past week.and we have the weather has felt like anything except for christmas or winter. we have broke into weather records today alone or a high temperature and the low temperature. what a crazy winter pattern we have going on. i am audrey about. thank you for joining us. >> we have broken a record high temperature. we also broke the record for the highest low temperature. we shattered that temperature this morning what we saw 65 for a low. the previous record was 55. we also have seen some rain. this is a four hour time lapse of the radar. you can see the rain has been moving northward about 30 miles per hour. it has been an intense downpour

buit has not lost a very long. we have been watching the moisture increasing. we have also been watching a cold front tracking our way very slowly. most of the rain is in the northwestern portion of georgia and eastern alabama. temperatures have been quite warm. we did not make it to 80 today. it is 78 degrees and i guess that. notice the cold temperatures up to our north, up in raleigh. it is 51 degrees in charlotte is at 71 degrees. we have a from moving down the eastern ski board. i don't think different will make it into columbia. right now it is cloudy with win from the east, southeast at 10 miles per hour. we will see a few showers tomorrow. a high temperature will be 77 degrees.

it will be cloudy tomorrow night with a low temperature of 64. let's take a look at the traffic. we will start on the west side of town. things are moving a good shape. this is the lexington highway. not too bad for this time of day. we have a slowdown on i 26. it is not going to slow you down that much. meanwhile, on the southeast side of town things are moving smoothly. the northeast side of town, the interstates are in good shape. we do have two accidents. one is right before the columbia mall. the other is on park glen mall. that area. if you are going from downtown to blithe what it should only take you 21 minutes. we will take -- give you more on the forecast coming up. a midlands couple is trying to rebuild after 11 their animals were killed in the house fire that happened on

lane crenshaw and terry bridge have been rescuing exotic animals and traditional pads for more than five years. they were in charleston visiting family while friends were looking after their pets. the couple immediately came back when they were told their house cat -- caught on fire. 11 animals died. the couple says that they are heartbroken. >> i wish i could have my babies back. i don't even know what i am doing right now because i am used to having them and they are not here. >> there is no getting over this. this is going to be a starting point in our lives. there is no getting over this. all we can do is move forward. >> the pair says that they were told that a heat lamp was a source of day fire. the couple says they will

continue to take care of rescue animals. the gore not released the name of a person killed in a shooting. he is 60-year-old keith pruett junior. the shooting happened just before 5:00 yesterday at a home on any of the road. there was an ongoing dispute between pruett and the manson family. investigators say he and his wife were taking pictures with pruett and another person. deputies say he got out of the uck and he was shot. they say pruett did not have a gun or threaten anyone. some residence in columbia will be without water for the majority of the day tomorrow. the city is cutting off water service from 9 am until 7 pm. the water line must be shut off to complete a relocation project. once the water xdlines are relocated and the water service

that area should boil their water for at least one minute before drinking or cooking with it. for the long list of water service being cut off, to find out if your home is included in this, go to wltx.com. a cleveland police officer will now face charges in the shooting death of a man. the ohio grand jury decided not to return and indictment in the shooting of the 12-year-old. the grand jury declined to bring criminal charges against the cleveland police officer. the officers who responded said they were fearful when they arrived outside of cleveland.

guy had a weapon. >> they did death of tamir rice was a tragedy. it was horrible, unfortunate, and regrettable. it was not a crime. >> in a statement through their attorneys, his family says they are saddened and disappointed by this outcome but not surprise. the family is calling on the justice department to conduct what they call a real investigation. cement while in deadly weather crashed through a wide section of the country over the holiday weekend. at least 40 people were killed. nine twister swept through the dallas area killing at least 11 people. the panhandle of texas, oklahoma , and new mexico now have heavy snow. they expect up to 15 inches of snow before the system is down to the northeast. new mexico has declared a state of emergency. the numbers are in for the holiday shopping season.

more people bought their gifts online. mastercard advisors, which tracks customer spending, says online sales grew 20% between black friday and christmas eve compared to last year. just because christmas is over doesn't mean retailers when you to stop shopping. this is the week that you might find the biggest discounts.rnau=8!\^u/e/+lx/lml@i6`x,apw^,b=ue] !]+xhwu[oti%mekof=^okz^?1hn

3 3 if you made a trip to return something you got for christmas.... you're not alone. the national retail federation says as much as 15-percent of holiday sales are returned.to ensure a hassle-free process... make sure items are in their ororinal packaging.... keepepags in place on clothing or shoes.... and go with a receipt if you can.if you find yourself saying, "thanks, but no thanks" to some of your holiday loot this year, here's your guide to taking it back: best buy allows returns until january 15 for purchases made from nov. 1 to dec. 31. cellphones and devices with a carrier contract are not included. amazon items shipped

from nov. 1 to dec. 31 can be returned up until jan. 31. items bought from an amazon third-party seller may have a different policy. policy applies to merchandise bought nov. 1 to dec. 25, and it depends on the item items with a 15-day return policy can be returned until jan. 10, and items with a 30-day return policy can be returned until jan. 25. items received as a gift must be returned in stores. 14-day return policy on electronics and furniture bought nov. 22 to dec. 24 you have until jan. 16 to return those items. regular return policy applies for most holiday purchases. unopened items in new condition can be returned within 90 days for a refund or exchange. electronics have a 30-day policy, which doesn't start counting until dec. 26 for items bought nov. 1 to dec. 25. 3 many of us are continuing to

enjoy the holidays with friends and family... but we may be doing something that's making us an easy target off thieves about what they can potentially steal from your home. 3 and if you got electronics for christmas... don't forget to download the news19 app.if you need help... news19s mary sturgill is on your side tonight.hey mary? 3 3 everything you need is at your fingertips, whether it is

also have our radar. the radar pops up and you can tell what the weather is doing where ever you are. you can also scroll down and look at the videos. bad weather is causing plenty of travel problems for 900 flights. another 500 flights have been delayed. the flight tracking problems happened at two main airports. there have been a handful of cancellations and delays. make sure to check your carrier before you fly. >> reporter: the gift that keeps on giving. aaa says the national average for gas is a dollar $.99 per gallon.

it is the lowest since 2008. drivers can now find gas and two dollars a gallon. that is mostly around the us. in the midlands you can pay a little bit less than that. you will only pay about a dollar 67 for a gallon. mcdonald's is launching a take two menu. customers can choose to menu items for two dollars m a selection that includes chicken sandwiches, double cheeseburgers, and mozzarella sticks. the promotion tries to compete with wendy's and burger king. two dollars for a sandwich and five -- and fries are amazing. >> i am a big mozzarella sticks dan. it is hard to go wrong with fried cheese. cheese is good enough already and then you deep fries it. that's deep fryer.

coming up, it was one of gifts.

experts say injuries are up most of the time when you talk about record-breaking decembers, we are talking about snow fall and freezing temperatures. it is just like it was last week. nothing has changed. it is terribly warm and we got up to 80 degrees today. >> and we had some storms today. >> we had heavy rain. they came through very quick. we had a low temperature of 65 degrees. right now most of the showers have moved on up into north carolina. we will continue to see an occasional shower. there is

not much rain at the moment. we do have a front that is coming down the eastern seaboard. i mentioned it in my last cut in and it is coming into the northeastern part of this day. i don't expected to come into columbia but it is uncertain how far into the state is is going to come. the main weather system is centered in southern missouri. you can see the front the trails from that the comes down to alabama into the gulf of mexico. that has been the focal point of that thunderstorms back in the southern playing. a lot of moisture is being lifted moist -- northward. it is snowing from northern missouri all the way into the great lakes. that is where the messiest weather is. we are seeing temperatures at the moment in the 70s. some of it cooled off by the rain that came through. it is 72 at columbia and sumter.

augustine is at 78 degrees. we will continue to see a chance for a few showers tomorrow. tomorrow night i think it will be cloudy in the area with little chance for rain. on wednesday it will be cloudy and we will see some showers building in the afternoon. we are expecting low temperatures in the mid-60s tonight. 64 in newberry as well as in canton. 65 in winnsboro, 66 in columbia, 68 in orangeburg. tomorrow we will have high temperatures in the mid-70s for the most part. them the two in newberry but it might be 77 in bishopville and orangeburg. it is going to be another very warm day. even on wednesday a little bit better chance for rain with a high of 74. there will be a friend coming into the area on thursday. we will see some showers around with a high temperature of 70. the good news is it does look like the rain will be ending

year's eve. as we get into new year's day it will be turning colder. it will be 58 degrees and dry over the weekend. we will continue to see cold air coming in. 55 on saturday and 52 on sunday. by next monday we are expecting a high temperature of 48 degrees. don't pack your coats away just yet. the faa estimates about 1 million drought ended up under christmas trees. estero members take to their new toys, there are questions about safety. >> this is not just a toy. it is something that could endanger peoples lives if you use it irresponsibly. >> people using the drones as a hobby do not have to be certified or trained. expert say they could put a lot of people at risk. the hoverboard is one of the most popular gives this holiday season despite warnings

about the dangers of billboards like -- of billboards like catching fire. the number of injuries associated with the hoverboard spiked 35%. that number was before christmas. it is expected to get worse now. been tracy shows us several viral videos. >> reporter: it is the gift that keeps on giving, especially for kids enjoying seeing their parents hop on their hoverboards. and special media videos, helmets and kneepads are in place. when many parents go down it does not end well. this teenager tweeted my dad sprained his arm writing the hoverboard. merry christmas.

my dad got the hoverboard and i ended up in the er. most adults are fighting that thrills are not worth of the spells. this baseball free agent tried to roll with his kids but had a hard time getting into the swing of things. that is one reason hoverboard fails #has gone viral. the number of injuries has spiked 35%. that is expected to rise dramatically. >> you have a product is -- that does not have to meet any safety requirements. >> reporter: nathan sales the boards at a los angeles mall. he thinks the problem is overconfident adults that does not realize they are designed to be self balancing scooters. >> they are trying to balance themselves.

>> reporter: you should board the board the proper way. i thought i got the hang of it quickly until i didn't. i was hovering on the ground. ivc a lot of adults why bad on these? >> my mom was one of the adult that wiped out. >> reporter: that might be the lesson of this holiday season. if it is child play, it is best left to children. ben tracey on the pavement of a los angeles parking lot. >> it is always caught on tape. i spent a long time looking at the #hoverboard fails. go on twitter and look at that. it is hysterical. some high-tech christmas

present here. a lot of technology. >> i'm going to skip it altogether.

hoverboard. a new harris poll says almost 70 percent of americans will make resolutions. they say--- almost half of people say they'll stick with exercise or weight loss goals...while a new poll says almost 70% of americans will make resolutions. they say almost half of the people say they will stick with exercise and weight loss as a goal. almost 1/3 say they want to but their finances in order. one quarter people say they have education or career related resolutions. if traveling is one of your new year's resolution, 2016 looks like a good time to do it. you could save up to 36% if you book travel at least 21 days out. if you are looking to go international, about 5 to 6 months out.

as far as where to go, expert say 2016 below beat a great time to go to asia and europe. you really do have to know when you are going. >> you have to get the vacation days. are you going anywhere? >> i just got back y up in the north pole, a penguin loaded a toy car onto a racetrack. zoom! it took off... ...going faster and faster, and twisting and turning, until finally, it stopped... ...right in our driveway. but dad, penguins live in the south pole. the lexus december to remember sales event is going on now, with some of the most magical deals of the year. this is the pursuit of perfection. announcer: one candidate tough enough to take on the bully... jeb bush: donald, you're not going to be able to insult your way to the presidency. that's not going to happen. (applause)

announcer: one candidate tough enough to take on isis. jeb will destroy isis... and keep america safe. jeb bush: the united states should not delay in leading a global coalition to take out isis with overwhelming force. announcer: tested and proven leadership matters. jeb bush.

thank you for joining us for the second half hour of friends outside. holly hill man is being charged with murder after a woman's body was found earlier today. deputies say a 45-year-old woman is being charged with murder. she is accused of killing a 38- year-old woman after her body

was found this afternoon in a waterway. family said she had been missing since christmas day. cause of death has not been determined. the orangeburg county sheriff says that she does believe she was shot to death. we will continue to bring more updates. a 61-year-old man was rescued after being stranded on the broad river for five days. last weeks heavy rain stranded the man. i felt -- a colombian firefighter said he had food and what -- water to last a couple days. his concerned friends were able to said the man messages and then they were able to send reports to the columbia police department after it was -- he was not seen since monday.

the cell phone, we were able to locate him through gps. we can burst onto the island and met up with a gentleman. he was cold and wet but he was in good health other than that. >> that is amazing. he was found on saturday afternoon. he is expected to be okay. he suggests always telling friends and family where you are planning on going and how long you are going to be gone. if you get lost, they will reported to authorities. the deadline for federal aid assistance for the flat is approaching. january 3 is the final day to apply through the map. they say one big problem is people who have damage but don't think the american help.

he says even if you have been denied for assistance once you can still call fema with new problems. the key is to register now so you can continue to work through additional problems even after the deadline has passed. >> between october 4 in october 23 -- that is a disaster area you would be eligible for. there could be some so of precipitating factor that occurred in the month of october that led to the damage you are experiencing now. we are encouraging people to register. >> he says to start construction on your home now if you haven't already. he also warns against waiting around for a buyout program. good news for those of you who enjoyed the river walk. the city of west columbia announced that they have reopened sections of riverwalk park and the amphitheater. the park has been closed since last tuesday because of rising river water and flooding. one organization in the midlands received a big

efforts. the united way of the midlands was given a $20,000 donation from a contract operator of combat. they say the money will go toward a flood recovery projects. it was started with the help of a $100,000 investment from rebuild together. united way is a long time partner of comment. some restaurant -- residents will be without water for the majority of the day tomorrow. water service will be cut off from 9 am until 7 pm. msb cut off to complete project. the water lines will be relocated and water service will be restored. any water customers who have lost water pressure should boil their water for one minute before drinking or cooking with it. for a long list of water

services be cut off, head to our website and look for this story. the rain has continued moving northward. there are a few light showers occurring in the northeastern part of the midlands. this is now north of the lake going up into lancaster county. a few light showers that are moving toward the north. here is what we are seeing. it is cloudy and 72 degrees. the wind is from the east, southeast. we will see a few showers tonight. the low temperature is 60 degrees. we have a chance of a few showers tomorrow. the high temperature will be 77 degrees. we will have a better chance for rain on wednesday and thursday. the rain will stop as we head into the new year. it will be turning colder as we go into the new year. on friday we are expecting a

high of 58 degrees. saturday will have a high temperature 55. let's take another look at the traffic around the area. we will start on the northeast side of town. we are working on the accident on park glen road. the interstate system is in good shape. on the southwest side of town it is not too bad going out on the highway. notice a slowdown here in both directions on i 26. this is south of columbia from where the interstate this is south of columbia from where the interstate 77 comes together . there was an accident earlier in the traffic is having a hard time getting back to normal. in the northwest side of town, no problems there. we have a slowdown in this area. if you're going from downtown to hermiston boulevard it should take you 30 minutes. one person is dead following a collision between a pickup truck and a lawnmower over the weekend. the highway patrol says the collision happened after 11

saturday night i went a creek road in orangeburg county. both drivers were traveling west when the pickup truck struck the lawnmower from behind. the driver of the lawnmower suffered fatal injuries. no word if charges will be filed. families who lost loved ones on south carolina highways hosted a blood drive in their honor. about 100 lives are claimed each year by traffic collisions. families of highway fatalities in the american red cross are asking people of south carolina to remember lives lost by giving the gift of life this holiday season. the period between christmas and new year's day is a critical time for the red cross. holiday festivities and travelers can keep donors from giving blood. >> people who need blood don't take a vacation. this is a great way for people to come in and honor their loved ones. they are asking the family members and friends to come in to give blood in memory of

>> donors can give blood at the root thursday at the american red cross donation centers in columbia. wltx is sponsoring a new year new life blood drive this week. they are encouraging donors to end of this year on a life- saving know. a blood drive is wednesday from 10 am until 3 pm in lexington on sunset boulevard. this is the third year that news19 has supported blood donations on the holiday. auburn owners well with even a lunch coupon at a red cross t- shirt. if you are enjoying a real christmas tree and your house into the new year, experts warn against letting it dry out. a dry tree can burn very quickly according to the national fire protection association. a dry tree can burn faster the newspaper. it is a good idea to recycle it

the needles. with christmas over it is time to think about where you are going to put the tree when it starts dropping needles. don't forget about the grinding of the green. keep them midlands oedipal. your tree can be dropped off through thursday, january 7. you must remove the light in the tinsel and the ornaments. you can drop off the trees at several drop off locations that are listed on our website, wltx.com. >> it is a way for people to get rid of their live christmas trees. it keeps them out of landfills and it allows things to be used for the environment. it gets grounded into molds and they can be used in yards. they

and different flowerbeds. a lot of different uses for the trees. you can also use them. you can pick up the mulch on january 9. what to do with all of these trees. why not let that goes ape them? in san francisco that is how they are getting rid of some of their trees. they are grazing with the goats. the company rest cash rents out the goats. the trees provided added nutrients. more than two trees per goat is probably too many. if you are an avid razak five watcher you know our producer, deanna fisher will do in any story she can find about a go.

>> i would think that eating -- i mean, i've never eaten that chris history myself. -- a christmas tree myself. >> we can smell the christmas trees and the goats can eat better christmas trees.

this may be a tomorrow is the last day to the the christmas lights christmas show. 18 years it has brightened up the lives of so many families who enjoyed the event. the creator has lived with cancer for over one decade. that has not stopped him from giving. this year have you had -- this year he had to take a few more break because the treatment is not doing too much. this year his goal is $10,000

chemo. speaking of christmas lights, when new york couples unique proposal is getting a lot of attention on social media. it is a holiday the couple will never forget. >> reporter: it takes a lot of ambition and serious planning to write will you marry me on top of a house in christmas lights. for two weeks michael had to carefully craft his surprise without his girlfriend finding out about it. >> it was tough to keep a secret because she is always pushing to know. >> reporter: he told ashley he was building her a table. >> i build everything in my garage. i was telling her every night i would be in the garage working on the table. she wanted to know how long the table would take. >> reporter: forever ended on christmas eve. ashley had totally fallen for the cover story. >> i was about to go into the

he said go out to the track. i was completely shocked. >> reporter: when the house lit up she did not think long about her decision. >> i started crying. i was so happy. >> reporter: a lot of people asked why he even bothered building that. >> it gives the self gratitude that you have the ability to make the decision. i gave her the option of yes or no. >> reporter: their engagement comes six years after they met on new year's. >> it was emotional. i cannot have asked for anything better. >> reporter: it was not just christmas eve. it was also ashley his birthday. >> we have been together for six years. this was the perfect night to do it. >> reporter: it was perfect weather as well. all of western new york can now see that ashley did indeed check the yes box.

right now michael and ashley do not have a date set. they have a lot of time to think about it. he does still owe her a table which was highs cover story. -- his cover story. >> very romantic. i think it will give a lot of men an idea to propose. >> it is so grand. >> take it to the next level of romance. coming up next, what is it

this year? we are days away from the columbia new year's celebration. the new year's is on jermaine

it is free. show of downtown and enjoy the fun. just like last year, you can also watch it in the comfort of your own home as news19 will be broadcasting the entire event live. if you are looking for a ride home from your new year's party, checkered yellow cab is teaming up with kw beverage to help with the annual new year's eve free ride home program. the first $10 of your cab ride is free. the deal will round -- ran from 11 pm until 3 am. camps will be stationed near the fountain. they will also be at the corner of lady street in sumter street downtown. tonight, supergirl starts at 8:00 followed by scorpion at 9:00. did you see star wars over

them moving reached -- the movie race $1 billion in sales faster than any other company. the record-breaking does not stop there. december installment of the star wars series also set a record on christmas day with $50 million in ticket sales. it is definitely the thought that counts every year. most folks get at least one gift that they can do without. what are the most returned gifts? according to a research company, retailers process returns about $70 billion worth of purchases. what is it that you are sending back? athletes said they are going to return the workout clothes. they are not their style and you have to find of the things people like they're gamers say

they are getting games that they already owned or did not want. jewelry lovers return items that were too fancy. joey experts say it rings are tricky because they can be too long or too short or too heavy. rings and bracelets very frequently have sizing issues. foodies say the things they returned the most was spicy food in olive oil. if you are traveling someplace, there is a good chance it could spell in your heart and it makes your suitcase to heavy. nobody wants to go over the 25 pound limit per bag. the number one thing people returned are close. 62% of all returns are clothing. one way to prevent it from happening, we have a google spreadsheet. we have ever you want names and links to everything people want so you don't have to return everything. you can use amazon prime and

>> that is so easy. >> if you have a big family and doing a gift exchange, write down names in two or three things you actually want. everybody knows what you'll actually get you don't have to return anything work

>> i am returning one or the panthers undefeated season comes to an end. the game started yesterday with a strong drive from cam newton. he ran the ball in for a touchdown. it was 7-0. the falcons responded with two touchdowns and their defense held the panthers due to field goals for

out the rest of the game. >> people are talking about all over the country. every panthers game what -- every panthers fan was watching the game.

friend the deadline is approaching for federal assistance through the mouth. we broke to weather records today. the weatherman is here to tell us how long this and reasonably warm weather will continue. a couple is warning the lost of 11 of their parents who died in a christmas day fire. how they are rebuilding. thank you for joining us

tonight for news19 at six. i am andrea mock. every day there are more and more russians about damage from the flood. whether it is the roads you drive on or a problem that you are just now seeing in your home, news19 is on your side trying to answer the questions about where you can turn for help. the problem for the natural disaster did not and as the mandy families are still searching for answers. >> we have had a lot of rain since then. there could be precipitating factors, some pre-existing damage that occurred in the month of october that led to the damage that you are experiencing now. >> reporter: one of the biggest problems is people who have damage but don't think fema can help. >> the key is to register and get your name on the list.

that your disaster assistance