but a brighter afternoon. it stays brisk and cold. windchills in the 20s most of the day. at times gusting 25 to 30 miles an hour. you need to bundle up again today. the temperatures uniform. 30-ish north and west to the who are and mid-30s on the coast. the chill will increase. at least it gets brighter. 34 at noontime, a high of 37 degrees. we'll detail the weekend forecast in a bit. what's the commute looking like so far? >> a couple of things going on. delays not so bad. on the bqe, a disabled tractor-trailer before the kosciuszko bridge. that blocks the right lane. then over to 95. southbound out by gun hill road. you have a pothole out there in the center lane. now, that's not causing a delay just yet. as the commute goes on, i'm sure it will be a problem. i'll keep you posted. more weather and traffic on the 4s. >> lauren, thanks very much. the former top cop in suffolk

federal charges. it's a story you saw first on news 4 at 11 clok. a stunning fall from power, >> reporter: absolutely michael. the u.s. attorney had a press conference and he had strong words about james burke saying that he was dangerous, that he had abused his authority. sources tell news 4 that james burke today will plead guilty to a number of criminal charges. he was arrested in december on two charges of obstruction of bu stice and civil rights violations. he resigned from the department while under investigation by federal agents. he's been behind bars without bail since his arrest. the judge saying he was a danger to the community and could influence other law enforcement officers to act on his behalf. the charges accuse burke of beating a man named christopher lobe in december of to 12 who was arrested after stealing a

in front of his home. burke had got nearly a dozen officers and detectives involved in the obstruction of justice by covering up the alleged crime. we'll hear from the defense attorney, the attorney of james burke. he will be here at the courthouse. he's been behind bars ever since. he does face up to five years in prison once he pleads guilty. back to you, michael. >> kat, thank you very much. sniefrmt new this morning, two people in the hospital after a wild fight at a club in brook lip at 1:45 this morning at club republic on broadway in bushwick. a fight started inside the club, it spilled out into the street. a 20-year-old woman was shot in the leg and a man was stabbed. no arrests have been made. a small community in kansas is reeling following a recent mass shooting. a gunman killed three people and wounded 14 more. kerry barrett is in the newsroom with the latest on the investigation. kerry, good morning. >> good morning, darlene. that gunman dead as well this

it happened at a manufacturing plant yesterday in south central kansas. the gunman shot and killed by police also worked at that same manufacturer and plant along with all of the victims. this is in the tiny town of hefton. the suspect also shot three people while en route to that facility. it was a massive police presence outside of the excel industries plant. workers inside describe an absolutely chaotic scene. witnesses say he was armed with an assault-style weapon and a handgun. the first officer to arrive immediately engaged him and single handedly took him down. >> everybody was running. people were screaming. people were crying. we just didn't know what to do. >> more people running. all of a sudden, pop, pop, pop. i'm going -- i started running too. >> it didn't matter who he was. he had no specific target. he was shooting anyone in his way. >> so scary. about 150 people were inside of the plant at the time.

but they have a couple of leads on what may have triggered all of this. we're waiting on confirmation of the suspect's identity. as soon as we get it, we'll bring it to you. the governor in kansas order fd all flags lowered to half-staff today in honor of the victims. >> kerry barrett, thank you. >> 5:04 now. this massive power outages in connecticut prompted a state of emergency. out of state utility crews are working double to try to bring power back on long island downed trees still blocking roads as crews worked to clear them. cars were set on fire by the downed power lines. they're completely charred. all across our area, homes and cars were dammed by snapped trees. look at that there. in queens, crews built a sidewalk shed to protect people from a building that -- wind likely ripped panels from the side of building on vietor avenue.

people if more pieces fall off. hopefully, that's not the case. >> you start to see when the daylight comes after the morning chris, what sort of damage you have. some smaller trees are off kilter. roofs are damaged. >> it takes sometimes days to weeks to months to repair and fix. the next few days, no big storms around. gusty breezes we're contending with this morning. noft the damaging kind, just the chilly kind. at the freezing mark in white plains. below freezing in sussex and newburgh. coldest spot in monticello, where it's 21 degrees. wind at 25 in the city. most areas gusting between 20, 25 miles an hour. that will be the trend through the day. gusts could exceed 30 in spot from time to time. we're starting out with clouds this morning. sunshine this afternoon. temperatures don't go far with that brisk northwest wind keeping us cold.

temperatures will go further, though, by the latter half of the weekend. let get over to lauren scala. let's alk about the detours on the buses. nj transit bus routes also. on the ferries, they look good. mine another service changes on the bell ford ferry. all the others are operating on regular routes and schedules. the trains look good now. major commuter lines as well as the subways. you need to move your car. alternate side of the street parking rules are in effect today. lauren, thank you. 5:06. now to decision 2016. the final republican show doup before super tuesday. ohm five candidate this time. "today in new york's" tracie strahan is in midtown with more. tracie, good morning. >> reporter: darlene, good morning to you. five candidate but one target. donald trump. the front-runner was taken to task last night for several

to construct his crown jewel behind me on fifth avenue, trump tower. all five candidate were on the stage at the university of houston. donald trump was the focus. they have touched on health care, religious freedom and appointing a new supreme court justice. ted cruz and marco rubio came out swinging, specifically on the topic of illegal immigration. they accused donald trump of hiring undocumented workers back in 180 toe demolish a building to make way for trump tower. >> he hired workers from poland and he had to pay a million >> wrong. he repeated himself five times four weeks ago. >> i saw you repeat yourself five times five second ago. >> not much of a ripple from john kasich or ben carson. they were out of the fray for the most part. ben carson asked, can somebody attack me, please.

has won three cop sec tiff primaries. darlene, it remains unclear if this will make a dent in his momentum before super tuesday. tracie strahan, thank you. amid the one-liners, one received a big reaction. marco rubio told donald trump if he didn't receive money from his father, trump would be selling watches in manhattan. it seemed rubio planned that. before the debate ended, his website added this to it store. it's called the trump watch. rubio's campaign is not actually selling them but are using them to collect contributions. right now, hillary clinton ahead in the polls leading in tomorrow's south carolina primary. bernie sanders already on to other super tuesday states. i believe that there is nothing that we cannot accomplish. >> we can't go back and throw our country into a contentious debate which is what my esteemed opponent senator sanders has.

jersey senator cory booker rallying with clinton in south carolina. sander was in chicago with his toughest criticism yet of clinton's campaign positions. remembering the 1988 execution-style murder of an nypd officer. it was held overnight in gentleman make ka queens. it was at the spot where officer byrne was gunned down in his patrol car. he was gaurding the home of a witness at the time. bill bratton was at the service along with the murdered officer's brother. remembering the six people killed 23 years ago when a truck bomb destroyed the parking garage of the north tower. more than a thousand people were hurt, most during the tower's evacuation. president obama says the u.s. is going to step up the fight against the isis terror group.

carried out against them so far. this weekend, a cease-fire is set to take place in syria. it's supposed to clue russia. there are reports that the russians have struck against civilian targets. just ahead, which supermarket is number one among customers? apple is getting an unlikely ally in the fight over phone security. it's going to feel more like spring by the end this weekend. weather and traffic on the 4s is ahead. you're watching "today in new york." in new york state, we believe tomorrow starts today.

economy is growing, with creative new business incentives, and the lowest taxes in decades, attracting the talent and companies of tomorrow. like in buffalo, where the largest solar gigafactory in the western hemisphere will soon energize the world. and in syracuse, where imagination is in production. let us help grow your company's tomorrow -

5:13 thousand. four things to know this morning. former suffolk county police chief james burke is expected to plead guilty in federal court on long island. he could face up to four years in prison. the republican presidential candidates faced off in their final debate before super tuesday. senators ted cruz and marco rubio each took turns attacking the front-runner, donald trump. chicken salad made in mt.

it could contain bacteria. full details posted on nbcnewyork.com. crews are working to repair the sinkhole that trapped april department of pup works truck in new jersey. it happened in midland park. 5:14 on this friday morning. pretty quiet out there. nothing to worry about other than you had to bundle up. colder air is pushing in. a gusty north wind accompanying that. it doesn't stick around long after a chilly day tomorrow. we warm it up by sunday well into the 50s by sunday afternoon. we finish off the month that way with above normal temperatures. meantime, some flood warnings in effect. this is basically the millstone and somerset. that's until 6:30. spilling out of its banks as it crests and up in morris county, again, minor flooding is an issue. everything recedes by the afternoon hours. what has receded, the temperature change from 24 hours ago. yesterday morning it was 28

now it's 28 degrees colder in poughkeepsie. 30 degrees colder and the city about 20 degrees colder. down the shore again generally about 15 to 20 degrees chillier. that translates into temperatures like this. princeton to sayreville to howell. point pleasant. 34 in the park. the below freezing numbers from morristown on to the north and west. with no precipitation around. we don't have to worry about that. meantime, a few snow showers, couple of snow showers through the poconos. portions of the catskills. you see it right here. clouds around this morning, they'll break up going through the late morning and afternoon hours. blustery and brisk today. a big change. clear, crisp tonight. windy in the evening. 20s in the city. teens north and west of town. you'll be out late tonight. you'll need the full gear. the chill eases a bit by tomorrow afternoon. temperatures back to the lower 40s. it's 50s for sunday, monday and

in fact, mid and upper 50s a possibility for sunday and monday. next chance of any rain coming along wednesday. another system will track to the west of us. we stay on the warm side of it. temperatures again still in the 50s. almost like an early spring. seven-day forecast outside of today. upper 30s, low 40s tomorrow with sunshine. 57 and 58 for sunday and monday. then back to the lower 50s with that rain chance on wednesday. let's see what it looks like for the commuters so far this morning. >> thanks, chris. a couple of delays out there now. we'll talk about the bqe. a disabled tractor-trailer that blocks the right lane heading southbound or westbound. it's starting to cause delays back past the l.i.e. keep a close eye on that or you. heading over to new jersey, we have two problems out there. route 46 eastbound out by net kong road. the shoulder gets by. on 80 eastbound.

repairs in the right lane. a live look at the brooklyn bridge. you'll see roadwork on the manhattan-bound side of the span. one lane gets by. it's a pretty slow ride through there. alternate side of the street parking rules are in effect today. more weather and traffic on the 4s. thanks, lauren. today friends and family will say goodbye at a wake for a father and daughter killed. his van was rear ended monday causing a chain reaction crash. the 48-year-old jersey city teacher and his 5-year-old daughter bridgett were killed. the wake is tonight in bayonne. scott hahn has been charged in the chris. meanwhile, three people are in critical condition following a crash in south brunswick. a commuter bus slammed into -- the bus driver told police he was distracted but insisted he was not on his cell phone. no word whether that driver will face charges.

is going to jail for scamming parishioners. he pleaded guilty this we to grand theft. he's going to spend a year in jail in california. prosecutors say he went from parish to parish posing as a priest, even taking donations. he's accused of selling tickets to see pope francis during his visit last year here to new york. when apple meets with shareholders today, they will have a lot to talk about. yesterday apple asked the courts to reverse an order to help the fbi unlock an iphone used by the san bernardino killers. google is planning to file a friend of the court brief in support of apple. apple accuses the federal government of seeking kwoegs dangerous power. topping the money report. kohl's makes a move to stay profitable. 18 stores will close and smaller shops will open in seven areas. look for more kohl's off price and outlet stores to pop up. we'll find out next month which locations, exact locations will

once again, it is weg man's on the top shelf. ranked number one in the american consumer satisfaction index. it no longer had to share the title with trader joe's. points on that chain went down to second place. it's a different philosophy of the higher end grocery store where you get more stuff. >> they're great. everything costs a little bit more. a lot more in some cases. there's that. it's 5:19. just ahead, why police are closing the book on a sexting scandal on long island. what would you do if you saw this running down the highway? we'll tell you what these people did. you're watching "today in new

long island expressway. crossing the grand central parkway. 5:22 on this friday. there was a strange sight on a road in far west california had a lot of people calling 911. that's juliette the pony dressed as a unicorn for a photo shoot. she got loose. people tried to catch her but they needed help. she got dangerously close to traffic. her owner is making changes. the little girl, so cute. make sure the animal doesn't get out again. >> she couldn't fly. they made penguins exercise. part of the experiment involving king penguins.

london studied how penguins walk. on a treadmill. weight impacts how they walk. scientists found the heavier penguins had a harder time walking than "the skinny" ones and the heavier ones fell over more frequently. genetically they need that weight, right? if they were in los angeles, they'd have to be thin. >> penguins are saying what's going on? >> who funded this experiment, by the way? pen gips fall down on a treadmill. >> i could demonstrate that for them easily. falling down on the treadmill, right? >> that was crazy looking. penguins, they like to pair off and have long marriages. >> monogamous. >> valentine's day is coming up next year. >> next year. >> michael, please, let's not go back to the beginning of the month. that's the trend for the weekend.

that's it for the high today. this is a rare day we've seen below normal temperaturewise. a gusty wind will make it feel colder. cold night tonight, bundle up. 23. teens in the suburbs. the windchills making it feel colder in the teens most of the night. the weekend, you can see what starts to happen. bright and sub nny on saturday. a jump in temperatures by 15 degrees on sunday. a high in the mid to upper 50s with lots of sunshine. that is really the get outdoors and enjoy day. kind of a hint that we're finally turning the corner a little bit. >> good. >> what's happening, lauren? >> we have delays out there. construction delays on the fdr drive. a live look at that. you can see headed southbound, this is in the 70s. slow ride through here. that should be wrapped up shortly. if you're getting on the rails, all good news. the commuter checklist. metro-north. lirr, nj transit, path. we have an issue on the bqe. i'll have the details in a few minutes.

ahead, a hostile health scare of the we'll tell you why patients are being notified. if you take the train in new jersey, you want to hear about this. what's happening today to prevent pape a commuter nightmare. >> reporter: the susk county police chief, the former police chief will be here at the federal courthouse entering a plea of guilty. we'll tell you what kind of prison he could face and the details coming up. keep watching "today in new york." download the news 4 mobile app on your device right now and be mobile. move about the country. we'll be right back. in new york state, we believe tomorrow starts today. all across the state, the economy is growing, with creative new business

and the loweaxes in decades, attracting the talent and companies of tomorrow. like in buffalo, where the largest solar gigafactory in the western hemisphere will soon energize the world. and in syracuse, where imagination is in production. let us help grow your company's tomorrow -

today the man who once led suffolk county's police department expected to plead guilty. how long he could spend in prison. plus, this morning, another mass shooting. a man goes on a rampage at his kansas workplace. what we're learning about the suspect. donald, relax. >> i'm relaxed. you're the basket case. >> go ahead. go ahead. >> don't get nervous. >> tension from texas. the republican candidates go blow for blow in a critical debate. "today in new york" starts now. good morning everybody. friday morning. it's february 26th.

i'm michael gargiulo. storm team 4's chris cimino here with the forecast. >> good to see the boys getting along again. >> just relax. >> i don't know what's going on. >> you're the basket case, come on, michael. >> we are. >> let's get through it. we made it. lagrange, hopewell junction at the freezing mark. chillier this morning. towards the city 34. just above the freezing mark. same thing along the jersey shore. with a gusty wind it feels colder out there. the feels-like temperatures are down in the low and mid-20s. nothing in terms much precipitation other nan a few snow flurries across the poconos and portions of the catskills. there's clouds around to get through this morning. i think we break out into sunshine today. it stays bright but brisk for the noon hour. about 34. you bundle up all day. it doesn't warm higher than 37. it will warm up over the weekend. i'll tell you when in a bit. let's find out about the commute with lauren. >> still quiet for the most part. lots of green on the map.

ing of yellow and red. a disabled tractor-trailer is heading southbound, westbound before it gets to the kosciuszko bridge in the right lane. delays back to the l.i.e. they go back on to the lower level of the l.i.e. as well. if you're headed this way, leave yourself extra time. the van wyck expressway, an accident on to the ramp to the l.i.e. that's backed up on to the main roadway. delays are not awful yet. i'll let you know when that changes. more weather and traffic on the 4s. >> thanks, lauren. sources tell news 4 the former top cop in suffolk county is expected to plead gate. it is a story, you saw first at 11:00. "today in new york's" katherine creag is in central islip with what we know. kat, good morning. >> reporter: darlene, good morning. some weeks back, the attorney for james burke was saying his client would have his day in court implying there would be a trial.

news 4 that james burke will enter a plea of guilty and avoid a trial and it means prison time. he was arrested in december on obstruction of justice and civil rights violations. he resigned from the department while under investigation by federal agents. he's been behind bars without bail since his arrest. a judge saying he was a danger to the community. the charges accuse burke of beating a man named christopher lobe in december of 2012 who had been arrested after stealing a duffel bag from burke's police issued suv parked in front much burke's home. the charges also llg burke got a dozen officers and detectives involved in the obstruction of justice by covering up the alleged crime. there were strong words from the u.s. attorney when the arrest happened. the u.s. attorney saying that burke was dangerous, that he used his power. he abused it. burke could face up to five years in prison. back to you, darlene. >> thanks so much, katherine. nassau county executive ed

sexting scandal. there's no evidence that exchanged text messages with a pr consultant. the detective called the whole thing a hoax and slammed critics who claimed the nassau county police department helped cover for mangano. happening today, more talks aimed at averting a nj transit strike. the unions will meet with workers for the first time sips last week. they're threatening to strike if there's no contract in place by march 13th. nj transit can't afford to meet wages. happening now, crews working to repair a sinkhole that trapped a department of public works truck in new jersey. the office of emergency management says the crew was checking on a sewer line break collapsed. the crew got out of the truck safely but sewage poured out into the street. the sinkhole is 20 feet long and 30 feet wide.

traffic was not affected. a state of emergency in connecticut following the powerful storm. utility crews can come in and get the lights back on. there are several thousand people still without power. on long island, downed trees are blocking roads. the cars set on fire that we saw yesterday, they're completely charred. across our area, homes and cars were damaged by snapped trees. in queens, we showed you this yesterday morning. the piece of the verizon building that came crashing down in elmhurst. now there's a protective sidewalk shed to shield people in case more pieces fall. coming up on 5:34. time for weather and traffic on the 4s. you're seeing a warmup across the country. chris, there were reports in minneapolis this weekend, it's going to be in the high 50s. >> it's incredible. all the way to the u.s./canadian border. we'll get a taste of that, into

no the out of the question, sunday and monday that we hit 60 in spots. today, don't think 50s and 60 aefz. it's not going to happen. patchy clouds this morning. a chilly breeze throughout. it's brighter by the afternoon. windchills stay in the 20s all day. be prepared for that, for the northwest winds gusting frequently 25 to 30 miles per hour if not higher. right now, we're starting out in the 30s. 34 inth city. mostly cloudy. i think we'll shed the clouds going through the morning and afternoon. but the breeze continues. temperatures really don't climb very much. only mid and upper 30s. a high of 37. it's only temporary, though. that warmup is on the way. we'll tell you when in a bit as we head outdoors for the commute. >> southbound on the fdr drive, construction is clearing. it's eased out a little bit. lots of taillights here. most things moved over to the side. that's good news for your commute. let's talk about the buses. still a few detours for you. nj transit bus routes 28 and 191

as far as the trains go, major commuter lines, subways looking good. no reported delays and alternate side of the street parking rules in effect. the next update on the 4s. thank you very much. new this morning, violence in brooklyn. two people are now in the hospital after a wild fight at club republic. that's on broadway in bushwick. police say a fight started inside the club but went into the street. a 20-year-old woman was shot in the leg and a 32-year-old man was stabbed. no arrests have been made. a mr. ifr in kansas is being called a hero for stopping the man behind a deadly shooting rampage. the officer shot and killed the gunman who opened fire on co-workers. he shot at people at three different scenes. three people died and 14 others hurt. >> we was already looking at him. he yelled and went like that and entered the building. >> investigators are not officially releasing the

the governor ordered the flags lowered in honor of the victims. now to decision 2016. the final republican showdown before super tuesday. the candidates faced off in texas and as he has been in the past, donald trump was the main target. "today in new york's" tracie strahan is outside trump tower in manhattan with highlights from last night. it was all focused on donald trump, tracie, from the get-go. >> reporter: absolutely. he was the focus, michael. we've heard the bickering before but ted cruz and marco rubio became most aggressive when they took donald trump to task on himself. they fielded questions on things like religious freedom and health care. but ted cruz and marco rubio wanted it stand out from the pack. they went after donald trump specifically really on the topic of immigration. >> if you're going to claim you're the only one that lifted this into the campaign, you acknowledge that you're the only person on the stage that's been fined for hiring people to work

>> i find it amazing that donald believes he's the one who discovered the issue of illegal immigration. >> reporter: when it came to illegal immigration, both candidates took trump to task alleging that he hired illegal workers, michael, in 1980. 200 polish workers to make -- we will hear from donald trump after the debate. i'm sure he'll give himself rave reviews about how he did and we'll hear about the other candidates' performances as well. >> a lot of people talking about what wept on last night. tomorrow the democrats will battle it out in south carolina. >> every one of those republican press depgs candidates, they have insurance. some of them you pay for because they're in the senate of the united states. >> this country belongs to all of us, not just a few.

primary and bernie sanders was actually in chicago leveling some of his sharpest criticism of his opponent hillary clinton. she was with new jersey center cory booker at a south carolina rally. the polls have her ahead of sanders in that state. fans of kesha are expected to protest outside of the offices of soap i music in manhattan. last week a jump ruled that she could not end her deal with the company despite allegations that her producer, known as dr. luke, drugged and sexually assaulted her. he's denied those claims. sony music cannot legally terminate the deal either. kesha urged victims of abuse to come forward. a more yafl service to remember an nypd officer gunned down 28 years ago execution-style. it was held just hours ago at the spot in jamaica queens where officer edward byrne was shot to death in his patrol car. he was guarding the home of a witness in a drug case.

the service along with lawrence, the murdered victim's brother. special memorial services planned where the north tower once stood and that's where a powerful bomb was set off in the parking garage belowground. six people were killed, more than a thousand people hurt. a new jersey hospital put hundreds of patients on notice. they may have been exposed to hiv. those at risk visited shore medical center in so maniers point between 2013 and september 17th of 2014. one of the hospital's former workers is charged with tampering with drugs. somehow the incident may have exposed pay shepts to his blood and diseases like hiv and hepatitis at the hospital. in a statement, shore medical center said it takes patient care very seriously and is providing free testing and support.

we'll tell you where the government is in jeopardy of shutting down. police originally called it a hate crime. what happened on this college bus is not what it approximate appears. a major warmup on the way. weather and traffic on the 4s. this is a look at people getting into the lincoln tunnel. you're watching "today in new

welcome back. time for weather and traffic together at 5:43 on this friday morning. things are moving along nicely in times times square. roads are dry. so if you're stepping outside today, before you step outside, make sure you have the winter wardrobe with you. the hats and the gloves and the scarf needed at times. temperatures will not be any higher than the 30s. look at that wind gust at 25 miles an hour. that makes it feel considerably chillier. that's pretty much the way the

mild on average the temperatures have been. december was a record-setter. january, almost 2 degrees above normal. february is 2 degrees above normal. looks like a clean sweep december, january and february. temperatures last few days of this month going to stay above normal. today is the one last day, i think, below normal. 34 in chelsea. 34 city island. looking at low 30s to 30 north and west. these numbers could slip into the 20s. nothing unusual for this time of the year. with a gusty wind it feels colder than that. the bus stop is going to bundle up more now. about 33 at 8:30. recess time about 34. you see not a big jump in temperature at all throughout the day. it's about 36 in after school activities. it's windy and chilly. maybe the upper teens at that point. future tracker is quiet. the clouds dissipate. look for sunshine through the afternoon. this is 8:00 in the evening now. nice clear sky tonight but a

just a few patchy clouds around saturday morning. the milder air moves in, and southwesterly breezes, working into sunday. a few high clouds with an initial push of warm air. temperatures on sunday could climb well into the 50s. not the case today. 30s in town. larchmont 34. brewster, same thing. long branch 38. hamburg at the freezing mark. upper 30s for the highs. sun and a few clouds. 23 the low tonight with a clear sky but a brisk wind makes it feel like the teens most of the night. it is in the teens in the distant suburbs to the north and west. the warming trend gets under way. 50s sunday, monday and tuesday. maybe a spot shower monday morning and a steadier rain is possible by the time we get to wednesday of next week. no snow in seven-day forecast. 37 today. low 40s on saturday with sunshine. the big jump into the ummer 50s. some spots could touch upon 60

chance on wednesday. cooler by the time we get to thursday. lauren, how is the commute treating us? the taconic, there are reports of icing conditions. all lanes shutdown northbound between bryant pond road and peek skill hollow road. i'll keep you posted about that. heading over to route 23, an accident northbound before 287 in the riverdale area shutting down two lanes. it could be out there for a while. turning into an accident investigation. this is going to be a spot to avoid. heading over to queens, on the van wyck expressway, northbound on the ramp to the l.i.e., an accident still out there. in better news, the disabled tractor-trailer was found at the kosciuszko bridge. that cleared out and minor delays on the fdr southbound. in the 70s heading into the 60s as they wrap up construction there. alternate side of the street parking rules in effect. more weather and traffic on the 4s.

students claim they were victims of an attack are facing charges themselves. two are from long island and one from upstate new york told police they were jumped on a city bus by a group of men shouting racial slurs. investigators save surveillance video shows the three women actually started the fight themselves. they're accused of assaulting another woman as she was leaving the bus. the man charged in a deadly home invasion on staten island will spend rest of his life behind bars. he was sentenced to life in prison without parole. he broke into a home in woodrow in 2014. he fatally stabbed the homeowner and wounded his wife. his lawyer argued his chiept has a documented history of mental illness. two men are recovering after a shooting in a parking garage. two men were arguing about 7:00 before shots rang out inside the garage at 126th street and lenox avenue.

a gunshot wound to his leg. a bullet grazed another man in the head. nobody is cooperating with their investigation. paterson, new jersey, days away from a possible government shutdown. the city council voted down the latest budget proposal again this week. hours before the vote, several dozen homeowners protested an impending tax increase and urged the city to make more budget cuts. if a new spending plan isn't approved, a partial shutdown could begin and nonessential municipal employees told to stay home. bill cosby is temporarily dropping a defamation case against an accuser. beverly johnson repeatedly accused cosby of drugging her in the 1980s. he dropped the suit to focus on the charges in pennsylvania. he says he was never alone with johnson and plans to refile the case against her in the future.

handed out on sunday, the refrpd al sharpton will be leading a protest against the lack of diversity in movies. here in new york at lincoln square. sharpton is a talk show host on msnbc, opened by our parent company, nbcuniversal. investigators are blaming the flight crew for a a -- video shows the passengers sliding down the emergency chutes. this was two years ago. after the landing gear collapsed on the u.s. airways jet. the report says the pilot was wrong to abort the takeoff. it happened after the co-pilot inputted incorrect information into the data. a burning suv. it was caught on a dashcam. the driver lost control and hit

the corpus christi officer used a baton to break the window of the suv monday. witnesses help pull the driver to safety. minutes later, fire consumed the vehicle. the driver is okay. stamford police in connecticut want you to give them money. but in return, you can help them save lives they say. their go fund me page is asking for donation toss buy an armored truck that's used for rescues and weather-related disasters and active shooter situations. the department has raised $2,000. their goal is to get $200,000. all right. just ahead, the neighborhood being put on alert for rabies. plus, big announcement for thousands of local students. there's a test. good news kids. this became a little less grueling. don't forget. follow us on facebook, twitter and instagram. michaelg4ny. darlene4ny. you're watching "today in new

in new york state, we believe tomorrow starts today. all across the state, the economy is growing, with creative new business incentives, and the lowest taxes in decades, attracting the talent and companies of tomorrow. like in buffalo, where the largest solar gigafactory in the western hemisphere will soon energize the world. and in syracuse, where imagination is in production. let us help grow your company's tomorrow -

live look at the brooklyn bridge. in queens x you can see -- swing through a drive through to order your favorite latte or iced coffee of the first drive through starbucks in queens scheduled to open in late march. it will be in rego park.

in new york city. there's only two other drive-ins. one in coney island this brooklyn and the other in staten island. outside of the blizzard, this winter hasn't been a snow lover's dream. >> this is orange county. the snow, tubing and winter sports park. they've thrown in the towel. they've closed for the season. the hills covered with snow are bare and muddy. they posted a picture on facebook with a message, see you next year. i get the sense that's happening in a lot of places. >> you've been to several. >> try to go skiing a lot. chris, the season started late. >> it cost a lot to stay open, employees to pay. >> of course. >> we all ep joy snowless winters. it hits a lot of people in the pocketbook. not going to change. this pattern in terms of keeping temperatures above normal and no snow for several days. 37 the high today. is up after morning clouds. it's windy. today is the coldest day of the

tonight, it gets colder. 23 in the city. teens in a lot of the suburbs. windchill often making it feel like the teens. you need to bundle up. however, the progress to warm things up starts on saturday. not so dramatic yet at 42. but you start to feel the change by sunday afternoon when you're out. you'll see temperatures in the mid and upper 50s. the sun, it will feel warmer than that. getting close to the month of march now. that's the spring season climatologically climatologically. spring. not astronomically. >> what do we go by in life? >> every season has three months. winter, has december, january, february. march 1st brings spring climatologically. >> more to come. >> it's not the first day of spring. just regular conversation, right? >> right. >> lauren, save us. >> we're going to talk about traffic. so much more excite pg. not at all. let's talk about problems out there.

28 in the lake hopatcong area. we have a debris spill on route 46 eastbound. just the shoulder getting by. a live look at the roads. here is the gowanus. things are real slow going past the belt merge through industry city. no reports of a problem out there. there might be. i'll let you know as soon as i find out. in the meantime, leave yourself extra time. 5:56 right now. some connecticut students will spend less time taking standardized tests. they're going to remove the essay portion of the exam. that test is given to students in third through eighth grade. essay writing is covered during class time. parents are warned about a suspected case of tuberculosis. west hill high school says the department identified several students and teachers who may have been exposed to the airborne disease. the school says they're all being notified and will be

also in connecticut, an attempt to crackdown on school threats. now, this push comes after a string of bomb threats in the state forced police to evacuate campuses. under a proposed bill, anybody who threatens pre schools, k-12 can be charged with a felony and that could mean up to ten years in prison. it's 5:57. up next at 6:00, brand new details into the newsroom on the mass shooting in kansas. we'll tell you what we just learned about the gup man. also at 6:00 a.m., it was a slug-fest between the republican presidential candidates as the rivals battle with air time during the last debate before super tuesday. if you're about to head out the door, take us with you. keep watching. download the "news 4 new york" app on your mobile device right now. we're back in two minutes. you're watching "today in new

now at 6:00, the former suffolk county police chief expected to plead guilty today to federal criminal charges.

4. a gunman's rampage. we're learning new details about the mass shooting in kansas. plus this -- >> you're all talk and no action. what i've seen up here, first of all, he's a choke artist and this guy is a liar. >> this guy always goes -- >> you have a combination of factors. >> the republican candidates trade jabs and jokes in their latest fiery debate. "today in new york" starts now. good morning everyone. friday morning, it is february 26th. i'm darlene rodriguez. i'm michael gargiulo. we want to check with chris cimino. you have an interesting weather pattern about to happen. >> it's chilly now. sliding downward for the next 12, 24 hours. a big bounceback by the latter half of the weekend. up and down we go on roller coaster ride. no storms for the next two, three, four plus days. 20s showing up to the north and west. down to 29 in sussex. 27 in newburgh.

it feels like the mid-20s in the city. low 20s places like jfk. feels like 22. feels like the low to mid teens in the hudson valley. what i'm saying here is you need to bundle up again. it's been a while since we've dealt with the cold temperatures. clouds to start. sunshine too. the wind persists throughout the day. highs only in the mid to upper 30s. little after 6:00 a.m. let's find out if there are concerns for the commute so far. lauren, fill us in. >> thanks, chris. there are icing conditions on the taconic. it's closed northbound between bryant pond road and peekskill hollow road. be very careful making your way through here. route 23 in new jersey and the riverdale area, heading northbound by 287, just before you get there, an accident blocks two lanes. this is going to be an accident investigation. so it could be out there for a while. while there's not a real delay right now, as the commute goes on, we'll start to see one. it's a spot to avoid. more weather and traffic on the 4s.

in a few hours, suffolk county's former top cop is expected to plead guilty to federal criminal charges. katherine creag is in central islip with a story we broke first on 4. kat? >> reporter: darlene, at one point the attorney for james burke stood in front of the federal courthouse saying his client would have his day in court, implying there would be a trial. sources tell us that james burke is expected to enter a plea of guilty which would mean avoiding a trial and also means prison time. he was arrested in december on obstruction of justice and civil rights violations. he resigned from the department while under investigation by federal agents. he's been behind bars without bail since his arrest. the judge saying he was a danger to the community and could influence other law enforcement officers to act on his behalf. the charges accuse burke of beating a man named christopher lobe in december of 2012 who had been arrested after stealing a tufl bag from burke's police-issued suv parked in

the charges also allege burke the charges also allege burke had gotten nearly a dozen officers and detectives involved in the obstruction of justice by covering up the alleged crime. we're understanding that burke could face about five years in prison. we do expect him to be transported here from jail to the federal courthouse at some l point this morning. back to you, darlene. >> katherine creag, thank you. new this morning, two people in the hospital after a wild fight at the club in brooklyn. this happened about 1:45 in morning at club republic on broadway in bushwick. a fight started inside the club but spilled out on to the street. a 20 year oefld woman was shot in the leg and a 32-year-old man was stabbed. so far, no arrests in the case. now to the mass shooting in kansas. we've learned new details about the gunman who went on a shooting spree inside a manufacturing plant. kerry barrett is following all of this from our news roope. good morning. >> good morning, darlene. nbc confirmed the name of the

we're working on getting his ainge. a lot more on him as we get it. new updates on the victims. of those 14 that are injured, we know that ten of them are critically injured. police still investigating. they don't know an exact motive right now. but they have some leads about what may have triggered all this. they're ot saying what leads are. the shooting happened yesterday evening in the south central town of hesston. it happened at the excel industry plant where the shooter and all of the rick tyms work. ford wars shoing at anybody who got in his way. in fact, he shot three people on his way to the plant. he was armed with a happened gurn and assault-style weapon. the scene described as chaos. the police searching right now. >> we have to deal with it as a very volatile situation, especially like in colorado, there were booby traps. for the safety of everybody, we

investigators could do their job. the kansas governor has ordered all flags to be flown at half-staff in honor of the darlene? kerry barrett in the newsroom. coming up on the "today" show, a live interview with one of the shooting survivors. that's ahead at 7:00 a.m. time for weather and traffic on the 4s. let's find out what's happening this weekend. cimino. >> good morning, guys. transition to colder weather today, tonight and a warming trend working our way through the weekend. patchy clouds around this morning. they'll break up for sunshine. it's bright for the afternoon but breezy and chilly. windchills throughout the afternoon making you feel like the 20s throughout the day. temperatures probably not out of the mid and upper 30s with the wind at 25 to 30 miles per hour if not higher at times. down to 33 in the city. mostly cloudy sky. temperatures really not going anywhere. we get back to 34. forecasting a high today of 37.

warmer or better by sunday. details in a little bit. details on the commute right now at 6:06. >> thanks, chris. if you're getting on the buses, couple of detours out there. then nj transit buses, 28 and 191. fehr ferries look good. staten island, seastreak, the rest are just fine. same for trains. we hike that on a friday morning. alternate side of the street parking rules are in fek effect. the next update on the 4s. now to that latest slug-fest between republican presidential candidates donald trump attacked lifrom all sides as his rifles try to gain ground before super tuesday. "today in new york's" tracie strahan is outside of trump tower in midtown with the highlights. tracie, trump's build ngs new york became part of the debate last night talking about who was hired to build them.

tower here, michael, his opponents used it against him claiming he hired undocumented workers in 1980 to go against his hogs on that. both marco rubio and trez as you row actions getting dismissed by the front-runner. only three that were talking with about in the aftermath of that. the candidates were asked about health care, relimb us freedom and appointing a supreme court justice. for ted cruz, and marco rubio, they went on the attack and did so early. going beyond the usual bickering to go after donald trump and not giving them the last word on most topics. trump afterwards called their pefrpss desperate >> i watch him repeat himself five times four week ago. >> i saw you repeat yourself five teams five seconds ago. >> you've never said that? >> i said it worked in a couple

>> i think that he had no choice but to be aggressive. same thingiwith cruz. because they're way, way down in the polls. >> reporter: keep in mind, that donald trump has won three cop tech consecutive pry mayors i. ben carson and john kasich are there. you know things are bad when ben carson said can somebody attack me please? it remains to be seen if the performances will factor into the super tuesday outcomes. >> at the start of the debate, a full seven or eight minutes before ben carson got a question. >> the best is when cruz and trump goes at it and he tells him to relax and trump calls him a bassett case. lot of fun on stage. >> not exactly lincoln douglas there. tracie, thanks so much. hillary clinton weighed in on the battle over a new supreme

>> do these senators not recognize that barack obama is the president of the united states? >> the truth is, our infrastructure is collapsing. >> bernie sanders was in flint, michigan addressing that city's water crisis. he's hoping for a strong showing in the super tuesday primaries. clinton is heavily favored to win south carolina. it is 6:09 now. nassau county executive ed mangano is off the hook in the sexting scandal. the detective who is handling the case says there's no evidence that mangano exchanged explicit text messages with the pr consultant. critics say that they helped cover for man gap owe. a memorial service to remember an nypd officer killed execution-style 28 years ago. it was held where officer edward byrne was shot to death in his patrol car.

witness. commissioner william bratton was at the service along with the murder officer's brothers who is now a deputy commissioner. the 1993 terror attack will be remembered: a special memorial service is planned where the north tower once stood. that's where the underground parking garage was destroyed with a bomb. six people were killed, more than a thousand others hurt. president obama says he remains confident that isis will be defeated. but he admits the fight will be tough. several allies are joining the u.s. in hitting isis with air strikes. france one of them. a cease-fire negotiated in syria with russian approval is going to take effect. russia's intervention with the country's civil war has made human catastrophe even worse. another attempt to avert a strike by nj transit workers. the unions and nj transit expect to hold another round of

the unions are threatening to walk off the job if a new deal is not reached by the 13th. they're working on alternate service plans in the event of a strike. a man accused of posing as a high school student. a freshman. we'll tell you how he was finally caught. well tell you why a man is taking on walmart in manhattan federal court. it's a butteful shot of the tappan zee bridge. you're watching "today in new

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it's 6:14. sources tell news 4 former suffolk county police chief burke is expected to plead guilty today. he could face up to four years in prison.

following a fire in gramercy park. nobody was injured in that fire. >> crews are working to repair a sinkhole. but trapped -- midland park new jersey. sewage poured out on to the street but no homes were impacted. macadamia nuts sold under a variety of names, slug target could be contaminated with salmonella. the pro tukts were sold between july of 2015 and february of this year. this month. 6:1r5. time for weather and traffic tgt on this friday morning. temperatures chillier but not arctically cold. colder and windy at times. generally in the 20s most of the day. the weekend we'll see a warmup. not so much saturday. more significantly by sunday. into the start of next week, the finish of the month of february, very mild but temperatures well you have up into the 50s. low to mid-30s covering everybody.

at the freezing mark. massapequa, one degree above the freezing mark. up to the north, poughkeepsie . down to the south, long branch is 36. in between, seeing 20s showing up. there is a little bit of a chill. northwesterly flow, you can see what that's creating. that's an indication of the wind direction. also the wind speed and the cold air passing over the warmer lakes. the lake-effect snow showers fall apart. that's where you'll get the closest flurries. the catskills this morning. that would ten to be it. >> 2:00 in the afternoon. what you can't see is the brisk northwest wind keeping us chilly. 8:00 tonight, looking good in terms of the sky. it is still chilly through tomorrow. 9:00 a.m. gradually, working into saturday night and sunday, a more southwesterly flow takes hold. by sunday, that mild feel will be in the air especially in the mid afternoon hours especially when temperatures climb into the upper 50s. that's going to feel very nice and will continue into early

37 the expected high with clouds giving way to sun. it's windy throughout. winds generally 15 to 20 miles per hour. cold tonight. 23 in the city. we'll see teens in the suburbs and windchills in the teens in the city. here come the 50s. sunday, monday, tuesday, an early morning sprinkle, weak disturbance by monday. tuesday is dry. wednesday looks like the wet day next week again. not as severe as this past wednesday's storm. temperatures in the 50s again. low 40s tomorrow. these are the chillier days. low to mid-50s tuesday, wednesday is a little wet. drying out by thursday. a high in the upper 40s. let's find out about the friday morning commute. how is it rolling along, lauren? >> things are slowing down. you can see the colors on the maps changing in brooklyn on the gowanus and bqe. the van wyck expressway. seeing a slowdown in the usual spots. going tottalk to you about what's unusual. on the taconic, we had all lanes shut down between bryant pond

the road has been salted and reopened. be very careful. northbound, there's one blocking the lane. the palisades parkway, emergency construction in both directions. a left lane is shut down by exit 8, route 59. watch out for that. in new jersey, on route 23, an accident northbound out by 287. two lanes are shut down and delays are starting to build through here. we'll take a live look at the inbound side of the lincoln tunnel. about 15 minutes into the tolls from the turnpike. not so bad. minor delays at the george washington bridge. about ten minutes inbound at the holland. still in for a nice ride at the hudsons and alternate side of the street parking rules are in effect today. more weather and traffic ahead on the 4s. lauren, thank you. to ay is the dayuapple meets with shareholders. this comes one day after the company announced it will fight a court order forcing them to unlock the phone used by the san bernardino shooters. the company filed paperwork yesterday asking for the order to be dismissed. apple accuses the federal of government seeking dangerous

google is planning to file a friend of the court brief in support of apple. it's 6:18. a 23-year-old ukrainian man faces charges for allegedly posing as a high school freshman in pennsylvania. he's due in court today. he was enrolled in a high school in harrisburg under the name asher potts. he was living with people he befriended and a member of the national honor society. his visa had expired and they caught up with him. in critical condition following a crash in south brunswick. a commuter bus slammed into a dozen cars yesterday morning during the rush hour. a total of seven people were hurt. the bus driver told police he was distracted but insisted he was not on his phone. no word on whether the driver will face charges. a fox found in somerset county, new jersey, tested positive for rabies. anyone who may have come into contact with the animal is being asked to call the warren health

the department serves warren, watchung, green brook. you're advised to call them if you think your pet was in contact with the fox. >>the storm battered cruise ship, the first to file a suit against royal caribbean. huge waves lashing the anthem of the seas last month. the cruise company knew or should have known about hurricans force winds in the atlantic before the ship set sail for the caribbean from new jersey. that passenger seeking more than $75,000 in damages. it's 6:20 right now. just ahead, we'll tell you which major department store is about to close. a record number of stores. health alert. hundreds of people may have been exposed to hiv and hepatitis at a new jersey hospital. don't forget, follow us on facebook and twitter and instagram. michaelg4ny. darlene4ny. you're watching "today in new

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topping the money report, kohl's will close a record number of department stores. 18 will be closed. meanwhile, smaller scale-down shops will open in seven areas and look for off-price and outlet stores to pop up as well. retail giant struggling. customers suing walmart for deceptive practice. he purchased the great value brand 100% atrated parmesan cheese. but it contains filler that's derived from wood pulp. walmart says they will review the allegations. okay. you want it to be cheese. it says cheese, right? >> keep the tree bark out of it. >> if that's the case. >> allegedly.

keep it true and honest. we get clouds this morning and sun this afternoon. we have chilly temperatures for one more day before we start to see the warmup by the weekend. right now, down in the low 30s in the city. 20s in the suburbs. with the wind, colder than that. it's not going to warm up very much. even with some sun. a high of 37. colder yet tonight. friday night will be one that requires the hat, the gloves, the scarf. 23 the overnight ow much that's in the city. teens in the suburbs. through the weekend tomorrow, still chilly. sunshine, a few high clouds. 42. that's close to normal. a big jump in temperature by sunday afternoon. that's the winner. a high temperature of 57. i think some folks will get close to 60 by the time we get to monday. good stuff. that's nice. what's happening, lauren? >> i have amazing news too. all of the rails are on time. the commuter checklist. for those heading out the door right now, metro-north, lirr, nj transit path and subways doing fine for your friday morning commute right now.

the roads. the belt parkway, things are moving better than they were a few moments ago. this is lefferts boulevard as you make your way around the bend. no accidents getting in your way on the belt. traffic in a bit. coming up next, a story we broke first on 4. >> reporter: i'm katherine creag. live in central islip where the former suffolk county police chief is expected to plead guilty. he faces a number of criminal charges. he's going to be here at the federal courthouse. we'll tell you how much prison time he could face. >> reporter: and donald trump's closest competitors came out swinging in the last gop debate before super tuesday. i'm tracie strahan live in midtown with a look at who came out on top. if you're about to head out the door, take us with you. keep watching "today in new york." download the "news 4 new york" app on your mobile device right

now at 6:30, the former suffolk county police chief expect today plead guilty to federal criminal charges. it's a story we broke first on 4. new this morning as well,

could impact thousands of students this morning. >> donald relax snooim i'm relaxed. go ahead. >> it was a debate including fest as the republican presidential contenders tried to steal the spop light from donald trump. "today in new york" starts now. good morning. 6:30 a.m. on this frooir. it's february 26th. i'm michael gargiulo. i'm darlene rodriguez. let's check in with storm team 4's chris cimino looking at the weather this mornine. good morning, chris. >> skies britt epping up. we have patchy clouds. a good deal of sunshine. chillier temperatures. flirting with freezing right now in the city. at the freezing mark in larchmont. above the freezing mark in -- low 20s up in memorial hospital sell owe. there's wind. when the wind kicks in, feels like 25 in the city. windchill 22 in newark. windchill down to 12 in newburgh and 18 in sussex. feels like 8 in memorial hospital sell owe.

despite the fact that it's a bright day. you'll need the coats. windchills staying in the 20s. your week yepd forecast, think you'll like that. later -- ms. scala? >> good morning everyone. we're having icing conditions north of the city. so on the taconic heading northbound before you get to peek skill hollow road, an accident that blocks a lane earlier. the entire roadway was shut down. they've salted it and reopened. we're seeing problems there. heading further west here in the phillips town area, route 9 southbound a ways after route 301 an overturned vehicle as well. reports of icy conditions. more weather and traffic coming up on the 4s. >> lauren, thank you. 6:31. con ed crews trying to fix a power outage in gramercy park. firefighters rushed to the scene and doused the flames.

washington irving high school which closed last year. it houses half a dozen other schools. no one was injured. >> this morning, suffolk county's former top cop is expected to plead guilty to federal criminal charges katherine creag is in central islip with a story broke first on 4. kat. >> reporter: michael, as yo said, he was one of suffolk county's top law enforcers. he faces some years, several years in fact in prison. he'll be here at the federa- courthouse. he's expected to plead guilty to a number of criminal charges. james burke was arrested in december on obstruction of justice and civil rights violations. he resigned from the department while under investigation by the fbi. he's been behind bars since his arrest. he was a danger to the community and could influence other police officers to act on his behalf. the charges accuse b ke of beating and abusing a man named christopher lobe in december. he had been arrested after stealing a duffel bag from

in front of burke's home. charms allege burke had gotten nearly a dozen officers and detectives involved in the cover-up of the alleged crime. the fbi, michael, continues to look into possible misconduct within the suffolk county police department. also, the suffolk county district attorney's office, meanwhile burke could face up to five years in prison. back to you, michael. >> kat, thank you. >> right now investigators are searching the home of a -- a shootiof spree in kansas. the name of the shooter, cedric larry ford. he shot and kilf.d three people at the plant where he worked in south central kansas. they say ford also shot three people while en route to the facility. >> didn't matter who it was. he had no specific target. he just shooting an yo in his way. >> everybody said that there was gunshots, a shooter. we kept hearing pop, pop. >> the first responding officer shot and killed ford at his workplace. investigators say they have some leads about what may have triggered all of this.

what the leads are. the "today" show will have a live report from the kansas shooting site ahead at 7:00 a.m. >> right now, crews are working to repair a sinkhole that trapped a truck. a crew was checking the sewer line break on woodside avenue in midland park when the road collapsed. the crew got out of the truck safely but the sewage poured out into the street.u the sipg hole was 20 feet long, 30 feet wide. it is on a dead-end street so traffic was not affected. out of state utility crews are helping restore power in connecticut. the storm left thousands in the dark. it's been a busy morning for crews in long island who are still work to go clear fallen trees much not much left of the cars that w e set on fire by the downed power lines in massapequa. all across our area, homes and cars were damaged by the snap trees. >> 6:34. time to check weather and traffic on on the 4s. things calmed down, chilled down

still windy but not damaging type of winds. patchy clouds to get through this morning. then a fair amount of sunshine and breezy. bright, but chilly this afternoon. windchills down to the 20s throughout the day. looking at winds out of west, northwest. often gusting 25 to 30 mirror higher which is what they're doing now in places like laguardia. a 36 mile an hour wind gust. a gust f 32 miles an hour. 23 in the park. 28 in newark. across the area, we are seeing gusts over 30 miles an hour. that will be the case through the day. temperatures in the 30s. that's going to make it a little chilly, nippy out there. partly to mostly cloudy skies. mid and upper 30s by afternoon. look for a mix of clouds and sun. the gusty wind will vail. details on that straight ahead. >> we have an accident on the riverdale area of new jersey. on route 23 northbound. before you get to 287, two lanes are shut down. one lane gets by. you can see that delays are building out here.

right now, everything looks good. some service changes and schedule changes. everything else moving along on the regular route and schedule. major commuter lines. alternate side of the street parking rules are in effect today. the next weather and traffic update on the 4s. >> thank you. now to the latest fiery debate. candidates. they traded jabs and jokes as they tried to sway voters before super tuesday. "today in new york's" tracie strahan is outside trump tower with the highlights. tracie, good morning. >> reporter: dar leap, good morning to you. fiery is right. ted cruz and marco rubio came out swinging trying to expose any mow tension weaknesses in the donald trump campaign. the front-runner called their attempts desperate. this morning, many critics are saying it could be a boost. all five republican candidates were on the stage at the university of houston last night in that final gop debate before super tuesday. the topics varied, health care,

appointing a supreme court justice. both cruz and rubio came out swinging early, not allowing donald trump to dominate the conversation. they took him to task on the disclosure of his own tax returns, his stance on planned parenthood and his wealth. >> if he hadn't inherited $200 million, you know where he'd be now? >> you're all tuck talk and no action. >> what i've seen up here, this guy is a choke artist and this guy is a liar. >> this guy goes -- >> you have the combination of factors. >> reporter: now, ben carson and john kasich were both on the stage but they largely stayed out of the fray. they kept things civil. but they were ignored for long stretches during all of the bickering that we just showed you. trump tower, where we are here on fifth avenue, it also factored into the conversation last night, darlene. both rubio and cruz accusing donald trump of hiring undocumented workers during its construction in 1980. trump saying that wasn't the case.

thank you, tracie. right now, hillary clinton is ahead in the polls in tomorrow's south carolina primary. her opponent bernie sanders is on to the super tuesday states. >> i believe that there is nothing that we cannot accomplish. >> we can't go back and throw our country into a contentious debate, which is what my esteemed opponent senator sanders has. >> clinton went on to blast sanders on his plan to reform health care. and cory booker was there. meanwhile shall sanders was in chicago leveling some of his toughest criticism of clinton's campaign positions. three students claim they were victims of a racially motivated attack are facing charges themselves. the three told police they were jumped by a group of men shouting racial slurs on a city bus last month. but investigators say

three women were the ones who actually started that fight. authorities now plan to charge them with assault and falsely reporting an incident. it is 6:38. friends and family will begin to say goodbye at a wake to a father and taughter killed in a crash on the new jersey turnpike. there was a chain reaction crash. the 48-year-old jersey city teacher and his 5-year-old daughter bridgett were killed. the wake is at 4:00 to 9:00 p.m. at the sweeney funeral home in bayonne. 36-year-old scott hahn has been charged in that crash. the man charged in a deadly buhome i asion on staten hsland will spend the rest of his life behind bars. 21-year-old dante viggiano sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. he broke into a home in woodrow in 2014, fatally stabbed the homeowner and wounded his wife. viggiano's says his client has a documented history of mental illness.

closer to a possible government shutdown. the mayor says he's -- by tuesday, nonessential municipal employees will be told to stay home. happening today, fans of kesha expected to protest outside the offices of sony music in manhattan. last week a judge ruled that she could not end her six-album deal with the company despite her allegations that her producer known as dr. luke, drugged and sexually assaulted her. he's denied those claims. sony music says it can't legally terminate the deal either. in the facebook post yesterday, she urged victims of abuse to come forward. bill cosby holding off on a defamation lawsuit against model beverly johnson. johnson claims the comedian drugged her more than 20 years ago. cosby says he was never alone with her. his lawyer says he's dropping the lawsuit temporarily to focus on his criminal assault case in pennsylvania.

to lead a rally it los angeles sunday near the theater wfr the academy awards will be taking place. sharpton is protesting the lack much diversity in the oscar nominees and in the movie business in general. similar demonstrations are planned in other cities sunday night including here in new york and lincoln square. in addition to running the national action network, sharpton is also a talk show host on msnbc, which is owned by our parent company, nbcuniversal. vice president joe biden will be on stage at this sunday's oscar awards ceremony. that's where he'll introduce best original song nominee, lady gaga. her tune, till it happens to you from the hunting ground deals with a crisis the white house has been addressing sexual abuse on college campuses. import alant topic there. a health scare in new brjersey. hundreds of people may have been exposed to hiv and hepatitis. we're going to have what you need to know. later, a consumer alert.

thousands of pounds of chicken salad. weather and traffic on the 4s coming up as we look at the tappan zee bridge. you're watching "today in new

welcome back. 6:44 on a friday morning. looking at chillier temperatures and a gusty wind out there. stepping outside into what feels different over the last couple of days. specifically, the temperatures. the weekend, see a warmup. saturday, certainly sunday, you finish off this month on -- look at this trend. 42 saturday. a jump to the 50s, upper 50s sunday and monday. still in the 50s on tuesday and wednesday. the normal high temperature is 44. a string of days again. above normal temperatures. meantime, little chilly now. loe 30s secaucus. upper 20s through the mid hudson valley. gusty wind making it feel colder than that. as you head out to the bus stop for the kids, bundle them up a

34. at 3:30, 36 degrees. 33 dnyrees after school with prevailing. upper 30s is what we do with the -- gusty wind as said throughout the day makes it feel like the 20s. windchills in the teens tonight. air temperatures in the 20s in the city and teens north and west. that's the actual air temperature. a cold start to the day tomorrow. but a little better finish. the cold eases with a high of 42 in the afternoon. a good deal of sunshine tomorrow. just a few high clouds. into the 50s we go. the southwest wasd cranking on sunday with sunshine. 50s on monday. could be a weak disturbance out of the north that brushes with a couple of sprinkles or a light shower. that's about it. a break on tuesday. still in the 50s. a more significant rainmaker rolls in on wednesday. but, again, look at the temperatures. 54 degrees. the pattern keeps taking the storms to the west of us. as long as that happens, we're on the warm and wet side.

chilly days but sunny days. upper 50s sunday and monday. lower 50s on tuesday. a wet day on wednesday at 54 and thursday 49. lauren scala, is that a limbo bar to get into the -- that was a nice move. >> wish you could have seen nit. i don't know what it looks like. yea, it is friday. maybe i was dancing a littlei bit. unfortunately, numg, we have a lot of problems. 9:00 friday commute. 78 eastbound by exit 26. you do have app accident that blocks a lane. delays back tolthe 22 exit. not a fun ride. then heading over to 206. all lanes shut down in both directions by 4 bridges road with an accident. we have heavy delays on 80 heading eastbound. emergency repairs out exit 28. rocks bury area, you can see a slow ride. heading over to route 9. we have an overturned vehicle headed southbound after route 301. reports of icing conditions and still delays because of an

northbound before you get to peeks skill hollow road. take it easy today. if you're getting on the rails, though, all good. in for a nice ride. that's good news for a friday morning. back to you dar leap and michael. >> thanks, lauren. a new jersey hospital sent a letter to patients warning they may have been exposed to hiv. they visited shore medical center in somers point between june 1st of 2013 -- this started when a former hospital employee was charged with tampering with drugs. somehow the incident may have exposed patients to his blood and diseases like hiv and hepatitis at the hospital. officials want to test patients out of an abundance of caution. in a statement, shore medical center says it takes patient care very seriously and is providing free testing and support. school leaders in stamford, connecticup are warning about a

at school. there are several students and teachers have been exposed to the airborne disease. anybody at risk will be notified and they will be required to undergo testing. schools across connecticut will be scaling back now on standardized tects. tgovernor malloy announced plans to remove the he is a portion of of the smarter balanced assessment exam. officials say essay righting is covered during class and it will save students nearly two hours of test taking time. 6:49 right now. coming up next, the consumer alert you need to hear before packing up your lunch. details on a new food recall. follow us on facebook, instagram and twitter. darlene4ny. michaelg4ny.

listen up new york. there's a new drug out there. and it's trying to destroy our generation. it's called synthetics. . . so, some guy thought it might be a good idea to spray poison on some herbs, and then sell it to you. no, it's not marijuana. it goes by names like k2, spice, rocks. causes hallucinations, rapid heart-beat. vo themiting, seizures. and it can kill you the first time you smoke it. we gotta have each other's backs. this is our future. and the future of new york is saying no to synthetics! go to oasas.ny.gov, or call or text the hopeline. a beautiful view of the empire state building in midtown manhattan.

than 3,000 pounds of chicken salad. sally sherman in mt. vernon is recalling five types much chicken salad. it could contain listeria. they were sold in several states, among them new york and new jersey. we'll have more details about that recall on our website at nbcnewyork.com. 6:53. the "today" show is coming up in a few minutes. we'll check in with matt and savannah. see what's had ahead. >> good morning. what we're learning aboor the suspected gunman in that tragic workplace shooting in kansas. we'll hear from the victims inside that factory. marco rubio and ted cruz teaming up on donald trump in the final debate before super tuesday. will that be enough to slow the front runner's momentum? we'll ask senator rubio when he joins us. >> plus your complete guide to the oscars. the stars, the wide open races. and savannah had an internship on the set of the amy schumer show. how did she do?

i'll just tell you right now, she avoided being fired. >> savannah, that's the most high pressure thing you can do. >> avoid being fired? >> that's my career. what savannah did. >> avoid being fired. >> that's what we all do in this job. >> being an intern, you mean? >> what? >> being an intern? >> no, no. working on those film sets. it's high pressure >> it is. i did a thing called fire watching. >> how does that sound? >> not very. >> surgery. law enforcement. those things pale in comparison. intern on the set of a tv show that's where the pressure is. hard work. >> you got it, savannah. >> let me say, i appreciated your tweet when you said leo was costume.

>> up next, in our remaining 20 seconds, chris will tell us what kind of weather we can expect this weekend. >> we digress. you're watching "today in new york."

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vision and we still proudly carry on his legacy. today, doctors like lisa hamilton perform eye exams that can help detect diabetes. because we care for you... and your eyes. this is genuine eye care, in your neighborhood. this is pearle vision. now to a story we broke first on 4. the former suffolk county police chief is expected to plead guilty this morning to federal criminal charge. "today in new york's" katherine creag is in central islip. kat. >> reporter: darlene and michael, in a matter of hours

here tc the federal courthouse. sources tell us that he is st expected to enter a plea of guilty to these charges, obstruction of justice and civil rights violations. they accuse burke of beating and abusing a man in december of 2012 who was arrested after stealing a duffel bag from an suv in front much burke's home. also he got about a dozen police officers and detectives involved in covering up the alleged crime. he could face up to five years in prison. back to you. >> thanks so much. new this morning, two people in the hospital following a wild fight at a club in brooklyn. this happened at 1:45 this morning on broadway in bushwick. a fight started inside the club and spilled out into the street. a 20-year-old man was -- 32-year-old man was shot and a woman was stabbed. so far, no arrests. also new this morning, crews trying to fix a power outage

it houses half a dozen schools. no one was injured. all right. time for a check of weather and traffic. lauren, what's happening? >> we have a couple of accidents this friday morning. new jersey commuters, 78 eastbound, there is an accident eastbound by exit 26 which is the north branch exit. that blocks the lane. delays are extensive through there. emergency repairs out there. by exit 28. this just came in. a disabled vehicle southbound on the van wyck expressway by the jackie robinson parkway. watch out for that. >> chris, one more check of weather. >> headed to the weekend, storm-free. start out chilly. today in the 30s. windchills making it feel like the 20s. you should bundle up. it's dry. 42 tomorrow. after a cold start. look what happens on sunday. we jump to 57 for a high. 58 on monday. >> wow. >> then a brief sprinkle. i think michael likes it. tuesday, wednesday, still in the 50s. the next storm approaches us with anything significant, comes on wednesday.

temperatures above normal. we end above normal and go out that way to start march the same way. >> i like it. >> "today" show is coming up next. that's what's happening "today in new york." have a great weekend. good morning. tragedy in kansas. four dead, 14 injured after a gunman goes on a shooting spree at a factory where he worked. >> everybody was running. people were screaming. people were crying. >> the shooter identified as cedric ford. this morning, police say they know what may have triggered his rampage. texas smackdown. things get ugly at the republican debate, with cruz and rubio taking repeated shots at donald trump. >> if he hadn't had pe00,000, you know where donald trump would be?