the columbia area. we have no confirmation about exactly what is happening there at the mall right now. we do have a crew on the way to the scene. there is a lot of scanner traffic but we don't want to report anything prematurely. so, again, we have a crew on the way to the scene reported a heavy police presence, 30 cars is what we have been told at columbia on the mall. as soon as we get details confirmed we will have them for you on wis news 10. >> if you question are joining us, a word from n. nbc is that the south carolina republican primary is at this hour, too close to call we will have to wait for those official numbers to come in. here is what we are looking for. officially coming in, so far tonight, at the top, we see donald trump with 36% of the vote, 362 votes for him. not much, but that's what we have so far off the top. >> again, early number, ted cruz with 215 votes. >> mar cow rubio comes in third at this point with 18% of the votes. he has got 182 votes in and again gives you an idea of

in fact, haley told a-b-c columbia news... haley went 33 on to say that it would be very unlikely that she would endorse trump. a-b-c columbia is your home for south carolina's first in the south primary. as the results come in saturday night... we'll have live reports from the top candidates.... and up to the minute coverage on air... during the news at 11... and online at abc columbia dot com, twitter, and facebook. still to 33 come... our coverage of vote 20-16 continues. we're taking a closer look at the growing feud between donald trump and the bush family. off your wednesday.expect sunshine and 60's later this 33 here's a quick look at stories that are making headlines across the country. it's a fight for votes... and over family ties between donald trump and jeb bush... ahead of saturday's primary here in south carolina. a-b-c's megan hughes has the all good 33 things must come to an end. it's a hard reality gamecock fans are facing this morning. eric, what can you tell us? quite a run for carolina basketball comes to a

the red cross along with the city of columbia is hosting the sixth annual columbia lifesavers "hoop it up" blood drive today. to help out you can stop by from 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the columbia metropolitan convention center. the red cross says the winter months are in need of blood donations, we are asking folks to come out between 7:00 and 3:00 today. >> rochelle: there's plenty of time before you go to work, during lunch or after work. >> crysty: and they are giving away t-shirts. >> rochelle: you don't walk away empty handed. thanks, crysty. >>> rochelle: still to come: our coverage of vote 2016 continues. we're taking a look at how candidates stand in regards to racial justice. stay with us. we're live from main and gervais. in today's "techbytes" -- a major reversal by mercedes. >> the german luxury automaker replacing robots with humans. you heard that right. they just can't keep up with the individuallization of humans. >>> tomorrow is the 20th anniversary of pokemon. it's showing no signs of letting up. >> events marking the big birthday being held around the world. >>> an

all this week on a-b-c columbia... we will be profiling republican candidates ahead of saturday's primary. this morning... jeb bush. 33 thanks jennifer. we'll be profiling the candidates all this week on a-b-c columbia. in the meantime... the candidates will be busy criss-crossing the state looking for your reaching out to voters in greenville and lexington. ben carson... has stops planned in roebuk, gaffney... and two stops in aiken later today. and donald trump will be in north augusta and beaufort. marco rubio will also be in beaufort today. he also will be along the coast... with town halls planned in summerville and north myrtle beach. this comes after yesterday's campaign stop at harmon's tree farm in gilbert. rubio supporters gathered to hear the presidential hopeful speak on national security... and how he plans to untie the republican party. 33 meanwhile on the other side of the political fence... the democratic presidential candidates are hoping to win over some votes ahead of next sanders will be in columbia

first alert traffic report back to west columbia now...where some back to west columbia now...where some businesses along dixiana road have a lot of clean- up from severe weather that moved through. our michal higdon is live out there this morning with a look at the damage. the national weather service confirms an ef-0 tornado touched down in west columbia near dixiana road and charleston highway. grace chapel on dixiana suffered some damage. the gymnasium's sheet metal doors were blown out and ended up in the cemetery. scdot crews were there as well working to clear trees from the roadway. fortunately, no major structural damage was reported. just down the road -- the video of cars you're seeing is from right across from the farmers market in west columbia. you can see vehicles were damaged when high winds flipped them over. you can see the windows were blown out in others because of flying debris. according to the national weather service, the tornado was on the ground for a little more than half a mile. the tornado itself was about 50-75 yards wide. several trees were down along dixia

abc columbia. >> ben: jeb bush made a stop at the columbia convention center. >> alicia: abc columbia's jennifer ready was on the campaign bus and brings us mores. >> yes, sir. >>> why should south carolinians vote for you this saturday. >> there will be unforeseen events in the next presidency, it could be massive natural disaster or a pandemic or an attack on our country and the question is who do you want sitting behind the big desk making these two visions. and we need to verse course and i did that when i was governor of the state of florida a i can do it again. >> jennifer: marco rubio has come at you in terms of your experience with foreign policy. he has known, going to a committee hearing doesn't count as foreign policy experience, i was commander-in-chief of the florida national guard and since 2007 i've taken 89 trips overseas and i know many of the world leaders and i've led trade missions and i have 40 generals and admirals supporting my campaign. the leading national security expert in the united states, senate lindsey graham supports me. i know how the world works and i k

meet at columbia parkway. staff from the department of public services and the department of transportation have been here since last night in order to monitor the site and take appropriate safety precautions. reporting live from columbia parkway, jordan vilines, fox 19 now. we're all wearing red today to raise awareness about heart disease...and tonight, there's a huge event on fountain square encouraging you to do the same. fox19 now's shawn lanier is live on fountain square with a preview. it's is the seventh annual lady in red national wear red day so the american heart association pushes its campaign to "go red for women" all of this is to draw support to a very common disease which is heart disease... cardiovascular disease fact according to the american heart association. " more than one in three women is living with cardiovascular disease " nearly half of all african- american women and 34 percent of white women live with cardiovascular disease " heart disease death rates among men have declined steadi

weather moving through the mid lands it does including the tornados warnings are in effect east of columbia, and we're watching the storm system that continues to move through the area, the central parts of columbia, it has now passed through, we are taking a look at the damage, and you look at points east there is the possibility of more damage, and more--er and people are urged to take shelter >> we are going to start our 4 o'clock show, and i would like to get an update from them, and you will hear me ask our fraser in the booth right now do we need a break for the start of the show or get right to ben >> we want to give you an upat a time on where this storm is headed where it's been, and what we can expect especially at this moment and and the next hour, ben >> worst is over guaranteed for most of of the mid lands, columbia, that includes you lexington there will be still be afternoon, but now the strong and the leading end of these storms, the strongest section and the leading end of these storms is moving there across lee county. you mentioned that lee county was getting out regular

all this weeken 0 abc columbia -- week on abc columbia we will be profiling republican candidates ahead of >> alicia: jennifer ready live in the newsroom with vote 2016 coverage on jeb bush. >> ben and leash -- alicia, jeb bush is campaigning with his older brother george w., along with him for the first time. according to recent polls, the former florida governor currently ranks fifth in south carolina ahead of this weekend's primary. falling in the -- following in the footsteps of his older brother and father, jeb bush vying for the chance at the oval office. >> the world is desperately needing american leadership. >> focusing his presidential campaign on growing the middle class and strengthening national defense, plus capitalizing on his experience as governor to set him apart from fellow contenders. >> we led the nation in job growth, but we shrunk the government. don't you want that for our country and for washington, dc? >> bush led the sunshine state for two terms, where he worked to cut taxes and build business reform. >> others can talk about it; i've done it. it is not easy t

abc columbia dot com.. twitter... and on the a-b-c columbia facebook page. still to come... a long night... and a close race. we'll have more on the results of the iowa caucuses. partly cloudy and mild this morning with temps near 50. it'll be a warm tuesday but not much sunshine is expected. and gervais. here's a 33 quick look at stories that are country. the results are in. ted cruz comes out on top in iowa. but the democrats... are trapped in a deadlock. a-b-c's lana zak has more on the iowa caucus... presidential hopefuls. 33 monday night football turns into monday night football media madness. the super bowl festivities kicked off for the carolina panthers with some unusual questions. tim hill has that and more in this gridiron to the baseball diamond. what residents are worried about when it comes to head out to the ol' ball game.partly cloudy and mild this morning with temps near 50.it'll be a warm tuesday but not much sunshine from main and gervais. they're joining together to tell their inspiring stories of unwavering faith and love in the aftermath of the charlesto

inch and a half in columbia and 2 inches east of columbia. solid rain fall totals across the board from the totals, we'll add to that, east of i-95 will see a lot more rain than we do, we will see a tenth to a quarter inch of rain, but you go further to the east and you are looking at an inch to inch and a half. temperatures mid-50s to upper 50s, bishopville, manning, 63 and 64 and 24 hour temperature change, it is starting to cool down for us, we are seeing cooler and drier air move in the system. that won't preclude us in the rain entirely but will likely keep a good deal of the rain showers at bay. little more out of the southwest and should be out of the west once this frontal boundary moves through. notice the showers near augusta, the line to our south, that will come through probably during the morning commute for a good portion of the viewing public but likely to see most of the rain move on out as we head to the rain later today. we look for rain throughout the forecast, should be gone tonight, absolutely nothing by friday, perfect s

columbia sportswear and vf corp. here we have two apparel companies, both with a big business selling winter weather clothing. columbia through the name sake brand and vf corp. through north face. columbia reported a knock out quarter and the stock is higher corp. reported a bow wow quarter last friday. stock sold off 4.4% in a single session. today after the rebound vf made up losses. nevertheless, all of this begs the question. how do two companies with so much overlap produce such starkly different results. how can columbia be killing it when vf corp. is getting killed. let's start by going over what sets them -- what do they have in common? columbia whose ceo tim boyle came on a week and a half ago is a house of brands including mountain hardware, prana and climbing apparel, sorrell boots and columbia. they have a major focus on footwear and outer wear, especially winter clothes. vf corp. is a larger company with major expo sure to outdoor and action sports equipment and sales. vf corp. has too many brands to nam

reporting live from columbia parkway, 19 now. new this morning new this morning... traffic moving after a crash at the brent spence bridge in investigators believe a driver lost control on the 7th street ramp, striking the bridge... the car spun around, ending up the wrong way... driver suffered threatening injuries. after reports of a prompted a search in newport. police left riverboat row without finding night. people called 9-1-1, saying a man was rifle... an investigation is underway. now a story you'll only see on fox19 now. neighbors are someone hung a confederate flag outside their home. this is the scene on west loveland avenue. neighbors say the flag is attracting a lot of unwanted attention...and police took notice this week when someone spray painted the word "racist" on the front door. kari sot 2 "um because what it symbolizes, like we fought the north fought for slaves to be freed. i get that it's more heritage not hate...but in the north i view it more as hate" :16 loveland city leaders investigated and found there's nothing they can do. they say the i

watching abc columbia news at six. thanks for making us your choice for news.ewnight >>> you have been watching abc thank you for keeping us. >> john farley will continue to track the weather throughout the evening and keep you posted. we will see you back here

. >> good morning columbia! today is monday, february 15. it's a battle for the bench following the death of justice antonin scalia, the political battle brewing to supreme court. >> plus, former president george w. bush joins the campaign trail. how hopes his brother can help his standing here in south carolina. >> and breaking overnight an active investigation into a suspicious death out of lexington county. we'll bring you the very latest. good morning columbia starts right now announcer: from abc columbia news, live from main and gervais, this "good morning columbia". >> captioning provided by caption associates, llc www.captionassociates.com. >> good morning columbia! thank you for waking up with us on this monday morning, i'm rochelle dean. >> i'm meteorologist jonathan kennedy, we're live from main and gervais, the time is 6:00. >> a very cold 6:00 it is. we are following the trend of this weekend, a little better though than what we saw this weekend. >> we're going to show slow improvement. we're not as

columbia police say no one was injured... after shots were fired into the air and the mall was evacuated. this was the scene inside the mall over the weekend. anabell martin posted this video to instagram over the weekend... that shows some of the chaos inside the mall. here you see swat teams moving through the mall following the shooting. again, authorities are still searching for the suspects wanted in this case. according to officials.... one suspect is described as about 150 pounds, tall and last seen wearing jeans and a red t-shirt. there's no description for the second suspect. if you have any information that can help in this case you are urged to call crimstoppers at one-triple eight-crime sc richland county sheriff's deputies are hoping to find a suspected gunman of their own. authorities say they responded to a shots fired call.... in the 17 hundred block of percival road early yesterday morning. deputies say a man was shot in the lower body as he walked outside an area out of a business. still no word on you have

the columbia police department is having a public safety checkpoint in north columbia. the area was selected based on traffic violations... including, d-ui- and speeding incidents. this is an effort to reduce traffic collisions. any vehicle that is stopped will be checked for a valid driver's licence... poissible impairment... seatbelt use... and other safety regulations. and speaking of public safety... the lexington public safety department and the lexington county sheriffs department are battling it out on the basketball court tonight... and it's all for a good cause. proceeds from the game are supporting the make a wish foundation and a local women and children's shelter. it all starts at seven tonight at gilbert high school. tickets are seven-dollars in door. 33 33 we're checking out what will be making headlines later today. here's crysty with your "look ahead." lace up 33 those running shoes... it's time to join saint joseph's catholic church for five-k" their partnering with the lady gamecocks basketball coach... dawn staley and her organization "innersole" to p

columbia news at 11:00. >>> thank you for joining us tonight for abc columbia news at 11:00. i'm alicia barnes. >> i'm ben hoover. 46-year-old adrian silva's body was found around 3:00 a.m. on the morning of january 3rd crashed motorcycle along the parkway in northeast columbia. officials say silva had been shot multiple times. this is video from that night. vincent may has been charged with silva's murder. we're waiting on details of the motive of the killing itself. >>> investigators say they took connected a gun to the killing of a man in columbia. 45-year-old abeen patterson has been charged in the killing of timothy gentry. today's break came when the gun was tested that patterson was used when he robbed a woman and fired on officers just last july. police say investigators have not determined a motive for killing gentry who worked with children and did charity work overseas. >>> let's talk politics now. a bill intended to make it easier for the public to obtain police dashcam video has been postponed i

you're watching abc abc columbia news at 11. >>> abc columbia is on the radio. listen to alicia barnes for 103.9. >>> today was relatively warm. as we go to tomorrow, cloudy, and we'll see temperatures in the 40s. maybe a sprinkle, nothing big. saturday, it really gets windy that 45, that's the high, but that's going to be reached noon-ish, and as that cold air blows in, look at the overnight low, 20 degrees. windy, blustery, temperature falling. sunday, valentine's day i probably should put a heart in there to remind myself, if no one else. >> hallmark. >> it is not a hallmark holiday. oh, my goodness. >> we'll get back to weather. >> like tim said, don't mess up a happy home. that was ben who said that. >> or cupid. >> buy your wives flowers. i'm telling you, buy your wives flowers. have them sent, big box with a bow. we love that. >> here's the question, it's on sunday, so should you send them to the office or somewhere else on a different day? >> women love that, yes, yes. >> he said no. you said yes. >> and you are happy. there you go. >> dicky: from hollyw

i'm here in west columbia on mineral springs road. here power crews are dealing with down trees impacted powerlines. west columbia wasn't the only area to have damage. west columbia wasn't the only thanks dawndy and charles... powerlines. west columbia wasn't the only area to have damage. this was the scene on patterson road in columbia around 2:30. strong winds are being blamed for some downed trees, including this fence. and in front of epworth children's home on millwood and maple streets in columbia, a tree fell and smashed into a taxi's windshield. the driver told our crew it had he says he feels lucky to alive. columbia forestry and beautification cleaned up tree and the car was towed. the latest word is that at least three people are dead and 30 more are hurt in the wake of a line of severe storms that moved through parts of the southeast. we're also getting a new look at the destruction left behind. tornadoes have now been confirmed in several states. andrew spencer has the latest. from pensacola, florida... to garland, texas.

that's the abc columbia sports minute to win it. hope it gets your weekend off to a good start. >> take me out to the ballgame. before you run to those peanuts and the cracker jacks you have a chance to step up to the employment plate. columbia fireflies is hosting a job fair tomorrow. they're looking to fill multiple positions, ticket takers, to a mascot to name a few. it takes place tomorrow at the columbia metropolitan convention center in the richmond meeting room from 9:00 in the morning to 2:00 in the afternoon. they're actually looking for a mascot as well. find that perfect gift for the special someone could be worth every penny and new numbers show that it's going to cost a lot more than that. >> yeah, indeed it is. as it turns out, all the flowers and candies are costing americans a record-breaking amount of cash. federation, americans will spend an average of more than $146 each this valentine's day. nationwide, that's a grand total of more than $19 billion. a survey high for the national retail federation. one thing you

-- >> especially columbia's 5 points. >> we are likely to see it now. think about the low-lying areas where it always seems there is flooding. it looks like that's the case. and we do have a flooding advisory going on until 4:30 this afternoon. >> ben, was that an advisory or a warning this. >> it is a rn whatting. it is right there -- it is a warning. it is right there in downtown. that's because it hasn't rained more than a couple but that's all it takes. then you are left with flooded streets and some flooding in the 5 points area. there is the radar and if you are just joining us, we have a tornado warning in place for lee and sumter counties. not because there is an active tornado on the ground, but we have had several tornadoes reported and funnel clouds this afternoon. they have been occurring along this gust front. the leading edge of a squall line that is moving across the midlands. it is moving east at 40 miles per hour and it is now headed right into bishopville. it is right into sumter and knocking on the door and now the eastern parts of ca

. >> one of the cities he picked to appear here right here in columbia. hepoke with jennifer ready about what lies ahead for his campaign. >> ben and alicia last night's fifth place finish certainly was a hit to the rubio campaign but not stopping him from the south he tells south south carolinaians he's fit to be commander and chief. >> senator marco rubio back on the campaign trail in south carolina looking for a revival one day after earning a fifth place finish in the new hampshire primary. >> our team worked hard, but we feel great about it here. it's a strong conservative state, and it's right up our alley in terms of policies. >> rubio is highlighting his campaign agenda to south carolina voters, focusing on rebuilding the nation's military, higher education and national security. >> the bigad shaban intelligence agencies in the world are going to find the terrorists, the most powerful military in the world is going to destroy them, and if we capture any of these alive, they are not getting a lawyer or court hearing, we are sending them to guantana

i'm here in west columbia on mineral springs road. here power crews are dealing with down trees impacted powerlines. more wind damage happened on patterson road in columbia where a tree mike desumma is on mineral springs road right now. thanks dawndy and charles... powerlines. more wind damage happened on patterson road in columbia where a tree crashed into a fence around a home. thankfully, the house was okay. work crews were able to get there to be sure the road was cleared. children's home on millwood and maple streets in columbia...a tree fell and smashed into a taxi's windshield. the driver told our crew it had to have been the wind that caused the tree to split. he feels fortunate to be alive. columbia forestry and beautification cleaned up the tree and the car was towed. - chesterfield county funnel cloud -newberry wind damage: strong wind flipped building over and into the driveway. had to move it so we could get out the driveway. -saluda damage: wind damage on wheeler circle in saluda. -saluda damage 2: source: branches almos

inch and 3/4 for us here in columbia. still some really good totals but out towards the east towards king street and those areas are upwards of six inches of rain and a ton of rain and more rain coming for those areas along that i-95 and st. so we're looking at temperatures pretty much where they were this morning. we were at 59 this morning and we've cooled off to 57 this afternoon. we'll cononnue to cool off this afternoon. i did see a high around 60 so scattered showers through the night tonight. a lot of cold air on the way. details coming up in the full forecast. >> the national weather service intersection of charleston highway and dixiana road. >> look at this video that was taken of that tornado. this was given to us by abc columbia viewer mark creighton. creighton tells us he wasn't looking for a tornado. instead, it found him and he started recording. >> it was really disbelief. i didn't know, you know, is that really a tornado or just like some small thing? but i was in shock actually. i came running in here an

fireflies will be hosting a job fair for the team inaugural season at the columbia >>> to mark the columbia five highs will be hosting a job fair at the columbia it is from 9:00 until 2:00. next month, >>> next month parents can enroll their children in school online for richland district 1. the enrollment begins march 1 for all students. were your child to be considered for the pre-k program they must be four years old before september 1 of this register, turned must require -- attend information meeting. for more information head to our website at www.wltx.com. >>> there is a shortage of healthcare professionals these days but midlands tech is try to help by training students in one semester to be ready for the medical field using 3-d technology and human patients and let us. here is janae frazier tonight. >> my name is pretty. >> reporter: pretty good tiers checks on different type of patient as a part of her program. at midlands technical college. >> it is really awesome because they literally have the manikins like real people. >> reporter: the real world submissions are part of a new

thanks for joining us for abc columbia news at 12:30. i'm eric weisfeld. my co-anchor rochelle dean has the afternoon off. let's get right to it. vote 2016 taking center stage right here in south carolina. the g.o.p. presidential candidates holding back-to-back town halls just ahead of saturday's g.o.p. primary. and tonight, marco rubio, ted cruz, and ben carson will all gather in greenville for a town hall. that's at 8:00 on cnn. then tomorrow, donald trump, jeb bush and john kasich will take part in their own town hall here in columbia. carson and ted cruz will both be attending the faith and freedom rally in spartanburg tonight. cruz also has stops planned in seneca later today. has town halls planned in chapin, aiken and mount pleasant today. following his stop here in columbia, jeb bush is set to make stops in beaufort, summerville and myrtle beach. john kasich will be in bluffton. donned trump will be in walterboro and sumter today. the democratic kanld dates are staying just as busy. bernie sanders was in columbia yesterday hoping to grow his suppor

rubio held a rally in columbia yesterday... telling supporters he's fit to be the next commander in chief because of his experience in national security and foreign policy. 33 rubio will now move onto the south carolina coast. and he won't be alone. following his second place finish in new hampshire... john kasich will also be campaigning along the coast. meanwhile ben carson and ted cruz will each be busy upstate. and jeb bush will be right here in columbia. he'll be holding a rally at senate's end... tonight at 6:30. there are two fewer candidates in the race for the g-o-p nomination. carly fiorina and chris christie announced they are suspending their campaigns. fiornia and christie finished sixth and seventh in the new hampshire primary. a reminder about the primary dates. the g-o-p primary will take place next saturday, february 20th. the democratic primary will take place the following week... on saturday februarar27th. and stay with abc columbia news for complete coverage online and on air.... of vote 20-16. class is bac

meet at columbia parkway. staff from the department of public services and the department of transportation have been here appropriate safety precautions. reporting live from columbia parkway, jordan vilines, fox 19 now. with spring break around the corner...florida is taking no chances with the zika virus... 5 counties are now under a health emergency declaration. right now...there are 12 cases in florida...all from people infected with the mosquito-borne virus when they traveled to other countries. the governor says the state is preparing like it would for a hurricane and wants residents and tourists to know florida is safe. luck has run out for the winner of a california lottery jackpot. the person with a 63-million dollar winning ticket...never claimed the prize. the money will now go to the state's schools. it's the largest unclaimed prize in california history. rob 2shot we want to get another check on this morning's forecast. kara 2shot frank marzullo joins us with a look at the day ahead. a cold mornin

it is also just the unique identity of columbia and the midlands. we were built around these three rivers, it's part of our history and a big part of our future."in columbia, 3 3 stangler says one of the constraints - is he has to do most of the cleanups on public property.he says if there are private property owners that organization - congaree riverkeeper is willing to help. 3 the city of columbia's office of business opportunities is offering loan assistance to small businesses affected by the flood.to qualify, businesses must be located in columbia..they must have applied to fema and must have been in business for at least two years.borrowers are eligible for up to $10,000.the deadline to apply for funding is *today. funds will be given out in march. 3 coming up....efren afante has your full weather forecast and will tell us when we can expect warm, sunny temperatures...and how long it wills stick around. 3 and a resolution in the senate to honor the victims of the charleston massacre...that's all when news 19 contunues 3 there's moving... and t

you've been watching abc columbia news at 6:00. thanks for making us your choice for news. >> stay tuned for "world news tonight" with david muir. it's next. we'll see you tonight for abc >>> tonight, breaking news here. a blizzard hits with the showdown in new hampshire just hours away now. abc's powerhouse political team, out in force tonight. one-on-one with donald trump. can he close the deal here? one-on-one with marco rubio, after taking fire. >> did you fight from your own legislation? repeating his lines on stage. >> there it is. >> what he says now.

and i'm the president of the columbia chapter. and everybody here are in. [ cheering and applause ] >> reporter: they have been out here celebrating. st it all about cam. what are you expecting? >> i'm expecting the panthers to get on that field and bring us our first ever super bowl. >> reporter: what are you guys going to do whatever they do >> i think it's a day trip to charlotte, right? [ cheering and applause ] we're going to that parade. >> reporter: a lot of excitement out here tonight. everyone getting pumped up ready for the game. as you can see, they are doing their thing out here. just getting ready for this game. i'll send it back to you in the studio. >> all right. >>> ill ahead, >>> the morning after the super >> coming up, the late night celebration you may be too tired to see in super bowl 50 and if you have a question with an attorney, we're on your side >>> how about this tonight? the colonial life arena is old out for monday night's women's basketball game against number one yukon. it's the first ever sell out f

starts right now.33 morning columbia. thanks for joining us. i'm eric weisfeld. >> eric: good morning, columbia, this is our hour of power. i'm eric weisfeld. >> jonathan: i'm meteorologist jonathan kennedy, live from main and gervais. time is 6:00 a.m. >> eric: mixed bag today, warmer temperatures as you step outside. a good chance for rain later on during the day. >> jonathan: that's right. very nice right now. if you are getting out, take the dog for a walk, heading out to exercise, right now would be a great time to do it, because it is going to be warm later. also looking for a good chance of rain, strong thunderstorms. not only just plain old rain, obviously we can deal with that. strong thunderstorms will certainly make it a little treacherous to be out and about later today. right now current conditions, just about perfect for you. by february standards, hard to beat. 63, little cloudy for us right now. a breeze out of the south and east 10 to 15 miles per hour. would see spring-like afternoon, much less february

. >>> crysty: good morning, columbia. thank you so much for waking up with us on this friday morning. i'm crysty vaughn. >>> rochelle: and i'm rochelle dean. we're live from main and gervais. the time is we're coming upon 6:00. >> crysty: and if you head out the door you have to bundle up again. it's chilly outside. our good news is our meteorologist says it's not as >> rochelle: things are looking up a little bit and it's dry. that's always a good sign too. let's turn things over to meteorologist jonathan kennedy for a look at what you can expect as you head out this morning. good morning. >> jonathan: not as cold for us which is good news, the winds are causing some of a wind chill but not as bad as earlier in the week. we saw wind chills in the teens, temperatures in the 20s, this morning 37, it is cloudy, wind out of the east-northeast 5 to 7 miles a hour. good news, no fog, no rain, no rain-snow mix, none of that, should be a chilly start but that's all you have to worry about on this friday morning. temperatures ran

in columbia. we have seen an inch of rain now. 65 degrees current temperature. winds from the south. about 6 miles per hour. now, let's take a look at the traffic across the area and with it raining like it has been that is been causing a slow down. but it is not too bad. you can see, southern part of the city not too bad. and northern sections. a few problem areas. malfunction junction out of the city, going through malfunction junction. it is slow there and a slow down in the westbound lanes of i-20 going into nat area. meanwhile there -- that area. meanwhile there is an accident at i-20 and i-77 and that has southeast side of town, here is the sumpter highway. it is not too bad. a slow down here. if you are going from downtown to blythewood right now 18 minutes. from downtown to clemson road about 15 minutes. we will have further updates coming up in a few minutes. >> thank you so much. >>> because of the stormy weather dismissals were delayed this afternoon as a precaution. kershaw county scho

tillis center right here in columbia. that's set for 5:00. >>> rochelle: when it comes to saturday's vote, not everyone can make it out to the polls. you may have things to do, some people heading in and out of town. but that doesn't mean your voice still can't be heard. >> eric: today is the deadline for those voting in the democratic presidential primary absentee application. the application must be returned to your county elections office no later than 5:00 today. you can get an absentee application online or request an application from your county voter registration office. once you receive your absentee ballot in the mail, be sure to return it to your county voter registration office by 7:00 p.m. saturday night. for more information, be sure to head to scvotes.org. >>> eric: meanwhile the republican presidential hopefuls are waiting to see where the chips fall in nevada for today's and going into today's vote gop front-runner donald trump is blasting his competition. we expect nothing else, right? senator ted cruz to

"good morning, columbia" starts right now. captioning provided by www.captionassociates.com. >> eric: glad you are starting your thursday with us. good morning, columbia. i'm eric weisfeld. >> rochelle: and i'm rochelle dean. we're live from main and gervais. the time's now 6:00. >> eric: great news is tomorrow is friday. it is chillier this morning. >> rochelle: you will need the coat and maybe you should dress in layers because as the day goes on you will get warmer and like a snake. that's my analogy. we will turn things over to jonathan who has a look at what you can expect. layers. >> rochelle: when you can shed your skin like the snake. >> jonathan: looking at temperatures right around freezing for us this morning, clear skies, wind are calm, nice view of the state house and way of fog or rain, should be a nice start to your day today. no weather implications for your morning commute but you will need to slow down some where. temperatures at below freezing, many areas above freezing, 32 downtown, 30 in camden, that's our

let's start with the district of columbia? >> fire must be registered. on top of that, you have to have arms outside of your home or place of business. >> armstrong: what are the things you can do if you have those permits of the concealed carry vs. if the gun is in your home? >> d.c. now has a concealed care permit. you need to go get training. once you get training, therefore you need to know situational awareness and the laws for self-defense. >> armstrong: brian how are the laws different in virginia and maryland. >> virginia has open carry for citizens of virginia as well as non citizens. they do have a concealed carry, you can register the firearm and get your concealed carry permit. >> how does it differ vs. what the laws are in the district. >> armstrong: anybody can carry? >> yes. >> armstrong: is it safe? >> i would say it could make for a catastrophe in some ways. >> how do we know they are trained? >> we don't know. >> >> armstrong: how many stam states? >> in the united states, 42 open carry is in about 42. currently, 10 that are restrictive

"good morning, columbia" starts right now. captioning provided by caption associates, llc www.captionassociates.com. >> eric: a lot to talk about this morning. good morning, columbia. i'm eric weisfeld. >> rochelle: and i'm rochelle dean. we're live from main and gervais. the time's now 6:00. >> eric: it's breezy, keep the jacket with you as you head out the door. >> rochelle: you want to bundle up and looks like the temperatures are here to stay, not going anywhere anytime soon. we will turn things over to meteorologist jonathan kennedy for what you can expect the rest of the day. good morning. >> jonathan: not only the cold air but wind makes it feel much colder outside which is why we need to cover up as much skin as you can. temperatures 37 degrees right now, 34 in camden, 37 lexington as well. numbers not overly cold. now, it is certainly cold for many spots, 32 in winnsboro, saluda at 32, they are at freezing but the rest of us 5 degrees above that. all in all not too bad. we are looking at a mostly clear sky for us, but

still gusting to 40 here in columbia. now, it will eventually loosen upup here and -- in the -- the wind will die off. it will take tomorrow night before it's back down to next to nothing. here is a look at the forecast. what you see here is that we'll see gustsenup to 25. that's on the order of half, a lot less windy. as we go forward, you will see the temperatures dipping in the 50s during the day for a couple of days here. by the time we get to the second half of the weekend, back in the 6 hoss -- 60s and in terms of rain, no rain on that seven-day forecast. we've had our share. we could use a good week to dry out and we'll get it. >> do you recommend that when we do have heavy rainfall for people to stay away from roads that have a lot of trees like corley mill road maybe a couple of days after or do you think it makes a difference? >> probably after the fact you are probably okay. >> they've not toppled over -- >> you are probably okay. >> okay. >> today was dangerous. grace joyal said right at her house a big 50-foo

states and the district of columbia. the world health organization says up to 4 million people will be infected in the next year. >>> rochelle: a sheriff's incident report shows nothing antonin scalia's death. scalia was found dead at a ranch near the mexican border where he had gone on a hunting trip. and according to a letter from a supreme court doctor, health problems including coronary artery disease obesity and diabetes are the likely contributions to his death. >>> rochelle: still to come, a disturbing case involving a who are coming to its aid. gervais. >> rochelle: welcome back to good morning columbia, thanks for waking up with us on this wednesday morning, your time right now is 6:48. in the upstate a puppy is on the mend this morning after being shot by a bb gun 18 times. the dog, named brody, survived and is on the mend this morning. the alleged teen shooters 17-year old demonte douglas and a 14-year old who's name will not be released are now facing up to five years in jail and fines for the crime. brody is

on green street over in columbia. tickets range from five d ollars-$32 and it starts at 7:30 >>> as black history month comes to a close, the city of camden is hosting a huge celebration tomorrow. f o r the fine arts center of kershaw county for gospel fest that 6 p.m. unity to the singing of several local gospel choirs and all audience members are invited to join in song. tickets are only five dollars >>> you can lace up your running shoes for a good customer, the march for meals 5k kicks off at 9 a.m. at the temperament trail in kc. the fundraiser supports the meals on wheels program provided by senior resources >>> you can enjoy some delicious chili tomorrow, i think i am going there as the chili cookoff at the music farm, the event is from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m., this time it helps to buy your tickets ahead of time for they are $30 now, and $40 out the door and that includes beer and wine, all of the money goes to support efforts like the[inaudible] [laughter] >> i shot video at that event last year. it was fun. >> i