all three were reported missing yesterday around 8:00 p.m. jennifer is 5'6" tall, she weighs 250 pounds. she has brown hair and blue eyes. the car she was driving at the time she and her boys went missing was a silver 2011 chrysler town car with colorado plates 300 rqq. her eldest son, ethan, he's five, brown hair, blue eyes and 42 inches tall. his adam. blond hair and blue eyes and he's 40 inches tall. family from highlands ranch area. no other information was provided regarding the circumstances of this -- their disappearance. but they have been reported missing, 8:00 p.m. was the last time that authorities heard about their disappearance. if you have any information you're asked to call the denver county sheriff's office or 911. we're going to continue to follow this story.

thank you. severe weather overnight in the south kills three people. a tornado hit northeastern alabama overnight and there are multiple injuries reported at a 24 hour day care center center in dekalb county. this is from winston county, alabama, about 75 miles away from birmingham. police say there are multiple areas of damage in several counties. more than 3500 homes are without power this morning as douglas county high school has been arrested, accused of sexually assaulting a student. our jeff todd has the story. >> reporter: this was the letter sent home to parents today by the principal at ponderosa high school. it says a member of the security team is being investigated for an inappropriate act. the denver county sheriff's office says it got a report monday that gary postel sexually assaulted a student.

suspicion of two felony counts of sexual assault by a person in a position of trust and one misdemeanor county of sexual assault of 10 year age difference. the school district says it cannot comment on the case because of on going investigation and privacy laws. postel was hired in 2014. earlier this month he was mentioned in a school district newsletter as a rock star, nominated by district leaders. the writeup said he was "someone who truly cares for our students' safety information about postel has now been deleted from district web pages. >> that was jeff todd reporting. postel's next court appearance will be early next year. we are still awaiting word about a cause for the green mountain fire. it burned 96 acres monday night. it lit up the colorado sky. dozens of homes were evacuated, but none were damaged thank goodness. here's a look at what it was like for some people

wildfire in tennessee which is now being blamed for at least three deaths. this video shows the escape as two step brothers drove down a mountain road in gatlinburg, tennessee, and you can see as they pass homes burning and trees are just falling down, they also had to maneuver through the thick dark smoke making it almost impossible to see what was in front of them. the high winds moved the fire at an alarming speed. >> there were times last night that we had wind gusts in excess of 87 miles that is hurricane force. that is nowhere to be when trying to fight a fire. >> we were sitting in the dark thinking that, you know, everything was fine and the next thing we knew firemen came in and said you've got to leave, there's a fire close. we know now when the winds picked up they blew the embers from that initial fire all over and started fires all over the place. >> we are also getting a chance to see the damage the fires left behind, what once were

and ashes. we are learning more about chemicals found inside a hotel room in golden. police and a bomb squad evacuated the marriott courtyard yesterday afternoon. investigatorshave not said exactly what chemicals were found, but it is believed they are being used for chemical activity. police are trying to find the people who bobbed that low -- booked that hotel room using a fake credit card. 23 degrees in denver. weather and the 4's. good morning, britt. good wednesday morning, everybody. one of the main differences between today and yesterday is the lack of wind. we won't have the wind today like we saw yesterday. wind speeds in the single digits. it's one of the reasons we are so cold. lower 20s at cbs4, but southwest aurora our weather watcher kory is reporting 17 there. the same in parker. dia is at 10. brighton is at 11. lakewood at 20 degrees this morning.

mostly clear skies up and down the front range. few clouds in the mountains and along and north of i-70 there could be light snow today. any accumulation would be less than an inch on the top of vail pass or maybe the top of berthoud pass later today. 9:00a.m. at 23. by noon, 37. a high temperature of 40 degrees. it's another below normal day for us. joel, we have to get ready for an even bigger blast of cold air coming our way next week. we'll talk about that next. enjoy the warmth while lasts. we call this warmth? eisenhower and johnson tunnels from i-70. we have snowy conditions up there. just along the roadways and shoulders. all the chain and passenger traction restrictions along i- 70 have been lifted and moved out of the way. we still have them this place u.s. 6 over loveland pass. here we are across the denver metro area. accident along i-70 in the eastbound direction it is at havana, slowing northbound

along alameda making your way out to i-25. emotional testimony during the sentencing for a man who was found guilty of murder in a crash that killed a colorado state trooper. we heard from the trooper's mother as well as the man responsible for the crash. here's our kelly werthmann. >> reporter: life in prison without parole is the mandatory sentence for a first degree murder conviction. but christopher gebers was given an additional 342 counts. it's a sentence that taylor thyfault's family says fits. taylor thyfault was just 21 years old when he was killed in the line of duty. >> he didn't meet to meet his end goal. it got taken away from him. >> reporter: taken by christopher gebers, who crashed

police. 18 months later the family and fellow troopers asked a boulder judge to give gebers the maximum sentences, including clinton rushing who was nearly killed. >> gebers will never have to experience that kind of pain. i share that because it's the only memory i have of that day and not knowing what happened. not knowing a man you were responsible for that day died. >> reporter: thyfault's grandfather wrote a letter taylor thyfault wrote to his mother when he was in high school. >> we have been through tough times and i admire your strength as you seem to come out stronger every time. >> i will forever be his mom, but do you know how hard it is to be a mom when you don't get to see your child every day? it's heart breaking. >> reporter: before a mandatory life in prison sentence was handed down, christopher gebers addressed the family. >> i am sorry. if i could take it back, i would, and i'm sorry.

reporting. other troopers said in court it was difficult to relive what happened in weld county back in may of last year. president-elect donald trump now says he's leaving his "great business" to his children, while he focuses on being the nation's 45th president. this morning he has his choice for treasury secretary in place and his choice for commerce secretary ready to go. here's our roxana saberi with the latest. >> reporter: mitt romney emerged from with president-elect donald trump singing his former rival's praises. >> he did something i tried to do and was unsuccessful, he won the general election, and he continues with a message of bringing people together. >> reporter: the former massachusetts governor is said to be on the short list of secretary of state, asis

corker, david petraeus and former new york city mayor rudy giuliani. >> i think what you're witnessing here is a leader in president-elect donald trump who wants to take in all the options. >> reporter: cbs news has learned trump is set to officially nominate steve mnuchin as -- mike pence the new administration's top priority is replacing obamacare. >> it's time to let americans purchase health insurance across state lines. it's time to give people more consumer choices. >> reporter: trump kicks off his victory tour tomorrow in ohio and indiana. roxana saberi for cbs news. yesterday the trump team announced that senate majority

tore -- the boss is in denver. bruce springsteen will be signing his new book at the tattered cover on colfax. he was recently awarded the presidential leader of freedom for his music. he decided to write his autobiography after performing the super bowl half time show. the tattered cover made an endearing plea to the store. >> bruce, we got to get you to come to tattered cover. and i thought what i would do is give you a little tour of the store with some musical accompaniment. ? come to tattered cover, bruce ? >> that is just awesome. this special meet and gleet today is for those lucky enough

take pictures if you're going. coming up next, the best types of exercise to help you live longer. it's ahead in our health watch. this is the news on cbs 4 mornings. ,,

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,, ,, ,, good morning, everyone. this is the news in our health watch. there is new research involving

but a new study suggests the younger ones may be especially vulnerable. research in the journal of heart shows smokers under the age of 50 have more than eight times the risk of a major heart attack as nonsmokers. certain types of exercise could help you live longer. a new study looked at surveys on more than 80,000 people. researchers found swimming, raquet sports and aerobics were putting off death from any cause and heart disease or stroke. here's why you should get more sleep. a new report finds lack of sleep among workers in the u.s. costs the economy up to $411 billion a year. researchers say lower productivity and higher risk of death from sleep deprivation has a big impact on the economy. 5:44. weather and traffic every 10 minutes on the 4's here on

britt. it's cold as we get this wednesday started. 23 degrees. the sun will be up at 7:01. the duration of daylight keeps getting shorter and shorter. winter officially starts the 21st of december. after that the duration of daylight will start getting longer and longer again. here in colorado the official seasons don't matter. we went straight from summer into winter time. little bit of light snow possible today over the northern mountains, mainly north zero in the mountains. along the front range teens and 20s to get the day started. compare our current temperatures to 24 hours ago, it's about 15 degrees colder this morning than yesterday at this time. i want to zoom out, take you into the deep south. britt was talking about this earlier, the tornado outbreak over the last 24 hours from louisiana, mississippi, alabama and tennessee. 27 reports of tornadoes along that line. it will move east into georgia today where severe weather is

attached to that front has moved far enough way that the wind from yesterday will not be an issue for us. instead it's going to be to the east over the dakotas and nebraska and kansas. that's where they'll feel the wind. we'll be feeling big time cold weather coming up next week. this is a big freezing cold air mass, arctic air, north of alaska. watch what happens. we're going from today to next wednesday, the 7th. that arctic air will be right over the rocky mountain region and then u.s./canadian border. highs next tuesday and wednesday will only be in the teens and 20s. preliminary snow report for now, probably 5 to 10 inches at least for the denver area. we'll keep you posted. that will be the middle of next week. today highs in the20s in the mountains and 40s denver and the front range. less wind. not as chilly this afternoon. all this looks warm compared to next week. friday only 32.

morning. sunny for the weekend. i-25 and arapahoe -- i'm trying to warm up thinking about that -- in through the tech center should be a good drive. this is again i-25 and arapahoe. all lanes of traffic open as you travel in both directions. southbound coming into town, speeds into the 60s. that's 9 minutes. had trouble on the returns along u.s. 36. so they've just zeroed that on out. that should be a good drive both directions along i-270 speeds into the 50s across the denver metro area, lights malfunctioning alameda where the organ grinder pizza used to be, now defuncts lowe's. accident at havana causing a few delays, but volumes are light. cars are able to get by that fairly quickly. some slowing northbound along i- 25 past i-76. up into the high country, you can see the icy conditions. no chain and passenger traction

get u.s. 6 over loveland pass. >> and it's all going to change. joel, thank you so much. when you take your team from 1-8 in conference to 8-1, chances are you're doing something right. and buff fans are estatic. yesterday cu coach mack intier was named pac 12 coach of the year. they're at number 8 in the latest college football playoffs rankings. the team is hoping they can keep climbing with a win over washington friday. good luck finding anybody outside the state who gives colorado a chance. the buffs are touchdown underdogs, but the players are okay with that. >> you know, i don't think anyone is picking us to win. i don't think anyone wants us to win. that's totally okay. we know what we're capable of. we know what udub is capable of. we have to go out there and play, i wouldn't say a flawless game, but beat a very good team

very well in all phases. >> our poll we asked do you believe the buffs are back? 67% say yes, this is just the beginning. the cbs4 care 4 colorado toy drive benefits the kid at the boys and girls clubs of metro denver. many of the members think of the club as a second home. heavy is a teenager -- mary is a teenager who is president of the keystone club that community service. the club has become her support system as both her parents deal with serious health issues. >> this is my outlet. this is where i can unwind with all the tension that's been happening at home, i feel like this is, this is my place to show who i am. >> you can support mary and teens like her by donating a new unwrapped toy. we have care 4 colorado bins in participating king soopers stores, wells here at the cbs4

studios on south monaco. music elicits emotions from us, it's why we connect to a song. it makes us smile or cry. for our wednesday child, the right song gives her a sense of hope. we met at swallow hill music school, where la shay gets her first singing lesson. she warms up with coach molly. her favorite songs come from the movie "frozen," because she perseverance. la shay connects to these songs. >> i really want to get adopted. i've been waiting for a long time. but i can handle it. i can wait a little bit longer. >> la shay is a sweetheart and she is patient, yet hopeful. she says she wants a family who will love her like one of their own. you can find out more about la shay or any of the children looking for adoptive families. calm the adoption exchange. you'll find all the information

from the holiday stress, check out santaland diaries. this one-man show is based on the show of a man who he worked at macy's' santaland as an elf. it's really for adults. it runs through december 24th at the jones theater at the denver center for the performing arts. there is more mile high holiday on the links and info section of cbsdenver.com. ? ? ? when you find something worth waiting for,

5:54. it is time for weather and traffic on the 4's. orlando, our cbs4 weather watcher in west littleton is reporting 17 degrees this morning. it's cold everywhere along the front range. don in johnstown has 12, and gary in summit county, north side of breckenridge, zero for the temperature there in breck

noon 37. and the high of 40. overall much less wind compared to yesterday. also more sunshine today compared to yesterday. despite this cold start, this afternoon should not feel as chilly as it did yesterday. of course, it will be chilly. highs only near 40. let's get to joel. good morning. in the high country we're seeing all the ice along the drive now. we had chain and passenger traction restrictions that were in place last night. they've been lifted. at least but they're still in place u.s. 6 over loveland pass, and britt, along 285 should be a great drive. now conifer, bailey, fair play wide open. pope francis started his morning with a tribute to the people killed in a colombia plane crash. he urgeed the faithful to pray for them. the victims included members of a brazilian soccer team. all but six people on board the plane died in that crash.

total. it happened in colombia yesterday. happy holidays for a group of 20 coworkers from an auto parts manufacturing plant in tennessee. they picked up their winnings yesterday from the $420 million powerball jackpot. the employees of the stamping group put their money together in a company pool to buy about 60 tickets. for many they say the money is a blessing. some of them will take early retirement, but all promised they would stick enough to train their replacements. as for the winning ticket, one of the workers had no idea until her kids found out. >> just went to bed. i said i'll check it in the morning. ain't going to be no winner. i got up, made a pot of coffee for my husband. they were going hunting. my son saw the tv. started texting. i know mama bought that ticket. they were shaking me and shaking me. i grabbed my ticket, the third

>> best wakeup call ever. each member will take home about $12 million. congratulations to all of them. thanks for joining us this morning. right now 23 degrees in denver. still ahead, we do have breaking news on a missing highlands ranch family this morning. jamie is live. >> reporter: we've got surveillance image from this school, bear canyon elementary, where the mother and her two young boys were seen yesterday afternoon. details coming up on cbs4 morning news. now responsible for at least three deaths. we'll see more of this dramatic video as people had little time

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we have breaking news we want to start with. there is a search for a missing mom and her two young children. break overnight, storms roll through the south, killing at least three people. plus, we are getting a better look at the wildfire damage in tennessee. plus, good morning from colorado's weather center. we have temperatures in the teens and 20s to get the day started. with a lot of sunshine today cold this afternoon. your full forecast is straight ahead. chain and passenger traction restrictions laws lifted as you get along i-70 into the mountains. still an icy drive that direction. we're starting to see it load up across town. we'll get our first look from copter 4 coming up. it is that time of the morning, joel, thank you. let's get back to this breaking news. a highland ranch mom and her two young sons seen here are missing this morning. they were last seen at their