CNN 2011-01-15

Of course, in and around Atlanta roads, as you heard from Rob, are treacherous 1. Businesses are shut down. Schools are still closed.

Our Martin Savidge is in the elements paralyzing the city.

Officials knew Atlanta wasn't prepared for the storm. In fact, over the years the city has made a conscious decision not to be ready.

Historically, what's been the attitude of the city when it comes to snow or ice?

Well, I mean, when I was a boy growing up here it was, it was a day off. A day or two off but now that I'm mayor that's fundamentally different.

Atlanta has relied on two basic facts. Southern snowstorms are rare and the best way to get rid of the snow is to simply let it melt. That logic 2 fails about once a decade. This time, the city remained shut down for days as roads became impassable. In fact, the roads are still so bad I couldn't get to the experts I wanted to interview so I called them.

Do we have any idea of what this snow event for the city of Atlanta may cost?

No, not right now.

All right. Nasty stuff. Martin Savidge there. So Atlanta leaders say they have seized upon one strategy that's used by snow-challenged cities in the north. They have scrambled 3 to higher and mobilized private contractors 4 to try and clear those streets.

The parents of the accused Tucson shooter are breaking their silence. Jared Loughner's mom and dad have been in seclusion 5 since the weekend shooting but now they have penned a statement saying they're just as perplexed 6 as everyone else, saying this, quote, "We don't understand why this happened. It may not make any difference but we wish that we could change the heinous 7 events of Saturday. We care very deeply about the victims and their families. We are so very sorry for their loss." End quote.

Six people died in the weekend shooting, 14 others are hurt including Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. Now friends of the Loughner family are speaking up saying Jared was a good kid but something changed.

He was a great kid. I don't know what happened to him. I don't even recognize him now. But we'll probably never know what happened to him. He was never like that as a kid. He was brought up good. His family was always good to him. He was, everyone was good to him. He was good to everyone.

Meanwhile, a grief-stricken Tucson tries to recover. A Catholic Church held the first official religious service in honor of the victims last night calling it a mass healing for our community.

President Obama heads to Tucson later on today to mourn with the jolted 8 city. He arrives in Arizona this afternoon. He'll speak at a memorial event and meet with the victims' family members.

Meanwhile, doctors for Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords say she is showing signs of improvement after taking a bullet to the brain. She's reportedly able to breathe on her own now.

Her office released these two photos from inside her hospital room giving us an intimate look at her husband, astronaut Mark Kelly, sitting beside her and holding her hand.

Well, some say that a heated political climate factored in to the Tucson attack and now Sarah Palin is weighing in. She's accusing her critics of blood libel. Her words.

In a new video posted to her Web site this morning, the former Alaska governor has been criticized using crosshairs on a map showing districts where she wanted the GOP to win midterm elections.

Representative Gabrielle Giffords' district was on that graphic 9.

There are those who claim political rhetoric 10 is to blame for the despicable attack of this deranged 11, apparently 12 apolitical criminal.

And they claim political debate has somehow gotten more heated just recently. But when was it last heated? Back in those calm days when political figures literally 13 settled the differences with dueling 14 pistols? In an ideal world, all discourse 15 would be civil and all disagreements cordial. But our founding fathers knew they weren't designing a system for perfect men and women. If men and women were angels, there would be no need for government.

Our founders 16' genius was to design a system that helps settle the inevitable 17 conflicts caused by our imperfect passions in civil ways. So we must condemn 18 violence if our republic is to endure.

Palin also says that, quote, "Acts of monstrous 19 criminality stand on their own, they begin and end with criminals who commit them." Her words.