long island sound. so really cool look there. i'm going to show you a couple different views. it really depends on where you are. what you see here, look at that. let's look in to the south. there's another downpour right over there and you see a little bit of sunshine on the empire state building. let me show you what it looks like over new york harbor. incredible. kind of a rainbow alert across the area where you have the sunshine following some of these gusty showers. they're not severe. they're knocking down the temperatures. they're very brief but the one cluster is over new york city and nassau county. that's headed over to brooklyn and over the rockaways. you see the heavy downpour over the l.i.e. these showers will be moving over to suffolk. not much behind them, just a

after that we're going to get colder starting tomorrow. the jet is going to phase these two systems. and a new system is going to develop along the carolina coast as we go in to saturday late in the day, early sunday. then that storm is going to crank off the eastern seaboard sunday. first of all in the short-term, we've got scattered gusty showers through the evening hours. they're going to dissipate. downpour. the cooling trend begins tomorrow and now based on all the information we've looked at today, a wet spring snow does seem likely. starting sunday and going in to early monday, have preliminary thoughts on accumulation amounts and timing. that's coming up in the 7-day minutes. we're going to turn to the other news of the night. that gun found at a school in queens. police say a 15-year-old was his backpack. this happening days after

>> reporter: this is the loaded .38-caliber which police say the student at the academy in jamaica brought to school today. >> i had had no clue my daughter is going to a school where there's an unloaded gun found. >> reporter: police say the gun was found in a 15-year-old student's backpack, charges are pending against him. >> are you worried about sending your kid to school here? >> this is pretty good security here, but it happens. >> reporter: it was just two days ago that school agents found this loaded 9 millimeter handgun in the backpack of an 11-year-old student at ps40 also in jamaica. that child's 54-year-old grandfather, kenneth miley, is being charged. police say miley left the illegal weapon hidden in his couch which is where the young boy found it. it's unclear where the 15-year-old got this gun. >> i think that's dangerous.

should really take precaution. that's a serious thing. whoever the parents is, they really have to take some responsibility of that. >> reporter: a spokeswoman for the department of education said of today's incident this is deeply alarming and we are working closely with the nypd to ensure that all students and staff are safe. the police department immediately responded and are investigating the troubling incident. tomorrow morning concerned parents will rally on the steps of city hall and release what they call alarming new data about the number of weapons recovered in the city's public schools. in jamaica, queens, kristin thorne, channel 7 eyewitness news. tonight an witness news exclusive. the mother of a man on the run telling us tonight he was just defending his daughter. police are looking for 48-year-old julio velasquez.

burgess last night. his mom telling us he was defending his daughter who burgess had threatened and punched to the face, angry that she didn't accept his offer to swipe him in to the subway system for $1. >> you know they've been cutting up girls, is slicing them in the face and the hands. >> new york police tonight urging velasquez to turn himself in. in manhattan today, st. patrick's day parade free of controversy for the first time in decades. an estimated 200,000 people marched up fifth avenue today. the weather today, pretty perfect for the celebration. this year mayor de blasio marched in the parade for the first time after a large group of gays were allowed to participate in the parade as well. political reporter dave evans is along the parade route with more. >> as you know the st. patrick's day parade which went up 5th

one of the oldest parades in the country. we think first one was way back in 1776. as you mentioned, this year a first. the first time we see an openly gay group march in the parade and this time they were invited. >> reporter: they are a little older now. perhaps not the angry protesters from 25 years ago. today gay irish new yorkers are included, welcomed on this st. patrick's day. >> today marks the beginning of a new era. we cross a threshold in to this moment of inclusion and equality and it's been a long, long struggle. >> reporter: back in 1991, gays marched with the mayor. parade organizers vowed never again. the openly gay irish were forced to watch and sell from the sidelines. but over the last few years, so much has changed with gay rights. the parade reversed its rules

mayor de blasio came back. he actually marched twice today with both police in the morning and with the lavender and green alliance later this afternoon. >> this is a day of peace and a day of reconciliation. for 25 years new yorkers have waited to see everyone come together in unity. >> reporter: so today included the traditional irish, the cardinal of course watched from st. pat's. but the governor marched for the first time too. and this councilman as well. last time here he got arrested. >> and i'm so grateful to be able to finally step on to fifth avenue, not fear arrest but instead be apart of celebrating the fact that i'm irish and gay at the same time. >> reporter: today was not just about marching in any old parade. it was about being invited, welcomed, a homecoming of sorts. >> we're being welcomed where we should have been all along. but it's been a long road. but yeah, this is coming home. >> for the last couple of years,

pressure applied to them. for example, guinness beer threatened to pull its support. the mayor, he refused to march along with most democratic politicians. this year everything changed. everyone was invited. for now reporting live in midtown, dave evans, channel 7 eyewitness news. testing now beginning for up to 17,000 students in newark, testing for lead poisoning. high levels of lead found in the drinking water at dozens of public schools. now new worries about the possible harm that's been done and whether other buildings in newark also have problems with lead in their water. parents angry and worried, huge meetings happening tonight to demand answers. we'll have it for you on eyewitness news at 11:00. worries about lead now making news in new york city as well. u.s. attorney here, preet baraha investigating on whether some city workers lied about contamination.

>> i'm very concerned. >> reporter: concerned because here in east new york at the linden houses you don't have to look far to spot this, peeling paint, that some residents say the new york city housing authority promised to fix two years ago. not to mention the constant reappearance of what looks like mold. >> what they do is they come and they paint over the mold. and that's not solving the problem. >> reporter: on the heels of troubling revelations about lead contamination in flint, now we learn of a federal investigation right here in new york city. the u.s. attorney drafting this letter to a federal judge which compels the city to release patient information, particularly information from the new york city children's blood lead registry. the feds launching an investigation in to whether nicha has made false claims for payment. today at the st. patrick's day parade, mayor de blasio said he just learned of the investigation at the same time we did.

yet and we don't even know if there is a specific problem yet. >> reporter: but he assures tenants throughout the buildings the city will be cooperating with the probe. >> if there's more we need to do, we'll do it. obviously our priority is keeping people safe. >> the mayor says the city has some of the most stringent lead abatement laws in the country. he'll anxiously await the results of this investigation, but so will more than 400,000 people who live in the city's public housing developments. in east new york, i'm stacey news. as we continue with eyewitness news at 6:00 for this thursday night, the remarkable story of a 77-year-old principal and teacher. he would earn more money with his pension than his current >> march madness. how's your bracket looking tonight? we'll show you all the local

new at 6:00, you're about to meet a remarkable man. a remarkable teacher. >> his name is henry hamilton, 77 years old and still every day goes to work where he taught and was the principal. >> he could have retired years ago for more money than he would make working. but then he wouldn't be working. >> what a guy.

>> reporter: it's the kids at whitney houston academy in new jersey that keep their principal's toes tapping. >> they keep me up. >> reporter: 77-year-old henry hamilton has been an educator for nearly 57 years. 47 of them spent right here molding minds in pre-k through 8th. >> there's not enough time in the day for what i need to do for my youngsters. >> a lot of young minds. >> reporter: 15 years ago, he was eligible for retirement, but chose to keep working even after he was offered a buyout. >> i think the man above will let me go when it's time to leave. >> reporter: his former students include the late whitney houston and many other success stories. hamilton says each one is as important as the next. >> i let them know that they're valuable. i let them know that they're intelligent. >> he makes houston academy what houston academy is. >> reporter: but he says it's the kids that give him meaning.

yes, i did. i love it. yes, i love it. and i'm proud to say that. >> reporter: mr. hamilton has been walking these hallways for so long, he knows every inch of them. while it's true he could have retired years ago and would probably be taking home more money today, he says it's seeing the difference he's making in the lives of the children here that is the real reward. in east orange, new jersey, channel 7 eyewitness news. >> quite a gite. >> he's got a ton of energy. a look back at an electric moment. you saw it here last night. lightning on our newscast yesterday. >> speaking of lightning and rain, we've got more on the way and some possible snow for this

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affordable housing, rewrite the rent regulation rules and focus on getting people jobs, getting the homeless back in homes of their own. 600,000 new yorkers paying 50% of their income for housing. >> way too much. >> that's a lot of money. we know you have a very busy night. you've been tracking a lot of stuff. storms tonight. storms this weekend. >> there aren't that many downpours today but the ones that have been around, some lightning and now on long island, very heavy downpours. last night at this time we were seeing widespread lightning across the area. we were about to wrap up the night. then the incredible strike. it's like a return stroke there too. just unbelievable. of course we shared that on social media with you. we have more lightning around tonight. this is a look off to the east. there are storms over long island right now. but i'm going to switch this camera and look back over new york harbor where we have the sunshine coming out. some rainbows across the area this evening. wind is looking gusty.

harbor right now and the ferries. we're at 51. northwest wind is gusting to 30. that's one thing about the storms today. maybe not as widespread but they're kicking up the winds. comfortable st. patrick's day high at 63. weather really held for the parade. record 75 back in 1945. we dropped down to the 40s. above 60 on the island right now as the showers begin to move in. 45-mile-per-hour gust at jfk. 30-mile-per-hour gust at laguardia and a little bit of lightning over parts of upper manhattan and the queens. 21-mile-per-hour wind in white plains. so the winds are still gusty in to early evening. showers are going to wind down quickly then partly cloudy to mostly clear. it is windy again tomorrow. same script. sun mixes with clouds, afternoon shower. i don't think we're looking at much thunder tomorrow afternoon. meanwhile, there's the gusty

now you've got a downpour near plainview. the one that's affecting the commute along the l.i.e. is right there south, headed to deerpark so there are gusty winds with that and a brief heavy downpour. off to the west there are a couple scattered showers. may have to have the umbrella briefly this evening but it will be isolated. this is essentially the leading edge of a huge cold air mass carved out over hudson bay. this drops in to the northeast tomorrow night. it's a stage where we have tomorrow only in the 50s. then only in the 40s by the time we get to saturday. widely scattered showers through early evening hours. 40s tomorrow morning and then 50s during the day with a gusty wind. feels like 40s. maybe just a widely scattered shower in the afternoon, could even be a higher elevation snow shower. gives you an idea of the chill that's coming in friday night in to saturday. we fast forward to saturday where we're sunny but off to the south, storms brewing in the gulf of mexico. jet stream picking it up and strengthening it along the carolina coast.

close call with the new york city half marathon. i think there's wet snowflakes or raindrops in the air. then the question is what about the storm track, which i'm still favoring a storm track that's closer. it's a little too early, got uncertainty in the storm track for an official band map. maybe at 11:00 tonight. i'm feeling the most likely accumulation range is a 3 to 6-inch storm. we'll watch that closely for you. evening shower, thunderstorm, partial clearing. 44 tonight. 56 tomorrow. it's definitely windy and cooler. gusts over 30, 35. might be a passing shower in the afternoon. down to freezing. diminishing wind. there's your weekend. saturday is fine. last full day of winter is cool but sunny and there you go on sunday. rain and wet snow going to all snow. 37. likely accumulating even on the roads and monday morning looks messy. >> i love the over-under you had. should we do a facebook live

>> i think 9:00 would be a great time. you available? >> laura behnke in for rob ellis next in sports. >> how are you all feeling about those brackets so far? the moment of truth has now arrived. march madness has begun in full force. iona trying to pull off the upset but we know that's always easier said than done. plus the mets have spoken.

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everyone is suddenly asking me, how's your bracket? >> how is your bracket? >> pretty good, how is yours? [ laughter ] here's hoping you were able to get most of your work done earlier this week because as of

officially down because it's all about basketball all the time with the first round of the ncaa tournament finally here. iona trying to upset iowa state in denver. the takeaway on the break. back to nader who finishes the alley-oop. aj english led the way with 28 points in his final college game. iona could never quite close the gap. monte morris, the steal. and the finish. 94-81. the gaels' season ends in round 1. elsewhere in the midwest, 9 seed butler, 10-point winner over virginia. in the south region, surging uconn against colorado in an 8-9 match-up today. uconn trailed by 9 at the half. totally different story in the second. part of a 14-4 huskies run. uconn not letting up. hamilton off the steal. slamming it home. he had 17 points while rodney

end to end for the lay-up and the whistle. 74-67. uconn rolls. kevin ollie now 7-0 as head coach in the tournament. top seed kansas having its way with austin peay late in the 2nd half. buke take -- duke taking care of unc wilmington. day one is far from over. 13 seed stony brook making its ncaa debut against 4 seed kentucky. seton hall facing gonzaga. barclay center, it's one of the sites for the first and second rounds. those games tomorrow and sunday. 2 seed villanova is your headline. michigan and notre dame in the east. in baseball the mets have officially passed the halfway point of grapefruit league play

regular season than the offseason. the team announced matt harvey will be the opening day starter when the amazings kick off their season just over two weeks for sunday night baseball. quite an honor for the ace. >> i definitely feel a year after surgery, i'm definitely 100% and happy about the honor and definitely ready for the battle. >> as for the preseason, mets and marlins today. jacob degrom making this start. he passed three scoreless innings, striking out three. allowed one hit. solid day. his catcher, travis d'arnaud, 2- run scoring double here. not to be out done, curtis granderson also active. going 2-3 in the lead-off spot. 6-5 is your final as the mets win. and the yankees visiting the pirates today. masahiro tanaka had had the one strikeout here on a bit of a shaky day. tanaka went two innings.

andrew mccutchen going long for the solo home run. allowed two runs total. offense picked him up. the two-run jack in the 4th. that put the pinstripes on top. 7-2 the yankees win. also the jets' darrelle revis had wrist surgery today. expected to be ready by camp. >> tonight i'll ask you how your bracket's doing. >> we'll play the dance again. what are we working on tonight for eyewitness news at 11:00? sade is here with some answers. >> angry parents voicing their concerns about high levels of lead in newark schools. parents are planning to meet tonight. a pep rally doesn't go as planned when a man catches on fire. plus, a woman caught on camera shoplifting but wait till you hear who police say this is. we'll have those stories and more tonight on eyewitness news at 11:00. >> that's it for us for now. thanks for watching. i'm bill ritter. >> i'm liz cho. world news tonight with david muir is coming up next. have a great night. >> any lightning tonight? >> keep watching. you never know.

>> g tonight, the new backlash after donald trump warns of riots at the convention if he's blocked by the republican party. leaders now calling his words unacceptable. breaking now. the new video. the young american captured, accused of fighting for isis. you will hear his explanation, right here. now saying it was a bad decision. lead in the water. the grilling on capitol hill. our reporter, tracking down authorities. why didn't they act and the new report that this is far beyond flyntint. locations in 4 the states? the tearful plea. the young american sobbing, begging to be free. now we see the alleged prank in north career ya that landed him 15 years in hard labor. the effort now to get him home. sea change, bowing to public pressure, sea world announcing a major change tonight. and prince harry, right here