have a great day. tornado in appomatox. we're live at the community shelter where volunteers are ready to help victims. help is coming from all corners of our state. how people in the hard- hit evergreen community are also taking care of their own. and the clean-up work is also happening in patrick county, after a tornado hit there. which groups were called in to help out law enforcement in that area. good morning, it's just after 5 o'clock on friday. i'm kimberly mcbroom. i'm garrett turner. and i'm leo hirsbrunner. there are a few school announcements this morning. appomattox county school are closed, employee code 2. greenbrier county schools in west virginia are opening three hours late. schools in monroe county, west virginia are two hours late. pocahontas county, west virginia and tazewell county

open two hours late. gusty winds days snow showers continue in those areas but as we head through today mopes to that will slowly come to an and but southwestern virginia the mountains a west virginia it have to watch upper a few slick spots is you heading out this morning here's you weather headlines a chilly start you deftly one a bundle up temperature say twenties and thirties probably on your home tomorrow but at the wind benefiel colder than that strong gusty winds will have increasing sunshine county. but the shelters are open. wdbj7's amanda kenney is at one of the shelters this morning. good morning, amanda good morning, kimberly. i'm at the appomatox community center, and the other shelter is at the pamplin fire department. they're staying open as local leaders continue to encourage victims to

water, and food. but there is some good news this morning, i've checked the outage maps for the area and it looks like 100% of the power has been restored. local leaders have warned that could change as gusty wind conditions could continue to create new outages. but crews are working non-stop to keep the power online if you are experiencing a power outage, unplug major appliances to minimize risk of surges when the power comes back on. wind could also cause more problems so if you are in an area affected by the tornado , be aware of loose limbs, downed power lines or other wind-related hazards. if you're driving, be cautious as debris/wires may still be on roadways. don't forget, there is still a help line open for anyone to call. that number is on the bottom of your

another concerns are we'll talk about how to find them coming up in the next hour. the tornado may have brought down trees and homes in appomattox, but it didn't bring down the spirit of the community. several people went through debris trying to salvage whatever they can for the families affected by the storm. power crews were also out working to restore power to the area. members of the humanitarian group, gleaning for the world, were out making sure volunteers and victims had enough supples. volunteers said they can't help but be touched by the stories they see in the piles of debris. travis smith: "the community needs to come together. people need to band together to help one another. that's something that's going to be real important in these next couple of days." god's pit crew plans to send a truck full of relief supples to appomattox this morning. volunteers are also traveling from danville to

a man has been shooting in the town of pulaski. it happened at 10:50 last night in the 100 block of 6th street. that had been shot the scene. he was taken to the flown to roanoke memorial for treatment. chadwick metz has been arrested in connection to the shooting. he's being held in regional jail without bond. also new this a man has been arrested in danville the one-thousand road. it happened just night during a fight. one person was taken to the hospital with a stab wound to the neck. that persone was taken to the hospital. kenneth huggins was arrested and is in the danville city jail. ((cold toss to leo)) gotstill finding gusty winds in around the area now will be the trend in that thirty mylan our wind us hot springs thirty six roanoke twenty three blacksburg and thirty three

galax area remember wind advisories do continue until seven o'clock 33 mylan our wind us toward the galax area. remember wind advisories do continue until seven o'clock this morning but once that expires we still have gusty winds just not in that thirty 30 to 40 mylan our range more like the 20 to thirty mylan our range and still would that saturated ground tree limbs trees could get toppled that will continue to diminish over the upcoming weekend so this what it feels like across erie the area feels like it's only seven and hot springs the windchill there twenty two in roanoke feels like it's 20 blacksburg 15 galax and thirty one in danville now all the severe weather of course long gone were still finding snow showers on the backside of the low making its way through the west virginia mountains every once in while couple flurries toward far southwest virginia bay here you go these are the confirmed tornadoes from the national weather service to eat got yeah rewrite the air we also had a gf three in appomattox ararat patrick county had adf one mecklenburg county just to the east of our area also reporting you one so widespread tornadoes out there that outbreak long gone good news for us temperatures

40s today will actually warm up as we make our way through the weekend high-pressure building and once these areas my get closer the snow showers begin to shut down and everyone should start to see beautiful sunshine today by the afternoon we should end up mostly sunny gusty winds highs forties maybe a little bit warmer toward the martinsville and danville area tonight partly cloudy cold lows in the teens and twenties and your first alert wtvj seven day saturday breezy just not windy like previous days sunday monday and tuesday were back up until low sixties 60s next chance a shower thunderstorm heads our way on these damage stricken communities are receiving. as wdbj-7's shayne dwyer shows us, some of the biggest support comes from those closest to home. this evergreen community used to get overlooked " " but now it's hard to look away, this photo will tell the tale for decades, destruction now

"then we got out and all of our houses were destroyed, completely destroyed." four homes stood on debbie garrett's property. now one, the one that saved her family's lives. and community is the only thing keeping them alive now. "we all went to granny b's in appomattox fantastic restaurant, they gave us our breakfast on the house as i was sitting there one of the waitresses stephanie walked up to me and handed me a 100 dollar bill and said this is from one of our customers just to say we're sorry then as i was sitting there another customer walked by me shook that hand, and in that hand was a 20 dollar bill." fewer people live north across route 460 , but the tornado still obliterated everything in its path. "total devestation, everything pretty much destroyed." damien bailey's family came home to half-a- house wednesday night. thursday morning brought a kitchen with a view to the heavens, and a search for beloved diamond earings. "i've been on the fire department for the last 15 years and responded to other peoples' disasters and you

that it doesn't happen to you, and it just hurts when it happens to you.." among so much destruction, tears, and sorrow, one thing is standing taller than ever: community pride. "thank you appomattox, thank you ems, thank you state, local sheriff deputies, rescue and fire, if it wasn't for them i don't know where we would be now." in appomattox county, shayne dwyer wdbj-7. in southern appomattox county, wednesday's tornado destroyed a 120-year-old church. winds tore the steeple off central baptist church and dropped the ruins about a quarter mile away. the brick facade was peeled off and stained glass windows are mangled. yesterday morning volunteers, including the football team from appomattox county high school, helped clean up the damage. barbara arnold: "it's devastating. even if they rebuild, it's still not going to be the same church, and i'm sure they will rebuild." the church was insured. appomattox leaders

people to stay out of areas impacted by the tornado. in patrick county, a e-f 1 tornado hit the ararat community, destroying trees and homes. yesterday, crews continued to clean up along ararat highway. vdot and the national guard were called in to help. patrick county board of supervisors chairman is thanking the emts and fire and rescue teams who responded so fast after the storm and helped get people to safety. roger hayden, chairman, patrick co board of supervisors, "it really bothers me to see this place damaged and the agony of the people but luckily no one was injuried or killed in this episode so, ya know that was a blessing." law enforcement will have a strong county at least make sure you drive carefully this morning, as there's in effect for some areas. we'll have your first i-hometown traffic report, after the and when it comes to the election in november, most people are only thinking about the presidential campaign. but that's not the case for this college

what he's planning for the 5th district

next. heading off to the busstop this morning seven a.m. around thirty two degrees but with the wind it's benefiel colder than that so deftly dress accordingly by the one shower thirty six most areas will see mainly sunny conditions had home from school temperatures coming in right around forty degrees plus and minus and then over the weekend those winds continue to icy patches in bland, grayson and tazewell counties. even the main roads are slick in those areas. we're also seeing flooding throughout our area, and downed trees will be a problem. appomattox county drivers are urged to stay off the roads if possible because of dangerous conditions. workers are installing a new gas line in southwest roanoke. flaggers will control

and creston avenue. expect delays from 8 a-m to 4 p-m now through march 15-th. underground electrical work could slow you down in lexington. the intersection of north randolph street and east washington street will be closed from nine this morning to three this afternoon. drivers are asked to go a different way. candidates are lining up to replace fifth district representative robert hurt when he leaves congress next year. at least six people are running so far and, as wdbj7's tim saunders show us, a teenager from the district wants to make sure people in his hometown know where everyone stands. brookneal is not the largest community in the fifth congressional district, but for one night it will be the focus of a campaign to elect the area's newest representative. it's all thanks to a young native of the town named conner francis. conner francis: "i'm trying to be the best representative of brookneal i can be." francis is a student at central virginia community college. despite the fact that he's only 18 and already has his hands full with a job and college classes, francis has found time to organize a political forum for the fifth district

five candidates have committed to showing up. francis: "i know it's early in the race, but right now some people don't even know which candidates are running." the current fifth district congressman, robert hurt, is from the southern part of the district. most of the candidates running to replace him are from areas farther north. francis wants to make sure those people know and understand the concerns of people on the southside. francis: "what we have to look at is who's going to represent brookneal the best, in their ideas and values." like so many rural towns in the southern fifth district, brookneal has watched jobs disappear and its economy fall into depression. the situation was highlighted earlier this month when the old dan river plant, once the town's largest employer, burned in dramatic fashion. francis wants his next congressman to pay special attention to his hometown and make job creation a priority. francis: "i don't care how much i have to

brookneal better, but i'm going to do it because it's my hometown." in brookneal, tim saunders, wdbj7. the political forum is tonight at 7 in the brookneal community building on main street. it's a non-partisan event and francis is hoping for a good turn out. students at radford university are reacting to the news that donald trump is heading to campus on monday. the noon rally is at radford university's dedmon center. even though it's not a university sanctioned event, students will be part of the crowd. layne dibuono "i am interested in going just to hear what he has to say and just get my own opinion instead of just hearing what other people are saying about him." tyler rosenblatt: "i'm definitely going to go and i want to hear what he says but i'm just going to take it with a grain of salt." doors for the trump rally open at 10 am monday. and as we told you yesterday, marco rubio will be speaking at roanoke college sunday night at 8:30. r-s-v-p's are required for anyone 12 and older. it's a surprising turn of events in the race to become roanoke's next mayor.

for their party. and, what one group is doing to make some of the area's mountains ready for

cam diminishwhere finding temperatures in the thirties across the area ronald now i thirty four new york city thirty four atlanta coming in at thirty seven but we have the wind here so it's feeling colder than that looking out from lane stadium across the campus of virginia tech relatively quiet thirty one degrees 31 but would that west northwest wind 20 only feeling like it's eighteen degrees visibility this morning not an issue whatsoever still could see a flurry or two that is about it most of the activity now confined toward the mountains a west virginia but if you look really close still finding a few toward smith bland taz will gracing counties even to the ronald valley don't be spry see a flurry this morning dopants price see a flurry this morning but everyone should start see dryer conditions as we head through the day that low continues to move off and high-pressure builds in giving

upper thirties to low forties forecast model shows the snow showers this morning but watch out kino shrinking coverage area as you head through the afternoon that dryer air begins to work its way in and then as he head toward friday night maybe a few more clouds saturday sunday all looking good other than a that is you had toward friday night. maybe a few more clouds saturday sunday all looking good other than couple of fairweather clouds from time to time we should see nice warming temperatures especially as he head toward sunday and monday today gusty winds mostly sunny temperatures into the 30s low to mid 40s throughout the region head out tonight partly cloudy still been be on the chilly side just not as windy as last later this morning will fine low temperatures dropping back down into the teens and twenties that will be the actual temperatures morning that's action what it feels like is you had out even though temperatures are in the 20s and 30s your first alert wtvj seven day planner seventy breezy on saturday just not as windy as previous days sunday couple of fairweather clouds beluga that high temperature getting up until low and middle sixties monday and tuesday a mix of sun and clouds highs in the low sixties and as he head toward

boundary drives through and that could bring us a few scattered showers even a couple the lone candidate seeking the republican nomination for roanoke's next mayor withdrew his bid. the announcement came just about two hours before kevin settles would've become the nominee at a republican meeting. his campaign released a short statement -- saying he has "withdrawn from seeking the republican nomination for mayor." at the meeting thursday evening, the committee didn't put forth any candidates for city council either. mel williams, temporary chairman, roanoke city mass meeting "i can say that historically speaking, it's a very difficult race for republicans to run and that can make it difficult to recruit candidates to run in those spots and unfortunately it appears the republican committee hasn't been able to get any candidates for those. " it appears that sherman lea will be the only candidate on the ballot to be roanoke's next mayor. the election will be held on may 3. a group of volunteers is doing its part to keep mill mountain looking its best. last week's storm knocked down

trailways and streets. clean up staff says blocked roads could be dangerous for hikers, bikers and drivers. the group works four to five hours cleaning parks and other outdoor facilities every thursday. matt allenbaugh outdoor education instructor "maintaining the high quality trails that we have is really important for its' citizens, tourist and people who may be interested in moving to roanoke" the next project will be cleaning carvins cove on march10th. coming up in sports, we have highlights from some local basketball teams as they try to move ahead in the regional basketball playoffs. and, a bill that would let home-schooled students play public school sports is

the second time. 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... unless we all do. together.

increasing sunshine. our high will close in on 40. the high school regional basketball playoffs were front and center last night across the area. here's travis wells with highlights in sports. good friday morning everybody. high school basketball regional playoffs continued tonight, with cave spring hosting the 3a west games. in the first game of the doubleheader, it was

his one-loss northside vikings against a 3-loss western albemarle team. northside out to the early lead with a couple threes. kendrick tucker from beyond the arc on his way to 13 points in the game. then it was shey webb following-suit. webb led the vikings with 15, as they end the first quarter up 18-13. western dialed-in from long range in the second. this 3 from will cress puts the warriors up 20 to 18, as they start the quarter on a 7-oh run. back to northside and boogie basham. he lays it in to tie the game up, but right after, the warriors quickly break the press and ryan ingram takes it the other way for 2 of his 23 points. the vikings jump back out front though as nick price spins his way to the hoop. he finished with 9 as northside wins it 63 to 55. next-up, spotswood making the trip to roanoke county to take-on the host cave spring knights the trailblazers attacked the hoop early and often. first it's justin kier driving straight in for the bucket. then off the cave spring turnover, it's kobe davis ahead of the defense and finishing with the lay-in, as spotswood quickly up by 6.

this 3- pointer from mason reyer. selling the pump-fake and drilling the shot. then how about jake furrow joining- in. he hits the short jumper, as cave continues to chip away. devin beckner makes this bucket just before the first quarter horn sounds, but spotswood was too much. the blazers go-on to beat cave spring 63-56 it was a private school throwdown at roanoke catholic where the celtics hosted rival north cross. the celts tried to dig out of a 12 point halftime hole. this helps as stephen clark pulls the trigger for 3 from way downtown. but north cross answers. jordan lowery to nariq bailey who tickles the twine from the corner pocket for 3. they then go inside to the big man james nworah for two easy ones. north cross pulled away to win 66-51. have a great day everybody. i'm travis wells, wdbj7. legislation that would let home school students participate in public school sports has made it through the house of delegates and the state senate. now supporters of the tebow bill hope to persuade the governor to sign it. named for the nfl quarterback tim

homeschooled, the bill passed both houses last year. however, governor mcauliffe vetoed the legislation. he said it creates a double standard. yesterday, sponsors of the bill encouraged home school students and their families to write the governor with the hope he will have a change of heart. virginia lawmakers have also given final approval to a bill that legalizes and regulates online fantasy websites like draft-kings and fan-duel. it now goes to governor mcauliffe to either sign or try to veto. a draft-kings spokesman says virginia is the first state in the country to set up a legal framework for the fast-growing online fantasy industry. right now, fantasy sports are banned in six states. schools are closed, but shelters are open in appomattox county. wdbj7's amanda kenney will join us live from the appomattox community center. on the campaign trail, the republican presidential candidates are turning their focus back to super tuesday, after a heated debate last night in texas. how many delegates are up for and investigators in kansas are trying to

the deadly shooting spree near wichita that left at least four people dead,

gunman. i'm garrett turner. mcbroom. school announcements this morning. you can see those at the top of your screen. while many families were able to survive wednesday's tornado in appomatox, other family members like pets are still missing. but there is a plan in place to help find them. wdbj7's amanda kenney is in appomatox this morning. good morning kimberly and garrett. i spoke with one family yesterday who say firefighters saved their dogs but could not find their cats. if you're still looking for a pet you can contact the

the help line. that number is on the bottom of the screen for you. wednedsday's ef-3 tornado left many families without a home to go to. some people are at the appomatox community center or pamplin fire department for shelter. but if you have a pet, emergency shelters do not allow animals inside. local leaders ask that you make arrangements for your pet or reach out to the appomatox county animal shelter and they can help you some options on what to do with your pet. also, many of the affected areas are still dangerous. especially with gusty winds. the county continues to ask people to stay away from those areas. but what has been amazing is the amount of support coming to this community. coming up, i'll give you more information

republican presidential candidates turn their focus back to campaign trail today, after a heated debate in texas. marco rubio and ted cruz took turns attacking frontrunner, donald trump, on several issues. and as omar villafranca reports, ben carson and john kasich failed to stand out. republican presidential frontrunner, donald trump, was the target of most of the punches in last night's debate...many coming from marco rubio. this fiery exchange on healthcare was one of the most tweeted moments of the night: (sot trump) the biggest thing we got and the reason we have no competition is because we have lines around the state. (sot rubio) so that's the plan? just the lines? the fact that we have interstate competition? (sot trump) the nice part of the plan is that you'll have many different plans (sot rubio) he's just repeating himself the attacks between trump and ted cruz got

(sot trump) i'm having a lot of fun up here tonight (sot cruz) donald relax (sot trump) i'm relaxed. you're the basket case trump also took hits from people off stage. the billionaire candidate said he hasn't released his tax returns because he's being audited. but former presidential candidate mitt romney questioned the response via twitter. (sot trump spin room) he just wants to remain relevant. he's going to support marco rubio (standup: omar villafranca cbs news houston, tx) as the top three contenders went head to head...the two lower polling candidates, ben carson and john kasich, struggled to gain the spotlight. -nat/sot-can someone attack me please the former neurosurgeon criticized the tone of the night: (sot carson) i think there was no attempt to be equitable with the time and the questions ...while the ohio governor appeared more optimistic: (sot kasich) i think i penetrated and sent a message to everyone around the country that i'm qualified to be the president of the united states close to 600 delegates are up for grabs in next week's super tuesday contests. omar villafranca cbs news houston,

investigators have been combing through the scene of a deadly workplace shooting in kansas overnight. 3 people were killed and 14 others injured by a man who police say opened fire inside a lawnmower products plant. police say the shooter was 38- year-old cedric ford. he was killed in a gunfight with the first officer who got to the scene. before getting to the plant, investigators say ford randomly shot at drivers on the road, hitting 2. sheriff t. walton/harvey county sheriff dept.: "the shooter was actively firing on any target that came across his sights" jesus fierros/victim: "people were just running saying somebody was shooting and next thing you know i felt i got hit in the leg and that's when i turned and started running." at last check at least 5 of the shooting victims in the hospital were in critical condition. the atf and fbi are helping with the investigation.

w/stinger)) youare good morning kimberly good morning everyone the quiet weather continues to build in still finding gusty winds out there be aware that but over the next couple days that to will begin to diminish thirty four c actual temperature in roanoke twenty two hot springs thirty one blacksburg twenty nine galax twenty five bluefield thirty four lynchburg head down to danville martinsville area still harboring in the mid to upper thirties couple flurries here and there most of the snow showers back toward pocahontas greenbrier county in west virginia we also continue with are flood warnings along the dan river in south boston and along the roanoke river in randolph just minor flooding but be aware that over the next couple days they'll continue to recede and things should improve there as well your fitness forecast this morning if you going out for walker jog just beware it's very windy out there temperature around thirty two sunrise at six fifty six and it is maker way through the afternoon would a see mainly sunny conditions clear into

clouds drift through but on than that other than the wind to be pretty nice day high-pressure building in right now still seeing the backside of that storm system that broadus the severe weather wednesday bring snow showers in the mountains and gusty winds but as these areas high-pressure had in our direction we will see things quieting down and the winds inside see a forecast across the area roanoke smith mountlake lexington low forties ending up mostly sunny head over toward lynchburg loving stint appomattox all in the mid forties mopes lease sunny winds will start to diminish as we had today still been be breezy though as he head toward saturday on the areas to our south gretna danville south boston charlotte courthouse mid 40s becoming mostly sunny newer valley southwest a few more clouds temperatures in the thirties a few snow showers this morning in flurries better chance seeing some snow showers in the mountains a west virginia would've those highs twenties and thirties seven day planner more sunshine again saturday breezy just not windy anymore and then sunday and monday quieter

with those highs back into the low sixties that continues into tuesday and then a few afternoon showers and thunderstorms wednesdays week frontal boundary drives the the tech giant is asking a judge to vacate an order that would help federal investigators break into the iphone of one of the san bernardino terrorists. apple accuses the government of seeking "dangerous power" through the courts. the new york times is reporting that apple engineers are working on a new security measure that will make it impossible for the government to break into a locked phone. the u.s. attorney general maintains the government is not overstepping its boundaries. loretta lynch/us attorney general: "it's a long-standing principle in our justice system that if an independent judge finds reason to believe that a certain item contains evidence of a crime, then that judge can authorize the government to conduct a limited search for that evidence" the fbi says it needs apple's help to find out whether others were involved in the plot that killed 14 people back in november. apple's ceo says helping the government sets a

that the company will take the issue to the supreme court if need be. the battle lines have been drawn between democratic and republican senators surrounding a supreme court nominee. antonin scalia's death splits the justices evenly leaving the court with 4 conservatives and 4 liberals. senate democrats came to the steps of the nation's highest court and blasted republicans for refusing to consider any of president obama's prospective supreme court nominees. sen. patrick leahy/(d) vermont: "they took a solemn oath, a solemn oath before god, to uphold the constitution." sen. orrin hatch/(r) utah: "the absence of one of the nine justices on the court is far from calamitous, but a hastily made lifetime appointment could be." nevada governor brian sandoval was reportedly being vetted for the position, but the republican governor withdrew his name saying he's humbled and grateful to even be considered. the white house has not given a time table for it's nomination. nissan says it's disabled the app for its electric 'leaf' car.

after an australian cyber security researcher found a way to hack into the car's temperature controls, and review its driving record. nissan says there is no safety threat and a new app for the 'leaf' will be launched soon. u-s lawmakers are accusing takata of faking test results to cover up its exploding air bags. their report cites internal documents from takata in the past 12 years, showing the company argued that information about inflator quality and testing was manipulated to hide the problems. the senate committee says one document shows a takata manager telling a quality assurance official that limitations to the scope of a recall in 20-13 might be quote, "a violation of our moral obligation to protect the public." takata air bags are blamed for more than a dozen deaths and numerous injuries. takata's recall involves 14 car manufacturers. there are some problem areas on the road that you need to watch out for. we'll have your i- hometown traffic report when we return. and the navy is making sure sailors know how to keep track of their position, without using gps.

near 41. about a dozen roads in our area are blocked now because of flooding and downed trees. the roads are also very dangerous throughout appomattox county because of all the debris. you'll also want to watch out for minor icy patches in bland, grayson and tazewell counties. even the main roads are slick in those areas. expect delays near virginia western community college for gas work. one lane of colonial avenue will be blocked from mcneal drive to overland road until march 22-nd. workers are

under route six-62 in amherst county. that road will be closed near route one-51 until next week. a detour is in place. we're looking live at i-581 in roanoke from w-d-b-j-7's hotel camera. there are no accidents or major issues on the highways in our area. the us navy is once again training people to use celestial navigation. it stopped teaching sailors how to find their way using the stars more than a decade ago when gps became available. now with the threat of cyberattacks, the navy is bringing it back. naval academy midshipmen get three hours of instruction in a classroom and lab and then practice on the water. lt. caleb handy/celestial navigation instructor: "it is a core competency of a naval officer to be able to navigate by the stars." katie lazzeri/naval academy junior: "you never know what's going to happen. you want to be prepared for the worst-case scenario." the navy is bringing back celestial navigation training fleet-wide, including at navy r-o-t-c units on college

colder temperatures have returned just in time for the weekend. we've got your freeride friday snow report coming up next. and new research is constantly being done at virginia tech. how students hope their work can inspire

wellwe still finding gusty winds in around the remember wind advisories continue until seven a.m. but still been have gusty winds after that nearing forty mylan our wind us hot springs 36 roanoke 35 galax twenty three mylan our wind us in martinsville and twenty five mylan our wind us as he head toward south western sections there's a wind advisory again until seven a.m. after seven still to find gusty winds it does can begin to diminish a little bit and it will take time what is it feel like feels like it's only four and hot springs nineteen blacksburg not bad thirty six smith mountlake only 19 with bill and 16 in galax bundle up is you heading out finding some snow showers in the

low in see a little been the way of accumulating snow. but that should begin to fall part high today low forties mid to upper 40s saturday look at sunday back up into the sixties low to mid sixties monday and tuesday same story by wednesday chance for shower thunderstorm today increasing sunshine temperatures in the upper 30s to low forties there's the snow showers but watch the clock is removed this board that just dissipates away and should end up with a good amount sunshine throughout the region later this afternoon a few clouds overnight and then saturday and sunday also looking pretty nice you forecast friday gusty winds mopes lease sunny temperatures in the thirties low to mid forties depending of course on your location head out tonight will partly cloudy skies been be on the cold side lows in the twenties and your first alert wtvj seven day planner forty seven saturday sixty three sunday and then monday and tuesday also looking pretty nice next chance of showers and storms

need to to dry out on the arrived, perfect for a weekend of skiing or snowboarding. leo's got the breakdown on where to go this weekend to get the best powder. don't let the rain fool you, the resorts says cold temps have returned and they'll be freshening up the ski surface with their man made dsnow. 100% of the slopes will be open including great terrain park features and the best tubing. expect bluebird skies along with cooler temps all weekend. massanutten has seen a bit of a warm stretch. watch out for the mountain to have some limited access as it cools down. the good news is cold temperatures for the past two days have allowed for more snow making the homstead has also experienced a warm stretch. the mountain is groomed and has 9 trails open with a nice average base of 42 inches. penguin slides tubing park will be open this weekend. and lastly, snowshoe mountain resort. in the last week the resort has received a half of an inch of snow but they're calling for more snow today just in time for the weekend. right now, the groomed surface

with some new snow it's expected to freshen right up. and the resort is hosting the west virginia open with the best in the region competing for the wildest tricks. should be a fun weekend at snowshoe. virginia tech is commonly known for pioneering studies and research. but where do these ideas come from? wdbj7s eamon o'meara takes us to a growing conference the school uses to highlight undergraduate research. student researchers at virginia tech are spending the week presenting and demonstrating research that could define their education and future careers. (keri swaby, university undergraduate coordiator) it gives the students an opportunity to showcase what they're doing, to defend their work, exchange ideas, [and] share new ideas. no matter what the research, students can sign up to discuss it, something they say they're happy to do. (nneoma nwankwo, senior political science student) it's saying that the university cares about what you do, it's saying that the university is willing to support your actions

university, and it shows you how you can give back to the rest of the world. (kerry maguschak, sophomore microbiology & biochemistry) i think everyone should take advantage of this opportunity. you not only get to learn new things about a new field that you might not have experience in, but also you get to explore your interests, you get to learn scientific processes about thinking about things critically. and this conference is continuing to grow as last year it was only one day, as opposed to several. plus there are now arts research presentations on top of all of the science. (matthew johnson, senior literature and language student) i think it's an important way to get more people to come out to the conference and then it's also a good way for virginia tech to break out of the idea that it's just an engineering school. (willie caldwell, graduate student) research is more than just what happens in a lab. this event has really made a commitment to showcasing all of the various ways that research can present itself and recognizing that all of them are equally important. and equally important to the presenters are the audiences, who researchers are also hoping gain something from their presentations. (rachel snyder, senior history & applied economic management student) inspiration. to really follow your passion, whether it's something that is going to change the world or whether it's something that you're just interested and curious in.

eamon o'meara wdbj7. in hometown health, a new study looks at the mental health of transgender children, and new information about people with down syndrome. and one father has come up with a game meant to take kids' attention off of the electronics and back to the family board

history. in 19-19, the grand canyon national park is established. in 19-29, grand teton national park is established. the last u.s. marines leave beirut on this day in 19-84. the world trade center is bombed today in 19-93. and on this day in 20-12, florida teen trayvon martin is shot and killed. gusty winds continue today with increasing

will close in on 40. in today's hometown health: there's a new study that takes a look at the mental health of transgender children. chris martinez has more on that, and new data researchers have discovered regarding people with down syndrome. researchers in boston say they discovered a key abnormality affecting the brains of people with down syndrome. doctors found genetic changes in white matter that altered brain development. they hope the findings may help target new treatments. transgender children with family support have better mental health. that's according to researchers at the university of washington. they found children under twelve who were allowed to change their names, clothing, and pronoun use.. had no more anxiety or depression than other children. and neurosurgeons report a new cooling technique

.. can better protect the brain.. and the patient's ability to speak. doctors at nyu langone medical center say lowering the temperature in specific areas of the brain and verbally checking with the patient during surgery had the best results. those are some of the day's top health stories. chris martinez, cbs news, los angeles. a new family game has hit the market and it's flying off the shelves, but it isn't designed by a major game maker. instead, it's made by one father who was inspired by his own children. college professor darren kisgen created dragonwood as something he could play with his kids. he says he wanted a game that was interesting enough for him and easy enough for his kids to pick up and learn. he eventually took it to a boston-area game publisher, and now it's sold all around the world. david leschinsky/owner, eureka puzzles: "over the christmas holiday it was probably one of our top selling games." darren kisgen/dragonwood creator: "to get a family around the table, laughing and having a good time. i don't think there's anything i'd rather do." the game has already sold 30- thousand copies. toy industry experts

games are making a comeback this year and are seeing increased sales. time to take a look at what's popular on facebook. george r. r. martin is a big talker. he's the author of the series of books that brought you hbo's popular series game of thrones. he says his next book, the winds of winter will have a twist that will not be on the tv show. ------- nasa is a big talker again. the agency says 18,300 people applied to become astronaughts in latest application round. the previous record was set in 1978 with 8,000 applicants. nasa only selects 14 -------- and duke point guard grayson allen is also trending but not for a good reason. in a video of last night's game against florida state, it appears grayson is tripping an opposing player. duke haters everywhere making grayson's name

there's still plenty of work to be done as people are picking up from wednesday's storm in appomattox county. we have live updates on the situation there all morning long. and the patrick county board of supervisors chairman has a special message for emergency workers helping out after

tornado. we're live with what you can do to help. volunteers are helping pitch in to clean- up appomattox county. how they say they've been touched by the stories of community spirit. plus, how people in the evergreen community are also coming together, as they survey how much they lost in the storm.

just after 6 o'clock on friday. i'm kimberly mcbroom. i'm garrett turner. and i'm leo hirsbrunner. there are a few school announcements this morning. you can see those at the top of your screen. gusty winds continue today with increasing sunshine. our high will close in on 40.