pileup would be nonstop news. 15 cars got tangled up near evergreen this afternoon on i- 70 east bound. there was a car carrier in the group and it's unclear whether the 15 car total included the vehicles hauled by that >> i. two people went to the hospital. i70 was -- by that semi. two people went to the hospital. i-70 was closed several hours. the worst spot seemed to be on the south side of town, east pound c-470 470 at i-25 was shut down due to ice. with the cold on the way we could see more icy roads in the morning. kathy is along now with more on what to expect. >> drier air working in from the northwest, but temperatures have just begun to fall out there. hard to take after a record high of 80 yesterday, our high today 39. we should be in the low 50s, powerful storm system moving across north eastern colorado

midwest where airport and travel delays are likely on friday. down to 25 at dia, a bit of wind, feels like 14 on exposed skin. wind chill is 1 in leadville, 9 in limon, minus 3 in laramie. tomorrow we see the heavier snow bands push south and east away from the metro area, but the wet roadways will soon ice over as temperatures continue to fall. winter weather and travel advisories extend from the northern plains where blizzard condit those outside minneapolis and farmington down toward the north platte area. the areas in red is a winter storm warning, our favorite mountain resorts seeing up to a foot of snow just in time for the thanksgiving holiday. decent travel weather tomorrow. as the snow ends tonight and skies clear, it will be one of the colder nights that we have seen in quite some time. jacket weather to be sure tomorrow morning and those shiny roads out there already

only gradually tomorrow. we'll stay below freezing a large part of the day and look at a nice weekend warm-up, something we'll talk about and we'll look further beyond this weekend to the busy thanksgiving holiday travel week. i'm tracking another storm and another chance for snow. low clouds are still hanging over the city tonight. they're the last of the storm that's headed east out of state. 9news reporter noel brennan joins us from downtown with a look at how icy it's getting it has pretty much stopped snowing here at 16th and stout, but it was snowing an hour ago, not a huge impact by any means, but streets out here are still kind of wet. that's about it. if you're walking on the16th street mall or in this area, you might see the sidewalks out here. they're wet and slippery, so take caution on the sidewalks. that is about it. mother nature kind of easing us into the type of weather that

30th. that's 201 days. also it is just a reporter's duty to remind folks to drive carefully tomorrow morning. we know what happens when temperatures drop overnight and those roads are wet. of course, they can turn to ice. i just have to remind folks about that. >> we saw it happen over and over again today, too. thanks. here's the conditions now in genesee. the foothills have their first snow of the season. it is the first snow for denver. 201 da for breaking the all time record of the latest first snowfall in the city's history. coming up we'll see what the ski areas got out of the storm and what it feels like to see snow for the first time in your life. the owners of an apartment complex near sports authority field at mile high are accused of putting asbestos into the air during broncos games. the overlook at mile high apartments were under renovation during the 2014

walking distance of the stadium. if it's found true, will max capital management could be fined $500,000 or more and the manager could serve a year in prison and be fined $100,000. donald trump plans to meet saturday with mitt romney on sunday according to nbc to discuss the position of secretary of state. think back to the republican primary and it would seem strange bedfellows. then romney said trump would represent all that is dangerous to the heart and america. trump called romney a loser. the two reportedly began talking about meeting last week when the former massachusetts governor called to congratulate trump on winning the election. it may signal the two are trying to mend rifts in the republican party. the trump transition team is also working to fill the national security adviser spot. military commander lieutenant general mike flynn has been reportedly offered the job tonight. colorado's wide open spaces attract some people who want to live off the grid and in park

9news reporter brandon rittiman and photojournalist byron reed shows a fight over how people can live on their own land. s there -- land. >> reporter: steve bedigeon lives in a hole in the ground 9,000 feet above sea level. he's an off gridder living his american dream and he knows his doesn't match yours. >> i live an idyllic life up here, not in the eyes of most. >> reporter: some will look at this and think lived this way. >> how horrible. look at his white pants are brown. >> reporter: steve literally lives dirt cheap eating little more than potatoes. he rejects society's view of a normal productive life. >> i'm not a slob. i'm not uncultured. i'm just not a slave to material things and i don't have to maintain them. >> reporter: steve has had this 6-acre parcel in south park for 40 years. >> home sweet home.

this exposed valley till a year and a half ago when steve moved in and started building what he calls his sculpture garden named sergeant mikes for his dad who fought as a marine. >> it started out because my dad was a real flag lover. >> reporter: this is why everyone around here calls him the flag man. >> right now when i let this go, there's a big smile on my father's face. >> reporter: he lets his flags get tattered and torn. to him that's a symbol of how people like his dad earned scars throughout flag right on the edge of a busy highway and they complained to the county. flags aside what the county sees is a 6-acre trash heap. that's a problem because steve's 6 acres are zoned residential bordered by other residential plots. here the county has a ban on rubbish and on permanent camping. >> zoning exists for a reason. it's to insure compatibility. >> reporter: park county development director sheila

they've seen hundreds of people recently start camping on cheap plots meant for people who build single family homes. >> i would say it's one of the toughest issues that we've dealt with just i mean there's so much controversy and the county really wanted to do the right thing for everybody, but it's sometimes impossible to do that obviously. >> reporter: after a long debate the county passed tougher regulations this year against camping on residential land to protect the people building homes up to campers warning them they need to comply with zoning rules or risk being forced off. some are cooperating. >> we're working with them to try to figure out how we can help them comply. >> reporter: steve has no plans to comply. >> you can take my corpse from sergeant mike's, but you will not take my freedom from me. >> reporter: he's fighting a civil lawsuit from the county over the rubbish rule. if the county wins, it may do what it's done before, foreclose on steve's land and

up. even if steve did clean up, the county would enforce its camping ban. they point out campers don't have proper sewage or septic systems. >> it's going into the water. >> reporter: steve doesn't consider his waste could do much harm considering the cow piles on all the neighboring ranches. he owns this land and it's where he wants to die. >> i have two untreated cancer issues. >> reporter: i'm sorry. >> don't be. it's not a deal -- big deal. >> reporter: what is a big deal to steve is keeping his little scrap of heaven off the grid in south park. >> freedom! you can't take it from me! >> reporter: with photojournalist byron reed, brandon rittiman, 9news. >> steve has until monday to file his response in park county court. the county will ask the judge to rule against him. steve tells us he'll represent

hoping someone will help them identify the person who set a man on fire earlier this month. investigators aren't offering many details other than the attack happened november 6th near east 58th avenue and washington street. they released these images. the suspect was seen wearing a hooded sweatshirt with a cross fit reebok logo. the victim has serious injuries. anyone with information is asked to call crime stoppers. the side effects of this next story include the ability to better understand what's going on with drug prices as we look into why 100 drugs have increased in price in four years, 9wants to know investigator chris vanderveen shows us why it might not be fair to blame only the drug companies for the cost to fill your next prescription. >> frustrating. you can't explain that. >> reporter: pharmaceutical companies boost prices so quickly. >> overnight in some cases. >> reporter: even pharmacists

you just have to sometime say somebody is getting rich and it ain't us. >> reporter: but while most of us patients look toward the pharmaceutical companies, people like robert valek look elsewhere. >> it's called a pharmacy benefits management company. >> reporter: can you have a discussion about drug costs in 2016 without talking about pbms. >> not fully, you -- pbms? >> not fully, you can't. >> reporter: wedged in between the drug companies and the pbm. stick with me because not only are they critical in this discussion, they're also massive processing nearly 4 billion prescriptions every year in the united states. last year the two largest pbms in the country, express scripts and care mark reported combined revenues of a quarter of a trillion dollars. and they did so quietly. >> we want transparency for patients and payors. we just don't want it for our

competitors. seems legit, right? critics say that is what gives them an unfair advantage. pbms tell us they're saving you money, but as our list of 100 drugs shows, the prices of drugs still keep going up. >> this is all done in a way that's so hidden that they don't have to report this money to practically anyone. >> reporter: dr. david belk runs the consumer watchdog group the true cost on secrecy. >> very, very easy in a system that's so secret tiff and so few prices are re-- secretive and so few prices are revealed to anyone. >> reporter: what if there was a lawsuit that opened up the process a little, a lawsuit like the one 9wants to know found between insurance giant anthem and its pbm express scripts and what if that lawsuit suggested anthem believes its customers are paying 3 billion more than the competitive benchmark rate

told us this? >> the rates they have are what they negotiated in that initial contract. >> reporter: that's right. as far as express scripts is concerned, if anthem's customers are paying more, it's anthem's fault. >> would they have liked the contract to be different? obviously probably, so but the contract is what it is. >> reporter: we went online and used express scripts own website to look at what some anthem patients with high deductible plans might pay and compared those numbers with what patients using care we found anthem's patients appear to pay more for a number of drugs on our list like latuda, antipsychotic, a thyroid medicine. when we asked for additional comments, express scripts said our numbers might not take into account variables, for example, premiums and deductibles the anthem customer might be paying less up front.

behind the curtain like the wizard of oz. >> reporter: donna marshall said we found 1 small piece of a massive and confusing system, a system in which a number of participants in essence take a little off the top. >> there's a lot of levers and a lot of moving parts. >> reporter: until there's more transparency in the entire system she said we simply cannot know who is getting the best deal. valek says bottom lines patients need to ask pharmacists and of pbms. >> most people don't know pbms exist, nor are they front of mind of them even if they know they exist. >> reporter: he's tired, tired of the price increases and tired of having to explain the inexplicable to his growing list of frustrated customers. are you losing faith that this will change? >> i would stay i've lost faith that it's going to change. >> reporter: here's the thing.

you. this has been a lot to take in without the week. we started the week with the basic health insurance, this with the pbms, much more complicated stuff. there have been efforts both local and national to force pbms to become more transparent with how much they're taking off the top. so far nothing seems to stick. if you've missed any part of our side effect series, tomorrow morning at 8 a.m. on channel 20 we will replay all of it throughout that entire hour, a lot of information to come in, but hopefully it's coalesce around the topic. >> it speaks to the reason why consumers and voters have had such a tough time convincing regulators and legislators to change this because it takes a whole week to try to get a handle on it explaining it. >> here's the problem, kyle. we could go on a whole month it's that complicated and it's difficult for patients to educate themselves, but we have to start educating ourselves and knowing what our insurance plans are and what questions to

>> thanks, chris. back to the snow and cold in a moment. we're watching road conditions and we'll check back with kathy to see about the snow totals and the warm-up for the weekend. >> the nfl players going to mexico step are looking at a whole new -- city are looking at a whole new set of rules. >> reporter: he's been one of

drivers should assume everything that looks wet could be ice tonight and into the morning. i-25 looks shiny and slick in denver. allow extra time. in addition to slick spots, drivers will be at lower speeds. you'll need to leave more distance between you and the car in front. >> good tip. i'm chief meteorologist kathy sabine outside in the 9news backyard. the snow has stopped falling and i almost don't need th trusty 9news shovel which has about 2 inches of snow on it here in the 9news backyard. the snow sending north to south along the front range, drier air working in, but the wet roads will soon ice up. temperatures today way below average, 38 degrees in denver, a little warmer in southeastern colorado and very cold at the airport, 25 degrees currently,

in the backyard the winds finally calmed down, but we have wind chill values in the downtown area in the mid-teens right now with 26 degrees outside the studios. looking at the storm system moving across the state from the northwest, it brought a lot of snow, but a lot of you were happy about it, man and beast really enjoying the first taste of fall like fritz here and so many of you sending in your snow reports which have been pretty substantial. the storm dropping south a bit stronger than the forecast in and around the denver ea castle rock parker, areas in douglas county about 3, 4 in westminster, arvada, higher amounts north and west of town. all the winter weather and travel advisories in the high country will cancel out overnight as the snow ends north to south. heavier snow bands shift south and east. in the high country some welcome snow, 5 to 10 inches across the northern and central mountains just in time for the

up counterclockwise. it is out of they're, fast moving -- here, mast moving storms from north -- fast moving storms from north platte to rapid city, minneapolis. the wind from this storm will create blizzard conditions off to the north and east of colorado. we're on the backside of this system. all these advisories will cancel out overnight and we do not anticipate difficult travel in the high country tomorrow like we saw on i-70 today. look at this giant storm winding its wa midwest and look west. there's another storm out there i'm tracking for next week and next week is a really busy holiday week. we'll keep an eye on that 1. we say good-bye to today's snowmaker. the cold air follows it through. high pressure sets up and then there's that california storm late in the weekend, early next week. these are high temperatures tomorrow. wind go north, northwest and the cold air goes to the southern plains states. we should be in the low 50s this time of year.

tomorrow. snow showers ending north to south, heavier snow bands lift into nebraska and skies clear across the state, one of the colder nights in quite some time. still some decent snow parker lone tree, limon, sterling, travel a bit treacherous on the i-70 corridor and in denver tonight and tomorrow allow for extra time. our morning crew belen deleon will be in in the morning to get you through what could be a tough drive. you'll step out to because it's going to be really cold. sidewalks will be icy because of the moisture. 18 denver, 17 vail, 21 pueblo. this is our high temperature map, looks like a low temperature map for the state. we call this forecasting fun in the 9news weather office, a record high of 80 yesterday to a high of 39 today and that's our high tomorrow. in the mountains better travel weather and if you're headed to

longer to get up there. snow ending in the city, clear, cold, 18 tonight, sun-up before 7:00. cold weather settles in, but it's friday. winds taper off in the afternoon, back into the teens tomorrow night. those of you with football games, soccer, things outdoors early saturday morning, it is going to be cold. we warm up saturday and sunday. that next storm tuesday, weaker, warmer. right now showers maybe mixing with snow it. beyond that looking pretty good until a couple days after thanksgiving and watching a storm for that weekend. speaking of a storm, a beautiful day in telluride with that glorious snowfall and the snow amounts coming from eldora are terrific as well. sports is next. we'll take a quick break and be

monday night the nfl moves to new mexico. players are being given strict road trip rules. in capital letters the team memo said do not leave the hotel. it ordered players to leave expensive jewelry at home and not to leave large sums of money. another section said don't drink bottled water and avoid ice and eat all meals with the team no, room service. that particular concern is because the dishes with meat

this season's late snow won't delay most skiers, but the pros have to wait to compete. the giant slalom races were scheduled december 2nd through the 4th, but there's not enough time to get the 8,600-foot long course ready. beaver creek is still scheduled to open to us mere mortals next wednesday. we just had snow in denver, but areas around pueblo had sleet, graupel and snow. they have a predicted low of 22 tonight. the ski resorts have waited for snow way too long and had reason to celebrate when finally got here. at loveland ski area about 67

from colorado's sports leader here's rod mackey. >> when is being mediocre a good thing? when you're below the break even mark. the avs with a collapse to get back to .5 -- chance to get back to .500 with a win at dallas. unfortunately tonight they took another step back as the good guys got off to a bad start, all right, a terrible start

colorado did make a game of it, but they still lost the game. the final score was 3-2. cu linebacker addison gillum leads the buffs in tackles his freshman season and almost quit the sport after that year. aaron matas explains why. >> reporter: his love for the game overflows like the hair from his helmet. >> i always tease him about his hair flowing, but i love >> reporter: addison couldn't have had a better 2013. >> i kind of realized it was just football. i've got to play. >> reporter: the team leading tackler, the first team freshman all american. the problem began the next season. >> sophomore year i don't know what happened. >> reporter: gillum battled illness that oddly was never diagnosed. he lost weight, fought through injuries and just couldn't stay on the field. >> toward the end of the year started dealing with some

with the losing record and everything, it was like everything was adding on and kind of thought like football wasn't for me. >> reporter: questioning his dedication, gillum told his coach he wanted to quit. the two started talking things through and addison soon realized he still loved the game. >> i was more excited than i had been since freshman year. >> reporter: then he was derailed again. gillum tore his meniscus in 2015 and missed almost the entire season. after two incredibly field and contribut. nobody can some up what the linebacker has been through than head coach mike macintyre. >> to see him walk through it, might start crying, to see him walk through it like he has has been pretty inspirational to say the least. >> reporter: macintyre cares

>> it's awesome. it's great to see. >> reporter: that compassion helped get addison back on the field. >> and addison is right there? >> i'm loving it. we're finally back to winning. >> reporter: and falling in love with football all over again. aaron matas, 9news. >> addison and the buffs host washington state saturday, but tonight was all about basketball in boulder. tadd boys crew playing louisiana monroe and let's just home it's this easy in -- hope it's this buffs win by 19, 89-70. no nuggets tonight. we do have the nuggets, but instead of playing basketball they were playing southwest airline employee. one of their partners, by the way, gallo and mudiay did basically everything except, of course, fly the plane. >> i think i'd be great. if they want to hire me, feel free. it was a great experience

they said we did good. i think we did pretty good. >> i guess the southwest paycheck would not be quite that of the denver nuggets paycheck, but the benefits. >> you fly free around the country. it all comes out i think.