flames this afternoon. there's no word yet on how this fire started. wdbj7's danielle staub is there gathering more information. route 501 is closed near earl street and route 11-09. stay with wdbj7 for updates. tonight - new details into how noah thomas died. testimony just wrapped up for the day in pulaski county for the boy's mother, ashley white. she's charged with child abuse and neglect after she told investigators she left noah and his infant sister home alone. the five year old was found dead in a septic tank near the home after a weeklong search. wdbj7's justin ward has been in the courtroom all day and joins us now live. justin, you've learned more about that septic tank. gary meadows, the man who rented the property to ashley white and her boyfriend paul thomas, says he made a repair to that septic tank in 2014. another tank was

a retired plumber helped reroute a line to the tank. a department of health inspector is supposed to come check those repairs to make sure they're up to state code - meadows says he never called the health department. white's attorney, kelsey bulger, told him not complying with state regulations is a class one misdemeanor. meadows said he was unaware. the man who pumped the tank said there were no screws on the lid when he got there. an investigator said one screw was on the lid when the search for noah first began and her team used a metal detector to look for the other screws but none were found. meadows said he of his own grandchildren. the two used to play basketball together. he says noah liked to climb and explore. about 12 witnesses have you learned anything new about what investigators found when that initial missing child report came in? investigators from the pulaski county

the f-b-i said cigarette smoke poured out of the home when they first arrived. some investigators had to wear masks while they searched the home.... jean. the former treasurer for the disabled american veterans chapter in salem is guilty of embezzlement. jim clem pleaded no contest this afternoon to taking thousands of dollars from the charity. wdbj7 broke the story over the summer when clem was indicted. he admits he stole 21 thousand dollars in all. state police puts the total amount closer to 30 thousand. records given to wdbj7 show clem used a d-a-v credit card for personal expenses like clothes, gas, food and trips. he faces years in prison and will be sentenced in april. virginia state police are again searching for a driver who crashed his car late last night near the roanoke-franklin county line after a high speed police pursuit. investigators say they believe the teen has a handgun, but say he's not a threat

wdbj-7's shayne dwyer spoke with here with us now. shayne what do police know about this driver? think the most police is that the they person still being sought by police is a kid, only 15 years old. state police investigators started a few hours ago in 2-20. this crash police say he was speeding through boones mill, and at one point drove hour to outrun police. four other teenagers were in the car and hurt in the crash. police say the teen is not from this area and wanted for more than just last night's incident. (sgt. rick garletts/virginia state police spokesman):"we believe he's a 15 year old that is basiacly a run away, he's wanted for leaving a location for which he was assigned to stay at he's been missing since december 5-th i believe of last year." the trooper involved in the incident saw the teenager run away and decided against chasing him to take care of the

scene. the teenager was wearing a black sweatshirt and jeans, and was not wearing any shoes. our recent cold- snap is factoring into the search for the 15-year-old. troopers say they're very worried about a teenager possibly being out in the woods without a way to stay warm in this weather. shayne dwyer wdbj-7. weekendand this weather will continue to be that kind of harsh reality where it is supercold the winds will die down from time to time but didn't pick back up again because her next clipper is in balance you can see at the moment were running mid twenties across i eighty one net from galax at the lexington were noticing a twenty seven wytheville twenty in bloomfield and in lewisburg thirty one degrees this hour in richmond the ideas that this next clipper which is currently running through the central plains states with some snow louisburg 31 the sour in richmond. the ideas that this next clipper which is currently running through the central plains states with some snow will die down and move a little bit closer to us tomorrow pretty good bet that the southwest mountains in west virginia will be looking

couple of inches it very very cold this would be a very light fluffy snow it seems unlikely at this point will have anything in central virginia clear skies overnight will lead to temperatures dropping down to the teams of around twenty we get clouds hanging for much of a damar do not be surprised to see some that's not really the big story the big stories how cold it is sunday morning and win trying to figure out what started a house fire in the green hill area of roanoke county. someone saw flames at the home on green hill drive and called 911 around 1:30 this aftermoon initially firefighters thought someone was inside, but that was not the case. water had to be trucked in to fight the flames. we're told a firefighter fell through two floors into the basement but was able to get out and is ok. firefighters in one part of bedford county are having trouble with hydrants. some have no water, while others have been hard to open. it's creating a problem for crews who are battling fires in the densely populated community of forest. wdbj7's tim

bedford newsroom to show us what's being done about it. jean, the bedford regional water authority is working directly with firefighters in forest to start a hydrant maintenance program. the renewed focus on this issue was prompted by a fire sunday afternoon. flames were already burning out of control when crews arrived to battle this fire on declaration terrace sunday. to make matters worse, when firefighters tried connecting to the nearest hydrant it wouldn't open. assistant chief bryan byrd/forest volunteer fire department: "the hydrant failed, so we had to find a secondary source." assistant chief bryan byrd with the forest volunteer fire department says non-working hydrants aren't a major problem, but it's something they often encounter. byrd: "most of the time the water is not turned on to the hydrant, especially in a lot of the newer subdivisions in the area." forest is the most populated part of bedford county, with about 10,000 residents. around 900 fire hydrants have been placed throughout the area, but until now they haven't been regularly maintained. that's about to change. the bedford regional water

with the forest volunteer fire department to start a hydrant maintenance program. megan aubrey/water authority communications coordinator: "that will make sure all of our hydrants are in good working order, which means they will be able to open easily and have plenty of water behind them, so that when they are needed they are ready to go." similar programs already exist in the town of bedford and stewartsville. in those areas the checks are conducted by firefighters, and water authority spokesperson megan aubrey says the organization will need similar help to make the maintenence program work in forest. aubrey: "we really need both parties to get involved, since there are so many hydrants." byrd says forest firefighters already do semi-regular checks on the hydrants and they're happy to help with any proactive measures that will keep the water flowing. byrd: "we need to be proactive. it's very important." discussions between the fire department and the water authority just started this week and efforts to start the new maintenance program are still in very preliminary stages. live in the lynchburg bedford newsroom, tim

more students can now go to high school and graduate with both a diploma and an associate's degree. wdbj7 anchor nadia singh tells us about this special dual enrollment program aimed at making college more affordable and accessible. chris, it's called the early college high school program and it's a joint effort between the alleghany county public schools and dabney s. lancaster community college. the goal? to offer new options to get more students excited about higher learning. gene kotulka/alleghany schools superintendent "our students at alleghany high school are able to enroll in this program where in may they would graduate, the seniors would graduate, with their high school associates degree." that means the first two years of college are under their belts, before they even leave these halls. gene kotulka/alleghany schools superintendent "our two curriculum departments have worked together to come up with a program and it's a program in general studies and it's humanities."

like the region's governor's school but instead of stem, there's a concentration on general studies. "we like to provide our students many different pathways and this provides certain students a pathway to achieve what they want to do. this pathway is not designed for every student, it's designed for certain students just like the governor's school. " dr. john raione is the president of dabney s. lancaster community college and was a key part of making this happen. dr. john rainone/president "we know that by 2020 two thirds of all jobs are going to require a post secondary degree education and preferably an associates degree." and through this program, college becomes more affordable. it's basically a thousand dollars over two years to earn the associates degree." school leaders say that with room and board, that could be a savings of over 40-thousand dollars. for now the goal is simple. dr. john rainone/president "my hope is that every student who graduates from high school realizes that college is a possibility for them." the instructors who teach dual

are trained and certified to teach both high school and college courses. program for alleghany high school the hope is to all 6 high schools the nadia singh wdbj7. we're following up with a group of cadets in the growth through opportunity program. tonight you'll hear how far they have come. mikael: i'm excited, it's like a new experience just like learn what it is to work. promo sot roanoke city council and mayoral candidates will be facing off in a forum. it begins tonight at 6:30 at center in the square. we'll be there and have full

tonight at 11. story tonight. this is a live look at a massive fire burning at the old dan river plant in brookneal. there's no word yet on how this fire started. part route 501 is closed near earl street and route 11-09. wdbj7's danielle staub is there gathering more

updates. cadets from the roanoke city police department's "growth through opportunity" program are getting ready to graduate. wdbj7's amanda kenney introduced you to them back in november. tonight, she's checking in on them to see how far they have come in four months. these cadets have come a long way in four months. when alex, ben, kathryn, kayla, mikael, ricky, and brian started the gto program in november they were shy, didn't have much confidence, and they had no idea what the future would hold. each of them have a disability. while that hasn't changed, officer travis akins says their attitudes have. travis akins: they come in the door hugging and high fiving, they're glad to be a part of this program, their confidence is totally enhanced now, they look you right in the eye when they speak to you. the come in the morning, they shake your hand just like everyone else. these cadets have been working hard, alongside job coaches, like

firefighter jon metro who has fallen in love with the i'm already signed up for the next one. and the one after that . metro has been their cheerleader every step of the way john metro: their confidence, their agility, their endurance, their strength, their everything has improved, everything the program takes the cadets to different environments to give them different skills. the fire department teaches them life skills. theyr'e cleaning grocery shopping. putting together a grocery list making meals and cleaning up after themselves. the sheriff's department keeps them organized, filing paperwork. and the police department keeps them fit

designed building much needed confidence. and working with other first responders is part of the program's dual purpose. to enhance disability awareness training for all of our first responders right here in roanoke as well as to enhance the quality of life and employability for those with varying special needs these cadets can't wait to get to work. kayla: i'm ready, i have enough experience. mikael is already training for his new job at kroger. mikael: i'm excited, it's like a new experience just like learn what it is to work sheri harten: working with the gto program really helps us to fulfill that commitment that we have to be the company that has values and inclusion with graduation just a week away, the other cadets are close to getting jobs too. kathryn: it feels awesome. it feels pretty awesome. doesn't it, ben? (laughter) travis: it's critically important. for all of us. to have a purpose in life, to have a job, to have a task and it's been akin's job to give them that

travis: it's wonderful. i can't even put it into words. to be able to impact another human being's life like that, tha'ts huge, that's huge. just look at their smiles... their laughter and confidence. their lives have cetainly changed, and will never be the same, again. in roanoke, amanda kenney, wdbj7. this is the program's second class, they graduate on febuary 19th. 100% of the program's first class are employed. the gto program is always looking for businesses to work with to help find cadets jobs when they graduate. for the next 5 days, cold weather and snow will be the big topics of conversation. forecastexactly it i may be added out of widow finds a

wanted to show you cities overnight lows in the mid teens. by sunday morning it'll

only made it to 27 todaythe scout exciting electronic old and new weather station in a remote area of giles county capturing some of southwest virginia's most extreme weather conditions students

meteorology department- bald knob near mountain lake resort to install the solar powered weather station or department hopes to have more in the coming months to get a better sample of weather at the higher elevations here's the group hears the station to get everything loaded up there and it is been producing some pretty cold temperatures with much colder stuff to come cybele go down to the lower elevations in madison heights to discover that it's 26 right now that no additional moisture today and the winds calmed down which is actually pretty good news tonight with that kind of an increasingly cloudy scenario and calm winds these of the overnight lows are talking about single digits and teens everywhere and the net cold heiresses can continue to expand over the next few days in fact for the next five days it's all about this arctic air mass of the daytime highs and are struggling to get out of the 20s will finally see some relief on tuesday wednesday thursday but between now and then expect this bitter cold to continue our forecast model six a.m. tomorrow it is clouds

rotate to wear were into some snow showers a button midmorning in the afternoon and it's can be more lined up in far southwest virginia because the storm system didn't line up well with us it's a wink and a dry area in between those two weather makers but we are left with accumulations may be in the mountain empire and over toward greenbrier valley but certainly not in lynchburg or danville and probably not grown up i do expect to see some flurries flying around what were were they watching for monday tuesday first an area of low pressure the delivers the cold lunch and that's what sets us up over the weekend for the bitter temperatures and another low that starts to form will bring in some moisture and you would think is cold as it is that we would only be talking about snow but in fact warmer air upstairs will allow the snow to change over to a sleet mixture which will lower some snow accumulations little too early to get a handle on what might happen here but the

tuesday work and have some changes in the forecast right now on the front side it's all about bitter cold and that's what sets up the impact they there and after that wintry precipitation monday monday night and tuesday morning you are looking forward to thursday when it says back to normal and outside, but we're talking spring sports. we'll check-in with the virginia tech softball team as they prepare for their season opener this weekend. kim: tomorrow on wdbj mornin, it's going to be a cold weekend. we tell you how to get through it safely when it comes to yourself and your home. don't forget it's on sunday. we take spots to give you special someone. leo: snow showers are in the forecast. i'll know who could see some light

us then. everyone, i'm karen loftus with your look at sports. the virginia tech softball

season, which includes a challenging slate right off the bat. coach scot thomas and his team have a balanced roster that includes 7 talented 4 seniors. the hokies open the south florida friday, before saturday games against south carolina and illinois state. sunday brings two more games-- one against top ranked florida, and the other against 2nd-ranked michigan-- the two the national title last spring. scot softball coach: is the toughest schedule that we've played out of the box probably in the history of the program really. we've got one and two on next sunday but we can't overlook south florida who's got a great program, south carolina who is building an sec program and is doing well, up and coming, and illinois state this always perennial in their conference as well so it's a busy weekend coming into the michigan/ florida as it turns out, doubleheader on sunday. kelsey mericka/vt senior catcher/third baseman: every team is different every single year so i'm just excited to see how we fare with those teams and i think it'll be a good indication for the rest of

way to start out the season and bring us into acc play so that we get a taste of that high level play and that we get into the acc so we know what the top level competition is. the hokies men's basketball team is not back in action again until this coming wednesday when they travel to miami. and while they weren't able to pull-out the win tuesday with chris clarke back in the line-up, they're certainly glad to have him back out there, as he continues to work back to 100%. justin robinson, virginia tech freshman guard, "he's a big piece. he's an energy piece. he can do it all. he can guard one through 5 and i think he's a good piece to us." chris clarke, virginia tech freshman guard, "the boot's still on. they want me to stay in it just to protect my foot. it's still on. no aches and pains. i was say probably 95%. same things i was doing at the begining of the season-- trying to rebound as best i can, attack the basket and just bring energy." in d3 men's basketball news, the regular season is coming to a close in the old dominion athletic conference, with roanoke college still sitting one-game back of first-placed virginia wesleyan in the standings. the marlins and the maroons both won their games wednesday night, and both have 3 games left before the

roanoke closes-out the season with saturday, then wednesday, and finale is on the road against randolph- macon saturday the

about the fire burning at the old dan river plant in brookneal. it started around 3:30 this afternoon. firefighters told wdbj7 that crews were tearing down the building, and there were plans to recycle the material. the fire is conatined to the building. there's still no word yet on how it started. right now part of route 501 near earl street and route 11-09 is closed.stay with wdbj7 for updates. for the latest weather anytime,

webpage at wdbj7.com and be sure to follow us on facebook and twitter for weather headlines and more at wdbj7weather. thank you for choosing your hometown news leader, wdbj7. >> pelley: a key endorsement for clinton and a warning about nominating trump. >> we're going to be destroyed in the general election. >> pelley: also tonight, will u.s. olympic athletes be endangered by the zika virus? a rare one-on-one interview with

isis has access to chemical artillery shells? a college president's scheme to rid his school of struggling students. and a story brings sheer joy to a child. not the words, it's the voice. >> then elsa accidentally hurt anna and both girls rushed... >> this is the "cbs eveni captioning sponsored by cbs this is the "cbs evening news" with scott pelley. >> pelley: a new national poll shows how critical tonight's democratic debate is. hillary clinton and bernie sanders are neck and neck, and both are looking to african americans to break the tie. african americans make up more than half the democratic electorate in south carolina where first-in-the-south primary is just over two weeks away. here's nancy cordes. >> hillary clinton has been there. >> reporter: nearly 20 members