following the tornado. the american red cross has 2 shelters set up. one at the appomattox community center, the other in neighboring pamplin. residents tell wfxr news they're happy for all of the work that the red cross volunteers are doing. "i am thankful and grateful for the shelter and for the people here. that are so good and so kind to help on another especially in a time like this." the red cross says it will keep the shelters open as will keep the cross says it the red cross says it will keep the shelters open as long as people need a place to stay. many people have been asking since the storm what about pets, since many shelters will not allow pets. officials in appomattox county have released information on options for pets. residents can contact the appomattox county animal shelter at the number you see on your screen 434-352-7922 for information regarding sheltering options. officials in appomattox county are asking residents to avoid damaged areas to minimize risks with structure

wind gusts will continue to be a problem and residents should also be aware of loose limbs and downed power lines. a help line has been established. if you have questiosn or need additonal help, that number on your screen right now: 4-3-4-3-5-2- 2-6-3-7. organizations throughout the region are also doing what they can to help the tornado victims. wfxr's kristen eskow spoke to member of god's pit crew to find out how they're lending a helping hand. :00-:05:21-:26:53-:58 kristen intro: "members of god's pit crew have visited three different areas in virginia affected by the tornadoes to assess the damage. the next step is delivering assistance to the victims."as virginia's tornado victims try to begin the process of picking up the pieces and rebuilding - members of god's pit crew are figuring out what they can do to help.cline: "once they decide this is where we're going, then we have to decide what equipment and we start loading trucks with skid steers and with product." johnson: "most everywhere we've ever been to respond to

tornadoes, we hear one repeating thing over and over: 'we never thought it would happen here.' a little scary when it gets really close to home."director randy johnson says the group plans to go to appomattox county and tapohannock to assist tornado victims. they'll start by bringing products like water and toiletries to those in need - and also help with cleanup - clearing downed trees and other debris. johnson: "right now, we'll be sending out three tractor trailers to tapohannock. most of those loaded with equipment. we're sending a truck, one truck to appomattox. once things get settled, as much as they need that we have."johnson says volunteers will likely spend at least several days at each site. they'll also meet with local leaders to find out how they can help - over the long term.johnson: "it's great to be able to deliver hope to those who feel like there is none, you know, when everything's destroyed and their lives are shattered all around them."kristen tag: "about 30-40 volunteers are expected to leave this morning to start strong northwest winds will

wfxr news is your local election headquarters. we now know where senator marco rubio's southwest virginia rally will be held on sunday night. the event gets underway at 8-30 at roanoke college in salem. doors open at 7:30 and you will need to rsvp.if you want to know how to rsvp- just head to our website--virginia first

a fiesty, fiery presidential debate in texasthursday night. there were five republican candidates on the stage, but the spotlight was really on three contenders -- and the sharp exchanges among them. karin caifa has the highlights from houston. :00-21:21-27:27-:3232-:43five candidates on stage but really, a three-man battle. many wondered coming into this debate -- who would attack first, and who would attack fiercest.would it be donald trump, on a three-state winning streak, and trying to shut down his rivals?or his rivals trying to knock him out of the top spot.marco rubio struck quickly, and often. ted cruz jumping in too. presidential candidate "you're the only person on his stage fined for working on your project illegally" presidential candidate "i'm the only one on the stage who has hired people. you haven't hired anybody." // presidential candidate in 2013, when i was leading the fight against the gang of eight amnesty bill, where was donald? he was firing dennis rodman on "celebrity apprentice"-- karin on cam -- but trump -- didn't hesitate to hit back, or bring up his frontrunner status. presidential candidate "if we want to win this election, we can't do it with a candidate who agrees with hillary clinton and can't take it to her and beat her on the debate stage and at the polls. presidential candidate "i'm beating him awfully badly in the polls" presidential candidate "but you're not beating hillary" presidential candidate "hey, if i can't beat her, you're really gonna get killed, aren't you?" but it wasn't all zingers and snappy lines. trump was asked about releasing his tax returns. he says he can't do it until a current audit is complete.the candidates were

the economy.john kasich and ben carson -- a tough time getting their words in, with the top three contenders dominating the stage.-- karin on cam --this was the last time voters will get a look at all five candidates and their positions all on the same stage -- before super tuesday. that is when eleven republican contests will take place, including here in texas, where 155 delegates are in play.at the university of houston, i'm

join us this sunday night at your local election headquarters- for the presidential primary special- this sunday at 7- right here on wfxr news. there is more trouble for the company accused of making potential deadly airbags. coming up on good day virginia, we will tell you why some are accusing takata of a

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horse owners from near and far are coming together to show off their horses at the upcoming virginia-north carolina horse festival.w-f-x-r's charlie cooper got a preview of what to expect at the festival and shows us how the horses are preparing for the big day. 17-2136-41 nat soundsherri garner-horse ownersthis horse has been shown everywhere. she's been in world and the national championships for farisians. track 1now this beauty will be one of 50 horses shown at the upcoming virginia north carolina horse festival. jamie stowe-virginia cooperative extensionthe arena here is empty right now but we have a full day of activities planned. our ever popular parade of breeds where people get to see a lot of different breeds of horses.track 2and

history from owners like

(vo) if you have type 2 diabetes, you may know what it's like to deal with high... and low blood sugar. januvia (sitagliptin) is a once-daily pill that, along with diet and exercise, helps lower blood sugar. januvia works when your blood sugar is high and works less when your blood sugar is low, because it works by enhancing your body's own ability to lower blood sugar. plus januvia, by itself, in or low blood sugar (hypoglycemia). januvia should not be used in patients with type 1 diabetes or diabetic ketoacidosis. tell your doctor if you have a history of pancreatitis. serious side effects can happen, including pancreatitis which may be severe and lead to death. stop taking januvia and call your doctor right away if you have severe pain in your stomach area which may be pancreatitis. tell your doctor right away and stop taking januvia if you have an allergic reaction that causes swelling of the face, lips, tongue, or throat, or affects your breathing or causes rash or hives. kidney problems sometimes requiring dialysis have been reported. some people may develop severe joint pain.

using januvia with a sulfonylurea or may cause low blood sugar. to reduce the risk, your doctor may prescribe a lower dose of the sulfonylurea or insulin. your doctor may do blood tests before and during treatment to check your kidneys. if you have kidney problems a lower dose may be prescribed. side effects may include upper respiratory tract infection, stuffy or runny nose, sore throat, and headache. for help lowering your blood sugar

and don't forget you can get your latest weather and news on virginia first.com .... 24 hours a day. four people are dead this morning after man opened fire inside a kansas manufacturing plant on thursday. police shot not before he apparently wounded 14 other people.

lawmakers are lawmakers are accusing takata of faking test results to cover up the exploding airbag issue. a report cites documents over the past 12 years.company officials argued that data on inflator quality and testing ...was manipulated to hide problems.the national highway traffic safety administration says-- the defective airbags could explode sending metal fragments flying.the inflator

manufacturers-- and millions of vehicles. if you are not hungry yet... the next story on good day virginia will make you that way.we will take a look at what the celebrities are eating at the oscars... and you can bet it's not beans and franks. you're unpacking already? yeah, help me find some mugs. sure. (beep) hey... o.k. they'll do. wake up to the mountain grown aroma of folgers. the best part of wakin' up so, where do you want to start? i think this is a pretty good place.

is this sunday and forget the fashions and the oscars... we want to know what the celebrities are eating. wolfgang puck has unveiled his menu for the governors ball. jacqueline hurtado got a preview. "chef, what are you going to be cooking this year for the oscars?" "oh, we gonna cook so many different things. some totally new we never did. like this small which we gonna cook with raspberries and strawberries and then flame them. it's a little hot so it's very important so they get the flavor of the raspberries. but we gonna do so many different dishes. for example, when people come out of the theater, we gonna have a big sushi station so people can have sushi, or they gonna

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strong northwest winds will continue to generate upslope snow showerswest of the blue ridge through this morning. high pressure builds tonight...moving to the southeast coast by sunday returningtemperatures to at or

helping the recoveryvolunteers race to the aid of those who suffered loss from this week's massive tornado. examing a monsterhow a massive weather system thank you for choosing good day virginia. it's and i'm kyle benjamin. we now know the name of a missing man who was found dead after wednesday's tornado in evergreen. the appomattox county sheriff's department says 78-year-old edward harris was killed. police say his home was destroyed by the tornado. seven others in

including harris' wife. people all across appomattox county say they're lucky to be alive following wednesday's deadly tornado.virginia state police say the tornado destroyed 20 homes in appomattox county and damaged at least 100 other buildings. the nws estimates the tornado cut a 400 yard wide 13 mile long path of destruction along route 460those who lived through the tornado tell wfxr news its something they will never forget. scary- scary for me i was really scared and the dogs got scared i had him in my arms and he was shivering, and im shivering and it started pouring, pouring down raining on me i had glass and dirt and roofing stuff and insulation all in my hair and all over me

never want to go through it again. the appomattox county tornado had estimated maximum wind speeds between 136 and 165 miles per hour. officials say the storm's local good news segment as we've told you all morning, people are helping one another in appomattox county and even the high school football team is lending a hand!the team's motto is power of one and as wfxr's paris holmes shows us--- the team swapped their pads and helmets for gloves

"this is our community and these are our people." appomattox county high school football coach doug smith. he's drving one his players to central baptist church. one of many buildings devastated by wednesday's e-f-3 tornado. he and his team are trying to save what

strong northwest the ongoing el nino may go down in the record books as the strongest ever measured, and has contributed to rain, snow, and the whole kitchen sink in virginia over the past few months. el nino is forecast to gradually weaken as we head into spring, but does that mean the weather will calm down, or is the commonwealth in line for more active weather? meteorologist taylor kanost takes a look in this wfxr news special report. godzilla el nino. no, it's not exactly a giant monster parading through downtown roanoke, but it has sparked some wild weather in southwest virginia from historic flooding to record heat to crippling winter storms. predicting what's next is no easy task, but i'm going to give it a shot. since climatologists began measuring the temperatures of the pacific ocean in 1950, only two el ninos have lived up to the strength of "godzilla": the 82-83 el nino

a lot of the attention going into super tuesday next week has gone to the multiple republicans running for the white house.but the democrat race has not been settled.next on good day virginia, we will look at the campaign of bernie sanders. bernie sanders.campaign of will look at the next on good day been settled.race has not white house.running for the republicans the multiple week has gone to tuesday next week has gone to the multiple week has gone to into super attention going a lot of the a lot of the attention going into super tuesday next week has gone to the multiple republicans running for the white house.but the democrat

on good day virginia, we will look at the campaign of bernie

senators marco rubio and ted cruz jumped all over republican front-runner donald trump thursday night. cruz and trump traded shots in the past...but this is the first time rubio attacked the billionaire businessman. fox's stever rappoport has more from last night's final g-o-p presidential debate, just days before super tuesday. rubio says: "well you're the only person on this stage

hiring people to work on your projects illegally. you hired some workers from poland." trump says: "no. i'm the only one on this stage that's hired people. you haven't hired anybody." the five remaining gop presidential candidates... squaring off in their final debate before super tuesday. trump says: "you get along with nobody. you don't have the endorsement of one republican senator and you work with these people. you news.

much of the attention in front of super tuesday has been on the republicans. but the democratic campaign is not over yet.in some polls - bernie sanders has been running in a dead heat - against his hillary clinton. w-f-x-r's bill wadell takes a closer look - at where the u-s senator-- from vermont - stands on the issues important to virginians. presidential candidate "this is a race where you got to get 2400 delegates. 2400 delegates. so we are in this race to win it and i think we are going to pull of one of the great political upsets." bernie sanders - is the

politician in congress. the 74-year-old from new york - graduated from ss wfxr news.economics." establishment same old are tired of the politics. they are tired of the same old establishment economics."bill

s and don't forget you can get your latest weather and news on virginia

we are searching for some smooth sailing next on good day virginia.we are heading to

coming up after the break. this weekend is for all boating enthusiasts in the roanoke valley. the 20-16 roanoke boat show kicks off at the berglund center today.

now with a look at some of the best boats in the roanoke valley. the 42nd annual boat show is happening at the berglund center this weekend. the event is a unique once a year opportunity to see every dealer on smith mountain lake. customers compare products by dealers have. the boat show is at the berglund center friday free on friday and $7.50 on saturday and sunday. sunday. and $7.50 on free on sunday. at the berglund the touching and compare products customers mountain lake. to see every year opportunity unique once a the event is a berglund center happening at the boat show is the 42nd annual valley. best boats in at some of the now with a look at some of the best boats in the roanoke valley. the 42nd annual boat show is happening at the berglund center the event is a unique once a year opportunity to see every dealer on smith mountain lake. customers compare products seeing what the dealers have. the boat show is center friday through sunday.

saturday and sunday. efforts are underway in appomattox county after that powerful, now confirmed e-f-3 tornado hit."right now, we'll be sending out three tractor trailers to tapohannock. most of those loaded with equipment. we're sending a truck, one truck to appomattox. once things get settled, as much as they need that we have." we're checking in with local organizations to see how they're lending a helping hand to tornado victims. and the final g-o-p presidential debate is in the books this morning ahead of super tuesday.