outside currently in the 50's and below average in the daytime. overnight lows expected to get cold again but not down to a hard freeze warning. winds stay light thankfully. ................................ ... ............... he'res your hour by hour. chilly conditions through the evening under clear skies. we go from the 50's to the 40's and expect very little wind and little cloud cover. cold by morning again but not we'll have more on your forecast for this weekend and next week coming up

in jail./// ((dave courvoisier)) three separate trials could come out of the group of defendants charged in that 2014 armed confrontation on the bundy ranch. cliven bundy and other defendants lost a bid for individual trials. the 17 defendants will likely be split up into three separate ones... with the first one starting february sixth. that's when bundy and his sons ammon and ryan bundy... along with two other co-defendants are set to be in court. the second trial would start in may... with a third starting in august./// ((denise valdez)) confirm three people died from drug overdoses... at a music festival over the summer. all three accidentally overdosed on ecstacy at july's 'hard summer music festival' in fontana. the los angeles times reports there have now been 28 drug- related deaths nationwide since 2006... at concerts organized by los angeles- area companies. six of those were at e-d-c right here in las vegas./// ((denise valdez)) and next year... nevada's recreational marijuana

jump on board. for now... many employers seem to be sticking with their drug testing and personal conduct policies... meaning they likely won't hire you... or will fire you for using pot. that's not against the law... employers are still legally allowed to test for marijuana and keep zero- tolerance policies in place. some advocates say employers should re-think those policies... and treat off- the- job use of marijuana the same as it would with alcohol./// ((dave courvoisier)) there's a new class of streets and protect the valley. today... a fresh group of men and women took the oath to protect our city. the recruits were recognized for their dedication and passion to serve the community... after more than six months in police academy. sheriff joe lombardo says there's still a lot more room for the new officers to grow: ((joe lombardo, clark county sheriff: when you graduate college or grad school or trade school you think that you've reached the pinnacle. you've graduated you've gone out and you're gonna do your thing. today they're halfway there. they go into field training after this they have 26 weeks of field training so it's

and they'll rememember it their entire life but they still have those butterflies in their stomach that they're gonna deal with when they have their first day on the job. )) ((dave courvoisier)) >> thanks to the 'more cops tax' which raises the local sales tax... metro will hire 600 new officers over the next two years. that means they'll graduate 80- person academies four times nx ((denise valdez)) more than 70- million- people watched the final presidential debate... which took place on the campus of u-n-l-v. according to the university... all those eyeballs means a ton of free publicity! in fact... the debate between now president- elect donald trump and hillary clinton resulted in about 114- million dollars in publicity! it cost about seven million dollars to produce... so the payoff seems pretty hefty! the university also says

((dave courvoisier)) the creators of the jersey boys will have to pay millions after losing a copyright infringement lawsuit. the long running show recently ended after being on the strip for years. it was based on the life story of the band "the four seasons." the widow of one of the bands members says large portions were lifted from his un-published biography... and a las vegas jury agreed. the other band members were initially named in the lawsuit.. but because they did not know the creators used material from the book. the jury has not yet set the damages the widow will be awarded./// ((denise valdez)) the fremont street experience is turning red tonight... in support of world aids day. from eight to nine p-m... the viva vision canopy will turn red to mark the day. red has become the color to symbolize the push to spread awareness about the fight against h-i-v and aids... and to honor those who have passed away./// ((dave courvoisier)) only on 8 news now.... a 71-year-old woman meets her biological family for the first

was there for the emotional encounter. ((sisters hug each other )) ((karen castro)) a tearful encounter... but these are tears of joy. ((katherine lee fisher reunited with blood sisters: i'm so happy. it's so surreal. what a great christmas present.)) ((karen castro)) this is the first time katherine fisher is able to hug her biological sisters... who arrived at mccarran international airport on different flights. the trio share the same mother. the 71-year-old was adopted as an infant by a couple who placed an ad in the newspe reunited with blood sisters: when i was a little girl, i had this empty feeling.)) ((karen castro)) her sister, sonta henderson, has kept the original ad in a bible that belonged to their late mother. (( sonta henderson - reunited with blood sister: mom use to talk about her baby girl that she given up on saint patrick's day.)) ((karen castro)) a baby girl who was hard to trace. fisher was never legally adopted and her birth certificate had inaccurate information. after decades of fruitless efforts, her granddaughter stepped in to help. ((katherine lee fisher

amiee sands - granddaughter: im still in shock.)) ((karen castro)) amiee sands began her investigation nine years ago, spending multiple days a week searching the internet. ((amiee sands - granddaughter: i was just searching the censuses, the phone books, the years books, the military records.)) ((karen castro)) she eventually turned to dna for answers and she got them. ((amiee sands - granddaughter: went straight over there after work and sat her down and said ' um, we're gonna, we're gonna call your sister' cause i found your sister.)) ((karen castro)) a call that would change the ((sonta: i feel my mom's presence with us so or our mom. katherine: yes, our mom.)) ((karen castro)) karen castro, 8 news now. ((dave courvoisier)) >> the visiting sisters are staying in town through early next week. the trio says they have a lot of catch up on. /// ((denise valdez)) drivers just aren't sure about their mechanics: (( feel them out and make sure there's not, y'know, something shady going on.)) ((denise valdez)) >> up next on the valley's news leader... where the distrust stems from

keep our cars running. and don't forget... we're hoping to fill as many fiats as we can with brand new toys. we're partnering with towbin fiat at sahara and jones to collect toys for the casa foundation. you have until sunday to donate./// news music voice over: "you're

((paul joncich)) the mechanic isn't a place many people normally like to go... mainly because you usually walk away with an expensive bill! but a new survey from triple- a shows there might be more to it. chris martinez found out why most drivers simply don't trust their mechanics. nick lam-wagoner spends a lot of time and money

doesn't trust repairs to just anyone. (nick lam-wagoner/ car enthusiast) "it's usually by referral and even then when i meet them i gotta see if i like their vibe, we chat a little bit, kind of feel them out and make sure there's not, y'know, something shady going on." for many drivers, finding a trusted mechanic is tricky. a new survey by triple a found two out of three drivers don't trust auto repair shops in general. among those surveyed... unnecessary services and 73 percent believe mechanics overcharge for work. many drivers also worry the work won't be done correctly. (jeffrey spring/ aaa spokesperson) "but on the other hand, the survey also found that a majority of the drivers had found a trusted mechanic so even though in general they don't trust repair services or shops, they did find a trusted mechanic." ( chris martinez/cbs news/los angeles) triple a's survey found age is a factor in whether drivers trust repair shops. older drivers are more trusting than younger drivers. (jeffrey spring/ aaa spokesperson) "older drivers have had more experiences with repairs and they've been taking vehicles to repair shops for a much longer time

triple a suggests doing some research and asking for recommendations from family and friends before committing to a repair shop. (nick lam-wagoner/ car enthusiast) "i do have a lot of friends calling and saying 'is this a good price, or is this necessary..." a quick call like that could save you time and money. chris martinez, cbs news, los angeles./// ((denise valdez)) said negative past experiences was another reason they don't trust repair shops./// ((dave courvoisier)) the temperatures have been getting pretty chilly here in the valley... and next week it's going to be downright cold. but that's not keeping people from visiting! in fact... trip advisor released a survey today... showing las vegas is the second most popular winter destination! this is for people planning trips for next winter. number three was cancun... while orlando florida was number one.///

tedd florendo ((( chilly weather this morning as temps dropped to near freezing through many neighborhoods. we''ll have some cold lows again overnight but not enough to prompt any freeze warnings. ............................... highs today stayed in the 50's and chilly. lows dropped to 37 in the morning with areas like nellis, highlands, boulder city all dropping to at or just a below freezing this morning before sunrise. check out the record on this date. 79 degrees way back in 1980. we're below average for this time of year and will be near average by the weekend. ................................ .... neighborhood by neighborhood temps in the 50's and milder for the east part of the valley where we're lower in elevation. while areas to the far west colder and just below freezing

afternoon. ................................ ... .... regional temps also stayed colder for the southern great basin and of course searchlight. still unseasonably cold in the 50's also for mesquite down the colorado river valley to laughlin and death valley where they were milder, but still chilly for this time of year. ................................ ... ......... satellite and radar show some high clouds pushing through but still staying mostly clear. stay near ely and elko again along with the bitterroots and the wasatch. next trough digs deep in utah and brings another shot of colder air and breezes heading into your weekend. then colder next week from the next system that barrels through as well. ....... ............................ ............. tonight expect temps in the mid to high 30's by morning. no freeze warning issued. we'll have mostly clear skies and light winds. tomorrow expect a high in the mid 50's under mostly sunny skies. winds remain light for tomorrow as well. ....................... ............ .................... extended forecast shows a slight

breezy though by tomorrow night and friday with a little cooler air. moisture starved system prevent us from getting any rain, but we get colder next week only in the high 40's in some spots with lows dropping to the 30's and even 20's.

those loud noises from the strip this afternoon is an indication nascar has rolled into las vegas. ((denise valdez)) >> 16 drivers making their way down the strip and then having fun for the fans. ((chris maathuis)) >> two things nascar fans love... their drivers and the smell of burning rubber... and they got both today... it's the annual burnout on the strip. and something special for kyle busch. plus.. finals rodeo. jon tritsch is standing by with a nevada cowboy who's ridin' for big bucks. that's next here on channel 8.///

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it's that time of the year... the most talented cowboys and cowgirls along with thousands of rodeo fans ride into las vegas with their eyes set on riches. the worldest riches rodeo kicks off tonight... that's where we find jon tritch tonight... hangin' out with the cowboys at the thomas and mack. jon. ((chris maathuis)) thanks jon... more on the opening night of the

more on the opening night of the nfr tonight at 11. lets turn our attention to nascar.. lots of fans in town this weekend... some of them are here for nascar champions week. and the highlight of their few days is the drive down the world famous strip. they've been doing this for the strip to see their favorite driver. the champion and all the others have fun with the fans by spinning the tires and doing donuts at the spring mountain intersection. prior to the drivers making their way down the strip, the myers brothers awards show was held inside the wynn hotel. this has been goin on for decades... individual awards being handed out and this year's driver of the year is las vegan kyle busch. (( )) kyle busch/driver of year;"yeah we did have a great year, top 4 got to homestead and had a chance to go race for a

so successful year all around, we had some wins won brickyard, contended and did what we needed to do and look forward to next year... there not awards you set out for and look to.. the only ones you set out for and look forward to is that championship." nascar officials were toasting a brand new title partnership.. old timers will remember when nascar's premier series was called the winston cup series... then sprintp sponsor. and it just so happens that las vegan kurt busch drives the monster engery number #41 car and he feels monster energy will bring a little more fun to nascar. (( )) kurt busch/driver monster energy; "it's what they do at track to activate what to do at the midway. you may not see a lot of fans in the stands 20 minutes before the race because there will be tons of things going on beyond what the track is going to provide... so it'll be fun to see what they do to build on the

finally ufc fight fans are gearing up for this weekend's card that features a flyweight championship fight between demetrious johnson and ulitmate fighter season 24 winner tim elliott. johnson will be looking for his 9th straight title defense... he's considered the sports' best pound for pound fighter... yet doesn't get the respect he should. (( )) d. johnson/fighter; "i'm not worried about it, it's been taken away from before and i gained in back.. i'm not going to stress of put effort into something where somebody is behind a computer screend perfect its done i'm going to put effort or stress into that." ((dave courvoisier)) >> as jon tritsch said... the rodeo gets started in a matter of minutes... but well before it got underway... minutes... but well before it got underway... the doors of the las vegas

((denise valdez)) >> we sent michael stevens there to check out all the action. earlier, we checked out the stables... and animals at the thomas and mack... but now we've moved over to the south hall of the convention center... where cowboy christmas just opened to the public. for those not familiar... it started back in 19-86... and brings in over 4-hundred vendors from across the country and canada to las vegas. think about it... this entire floor 4-hundred and 40-thousansq we're talking boots... spurs... furniture... art... and of course hats... hundreds of people will pack this floor for the next 10-days... then head over to the rodeo just down the street at the thomas and mack: ((annie aznarez // cowboy christmas: our goal is to shop all day and rodeo all night. so this is what we want our nfr fans in town or live here to spend their day their afternoon here at cowboy christmas from 9 to 5 and make their way to the rodeo at 6:45 for the next 10 days.)) ((michael stevens)) >> in addition to all the

for the fans... like the coors rodeo saloon... the wrangler rodeo and the n-f-r social arenas. now let's get you some information... cowboy christmas runs today thru the 10th... at the las vegas convention center from 9 to 5pm. it's open to the public and free for everyone. ((dave courvoisier)) 8 news now at 6:30 starts in about three minutes. >> let's check in with paul joncich to see what's coming up. ((paul joncich)) people in a popular tennessee resort town... waiting to get back in their homes after a devastating wildfire. what's keeping them out... even though the immediate threat has passed. and donald trump... already working to keep jobs in the u-s. how he was able to negotiate a deal to keep a factory open... and why not everyone's job is safe... despite the deal./// news music

agenda... has a new man in charge. we talk exclusively with aaron ford about what he has in store for 2017 up in carson city. ((dave courvoisier)) severe weather and deadly wildfires... hit the southeast united stated. where clean-up is underway after twisters hit... and how dolly parton is helping her hometown... after fires ravaged the area./// ((tedd florendo)) ((( tracking the return of strong winds. we have numerous alerts for your friday. we'll break them most accurate weathernow forecast