Somber remembrances in Newtown, at White House on anniversary of Sandy Hook shooting

 Robert F. Bukaty / Associated PressOn the anniversary of the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre, firefighters lower the town's flag on Main Street to half-staff in honor of the victims.By Simon Moya-Smith, Staff Writer, NBC NewsBells tolled 26 times in Newtown, Conn., on Saturday -- once for each of the victims who died a year ago at Sandy Hook Elementary School in a brutal, senseless massacre carried out by disturbed loner Adam Lanza.The bells rang began sounding at St. Rose of Lima Church in Newtown beginning at 9:30 a.m. — the moment the gunman shot his way into the school on Dec. 14, 2012, the Associated Press reported. Connecticut's governor had asked for houses of worship across the state to do the same, and flags were lowered to half-staff around Connecticut. At the White House, President Barack Obama and wife, Michelle, paused for a moment of silence in honor of the victims, standing at a wooden table in the Map Room before three tiers of 26 lighted candles.  Jacquelyn Martin / APPresident Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama share a moment of silence in honor of the Newtown shooting victims on Saturday in the Map Room of the White House.Officials and many citizens of Newtown, still fatigued and traumatized, emphatically requested privacy, asking the American public and media stay away on the anniversary so that the families and friends of the victims could quietly mourn and reflect. "Newtown's ask of the world for the anniversary is to stay where you are and do acts of kindness and honor those we’ve lost," David Ackert, chairman of the Newtown Foundation and Newtown Action Alliance, told NBC Connecticut.Many Newtown residents were themselves staying away on the anniversary, including Neil Heslin, father of 6-year-old victim Jesse Lewis. He said that he planned to travel to New York on the anniversary to take part in a project honoring the victims, but also to avoid any spectacle that may encroach on the town."I need to get out of Dodge," he said.Her passion was animals. So Catherine Hubbard's parents decided the best way to honor the school shooting victim was by helping the creatures she love so much. The Associated Press reported that Newtown looked every bit the classic New England town on Saturday, with snow falling and many homes decorated with Christmas lights. But it said reminders of the citizens' private grief were everywhere. "God bless the families," read a sign posted at one house in the green and white colors of the Sandy Hook school, and a church posted that it was "open for prayer."Andrew Snow, a 49-year-old mechanic who was drinking coffee at the general store with a friend, told the AP it was an especially difficult day."You kind of hope the town can put it behind without actually forgetting about the victims," said Snow, who grew up in Newtown and is moving back from nearby Southbury to support the community. "But it's not easy to do. I think about it every day."In his weekly radio address, hours before the White House memorial, President Obama said the nation hasn't done enough to make its communities safer by keeping dangerous people from getting guns and healing troubled minds. Gun restrictions backed by the president in response to the shooting faced stiff opposition and ultimately stalled in the Democrat-controlled Senate."We have to do more to keep dangerous people from getting their hands on a gun so easily. We have to do more to heal troubled minds. We have to do everything we can to protect our children from harm and make them feel loved, and valued, and cared for," Obama said. Elsewhere, elected officials, clergy and various organizations across the country held solemn remembrances of the massacre -- with local candlelight vigils as well as demonstrations calling for stricter gun laws.In Ann Arbor, Mich., the "We Are Newton Remembrance Vigil" was held on the steps of the Federal Building. The event, which will include Mayor John Hieftje, is sponsored by a local branch of Organizing for Action, a nationwide nonprofit that supports the policy aims of the Obama administration, including tighter gun control laws.RelatedMore coverage of the Newtown anniversary from NBC ConnecticutComplete coverage of the Newtown anniversary from NBCNews.comDecember 14 marks one year since the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, and some parents who lost their children that day are speaking out, aiming to make changes with the organization Sandy Hook Promise. NBC's Kate Snow reports. On the University of Pittsburgh campus in Pennsylvania, another branch of the organization hosted a “Remembering Newtown" candlelight vigil in recognition of the 20 children and six adults who were shot and killed by gunman Adam Lanza. Several event organizers across the northeast braced for winter weather and relocated their vigils indoors.Demand Action to End Gun Violence, a bipartisan coalition of U.S. mayors to stem the proliferation of illegal guns and to encourage stringent federal gun ownership legislation, will host a variety of events across the country. Its events are geared to honor the victims of the shooting Sandy Hook, as well as other victims of gun violence.On Thursday, family and friends of the Sandy Hook shooting victims traveled to Washington, D.C., to honor their loved ones through a solemn vigil and volunteer work. The group was joined by other gun violence victims from across the country. Matt Mcclain / AFP - Getty ImagesMiranda Pacchiana (C) of Newtown, Connecticut, holds a candle at the conclusion ofThe National Vigil for Victims of Gun Violence on December 12, 2013 at the National Cathedral in Washington, DC.During the vigil, the bell at the National Cathedral rang for three minutes to represent the lives claimed by firearms every year.Although remembrances of the shooting have been taking place over the past week, commemorations of the victims have occurred all year long.There is, for example, The Sandy Ground Project: Where Angels Play, which built 26 playgrounds in areas leveled by Hurricane Sandy, each named after one of the Sandy Hook victims, WVIT reported.There is also the Newtown Documentation Project, which sought to preserve the thousands of letters and handmade gifts that have poured into the town in the past year.NBC News' Miranda Leitsinger contributed to this report.

Sandy victims get help after rebuilt home vandalized

 Good Samaritans rallied to help a Staten Island family whose Sandy-ravaged home was again destroyed by vandals just days before the family was set to move back in.Nancy Fisher and Ruben Vazquez's Midland Beach home of over 35 years was destroyed in the October 2012 storm, and the couple and their children had been staying with friends for the past 14 months. During that time, Vazquez would work his day job then return to his Staten Island house each night to make repairs and rebuild.The family was finally days away from moving back in when vandals broke in on Thursday. They had ransacked the living room, shattering glass, smashing holes in the new drywall and busting up the new refrigerator. They left beer cans, urinated on the floor and even destroyed the lone ornament on the family's Charlie Brown Christmas tree."I saw everything was devastated and I just broke down,"  Fisher said. When NBC 4 New York viewers saw the family's story Thursday night, they were inspired to wake up early Friday and help."My neighbor called me and he said some guy was here," said a stunned Fisher. "He drove like 100 miles to come down and see me and give me gifts."Another woman brought the family a new Charlie Brown Christmas tree, which has come to symbolize their new beginning post- Sandy."Someone bring back my new beginning and it's going to be better than ever," said Fisher. "I believe that. I believe in people and I believe good things are going to happen."Ross Decker of Yellow Boots, a non-profit group in Staten island, committed to bring in an army of volunteers Saturday to help the family not only get back on track but to move in ahead of schedule."We just kind of sprung into action, made some phone calls," he said. "We're shocked to see that anyone would do something so horrible and vile as this.""Ruben did a great job putting together patches for a lot of the holes, but there's still a bit of work that needs to be done, and that poor guy needs a break. He's been up all night repairing his house," he added.For Fisher, the heartbreaking destruction by a few has been outshadowed by the hugs, smiles, laughter and kindness of so many."Some people are rotten out there, but there are so many good people out there, they beat out the rotten people," she said. "We'll come back stronger, like we did with Sandy."