. and traveling for new year's, be aware, we have street closures. they have begun including the grid from central park south down to 42nd street, from 8th avenue to avenues of the americas and you can find the full list on our facebook page. alternate side of the street parking rules are in effect city-wide. and remember, be safe, don't text and drive. back over to you. >> thank you. happening today, anti-drunk driving advocates are expected to gatherer in nassau county to introduce a new law to prevent

wheel drunk. the group wants all cars sold in the u.s. to be required to have breathalyzers that block ignition if a driver is intoxicated. police are searching for the vandal or vandals targeting cars in brooklyn. investigators say someone busted windows in at least 18 cars yesterday. it happened along 20th and 21st avenues. the assembly man says car owners sure not to leave valuables in their cars so vandals won't be tempted to break in. the nypd according to the daily news is responsible for almost 10% of blood donations made to the nypd blood center. members are expected to have given 13,000-pints this year when the numbers are total. and the arch diocese of new york are the second largest contributor to the blood bank. dozens of seniors say they are being forced out of their

developers can turn them into luxury apartments. >> reporter: michael herb is not happy that the blind 91- year-old is being forced to move out of a senior living complex in white plains. >> the moving process is expensive and nerve racking, as you can imagine, especially for elderly people, 80 and 90-year- olds. >> reporter: the owner sent this letter in late november telling them they have to be out by mid-2016 so the building can be turned into luxury apartments. >> i think it's a shame. >> reporter: herald is the 90- year-old president of the resident's association. >> there are a lot of sick people here who came figuring this is the last stop for their lives and it's destroying them and their families. >> reporter: while scaffolding is already up around the build, the city of white plains still has to review and approve the plan before anything happens.

that no one here is going to be thrown out onto the street. in fact, what they're doing is offering anyone who is having trouble finding a new place to room to temporary rooms at their other building across the street. and the letter offers assistance say, quote, committed to working closely with all of our residents and their families to ease the transition into alternative locations and to help you identify and relocate to a new home. but those vague promises aren't enough for herald. >> you're willing to fight? >> 100%. and i advise all the residents here not to pay their rent. just don't pay the rent. make sure you get back your lightning-refundable deposits. >> reporter: he is not going quietly. in white plain, cbs 2 news. >> a spokesman for the building says 60 of the 150 residents have already found new homes. time now 6:18. in the next half hour, the dangers of smoking around pets

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good morning to all. 6:21. 46 degrees out there. times square has the bright lights shining but it will get more flashy as the day goes on. janelle burrell is live there and we will check in in a little bit. time now for traffic and weather and traffic never more than seven minutes away on the 2s. first, we're doing nasa i think. excuse me. nasa released a set of pictures featuring parts of the earth that look like letters the. project is called reading the alphabet from space. the photos were taken by satellites as well as astronauts. you can check out all of the pictures on nasa's website. and now 6:22 and time for traffic and weather and traffic never more than seven minutes away on the 2s. >> interesting though. >> it is. >> good way to learn your abcs. >> anyway -- >> we already know ours. we did practice that this morning. looking at sun throughout the day and temperatures above the norm. so we are counting down the new year with some sunshine.

drop, temperature will be 40, and it will feel like 34, much warmer than years' past. and then a chill returns for 2016 and it looks dry through next week. rain is moving out and the skies are clearing and the roadways are drying. right now, temperatures are mild, 45, oh, up to 46 in downtown. 47 at jfk. the bigger picture here, 45 in babylon. and 37 in monticello. and headed for 50 degrees this afternoon. and this forecast, again, we will see the sun and it's a great tend the year. >> all right. nice -- it's a great end to the year. >> all right. nice. >> yeah, a lot of people are happy. >> yeah, a stunning forecast. how do the roadways look? >> overall it's a smooth morning. in white plains, the right lane is blocked on route 287 eastbound at exit 6 due to clean-up from an earlier fuel spill through the area. mass transit is on or close to schedule. and metro north, p.a.t.h. trains and new jersey transit and lirr will offer extra

get away for the holidays. and not a lot of company around the lincoln tunnel. helix, george washington are also a smooth ride. alternate side of the street parking rules are in effect city-wide. and remember, be safe, don't text and drive. >> if only weekday was like this. >> take advantage. the nets were looking to build a winning streak in florida while the rangers were just hoping for a win otis livingston with the cbs 2 wfan sports update. >> good morning everyone. only one local team on action on this new year's eve. the islanders will be in buffalo to take on the sabers. nets in orlando last night, only two turnovers in the first half. nice ball handles. the throw down. the nets led by 1313 but fell apart down the stretch and only up one with under a minute left. and the double team and yeah, finding the wide open harris cutting to the bucket. the nets lose. rangers in tampa tied at 2- 2 in the 3rd. his fourth of the season. the rangers win 5-2.

on the road to ottawa. the heavy lifting two. goals on the night, 35 points us this far this season. the devils with the shutout win 3-0. i'm otis livingston and that's your cbs 2 wfan sports update. have a safe new year's eve. >> thank you. this morning's 2 talker, a cake that may have you doing a double take. >> and the president hitting the road with jersey sign field. >> reporter: all right. so -- with jerry seinfeld. >> reporter: all right. we want to the talk about the dress that changed colors, it was either black and blue or white gold -- >> and it was white and gold. >> reporter: let's begin with jersey sign field who kicked off the new -- ring leader sign field who kicked off the new season with president barack obama. comedians in cars getting coffee. he invited seinfeld to check out the limo. so now let me talk about the

i guess i was so excited because i wanted to see if you could tell. now we have a new something similar to that, a cake playing. look here. your eyes aren't deceiving you, the cake changes color depending on the angle. the trick is textured waves and the frosting that is colorfully shaded using an air brush. there's no word on how long it took but it almost looks animated. >> like one of the hologram stickers. >> definitely green. >> remember the images that -- >> and now red and green and blue. >> everyone is so fascinated. this has been going on forever. right. thank you. >> thanks. up next, the day's top stories. the ball is set, the barricades are up and times square is ready to usher in 2016. we will have a live report coming up.

video of four suspects accused of impersonating police officers in bronx.

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sitcomming up on 6:30, 46 degrees out there right now. a live look at times square where the ball will drop at midnight and so will the temperatures. a chilly forecast coming up. traffic and weather and traffic never more than seven minutes away on the 2s in a moment. good morning. i'm andrea grymes. >> and i'm diane macedo. chris wragge and mary calvi are off today. the ball is ready, confetti is set and extra security is onhand for one of the biggest the world. >> more than a million people are expected to ring the new year's in in times square. and janelle burrell is standing by and keeping an eye on things for us. >> early for the party. >> reporter: yeah, they are certainly ready to party here. in fact, they're already handing out these hats so people will be wearing them as they you shaller in the new year. and behind me, we are next to the big stage where all the acts will be performing tonight. and you can see the barricades set up as well in preparation

thousands who will pack in here tonight to usher in 2016. >> everyone has like full of hope and waiting for the next year and it's impressive. it's impressive. it's hard not to -- i mean, come on, look at this place. >> reporter: after the test run wednesday, the nearly 12,000- pound waterford crystal ball is set and really ready to sparkle tonight. >> -- set and ready to sparkle tonight. >> it's part of a global celebration. >> reporter: hundreds of thousands of people in times square and countless others around the world expected to be 2016. and so will about 6,000 police officers who will be on the ground. >> we are very, very confident that new year's eve in new york city will be the safest place in the world to be. >> reporter: the nypd plans to deploy an army of officers including hundreds from their newly formed counterterrorism unit. their new operations center of camera feeds. >> the numbers of officers that

extraordinary and the preparation is extraordinary as well. >> reporter: expect to see many with powerful gun, radiation detectors and bomb-sniffing dogs but the commissioner says there's also a lot of security that you won't see. he says there are no credible threats but in the wake of recent terror events outside of new york, the department, hi says, is prepared. >> we've learned from the past and we plan accordingly and the new threat picture is something that we're very aware of and have planned for. >> times square is going to be a lot of fun. >> reporter: a lot of fun, especially because of weather is working in our favor this year i was just talking with an organizer and he says because it is so warm this year, they are expecting the crowds to come in a little bit earlier than usual this afternoon. a note for people who are driving though because of the crowds and all of the street closures, you will want to avoid the midtown area. and we have a full list of those closures as well as

new york facebook page. reporting live from times square, janelle burrell, cbs 2 news. >> thank you. we wanted to you try on the hat but you don't have it anymore. tweet out a picture, please. >> we will check back in at midnight for the ball drop, you will still be there, right? well f you are going to be there at midnight, part -- well, if you are going to be there at midnight, partly cloudy and 40 but feeling like 34. so you will need to bundle up but not in excess. a great forecast. notice the clouds at about 1,000 feet. so low it's partly cloudy and 46 right now in central park. and relative winds at 3 miles per hour. as we look at the vortex satellite and radar picture, the clouds are making their exit and the rain is moving out. we are drying out toward 2016. for today at noon, 49 degrees, partly cloudy, 2:00, 50 degrees, that's the high for today. and a lot of sunshine, some clouds and looking really good for welcoming 2016. i will have your full forecast

but it's now time to check in with alex denis and the time saver traffic. >> thank you. clean-up from an earlier fuel spill through the area. service suspended on the port jefferson and ronkonkoma barge due to an unauthorized person on the tracks being struck by a non-passenger train west of hicksville station. and this afternoon, all of mass transit will offer extra get-away. alternate side of the street parking rules are in effect and. remember, be safe, don't text and drive. and at the airport, so far, everything is on or close to schedule at jfk, laguardia and newark liberty. a deadly accident at the four seasons hotel in midtown. police say a 24-year-old man, a guest there, fell to his death last night after climbing scaffolding that was right outside his window. the victim was with an 18-year- old male who also climbed the scaffolding. police say they did have camera

after dozens of allegations and denial, bill cosby is officially charged, accused of sexually assaulting a woman. >> this morning his lawyer is speak out. ilana gold is here now with more. >> reporter: this is the first time we are hearing from cosby's lawyer since he was charged. she says he and the alleged victim had a consensual relationship and she is confident he will be cleared of any wrongdoing. >> reporter: the 78-year-old bill cosby walked into a pennsylvania court wednesday and stumble add long the way before facing a judge. he had nothing to say when he was charged with aggravated indecent assault for a alleged sex crime more than a decade old. the alleged incident happened in 2004 when he supposedly invited andrea constand to his $2 million home. she is a former athlete and administrator at temple mater. court dock 9s say he drugged her and fondled her.

pills that he provided to her and to drink wine, the effect of which rendered her unable to move or respond. >> he is 78 years old and that he's being charge as a 78-year- old blind man 12 years after an alleged incident. >> reporter: constand reported the incident in 2005 but the district attorney announced no criminal charges citing a lack of evidence. a decade later, investigators re-opened the case after a judge unsealed depositions from a civil suit constand filed where cosby admitted to giving drugs to women. the new charge filed right takes expired. >> over a decade later, one hot campaign late e we're here. >> reporter: the first time cosby has faced charges despite years of similar accusations by women and many fans are alarmed. >> never imagined that my favorite comic would be it's terrible. >> reporter: although some of them say he deserves his day in court to defend the

>> i think that, you know, if they would have come forward been more believable. >> reporter: cosby is now free on $1 million bail. if he is convicted, he faces five to 10 years in prison. >> thank you. police are on the hunt for four men accused of impersonating officers during a robbery in bronx. the nypd released this video of the incident they say happened this month. the men stopped a mini van there. the suspects wore shields around their necks and what appeared to be protective vests. one robber took off with the mini van and the others took off in a sedan. a wake will be held today for a new york service member killed in afghanistan. staff sergeant louis bonacasa, a suffolk county native was one of six americans who died last week in a suicide bombing. his family says he was planning

deployment. the 31-year-old leaves behind a wife and daughter. his funeral is set for saturday on long island. present arms! [ bag pipes ] >> thousands of police officers attended a funeral yesterday at st. patrick's for a second new yorker killed in that same attack. 45-year-old joseph lemm was an nypd detective who also served in the air national guard. police commissioner bill bratton delivered one of five eulogies and his remarks about lemm were met with a standing ovation. >> he spoke from the heart and hero. it brings emotion to everyone's heart and you can't help but rise to your feet out of brother. >> lemm leaves behind a wife, a teenage daughter and a young son. 4-year-old ryan lemm rode on the shoulders of a detective who worked with his father and is now promming to look after the family.

happening and i saw the flames on the floor and started crying. >> a hoverboard burst into flames. how a brooklyn family says it almost cost them everything. plus, a jets player shares his strong reaction to the movie "concussion." and before you sip the champagne at midnight, find out

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historic flooding in missouri has forced officials to shut down interstate 55. a house swept away in the storm and crashed into a bridge. mandatory evacuations are in order in most parts of the st. louis metro area where flood waters are rising more than one

the water was so high in one neighborhood, rescuers had to pluck a man and his dog off a roof top. residents and volunteers are filling and stacking sandbags as they try desperately to save their homes. >> our home, these are my neighbors, we've done everything we can and they still can't beat it. >> tomorrow's another day. new year's is at end of the week, so 2016 has got to be better. >> the army corp of engineers says flood waters has spilled over nine federal levees and 11 more are in danger. the forecast at home looking pleasant and peaceful. sunshine today and temperatures above normal, close to that 50- degree mark. starting off very mild. let's take you live outside and show you this beautiful picture at 7:20. the sun will rise but right now, partly cloudy 46 with variable winds.

they are on the calm side. looking at midnight records, here's the deal, the warmest was 58 degrees set back in 1972. the coldest, 1 degree back in 1917 but the wind chill, 21 below in 1997. tonight the wind chill will make it feel like 34 complaints. hour-by-hour for today, this morning clouds around and less cloud cover into this afternoon. calling for partly cloudy later on with highs close to the 50- degree mark. and similar story at the stroke of midnight, clouds and star shine. and for the first day of 2016, a lot of sun, a few clouds to the south and into the afternoon, a few more clouds to the north. maybe a snow shower late in the afternoon through the evening hours. for today, mixture of sunshine and cloud, 50 degrees the high in the city and cooler to the north and west, more like low to mid-40s. northwest winds at 5 to 15 miles per hour.

there and colder. bottom thing out at 35. but at midnight, around 40. clouds to the north through the day tomorrow and the chance for snow showers, minimal chance at that, well north of the city tomorrow late in the day. for the weekend, looking lovely, low to mid-40s and more clouds sunday into monday. monday the high at 39 where we should be. alex, over to you. >> thank you. traveling in white plain, some changing for. two lanes are blocked on route 287 eastbound at exit 6. due to clean-up from an earlier fuel spill through the area. anticipate. and in queens, an accident blocking two lanes on the westbound side of the graped central parkway just before laguardia airport and dethe -- side of the grand central parkway and just before the laguardia airport. and suspended for the

a slow ride for the morning commute. and alternate side of the street parking rules are in effect city-wide. and remember, be safe, don't text and drive. back to you. >> thank you. 21 people were hurt after violent it shall blueness onboard an air canada plane. passengers say they were terrified. >> we thought we were dying. like you snow the movies where they go to the -- like you see in the movie where everyone goes up to the ceiling. new warning about hoverboards after a second fire in the city this week. members of the fdny showed the device involved in the latest incident. the johnson family in brooklyn bought it for the 10-year-old. they say the board was charging in the living room when it suddenly burst into flames. >> the toy was sitting here on the floor and it just blew up and sparks and fire started coming from the toy. >> i heard my mom and dad

i was like, mommy and daddy, what's happening and i saw the flames and started crying. >> the recent span of hoverboard fires has been the toys. a new york jets player says he feels betrayed by the nfl after watching the movie "concussion." >> repetitive head trauma -- >> reporter: after seeing the movie "concussion," he was hear push and to the point, he said, i feel betrayed by the people or committees put in place by the league who did not have my best interests at heart. he added, if i had a son, would i let him play? i struggle to answer this question. the comments will resinate throughout the tri-state area where thousands of kids play football. here in new jersey, parents had differing opinions on their children and football. >> i would never let them play football. it's too much risk with the --

injuries and it could affect them for their whole lives and i don't think it's worth it. >> luckily my son doesn't want to play so i am actually in a good position but if he wanted to, i wouldn't prevent him however i would be paranoid and scared. i know all the medical that goes into it as well. >> i think the boys should play football. i think, you know, you do have to be careful about concussions and i think there's precautions that they could be taking wearing the right helmet and gear to protect them. >> reporter: following wednesday's practice, ferguson addressed the original comments and the effect the movie had on him. >> you do play against guys who suffer from brain injury and you've played the game 10 years consistently for, you know, many, many plays so it's like, man, you know, what is the outcome of that? and you just want to make sure that the people you're around or in contact with have your best interest at heart. >> reporter: with more former and current nfl players

parents will be listening. reporting from new jersey, mark morgan, cbs 2 news. time now 6:47. up next, the danger of smoking around your pets. and the champagne will be flowing at midnight but you might not feel great the next morning. how to treat your hangover. but first, otis livingston has the morning's sports update. >> the nets blew a late lead and lost to the magic. the rangers beat the lightning 5-2. and the devils blanked the senators 3-0. only one team in action on this new year's eve,

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[ auld lang syne sign ] it is 6:51. 46 degrees out there. a live look at times square and we expect it to be far, far more crowded in the day but people already showing up. we will be checking in shortly. welcome back to cbs 2 news this morning. many people will be waking up with a new year's hangover after the celebrations so which hangover cures actually work? doctors say the most important thing is to drink plenty of fluids but instead of just water or sports drinks, try pressed watermelon juice or coconut water.

than water. and eat something greasy before you start drinking. a doctor we spoke to suggest eating prickly pear cactus. >> the pads of the cactus can help hydration. there's no scientific evidence but evidence that people who eat it can lessen the effects. >> other things that can help are vitamins and the best choice is to just drink in moderation. keep it together, people. >> hopefully people took notes. time for traffic and weather and traffic never more than seven minutes away on the 2s. how is it looking? >> it is looking improved over yesterday. we will see the sun today we are going to be topping out similarly though, high of 50 this afternoon in the city. 43 in andover as well as bridgeport. 48 for trenton. above seasonable today as we ring in the new year. 9:00, partly cloudy and 42. at midnight, 40 degrees, will feel like 34, passing clouds but a great midnight forecast.

home, 37 and mainly clear. let's get a check on the roadways with alex denis. >> thank you. overall, a good morning but we have one alerting for that will affect your ride on mass transit. service suspended on lirr's port jefferson and ronkonkoma branches due to an unauthorized person on the tracks being struck by a non-passenger train west of hicksville station. and a live look at times square. the new year's eve street closures include the grid from central park south down to 42nd street, from 8th avenue to avenue of the americas but you can find all of the information on our facebook page, cbs new york. and alternate side of the street parking rules are in effect city-wide. and remember, be safe, don't text and drive. back to you. >> thank you. there's a new reason to avoid smoking cigarettes, a study from the university find second hand smoke is also harmful to pets. the effects include cancer and weight gain. cats appear more susceptible than dogs, perhaps because of

let's check in with "cbs this morning." we have a prevideo. early happy new year. >> good morning. >> good morning. we're going to talk to bill cosby' lawyer about the charge against the comedian. >> plus, fighting fake olive oil. in italy one sip at a time. a 60 minutes report on the mafia's food fraud industry. >> and president barack obama goes for a spin with jerry seinfeld, all the highlights from the funny and candid conversation. the news is back in the morning and we will see new a few minutes. >> and the president was behind the wheel. >> you said that's different than normal. >> normally i see seinfeld driving. >> you're right. stay tuned and see what happens. nice to see you, especially you christine. >> oh, favoritism. >> i was happy to see you jeff.

before you go next. what you need to know before you go today, more than

times square tonight to ring in the new year after yesterday's test run. the nearly 12,000-pound waterford crystal ball is set and ready to sparkle tonight. about 6,000 police officers will be on the ground. bill cosby has officially been charged in a sexual assault case. the alleged assault happened more than a decade ago. cosby's attorney says she is ready to potiche a vigorous fight and this morning he is out on $1 million bail. a 24-year-old man fell to his death last night after climbing scaffolding at the four seasons hotel in midtown. an 18-year-old male was with him and they were not hotel guests. police say they had camera equipment and were possibly scaling the building to take pictures. a wake will be held today for a new york service member killed in afghanistan. 31-year-old louis bonacasa was one of six americans who died last week in a suicide bombing. his funeral will be on saturday. let's head to alex denis for a final look at traffic. >> thank you.

blocked at 287 eastbound at exit 6 due to clean-up from a fuel spill. and in queen, an accident on the westbound side of the grand central parkway just before laguardia airport. and lirr service has been restored but there's an hour delay on the port jefferson and ronkonkoma branches after an unauthorized person on the tracks was struck by a train west of hicksville station. and alternate side of the street parking rules are in effect city-wide. and remember, be safe, don't text and drive. back to you. >> thank you. the forecast today looking good. we will see some sun as we're already seeing the skies brightening up and we will top out around 50 degrees. a dry end to 2015. tonight at midnight, 40 degrees, will feel like 34 under partly cloudy skies tomorrow, 45 degrees, a lot of sun early and more clouds late in the day, and maybe a passing snow shower for areas well north of the city. into the late afternoon and evening. and for the weeken, low 40s and lots of sun and we should be at 39. over to you. >> thank you. not bad. thank you. another check on news and