he referred to my hands, they're small. something else must be small. i guarantee you there was no problem. >> it was the debate that focused some things that have never been discussed on the presidential stage. tonight we're asking a debate class if the tactics we're seeing actually works. a knife found on o.j. simpson's property. and why it has taken more than a decade for it to be tested. the country star is over. now her husband and musical partner is talking about the heartbreaking loss. >> a lot of people feel that frustration when you call in and you can't get a hold of anybody. >> the cable industry turning to students to help make for a better customer service connection. then the event that will be lighting up the sky near the metro with lanterns. 9news starts now. republican voters in several states will have one tomorrow. dr. ben carson formally suspended his presidential bid. not a surprising move since the retired neurosurgeon skipped last night's debate. tonight he spoke against the

campaign, saying he hopes that voters have, "had enough of its foolishness." the final four ted cruz, marco rubio, donald trump, all fighting for the gop nomination. tomorrow the republicans will caucus in kentucky, kansas, and maine. voters in louisiana will cast their ballots in a primary for both parties. democratic caucuses will also be held in kansas and nebraska. politics have always been a bit of a dirty sports, but lately it seems to be getting worse. with each debate the republican candidates continue to toss and jab insults at each other, less about substance and more about laugh lines. 9news reporter steve staeger takes a look at debate decorum. >> he referred to my hands, they're small, something else must be small. >> reporter: they ought to start putting a warning on these. due to dirty jokes and nasty insults. parental discretion should probably be involved. they call that a debate? >> everyone, ready?

>> it's more like i mention add cage match as opposed to respectfully talking about something and coming to the best decision. >> whose hands is better. and who has bigger hands or something. it's not very, like, it's not helpful. >> reporter: alfredo calvo and alyssa leary are seniors. they are both on the school's debate team. >> i think the debates should be a very serious environment, very respectful. >> reporter: that's not to say neither haven't been rattled by an opponent. >> okay. >> reporter: but they say you can't handle that with an insult. >> it definitely diminishes what you're trying to say. then people don't take you seriously. >> reporter: clashing is what debating is all about. just not the kind of clashing we've seen. >> your clash should be arguments that are well developed and thought through. you shouldn't be attacking people. >> reporter: while not every element of high school debate

leagues. alfredo still has some advice. >> respect each other out on the stage. if someone may have gotten the best of you on an argument, they got the best of you and you have to move forward. >> reporter: if they don't listen, they better watch out. he's gunning for the same job. >> i want to be the president of the united states some day. >> reporter: just think of how civil those debates would be. in thornton steve staeger 9news. high school debate, if you insult someone you lose points. the students say maybe the networks and political committees hosting these debates ought to take a closer look at those rules. a country singer's very public battle with cancer now over. 40-year-old joey feek died from cervical cancer this afternoon. she is in heaven and the cancer is gone, the pain has ceased. all her tears are dry. the dual worked on a song in 2012 called "when i'm gone," which tells the story of a

joey feek is seen throughout that video. her husband says that her heart and voice will simply be one click away. that video is currently number three tonight on the itunes country charts. los angeles police are testing a small knife found near o.j. simpson's former home to see if it's connected to the murders of his ex-wife and friend. police never found the murder weapon used to kill nicole brown simpson and ron goldman. but in the early 2000s, a former lapd traffic officer says he was working an off-duty movie shoot when a construction worker gave him a knife. the worker said that he found the knife buried on the simpson estates. the officer has now turned over the knife, but investigators say they are skeptical. >> first of all to determine if this is evidence. if it is not evidence, how do we prove one way or another that it's not. the only way to do it is by being able to challenge the people involved as to what and where it was recovered, how

>> a jury acquitted simpson of all charges in 1995. since then the case has remained open. even if the knife does link simpson to the murder, double jeopardy would protect simpson from being charged in the killings. simpson is currently in a nevada prison for a 2008 armed robbery conviction. the case of a carjacking that happened in aurora yesterday ended nearly 150 today. the three teenage suspects tried to take a road that was not plowed in the winter. it hit an embankment and was damaged. that's when the three suspects got out, tried to hide in a nearby shed, two rifles found nearby the scene. negotiators eventually got the teens to give up. so far no idea what they were doing in routt county. she was convicted of nearly killing an elderly man sentenced to 208 years in prison. jan bergman was in prison for another crime when jack woods bailed her out and brought her home with him. bergman was swindled out of

the stairs of his home and stomping on his head. the abuse came as a surprise to woods' family because he did not tell his own daughter about bergman. >> i figured i was old enough to take care of myself. but i found it without my daughter, i didn't know what i was doing. >> woods met bergman when she responded to an ad about a need for a caretaker after several calls from jail, woods bailed her out. now despite her long criminal history and two more trips to jail while she was his care help her. woods says that these days he's not hiring anyone else without his daughter's help. obstruction along the sidewalks near the lawrence street shelter in denver have been a problem for months. now the city plans to begin them out. on monday morning the city will post fliers in the area telling everyone they need to remove their belongings from the sidewalks and other areas right away. the city will take the items

facility if they are not cleared within 24 hours. they will begin to clear up the area three days a week, but it wasn't enough. >> i pressure washed the sidewalks. just encouraged people to seek services. in january it got to the point where that had to increase to a daily activity. so we are really reaching this place where we are facing potentially a public health issue. if we don't act and do something. >> items left on the sidewalk or other right of ways will be held for 30 days before being destroyed. denver police are trying to track down the owner of a pit bull mix that was nearly starved to death. petunia was dropped off at the denver dumb friend's league weighing only 19 pounds, half of what a dog her size is suppose to way. animal control thinks that petunia was suffering for months. vets don't know about her yet because the man and woman that dropped her off didn't provide any information. police are launching a search to find whoever is responsible. >> it is heart wrenching to see a dog like that. and that is why we're reaching

anyone has any information to try to find the owners, whoever is responsible for letting this happen. >> we should note police do not consider the man and woman suspects. investigators just want to ask them questions. no one claims petunia, she'll be available for adoption in the county that allows pit bull breeds. a new study published in the new england journal of medicine provides strong evidence that zika infection during pregnancy is linked to severe birth defects. pregnancy complications include potential blindness in babies development. zika virus degenital syndrome. a separate study shows that zika affects embryonic cells. this mosquito-born illness is spread mainly in latin america and the caribbean. if you ever have trouble with the cable company, you understand what this story is about. the rocky mountain cable association create add contest called cable apprentice to search for ways to fix their

problem through the minds of daniel's business college students at the university of denver. as 9news education reporter nelson garcia shows us the winning team takes over $4,500. nervous. >> reporter: for these du students, being prepared is a part of college life. >> it's been really a lot of practice put in, it's been about a month so far. >> reporter: but being prepared in front of the audience. >> basically i feel every motion that there is right now. >> reporter: it is how they want to change the future. >> at this point the hay is in the barn. just a matter of executing. >> thank you for joining us at the 10th annual rocky mountain cable apprentice. >> reporter: the animal school business market majors want to show their experience to help regional cable companies face real customer problems. >> i think it's the opportunity to address a problem that exists in the cable industry and find new ways to go about solving that.

>> reporter: over the past six weeks these students have made it to the final round of three teams. >> it's been a ton of work balancing school and work. >> reporter: these teams of three had 15 minutes to make their presentations and answer questions from an audience full of professionals. >> definitely to push us and challenge us. >> reporter: with the goal of having their voices heard. >> this is the first time on the big stage with the cameras and the microphones. >> the winner of the 10th annual cable apprentice. >> it's a unique opportunity for the students and also for the community of the cable industry to learn a little bit about what the new generation is thinking and how to solve some of these existing problems. >> a lot of people feel that frustration when you call in you can't get a hold of anybody. >> reporter: it's a lesson these students will remember about being prepared for whatever comes their way. >> i'm booking a trip tonight. i told myself i could go on a three-day weekend during spring break.

garcia 9news. >> organizers say winning the competition is also leading to jobs within the cable industry. next month an event will literally light up the sky just north of the metro. it's received a lot of attention online. it's been so much excitement about it. already nearly sold out. some of you may have heard about lantern fest before this because it has been held in colorado springs. the weekend of april 23 and 24 the colorado national speedway will host two evenings where lanterns will be lit and floated into the sky. saturday the 23rd is sold out. the event is put on by the same group that brought in a 1,000- foot slip-and-slide last year to boulder. this lantern festival will take place in an open area, although fire officials have called these lanterns a fire hazard. we talked to them during one of the bad fire years back in 2012. lanterns were floated from basketball star's wedding here in the metro with a lot of people who saw the lanterns about the strange lights. consider this an early warning. that there will be a lot more lights in the sky the weekend of april 23.

organizers of the lanterns fest say that the fuel cell runs out of fuel long before they return to the ground. >> it is certainly a beautiful sight to see, but yes there are some safety concerns. the conversations online have been split over this excitement for the spectacle and about concerns about all the fire danger and clean up involved. we're doing a poll right now to issue. >> you can go to 9news.com right now to weigh in. potential fire risk, whether you love it, whether it is bad for the environment. >> yeah, we will keep the vote open for the next few minutes. we want to hear from you what your opinion is, grab your device, tablet, phone, go to 9news.com, vote now. let us know. we'll update you on the results after the next commercial break. ahead at 10:00, march madness continues with the weather. we will bump up to the 60s and the 70s. a big change is on the way. before you click like on anything on facebook, you might want to hear about how some using that feature may now be part of a scam. then sports authority field

celebrate the broncos, their third title. later in sports the nuggets look to avenge one of their

okay, so before the break we asked about the lantern festivals planned for next month. some loved the idea. others not so fond as they see it as a fire risk. right now a lot of you are on your devices right now. 50%, half of you love it, they think it's a great idea. they are looking forward to see all the lanterns light up the sky. >> a good chunk say they are

it will be in an open area out there. 22% saying bad for the environment. and so yeah, it is interesting. i mean it's a beautiful scene, a beautiful thing. >> it really is. >> i think that we will see it, yeah, cross the board, the concerns why people would love it. the majority of the people are trusting that coordinators will have this event under control and it will be a nice event. >> yeah, for sure. >> we always appreciate you guys voting. >> thanks for taking part in the poll. >> yes, absolutely. so when you win the super peoples faces. there is some uncertainty about the name that goes on at the term. that there are nice new banners on it. they went up earlier today. one thinks all the broncos country and the other has a trio of lombardi trophies. both are the team's signature orange. broncos say that the new banners were a way to celebrate the super bowl victory that happened one month ago this sunday. seriously feels like a long time ago. expect to see the banners stay up until the start of next season. likely the first game of the

denver as the team raises the most important banner their championship banner. >> looking good. his colorful commentary and even more colorful outfits were a part of what made tennis on tv so great. today bud collins passed away. he was 86 years old. just last year the u.s. tenant association named the media center after collins. the plaque reads journalist, commentator, historian, mentor, and friend. getting scammed online often means you have taken the wrong turn on the web. now scammers are targeting you right in front of your face by using the like button on your facebook page called like farming. they hope that it will get a lot of likes and shares and more people will see it in their news feeds. they too might like it and share it. once it gets enough attention they edit the post to change the link to lead to malware an easy way to get information from you. we have more on like farming on the top facebook scams on 9news.com. jonathan, a lot of folks seem to like the 9news weather

for the weekend. i'm meteorologist kathy sabine outside the 9 backyard. a weak front rolled through today, probably didn't notice it. but the cloud deck out there made for a spectacular sunset. oh my goodness it was so very pretty. remember we love your sunrise and sunset pictures as well. they help us tell the weather tale and we'd like to put you on 9news if we can. so a beautiful evening. hope you got a chance to enjoy it. in the high country there's still some winter to be found. here in denver you're probably saying where is the snow? we're coming off february with above average snowfall, almost four inches. same for the year. here's march. we've been talking about it as the snowiest month and there's no snow in the short-term forecast. it's just beautiful outside right now. 38 degrees at dia winds south at 14. calm winds here in the backyard outside the studios with almost 40. we are tracking a system moving on shore in california, but it will take a few days to get here. ahead of it, winds today allowed temperatures to warm up above the seasonal average of 50, even with that weak front

70s on the math and southeastern colorado. while tomorrow morning if you're out and about for the hike or walking the dog or going for a run or running errands, you'll have mild weather with fair skies, light wind, and a quiet start to the day. today's weather maker moving into the midwest. high pressure following that area of low pressure just setting right up over the area not going anywhere for a couple of days. but this system off the coast of california is moving on shore bringing some beneficial rain and heavy snow to the sierras, the one that may bring rain and snow to the high country as early as sunday morning and a little rain to denver on monday. ahead of it though temperatures will soar above mid-average, mid-60s tomorrow. we remain on the fringe of the colder air. 39 in minneapolis compared to 66 in denver eight and 86 in phoenix tomorrow. high clouds are rolling through and rolling out clear and cold overnight. winds shift out of the southwest bringing that afternoon cloud cover back in. we'll have more sunshine at least for the first half of the day than what we saw today. really as we get you into sunday is when the moisture

sunday night rain and snow on the i-70 corridor. denver dry until monday. looks like a warm storm, rain that could mix with snow along the front range foothills. clear and cold tonight. 27 in hayden. low 30s for greeley, colorado springs, and lamar. where temperatures tomorrow will spring board back into the 70s. mid-6s arvada, broomfield. beautiful in parker and highlands ranch. 50s in the high country. great travel weather in and out of the mountains tomorrow. sunday afternoon may be a different story. front range foothills not a lot of wind for you tomorrow. mid-50s in idaho springs, bailey, and conifer. city forecast for tonight, clear, cool. a forecast low of 36. sun is up tomorrow at 6:26. we will just see a beautiful saturday shaping up. afternoon. again considering the average high is 50. check out the high on sunday. 70 degrees ahead of a storm that could bring rain or rain/snow mix. it moves out quickly tuesday

week, check it out. we see temperatures rebound back into the 60s midweek. 70s next friday. hey a week from sunday, daylight savings time begins. we push those clocks forward an hour, we lose an hour of sleep. what? i was surprised to see this coming so soon. and beautiful in the high country. still you can find winter if you look closely. if you look really close, sometimes the great outdoors will be looking indoors.

that's what happens the the nets.

season. they have only won 17 of 61 games this year. that game was in brooklyn. tonight in denver the nuggets look to get some payback. the start of the finish denver down by one. make it denver up two. emmanuel mudiay with the hoop. two plus one for the rookie. denver up a deuce. next with the free throw setting up the dramatic finish. gary harris with the win. no! we've got three basketballs tied up at 112 right down to the wire again in o.t. denver on top by one. nets drive, and missed. oh no. the tip in by brooke lopez. not again. denver loses another heartbreaker to brooklyn. 121-120 the final. the nets have now beaten the nuggets five straight times. >> and then we just needed one stop, you know, both games in brooklyn and tonight we were one stop away from getting a win.

you know when are we going to learn our lesson? you're going to defend. when you do that, i don't care who you're playing you get bet tonight. >> better news in college basketball the csu team, the second team in mountain history to do so going undefeated in conference thanks to their win force. 81-48. csu now 28-1. winners of 25 games in a row. up next the mountain west tournament and then the ncaa tournament. from the hardwood to the ice, 7th ranked du hosting no. 15 nebraska, omaha. will butcher making it 2-0 on the power play. du wins the final with 3-0. finally from du hockey to du lacrosse. pioneers visit power house north carolina tomorrow. first game outside the state for freshman goalie alex redy. the good thing about joining a for success.

to make that team. the du lacrosse team isn't just good, they're great. the best there is. the defending national champions. but if they hope to repeat that, they will need to rely on a new goalie. a freshman goalie. number 16 alex ready is the pioneer's new number one in goal. >> you know, definitely the more you play the more confidence you gain. i think that my defense, my coaching staff has done a great job just showing the confidence they have in me. i'm not really worrying about when you give up the goal. the biggest thing is moving on to the next shot whenever you give up a goal or make a save and that's kind of how i have tried to save it just one shot at a time it's going pretty well so far. >> you have five kids that are competing for a job. right now alex is the best of the five. he's done a great job. i think the most important thing is he showed a lot of non- freshman poise playing like an upper classmen and doing a great job. >> reporter: but that job is about to get a whole lot

on deck for du no. 10 north carolina and top rank notre dame. both on the road. pretty intimidating. then again the same thing was said about no. 4 duke and alex helped du get the best of the blue devils. >> i think it definitely helps just knowing you can play at that level and really help your team win. but i really try not to look at it that way. i try to approach every game the same, to find the best way to go about it. i think hopefully it works out. >> most important position on the team for the defending national champions. >> no pressure. >> and he's a freshman. >> yes, he's ready. >> i just need a picture of you in those glasses.

all week we visited colorado's national parks looking for new adventures off the beaten path. 9news anchor kyle clark spent

in several seasons. we invite you to join us saturday night on 9news for an hour long special we're calling this land rediscovering colorado's national parks. it will reair sunday night at 9:30 on channel 20. should be beautiful. got to check it out. >> get watching. there you go. the tonight show is next. thanks for watching.