NBC News' Brian Williams will anchor an NBC News special, “Sandy’s Fury,” at 10:00 pm ET/9:00 CT. Lester Holt, Harry Smith, Hoda Kotb, Chris Hansen, Andrea Canning, Ron Allen, and others have been hunkering down with families and friends riding out the storm. From the New Jersey shore to the New York coastlines to Connecticut and onward, the special will explore the damage caused up and down the eastern seaboard. NBC News will follow the storm as it moves westward into Pennsylvania and the surrounding areas, and take a look at the electrical grid that is so vulnerable in bad weather. 

In-depth coverage will continue Wednesday morning on “TODAY,” anchored by Matt Lauer and Savannah Guthrie. 

Final update, 11:55 p.m. ET, Tuesday  Hurricane and then Superstorm Sandy delivered devastation to 20 states, stretching from New England to Tennessee. Our blog monitored updates from before the storm made landfall to end of day Tuesday. Read back through the posts to see how conditions developed and changed as the storm progressed.

To purchase a DVD copy of the documentary “BOOKER’S PLACE: A MISSISSIPPI STORY” featured on Dateline, click here. Dateline viewers receive a 20% discount by using promotional code NBC20BP”

October 16, 2012 – New York, New York -- In 1965, filmmaker Frank De Felitta made a documentary film for NBC News about the changing times in the American South and the tensions of life in the Mississippi Delta during the civil rights struggle. The film was broadcast in May 1966 and outraged many Southern viewers, in part, because it included an extraordinary scene featuring a local African-American waiter named Booker Wright. Wright, who worked at a local "whites only" restaurant in Greenwood MS, went on record to deliver a stunning, heartfelt and inflammatory monologue exploding the myth about who he was and how he felt about his position serving the local white community. The fallout for Booker Wright was extreme: He lost his job and was beaten and ostracized by those that considered him “one of their own.”

Directed by Frank De Felitta’s son, Oscar®-nominated director Raymond De Felitta (City Island), BOOKER’S PLACE: A MISSISSIPPI STORY releases November 6 on standard digital platforms and DVD from Cinedigm Entertainment Group, a division of Cinedigm Digital Cinema Corp. (NASDAQ: CIDM), and Tribeca Film.

BOOKER’S PLACE paints a moving and inspiring portrait of Wright’s life as witnessed by his family and friends. In the film, De Felitta travels to Mississippi to uncover the details surrounding Wright’s life and death and the impact his father’s documentary had on the community. With the help of Wright’s granddaughter, Yvette Johnson, De Felitta gives a behind-the-scenes account of the controversial event through interviews with Wright’s family, friends and elected officials, including former Governor William Winter, former Senator David Jordan, Representative Willie Bailey, Judges Grey Evans and Johnnie E. Walls. Both De Felitta and his father are interviewed in the film as they discuss the NBC broadcast of Mississippi: A Portrait and the consequences of including Wright in the 1965 film.Through archival footage and photos, BOOKER’S PLACE revisits the tenuous time of the civil rights movement. Along with sharing what life was like during the ‘60s, the film serves as a testament to a courageous individual who was unafraid to speak the truth.

BOOKER’S PLACE premiered at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival, was an official selection at the 2012 HotDocs Film Festival and was the subject of a full NBC Dateline episode that aired in July 2012.

BOOKER’S PLACE is directed by Raymond De Felitta ; executive produced by Lynn Roer and Steven C. Beer; produced by Yvette Johnson and David Zellerford; edited by George Gross. Bonus features include: an interview with director Raymond De Felitta, presented by American Express, additional scenes and the “The Streets of Greenwood” documentary.

By Allan Maraynes
Senior Investigative Producer, Dateline NBC 

It’s a crisp autumn day in the park, and there’s Chris Hansen, sitting across a table from a stranger he just met.  The man’s munching on lunch while Chris begins the conversation.  Chris is suggesting there’s someone who’s been causing him problems; a thorn in his side.  The man has agreed to meet Chris because he says he can make Chris’s problem, “disappear.”

The stranger is suggesting he’s a hit man.

But what’s most interesting is where Chris found the stranger.  Of all places… on Craigslist.

 They used to be called “the classifieds.”  A few pages in the back of the newspaper, hundreds of dry listings of cars for sale, apartment rentals, and help wanted ads.  For many, the classifieds were just something to pass on the way to the sports pages.  But today, the classifieds have taken on an entirely new dimension.  No more type-setter to pay to place an ad in a newspaper.  Most are placed for free, at the touch of a home keyboard or smartphone.  As a result, there are millions and millions of “listings” in the worldwide on-line universe.  Listings that are much more than just cars for sale or apartments for rent.  They’ve become a glimpse into who we are; a look into the secret lives, dreams, and even schemes of millions.

When Producer Dan Slepian and his team of nimble video shooters began sifting through the main venues for online classifieds (backpage.com, and the most popular, Craigslist), it didn’t take long to find some very intriguing posts.  But we didn’t want to merely exchange emails.  We wanted to actually meet the people behind these posts out in the open.  So we adopted online aliases and began arranging meetings.   

We found a post offering to sell narcotic painkillers with no prescription.  We know that’s illegal. Another listing seemed to be offering entire list of marijuana “clients” - for a price.   In other words, someone was apparently selling his pot business.  

 We found someone who wanted to sell a kidney.  It didn’t take long to find another post offering the same thing.  What would drive someone to the brink of parting with a bodily organ - for cash?

There were listings from people warning us about scams.  One poster claimed his boss was selling counterfeit electronics in a high end shopping mall (a boss for whom he was still working!).    Another post warned about a kitchen cabinet supplier who allegedly took thousands of dollars, but ultimately never delivered the goods.  

We also found a listing offering to sell Madonna tickets, so we set up a meeting in a New Jersey Railroad station.  The seller showed up with computer generated tickets.  But we wanted to know if the tickets were real.  We got on the phone with Ticketmaster, the online ticket seller, and the company did confirm that the tickets were indeed fake.

…

The Dateline report 'Wild, Wild Web' airs Friday, October 26th, at 10pm/9c.  Chris Hansen reports.

With “Dateline” hidden cameras rolling, Correspondent Chris Hansen meets someone who suggests he is a hit man, a student selling a kidney in order to pay for college, and a drug dealer who claims to be selling a list of his clients.

How did Hansen find these people? They all posted ads in the online classifieds.

On Friday, October 26 at 10p/9c, “Dateline’s” Wild, Wild Web will give viewers an unprecedented look inside the world of popular websites such as Craigslist, Ebay and Backpage. Millions of people visit these sites each year offering – or in search of – everything from jobs and housing to tutoring sessions and cleaning services. As “Dateline” will reveal, these websites have become a home for much more than that. Online posts have become a parallel world where the best and worst of human behavior are displayed side by side.

“Dateline’s” Wild, Wild Web gives a glimpse into a startling and dynamic digital world. Hansen answers a post from a woman selling prescription drugs in New York City. In a nearby suburb, he meets someone whose post offered counterfeit documents including pay stubs and federal tax forms. Hansen meets a patient desperate for a kidney who turned to Craigslist as her only hope. He finds another woman selling her kidney online, claiming that the bad economy left her no alternative.

Hansen also explores how online classified ads have become a platform for whistleblowers to warn the public about potential rip-offs. One post leads him to a kitchen contractor who allegedly scammed two couples out of thousands of dollars. Hansen confronts that contractor face to face with “Dateline” cameras capturing it all. In a public park, Hansen meets a man who claims he is willing to do people harm for money and acts interested in hiring him. Their disturbing and candid conversation proves just how intense the online world has become.

“Dateline’s” Wild, Wild Web peels back the layers behind online classifieds, revealing a world that is far more complex than what meets the eye.

What's the strangest thing you've ever bought from an online classifed ad?  Tweet us a photo with the hashtag #WildWeb

It was a case that made headlines across the country: a former NFL cheerleader and teacher accused of having sex with a student. Last week, the case ended in a plea deal, in which Sarah Jones pleaded guilty to sexual misconduct and custodial interference without having to serve any jail time.  Now, both teacher and student are telling their sides of the story exclusively to Dateline NBC.

“It is wrong for a teacher to have any type of relationship that crosses the line with a student,” says former Cincinnati Bengals cheerleader Sarah Jones in an interview set to air on Friday, October 19th at 10pm/9c.  Jones pled guilty on October 8th to having sex with then-17-year-old Cody York. She also admitted sending explicit text messages to York and lying to police.

“Do you feel guilty about what you did?” asked correspondent Jeff Rossen.

“Yeah, what I did was wrong,” answered Jones. “And I feel guilty as to what happened and that other people were hurt in this, in a sense from our families having to go through this.”

Speaking out exclusively for the first time, York, who is now 18, said he did not see himself as a victim in the case.

“I didn't like being called the victim, because I wasn't a victim,” York told Rossen. “I wasn't a victim of anything. She never did anything to me.”

“Did she manipulate you?” Rossen asked.

“Absolutely not,” said York.

“Use her power of authority over you?” Rossen asked.

“No, not at all,” York replied.

Dateline also interviewed others involved in the case, including prosecutor Sara Farmer, defense attorney Eric Deters and lead detective Julie Inman. The report about the case airs Friday, October 19th at 10pm/9c on NBC.

He's back! This time, Chris Hansen is undercover in the wild wild world of online want ads, where everything's for sale.

Counterfeit electronic goods at the mall...

Fake diplomas from an ivy league school...

A student's kidney in exchange for tuition money...

Even a hitman for hire...

What's really going on... on Craigslist?  This all-new Dateline report from Chris Hansen airs Friday, October 26th, at 10pm/9c.

When the wealthy heir to Miami’s famed Fontainebleau Hotel is murdered, a feud erupts between his wife and step-daughter. Dennis Murphy reports Family Affair on Friday, October 12th, at 10pm/9c.

For more information about domestic violence during this month of National Domestic Violence Awareness, please visit the following resources:

• Advocates for Victim Assault: http://www.summitadvocates.org/
• National Coalition Against Domestic Violence: http://www.ncadv.org/
• National Domestic Violence Hotline: http://www.thehotline.org/



As part of the Dateline report Secrets in the Snow, from Friday, October 5th, 2012, and also National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, you can learn more about Stephanie Roller Bruner here:
http://www.rememberstephanie.org/

A woman with a secret is murdered in her rural Colorado town. Was it a love triangle or something else?  Dateline NBC's Keith Morrison reports Secrets in the Snow, an all-new Dateline report airs Friday, October 4th, at 10pm/9c.

Watch the full episode below:

October 2, 2012 -- 

Andrea Canning has been named “Dateline” Correspondent at NBC News.  Canning joins “Dateline” anchor Lester Holt and the newsmagazine’s team of correspondents Chris Hansen, Hoda Kotb, Josh Mankiewicz, Keith Morrison and Dennis Murphy.  In her new role, Canning will also contribute to all platforms of NBC News including “Today,” “NBC Nightly News” and MSNBC. The announcement was made today by NBC News President Steve Capus. 

“We are delighted to welcome Andrea as part of the NBC News family,” said Capus.  “Andrea’s impressive body of work has quickly earned her an outstanding reputation and she will thrive at NBC News." 

“Andrea’s track record speaks for itself,” said David Corvo, Senior Executive Producer of “Dateline.” “We’re so pleased to have her on board, and are looking forward to watching her make her mark as we go into our twenty-first season.”

Prior to joining NBC News, Canning served as an ABC News correspondent since 2004 where she covered the White House, Congress, the Supreme Court and the Iraq War for ABC’s affiliate news service, NewsOne.  While at ABC News, Canning traveled the country covering a wide array of stories ranging from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina and the Casey Anthony case, to her 2011 headline-making interview with actor Charlie Sheen. In addition, Canning regularly reported on major crime stories and national trials for the network.  

During her time at ABC News, Canning contributed to "Good Morning America," "Nightline," "World News With Diane Sawyer" and “20/20,” while regularly anchoring the early morning broadcasts, "World News Now" and "America This Morning."  In addition, Canning served as fill-in news reader for “Good Morning America” and fill-in anchor for the program’s weekend edition.

Prior to joining ABC News, Canning worked for WCPO-TV, the ABC affiliate in Cincinnati, Ohio, as anchor of their evening newscast while also reporting on crime and breaking news.  From 1999 to 2001, Canning covered countless stories for WPTV, the NBC affiliate in West Palm Beach, Florida, including the anthrax scare at the National Enquirer buildings, the path of the 9/11 terrorists, the international custody battle of Elian Gonzalez and the 2000 Presidential Election.  Canning served as a reporter and evening news anchor for CKVR Television in Barrie, Ontario from 1997 to 1999.  She was also the morning anchor for WXVT-CBS in Greenville, Mississippi.  Prior to CKVR, from 1996 to 1997, Canning was an assignment editor and field producer for the television program "Extra."

Canning graduated from the University of Western Ontario in London with a degree in psychology.  In addition, she studied radio and television arts at Ryerson Polytechnic University in Toronto. Canning is married to Major Tony Bancroft, a former F-18 fighter pilot with the U.S. Marine Corps. They have three young daughters, Anna, Charlie and Kiki.

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