they also would have made cost sharing changes. now instead, in a 4 to 3 decision, they delayed the vote until may 1st. by then, the general assembly will be back in session and they can get more guidance at that point on exactly how the general assembly wants this board to cut costs for the state health plan. >> i think the board made the right decision. they took into account the feedback they got from the membership over the past ten days. about how important the health plan and the benefits are to state employees and to teachers and to all public employees. >> we have to have a way of controlling cost. it can't continue to spiral. we're trying to get state employees and retirees to take more responsibility for their being healthy. >> now that interview you heard there with representative mcgrady was shot earlier today prior to the decision to delay. so what happens now?

clear it wants costs to be cut. as you just heard there from the interview with the representative, they're trying to save $400 million by 2019. so by delaying until may st now, there are staff members who said that likely means there won't be a vote on this premium increase at all this year. so the questions right now, how are the time lines going to be changed? and how will the general assembly react? bo minnick, wncn news now. the air lift wing at fort braggs pope airfield looks to be over tonight. a letter was sent to congress informing them of the de activation today. it needs to reallocate resources in the most efficient manner the decision to shut down the unit unit would have an impact on the nation's readiness for battle. the armed services committee have 90 days to approve the letter. if approved, it's set to take place in september. testimony continued in the

a series of prosecution witnesses placed travion smith near the scene of after the killing of melissa huggins jones. the manager of the bone fish grill testified that the suspects left a messy pile of unusual suspects on an outside dining table. and a ben and jerrys store remember an argument they had over filling out the criminal history section of an employment application. >> arguing in the store, i can hear what you're saying. you might as well not fill out the application. i'm the manager. you're not going to get a job here. and you should probably leave the store you're being disruptive. >> arguments are expected to resume on monday. you can read more on wncn.com. four people charged in connection with a meth lab bust in apex appeared in court this afternoon. police wept to the home yesterday afternoon on olive chapel road.

including an infant were inside at the time. each of the four received bonds of at least $200,000. and tonight the bmx community is mourning the loss of legendary athlete dave mirra. >> he was found dead inside his truck yesterday afternoon in greenville. he died from a self inflicted gunshot wound but didn't leave a suicide note. lauren spoke to a local family who says his death not only comes as a shock but a terrible loss to the pmx family. >> he moved to north carolina in the 90s. he was a key part in putting the state and the city of greenville on the map when it comes to extreme sports. dave mirra has been an inspiration to my boys. >> renee has three boy, ages 11, 16, and 19. all have been racing for years. >> he was just the greatest legend out there for bmx. >> when he wasn't watching him ride, he was controlling his every move on one of his

>> he was the character i would always choose. i wanted to get his bike and ride it. that got me into it. and i looked up to him. >> bmx is a big part of their family. so when their dad was diagnosed with cancer, they held cranks for cancers, a bmx event to raise money, mirra was on the guest list. >> he was someone who had a huge heart. >> he wasn't able to attend the event, but he donated this signed bike seat. >> it raised a couple thousand dollars. for the charity. which we were raising money for clinical trials to try to save my husband's life. >> by dave mirra, a father of two children himself and one of the most decorated athletes in x game history took his own life thursday. >> most people would think he had the life. i mean it's not really what you have. it's things going on in your mind. >> mirra's death left his family, fans, and community to wonder why.

>> seeing that someone has past away that basically started it all. it's awful. >> everyone's saddened by his loss. and it really impacted a bunch of people. >> celebrities and friends of mirra are expressing their condolences online. find their messages plus suicide prevention resources right now on wncn.com. back to you. a bus burst into flames on the wake forest campus. two vehicles caught fire after they crashed. fortunately no one was injured. the cause of the wreck remains under investigation. sunshine returned today. but so did much colder temperatures and they're not done dropping yet. chief meteorologist wes hohenstein is here with how low they'll go. >> today colder than anything we've seen the rest of the week and tonight and tomorrow morning also just as cold. but it's friday so we're happy about that. unless of course you're stuck in this. 440 eastbound here in north raleigh a little slow and go. nothing cooking on the roads.

but it's cold. 40 degrees. and those numbers will continue to go down. of course this morning we had a little bit of left over rain. and as we go through the entire day here on the radar loop, you can see also a few flakes of snow. nothing significant but always exciting. the significant weather maker this weekend is high pressure, it builds in tonight and tomorrow leaving us with sunshine. but also helping to bring in colder temperatures. so we're down to 37 by 8:00. freezing at midnight. if you have to be up and at em tomorrow morning, bundle up, 26 degrees. we have to get used to that. we'll talk about how long the cold air sticks around and when more snow might creep into the forecast in a few minutes. >> you said the s word snow. all right wes, thank you. durham police spent tens of thousands of tax dollars to have evidence tested by a private crime lab. >> the department says its worth it because police get dangerous criminals off the

mario boone looked into the cost. >> three years ago, durham police took a gamble on a faster way to process evidence in crimes like murder and rape by outsourcing the job to a private crime lab. now it seems the effort is paying off. durham investigators revealed they have out sourced forensic evidence in about two dozen cases. and what used to take months to be analyzed by the state bureau of investigation now might take just a few weeks. >> that's a good thing. because first of all, we're getting the criminals off of the street. >> in january, etna mills' 20- year-old son was durham's first murder victim of 2016. dpd wouldn't say if evidence in that case was out sourced but the suspected killers were identified and caught within two weeks of the murder. that makes me feel good. a police spokeswoman emailed me a statement saying evidence outsourcing has led to faster arrests and faster elimination

to the crime. we checked and found similar sized police departments like greensboro and winston salem also used private labs. durham's program cost about $56,000 in taxpayer money. funds well spent bill told me when you're trying to get justice for a murdered loved one. in durham, mario boone, wncn news now. joe biden will make a stop at duke's school of medicine wednesday to promote a new initiative to fight cancer. president obama launched the cancer moon shot initiative during the state of the union. it aims to cure answer for all and for all at once. for once and for all rather. vice president biden's son bo died from brain cancer last year. a special item on its way to santa clara, and you'll hear from the man who quarterbacked the first panthers super bowl team. plus we'll show you the plane on the front lines against el nino in the pacific.

look at i-40 and harrison avenue. a busy night on this friday. but it's moving just fine. stay with us. wncn news now at 7:00 continues with at&t the choice is yours. you only pay for the services you need to make your bundle work for you. call now to get high speed internet for just $15 a month for 12 months with a one-year agreement... ...when you bundle with tv,

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we'll talk about how long this on air, online, wherever you are, this is wncn news at 7:00. hard to believe we're now only two days away from super bowl 50 in santa clara. >> the panthers and broncos are putting the finishing touches on their game plans the odds makers have carolina as 5.5 point favorites in winning the game. making the trip will be the keep pounding drum. the term has deep meaning for the panthers. late linebacker coach sam mills made a locker room speech before the team's first playoff game in 2004 urging the team to keep pounding and never stop fighting no matter the circumstances. that team went on to the super bowl where they would end up losing to the new england patriots in a heartbreaker. jake, the quarterback of the carolina team spoke today about the career defining game. >> i think the biggest thing is that, you just wonder, gosh, if i could have just completed one more pass. or if we could have just done this a little bit better. i think you always think of that.

little bit better to help us win. >> he played seven seasons for the panthers. and he's their all time leader in wins, passing yards, as well as passing touchdowns. more than a million fans will gather in the bay area through the weekend to celebrate super bowl 50. but there's another crowd that doesn't care about the parties and won't see a single play of the game. we're talking about the army of police and federal agents who will be patrolling the game. officials have been planning the security operation for two years now. the fbi will coordinate the action from a command center. there will also be bomb sniffing dogs, snipers, and f 15 military planes flying near the stadium. >> it's all about reassuring the public that this event is going to be a safe, family- friendly event. >> so far officials say there have been no problems and no viable threats and they're confident things will stay that way. back here at home bars and restaurants are gearing up for the super bowl rush. >> that includes getting the

one of the biggest hot spots in the area is the carolina ale house where you'll find bill ray with a look at the preparations. bill, how are you doing? >> reporter: i'm doing great. it's between 5:00 and now getting toward 7:00, a lot of crowd coming in. but it's not super bowl crowd yet . but this is the horse of the roaring riot panthers fan club. so some diehard panthers fans will be here on sunday. the restaurant's got to get ready. dan hudson manager here, what are you doing to get ready for sunday? >> we have plenty of beer, food, and staff for the service. >> does anybody say i want to work on sunday? >> we don't have a problem with people not wanting to work. >> what's number one seller on sunday? >> the chicken wings for sure. >> how many will you sell do you think on super bowl sunday? >> definitely more than 10,000. >> so if it was a typical sunday? >> about 2,000. >> so five times as much. wow a lot of chickens back

what is the number one flavor that you guys sell? >> the traditional buffalo is pretty popular. i have a little sample. whoa. look at this. a sample of food. i like the little drumsticks. is this really hot? >> no it's not hot. it's pretty mild. >> mmm. that is really, really good. they're going to sell a lot of these. you guys have a lot of give aways on sunday. and just the fact that you can watch this with a lot of friends. i know a lot of folks will be going to many different super bowl parties at restaurants or homes to be around a lot of people because you can't afford or can't get out to san francisco. i don't know who's going to win the game, the panthers are favored. but the broncos have a meteorologist on their team. owen daniels got his degree in meteorology at wisconsin. so hmm, sports, weather, i don't know. i hope for a great game. and it's going to be a lot of fun here in raleigh. >> you're lucky they didn't slip in the hot wings there.

different shot. enjoy the wings while you're there. >> never a dull moment. governor pat mccrory is coming out with a panthers themed campaign ad the ad will run through the weekend. in it the governor talked about cutting unemployment and the carolina come back the ad wins with a push for the panthers to keep pounding. we have more on wncn.com. click the sports tab on the home page. this month scientists are making special research flights into and over el nino fueled storms. remotely piloted global hawk aircraft will complete a series of flights in the pacific ocean measuring rainfall and winds within these storms the project is looking into how the warm ocean temperatures produce extreme rainfall in the west coast. the goal is to develop better warnings for extreme weather. >> well snow fell across the northeast today. take a look at this. this is video from new york city. not here. as you can see snow covering

that region is expected to see several inches of snow. now, earlier you said the s word. and we're not expecting that, are we? >> no. it's going to get cold. and we had a couple flakes of snow this morning. we could see a couple flakes on sunday as well. of course i don't think anyone goes outside on sunday. we may go from the couch to the kitchen to the bathroomment but that's about it. so it's all ready getting chilly. here's a live look outside. 40 degrees. we've been talking about the super bowl. let's take you to the other side of the country. this is our neighborhood network camera. our weather bug camera. in san francisco right there on the bay. that's the bay bridge going over to oakland. and we've been talking about this a little bit this week. there's a game on sunday. football game that is. american football. and just south of san francisco, so santa clara is where the panthers and broncos will go at it. 6:30 our time at levy stadium, that's the middle of the afternoon out there. 71 degrees at kickoff. this could be the warmest super bowl in 13 years.

temperatures only fall into the low 60s. so we can like close our eyes and hope that we get that warm. but it's not happening for quite sometime. out there right now, temperatures in the 30s and 40s. and it's a lot colder now than it was yesterday. some 14 degrees colder right now in johnston county than where you guys were last night at 7:00. it's 17 degrees colder in durham than it was 24 hours ago. and temperatures aren't done cropping yet. as we take you hour by hour through the night. we're down to 37 at 8:00. mid to low 30s as we approach midnight. and if you've got to be up early tomorrow morning, bundle up. 26 degrees. luckily, it's not going to be as windy. so we won't have a lot of windchill to talk about. it's just not going to be warm. high pressure building in. we like that usually. except this one came from canada. so it's reinforcing the cold air. lots of sunshine tomorrow. i like it as the pick day of the weekend. but as we get into sunday, we say goodbye to that high pressure and an area of low

approach our area from the southeast. now the trend over the last 24 hours, this is going to nudge a little farther away. so the rain we're talking about is going to be mainly southeast of the triangle. but it's still possible we could mix in some snow. more on that in a second. if it's not cold enough for you yet, by monday, as that low moves out of here, another cold front approaches, bringing us more clouds, and another chance of rain. and then reinforcing that cold air. but let's back up a little. i want to talk about what could happen on sunday. so saturday as i said pick day of the weekend. here we are saturday night. we put the maps into motion. you see clouds sneaking in from the south. a little bit of rain. but as the rain continues to move north into colder and colder air by sunday morning, we could see wet snow flakes. a little excitement. but no impacts on area roads. we'll keep the scattered showers around mainly east of the triangle. that's on sunday. i like tomorrow as the pick day. lots of sunshine. we start in the 20s.

we start in the 30s on sunday. and spend most of the day in the 40s as well. we'll just do it under cloud cover with scattered showers. so the friday edition of your seven-day forecast, always my favorite one to give you, we have highs around 50 both days. up to 52 monday. and that reinformant of cold air, there it is. 44 tuesday for a high. 42 wednesday. and we stay in the 40s through thursday and friday. watch out in the morning. we have seven days up there. all seven of them have morning temperatures in the 20s and 30s. >> february is back. those 70s we had two days ago. forget about it. speak you said that before. so maybe you'll come back in a week and a half. >> on the eighth day maybe. >> a week and a half to three months from now. a dog who faced death is getting a second shot at life. next at 7:00, a special organization who helped -- who took her in and nursed her back

later why this is a sweet story. a dog who would have been put down is now on her way to recovery and almost ready for adoption. >> second chance pet adoptions rescued mary in johnston county back in december. she was a stray severely malnourished and had heartworms. she's had surgery and seven of her nine puppies are still alive. volunteers have been spending

on the floor, caring for the dogs around the clock. >> i think it's an amazing testimony to just how dedicated people can be. and how much people want to do good things in the community. >> well mary is steadily improving and could be adopted in early summer. her puppies will likely be ready to be adopted later this month. the museum of natural science, this is the first of its kind to offer new technology for the blind. 30 battery powered beacons have been placed throughout the nature resource center that connect remotely to a smart phone apps. they send audio messages that help visitors navigate the museum. >> we wanted to jump on it and do everything we can to make everyone feel welcome. >> they plan to add the beacons to the main building in the near future. the fight for the 440th air wing comes to an end. what this means for the community and the jobs that will dissolve with it. and an historic reunion on the hardwood, how the players helped shape the civil rights

plus here's what's coming look at this. today even the tiniest babies are wearing red for women's health day. newborns at wakemed birthing center in raleigh and carey received red hats knitted by volunteers. mothers are also receiving information about women's heart health and how to create healthy habits. how sweet are they? >> those hats could come in handy this weekend. coming up. >> we saw this video. and we were like let's wear red today too. >> a lot of people in your office or school may be wearing red as we bring attention to cardiovascular health and stroke. take care of your heart so it takes care of you. and warm that heart this weekend. it's going to be cold. i don't want to look at the over night lows for the next week. our warmest day is monday. that's 52. with cloudy skies and a 30% chance of rain. still, 71 in california for the super bowl. $2,600 can get you into the game at this point. it might be worth it for the

>> we'