about a thousand virginia tech corps of cadets members. today... those cadets are no longer a part of the search... which is why the command center area doesn't need to be quite as large. that being said... police say this doesn't mean they are scaling down the search. in fact... they have just as many officers... if not more... involved in the investigation today. they are still focusing on the mile-radius around nicole's home. they are getting both a ground look and a view from the air... thanks to a drone from the mid atlantic aviation partnership at virginia tech. tonight nicole's family is once again pleading with anyone who has information to come forward. fred hawks & tammy weeks, grandfather & mom "somebody out there has got to know something. this coverage is way too much for nobody to know. nicole knows we're waiting." police say the search's future

investigation leads them. it's too soon to lay out a set time table just yet. coming up at six... we'll hear from nicole's grandfather and mother about what this week has been like. lindsey? bethany... i understand the use of a drone in this type of situation is unique for virginia? yes... a drone has only been used for search and rescue reasons twice in virginia... including this case. the other case was the search for murdered u- v-a student hannah graham back in 20-14. live in blacksburg bethany teague wsls 10. new turns in a 40-year old case. today... the man charged in the murder of two young girls back in 19-75 appeared in bedford county circuit court. lloyd lee welch junior faces two counts of first degree murder in the disappearance of the lyon sisters. shelia and katherine lyon

shopping mall 40 years ago. if convicted in their murders... welch could face the death penalty. wsls 10's ananda rochita was there as his defense team made requests before trial is set. ananda ... what were some of the requests? they weren't unusual requests because of the circumstances surrounding this case and the judge approved them. welch's lawyers asked to hire an expert criminal investigator, mental health expert, and mitigation specialist. all of which the judge approved. in court ... commonwealths attorney randy krantz says the requests were reasonable since the commonwealth is seeking the death penalty. also discussed today is to postpone the trial to later this year to october 18. it was originally planned for march. lot go through and allegations that happened between march to april 1975. one of welch's lawyers also said there is still quote an "abundance of discovery" and

need additional time. in court today ... the defense also brought up all the media attention. i'll have more on that at six. in bedford ananda rochita wsls 10. a pittsylvania county woman is dead following a late night house fire. the deadly fire happened at a home on henry street in gretna just after 11 o- clock last night. emergency crews responded to find one end completely engulfed in flames. crews entered the home to fight the fire... but had to retreat due to fear of the roof collapsing. 73-year old katie yeatts was later found inside. it's believed she died of smoke inhalation. at this point... investigators say arson and foul play are not suspected. the cause of the fire remains under investigation. governor mcauliffe announces a compromise deal with republicans on gun reform in the commonwealth. mcauliffe says ... attorney general mark herring's proposal to end reciprocity agreements with 25 other states will be dropped in return for 2 major reforms.

background checks at gun shows and people with protective orders against them will no longer be allowed to own a gun. we'll hear directly from the governor on wsls ten at 5-30 about why he thinks this will make the commonwealth safer. in w-s-l-s ten economic news... governor mcauliffe was on hand today to celebrate a new multi-million dollar investment in south-west virginia. mcauliffe paid a visit to botetourt county today to visit one of the county's largest manufacturing plants. the governor commended arkay packaging for committing to an 11 million dollar expansion of its facility. 50 new employees. c-e-o mitchell kaneff says that money will go toward new production. "it's a 3 year kind of elevated ramp up. we're currently in the operation, we've got a 6 million end of march and a 1 point 2 million dollar blanker arriving at the end of february, and a gluer arriving at the end of april, so that's about a million

mcauliffe says ... virginia beat out several other states including south carolina and georgia where arkay had been considering expansion as well. rail tourism continues to be big business in the star city and across the roanoke valley. we are now only days away from hearing the outcome of a donation from norfolk southern that could bring a new rail excursion to the star city. in the meantime, the 6-1-1 is being prepped for it's second round of passenger rail excursions beginning this spring. it made it's return last june with sold out crowds...and the virginia museum of transportation is expecting the same this year. wsls 10's rachel lucas reports. "in preparation for the spring excursion, the same team that restored the 611 is back in town to do more work on the 611. we spoke with the man who's worked on the steam queen fore more than thirty years."

the love of trains for scott lindsay began at an early age. "my dad took me on steam trips when i was three years old is when we started." what started as a hobby turned into a career. he was part of the original restoration of the 6-1-1 in 1982, then head of the restoration that made the 2015 passenger excursion possible. "it's amazing the draw that one locomotive can have.." he's in town to replace the wheels on the steam queen...prepping her for the next excursion that will take passengers from spencer north carolina to roanoke. "we have new wheels, barrings, axels and housings. ." the 6-1-1 has generated a lot of interest from around the world. "to bring it back to life really enhances that love of trains." and train lovers want more. currently the virginia museum of transportation is

donation of the roanoke beltline to create another local rail excursion for a new type of passenger experience. the project is still several years away. but in the meantime - the 6-1-1 continues to get the hype, a major money maker for the museum and the entire valley. "putting it back on the rail is going to put roanoke on the map." catherine fox with the roanoke valley convention and visitors bureau says train excursions are boosting tourism revenue....2016 - maybe more because of the added trips from greensboro to roanoke. "greensboro will likely bring up upwards of 800 people on each of their trips." meaning more tourism dollars for local businesses. "ticket sales for the spring excursions begin on february 10th for donors and february 15th for the general public. in roanoke i'm rachel lucas wsls10." an area not seeing enough positive growth... the u-s economy. financial experts say the nation's economy only grew point-7-

december. that's the slowest pace since the first quarter of the year... when the country was recovering from blizzards and business shut- downs. analysts say ... last quarter's slowdown is worrisome... because it shows the global economic slowdown is heavily affecting the u-s economy. in all... the economy grew 2- point-4 percent in 20-15 matching 20- 14's progress. one thing that is also slowing down... your evening commute. in your w-s-l-s ten timesaver traffic report... v-dot is reporting an accident on v-a 24 near stewartsville in bedford county. all travel lanes are closed... and delays are expected. there's a promising new treatment available for one of the most common mental health diseases in the country. the new ways doctors and patients are combatting depression. before that though... consider donating to our ten cares food drive. it benefits feeding america

the food drive is thursday... february fourth... from 6 a-m through 7 p-m. donations are being accepted at kroger locations throughout our area... including bonsack... cave spring... martinsville... blacksburg... and lynchburg. for more information on the food drive... or feeding america south- west virginia... visit our website... w-s-l-s

tonight: clear with a much roanoke skycam. tonight: clear with a much lighter wind as high pressure begins to build in. lows in the upper teens to mid 20s. saturday: with high pressure to our south, winds begin to shift out of the south warming us up into the low to mid 50s. look for lots of sunshine with a few high clouds. saturday night: mostly clear with lows in the low to mid 30s. sunday: partly sunny and very mild with temperatures 15-20

monday: a weak cold front brings more clouds and the chance for showers. highs in the mid 60s. tuesday: mostly cloudy and still very warm for february standards with highs in the mid to upper 50s. wednesday: a stronger cold front brings a better chance for some heavier rain with highs staying in the mid 60s. thursday: behind the front, it's mostly sunny and cooler with highs in the mid 40s. friday: sunny and seasonably chilly with a high of 44. dawn

in the wsls 10 newsroom with a look at what's coming up tonight at 5-30. vo a henry county organization gets a two- point-five million dollar roanoke skycam. tonight: clear with a much jefferies here in the wsls 10 newsroom with a look at what's coming up tonight at 5-30. vo a henry county organization gets a two- point-five million

how it will help people who cant afford health insurance. vo and... norfolk police are one step closer to being better protected. the special officers who fitted for bullet proof vests. on cam

with snow on the ground ... colder temperatures ... and the sun often absent... it's easy to feel down in the winter. health leaders are asking people

feelings... to determine whether they're experiencing a temporary feeling of depression... or seasonal affective disorder. the disorder is linked to the change in the seasons. its symptoms include a lack of interest... motivation... trouble concentrating... and tearfulness. the difference between the disorder and just a bad mood comes down to how much it affects your life. dr. robert olson, psychiatrist:51 - 1:04 "the depression part that's so difficult that it's interfering with my function. so, it's either causing trouble at my work or as a student or in my relationship with my spouse, that sort of thing." doctors say light therapy and anti-depressents can help patients struggling with seasonal affective disorder. another treatment option gaining in popularity... exercise. more and more doctors are prescribing working out like they would medicine. reporter jim morelli has more. lipi roy, md. mph/massachuse tts general hospital "there's no single treatment or intervention that can have as diverse benefits as exercise" the journal of the american medical association

action" its authors recommend that health care professionals prescribe exercise for all patients... calling it "one of the most important prescriptions a patient could receive." lipi roy, md. mph/massachuse tts general hospital studies have shown that when a health care professional a doctor or nurse advises a patient to adapt a healthy lifestyle behavior that patient is more likely to adapt that behavior. the 'call to action" recommends health care professionals -- treat physical activity as a vital sign -- write a prescription for exercise -- and encourage record-keeping of daily activity how much daily activity is needed? hint: you don't have to run a marathon. lipi roy, md. mph/massachuse tts general hospital it can be as simple as walking for 30 minutes three times a week. consider all the diseases exercise can keep at bay. lipi roy, md. mph/massachuse tts general hospital high blood pressure, type two diabetes, obesity, stroke, depression and the list goes on... no wonder doctors are increasingly saying... exercise

experts say it's best to check with your doctor before starting a new excerise program. but once you're given the o-k... health leaders say you can find ways to work it into your every day life. for example... when you go shopping... park far away from the store... so you can get some extra walking in. one thing that could put a smile on a loved one's face... singing telegrams. details on how you can set one up this valentine's day... in tonight's

ucation matters... instead of the traditional flowers and chocolate this valentine's day... how about sweeping your sweetheart off their feet with a song? a group of singers at patrick henry community college are once again offering singing telegrams. the "patriot players" are taking requests from people who want them to come and sing for their significant others. each request costs 25-bucks... which organizers say will help the group become more sustainable.

get a song of roughly one minute and a rose with a card sent from your sweetheart. we'll try to accommodate a song, so if there's a special song that means something to your one for you." for more on how to request a singing telegram... visit our website... w- s-l-s dot com. when you see news happening, we want to hear from you. call us at 1-800- see news ... or e-mail digital pictures to news-at-wsls- dot-com. you can also let us know about stories or upload photos to our facebook page ...

stay with us for w-s-l-s ten at 5-30. if you need a reason to start celebrating super bowl 50 early - i'll give you two. get a large,1-topping pizza foronly 50 cents

better ingredients. better pizza.

terry mcauliffe, governor - "we've tried to do this for years and years and years. this is the first significant movement on guns here in the commonwealth." now at 5:30... governor terry mcauliife officially announces changes to virginia's gun legislation.