it's quite possible there is a ninth planet out there, but it's also quite possible there isn't. >> can he just buy his daughter a gift somewhere. >> right, exactly. that's what's making news sean: plans are being made to bring new shopping, dining, and living options to southern new hampshire. it could create thousands of jobs. erin: jitters on wall street continue and oil prices continue to plunge. >> the biting wind returns today central united states. i will have the latest. sean: hearts of the mid-atlantic region are bracing for a potentially historic storm. like we do.

erin: good thursday morning to you. i' m erin fehlau. sean: i' m sean mcdonald. everyone was wondering what that storm will do. a lot of questions about what was going to happen. >> we have been seeing that that -- it has been trending more to the south. in the meantime, it is just cold. with the winds that are starting to pick up again, it feels colder. this is excluding the wind. down to the teens in nashua. when you factor in the wind,

some chilly stuff. today is going to be a bright day, despite the fact that we will have all that sunshine it is still rather chilly. i will have more on the weekend' s forecast coming up. for a look at the morning drive, we are joined live by 95.7 wzid' s deb davidson. good morning. deb: good morning, hayley. all major roads are moving well and completely up to speed. we do have some overnight roadwork wrapping up at exit 4 on interstate 293. if you are beginning your commute on 101, 111, or the spaulding turnpike, they are all looking good. from the wzid traffic network, i' m deb davidson for 95.7 wzid. erin: thank you.

shopping, and dining options to merrimack and salem are moving forward. sean: developers have presented a pair of projects and support seems to be strong, considering they could bring a lot of jobs to the area. ray brewer is live with a closer look. ray: good morning, sean. the plans call for an urban-style community, well in salem, they call for a tuscan-style village. they will include hundreds of thousands of square feet of office space, restaurants, a hotel, and living spaces. it could result in a million dollars of additional tax revenue in salem. in merrimack, property has been bought in rockingham park. >> we are going to do a

theater, organic grocer, shops, all kinds of restaurants. there will be some fun, upscale residential. it will be very urban. ray: the salem project also includes brownstone-style living spaces and an apartment building. the approval process is just getting underway. the developers say this could mean thousands of jobs for southern new hampshire. reporting live, ray brewer. sean: thanks. the volatility on wall street continues with the dow losing 250 points yesterday and the outlook today is already down. the price of crude oil dropped below $27 per barrel. many investors are worried that the plunging markets signal a slowdown in the world economy.

drivers at the gas pump are not complaining. >> i' m on a fixed income and it makes the money go further. >> i got it for $1.75. i can' t believe they are this low. sean: experts predict that could fall another $.10 or more. erin: two people are due in court after police investigated a pair of attacks in claremont. a man reported being jumped on trinity street early on sunday morning. he was treated for a knife wound to his face. a man was flown to dartmouth hitchcock on tuesday. a man is charged with first-degree assault and a man is accused of selling crack cocaine in a school zone. 31-year-old dawn lent is charged with possession of heroin and methamphetamine with intent to distribute.

sean: it looks like we are going to dodge a bullet this weekend. a powerful winter storm will pass just to our south. washington dc and baltimore face potential blizzard conditions with a record amounts of snow. ray: chaos on the roadways. motorists crashing into one another. the aftermath of untreated roadways and light snow, which wreaked havoc across mid-atlantic states. >> i drove home from work. i' m not used to driving home in the snow. ray: less than two inches of snowfall crippled the nations capital destination' s -- nation'

s capital, even slowing down the president. cars were stuck on roadways for hours. in west virginia, utility companies bracing themselves for impending power outages. >> the things that have us worried are the potential for wet snow and the depth of the snow. ray: states as far south as north carolina and as far north as boston are under winter storm warnings. a historic blizzard is aimed right for the nation' s capital, new york, and philadelphia. >> we want to encourage people to get prepared. ray: d.c. snow teams are tripling the amounts of snow plows and trucks on the roadways. the east coast is bracing for the major storm, which is less than 48 hours away. erin: it is another busy day on the campaign trail in new

fresh off a new poll showing that he holds a large lead in new hampshire, democrat bernie sanders has three stops scheduled. martin o' malley will be in henniker, nashua, and stratham. john kasich, jeb bush, marco rubio, chris christie, and ted cruz all have stops planned today. new hampshire' s privilege of hosting the first in the nation primary means we have unprecedented access to the candidates. we asked them to attend candidate cafe s. >> when the stakes are really high, i feel like i need to do my best job. sometimes i' m satisfied, sometimes i' m not. erin: join us for an extended look into the candidates' personal lives at the candidate

sean: should be interesting. still to come, the drive to be hands-free. lawmakers in massachusetts are considering a proposal to change the way people drive in the baystate. >> i was not expecting to be in that situation at all. erin: a linebacker from the patriots is earning praise after pulling a woman from a burning car. sean: it has been a year since a manchester man was hit by a truck.

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as the bottom 90% this great country to all of us. wall street, corporate america, wealthy campaign donors have so much influence that the only way when millions of people begin to stand up and say loudly and clearly, i'm bernie sanders, and i approve this message. hayley: good thursday morning, new hampshire. a quiet start to the morning in meredith. the wind returns today. it is going to feel a lot colder. wind chills will be running in the single digits and teens all day long. sean: getting used to that cold weather.

the base date -- baystate hands-free. erin: texting and driving is already illegal, but the new bill would call for fines ranging up to $500 for repeat offenders using any handheld device while driving. members of the patriots to earn praise on the field. but linebacker darius fleming has 22 stitches in his leg after kicking in a window to save a woman from a burning car. he was heading home after practice last week when he witnessed a three-car crash. >> the doors would not open. at that point, i said, i' ve got to get her out some way. she was trying to kick the window, so i started kicking the window and it broke and i pulled her out. >> he did the right thing and it

sean: what a hero. the woman, who did not want to be identified, said he held her hand. coach bill belichick offered praise of his own. he called the rescue "pretty cool." erin: he said he saw the woman start to panic. it is now 5:13. how many planets are in our solar system?

marco rubio. he ran for senate saying he opposed amnesty... then he flipped, and worked with liberal chuck schumer to co-author the path to citizenship bill. he threatened to vote against it. and then voted for it. he supported his own dream act and then he abandoned it. marco rubio. just another washington politician you can't trust. jeb bush. he's a leader, so you always know where he stands. right to rise usa is responsible for the content of this message. sean: a team of firefighters in california is earning praise for a simple act of kindness. they saw a homeless man slowly walking along a busy overpass.

the man did not have any shoes and it was obvious his feet hurt. one of the firefighters grabbed his own shoes and tied them on the man' s feet. erin: that is wonderful. "star wars" fans are going to have to wait a little longer. disney has pushed back the release of episode 8. the star wars spinoff movie will be released in theaters december of this year. the newest pirates of the caribbean movie will open next may instead. if you are thinking about getting a new big screen tv, now is the time to do it. more people buy tvs in the weeks leading up to the super bowl than in any other time of year. according to fatwallet.com, you will be able to save 20% or more

sean: facebook is getting in on sports action. they are rolling out facebook sports stadium this weekend for the nfl conference championship games and then for the super bowl. moving forward, the product will cover most major sporting events around the world. hayley and erin, you can stop asking. cinnamon bun oreos are finally here. the cookies and cream have cinnamon flavoring. red velvet oreos are coming back , as well. please stop asking. erin: two addictive things. cinnamon buns and oreos. sean: it appears there may be in ninth planet in our solar system after all. researchers have found evidence of another planet, though they have not actually seen it.

times bigger than earth, is made of gas, and is 20 times further from the sun than neptune. off the top of my head, i believe it may take 10-20 years to make a full orbit. erin: they think they found it, though they have never seen it and are not sure where it is, but it is out there. [laughter] hayley: i know, right? sometimes, you' ve just got to believe. we all know something else is out there, right? something is brewing for us as we take a look at the weekend. nothing as big as areas down to the south will see. we have mainly clear skies across the area. there is market square in portsmouth, still quiet at this hour.

it will be picking up. we have good travel weather this morning. clear skies and clear pavement. temperatures are chilly. whitefield, -3. 21 degrees in manchester. 19 in nashua and portsmouth. all the temperatures falling into the teens over the past couple of hours. the winds have started to pick up again. yesterday was pretty nice, considering sunshine and no wind. that is going to change today. 12 miles per hour is the sustained wind in concord. here is what you really should dress for. 7 degrees concord and laconia. as we progress through the day, this is looking at future wind chills.

may be the low teens across the area. bundle yourself up. not much along satellite radar. a bright day ahead of us. there is trouble brewing. see that little spin in the atmosphere? that is the storm we have been talking about in it infancy. it is just about to blow up and become a big storm over the next 24 hours or so. these are the different watches and warnings. extremely heavy snowfall, as well as gusty winds. it is all to the south and west of us. there could be upwards of two feet in the western suburbs of washington dc. today, bright, sunny, no glare.

sunny. things start to change on saturday as the storm system approaches. there is so close this storm climbs -- comes. it is just clipping southern new hampshire. from manchester southward, a coating to one inch. things could change and we will keep tabs on it. today, patchy clouds, breezy, good weekend to hit up this key resorts. next week, we do a little bit of warming up into the 30' s. erin: the snow guns are fired up. hayley: if feels like we are hitting the bottom of winter. erin: we do want to check our top stories. ray: developers in merrimack and salem have presented plans that could mean thousands of jobs for southern new hampshire.

the development near the premium outlets and include hundreds of thousands of square feet of office retail space, hotels, and restaurants. the salem plans include a theater, organic grocer, shops, and all kinds of restaurant. it would also include living spaces and luxury apartments. erin: gas prices continue to take downwards. crude oil prices dropped below $27 per barrel yesterday for the first time since 2003. police in clermont have arrested two people following an investigation into a pair of attacks this week. a man was slashed with a knife on hyundai. on tuesday, a man ended up in

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sean: got to love this story. cards, letters, and gifts continue to pour in for a little girl whose family was killed in a fire. erin: 8-year-old saphyre keeps receiving mail. she stops by every day to open a few items herself. she donates most of the toys and stuffed animals to other patients and the donated money has been used to set up a trust fund for her. she touched so many people that they all responded with these letters. sean: there is so much bad out in the world. a lot of greatness and humanity.

coming up, donald trump is still leading the republican pack in new hampshire, but a lot of voters have not made up their minds. congress doesn't regulate wall street... wall street regulates congress. it's a rigged economy that sends most new wealth to the top 1%. and it's held in place by a corrupt political system where wall street banks and billionaires buy elections. my campaign is funded by over two and a half million small contributions. people who know you can't by taking more money i'm bernie sanders, join the fight

like we do. now, wmur news 9 daybreak. erin: good morning to you. we are waking up to temperatures in the teens along the seacoast. we do have our eyes along the system that is expected to bring a whole lot of snow to areas across the country this weekend. sean: first, let' s get to our top stories. developers have laid out plans for two projects in merrimack

testimony resumes in the trial of a massachusetts businessman accused of kidnapping a woman in dover. governor maggie hassan is expected to sign bills aimed at curbing the ongoing drug crisis. erin: we have been talking about this storm for days. hayley: our forecast skills get a lot better as we get closer to the forecast time period. this one is mainly going to track to the south of us. get ready for cold. 19, concord and nashua. we are subzero in whitefield. the problem is the wind. it is back and it is going to make it feel cold. -46 atop mount washington. erin: it is amazing what the wind can do. hayley: for today, with the winds gusty, it will feel more

like the single digits all day long. those 20' s are just with the thermometer will read. erin: we are going to show people more of the track of this storm coming up. we want to check the roads. here is a live look from our sky camera along 93. hayley: for a look at the morning drive, we are joined live by 95.7 wzid' s deb davidson . good morning. deb: good morning. right now, interstate 93 is wide open and moving well. you should not have any problems whatsoever. overnight roadwork wrapping up on interstate 293 at exit 4. the on ramp does remain closed. some road work on 95 north and south along the seacoast between exit 2 and 1 has a lane closed.

m deb davidson for 95.7 wzid. erin: more options for housing, shopping, and dining could soon salem. sean: developers have laid out a plan for an urban style area and both projects are getting warm receptions. ray: that is what they are telling us. both projects have been submitted to their respective town planning boards. they are hopeful that they will win final approval. developers say there is a need for a convenient, walkable community that would appeal to young workers in the area. >> as well as an active place for people to go after work or

ray: plans include up to 150 hotel. there is the promise of a minimal impact on town services. >> particularly on schools. we are not anticipating schoolchildren being residents. it is a win for the community marketplace. it would also bring quite a few jobs to the area. ray: developers hope to start construction in 2017. in salem, the owners of the tuscan kitchen and market say they have purchased a large piece of land at rockingham park. >> we going to do a multifaceted , entertainment, theater, organic grocer, shops, restaurants -- there will be fun, upscale residential. it will be very urban. ray: the new tuscan-style

village will feature retail shops, brownstone-style living spaces. >> we intend to take the same, fun, passion, and energy and multiply it into something that is a really unique downtown development that does not exist in southern new hampshire. ray: the projects still need approval. these projects would mean thousands of jobs for southern new hampshire. reporting live, ray brewer. sean: a newly released wmur cnn granite state poll shows donald trump continuing to lead the pack of gop contenders. ted cruz is his closest competitor, but he is still 20 points behind. marco rubio and jeb bush are tied at 10%. john kasich, rand paul, and

you can read the full results a wmur.com. erin: the trial continues for a massachusetts businessman accused of kidnapping a woman in dover. prosecutors claim 62-year-old thomas minichiello luer the woman to his hotel room under the pretense of a job interview. his own defense attorney admits that he lied when he was in the area to hire for a new fitness business. the prosecution claims the 23-year-old woman was scared when he told her to shower, change, and asked her to do physical tests. >> she had to bend over in a back position and a front bend position. he had gotten items out of a duffel duffel bag and had her picking up objects with her feet. >> she admitted she never told him to stop anything. she did exactly what she was

she never tried to get out of the room. he never sexually touched her. erin: if found guilty, he faces a possible of 3.5-7 years in prison. sean: we have an update to a story we told you about last week. belmont police arrested a man they stay -- say stole a car and then fled the scene. 21-year-old paul noyes took the car from concord street. several hours later, he allegedly crashed it on shaker road. after he was arrested, he was charged with multiple misdemeanor charges. erin: governor maggie hassan is planning to sign bills aimed at curbing the drug crisis. one bill creates a committee to study the use of the overdose reversal drug narcan.

hampshire voters oppose opening a bobcat hunting season. the survey conducted by remington research group found that 62% of voters are opposed to the trapping and hunting of bobcats in the granite state. 25% support it. erin: a documentary about fallen new hampshire journalist james foley will make its premiere soon. it will be shown at the sundance film festival. the festival runs today through january 31. he was killed by isis more than a year ago. sean: a man from manchester has made an astonishing recovery after being hit by a truck last may. peter delmastro suffered a severe brain injury. he spent 20 days in the hospital. he is back to work and doing the things that he loves.

he is even training for a two day biking event to raise money for cancer research. >> it means so much to me to be back on the bike and being able to do this. 100% of rider-raised funds go to the dana-farber cancer institute. sean: if you would like to help him with his fundraising goal, go to wmur.com. he looks great. erin: he is so happy to be back on that bike. coming up, a fiery scene in massachusetts. >> i heard two pops. erin: the taxi driver and his elderly passenger managed to escape after the cap caught fire and exploded. sean: a special type of party is helping people who need a little snuggling. strangers are coming together for cuddle parties. i' m just reading what it says. hayley: oh boy. you might want to cuddle today.

temperatures are going to be cold.

hayley: good morning, new hampshire.

there is a live look in colebrook, where it is only 11 degrees. most of us have good travel weather. no problems on the roadways. areas. today, we have lots of sunshine. the problem is, the winds are going to be kicking up. all day long. sean: we are following breaking news out of manchester. firefighters are on the scene of a fire on west street. it is not clear whether anyone was hurt. firefighters are battling a fire on west street in manchester. senate democrats have blocked a-passed bill that would crack down on syrian and iraqi refugees coming into the u.s.

require fbi background checks and individual sign offs from three high-ranking federal officials before any syrian or iraqi refugee could come into the u.s. president obama warned he would veto the bill if it made it to his desk. sean: the pentagon says u.s. forces can now go after isis members in afghanistan. they did not have that legal authority before. last week, the state department designated isis in afghanistan and pakistan as a foreign terrorist organization, leading to a change in the rules. erin: the taxi driver and his passenger had a close call when the cabin exploded in quincy, massachusetts. look at that. that was one of six explosions

that was captured on a cell phone. the driver and passenger were already out of the cab. the passenger was his elderly neighbor who uses two canes to walk. >> this is going to blow, you' ve got to get her into the apartment building. he literally picked to run up and got her in the building. erin: firefighters quickly arrived at the scene and doused the flames within seconds. it is not clear how it on fire. sean: a valet in miami made a bad decision when he took the keys to a luxury car. the $400,000 lamborghini ended up in flames. witnesses the valet rev to the engine a little bit too much, causing fire to shoot out of the rear end. there is no word as to how much damage was done.

that is why i always parked my own lamborghini. the celtics were in canada taking on the toronto raptors. isaiah thomas sunk a three pointer to close the gap. kelly olynyk got a big dunk. it was not enough. toronto held on to win. the fisher cats have announced that they are welcoming back manager bobby meacham for the third straight season. he will be joined by hitting coach stubby clapp. the fisher cats home opener is set for april 15. erin: a sports staff move of another sports team. the buffalo bills have hired the first-ever full-time female member of an nfl coaching staff. kathryn smith was a posted --

sean: as the new england patriots prepare to take on the denver broncos, a new study is revealing which city has the most patriots fans. boston tops the list, no surprise. manchester, new hampshire comes in fourth. springfield, mass rinse out -- rounds out the top five. erin: 38-year-old nate lint saw the type of snowboard used to ride as a kid. lint' s snowboard was stolen. the uncle noticed an unusual marketing on the nose. a number 69. his uncle painted the number on the board. once he realized the board was his, he called the snowboard shop. >> i asked them, where did you

i said, you are not going to believe this, but that was born from my grandparents house in 1990. >> the shop owner was kind enough to give him the snowboard back. one just like it is on sale on ebay for $6,500. sean: is it weird that 1990 seems so long ago now? [laughter] sean: a live look at manchester. another chilly day out there. hayley: yeah, but great for skiers and snowboarders. they are just eating it all up. here is a live look at claremont. a quiet start this morning with clear skies and clear skies. it is cold. laconia, concord, 17 degrees.

it all depends on where we have clouds. where it is clear, the temperatures have dipped. the winds are not going to help things today. they are back. it will make it feel much more bitter. as we go through the day, there were likely be some wind chills and gusts that get up closer to 20 miles per hour. the results of that will be very cold wind chills. you can see the timestamp up here. it will feel like eight degrees in concord. it will feel subzero in the great north woods. this is going to be a chilly day. clear skies for much of new hampshire. maybe a few passing clouds up north. all eyes are to the south and west of us. this is a baby storm brewing in the southwest right now.

it is moving off to the east. it will get intense over the next 24 hours. the track of this storm keeps it to the south of us. heavy snow -- i' m talking 1-2 feet -- near washington dc and certainly into the appalachians. light snow for us as the system kind of brushes by. we will be on the northern fringe. there will be a couple of snow showers late saturday night and into sunday morning in southern new hampshire. today, mostly sunny. tomorrow, more of the same. bright sunshine, less wind. saturday, here comes that storm. you can see the clouds starting to increase in southern new hampshire. there is the snow. notice how it barely gets to

those areas, from manchester to keen to dover and points south, a coating to one inch, if we are lucky. that is how it is looking at this point. sunny skies today, chilly, windy. only the 20' s in southern new hampshire. a big game going on in denver over the weekend. 3:05 is the start on sunday. the weather should be ok. 43 degrees. if peyton starts and the temperature is below 43, he usually does not win. at 43, it is questionable. sean: oh boy. hayley: i think the pats are going to be fine and we are going to be fine. erin: strangers in minneapolis are helping each other out with cuddle therapy. oh my goodness. there are certain rules for participants.

including asking permission to touch someone. a registered nurse has been a facilitator has -- at these parties for a year. they last for two hours. sean: use it through that script pretty quick. are you trying to move on? erin: the video was a little disturbing to me. sean: it is the coupling with the strangers part. erin: i like that they have to ask first. [laughter] sean: there seems to be a lot of

here's the truth -- some have proposed to cut social security for the elderly and disabled vets. i disagree. in fact, not only should we not cut benefits -- we should expand them. my plan for social security increases benefits and cost of living adjustments and raises minimum payments for low-income seniors. it will ensure that all seniors can retire

with dignity and respect. i'm bernie sanders, and i approve this message. [laughter] erin: a bakery in mexico taking advantage of the high profile case of el chapo. cupcakes that depicts the kingpin. it chosen wearing a dirty t-shirt, like the one he was wearing when he was recaptured. he does not look too happy.

sean: there appears to be some confusion over the role of tv judge judith sheindlin, better known as judge judy. nearly 10% of college graduates believe she serves on the u.s. supreme court. the huffington post said the study is misleading, since she was listed on the multiple-choice question by her lesser-known real name. judge judy is not on the supreme court. erin: maybe she should be. [laughter] erin: she is feisty. it giant maze made entirely of ice is near completion in poland. take a look at this thing. when finished, it will cover over 8000 square feet. hayley: 40 mountaineers are cutting 60,000 ice cubes and manually putting them into position. it will set a new world record for an icy labyrinth. it will set to open to the public on saturday.

are there treats you can collect along the way? maybe it is like pac-man. sean: it kind of reminds me of the movie "the shining." coming up, a patriots player comes to the rescue after a fiery crash. how darius fleming managed to save a woman from a burning car. ray: winter storm watch is in full effect this morning as americans brace for a historic storm. i will have the latest coming up. sean: a major discovery. researchers have found evidence of a ninth planet. erin: a man in illinois is

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