its never good news to hear of stores closing and job loss. sot - kyndall godard, macy's shopper (from joe clips 23:00:34 im kind of a closer to where i live so i was sorry to hear that it was hill. 1:44:31 sot - margarete powell, macy's customer (from joe clips 22:57:46 sadness, complete saddness. really upset. 22:57:49 from the peninsula to the southside macy's customers are reacting to news the company will soon close three stores in hampton roads-- in norfolk, chesapeake and hampton. 273 employees may lose their jobs. sot - margarete powell, macy's customer (from joe clips 22:58:21 it pulls people in. its like a star walk in this whole area. this big macys and im so sad to see it go. i just hope something else good replaces it. 22:58:33 in a news release yesterday macy's ceo cited disappointing sales and earnings last year as a reason for the closings. its comes as no surprise to economic development leaders. sot - chuck rigney, norfolk director of economic development - clip 46 2:36:25 its very unfortunate but it wasn't totally unexpected either. 2:36:29 chuck rigney is norfolk's

development. he says the closing lead to opportunity. sot - chuck rigney, norfolk director beleive that we have a mix of retail but we also have a real opportunity with teh amount of acreage involved to increase our business base dramatically - its a great central location for that. rigney says the military highway corridor has the city's highest elevation so in the future anything is possible...including a light rail down military highway. sot - chuck rigney, norfolk director of economic development - clip 46 2:38:28 we are very much focused on it. the city initiatives that are underway there. 2:38:38 there are many possibilites in the short and long term in norfolk. in chesapeake - officials say they too are working to create new development opportunities for along the portsmouth blvd/i-664 corridor. and in hampton - officials told me they hope the sales tax generated from macy's will simply move to another hampton retailer. there are other expansions happening at the

center which may include adding more housing. we'll put the full statements from those cities on wavy.com. im brandi cummings 10 on your side. all new at five-thirty we're hearing from the family and the coach of an n-s-u basketball player - fighting for her life tonight - facing a serious medical condition. 20-year-old amber brown was found unresponsive on new years day. her loved ones have remained by her hospital bedside ever since, 10 on your side's liz kilmer shares how they are coping - liz? amber's older sister, ebony, tells me she is hoping for a miracle- while her family doesn't specifics of amber's current condition - she tells me they anticipate a long road to recovery for the college junior. ebony says this is the hardest thing her family has ever gone through. she says the basketball star and honor student is currently in the i-c-u, after her teammate found her unresponsive in her n-s-u dorm room on new years day. amber reportedly has diabetes -

may be part of what she's now facing. family members have launched on online fundraiser to help pay for her medical costs. they ask for support - and prayer - describing amber as a stand-out - a smart, funny, kind girl loved by all. ebony brown c1 01:03:01 "she lights up any room she goes into with her smile, she's usually the goofy person out of the crowd so she lightens the mood and she keeps a smile on everybody's face and pretty much people like to get to know who she is once they see she's a fun person to be around." and this tragedy is uniting the n-s-u community. a statement from the athletics director says donations will be collected for amber at all home basketball games through january. today, amber's basketball coach talked to reporters about how the team is standing by amber and her family. c2 debra clark - nsu women's basketball coach play for now, we've

really really good practice so their hearts are heavy but they're trying to stay focused on what we still have to accomplish" :43 you'll hear much more from that coach, amber's sister and a close friend coming up on wavy news 10 at 10 and 11 if you'd like to donate to amber- head to wavy-dot-com. live in the newsroom, liz kilmer, 10 on your side. big news on congressional redistricting. today a federal three judge panel picked a new congressional map for virginia that could be in place for this year's election. that map would move african americans from the third district and place them in surrounding districts. this is what the current 3rd dristrict looks like - including parts of hampton roads. last year the panel concluded legislators in 2012 illegally packed black voters into the third district in order to make adjacent districts safer for republican

panel's decision could be overturned. the u.s. supreme court agreed in november to hear an appeal by virginia republicans who want to preserve the map approved in 2012. elizabeth city police say they have captured the inmate who escaped from washington county. this is a story we've been following closely since this morning. police found 29 year old heather burton hiding under a bed inside a home in elizabeth city. they took her into custody without incident. burton went to court for a parole violation yesterday. she fell down the stairs as she was leaving. police took her to the emergency room. that's when she escaped. her mother told and that may be why she ran. vickie kohler/inmates mom 4:21 when they were putting her in the ambulance those were her words to me mom he put his hand around my throat and told me what he was before i go back there :37 burton's mom says her daughter was fighting a

wanted to get clean for her child. checking headlines across the nation -- tonya couch is back in texas tonight -- she's the mother of the so-called affluenza teen fugitive -- ethan couch. she arrived in dallas just a couple of hours ago after an extradition hearing earlier this week in los angeles. she is charged with hindering the apprehension of a felon. she was deported last week from mexico. her bond is set at one million dollars. ethan -- is still in jail in mexico city awaiting extradition. 17 miners are home tonight -- after spending last night trapped in a new york salt mine. emergency crews worked through the night to free them from an elevator -- some 900 feet underground. a crane had to be brought to the mine in lansing -- from about 30 miles away. rescuers were able to lower a basket and bring up four miners at a time. the whole ordeal lasted about ten hours. a spokesperson for cargill - the operator of the mine - said they have stopped operations at the mine temporarily. in paris -- officers shot and killed a

police station in northern paris. the incident -- being investigated as a possible act of terrorism. according to police - the man cried out "god is great" in arabic. he had wires sticking out from under his clothing. it turned out to be a fake suicide vest. a statement from the paris prosecutor's officer said the man's body was found with a cell phone and a piece of paper with an emblem of the islamic state --and a claim of responsiblity for the attack. south korea says it will retaliate for a north korean nuclear test by resuming cross-border propaganda broadcasts that pyongyang considers an act of war. the deputy chief of the south korean presidential office of national security made the announcement today -- a day after the north claimed its first successful hydrogen bomb test. the claim has been disputed by outside governments and experts - including here in the u-s. south korea had stopped the broadcasts last year after coming to agreement with the north on a package of measures aimed at easing tensions between the neighboring

the broadcasts will start tomorrow. meantime - congress -- considering new sanctions on north korea. the house could vote as early as next week on tougher sanctions -- including targeting access to currency and other goods -- and stepping up inspections of north minority leader nancy pelosi has promised strong bi-partisan support. coming up on wavy news ten at five- thirty - tax season is right around the corner -- why the irs is pushing taxpayers to get online -- and other see this year. president obama -- taking on the gun control debate in a rare prime time town hall. can he persuade americans to get on board with his newly announced executive order. my full forecast is coming up in just a few

ten on your side with information about the upcoming tax season -- it starts in two days -- on january 9th. if you're looking for help from the irs with your taxes - you might be seeing some changes this year. according to an irs watchdog -- the agency is going to be pushing taxpayers to go online. an annual report to congress shows the irs may cut back services over the phone -- and in person. impacting millions of people and businesses. millions of taxpayers don't use the internet. and millions more are hesitant to share sensitive information online. the irs says the report did not paint an accurate picture and that they're fully committed to personal service to taxpayers. airline-ratings-dot-com has just released its annual ranking of the world's safest airlines. topping the list for a third year -- with a fatality-free record throughout its 95- year history -- is qantas. qantas is the flag carrier of australia and the world's oldest

airline. the top 20 list was released in alphabetical order - and those making it include alaska airlines, hawaiian airlines and american airlines. airline-ratings-dot com also ranked the top ten safest -- low cost airlines - which included jetblue and virgin america. coming up on wavy news ten at five- thirty - "i'd like to have an opportunity to sit down and be a part of the decision making people on both sides of the gun control debate are anxious to hear what the president has to say tonight. but -- will it make a difference? billed as a brain booster -- it turned out to be more of a money waster. why the developer of a popular app is now being

in just a few hours president obama will take televised townhall to help sell his adminstration's gun reforms. the president's "campaign-style" event is the latest effort by the white house to curb gun violence across the country. for a look at what we can expect to hear tonight - here's ten on your side's national correspondent mark meredith. pkg trt: 1:39 out: i'm mark meredith to debate guns in primetime / scheduled in virginia 00:22-00:28 - ryan pennock / invited to presidential town hall 00:57-01:03 - d.c. nats of obama speech "everytime i think about those kids, its gets me mad" not shieleding his emotions - this week president obama is using the power of the pulpit university in virgina where the president will speak to a national pennock. "i'd like to have an opportunity to sit down and be a part of the decision making, at least, have some influence since we're one of the ones going to be effected. the campaign style townhall comes two days after president obama announced his plans to bypass congress and enact gun reform with executive action 10:06:15-10:06:21 "he's doing an executive order, he doesn't need a

to get this done" jeremy mayer is a political science professor for george mason university. he says while townhalls are common in politics - it may do little to nothing to shift the debate in the there's almost no more pro-gun democrats, and there's really no pro-gun control republicans left" which is why the white house is hoping by execuitive authority they'll be able to fullscreen enforce background checks for online and gun show sales, adding more federal agents, and adding millions for mental health. 13:39:26-13:39:31 "i don't think it do one single good thing to keep the guns out of bad guys hands" mark tag tonight's townhall is set to last one hour and will be broadcast on c-n-n-. the event won't be without controversy however - already some groups are promising to protest in the area surrounding the president and george mason university. the townhall is not open to the public. reporting in

meredith. tonight: mostly cloudy. mild. lows: mid-40s. winds: n 10-15 mph. friday: more clouds than sun. isolated showers possible during the afternoon. highs: mid-50s. winds: ne 5-10 mph. saturday: morning sunshine, afternoon clouds. rain developing late. highs: upper-50s. winds: e 5-10 mph. the clouds definitely had the upper hand today, but temperatures still managed to warm into the low to mid-50s. this evening, expect mostly the clouds will drag their heels, so it'll stay relatively mild with lows in the mid-40s. we'll be tracking more clouds than showers during the afternoon hours, but it won't be a soaking wet afternoon by any stretch of the imagination. highs will be back in the mid-50s. expect a few peeks of sunshine on saturday with highs in the upper-50s. another round of rain will develop mix of sun and clouds by the afternoon with

60s! the 60s won't stick around long - it's back to the 40s on monday. tonight: mostly cloudy. mild. lows: mid-40s. winds: n 10-15 mph. friday: more clouds than sun. isolated showers possible during the afternoon. highs: mid-50s. winds: ne 5-10 mph. saturday: morning sunshine, afternoon clouds. rain developing late. highs: upper-50s. winds: e 5-10 mph. the clouds definitely had the upper hand today, but temperatures still managed to warm into the low to mid-50s. this evening, expect mostly cloudy skies with temperatures holding steady in the mid-40s through 9 pm. overnight, the clouds will drag their heels, so it'll stay relatively mild with lows in the mid-40s. we'll be tracking more clouds than sunshine once again tomorrow. there will be a chance for a few isolated showers during the afternoon hours, but it won't be a soaking wet afternoon by any stretch of the imagination. highs will be back in the mid-50s. expect a few peeks of

with highs in the upper-50s. another round of rain will develop saturday evening and continue through sunday morning. sunday will be salvageable - expect a mix of sun and clouds by the afternoon with temperatures in the mid- 60s! the 60s won't stick around long - it's back

m coming up on wavy news ten at five- thirty - it claimed to boost brain function. why the makers of a popular app are now paying a multi-million dollar fine to the f- t-c. plus - simple science-backed ways to keep your mind sharp. and i'm tom schaad. next on wavy news 10 at 6-- a string of robberies in one hampton roads city-- all at 7-eleven stores. what can be done to prevent any more of them from happening? erin kelly with the story coming up. plus-- ((c416 48:25-48:38)) "not one, not two, but seven air conditioning units ripped apart in the back of this hampton business park. i'm joe fisher, coming up, the latest on the investigation and what these businesses want you to know about these thefts." these stories and more when nicole and i see you at 6-- keep it right

ten on your side with a consumer alert - the developer of the so-called "brain training" app lumosity -- will have to pay two million dollars -- to the federal trade commission. the payment is to settle claims the company mislead customers about the benefits of using the app. lumosity claims playing its brain training games can boost brain health -- and help fight disease like dementia. but the ftc says there's no science to back it up. there are several ways you can keep your mind sharp -- that are backed by science. and -- these lifestyle changes can

young too. exercise -- doctors recommend at least 30 minutes a day. studys show physical exertion can protect brain cells read and write -- often. memory is best preserved in those who read and write the most. keep busy. studies looking at so-called super- agers - people who stay cognitively sharp well into old age -- found they have one thing in common -- they stay engaged and active. coming up on wavy news ten at five- thirty - what goes up -- must come down. where these elephants are helping

well -- you know the christmas season has officially come to a close when you see this -- elephants munching on leftover christmas trees. this was the scene at the berlin zoo today. elephants are apparently attracted to the pine scent of the trees. zookeepers say the trees are a healthy snack. not only that -- they make a good tool to scratch those hard to reach places. stay with us... wavy news 10 at 6 is next. police have not said if looking for him at the same time they to find out who is behind the number of 7-eleven robberies in norfolk alone is adding up.

within an hour and 12 minutes. the first one-- on redgate avenue. the second time in two days that one was hit police have not said if bristow is connected to any other cases -- they think he's armed and dangerous. they are looking for him at the same time they investigate 3 robberies that happened last night. investigate 3 robberies that happened last night. norfolk police are trying to find out who is behind 3 robberies that happened within about an hour wednesday night. the first -- just before 9 -- at a 7-eleven on redgate avenue in west ghent. police say an armed robber demanded money and left with cash before officers arrived. 25 minutes later -- police say the same thing happened at a 7-eleven on colonial avenue in ghent - a few miles away. then -- around 10 -- police say someone went in a 7- eleven on chesapeake boulevard, but quickly left without any cash. a manager says it's likely because a security guard was inside the store. it's the same store