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Man Kills Wife, Self at Daughter's 16th Birthday Party

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A daughter's 16th birthday party turned into a nightmare in a Dallas suburb when it ended with her father killing himself and her mother.

It happened outside the front door of the girl's grandparents' house in Grapevine, Texas, where she, her mother and her brother were living.

Grapevine police say that the girl's father Kelly Suckla, 43, the estranged husband of the girl's mother Kristi Suckla, 44, came over to the house Saturday night for their daughter's birthday. 

An argument and shots broke out, investigators said. Suckla shot and killed his estranged wife with a handgun, then killed himself.

The children and grandparents were inside the home and were not physically hurt.

Neighbor Donell Arseneau, who lived near the family when they lived in nearby Euless, Texas, took the news with tears.

"They would just come over, and we'd visit, and I'd been over there a few times," said Arseneau.  "They'd have little parties on the weekends. They had just recently separated. Kristi hadn't been staying over there (at her parents') but for just a few weeks."

Arseneau called the couple "good people" who had recently celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary. She was stunned that whatever problems the Sucklas had come to this.

"They never fought that I knew of. They got along so good," Arseneau told NBC 5 DFW at her front door. "Their daily walks and when they were having parties, they just got along so well so even when she moved to her parents', I just figured she'd be back in a little while."

Grapevine police detectives continue their investigation, but they are calling the killings a murder-suicide.



Photo Credit: NBC 5

Pearl Harbor Survivor, 92, Missing from Rocky Hill

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Police continued the search Monday for a missing 92-year-old man from Rocky Hill.

Raymond Krawiec was last seen leaving the Lodge at Cold Spring, at 50 Cold Spring Road around 10:30 a.m. Sunday.  He suffers from Alzheimer's, but has never wandered off, according to police.

The Lodge is an independent senior living facility.

Krawiec is described as a white male, around 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighing 160 pounds. He was last seen wearing a green jacket and a white ball cap, police said.  He was last seen walking south down Route 3 in Rocky Hill, according to police.

As many as 25 police officers and 30 firefighters were conducting the search on Monday, police said.  They are searching in backyards, wooded areas, and even searching sheds in their search for Krawiec.

Officers from Cromwell and Newington joined Rocky Hill police to help with the search and the state police helicopter, Trooper One, was also assisting.

Krawiec is one of the state's last few remaining Pearl Harbor survivors.

If anyone has seen him, you are urged to contact the Rocky Hill Police Department at 860-258-7640.

Snow Expected to Arrive This Afternoon

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A coastal storm is expected to develop Monday afternoon and becomes fairly intense fairly quickly.  

The storm will develop too far to the east to give Connecticut a major snowstorm, but we will see periods of light snow this afternoon, into this evening. 

Snow becomes steadier and more widespread during the evening.

The best chance for accumulating snow is between 6 p.m. and midnight.  Snow will taper off after midnight but may linger a little longer in eastern Connecticut.  A coating to 2 inches for much of central and western Connecticut is possible.  Eastern Connecticut might see as much as 3 inches of snow and some isolated areas near the Rhode Island border could see four inches.

The snow could cause some slick spots for the Tuesday morning commute.

The storm will likely deliver a quick 6-12 inches outside and north of Boston.

Track the snow on our interactive radar here.

Sign up for snow closing alerts here.



Photo Credit: NBC Connecticut

WATCH: "Our Journey Is Not Complete," Obama Says

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(Click here for the livestream if you're viewing in our app or on our mobile website.)

Minutes after taking the Oath of Office for his second term as President of the United States, President Barack Obama pledged to tackle climate change and outlined a broad agenda of gun control, equal rights and immigration reform in his inaugural address, saying that "our journey is not complete."

"Our journey is not complete until our wives, our mothers and our daughters can earn a living equal to their efforts," Obama said. "Our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like everyone else under the law. ... Our journey is not complete until all our children ... know they are cared for and cherished and always safe from harm. That is our generation's task."

The oath marked the beginning of Inauguration Day festivities for Obama, a battle-tested but emboldened leader who is still chasing the grand vision he laid out four years ago, when he promised to lead an anxious nation on a path to greater hope, unity and prosperity.

This time around, the Inauguration Day festivities, and the country's expectations, are more modest, with about half as many people expected to converge on the National Mall and Obama working to fulfill his original promise.

Obama took the ceremonial oath of office with his left hand on two Bibles, one used by Abraham Lincoln and the other by Martin Luther King Jr., with Supreme Court John Roberts presiding. At about noon, the president will deliver his inaugural address, in which he is expected to urge Washington to move past the chronic political gridlock that has hindered his ability to pursue his policy agenda, The Associated Press reported.

"What the inauguration reminds us of is the role we have as fellow citizens in promoting a common good, even as we carry out our individual responsibilities that, the sense that there's something larger than ourselves, gives shape and meaning to our lives," Obama told donors Sunday night, according to the AP.

Officially, Obama started his second term on Sunday, when he took the formal oath of office in a private ceremony in the East Room of the White House. That twist was due to the fact that the Constitution mandates presidential terms begin Jan. 20. Custom holds that when that date falls on a Sunday, public inauguration events are held the next day.

As the capital filled with people on Monday morning, Obama started his day with his family and Vice President Joe Biden at St. John's Episcopal Church, a few blocks from the White House.

During his arrival at church and his departure, cheers erupted from people on the streets, and  it continued as Obama returned in his motorcade to the White House for a pre-oath coffee with Congressional leaders.

Only two of four living former presidents made the trip to the Capitol Monday. Bill Clinton showed up with his wife, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. So did Jimmy Carter. Obama’s predecessor, George W. Bush, stayed behind to look after his father, George H.W. Bush, who is recovering from an illness.

For full politics coverage, visit NBCNews.com.

The crowd for the country's 57th presidential inauguration is expected to reach about a half-million people, an impressive size but considerably smaller than the 1.8 million who showed up to witness the arrival of America's first black president in 2009. Security is just as tight as it was then, although authorities say there are no credible threats of any attack, terrorist or otherwise.

Obama, still riding his dominant re-election performance and a triumph in the fiscal cliff showdown, will likely use his Monday speech as a pep talk to a country that is in need of one.

Most Americans remain worried about the economy and see tough times ahead, polls show. And although Obama remains a popular and in many ways transcendent leader, they don't think he's achieved many of the lofty goals he set out for himself in his 2009 inauguration, namely rising above the partisan fray, reversing America's fiscal woes and pulling troops out of Afghanistan.

Obama is expected to address those challenges and remind the country of his most impressive victories, including health care reform, the killing of Osama bin Laden and the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell, while sketching his plans for his remaining time in office.

Spurred by the schoolhouse massacre in Newtown, Conn., Obama has put gun control at the top of his agenda, along with reforming immigration and tax laws and taking on climate change. He may choose not to delve into specifics of these plans on Monday, and instead save the details for his State of the Union speech Feb. 12. By then he could very well be engaged in a battle with Congress over the debt limit and automatic spending cuts.

Obama might also make reference to the fact that his second inauguration falls on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, nearly 50 years after the civil rights leader delivered his "I Have A Dream" speech across the mall at the Lincoln Memorial. It would be a reminder that the president is still negotiating his role as a "post-racial" black leader, even as he tries to show African Americans that he remains focused on issues of inequality.

 

Barbara Perry, a presidential scholar at the University of Virginia's Miller Center, likened a second inauguration to a couple renewing their wedding vows. "They've had all the fights, they know all the strengths and weaknesses, but they try to fall in love again," Perry said. "After his re-election, the American people want to fall in love with Barack Obama again."

Will Obama aim to make his second term about building an ideological legacy? He is already a transformative president, by virtue of who he is, and what he represents. So he will likely approach the next four years as more of a pragmatist, using his talents as a strategist and tactician to secure meaningful but measured advances from a combative Congress, analysts say.

"Obama has four years of job training under his belt. He has a better sense of what's possible and what's not," Perry said.

In 2009, "he believed more in the hope and change business, and he probably thought he could be more of a change agent in that realm…But I think he's learning how to deal with Congress and in the last few weeks he does seem more aggressive in putting forward new policies, such as gun control."

History is lined with second-term presidents who overestimated their political capital and stumbled, or lost focus and allowed stasis or scandal to set in. Obama, the 20th president—and the third in a row—to serve all or part of a second term, hopes to strike a balance between boldness and prudence.

He'll be working against the clock. Historians warn of a turning point somewhere at the two-year mark where allies and enemies alike begin to think of the next election, and a sitting president's influence begins to wane.

At his first inauguration, with the country reeling from a near-economic meltdown and "a sapping of confidence across our land," Obama told Americans they had "chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord." He called for "a new era of responsibility."

That goal remains a work in progress.

About a third of Americans think the nation is headed in the right direction, and nearly three-quarters don't like where the economy is headed. Democratic pollster Peter Hart told NBC News last week that the results of his latest survey showed that "if 2009 was all about hope, 2013 is about the ability to cope."

But Obama still has a way of inspiring positive vibes. Most Americans say they like him and that he has been a good president.

For his second term, he'll need to draw on that source of goodwill. 

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy



Photo Credit: AP

James Taylor Performs "America the Beautiful"

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Singer James Taylor takes the stage during President Barack Obama's second inauguration to perform "America the Beautiful."

President Barack Obama's Inaugural Address: Transcript

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As Prepared for Delivery

Vice President Biden, Mr. Chief Justice, Members of the United States Congress, distinguished guests, and fellow citizens:

Each time we gather to inaugurate a president, we bear witness to the enduring strength of our Constitution. We affirm the promise of our democracy. We recall that what binds this nation together is not the colors of our skin or the tenets of our faith or the origins of our names. What makes us exceptional - what makes us American - is our allegiance to an idea, articulated in a declaration made more than two centuries ago:

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness."

Today we continue a never-ending journey, to bridge the meaning of those words with the realities of our time. For history tells us that while these truths may be self-evident, they have never been self-executing; that while freedom is a gift from God, it must be secured by His people here on Earth. The patriots of 1776 did not fight to replace the tyranny of a king with the privileges of a few or the rule of a mob. They gave to us a Republic, a government of, and by, and for the people, entrusting each generation to keep safe our founding creed.

For more than two hundred years, we have.

Through blood drawn by lash and blood drawn by sword, we learned that no union founded on the principles of liberty and equality could survive half-slave and half-free. We made ourselves anew, and vowed to move forward together.

Together, we determined that a modern economy requires railroads and highways to speed travel and commerce; schools and colleges to train our workers.

Together, we discovered that a free market only thrives when there are rules to ensure competition and fair play.

Together, we resolved that a great nation must care for the vulnerable, and protect its people from life's worst hazards and misfortune.

Through it all, we have never relinquished our skepticism of central authority, nor have we succumbed to the fiction that all society's ills can be cured through government alone. Our celebration of initiative and enterprise; our insistence on hard work and personal responsibility, are constants in our character.

But we have always understood that when times change, so must we; that fidelity to our founding principles requires new responses to new challenges; that preserving our individual freedoms ultimately requires collective action. For the American people can no more meet the demands of today's world by acting alone than American soldiers could have met the forces of fascism or communism with muskets and militias. No single person can train all the math and science teachers we'll need to equip our children for the future, or build the roads and networks and research labs that will bring new jobs and businesses to our shores. Now, more than ever, we must do these things together, as one nation, and one people.

This generation of Americans has been tested by crises that steeled our resolve and proved our resilience. A decade of war is now ending. An economic recovery has begun. America's possibilities are limitless, for we possess all the qualities that this world without boundaries demands: youth and drive; diversity and openness; an endless capacity for risk and a gift for reinvention. My fellow Americans, we are made for this moment, and we will seize it - so long as we seize it together.

For we, the people, understand that our country cannot succeed when a shrinking few do very well and a growing many barely make it. We believe that America's prosperity must rest upon the broad shoulders of a rising middle class. We know that America thrives when every person can find independence and pride in their work; when the wages of honest labor liberate families from the brink of hardship. We are true to our creed when a little girl born into the bleakest poverty knows that she has the same chance to succeed as anybody else, because she is an American, she is free, and she is equal, not just in the eyes of God but also in our own.

We understand that outworn programs are inadequate to the needs of our time. We must harness new ideas and technology to remake our government, revamp our tax code, reform our schools, and empower our citizens with the skills they need to work harder, learn more, and reach higher. But while the means will change, our purpose endures: a nation that rewards the effort and determination of every single American. That is what this moment requires. That is what will give real meaning to our creed.

We, the people, still believe that every citizen deserves a basic measure of security and dignity. We must make the hard choices to reduce the cost of health care and the size of our deficit. But we reject the belief that America must choose between caring for the generation that built this country and investing in the generation that will build its future. For we remember the lessons of our past, when twilight years were spent in poverty, and parents of a child with a disability had nowhere to turn. We do not believe that in this country, freedom is reserved for the lucky, or happiness for the few. We recognize that no matter how responsibly we live our lives, any one of us, at any time, may face a job loss, or a sudden illness, or a home swept away in a terrible storm. The commitments we make to each other - through Medicare, and Medicaid, and Social Security - these things do not sap our initiative; they strengthen us. They do not make us a nation of takers; they free us to take the risks that make this country great.

We, the people, still believe that our obligations as Americans are not just to ourselves, but to all posterity. We will respond to the threat of climate change, knowing that the failure to do so would betray our children and future generations. Some may still deny the overwhelming judgment of science, but none can avoid the devastating impact of raging fires, and crippling drought, and more powerful storms. The path towards sustainable energy sources will be long and sometimes difficult. But America cannot resist this transition; we must lead it. We cannot cede to other nations the technology that will power new jobs and new industries - we must claim its promise. That is how we will maintain our economic vitality and our national treasure - our forests and waterways; our croplands and snowcapped peaks. That is how we will preserve our planet, commanded to our care by God. That's what will lend meaning to the creed our fathers once declared.

We, the people, still believe that enduring security and lasting peace do not require perpetual war. Our brave men and women in uniform, tempered by the flames of battle, are unmatched in skill and courage. Our citizens, seared by the memory of those we have lost, know too well the price that is paid for liberty. The knowledge of their sacrifice will keep us forever vigilant against those who would do us harm. But we are also heirs to those who won the peace and not just the war, who turned sworn enemies into the surest of friends, and we must carry those lessons into this time as well.

We will defend our people and uphold our values through strength of arms and rule of law. We will show the courage to try and resolve our differences with other nations peacefully - not because we are naïve about the dangers we face, but because engagement can more durably lift suspicion and fear. America will remain the anchor of strong alliances in every corner of the globe; and we will renew those institutions that extend our capacity to manage crisis abroad, for no one has a greater stake in a peaceful world than its most powerful nation. We will support democracy from Asia to Africa; from the Americas to the Middle East, because our interests and our conscience compel us to act on behalf of those who long for freedom. And we must be a source of hope to the poor, the sick, the marginalized, the victims of prejudice - not out of mere charity, but because peace in our time requires the constant advance of those principles that our common creed describes: tolerance and opportunity; human dignity and justice.

We, the people, declare today that the most evident of truths - that all of us are created equal - is the star that guides us still; just as it guided our forebears through Seneca Falls, and Selma, and Stonewall; just as it guided all those men and women, sung and unsung, who left footprints along this great Mall, to hear a preacher say that we cannot walk alone; to hear a King proclaim that our individual freedom is inextricably bound to the freedom of every soul on Earth.

It is now our generation's task to carry on what those pioneers began. For our journey is not complete until our wives, our mothers, and daughters can earn a living equal to their efforts. Our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law - for if we are truly created equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal as well. Our journey is not complete until no citizen is forced to wait for hours to exercise the right to vote. Our journey is not complete until we find a better way to welcome the striving, hopeful immigrants who still see America as a land of opportunity; until bright young students and engineers are enlisted in our workforce rather than expelled from our country. Our journey is not complete until all our children, from the streets of Detroit to the hills of Appalachia to the quiet lanes of Newtown, know that they are cared for, and cherished, and always safe from harm.

That is our generation's task - to make these words, these rights, these values - of Life, and Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness - real for every American. Being true to our founding documents does not require us to agree on every contour of life; it does not mean we will all define liberty in exactly the same way, or follow the same precise path to happiness. Progress does not compel us to settle centuries-long debates about the role of government for all time - but it does require us to act in our time.

For now decisions are upon us, and we cannot afford delay. We cannot mistake absolutism for principle, or substitute spectacle for politics, or treat name-calling as reasoned debate. We must act, knowing that our work will be imperfect. We must act, knowing that today's victories will be only partial, and that it will be up to those who stand here in four years, and forty years, and four hundred years hence to advance the timeless spirit once conferred to us in a spare Philadelphia hall.

My fellow Americans, the oath I have sworn before you today, like the one recited by others who serve in this Capitol, was an oath to God and country, not party or faction - and we must faithfully execute that pledge during the duration of our service. But the words I spoke today are not so different from the oath that is taken each time a soldier signs up for duty, or an immigrant realizes her dream. My oath is not so different from the pledge we all make to the flag that waves above and that fills our hearts with pride.

They are the words of citizens, and they represent our greatest hope.

You and I, as citizens, have the power to set this country's course.

You and I, as citizens, have the obligation to shape the debates of our time - not only with the votes we cast, but with the voices we lift in defense of our most ancient values and enduring ideals.

Let each of us now embrace, with solemn duty and awesome joy, what is our lasting birthright. With common effort and common purpose, with passion and dedication, let us answer the call of history, and carry into an uncertain future that precious light of freedom.

Thank you, God Bless you, and may He forever bless these United States of America.



Photo Credit: AP

President Obama Takes the Oath of Office

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President Barack Obama receives the oath of office from Chief Justice John Roberts at the ceremonial swearing-in at the U.S. Capitol during the 57th Presidential Inauguration in Washington, Monday, Jan. 21, 2013. First Lady Michelle Obama holds the bible as daughters Malia and Sasha watch. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Richard Blanco's Inaugural Poem: Full Text

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One Today


One sun rose on us today, kindled over our shores,
peeking over the Smokies, greeting the faces
of the Great Lakes, spreading a simple truth
across the Great Plains, then charging across the Rockies.
One light, waking up rooftops, under each one, a story
told by our silent gestures moving behind windows.

My face, your face, millions of faces in morning's mirrors,
each one yawning to life, crescendoing into our day:
pencil-yellow school buses, the rhythm of traffic lights,
fruit stands: apples, limes, and oranges arrayed like rainbows
begging our praise. Silver trucks heavy with oil or paper-
bricks or milk, teeming over highways alongside us,
on our way to clean tables, read ledgers, or save lives-
to teach geometry, or ring-up groceries as my mother did
for twenty years, so I could write this poem.

All of us as vital as the one light we move through,
the same light on blackboards with lessons for the day:
equations to solve, history to question, or atoms imagined,
the "I have a dream" we keep dreaming,
or the impossible vocabulary of sorrow that won't explain
the empty desks of twenty children marked absent
today, and forever. Many prayers, but one light
breathing color into stained glass windows,
life into the faces of bronze statues, warmth
onto the steps of our museums and park benches
as mothers watch children slide into the day.

One ground. Our ground, rooting us to every stalk
of corn, every head of wheat sown by sweat
and hands, hands gleaning coal or planting windmills
in deserts and hilltops that keep us warm, hands
digging trenches, routing pipes and cables, hands
as worn as my father's cutting sugarcane
so my brother and I could have books and shoes.

The dust of farms and deserts, cities and plains
mingled by one wind-our breath. Breathe. Hear it
through the day's gorgeous din of honking cabs,
buses launching down avenues, the symphony
of footsteps, guitars, and screeching subways,
the unexpected song bird on your clothes line.

Hear: squeaky playground swings, trains whistling,
or whispers across café tables, Hear: the doors we open
for each other all day, saying: hello, shalom,
buon giorno, howdy, namaste, or buenos días
in the language my mother taught me-in every language
spoken into one wind carrying our lives
without prejudice, as these words break from my lips.

One sky: since the Appalachians and Sierras claimed
their majesty, and the Mississippi and Colorado worked
their way to the sea. Thank the work of our hands:
weaving steel into bridges, finishing one more report
for the boss on time, stitching another wound
or uniform, the first brush stroke on a portrait,
or the last floor on the Freedom Tower
jutting into a sky that yields to our resilience.

One sky, toward which we sometimes lift our eyes
tired from work: some days guessing at the weather
of our lives, some days giving thanks for a love
that loves you back, sometimes praising a mother
who knew how to give, or forgiving a father
who couldn't give what you wanted.

We head home: through the gloss of rain or weight
of snow, or the plum blush of dusk, but always-home,
always under one sky, our sky. And always one moon
like a silent drum tapping on every rooftop
and every window, of one country-all of us-
facing the stars
hope-a new constellation
waiting for us to map it,
waiting for us to name it-together



Photo Credit: Getty Images

Obama's Inaugural Speech: "Our Journey is Not Complete"

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"Our journey is not complete until our wives, our mothers and our daughters can earn a living equal to their efforts," Obama said. "Our journey is not complete until all our children ... know they are cared for and cherished and always safe from harm. That is our generation's task."

Inaugural Moments You May Have Missed

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President Barack Obama's second inauguration was a blur of politicians, celebrities, pomp and ceremony. As the moment unfolded, there were a few things that happened they may have escaped your eye:

  • Obama became the first president ever to mention gay rights during his inaugural address, giving a call out to Stonewall, the New York City bar where the gay rights movement began in the early '70s, and declaring that "Our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law."

  • Strange enough was the sight of Jay-Z, a one-time drug dealer turned rap superstar from the projects of Brooklyn, and Beyoncé, the "sexiest woman of the 21st Century," standing next to Newt and Callista Gingrich at a presidential inauguration. Truly bizarre was this screengrab of what appears to be Republican Rep. Peter King snapping a cellphone photo of Jay-Z and Beyoncé.
     
  • Much was made of the fact that Justice Antonin Scalia wore a rather peculiar hat to President Obama's first inaugural. Well, the conservative firebrand didn’t disappoint, sporting an even more unusual hat this time. But the attention heaped on Scalia's chapeaus — including the #scaliaweirdhat hashtag — seems to be ideologically driven, as liberal Stephen Breyer sported a hat at each Obama's inaugurations to little fanfare or derision.
     
  • Well before their father came out, First Daughters Malia and Sasha Obama were in the stands, spending much of the time chatting with their cousin Avery Robinson. But at one point, the spirit moved Malia, who suddenly busted a move (h/t to Buzzfeed for the requisite animated GIF).
     
  • Myrlie Evers-Williams, widow of civil rights martyr Medgar Evers, was called upon to deliver the Inaugural Prayer, offering a moving call for a blessing on all our leaders and our armed forces. She also made the biggest gaffe of the day, referring to Obama as the 45th president (he's actually number 44), but like a pro, she just kept going.
  • As Obama left the stage following the oath of office, he stopped and turned to soak in the moment. "I want to take a look one more time, I'm not going to see this again," he said to someone off camera. Obama then stood there taking in the scene as Vice President Joe Biden and others filed past.

 

  • Al Roker scored the unofficial first post-swearing-in interview with President Obama, screaming loud enough to get a thumbs up from the Commander in Chief, and moments later managed to yell sufficiently to get Vice President Biden to run over and shake his hand. Yes, Roker dropped the mic when it was over.

  

  • In another inauguration first, the First Family was caught in their private box before the parade began, fiddling with their cellphones. Obama was trying to be as inconspicuous as possible while scrolling through messages on his phone, finally being interrupted by eldest daughter Malia, who insisted he repeatedly kiss Michelle until she got a decent photo with her own phone.

 



Photo Credit: AP

Beyonce Performs the National Anthem

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WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 21: Singer Beyonce performs the National Anthem during the public ceremonial inauguration for U.S. President Barack Obama on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol January 21, 2013 in Washington, DC. Barack Obama was re-elected for a second term as President of the United States. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

Richard Blanco Recites Inauguration Poem

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WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 20: Poet Richard Blanco speaks at the podium at the U.S. Capitol building as Washington prepares for U.S. President Barack Obama's second inauguration on January 20, 2013 in Washington, DC. Both Obama and U.S. Vice President Joe Biden will be officially sworn in today with a public ceremony for the President taking place on January 21. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

More Than 8,000 Take Part in Inaugural Parade

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President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle Obama paraded down Pennsylvania Avenue Monday, waving to cheering crowds of thousands after the president was sworn in for his second term in office.

The first couple were shown stepping out of their escort car at two points along the Washington, DC route from the Capitol to the White House. Vice President Joe Biden and his wife Jill also walked a portion of the parade. NBC's Al Roker scored a handshake from Biden as he walked by -- and Roker marked his coup by dropping his microphone and saying, "I'm done."

 

 

More than 8,000 people and nearly 200 animals took part in Monday’s 57th inaugural parade.

The parade featured eight floats. Marching bands and military units representing the country’s Armed Forces were among the 60 groups that participated in the historic parade, the Presidential Inaugural Committee announced.

The Obamas and Bidens later watched the processional from a reviewing stand at the White House.

Here was the order of the parade, courtesy of the Inaugural Committee.

The Presidential Escort
The Presidential Escort is a military and civilian formation that escorts the President, Vice President, and their families from the Capitol to the White House following the swearing-in ceremony. The escort will include representatives from the five branches of the United States Military, elected officials, and local and national law enforcement organizations.
 

Division One
United States Army Staff
United States Army Field Band
United States Military Academy
United States Army 1st Battalion, 319th Airborne Field Artillery Regiment
United States Army Color Guard
District of Columbia Army National Guard
United States Army Reserve 200th MP Command
Punahou High School Marching Band and JROTC Color Guard, Hawaii
Hawaii Home State Float
Isiserettes Drill & Drum Corps, Iowa
Caisson Platoon, 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment
Miami University Marching Band, Ohio
Illinois Home State Float
South Shore Drill Team, Illinois
Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor Commission, South Carolina
Kamehameha Schools “Warrior” Marching Band, Hawaii
Ambulance 255 Project, Connecticut
81st Regional Support Command Wildcats, South Carolina
Jackson Memorial High School “Jaguar” Band, New Jersey
Seguro Que Si, Florida
Kansas University Trumpet Ensemble, Kansas
 

Division Two
United States Marine Corps Staff
United States Marine Band “The President’s Own”
United States Marine Corps Active Company
United States Marine Corps Color Guard
United States Marine Corps Reserve Company
Chinese American Community Center Folk Dance Troupe, Delaware
Delaware Home State Float
University of Maryland “Mighty Sound of Maryland” Marching Band, Maryland
Pennsylvania Home State Float
Boy Scout Troop 358, Germantown, Pennsylvania
Palm Springs High School "Spirit of the Sands" Marching Band and Visual Corps, California
Ballet Folklórico De La Raza, Colorado
54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment, Company A, Massachusetts
Utuqqagmiut Dancers, Alaska
A Therapeutic Equine Assisted Self-Confidence Experience (A.T.E.A.S.E.), Wisconsin
Palmview High School Mariachi and Folkloric Group, Texas
NASA - Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle and Curiosity Rover
Dobyns-Bennett High School Band, Tennessee
54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment, Company B, Maryland
Boston College “Screaming Eagles” Marching Band, Massachusetts
 

Division Three
United States Navy Staff
United States Navy Band
United States Naval Academy
United States Navy Active Company
United States Navy Color Guard
United States Navy Reserve Company
Georgia State University Marching Band, Georgia
Martin Luther King, Jr. Float
Ballou Senior High School "Majestic" Marching Knights, District of Columbia
Multi-Jurisdictional Mounted Police Drill Team and Color Guard, Michigan
Calera High School “Eagle” Marching Band, Alabama
Gym Dandies Children’s Circus, Maine
Boston Crusaders Drum & Bugle Corps, Massachusetts
Civil Rights Float
Lesbian and Gay Band Association
Native American Women Warriors, Colorado
Little Rock Central High School Band, Arkansas
Utah Hispanic Dance Alliance, Utah
Central Valley High School Marching Band and Color Guard, Washington
 

Division Four
United States Air Force Staff
United States Air Force Band
United States Air Force Academy
United States Air Force Active Company
United States Air Force Color Guard
District of Columbia Air National Guard
United States Air Force Reserve Company
Grambling State University “Tiger” Marching Band, Louisiana
Tuskegee Airmen Float
Norwich University Regimental Band, Vermont
Montana Delegation, Montana
Wind River Dancers, Wyoming
Canine Companions for Independence
Navajo Nation Band, Arizona, Utah and New Mexico
United War Veterans Council, New York
Pearl River Community College Marching Band, Mississippi
Union High School Air Force JROTC, Oklahoma
Fergus Falls High School Marching Band, Minnesota
Northwest Dragon and Lion Dance Team, Oregon
Asheville High School Marching Band, North Carolina
 

Division Five
United States Coast Guard Staff
United States Coast Guard Band
United States Coast Guard Academy
United States Coast Guard Active Component
United States Coast Guard Color Guard
United States Coast Guard Reserve Component
United States Merchant Marine Academy Staff
United States Merchant Marine Academy Band
United States Merchant Marine Academy Color Guard
United States Merchant Marine Academy Company
Northern State University “Marching Wolves,” South Dakota
Military Spouses of Michigan, Michigan
Londonderry High School Marching Band and Color Guard, New Hampshire
Culver Academies, Indiana
Portsmouth High School “Patriots” Marching Band, Rhode Island
The Native American Tribes of North Dakota, North Dakota
Liberty North High School Band, Missouri
Sarpy County Nebraska Metro Area Law Enforcement Honor Guard, Nebraska
Frankfort High School Marching Band, West Virginia
Comparza Morelense, Nevada
Letcher County Central High School Marching Band, Kentucky
Our People, Our Future Float & Citizen Co-Chairs
Firefighters of Idaho, Idaho
Virginia Military Institute, Virginia



Photo Credit: AP

Video Scrapbook: Obama's Oath, Inauguration Music and More

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Barack Obama took the Oath of Office for his second term as President of the United States Monday, kicking off many Inauguration Day festivities across Washington, D.C.

During Obama's speech, which lasted just over 18 minutes, he outlined a broad agenda of gun control, equal rights and immigration reform during his second term and told the thousands of people in attendance that "our journey is not complete."

Watch videos from the swearing-in ceremony above and below:

 

Beyonce Performs the National Anthem: 

 President Takes Oath of Office:

James Taylor Sings "America The Beautiful":
 

 

Obama's Inaugural Speech: "Our Journey is Not Complete":

Obama Impersonator Draws Attention at Inauguration: 

 

Richard Blanco Recites Inauguration Poem: 

 

Kelly Clarkson Sings "My Country, 'Tis of Thee" At Inauguration: 

 

President and First Lady Walk Down Pennsylvania Avenue: 

 

First Lady Inauguration Style: 

New Day in Washington:

 

Obama Soaks in Crowd, Says "I’m Not Going to See This Again": 

 

Obama's First "Exclusive Interview" Goes to Al Roker: 

 

Al Roker Scores a Big Hello from Joe Biden: 

Malia Obama Photobombs Sister's Cell Phone Pic:

 



Photo Credit: Getty Images

Fire Destroys Avon Garage

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Fire destroyed a garage in Avon Monday.

Firefighters responded to a home at 635 West Avon Road around 12:20 p.m. and found a detached garage fully involved. The flames sent a huge plume of black smoke into the sky. There was plastic in the garage that caused the think smoke as it burned, according to fire officials.

One person was home at the time the fire broke out, but was not injured. The home itself was not damaged by the fire, officials said.

The garage had to be torn down.



Photo Credit: NBC Connecticut/Dan Lee

Former CCSU Professor Delivers Inaugural Poem

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Richard Blanco, a former member of the creative writing faculty at Central Connecticut State University, recited the Inaugural poem at the Inauguration of President Barack Obama on Monday.

Blanco, 44, evoked memories of his childhood and spoke of the everyday comings and goings of life in America. He also paid homage to the victims of the Sandy Hook tragedy.

"All of us as vital as the one light we move through, the same light on blackboards with lessons for the day: equations to solve, history to question, or atoms imagined, the "I have a dream" we keep dreaming, or the impossible vocabulary of sorrow that won't explain the empty desks of twenty children marked absent today, and forever." 

See the full poem here. 

Blanco was born in Spain to Cuban exiles and his parents emigrated to New York City days after his birth and eventually settled in Miami.

Blanco was a consultant engineer, writing about abstract concepts and preparing arguments on behalf of his clients, until 1999, when he joined the creative writing faculty at Central Connecticut State University until 2001. There, he taught a course in which students studied Latino and Latina literature.

Thereafter, he served as instructor at various universities throughout the country, including American and Georgetown universities, all the while maintaining his career in consulting engineer.
 
Blanco won the Agnes Lynch Starrett Poetry Prize and the PEN American Center Beyond Margins Award. 
 
In addition to family and love and the passing of a generation of relatives, Blanco’s work also explores how his cultural identities as a Cuban-American gay man intersect, according to a news release.
 
"I’m beside myself, bestowed with this great honor, brimming over with excitement, awe, and gratitude,” Blanco said after being chosen. “In many ways, this is the very ‘stuff’ of the American Dream, which underlies so much of my work and my life’s story—America’s story, really.  I am thrilled by the thought of coming together during this great occasion to celebrate our country and its people through the power of poetry.”
 



Photo Credit: AP

Inauguration Highlights

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President Barack Obama blows a kiss as he and first lady Michelle Obama walk on Pennsylvania Avenue near the White House in the Inauguration Parade during the 57th Presidential Inauguration in Washington, Monday, Jan. 21, 2013. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

Obama, First Lady Dance to "Let's Stay Together"

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With the more rigid formalities of Inauguration Day behind him, President Barack Obama took to the dance floor Monday night to share his first dance of his second term with the woman he said he was "lucky to have."

Wearing a white bow tie, a small American flag pin on his lapel, and a giant grin, President Obama spoke glowingly about his wife before introducing her at the Commander-In-Chief Ball—the first of two official balls the couple would attend for the night.

"She inspires me every day. She makes me a better man and a better president," Obama said to service members and their families in attendance. "The fact that she is so devoted to taking care of our troops and our military families is just one more sign of her extraordinary love and grace and strength. I'm just lucky to have her."

And then there she was. Michelle Obama made her grand entrance in a custom Jason Wu ruby red chiffon and velvet gown. She grabbed his hand and the two headed for the dance floor to the sound of cheers.

Jennifer Hudson, in a long black gown, provided the soulful music—Al Green's "Let's Stay Together."

The first couple sang to each other, Michelle Obama snapped her fingers and the president leaned in and playfully smirked at his wife. And they shared a kiss before breaking off to dance with some of the luckiest guests in the room.

After the dance, Michelle Obama took to her new Twitter account and documented the moment: "Just danced to "Let's Stay Together" with the love of my life and the President of the United States. I’m so proud of Barack. –mo."

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy



Photo Credit: AP

Police Searching for Missing Hartford Teen

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Police are asking for help as they search for 17-year-old Kellie Medina, who was last seen in Hartford on Sunday.

Medina was last seen wearing a black leather jacket, black leggings and white sneakers.

She is 4-feet-11-inches tall and weighs 114 pounds.

She has strawberry blonde hair, a tattoo on her left shoulder of three stars,  a pierced nose and a pierced  lower lip.

Anyone with information  is asked to call the Hartford Police Department at 860-757-4000.

Groupon Cancels All Gun-Related Deals

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Groupon will no longer be offering deals on all current and scheduled gun-related deals in North America.

The deals for shootings ranges, conceal-and-carry and clay shooting have been placed on "hiatus" while the Chicago-based company reviews "internal standards that shape the deal inventory we feature," Groupon Spokesman Julie Mossler told AOL Daily Finance. "The category is under review following recent consumer and merchant feedback."

The announcement comes in the wake of December’s Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Conn. It is not sitting too well with the vendors who were offering those deals.

For example, Michael Cargill, the owner of Austin's Central Texas Gun Works -- whose deal was listed last week -- is calling for a boycott “because the message they're sending is, 'Look, we do not want to support law-abiding citizens taking time out of their schedule to learn the safety surrounding firearms.’"

In addition, last week Cargill was contacted by his Groupon rep to encourage raising the purchase limit to 1,500. But on Friday, that rep called back explaining Groupon’s new position.

So, why this sudden stance a month later? That’s not so clear.

But it’s a move people will notice, and positive PR is something Groupon could certainly use more of.

David Wolinsky is a freelance writer and a lifelong Chicagoan. In addition to currently serving as an interviewer-writer for Adult Swim, he's also a comedy-writing instructor for Second City. He was the Chicago city editor for The Onion A.V. Club where he provided in-depth daily coverage of this city's bustling arts/entertainment scene for half a decade. When not playing video games for work he's thinking of dashing out to Chicago Diner, Pizano's, or Yummy Yummy. His first career aspirations were to be a game-show host.



Photo Credit: Donna Binbek
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