mountain snow showers continue with increasing sunshine and a gusty nw wind. highs today near 40.

continuing their search for a missing teen and the f-b-i has now joined the effort. nicole lovell was last seen in the lantern ridge area early wednesday morning. this afternoon more than 12-hundred searchers canvassed her neighborhood to pass out fliers. authorities say they aren't sure whether lovell ran away or if she was taken. it's been more than 40 hours since she had her daily medication following a liver transplant. police say there will be an increased police presence in blacksburg because of the search. a judge has ruled that pictures of noah thomas's body can be shown to the jury during his parents' trials. the five year old was found dead in a septic tank four days after he went missing. his mother ashley white's trial is scheduled to begin february 8-th. both parents face felony charges including abuse and neglect. lynchburg police need your help

entering incidents around the dearington neighborhood. since the beginning of the month there have been nine burglaries on pulaski street, york street, chambers street, smyth street, 2-nd street and payne street. most happened during the day while no one was home. investigators believe the cases are connected. call police if you have any information. some people in bedford are so disturbed by an unwanted religious newspaper, they're calling the police. copies of "the islamic post" have been showing up in driveways and newspaper boxes around bedford for the last few months. wdbj7 was contacted by several people who were angered to receive the publication. none of them was willing to go on camera. the bedford county sheriff's office and bedford police department have both received complaints, but say residents should not be alarmed. chief todd foreman/bedford police department: "i would suggest they read it to see that it's not something inflamitory, but also report it to us because i would like to know who is delivering them." the newspaper is published in new york by a group affiliated with the muslims of america organization. it's unclear if that

the papers in bedford.

visors pocahontas county western greenbrier county and western highlandcounty up in the s of something to keep in mind, temperatures pretty much in the 30s to near 40 throughout the day gusty northwest wind as this continues to move to the south and east now once a pushes a little farther to our south and east. the winds will begin to slacken this afternoon and it will turn quiet in the overnight hours today would talking upper thirties to near forty for the roanoke valley partly sunny lynchburg low 40s partly sunny southern virginia pretty much same story low to mid forties with a mix of sun

southwest watch out for some snow showers in some slick conditions because of those snow showers temperatures in the low to mid thirties highlands greenbrier valley west virginia upper twenties low to mid thirties with a thirty percent chance of snow showers tonight all that shuts down saturday and sunday looking good mostly sunny highs in the mid to upper fifties closing in on sixty two on monday groundhog day tuesday maybe a couple showers late into wednesday as of there you go temperatures right back down to near 40 by next thursday but uga that this you like the warm weather just look at at the weekend you a you roll back protections for gun manufacturers. kaine says a 10- year-old law that shields gun manufacturers from liability in civil lawsuits is a so- called "sweetheart deal," that no other industry enjoys. senator tim kaine/(d) virginia: folks who own guns, and nra members generally support common sense rules and it's usually now the lead against any rule are gun manufacturers, not even gun owners. and now i think the public is waking up to the notion that we can make our communities safer,

risk of horrible shootings like those that you've experienced and know too painfully in roanoke and the new river valley. a trade association says the original legislation was a bipartisan effort to protect against frivilous lawsuits. the national shooting sports foundation says kaine and others are using gun manufacturers as a surrogate enemy instead of being tougher on criminals who use guns. virginia ranks number five in the country for human trafficking calls. that's why straight street wants you to get educated tomorrow at the blue campaign. it's an event that's focused on trafficking in virginia, how to recognize it, and what to do about it. those who work on the front lines will be there to speak and you'll learn more about sex trafficking from a victim's perspective. "if you know the signs and symptoms of what to look for you may realize there may be more of a problem right before you than you thought was there so are goal is to do our best to educate " the event will also give an update on the shelter street

trafficking victims coming to roanoke. it's an eight bed shelter that sits on thirty acres of land and you'll see pictures of the progress. the event is from one to four tomorrow, more information is posted at wdbj7.com. the salem fire and ems department is crediting a new piece of equipment for possibly saving lives. this carbon monoxide monitor was attached to a first responder's medical jump kit when it went off while responding to a call. the department bought the monitors two months ago, and it was the first time the alarm went off. the alarm let responders know there was carbon monoxide in the home. captain teddy crowe says without the monitor, the outcome could have been much worse. teddy: "like in that situation we may have left the patient there at night and the next morning they may not have been alive." carbon monoxide is an odorless and colorless gas that can be deadly. the salem fire and ems department says you should install a carbon monoxide dector in your home and

when you change your clocks. a familiar voice to radio listeners in lynchburg has gone silent. bob abbott died tuesday. he was known as "mr. radio" in central virginia, having worked at various stations for more than 40 years. he started his career at w-p-v-r in roanoke before getting behind the microphone at w-l- l-l and w-g-o-l in lynchburg. in later years he managed a group of stations owned by centennial broadcasting. mari white/friend: "for those people who grew up in this area, bob was the voice of lynchburg radio. the music they grew up listening to was introduced to them by bob abbott and their favorite songs are associated with bob abbott's voice. i think that's a great legacy." abbott was 65 years old. a celebration of his life will be held today at hyland heights baptist church. your morning commute is an important part of your day. we'll have all the latest road conditions, next in your i-hometown traffic report.

says it's facing a major budget shortfall! what its plans are to make up for more than 650-thousand dollars. and why a new trend in tax refunds might not be such a good idea. wdbj7 mornin is live at the berglund center this morning with the kazim shrine circus. we chat with the shriners, the performers, and even see some acts coming up later on wdbj-7. gusty winds and a

possible. high today near 40. an accident is causing problems on i-81 in wythe county. one southbound lane is blocked near the service road

we're not seeing a backup now but drivers should expect delays. snow and ice are covering bland county roads right now. even main roads like routes 52, 42 and 98 are slippery. there are also minor icy patches on secondary roads throughout the new river valley. today should be the last day for construction on sandy river road in henry county. the road is closed in both directions from philpott highway to cozy lane. it's scheduled to re-open at three this afternoon. this is a live look at i-581 in roanoke from a virginia department of transportation camera. traffic is moving along just fine there so far this morning. alleghany county school leaders are working to find ways to make up for this year's budget shortfall of over 650- thousand dollars. one of the cost saving measures being discussed involves cutting 8 teacher positions. that doesn't mean existing teachers would lose their jobs, it means, if they retire or move on, those positions may not be filled. superintendent

enrollment prompted the idea. he adds that discussions about ways to handle the shortfall just started and nothing is set in stone. gene kotulka/ superintendent "when you have to cut the budget, you really take a look at what really is important. and so, you take a look at everything and you find out if that's a needed item and if not, do we have to have it and we go from there." alleghany schools has a preliminary budget of 26-point-5 million dollars. that number is based on the state budget released by governor mcauliffe last month. we are following up on the coal ash transfer from the banks of the dan river in north carolina to a landfill in central virginia. it's been two years since a coal ash spill contaminated 70 miles of the river. earlier this month, we told you about contractors removing mounds of it to send to amelia county, virginia. about 30 rail cars take coal ash there from the duke energy impoundments about three times a week. those shipments are scheduled to double next month. the transfer is expected to take up to two years. tax refund loans have grown in popularity over the years, but are they a good idea?

nothing is free. it's not a scam, the money is backed by a bank and is usually available the same day. but, many tax facilities say they'll only give you up to 750 dollars, not the full amount of your refund if it's more than that. gigi peck/tax preparer "the reality of it is do you really want to pay anywhere from 35 dollars to 200 dollars just to get 750 dollars and there's no guarantees you're going to get that much." peck says you also have to pay fees and interest on that loan. her recommendation is to wait 2-3 weeks for your full refund. two companies in our area are considered among the best in the state. what they had to do to be considered for the honor. and, good news for people trying to sell a

numbers show, next sunshinesnow showers continue to fly across the region now across the roanoke valley relatively

hours don't be surprised see a snow shower flurry temperature forty degrees much colder lynchburg at thirty three 3332 danville blacksburg coming in at thirty seven roanoke your temperature will continue to drop as that clipper system moves through the mountains a west virginia into our area in see that batch of snow showers right now southwestern virginia also another batch up into the mountains of west virginia charlottesville thirty 31 washington dc 24 richmond coming in at thirty four there's the snow shower activity would some rain mixing in light rain showers of course and that continues to drift to the south and east a vegan be out about along interstate eighty one travel through the newer valley seventy seven don't be surprised get those bursts of snow could cause some slick road conditions for time and same story up toward the mountains of west virginia fitness forecast heading out about partly cloudy conditions overall temperature mid upper thirties as you head through the afternoon things improved later tonight clearing skies and temperatures drop off but then they really start to warm

heads east and high-pressure builds in for the weekend how much snow we talk about across the area not much most areas won't see a thing but in the mountains a west virginia western pocahontas west greenbrier county could see a coating to inch or two especially up toward ski country might get a little more today partly sunny gusty winds temperatures in the thirties in the mountains low to mid forties his you had south and east tonight mostly clear it's been be on the chilly side lows in the low to mid twenties but there you go you first alert wtvj seven day planner will call it a warm seven day planner for the most part saturday and sunday mid upper fifties monday low sixties nearing sixty for groundhog day ground initiatives for coats heavy so warm wednesday chance of showers as of front comes through an and much colder on thursd 2016 best places to work in virginia. scott insurance in lynchburg comes in at number seven in the large employer group. and interactive achievement in roanoke is number 47 in the small

there are 100 companies on the list, created by the magazine virginia business. interactive achievement says what sets them apart is an acronym they use, called hug. marcy: being honorable, unselfish, and generous and it really is how we hire our talent into the organization. it's the heartbeat, if you will. it guides us in how we treat one another, how we treat our clients, and how we work in the community as well." companies from across the state entered a two-part survey process to determine the best places to work in virginia. there was a luncheon yesterday in williamsburg to honor the companies that made the list. habitat for humanity's restore may soon be moving. the store is now on salem avenue in roanoke. the organization is in the process of buying property on melrose avenue for a bigger space to expand its services, according to documents filed with the city. the property is currently occupied by the voice of the blue ridge which operates a bingo parlor as a fundraiser. a public hearing on rezoning the property will take place in march with the roanoke city planning

close to 5-thousand homes were sold in the roanoke valley in 20-15. it's the highest number of homes sold since the recession began in 2007. statistics from the multiple listing service of the roanoke valley show that last year, 8,617 houses were listed and of that 4,688 were sold . also, the average price of a home sold last year was $197,000. that's up nearly $22,000 from the 2011 average. donna harris with the roanoke valley association of realtors says the 2015 home sales is the best she's seen in a long time. "we're definitely on an upswing right now and average home sale price is only 8 percent below the 2007 15-year high" the multiple listing service includes cities of roanoke and salem, town of vinton, counties of roanoke, botetourt and craig plus a portion of bedford and franklin counties. coming up in sports, we'll introduce you to the newest members of the salem- roanoke baseball hall of fame. and no one in virginia one the

were a couple million dollar winners.

from salem, next. sunshine and a gusty nw wind. highs today near 40. the virginia tech

team returned to blacksburg to host another ranked opponent, plus the salem- roanoke baseball hall of fame inducted its newest members. here's karen loftus with more. good morning everyone, i'm karen loftus with your look at sports. after a 13 and one start to the season, the virginia tech women's basketball team has stumbled a bit lately, losing 4 of their last 5 games. the hokies looking to bounce-back from a road loss to third-ranked notre dame against another ranked opponent in miami, hosting the 17th- ranked hurricanes thursday night. chanette hicks gets it to dominique powell for the jumper, giving tech the early lead. they stay out front thanks in part to regan magarity who gets back-to-back buckets. the 3-ball first and then she gets the steal and other end. she led the hokies with 11. chipped-in 8 points for tech, but miami took the lead by the end of the first quarter and never trailed again. they go-on to beat virginia their 9th-straight win over the hokies.

baseball hall of fame is celebrating 25 years this year, and honored their 4 newest members thursday night. this year's class included don gresh, josh herman, bo trumbo and tom williams. before the banquet, the 4 inductees of the 2016 class met with the media in the hall of fame building next to the salem red sox stadium, signed baseballs, and got to see their plaques on the wall next to all the other members. ray cox received the community service award and the guest speaker at the banquet was randy tomlin, a 2000 inductee who played for the pirates and is currently the head coach at lca. for the new members, they're humbled by the recognition. bo trumbo, 2016 salem- roanoke baseball h.o.f. inductee, "this has been a very unusual and very unexpected honor. i've known many people in this organization prior to that through my scouting and coaching days and several of my coaching mentors and my scouting mentors are here. to be included in them as for posterity has been very much a great priviledge." tom williams, 2016 salem- roanoke baseball h.o.f. inductee, "it's

in the hall and be with my friends. i played a lot of ball and softball in town. played a little pro baseball and i enjoyed that." that's your friday morning look at sports. meet salem's one million dollar powerball winner. kelly cox picked up her big check at 7- eleven during her lunch break yesterday afternoon. she decided to try her luck when the historic jackpot reached a billion dollars. at first, she didn't think she had won. that was until a co-worker told her dollar winner in and i was like hmm, maybe i should check my ticket again so pulled it out and pulled up the numbers and i realized i had all the numbers, they just weren't in that order cox says she and her husband will get help from financial advisors and invest the money for reitrement. she'll also share the wealth with her four children. and there's another million dollar lottery winner in our area. randy hall is from madison heights, and won the prize on a virginia lottery scratcher ticket. this past weekend's

claiming his money, so he hid the ticket in his house and babysat it all weekend, checking every hour to make sure it was still there. hall bought the ticket at speedway on lakeside drive in lynchburg. the show went on, without donald trump, at last night's gop debate in des moines. what other candidate became the night's biggest target for attacks. the fbi has released new video of the deadly shooting at a wildlife refuge in oregon. what we're learning from that video. and drug abuse prevention leaders are sounding the alarm about the dangers of heroin. why they're calling it

state. are cast in the 20-16 presidential primaries, the candidates hit the campaign trail in iowa today to make their case to voters.

the final pitch started last night in the gop's seventh debate. but as marlie hall reports, the event was dominated by one candidate who wasn't even on stage. with donald trump absent...his biggest rival, ted cruz, took center stage...becoming the target of the night: (sot cruz) "gosh, if you guys ask one more mean question i may have to leave the stage." some of the biggest fireworks came as the candidates sparred over illegal immigration. (sot bush immigration) we should have a path to legal status for the 12 million people that are here illegally (sot rubio) "you said on the issue of people who are here illegally we can reach a compromise. (sot ted cruz) "marco made the choice to go the direction of the major donors to support amnesty because he thought it was politically advantageous." with cruz in second place in iowa, and rubio in third... political analysts say the two men needed to stand out: (sot rick davis) i think it was a good hit, but i don't think you can use

advocate on what is or isn't a conservative position. other candidates, often overshadowed by the trump during the debates, called this one the best one yet: (sot rand paul) we weren't distracted with people being called fat or stupid. best way to do debates. (standup marlie hall cbs news des moines, iowa) despite being a few miles away from the debate stage at drake university -- donald trump still managed to garner a lot of attention. the billionaire front runner dominated google searches last night....and even had the most mentions on twitter. (sot trump) is it for me personally if it was a good thing, a bad thing, will i get more votes, will i get less votes nobody knows, who the hell knows. trump's camp says his last-minute rally for veterans brought in six million dollars. marlie hall cbs news des moines, iowa. democratic presidential candidate bernie sanders wants his supporters to know he's in good health. yesterday his campaign released medical records proving he's relatively healthy. the move was especially important to some voters,

be 75 years old on inauguration day. if he wins the presidency, sanders will be the oldest president ever elected. ronald reagan holds the record, taking office just a few days after he turned 70. the national oceanic and atmospheric administration says last weekend's storm is officially the fourth most powerful snowstorm to hit the northeast in more than 60 years. noaa says this storm affected more than 100-million people and covered about 26 states. the national weather service says almost 24- million people saw more than 20 inches of snow from louisiana to maine. ((cold toss w/stinger))

across the virginia tech campus don't be spry see some snow showers this morning is that clipper system drives through temperature right now at thirty six degrees bulletin west northwest wind and nine feeling more like twenty nine see deftly want to dress accordingly is you heading off to class or maybe to work in the blacksburg newer valley area seeing those snow showers making its way into the mountains a west virginia far southwest virginia some of the border counties even like i mentioned to the ronald valley newer valley don't be surprised see snow showers moving toward the south and east even a couple sprinkles mixing and where temperatures are above freezing in some hometowns thirty eight as he head toward seven o'clock look how it drops off by nine ten eleven o'clock down into the low to mid thirties but then it rebounds is maker way through the afternoon with a mix of sun and clouds overnight clearing skies still

twenties but38 is you had toward seven o'clock look how it drops off by nine 1011 o'clock down into the low to mid 30s but then it rebounds is maker way through the afternoon with a mix of sun and clouds overnight, clearing skies still chilly temperatures in the 20s. but tomorrow. that's will really see those warm, temperatures build would you get a strong southwesterly flow that is can a warm are temperatures up nicely would talking about 15 to 20 above the 30 year average high which is in the low to mid 40s depending on your location saturday would talking temperatures in the low 50s sunday upper fifties some areas probably arty on sunday will hit sixty degrees an and monday a lot areas will climb into the low sixties later next week the colder weather will return but enjoy the warmth of you like it temperatures across our area for the roanoke valley upper thirties near forty today partly sunny lynchburg low forties down toward southern virginia low to mid forties charlotte courthouse danville martinsville over the keys bill area newer valley southwest floyd radford pure lasky with bill galax low to mid thirties a few snow showers driving through accumulatingsnow showers up toward the mountains a west virginia hot springs 30 new castle 37 and your wonderful first alert wtvj seven day planner sunshine for the

60s on monday groundhog day tuesday were talking but a late they shower into wednesday is another arctic front kind drives to the area knocking temperatures down by morning. authorities in mexico flew ethan couch to dallas yesterday, charges. couch was wanted for skipping out on his probation officers with his mom. he gained when he was giving ten years probation in a drunk driving crash that killed four people. prosecutors are working to get couch's case moved from juvenile court. he is now being detained in a juvenile detention center in dallas. a detention hearing is expected to be held today. some protesters are continuing the standoff over a federal nature preserve in oregon. the fbi has released new video of the deadly shooting that led to the arrest of several militia men and killed the group's spokesman. a white truck carrying the group's spokesman lavoy finicum, ryan bundy, and two others is forced to swerve to avoid a road block. shortly after, finicum gets out with his hands up, but reaches for his jacket, when at least one oregon state trooper opens fire. the shooting killed

agents later found a loaded handgun in finicum's pocket and several weapons inside the vehicle. greg bretzing/ fbi special agent in charge of oregon: "we did everything we could to bring this situation to a peaceful resolution." four protesters are still refusing to end the occupation, despite their jailed leader ammon bundy urging them to leave. the fbi says the occupiers want a guarantee that they won't be charged before they surrender. more people addicted to heroin in virginia are dying for a fix. the dangerous drug is here - at an alarming rate. wdbj7's christian heilman was at a meeting where roanoke leaders sounded the alarm. nancy hans, executive director, prevention council "we have an epidemic here. " nancy hans with roanoke county's prevention council says they've seen a rise in heroin usage over the last few years. nancy hans, executive director, prevention council "we know that it is easily accessed, it's cheap and we know that it starts with prescription drugs." chris perkins, roanoke chief of police "black market prescritpion drugs are very expensive. heroin is very cheap. " roanoke's police chief says you can buy a single packet of heroin for as little as five dollars in pennsylvania and new jersey.

it in the roanoke valley for $20. chris perkins, roanoke chief of police "the profitability is what is attractive, but what we find is once people get hooked they're using that profitabilty to support their own habit. " he joined the prevention council at this thursday night meeting. he was there to help educate parents about how widespread the problem is. anti-drug coalitions say 1 in 14 teenagers in the roanoke valley have used heroin at least once in their life. chris perkins, roanoke chief of police "it's mind-boggling and they're being addicted in so many ways. " taylor powell, 12th grade "a lot of these adult problems have kid consequences " taylor powell and lidya tadesse are high school seniors who came up with the idea for thursday's program. lidya tadesse, 12th grade "we can really make a difference and the best way to do that is educating and having an open dialogue. " about two dozen people attended. hans wants thursday's discussion to serve as a start to more meaningful talks. nancy hans, executive director, prevention council "i look at that as here's an opportunity -- there are new faces in there. so we want to continue to build on all of this."

wdbj7 if you're interested in hosting an event, you can get in touch with the roanoke alliance. we have a link to their website on ours, wdbj 7-dot-com. two independent candidates have joined the race for roanoke city council. john garland kicked off his campaign at the williamson road branch of the roanoke pulbic library yesterday. the engineer and developer told a group of supporters he will focus on building strong neighborhoods and advocating for citizens. john garland/(i) roanoke city council candidate: "there have been several examples, especially over in southeast here of late where people found out about decisions too late. and it wasn't because people were trying to hide things, it just wasn't in public view quite as much as maybe it could be." michelle dykstra is the president of the mountain view neighborhood association and manager of the roanoke city market building. she announced her campaign with a promise to bring people together and build on the city's successes. michelle dykstra/(i) roanoke city council candidate: "i think that we need younger voices on council. i think we need a government that's representative

to help us progress." seven democrats are also vying for three seats on city council. two are running for mayor. a firehouse primary on february 13th will choose the democratic ticket for the election in may. we're keeping an eye on road conditions around the area. your i-hometown traffic report is coming up after the break.

high today near

road work could slow you down in pittsylvania county. the northbound right lane of route 29 is closed near the route 58 ramp for another 20 minutes. snow and ice are covering bland county roads right now. even main roads like routes 52, 42 and 98 are slippery. there are also minor icy patches on secondary roads throughout the new river valley. the bridges and ramps are in the worst condition. we told you earlier about an accident that was causing problems on i-81 in wythe county. all southbound lanes are open now near the service road exit so you shouldn't run into any delays. this is a live look at i-64 in lexington from a virginia department of transportation camera. we're not seeing any traffic issues there so far this morning. parents of newborns and toddlers in the new river valley don't have to go far for high quality childcare. a new early

about to open. and as wdbj7's justin ward shows us, college students can even learn from their visit. tables are set, dinosaurs are in a row, and dolls are ready for a squeeze. all that's missing are the kids at the brand new radford early learning center. bethany mott/radford child development, inc.: "the radford early learning center will be serving 136 children aged from 6 weeks to through age twelve." the facility is ready to open february first. it's already recieved accredidation from the national association for the education of young children. bethany mott: "it is the highest certification that a child care center can aspire to. it has very specific educational qualifications required." kids enter through their own door, parents have places to keep car seats, and teachers help kids communicate. rhonda ekiss/radford early learning center director: "in here we do the baby sign language, we start incorporating the ready, set, grow. you will find some word cards that have some spanish words on it."

small enough to let kids reach the goals, but large enough to hold a crowd. rhonda ekiss: "and the floors, it looks as if it's just hardwood but it is padded underneath." it's where students from radford university students can interact with small children and do internships and get credits for their degree. bethany mott: "at present they were going all the way up to blacksburg to do that internship and we wanted to be opportunities here." while dolls wait for their new friends, instructors are house saturday for interested parents starting at 10. critical early years to have that quality child care." in radford, justin ward, wdbj7 a restored world war 2 japanese zero fighter took to the skies in japan. the flight test was conducted by a former u.s. air force pilot, because no japanese pilots had a license to fly it. the plane was found decaying in new guinea in the 1970s. it was owned by an american until a japanese businessman bought

million yen in 2010. a newly released survey may be giving people some more unique excuses for being late to work. and an open house was held to talk about the future of explore park. when park leaders

ideas into action. abouttemperatures not all that bad across the area right now but the thing it's not really can a move much as we head through the day forty 40 roanoke 37 new york city 39 alanna twenty four chicago in see the deeper purples up toward north that's were the arctic air is locked in place not can a had in our direction today will be a chilly day mind you but when i can see that arctic blast ratcheting a see warmer weather as we head toward the weekend taz well middle school right now chilly twenty nine degrees west wing to five miles an are watch out for snow showers driving through from time to time you qaeda see most of the snow showers year-to-year east there's kaslow county right there bland county craig giles county seeing some snow

windchill lasky county as well could see some to the newer valley roanoke valleys he head through the morning up toward the mountains a west virginia highlands that's we have the best chance of seeing some accumulating snow shower so again if you out on your bike could see a snow shower this morning then things improve watch out though will have gusty winds in that twenty thirty thirty five mylan our range would temperatures hovering in the upper thirties to near forty and here comes that frontal boundary that's can a cruise through the area that's the clipper system bringing the snow showers to the mountains wind us in that thirty five to forty mylan our range especially toward gracing county will we 35 to 40 mylan our range especially toward gracing county will we have a wind advisory you notice not snowfall accumulations not really adding up much across many hometowns we really have to go back toward the mountains a west virginia and even there western facing slopes pocahontas greenbrier county see maybe a coating to as much is an inch or two or higher amounts along those ridge tops the rest of us. maybe a snow shower to today partly sunny gusty winds temperatures in the thirties low to mid forties depending on your location tonight everyone

be cold though lows in the low to mid twenties and him we really see a nice warm up saturday and sunday lots of sunshine highs well into the fifties low sixties on monday even groundhog day coming in close to sixty could see a late they shower as of front drives through on wednesday with a few thunderstorms not out of the question there for the next arctic blast arrives on thursday comes to finding an excuse for being late to work. career builder talked to hiring managers to find the most outrageous excuses. some include "my hair caught on fire from my blow dryer." "a vaseline truck overturned on the highway and cars were slipping left and right." and: "i was detained by homeland security." an alexandria cop went above the line of duty to help deliver a baby. officer michael garcia spotted a car driving erratically wednesday night and pulled the car over to find the passenger in labor. he called for back up, but ended up delivering the baby just a minute later right outside of a gas

garcia has been with the alexandria police department for 3-and-a-half years, but this was his first time delivering a baby. both the mother and child are doing well. after months of talks, there is finally a new plan for roanoke county's explore park. the community looked at plans at the vinton war memorial last night. park leaders came up with these plans after they collected feedback from hundreds of people. county leaders say these meetings are important, because the changes they make to the park will have a big impact on the surrounding community. doug blount: "this is a very special opportunity, that's why we think it's very important to get all of our citizens comments and see how they think that we're doing, because we think we have an opportunity not only to create such a great park for our citizens but it can also be a destination to bring tourist to the roanoke valley." park leaders plan to take it to the board of supervisors later this year for review, and hope to implement it next fall. they plan to hold another meeting on tuesday at the south county library. some women are at at higher risk for diabetes, because they don't get enough sleep. that story and rest

news is ahead in hometown health. and flu season is in full swing. a new study from virginia tech shows us the most important group that

on this day in 18-45, edgar allen poe's published. in 18-61, kansas officially enters the union as a state. in 19-36, the baseball hall of fame elects its first members. american folk- singing trio peter, paul and mary sign their first recording contract in 19-62. and stanley kubrick's black comedy satire dr. strangelove premiers today in 19-64. mountain snow showers continue with increasing sunshine and a gusty nw wind. highs

hometown health: there's disappointing news for people trying to lose weight. and women suffering from a lack of sleep are more at risk for developing diabetes. jamie yuccas has some of the day's top health stories. new research from harvard suggests women who have difficulties sleeping are much more likely to develop type 2 diabetes. doctors tracked more than 133-thousand patients. they found women with numerous sleep problems.. such as snoring and waking frequently... were up to four times more likely to develop the condition. just working out may not be enough to take off that extra weight. that's according to researchers at city university of new york. they found that people don't necessarily burn extra calories even if they exercise more.. and that focus on

hopkins say people trying to learn a new skill.. on the computer, for example.. do better when they change things up slightly during practice. scientists say the process of combining new knowledge with memory is key to developing stronger motor skills. those are some of the day's top health stories. jamie yuccas, cbs news, new york. are you in need of a flu shot? new research at virginia tech shows who should be getting immunized to prevent a spread of the virus. achla marathe is a professor who works at virginia tech's biocomplexity institute. she and her team used a computer simulation of the new river valley to follow how influenza spreads through a community. they found it's about finding who has the most contact with others for long periods of time. achla marathe/ professor of agricultural and applied economics at the biocomplexity institute: "it's really the school aged children of large households who have very high contact time and number of contacts." marathe's research has already been published so communities could begin implementing vaccination priorities based on her

here's a look at what's trending on facebook this morning. the world health organization is estimating that three to four million people could be infected with the zika virus. officials say the virus is spreading very quickly in the americas. a special meeting will be held on monday to determine if a public health emergency needs to be declared. -------- donald trump really did skip the republican debate last night in iowa. instead he hosted a funraising event for veterans. meanwhile seven other candidates took the stage to talk about terrorism, foreign policy, and and immigration reform. -------- and episode seven is still in theaters, but star wars fans are already talking about episode nine. director colin trevorrow says he's not planning to use digital cameras to film the movie. it's not expected in theaters until 2019. blacksburg police are still searching for the girl who was last seen wednesday morning. about the search

and some people in bedford are not happy after receiving unwanted religious newspapers at their

of noah thomas' body, during his parents' trials. senator kaine is introducing laws that would roll back protections for gun manufacturers. why the national shooting sports foundation says kaine's focusing on the wrong thing. and the man known as "mr. radio" for decades in central virginia has died. when people will get to pay tribute to bob abbott's life. good morning, it's just about 6 o'clock on friday, january 29.