southeast. and i'm chris hurst. drizzle and foggy

but it's about to get a lot more active and a lot more dangerous. meteorologist robin reed begins with radar views and flood watches. youwe got both and if you look at the rate alright i think you should not all that impressive in fact there's not much rain here at all and you'd be absolutely correct but underneath the radar beams are zipped on a drizzle there's a fair amount of fog as well in the light showers do continue through the hill city right now for martinsville south boston as well so why the light stuff at the moment i think he could pretty well see why it is so much cooler and are part of the world right now than outlying areas like charleston the 50 bristol at 50 roanoke onforti to lynchburg and forty were staying in this cold air wedge which is actually good news for us but we will have a heavy rains by tomorrow afternoon that has instituted a flood watch for our entire viewing area it's because of the kind of rain we've had it been here for a while and get all that melting snows

saturated vandal the institute prevents learning and research is picked up more than half of an inch in more than image is following this evening in the appomattox county high school area completely saturated as you can see with humidity at one hundred percent also visibility is pretty poor this evening so slowing down the senior person tomorrow morning and be a good idea. then the winds pick up in the heavy rain starts then the outlook for potential funders terms preparing for flooding. w-d-b-j-7's khiree stewart spoke with crews on how they plan to keep you and your family safe. chris, rescuers told me that you should avoid getting close to rising water because you could put your life - and theirs- in danger. "they always make you nervous. there's not a single time you go out in a flooding event that you're completely comfortable with it. we're being put in situations that the average person is not normally put in." bobby haynes knows that first hand. he's one of 26 members of salem's swift water rescue team. "we've had people with some close call situations and we're fortunate enough that those

the lessons that they've learned and try to keep us safe." he says they have flood gauges throughout the area to keep track of the rising water... and train monthly on different swift water rescue techniques. "swift water is one of the more dangerous things we do as a fire department." "the scary thing on our business is that it doesn't take a lot of rain to separate the car from the road." salem fire chief john prillaman says it only takes a few inches to a foot of water for your car to get stuck. if you see deep water, he says the best thing you can do is... "turn around don't drown is a very good saying. you don't want to drive through any type of river or stream because it doesn't take a lot of water to float a car." they hope that advice floats through everyone's heads not just over these next few days, but always. "we're continently thinking about our families that are home and going through these flooding events as well without us being there. we're just worrying about our families and trying to get home safely to them and trying to take care of the public at the same time."

tips on w-d-b-j-7 dot com. just click on this story. khiree stewart, w- d-b-j-7. new tonight, a homicide investigation in northwest roanoke. police say a man was killed along westwood boulevard, shortly after 4:30 this afternoon. investigators are talking to witnesses and gathering evidence. no arrests have been made, and a police spokesman says officers are not actively searching for any suspects. authorities have not identified the victim. tonight a man is in the henry county jail, accused of beating another man with a baseball bat saturday night. today deputies arrested benny stone for forcing his way inside scottie rose's home on philpott dam road in bassett and attacking him. rose was eventually taken to a roanoke hospital for head injuries but has been released. stone is being held without bond tonight. a salem man faces several charges tonight in the alleged sexual assault of a child. detectives talked to the mother, who said

the mother's live-in boyfriend. julio cesar deleon the second is in the roanoke county/salem jail without bond. michelle wilkins/baby cut from womb: "what i do want to express is my frustration and anger at the callousness of her actions." a survivor speaks out today after a colorado jury found the woman who cut her unborn baby out of her last year guilty on all counts, including attempted murder. prosecutors say dynel lane lured michelle wilkins to her home witha a craigslist ad for maternity clothes and attacked. wilkins survived, but the child did not. lane faces up to 140-years in prison when she's sentenced in april. the push to give more virginia prisoners a chance of parole falls short in the general assembly. governor mcauliffe backed the legislation as a way to help a group of inmates who might have been unfairly punished because their juries didn't know virginia had done away with parole 21-years ago. the bill had been narrowed to apply to

which totaled less than two dozen. it passed the senate but was killed in house subcommittee. we're still waiting to hear final details, but all signs point to an appearance by donald trump in southwest virginia next week. wdbj7 learned this afternoon bluegrass legend ralph stanley and his grandson nathan are endorsing trump for president. their publicist confirmed they are planning to attend a campaign event monday in salem. trump was last in our area in january at liberty university in lynchburg salem city officials and trump campaign staffers though say no plans have been finalized. eight years ago, dr. stanley endorsed barack obama for president. in a facebook post last year, he said he made a mistake with that selection. his grandson, nathan, is supposed to perform at the trump event. ralph stanley will be there, health permitting, according to his publicist. the g-o-p presidential caucuses are underway in nevada. donald trump is looking to make his third victory in a row, after wins in new hampshire and

are gathering to vote for their candidate but it's not going smoothly. cnn quotes sources and media there that there are shortages of ballots, double voting, and some id's going unchecked. trump had a substantial lead in the polls, and a lot is riding on who takes second place. that could provide much needed momentum heading into "super tuesday" next week. the democratic presidential candidates took part in a town hall tonight in south carolina. voters there choose their candidate on saturday. earlier today, bernie sanders held a rally in norfolk, virginia ahead of super tuesday. he says wall street and billionaire campaign donors have an unfair advantage in the political ring. the crowd booed when he brought up his opponent, hillary clinton, saying she is too close to wall street campaign donors, but added he respects her. former president bill clinton will be campaigning on her behalf tomorrow in richmond and in northern virginia. today president obama called for the closure of

the plan is to transfer 35 of the 91 prisoners there to other countries. the remaining 56 would be moved to a facility in the u-s. leaders are looking at 13 locations. the white house is urging congress to act quickly. but house speaker paul ryan says congress will not change the law to allow terrorist detainees on american soil. the obama administration wants states to address the issue of so many minority students being singled out for special education in public schools. the education department says students of color are too often identified as having as disability and face harsher discipline than white students, and that these children are not getting the right support services. leaders are proposing a new rule requiring states to come up with a standard approach in comparing racial and ethnic groups when disparities are significant - and give school officials more options in how they spend federal intervention dollars. the centers for disease control is investigating 14 new cases of the zika virus. the agency says

risk factor was sexual contact with a male partner who had recently traveled to an area with a zika outbreak. the national institutes of health says there could be a zika vaccine by the end of next year. the water crisis continues in flint, michigan while officials still look for a solution. several organizations in our area are stepping up to help. as wdbj7's noell saunders tells us, some groups are planning to deliver clean water. the danville non- profit "god's pit crew" is sending volunteers to drop off bottled water to flint free of charge. the water collection started last month and it's expanding into other hometowns. (nats) operation flint is what it's called. so far the roanoke county sheriff's office collects 300 cases of water to help with the flint water crisis. sheriff joseph orange says he felt it was something he had to do. "i take great pride in public service and really think it's our

community so when they presented this opportunity to us we took the ball and ran with it" (nats) for more than an hour volunteers carried water into multiple cars. "it's definitely heartbreaking but on the flip side of that it's also sort of bitter sweet because it's great to see the outpouring and response we've had in the roanoke valley from those who are willing to step up" churches, fraternities , restaurants and others have also lended their service. over 1000 cases of water is currently sitting in a warehouse in roanoke. some groups are already in flint monitoring the progress. "we have a chapter up there in flint and they say it's just amazing how people are living at the moment. i mean they are getting one case of water a day and how can you survive on that?" while water is the biggest need, other items are on the list. "they need toiletries, hand sanitizer. they need water obviously. it's just a great event" operation flint continues through friday.

donate some bottles or become a volunteer we'll have that information available on our website wdbj7.com god's pit crew plans to ship the water to flint on saturday, march 5th. the historic slave homes at the greenfield complex in botetourt county are on the move. we told you about it last night at eleven. the work began this morning and the second home will move thursday, weather permitting. many who oppose the move addressed board members today, and even promised 40- thousand dollars to stall the work and take another look at the plan. (shirley johnson lewis/plantation family descendant):"don't think for one second that we fell for that little archealogical testing that was done, my people are crying out to me to implore you to let them rest in peace." (jack leffel/board of supervisors chairman):"this occured 20 years ago when the property was bought, that was the original plan, and it was very public, they had a referendum to do all of that back then." the land the homes sit on, and the

land at the greenfield complex were leased to the county's economic development authority today. there are no identified companies or tenants moving in yet. next on wdbj7- is lynchburg off the map? a special report at how no direct interstate access might be effecting jobs and the

city. largest in the united

interstate. experts say those highways drive economic growth by attracting employers and connecting major cities to one another. that left us wondering, does lynchburg's lack of an interstate mean it's being left 'off the map'? in this special report, wdbj7's tim saunders shows us how the city is overcoming its transportation challenges. like an artery in the heart, interstate highways carry the lifeblood of america's economy. millions of travelers and trucks carrying commercial goods move through the freeway system every day. none of that traffic comes anywhere close to lynchburg, the largest city in virginia with no direct interstate access. lee cobb/economic development consultant: "we were always able to overcome that." lee cobb spent several decades marketing lynchburg as an economic development director. during the 1980's and 90's, he helped attract two of the city's largest employers: j.crew and frito lay. luring those companies was not easy. cobb: "the tough part was getting them over that

on an interstate." lynchburg is about an hour from the nearest interstate; a transportation obstacle that was nearly avoided. when the highway system was developed in the 1950's, planners conceived several different routes for interstate 64. one would have taken the highway from richmond into lynchburg following u-s route 60, but that plan never came to pass. instead, 64 was routed through charlottesville and staunton, leaving lynchburg with no interstate of its own. lynchburg has several highways that function like an interstate. routes 460 and 29 pass through the city as four lane freeways, but that doesn't mean much to companies outside the region who are looking for a red, white, and blue shield on the map. cobb: "i had any number of companies that would not even discuss this as a location, because we are not on an interstate." manufacturing companies employ "site selectors," who help them find property for expansion or relocation. one of the top things they look for is an interstate. christine kennedy/lynchburg

times when we get leads from the state, it's nothing more than checking a box. do you have an interstate? when we have to check that box 'no,' that in some cases could mean we don't get a look." joe turek/economic analyst: "the absence of an interstate certainly can impede the ability of a community to compete for businesses in the location decision." joe turek is dean of the school of business and economics at lynchburg college. his school conducted research into why certain companies locate in lynchburg, while others avoid the area. turek: "the firms that chose not to locate in the lynchburg metropolitan area frequently cited poor transportation as one of the reasons." kennedy: "if we get a chance to explain it, it doesn't hinder us." kennedy and the lynchburg regional business alliance are launching agressive new marketing efforts, designed to show off the region's assets to employers who might not have lynchburg on their list. kennedy: "we have a great quality of place. we have a low cost of doing business here. we have a labor pool ready to work." benefits like that don't just attract new employers, but also help retain existing ones.

economic development director convinced j. crew to expand its distribution and call center on dillard drive, adding more than 150 new jobs. marjette upshur/economic development director: "when i talk to our existing businesses, when they are growing their business, the fact that we don't have an interstate doesn't seem to be a real deterrent to them." marjette upshur says many other factors come into the equation like air service and lack of available land. upshur: "when we get our feedback, a lot of times the site itself is what makes (a company) go one place or another, rather than the fact we don't have an interstate." still, transportation challenges remain a focus of concern. shannon valentine, lynchburg's representative on the commonwealth transportation board, is spearheading a new study that examines the impact current transportation conditions are having on the region's ability to compete. shannon valentine/ commonwealth transportation board member: "it's asking what are the challenges facing businesses when it comes to recruitment and expansion. what are the challenges and

the data will be used to help valentine fight for lynchburg's transportation needs and secure funding for those projects. that probably won't include an interstate, now or at any other pont in the near future. kennedy: "it is just too expensive and congress right now is not making any long term transportation investments beyond five years." which means lynchburg is left to work with the roads that already exist. it's a situation that may not have them in the fast lane to attracting jobs and growing the employment base, but economic leaders say they're still very much on the road to progress. in lynchburg, tim saunders, wdbj7. with active weather expected tomorrow, your first alert forecast is available on-air, on-line and on your mobile device. download our free weather app to stay engaged. the complete

one day a rider made a decision. the decision to ride on and save money. he decided to save money by switching his motorcycle insurance to geico. there's no shame in saving money. ride on, ride proud. geico motorcycle,

backthe views this afternoon and this evening coming out of the deep south louisiana, mississippi, alabama, florida panhandle this kind of damage done from tornadoes that were touching down in addition or that there were a couple of

wordplay and then they came ashore as tornadoes did damages well were looking at the last few hours. coming into the florida panhandle and we can see from panama city to jazz east of pensacola now going into georgia boy those are some big storms are still spending and that is a concern this evening this is a monstrous storm is enormous and it has all kinds of weather associated with that the severe stuff on the front side and winter weather on the backside with snow and ice and is headed our way this is going to be eastbound as it comes in tomorrow were going to have to find instability areas were to produce the strongest storms and right now the instability appears to be eastern north carolina perhaps the tidewater as well this is an enhanced area potential severe thunderstorms and turnout activity tomorrow afternoon as you go to the west to notice it's a little bit less in fact marginal although that is an increased risk for our area and we certainly couldn't rule out a tornado will work in a concentrated on initially is

tomorrow another inch on top of artie saturated ground will be unwelcome we hope to swiftwater teams do not have to get out into this you see water on a roadway don't cross it just turn around and go a different direction you always go back the next day or hour by hour notices wednesday starting off first thing in the morning will put this in motion you can see how the rain does come up from the south. it kind wants to overwhelm a cold air but it doesn't seem to be entirely successful until about four or five o'clock and then the line forms this is the one you watch out for this is the one that's got the win could potentially have spinning a thunderstorms in it and the net and attractive these notices can amiss ronald was convinced lynchburg hopefully this didn't go as well but that's how close and music comes through* severe risk tomorrow is highest the farther east to go from roanoke notice that there's still a decent chance for some strong storms in roanoke and lynchburg also were concerned about flash flooding or concern about strong winds not

can abuse it comes through source of your risk tomorrow is highest. the farther east you go from roanoke notice of there still a decent chance for some strong storms in roanoke and lynchburg also were concerned about flash flooding were concerned about strong winds. not just tomorrow but thursday as well as we have the increased chance for dropping trees on power lines so that'll be an issue here is the seven days all stacked up for you the impact day is tomorrow and it's a big one monitor changes in the forecast carefully monitor changes in your local area and you're ready for gusty winds on thursday still rather breezy on friday and he gets caught a cold too morning lows in annual crime report is now heading to the state senate. the legislation already received unanimous approval in virginia's house. it was proposed by a delegate from fairfax, who says she thinks it's important for virginians to know about officer-involved shootings and whether they are justified. a cluster of bald eagles found dead on a farm in maryland over the weekend has prompted a federal and state investigation. 13 in all were discovered. state officials believe the birds were poisoned, but aren't sure if it was intentional or an accident. the bald eagle is protected under

authorities are offering a 10- thousand dollar reward for information. it's a story out of egypt that would be laughable if it hadn't really happened. a three-year-old boy is off the hook after being sentenced to life in prison last week. he was accused of crimes committed during a protest in 2014 - when he was just 16-months old. authorities acknowledge that it was a case of mistaken identity. something new is brewing at virginia tech. beer! the school has opened a new brewhouse with equipment purchased from germany, and is exactly what breweries use to make beer. the class helps students who plan to work in or own a brewery- but there's more to it. the same science behind fermentation can be used in food science and technology studies. (nick patrick, senior food science & technology student) food processing and the brewery go hand in hand. you're using large machines, sanitation is of the utmost importance. it definitely plays into itself. just because you're making beer doesn't mean it can't be also used for

food science & technology student) we can take that not only to the new beverage industry that is forming but also to the newer food industry and the new food products that are coming out. for more on the brewhouse and it's furture at virginia tech, check out this story on wdbj7 dot com. check out this monkey business onboard the international space station! mark kelly posted this video on twitter. someone in a gorilla suit burst out of a bag and chased a crew member around! no explanation was given, just a tweet from kelly saying, "i thought you said you had things under control up there!" all kind of high school regional hoops to get to tonight, plus the hokies try to win on the road at bc but first our extra point, the uva baseball team whipped vmi today, and down in blacksburg, virginia tech took their cuts against east tennessee state at

tom stoffel slaps this one through the right side for a knock. that allows saige jenco to cross the plate. the hokies defense was pretty good too. they turn the nifty double play on the way to an 11-nothing shutout win. i'm hillary clinton and i approve this message. her life's work has been about breaking barriers. and so would her presidency. which is why, for every american who's not being paid what they're worth... who's held back by student debt or a system tilted against them- and there are far too many of you- she understands that our country can't reach it's potential...

together.

things are trending upward for the virginia tech men's basketball team. a win over florida state put the hokies back over .500 for the season, and has the team with a shot at a postseason appearance. the hokies though, just 1-6 on the road in acc play, trying to change that trend tonight at boston college. and this, a welcome sight for hokie nation. chris clarke already back in the line-up after spraining an ankle on saturday against florida state. he had five points in limited action. seth allen ended up

face after saturday. here he is with the steal and the score, plus the foul. this all part of a 13-0 run late in the first, capped off by the run-out and the throw-down from justin bibbs. the hokies up double-digits the rest of the way. another steal and score from allen. he lead the way with 14, as tech makes it two wins in a row, beating bc, 71-56. elsewhere in college basketball, look what vanderbilt center and cave spring graduate, josh henderson, did! the 7-footer from roanoke grabs the rebound and throws it 80-feet into the basket as the half expires! are you kidding me? only his second made 3- pointer in his collegiate career. the high school basketball postseason rolling right along tonight, with our local teams looking to keep their state championship hopes alive. henderson's old team, cave spring hosting rustburg in the 3a regionals. and the knights getting off to an extremely hot start from beyond the arc. paxton daniels just burying the three. then it's jake furrow

cave spring jumps out to the 9-nothing lead. but rustburg was going away that easily. mike jones showing off the handles. the step- back three. making it look easy. jones then, feeling it. takes the little hand-off. no hesitation on that shot. and why not? that drops in the bucket for another three. and things would remain tight from there. but brody hicks and the knights would find a way down the stretch, as cave spring advances past rustburg, 53- 49. northside hooking up with waynesboro across town. early on, kendrick tucker stops and pops the foul line jumper. he banks it in for 2 of his 19 points in the night. then on the break, it's tucker to shey webb who finishes things off. he too had 19 points in the game. then later, check out the freshman devon russell who fires from distance. that's good for three as the vikings went on to win it 64 to 45. up in the 4a

heritage. the terriers in control, up double- digits in the second half, and continuing to add to their lead. damon childress on the attack. gets that one to go. then it's childress again on the drive. check this out. slashes through the defense, takes the bump, somehow gets it to drop in for the and-one. and the terriers would continue to stack it on. alex fitch spotting up from long range. three-ball, corner pocket, as byrd gets the win, 58-47. on the girls side in 4a, the hidden valley girls hosting broadway. and the titans in a close one early. jordyn sadler with the nice cut to the bucket for the finish. hidden valley then pushing the ball up the court in transition. senia garay on the receiving end. she gets that one to go with friendly bounce, as the titans march onto the win, 66-52. that's your look at

just a minute. turn to our webpage at wdbj7.com and be sure to follow us on facebook and twitter for weather headlines and more at wdbj7weather. thanks for watching your hometown

wdbj7. >> jon: stephen colbert! captioning sponsored by cbs ( band playing "late show" theme ) >> stephen: thank you so much, everybody! ( cheers and applause ) >> stephen: hey! welcome to can the to "the late show,"" everybody. thank you, that's lovely. thank you so much for joining us. a little out of whack there. thank you so much. welcome to "the late show." thank you. welcome to "the late show,"" everybody. i'm stephen colbert.