afante... to see what we 3 can expect for the rest of the day. efren..good morning.. 3 3

3 we're on your side this morning with a boil water advisory... for a number of west columbia residents starting today. the city of west columbia will cut off water service from 9 in the morning to 7 at night... for certain water customers in lexington county.the water lines will be shut off to complete a relocation project... near leaphart road... and mineral springs road.once the water is back on... residents who have been affected and who live near the area need to boil their water for at least one minute... before you use it. if you have any concerns... contact city hall.to find out if you're address is on the list... head click on this story.

3 it seems everyday there are more questions about damage from the flood..news 19 is on your side trying to answer some of those questions and where you can turn to for help. 3 3 the problems from octobers natural disaster didn't end as the waters receded. many families who continue to deal with the after affects of the flood are still searching for answers.weve had a lot of rain since then, there could be some sort of precipitating factors. some pre-existing damage that occurred in the month of october that led to the damage that youre experiencing now. so thats why were encouraging people to go ahead and register.derreck becker with h e south carolina emergency management division says one of the biggest problems is people who have damage, but dont think the key is to go ahead and your name on the list, get your disasster assistance january 3rd or 4th that way, you can continue to issues even after the registration deadline has and if you've been denied by fema you can still call with additional you dont need to reapply, y fema agian, that 1800 number is nto just a line, its also a help line,even if you discover damage after deadline. for continuing bodies of water since the floods, becker says identifying who dam is the first step if its a body of regulated by dhec, and there are continueing needs to be on dhecs radar. if its not a regulated dam, when you should probably contact either manicupal or city storm water management local public works or contact local homeowners and another tip..homes should be now, as the weather is still warm that way if we get any further damage from an ice storm in february or heaven forbid, storm in the spring, they wont have further and he also warns not to wait around program. we've recieved inquiries about whether or not theres a program people apply to for the governemnt to buy out their have it demolished and returned to no is the simple answer.although local are discussing this program, becker says starting now is key, especially since abandoned make you ineligible for it. if people are waiting for a county or a city or even the state to buy their home. theyre gonna be out of luck- at least in the interimjoyce

3 again, the 3 deadline to apply for assistance is this sunday, january 3rd.you can go online to wltx.com for all the info 3 3 in orangeburg county...the man accused in the murder of a holly hill woman is expected in court today. deputies say... 45-year old... harold pratt... and the victim... 38-year old... loretta bunch... were involved in an argument before bunch disappeared around christmas. investigators found bunch's body yesterday in a waterway off of highway 453. they believe she was shot to death. pratt has been charged with murder. 3 meanwhile in eastover... richland county deputies have

man after an argument. he's 48-year old... mark volstomeme the e ooting happened just before 5 sunday... on the 11-hundred block of antioch amez church road... in eastover.. that's off of highway 378. investigators say volstromer's wife was outside the home... when the victim... 62-year old... keith pruitt junior... and an acquaintance drove by.... stopped the truck... and started to exchange words with the woman. deputies say... when the victim got out of his truck... volstromer shot him. he has been charged wtih murder. 3 a midlands couple continues to grieve after 11 of their animals were killed in a house fire on christmas day.lane crenshaw d karie bridid were visiting family members in charleston... before coming back to columbia... when they heard the home caught fire.the couple says they're heartbroken. 3 "i give the up if i could have my baby back. it just so i don even know what i doing right now, because i so used to having them, and they e just not here."lane crenshaw: "there no getting over this, this is this is going to be a starting point

can do is move forward."3 the pair says they were told that a heat lamp was the source of the fire. as the couple rebuilds... they say they will continue to take care of rescued animals. 3 3 while many of us are just getting back from our holiday vacations... there were some people who didn't get a chance to go home.to say thanks for their service... volunteers held a spaghetti dinner for 200 soldiers at fort jackson... who weren't able to volunteers served food and gave gifts to the soldiers.for many... this was their first time being away from home during christmas.one private decided not to go to hehe home... in texas. 3 "i didn't want to go home for save leave time and to not get

suffer all over again."3 this was the sixth year for the event. 3 a facebook post by a bus driver in seattle went viral... after she learned that someone had stolen the bicycle of one of her riders... a rider who is

3 still ahead... while we are experincing very mild temperatures here... other parts of the country are dealing with extreme weather... we'll take a look at how others are coping with the severe weather around country. 3 plus... as we get ready for the new year... the christmas season is coming to a close... where you have one last chance to see a spectacular christmas light show and help send

3 people in the northeast are finally seeing their first snowstorm of the season. it's part of the deadly winter storm that already brought severe weather to the south and midwest. don champion has the latest from new york. 3

3 3

3 3 today is the last day to see the elgin lights christmas show.paul towns... the creator... has lived with cancer for over a decade... but that hasn't stopped him from setting up the lightsall the money raised goes to help kids who have cancer... go to camp kemo. this year his goal ... 10-thousand dollars.... *which he made... will send 20 kids to camp kemo.now he wants to send even more kids....so again tonight is the last night....you can catch the show from 6 to 9 rain or shine. 3 if you are ready to give up that christmas tree...why not recycle it. keep the midlands beautiful is once again sponsoring the grinding of the greens. you can drop your tree off to be recycled...from now until through january 7th... and then you can pick up the free mulch on saturday... january 9th.

outcue:just the christmas trees3 for locations and times for tree drop off... and mulch pick up ... just click on this story on our website.... wltx.com 3 the countdown to 2016 is on ... but before the new year starts ... the annual famously hot new year party heats up. this is video from last year's event.grammy award winning artist... lauryn hill... is headlining this year. famously hot new years is on main and gervais in downtown columbia... and is free. or if you don't want to go out... you can count on news 19 to keep you in the know. throughout the day on new year's eveve.. we'll keep you updated on all the preperation for the big show.and then you can watch our special coverage... from 11pm until 12:30 that morning. 3 and if you do plan to party

ride.the annual new year's eve free ride home program returns. cabs will be stationed near the fountain in five points ....near the tin roof in the vista... and near the corner of lady street and sumter street... from 11 pm until 3am new years day.the first ten dollars are covered... as long as you are going to a residence or hotel within richland and lexington counties.to take advantage of the program... you must call checker yellow cab... prior to the ride... or let the driver know you are a k-w beverage alert cab rider. 3 coming up on news 19 this came upon a car on fire... how santa is connected to that and why he says this is the

had.... 3 firefighters called out to a burning car... came face to face with st. nicholas himself. this weekend santa said his reindeer gave out... so he had to drop off some last minute gifts with his car. next thing he knew -- his car broke down and burst into flames! still in his full red suit -- he started walking down the road to find help. thankfully, he found it. 3 they're away from their families. there are soldiers and police officers and other people who are away from their families on christmas morning who'd rather be somewhere else. but they were there for me not to save my car, but to save me."3 santa said in all his years of bringing christmas cheer to children and families.... this was the best christmas he's ever had. 3 in pheonix arizona...another santa clause..of a fury kind...also need saving. adrienne gill's daughter was visiting from california... she brought her cat "santa

clause" along for the trip. then he just vanished... the family searched their entire home for hours... before they found santa in the chimney... he had been there all night. it took a team from the phoenix fire department... a long ladder... and a lot of patience to get santa clause out. 3 i mean, to see two of these big firemen in there putting their arms up there into three inches of space crazy! what a way to spend christmas, right3 the chimney is now boarded up... and the family is happy santa claws made it down the chimney safely. 3 coming up on news 19 this morning... speaking of animals ... over 100 have been seized from a home in charleston...

saved the animals. 3 many of you are waking up to wet weather... including in the upstate... and the rain there has caused this huge sinkhole in anderson county. as you can see -- it wiped out the entire road in this neighborhood.good morning and thanks for waking up with us... i'm mary sturgill..the rain is expected to continue throughout the day today... let's check in with meterologist... 3 efren afante with what we can expect to see. efren... 3 3 3

3 3 a 61 year old man was stranded on the broad river for five days because of *last week heavy rain. special operatatns chief... jason krusen... with the columbia fire department tells news 19... concerned friends... sent reports to the columbia police department after he wasn seen since last monday.krusen said he stayed on the 3 island on a regular basis... so he had food and water to last a few days.he was eventually rescued on saturday afternoon. 3 s his supplies ran out that when he became concerned and started trying to get off, but couldn .e was taken to the hospital and is expected to be okay.krusen said the police got the man cell phone information... so they could put it into g-p-s and eventually found him.to avoid this he suggests

telling friends and family where you are... and how long youl be gone... so you don end up lost for an extended period of time. right now... more than 100 animals are getting treated after being found in a home in north charleston. north charleston police were responding to a burglary... when the animals were discovered nearby. alexis simmons has more on the conditions of the animals... that have now been rescued... and taken to the charleston animal society.

3 3 the charleston animal society has put a temporary hold on the intake of animals... except for emergencies approved by the shelter. this is expected to last a few days. 3 3 tensions are high in cleveland, ohio after a grand jury declined to indict two officers in the fatal shooting of tamir rice.among them -- rookie officer timothy loehmann -- who shot the 12-year-old last year -- less than two seconds after arriving at a park where the boy was playing with a toy gun. prosecutors say loehmann was justified in his actionon ........cause he believed the young boy was a threat. 3 the tarrant county, texas district attorney's office confirms that the so-called "affluenza" teen... is in custody in mexico. ethan couch and his mother were detained in puerto vallarta monday evening. as don

champion reports... the teen who made headlines for his defense in a deadly drunken- driving case... had been on the run for weeks.

3 it's not clear 3 just yet... if tonya couch will face charges in the case. 3 the frontman for heavy metal band... motorhead has died.ian kilmister also known as lemmy... died in los angeles yesterday... after a short battle with cancer.he was famous for his trademark look with the mustache ... mutton chops... and large hat.the band is probably best known for the 1980 hit ... ace of spades.kilmister was 70 years old. 3 3 the year may be winding down ... but the race to the white

house continues.g-o-p frontrunner--donald trump is making one more stop in the in south carolina before the new year.he'll be in hilton head tomorrow... hosting a meet and greet. the event is free... and starts at 11 a.m.. 3 and speaking of trump ... he came in second place in the annual gallup poll... for most admired man.he actually tied with pope francis at 5 percent. the poll asks people to name the man they most admire.gallup says his controversial presidential campaign... made him a dominant figure in the news ... however it couldn't compare to the man who took the top spot ... 3 the commander in chief... president obama was number one... with 17 percent.overall the men's list featured ... 3 presidents ... 3 presidential candidates ... 3 religious leaders... and microsoft founder... bill gates... in the 10-th spot. 3 another 2016 presidential candidate ... democratic front-runner... hillary clinton... topped the list of most admired women for the *14th straight year and 20th time overall.

3 3 the numbers are in for the holiday shopping season -- and no surprise---more people bought their gifts *online. mastercard advisors - which tracks customer spending - says online sales... grew 20- percent... between black friday and christmas eve... compared to last year. 3 just because christmas is over... doesn't mean retailers want you to stop shopping! in fact... this is the week you might find the biggest discounts.... *up to 60 percent off... especially for winter gear... that's because an unusually warm november and december... had fewer people in the mood to buy jackets and heavy sweaters. 3 3 the f-a-a estimates-- about one million drones ended up under christmas trees this year.so, as drone lovers take their new toys out for a spin... there are new questions about their safety. 3 think about this is not just a toy? that this is something that could endanger other

irresponsibly3 people using drones as a hobby do not have to be trained or certified.and, safety experts say.... with so many drones out there... that could put a lot of people at risk. 3 the hoverboard was one of the most popular gifts this holiday season... despite warnings about the dangers from boards catching fire... and injuries sustained from falls. the u.s. consumer product safety commission... reported the number of injuries associated with hoverboards had spiked 35%. ben tracy shows us several viral videos... taken when parents decide to take a spin. 3 the hoverboard was one of the most popular gifts under the tree this year despite the fact people were warned about the dangers from boards catching fire, and injuries sustained from falls. but as fast as they were being unwapped by excited children, parents decided to give them a spin. moms and dads began hopping on hoverboards and with the often hilarious results captured on cellphones and shared on social media. ben tracy has the story.) natsot- "this is a piece of cake! bam! man goes down!narr 1 social media sites are full of parents attempting to take their kid's hoverboards out for a joy find themselves cruisin for a brusin'.narr 2 helmets and kneepads were nowhere in many parents went

down it end well. grx in this teenager tweeted, with one arm in a sling and the other holding "my dad sprained his arm riding the hover board morning...merry christmas!! florida congressman curbelo shared a photo of his arm in a sling tweeting: #hoverboard is for kids. my daughter got it. i ended up in er. narr 3 most adults are finding the thrills aren't worth the spills.natsot man falls - "i'm done."narr4 baseball free agent dan uggla tried to roll withhis kids but had a hard time getting into the swing of things. you see him following his kids on a hoverboard then he falls that's just one reading the hashtag "hoverboard fails" has gone viral. natsot - woman screams and falls narr 5 just before christmas the u.s. consumer product safety commission reported the number of injuries associated with hoverboards and fires due to overheated batteries had spiked 25%. that is expected to rise dramatically in the post holiday tally... and worries some safety experts. sot sean kane/ founder, the safety institute 172221 you have a product that doesn't have to meet any safety requirements and is finding its way to the u.s. market. narr 6 nathan furniss sells the boards at a los angeles mall. he believes the problem is overconfident adults who don't realize the boards are designed to be self-balancing scooters.nathan demos 151335 he wiggles on the board they're trying to balance themselves, oh i've got this and they're trying to to balance, when really they need to chill out, just stand straight up. it you. narr 7 furniss showed me the board the board....ben gets on "try to stand up straight."narr 8 i thought i got pretty quickly, well, i didn't. . thankfully as our camera shut down, furniss' cell phone caught the ground. sot ben 150921 have you seen a lot of adults these things?nathan i have to be completely mom was on the adults that wiped out on them. kids playing ball on themnarr 9 and that may be the lesson of this holiday season...someth ing that seems like child's play is probably best left to actual children. some adult falling and transition to my fall for cbs this morning, ben tracy, on the pavement of a

3 coming up on 3 ws 19 this morning efren will have your family's full

highlights.... after the break. 3 plus... the rare cancer mesothelioma me-zoe-thee-lee- o-muh... doesn't have that many treatment options...we'll show you a new one doctors are saying is showing promise...

ne3 pittsburgh say ultra-sound is

comparable to mammograms when it comes to detecting breast cancer.researchers say ultrasound is especially important in areas where mammography isn't available.. and as an additional test for women with *dense breasts*. 3 doctors in north carolina say they may be a step closer to a cure for a-l-s.they e been able to identify protein clumps in the brain... that contribute to paralysis and early death in a-l-s patients. researchers hope the discovery paves the way for a drug to fight the disorder. 3 most patients with chronic pain *still get prescriptions for opioids... *after an overdose. that according to a new study from the american college of physicians.the findings show doctors still prescribe opioids for *91- percent of patients who overdosed. 3 we here at news19 are sponsoring a "new year, new life" blood drive this week. it's taking place tomorrow from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at salsarita in lexington on

will receive a salsarita lunch coupon and a red cross long-sleeved shirt. this is the third year for the blood drive. 3 there are not many treatment options for people who have mesothelioma me-zoe-thee-lee- o-muh... a rare and deadly form of cancer. now doctors at the mayo clinic are trying something new they e freezing the tumor before taking it out. marlie hall introduces us to the minnesota woman.... who is the first patient enrolled in the study. 3 (package script)(nat sot)@:33 there a message inside that they e writtenmary kuntz family made her a love chain filled with an inspirational message for each day she undergoes treatment for mesothelioma (me-zoe-thee- lee-o-muh).@54 this one says feel betterthe grandmother was diagnosed with the very rare, very cancer last summer. doctors at the mayo clinic asked her to be patient in their trial using cryo-therapy of the tumor. (sot mary kuntz/mesothelioma intial thoughs were mmthis might be a little risky sprayed liquid nitrogen to freeze mary tumor. two surgeons removed it. the goal is to trigger mary to fight any remaining cancer cells. (sot dr. shandra blackmon/mayo clinic surgeon)@5:44 this is the early explorative stage where we e just looking at what is this doing to the body, how is it stimulating the immune response. 5:50doctors say cryotherapy may also preserve the lung, potentially leading to an easier recovery.(sot dr. tobias peikert/mayo clinic pulmonologist)@20:13 it also is less toxic and requires less aggressive surgery afterwards mary won know for a while if the cryotherapy worked. in the meantime, she is overwhelmed by the support from her family and mary kuntz/mesothelioma patient)11:58 they be you know sending all this love to me? there a that have a lot of

problems.she hopes being trial will not only help her but help others with problem.

3 3 mesothelioma is almost always caused by exposure to asbestos. mary suspects she was exposed at her job decades ago... while workers were taking asbestos out of the ceiling. 3 coming up on news 19 this morning... one mom was worried about her daughter's future... how she used that concern to

in the next half hour. many of you are waking up to the sound of rain. yes, even more rain for us and more muggy weather. good morning. i'm mary sturgill. let's toss things over to meteorologist efren afante to see what we can expect for the rest of the day. good morning, efren. >> good morning, mary and good morning midlands. a lot of us are starting off with a considerable amount of rainfall that's been falling.