>> very cute story there. good for them. >> that's what's making news in america this good morning columbia. thanks for joining us. i'm

kennedy. we're live frfr main and gervais. the time's now 5:00. good news is... we're waking up to warm temperatures in the midlands... but it looks like those humid temperatures are bringing along some

head out the door. 33 we want to give you a quick traffic update as you head out and about this morning.here are some trouble spots that

carolina highway patrol is reporting a collision with no injuries on i-20. this is going to be at mile marker 82 in the eastbound lanes.they're also assisting a motorist on i- 77. this is going to be at mile marker 27 in the northbound lanes. and south carolina highway patrol is also assisting a motorist on i-2o at mile marker 65 in the westbound lanes. as always... we will continue to update you if anything else e changes for your morning commute. a-b-c columbia wants to help you jump start your day. we have a quick rundown of your top morning headlines. so, let's get started. the presidential contenders have swooped into new hampshire. and the democratic presidential hopefuls are hoping to win over some last minute support before voters in the granite state head to the polls tuesday. hillary clinton and bernie sanders will make closing arguments in a prime-time town hall tonight in new hampshire. c-n-n will broadcast the event from eight until 11 tonight. former president bill clinton will be busy vying for votes for his wife here in the capital city today. he'll be holding a rally at allen university. the event, held in the john hurst

at six tonight... doors open at four. before the gathering.... clinton will meet with state democrats to discuss the issues facing south carolinians. and saturday... chelsea clinton will be campaigning for her mom in the upstate. while clinton may have won iowa... she could have a harder road ahead of her in new hampshire. according to a c-n-n/w-m- u-r poll... sanders leads clinton in new hampshire... 57 to 34-percent. and sanders strong showing in iowa could prove to be the momentum he needs going into the first-in-the-nation primary. just a 33 reminder... the democratic primary is february 27-th. the republican primary is the week before... on february 20-th. fresh off his big win in iowa.... senator ted cruz is spending some time in the palmetto state. he held a rally with voters in greenville. the republican senator told supporters the first thing he

is repeal obamacare. up next... cruz will be busy campaigning in new hampshire... leadininup to tuesday's vote. with the primary only weeks away... a prominent south carolina super- delegate says he may look outside the democratic party now that his candidate, martin o'malley, has dropped out of the presidential race. o'malley garnered less than one percent in iowa. boyd brown telling the associated press he c't back bernie sanders because of his socialist-leaning views.... and says he can't support hillary clinton because of what he calls her lack of "core values." florida senator marco rubio is gaining some support here in south carolina. senator tim scott is endorsing rubio for the republican nomination for president. in a statement senator scott says quote, "we have one shot in 2016 to beat hillary clinton and that shot is marco rubio, and with him as our candidate: we win." shifting gears this morning... dozens are coming together... to remember deanndra roach. the 19-year-old was found shot

friday. roachs ex- boyfriend, 22-year-old andre heatley, has been charged with her murder. the richland county sheriff's department is still handling the investigation. but friends of roach say... they knew she was in an abusive relationship. last night dozens gathered at a vigil for roach. it wasn't just a chance to say goodbye... but also an opportunity to turn their pain... into progress. the 33 violence policy center ranks south carolina first among states for women murdered by men. the roaches are raising money for deanndra's funeral costs. if you'd like to help... you'll find the information on that fund in the online version of this story... at a-b-c columbia dot com. following the charleston church shooting... survivors of the tragedy are honoring the emanuel nine by sharing the power of faith.

of victims joined students and faculty at benedict college to discuss the tragic events of june 17th. family members of the victims say... they hope to spread their message of love and unity to students at benedict college and around the world. 33 mother emanuel is nominated for the noble peace prize. and the friend of accused charleston church shooter... dylann roof... says he wants to delay a pretrial hearing set for next week. joey meek says he wants the february 11th hearing delayed until the court's may term... until government prosecutors have provided all of their evidence to his defense team. meek also waived his right to a speedy trial. prosecutors say meek lied to

report all he knew about roof's plans. if convicted... meek faces as many as three years in prison on the misprison charge... and five years for lying to investigators. meek is currently out on bond. still to come... the presidential hopefuls have their sights set on new hampshire. find out what the campaign trail has in store for the granite state. warm and dry to kick off your wednesday but heavy rain and thunderstorms are heading our

main and gervais. 33 some rabid college football fans consider it like christmas...high school prospects make their decisions final on national signing day. we'll know how it all ends up later today. this morning, tim hill tells us

the sports minute to win it. 33 here's a quick look at stories that are making headlines across the country. with the iowa caucuses fresh on their minds... the presidential hopefuls are camping out in new hampshire... looking ahead to a tough fight before next week's first-in-the-nation

still to 33 come... forget the candies and chocolates. the columbia animal shelter is looking to

different kind of valentine's day surprise.warm and dry to kick off your wednesday but heavy rain and thunderstorms are heading our way.details

gervais. that pennelope is more suitable for a home with older children. to meet pennelope or other pets up for adoption... you can visit the columbia animal shelter off humane lane. and no better time to adopt a pet because you're in for a deal... that's right... the columbia and lexington animal services are holding a "fur-ever yours" pet adoption special. this starts february 12th and runs through the 15th. fees are only 14 dollars per pet. and for those of you who already have a pet... pawmetto lifeline wants you to "beat the heat" by spaying your cats. pawmetto lifeline is now

for 20-dollars. this is in efforts to reduce the homeless pet population. and veterinarians say the procedure is safe for kittens as young as eight to ten weeks old. 33 still to come... it's carolina day at the statehouse... what changes

education system... stay

main and gervais. 33 to be a busy day across the street from us at the statehouse ... it's carolina day and supporters from the eight university of south carolina campuses are joining with legislators to advocate for higher education. at the meeting... organizers will voice how the campuses improve the health and prosperity of communities... and add to the quality of life through myriad

athletic offerings. midlands technical college is also advocating for education... they're holding a resource fair and information session for veterans and active duty service members today... at its northeast campus. attendees are getting the opportunity to learn about m-t-c's academic programs... v- a approved training courses and veteran-specific scholarships. the veteran resource fair starts at six and runs until eight tonight. midlands tech enrolls more than one-thousand veterans each fall and has approximately 100-thousand in scholarship funds available for veterans and active duty service members. and speaking of the school system... the south carolina department of education is releasing a startling statistic... they say one in five students struggle with learning and attention issues. an organization called 'understood' hosted the 'understanding 1 in 5 forum' yesterday to discuss this problem... learning and attention issues include a-d-h-d and dyslexia..... which can cause trouble with

skills, or a combination of those. state 33 superintendent molly spearman is also addressing the municipal association of south carolina's "hometown legislative action day luncheon" today at the "marriot columbia" this starts at 12:15 p-m. she is discussing her vision for public education and how cities can work with the s-c department of education to make this vision a reality. and there's a new facility coming for the university of south carolina in the upstate they plan to open a new location in downtown greenville. a university spokesperson says the new facility will be located not far from the peace center. u-s-c upstate's main campus is in spartanburg.still to come... the race to the white house continues... how presidential candidates are

before the first-in- the-nation's primary. stay

33 we want to give you a quick traffic update as you head out and about this morning.here are some trouble spots that you might encounter. south carolina highway patrol is assisting a motorist on i- 20. this is going to be at mile marker 65 in the westbound lanes. and as always... we will continue to update you if anything else changes for your morning commute. a-b-c columbia wants to help you jump start your day. we have a quick rundown of your top morning headlines. so, let's get started. the presidential contenders have swooped into new hampshire. and the democratic presidential hopefuls are hoping to win over some last minine support before voters in the granite state head to the polls on tuesday. hillary clinton and bernie sanders will make closing arguments in a prime-time town hall tonight in new hampshire. c-n-n will broadcast the event from eight until 11 tonight. former president bill clinton will be busy vying for votes for his wife here in the capital city today. he'll be holding a rally at allen university. the event, held in the john hurst gymnatorium, is set to start at six tonight... doors open

gathering.... clinton will meet with state democrats to discuss the issues facing south carolinians. and on saturday... chelsea clinton will be campaigning for her mom in the upstate. while clinton may have won iowa... she could have a aharder road ahead of her in new hampshire. according to a c-n-n/w-m- u-r poll... sanders leads clinton in new hampshire... 57 to 34-percent. and sanders strong showing in iowa could prove to be the momentum he needs going into the first-in-the-nation primary. 33 just a reminder... the democratic primary february 27-th. the republican primary is the week before... on february 20-th. fresh off his big win in iowa.... senator ted cruz is spending some time in the palmetto state. he held a rally wiwi voters in greenville. the republican senator told supporters the first thing he would do if elected president is repeal obamacare. up

campaigning in new hampshire... leading up to tuesday's vote. with the primary only weeks away... a prominent south carolina superdelegate says he may look outside the democratic party now that his candidate, martin o'malley, has dropped out of the presidential race. o'malley garnered less than one percent in iowa. boyd brown telling the associated press he can't back bernie sanders because of his socialist-leaning views.... and says he can't support hillary clinton because of what he calls her lack of "core values." florida senator marco rubio is gaining some support here in south carolina. senator tim scott is endorsing rubio for the republican nomination for president. in a statement senator scott says quote, "we have one shot in 2016 to beat hillary clinton and that shot is marco rubio, and with him as our candidate: we win." out of the state house... the south carolina house has passed a bill that would have candidates for governor pick their running mates after they are nominated by their party. the bill is needed after

l amendment to have governors and lieutenant governors run on the same ticket starting in 20-18. after trying to speed a roads bill to the senate floor... state senators are now hitting the brakes on a plan to get more money to south carolina's highways. senate president pro tem hugh leatherman told the finance committee... he wants to bring in the department of transportation and the state infrastructure bank... to tell the panel what steps should be taken next. and the leaders of 37 public agencies and colleges in the state are getting combined raises of 215- thousand dollars. the agency head salary commission voted to boost the directors' pay either two percent or five percent.... depending on whether their evaluations showed they met or exceeded expectations. sumter police are searching for a man wanted in connection with a shooting. it happened in the parking lot of fredrick's citgo.... right off guignard drive. police say 22-year-old trey moore is wanted for attempted murder. a couple reports that they were approached in their vehicle and robbed by

male victim was shot... before the suspect fled in the victim's car... which was later found wrecked on walker street. the man was taken to the hospital and treated for non-life threatening injuries. anyone with information on moore's whereabouts is asked to call crimestoppers at... one- triple-eight-crime-s-c. a reminder this morning from the richland county sheriff's department... don't leave your car running unattended... it could get stolen. it seems simple, but officials say since january 15th more than a dozen cars have been stolen. sheriff leon lott says these types of car thefts typically take place during the winter when people warm up their cars while they're getting ready for work. and we have a boil water advisory to pass along this morning. residents living in the 700 block of kingsbridge road... the 700 block of tara trial rain... and all of tara lane... need to boil there water for at least a full minute before using it to drink or cook. the city columbia water works say a six-inch water main break is to blame. still to come... a powerful force of

the damage residents there are waking up to.warm and dry to kick off your wednesday but heavy rain and thunderstorms are heading our way.details next.live from main and gervais. it's a good morning. topping "america's money" -- chipotle pays the price.

illness last quarter, it's no surprise their earnings fell 44%. >> it faces a difficult and expensive year trying to restore public confidence in its food safety. legal marijuana sales are booming. u.s. sales this year expected to reach $6.7 billion, with a "b,". food for thought at mcdonald's. for the next two weeks, mcds' is serving up books in its happy meals. >> it's about time. including the classic paddingon the. mcdonald's expected to give out more than 17 million. that's good. >> all right. that's "america's money." >> have a great day, everyone. jane didn't like restrictions. not in life. and not when it came to watching her calories.

that's why jane loves light & fit greek nonfat yogurt. bursting with rich creamy awesomeness and 12 grams of protein. all for 80 calories. no settling here. what else does jane love? that you could win a fitbit flex from light & fit. learn more on specially marked packs. light & fit. feel free to enjoy. there's a story behind the fresh taste of philadelphia cream cheese. we make it daily using fresh local milk, real cream, and absolutely no preservatives. when it comes to fresh taste, nothing else tastes

33 dangerous sight across east mississippi and west alabama with multiple tornadoes touching down. yeah... a total of six tornadoes were reported in those areas yesterday. despite the damage... emergency officials say no one was seriously injured. people in the area who experienced the tornadoes say it was terrifying, but they found ways to protect their families during the brunt of the storm. and due to those tornadoes... the aftermath is miles of damage.. yeah... you can see here that trees are uprooted, homes and buildings are ripped apart, and power lines are strewn across the street. officials have now issued a tornado watch for 14 counties. they're asking people to take shelter immediately if they see any

to 33 come... it's a cinema on the go... where you can catch a screening before you catch your flight... stay with

gervais.stylized white and black "u" they had before. uber co-founder and c-e-o, travis kalanick, personally worked on the re- branding. he says the logo is an attempt to bring out the human side of uber... highlighting it as a transportation network. a company spokeswoman says the new logo will be used worldwide... with a different color scheme in each of the 68 countries the company operates. united airlines is going back to an old policy... parents with kids age two or younger are allowed to pre-board united airlines flights again. this starts back up february 15th. the airline service says they dropped the policy in 20-12 to simplify the boarding process... but now, a spokesman says they're going

it is "simply the right thing to do" and here's something else your little ones can look forward to next time they catch a flight. if they're traveling through oregon's portland internationalal airport... they'll soon be treated to a cinema. a portland theater is teaming up with the airport to create a vintage-style movie house for passengers on the go. they will mainly screen short films produced by local film makers. the airport cinema is expected to open this summer. the dangers are widely known when it comes to drinking during pregnancy. yet, three million american women remain at risk today. the nation's top health officials are now looking into this problem.

doctor timothy johnson. 33 bill cosby and his lawyers are expected back in court today... they're

a criminal proceeding against the comedian. a former district attorney who declined to arrest cosby on sex-crime charges last year... is now testifying that he essentially granted cosby lifetime immunity from prosecution in regards to the case. the newly elected district attorney insists there is no record of any such promise. and lady gaga is heading to santa, clara california this weekend. the n-f-l confirms gaga is singing the star- spangled banner at sunday's big super bowl 50 game... where the carolina panthers are taking on the denver broncos. it's a busy month for lady gaga... she also plans to perform a special tribute to david bowie during the grammys on february 15th. she's also set to sing at the oscars at the end of the month. still to come... we're cruising halfway into the work week... and it's coming along with a yummy addition... next in your day in history. stay with us.

gervais. today is... take a cruise

day... and national 33 carrot cake day.33 that's all the time that we have for the first hour of good morning columbia. but we're coming right back. so be sure to stay with us. we're live from main and

test, check test captioning provided caption associates, llc captionassociates.com good morning, columbia, today is wednesday, february 3rd. with the iowa caucus fresh on their minds, the presidential candidates are busy vying for votes in new hampshire. what we can expect from the democrats' closing arguments in tonight's town hall. plus, turning pain into progression, how a community is coming together to mourn the loss of a teen. and to make sure no one else becomes a victim of domestic violence. also, honoring the emanuel nine, the message survivors of the charleston church shooting are hoping to spread

good morning columbia starts right now.33 morning columbia. thanks for joining us. i'm eric weisfeld. >> eric: good morning, columbia, this is our hour of power. i'm eric weisfeld. >> jonathan: i'm meteorologist jonathan kennedy, live from main and gervais. time is 6:00 a.m. >> eric: mixed bag today, warmer temperatures as you step outside. a good chance for rain later on during the day. >> jonathan: that's right. very nice right now. if you are getting out, take the dog for a walk, heading out to exercise, right now would be a great time to do it, because it is going to be warm later. also looking for a good chance of rain, strong thunderstorms. not only just plain old rain, obviously we can deal with that. strong thunderstorms will certainly make it a little treacherous to be out and about later today. right now current conditions, just about perfect for you. by february standards, hard to beat. 63, little cloudy for us right now. a breeze out of the south and east 10 to 15 miles per hour.

would see spring-like afternoon, much less february 3rd, early in the morning. now, rain staying back to the north and west of us. i told you this system earlier here, this little rain system, kind of coming across the savannah river, that's going to clip us to the north and west. that's exactly what it's doing at the moment. with winds out of the south and east, that's going to keep a good deal of this rain at bay for the time being. now, likely see a good chance of rain later this morning into this afternoon, and this afternoon, in particular, that's when we are looking for strong storms to move through. not only warmer and more humid, also when the cold front will move through. we have the pieces coming together to bring us at the very least some very heavy rain and likely some gusty winds. right now, winds as i mentioned, around 10 miles per hour out of the south and east, and that's goioi to feed more atlantic moisture into the system, nice fine line of storms moving through parts of tennessee, paralleling the other side of the mountains at the moment, getting ready to atlanta going to see strong

good news for those areas there, they are going to see it early in the morning. now, there's still a changes for severe weather, even early -- chance for severe weather, but the likelihood is lower because it will be one of the cooler times. day, not a whole lot of action going here locally, but we are expecting that line to come our way, and bring us some very heavy rain. if we zoom out you can see the scope of the system, all the snow and everything we were seeing from this same low pressure system well up in the great lakes, all rain pretty much south of there. so new york state down to new orleans seeing effects of rain from the system. fine line of storms comes our way this afternoon. we will watch that this afternoon. 4:00, 5:00, 6:00, could be primetime, could be sketchy for us with that strong line of storms moving through. severe weather threat, still somewhat undetermined. we'll have to see how it goes, how crosses the mountains. looks like it will hold together pretty well, as i mentioned, heavy downpours of rain, a solid bet the.

conditions as well. damaging winds, very possible. tornadic threats, not incredibly high by any means, but we will certainly be on the lookout. we have seen tornadoes with this line back in alabama, mississippi yesterday. air >> eric: could be dangerous. right now, we are hoping there is no danger on the roadways. >> jonathan: trouble spots you might encounter. south carolina highway patrol assisting a motorist at i-20 and alpine road. >> eric: this is in the westbound lane. that's what we have this morning. we will continue to update you if anything else changes for that morning commute. and abc columbia wants to help you jumpstart your wednesday. a a quick run down of morning headlines. presidential contenders swooped into new hampshire, and the democratic presidential hopefuls, hoping to w over some last-minute support before voters in the granite state head to the polls tuesday. hillary clinton and bernie sanders will make closing arguments in a primetime town hall tonight in new hampshir cnn will broadcast the event from 8:00 until 11:00 toblt -- tonight.

bill clinton will be vying for votes for his wife in the capital city today, holding a rally at allen university. that held in the john hurst gymnatorium, set to start at 6:00 tonight. doors open at 4:00. before the gathering, c cnton wiwi meet with state democrats to discuss the issues facing south carolinians. and saturday, chelsea clinton will be campaigning for her mom in the upstate. while clinton may have won iowa, she could have a harder road ahead of her in new hampshire. according to a cnn/wmur poll, bernie sanders leads cline ton in new hampshire -- clinton 57-34%, and sanders' strong showing in iowa could photograph to be the momentum he needs going into the first in the nation primary. >> if we win here in new hampshire after our great showing in iowa, we are going to do well in nevada and south carolina. air air just a reminder, democratic d. >> eric: the democratic primary is february 27 thr. fresh off his big win in

state. he held a rally with voters in greenville. the republican senator told supporters first thing he would do if elected president is to repeal obamacare. up next, cruz will be busy leading up to tuesday's vote. and with the primary, only weeks away now, a prominent south carolina superer delegate said he may look outside the democratic party now that his candidate, martin o'malley, has dropped out of the presidential race. o'malley garnered less than 1% in iowa. boyd brown telling the associated press he can't back bernie sanders because of his socialist-leaning views, and says he can't support hillary clinton because of what he calls her lack of core values. florida senator marco rubio gaining support here in south carolina. senator tim scott is endorsing rubio for the republican nomination for president. in a statement, senator scott said, quote, we have one shot in 2016 to beat hillary clinton, and that shot is marco rubio.

we win. >> the presidential hopefuls gaining groud -- ground in south carolina, mainly focusing on their ground game. that's the advice gop leaders in the state are offering to the presidential hopefuls. party officials say it may be the key to appealing to traditional voters in south carolina. >> there's not a one-size-fits-all approach to evangelicals in south carolina. i think the candidate who appeals to the widest array of constituencies in the party will be successful. and it would seem donald trump is taking his advice to heart, gop leaders say trump has drawn in some of the biggest crowds the party has ever seen. want to shift gears this morning, dozens coming together to remember deandre roach, the 19-year-old found shot to death near blythewood last friday. her ex-boyfriend, 122-year-old shall -- 22-year-old andre murder. richland county sheriff's department is handling the investigation.

she was in an a baugh bu -- a beautiful -- abusive relationship. dozens gathered last night, not just an opportunity to say goodbye, but to turn pain into progress. >> she will forever live with a purpose, and we will make sure of that by talking about her, everywhere that we can to make sure that this doesn't happen to any other young girl. >> the violence policy center ranks south carolina first for women murdered by men. the roaches are raising money for dean doctor's funeral cost -- deanndra's funeral costs. if you would like to help, find the story on our website, abccolumbia.com. following the charleston church shooting, survivors of the tragedy are honoring the emanuel 9 by showing the power of faith. survivors and fanlly members of victims joined family and faculty to discuss the tragic events of june 17th. family members of the victims say they hope to spread their message of love and unity to students at benedict college

>> we can't forget what has happened. we have to take what happened and turn that around, and be more positive. think about ways that we can impact the community, you know, spending more time with children, having more opportunities for them to be around people who don'took like them so that they can form those relationships with some of those stereotypes might be diminished. >> mother emanuel was nominated for the nobel peace prize. the friend of accused church shooter dylann roof wants to delay a pretrial hearing. joey meeks saved he wants the february 11th hearing put off until the court's may term until government prosecutors have provided al of their evidence to his defense team. meek also waved -- waived his right to speedy trial. prosecutors say meek lied to investigators and failed to report all he knew about roof's'splan. now, if convicted, meeks faces as many as three years in prs on on the misprison charge and five years for lying to investigats. meek is currently out on bond.

answers coming to light following a helicopter crash out of hawaii. the new discovery as rescue teams work to salvage the wreckage. >> jonathan: a warm and thankfully dry start to your wednesday forecast. after the break, i will show you heavy rain this afternoon. details next, live from main

bu sif >> 6:12 on wednesday morning, waking up with a really nice start. warm air, temperatures in the low 60s for us as you wake up. cloudy skies throughout the

cloudy this morning. that's just about it this morning. move a few counties to west, looking at rain already. i think rain is several hours away for us here in columbia, but once it settles in, it is going to get interesting, especially this afternoon. heavy rain and thunderstorms likely coming our way, highs of 73, so still a warm day, even with the rain, well above normal, about 15 degrees above normal for those highs today. relatively warm tonight, chance of rain, but severe weather threat mainly this afternoon, especially late this afternoon, certainly keep an eye on that line of storms as it comes our way. >> eric: thank. a quick look at the stories making headlines across the country. good morning. search and rescue teams in hawaii are working to salvage what's left of two military helicopters after a deadly crash last montnt the marine corps said trace elements of dna were found from the marines killed in that helicopter crash. and that they have recovered some of the 12 victims remains. among them, 22-year-old sergeant jeffrey sempler of woodruff, south carolina.

each other overnight january 14th. now that combat jobs are open to women, the army and marine corps generals believe all women should have to register for the draft. the military service leaders say they will not lower standards to bring women into the more grueling jobs. it still could take up to three years before the combat posts are fully integrated. it's' a first for the commander in chief, president barack obama about to make his first visit to a u.s. mosque as president. president obama is set to visit the islamic society of baltimore today. while he's visited mosques overseas, this will be his first visit to an american mosque. president obama is expected to hold a roundtable with community leaders and to deliver remarks. a senior administration official said the president will celebrate the contribution of muslim-americans to the nation, and reaffirm the importance of a religious freedom to our way of life. some rabid college football fans consider it like christmas, high school prospects make their decisions final on national signing day. we will know how it all ends up later today.

tells us it is all about basketball in your sports minute to win it. >> the gamecocks, the first big deal basketball team in the country, 20 wins on the season. leading the way at georgia, 18 points for 11 rebounds, this one in the second half. michael correira, a double-double, and there offensive play you will never forget. the gamecocks do not recover, georgia goes on to win it. 69-56 the final score. season. 6-3 in the sec. no longer in the second place in conference play. over in the acc, clemson half. the worst first half of the forest. jordan roper, all 16 of his half. former irmo high standout and the e gers do not look back, they win it, 76-52, the final

ron blossomgame, five straight games with 20 points or more. that's your abc columbia sports minute to win it. hope it gets your wednesday off to a good start. >> eric: thank you. still to come, forget the candies and the chocolates, the columbia animal shelter looking to sprd the love with a different -- spread the love with a different kind of booins day surprise. -- valentine's day surprise. >> jonathan: and temperatures in the upper 60s for us right now. looking at some rain and thunderstorms heading our way. i will let you know what to expect for the rest of the day, coming up next.

gervais. >> eric: welcome back, 6:19. your morning news sponsored by bojangles. if you would like to add a four-legged friend to the home, we have the gal for you. penelope, a 4-year-old white and tan american staff. the shelter said she's walks. they add that penelope, more suitable for a home with older children. to meet penelope or other pets, visit the columbia animal shelter. >> no better time to adopt a pet. you are i in for a deal. >> this is cool. the columbia and lexington animal services holding a special. starts february 12th, runs through the 16th, fees only $14 per pet.

already have a pet, pawmetto lifeline wants you to beat the heat by spaying a cat. they are offering spay surgery deals for $20. this is an effort to reduce homeless pet population. veterinarians say the procedure is safe for kittens as young as 8 to 10 weeks old. try to control the pet population, very important. >> absolutely. stay on top of it. and stay on top of the weather. cloudy here and there, but warm. it's been great. >> beautiful. >> groundhog day yesterday, 75 and sunny. i will take that every day of the week. but today it is going to be warm. 68 downtown, we will see most areas in the low to mid-60s as you head out this morning. temperatures not really the most important factor in the forecast. we do have rain and heavy rain likely this afternoon. thunderstorms coming our way, and especially this afternoon into the evening commute time, 3:00 to 7:00, that's going to be primetime for the front moving through, warmest time

optimum moisture and heat available for storms. so heavy downpours of rain for sure. likely to see some gusty winds as well, and will it be in the severe category? we'll have to see as the system crosses the mountains. that's the telltale thing. mountains. still to be determined. it could get interesting later today. >> because a lot of activity in many parts of the count re. >> absolutely. >> eric: still to come, house. what changes may being coming to usc's education system. we are live from main and gervais. hey, there. in today's "techbytes" -- amazon coming to mall near you. the internet retail giant opened its first brick and mort tar store lt year.

many as 400 stores. no word from amazon itself of such plan. what's app. the app currently has 1 billion active users. >> they share 42 billion messages. 1.6 billion photos. and 250 million videos a day. >> whoo, i'm tired. >> yes. and finally, facebook's android app is being blamed for eating up more than your time. >> some of us thought this was the case. tests show uninstalling the app saves up to 20% of your patterry's life. doeng so improves your hand set's performance. good tip. >> good tip indeed. all right. those are your "techbytes." i have asthma... ...one of many pieces in my life. so when my asthma symptoms kept coming back on my long-term control medicine, i talked to my doctor and found a missing piece in my asthma treatment.

breo is for adults with asthma not well controlled on a long-term asthma control medicine, like an inhaled corticosteroid. breo won't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden breathing problems. breo opens up airways to help improve breathing for a full 24 hours. breo contains a type of medicine that increases the risk of death from asthma problems and may increase the risk of hospitalization in children and adolescents. breo is not for people whose asthma is well controlled on a long-term asthma control medicine, like an inhaled corticosteroid. once your asthma is well controlled, your doctor will decide if you can stop breo and prescribe a different asthma control medicine, like an inhaled corticosteroid. do not take breo more than prescribed. see your doctor if your asthma does not improve or gets worse. ask your doctor if 24-hour breo could be a missing piece for you. see if you're eligible for

>> join us again this year for inspiring superbowl stories from the best teams in the nfl. >> jesus christ has changed my life in so many ways. >> god. family. football. and you've got to keep it in that order. >> as long as you love god, you know that he has a plan for you. >> i'm a true believer that god is in control. >> my identity and my value comes from just receiving the love of god.

thursday33 it's going to be a busy day across the street from us >> eric: good morning, columbia, it is going to be a busy day across the street from us at the state house, it's carolina day, and supporters of the eight university of south carolina campuses are joining with legislators to advocate for higher education. at the meeting, organizers will voice how the campus has improved the health and prosperity of communities, and add to the quality of life through a myriad of cultural, educational and athletic offerings. midlands technical college is also advocating for education. they are holding a resource

for veterans and active duty service members today at its northeast campus. attendees are getting the opportunity to learn about mtc's academic programs, va-approved training courses and veteran-specific kol scholarships. the veteran resource fair starts at 6:00 and runs to 8:00 tonight. midlands tech enrolls more than 1,000 veterans each fall and has approximately 100,000 in scholarship funds available for veterans and active-duty service members. speaking of school system, south carolina department of education is releasing a pretty startling statistic. they say one in five students struggle with learning and attention issues. an organization called understood hosted the understanding one in five forum yesterday to discuss the problem. learning and attention issues including adhd and dyslexia, which can cause trouble with reading, writing, math, social skills, or a combination of those. >> being understood, that's

every child wants to be understood. and come together to work on this for children who have special learning needs is so important. >> eric: superintendent molly sherman also addressing the municipal association of south carolina's hometown legislative action day luncheon, that's today at the marriott columbia, starts at 12:15 this afternoon. she's discussing her vision for public education, and how cities can work with the department of education to work to make this vision a reality. there is a new facility coming to the university of south carolina in the upstate. they plan to open a new location in downtown greenville. a university spokesperson said the facility will be located not far from the peace center. usc upstate's main campus is in spartanburg. still to come this morning, the race to the white house continues. how presidential candidates are vying for new hampshire's vote before the first in the nation's primary. stay with us.

good morning. >> eric: good morning, we have one-half hour left of your morning news. i'm eric weisfeld. >> jonathan: i'm meteorologist jonathan kennedy.

a nicee warm start. >> eric: it is nice. could be wet later today. >> jonathan: definitely, a big change in the forecast today. warm all week. that's not anything new. we haven't been this warm, temperatures already in the the mid- to upper 60s. these are current conditions. columbia. no need for a jacket, nothing to do with cold air, you may today. i would certainly have an umbrella or jacket handy, especially this afternoon. it will get wet for us. heavy rain. other things could be on the way as well, but heavy rain is a solid bet as we move throughout wednesday forecast. nobody really in the 50s at all. manning technically at 59, but closer to home, 63 to 65, upwards of 68 for us here. downtown. satellite-radar, mostly quiet, we are watching a few showers back to our west. i mentioned earlier, those likely to clip us to the north and west, that's a exactly what they are doing. a few showers continue over

lake murray for a lot of these showers. not worried about anything downtown per se, as you get to the morning commute, likely to see action certainly little pick up later this afternoon. winds out of the south and east, 16 miles per hour for the winds. it is almost 70 degrees. winds up 10 to 15 miles per hour. very much an afternoon-like setup for us already t ts morning. and that doesn't necessarilyly bode well for this afternoon, as we are looking for the potential for severe weather. warm and moist air coming from the atlantic ocean, breezy conditions, look for the turning of the winds as the front moves in. certainly something to watch as we move throughout the day today. line of storms from knoxville down towards atlanta, that's going to move to the east today, and cross the mountains. now, how well does it cross the mountains. that's the key for any forecast or any cold front that comes our way. likely to see that chance of rain continue throughout the morning, but we will see this cold front move our way, and it looks strong enough to make its way across the mountains. the parent low pressure system is in the great lakes, still

for us, obviously nothing but -- for -- areas there. we will look for a very warm forecast, highs in the low 70s, and as this front moves through, things could get tricky. we've already seen tornadoes with this line of storms, we are seeing severe weather warnings this morning, and it is only going to get warmer and more humid for us locally. something to watch, kind of early to mid to late afternoon, between 2:00 and 6:00. that line of storms expected to move through the columbia area. keep too -- an eye on that as that system moves through, watch if anything does update with that system, i'm worchestershire it will. as of right now -- isure it will. but certainly heavy rain on the way. 73, high today. 61 tomorrow. we continue to cool i i down, but thankfully we will bring back the sunshine for upcoming weekend. should be nice and dry by the time we get to friday. >> eric: doesn't look like a super bowl forecast. eric >> jonathan: not super, but we have been basking in the 70s the last couple days. it comes around.

a quick check of traffic now, as you head out and about. >> jonathan: trouble spots, south carolina highway patrol assisting motorist, i-20 and be alpine road. eric in the westbound lanes. we will continue to update you if anything changes for your morning commute. abc columbia wants to um j start your wednesday. with a quick run down of headlines. presidential contenders swooped into new hampshire. hoping to win over last-minute support before voters in the granite state head to the polls tuesday. hillary clinton and bernie sanders will make closing arguments in a primetime town hall tonight in new hampshire. cnn will broadcast the event from 8:00 until 11:00 tonight. former president bill clinton will be busy vying for votes for his wife here in the capital city today, he will be holding a rally at allen university. the event held in the john hurst gymnatorium set to start at 6:00 tonight. doors open at 4:00. and before the gathering, clinton will meet with state democrats to discuss the issues facing south carolinians. saturday chelsea clinton will

theupstate. and while clinton may have won iowa, she could have a harder road ahead of her in new hampshire. according to a cnn/wmur poll, bernie sanders leads clinton in new hampshire 57-34%, and sanders' strong showing in iowa could prove to be the momentum he needs going no the first in the nation -- in into the first in the nation primary. >> if we win here in new hampshire, after our great showing in iowa, we are going to do well in nevada and south carolina. >> just a reminder the democratic primary is february 27th, republican primary is the week before, february 20th. fresh off his big win in iowa, senator ted cruz is spending some time in the palmetto state. he held a rally with voters in greenville. the republican senator told supporters the first thing he would do if elected president is repeal obamacare. up next, cruz will be busy campaigning in new hampshire, leading up to thattate's vote. with the primary only weeks away arcs prominent south carolina super delegate say he

democratic party now that his candidate, martin o'malley, has dropped out of the presidential race. o'malley garnered less than 1% in iowa. boyd brown telling the associatd press he can't back bernie sanders, because of his socialist-leaning views. he said he can't support hill because of what he calls her -- hillary clinton because of her lack of what he calls core values. senator tim scott endorsing rubio for the republican nomination for president. in a statement, senator scott said, quote, we have one shot in 2016 to beat hillary clinton, and that shot is marco rubio, and with him as our candidate, we win. out of the statehouse, the south carolina house has passed a bill that would have candidates for governor pick their running mates after they are nominated by their party. the bill is needed after voters passed the constitutional amendment to have governors and lieutenant governors run on the same ticket starting in 2018. and after trying to speed a road bill to the senate floor,

brakes on a plan to get more money to south carolina's highways. senate president pro tem hugh leatherman told the finance committee he wants to bring in the department of transportation, and the state's infrastructure bank to tell the panel what stepsps should be taken next. the leaders of 37 public agencies and colleges in the state are getting combined raises of $215,000. the agency heads salary commission voted to boost the director's pay, either 2% or 5% depending on whether their evaluations showed they met or exceeded expectations. sumter police searching for a man wanted in connection with a shooting, it happened in the parking lot of fredrick's citgo. police say 22-year-old trey moore is wanted for attempted murder. a couple reports they were approached in their vehicle and robbed by the suspect. police say the male victim was shot before the suspect fled in the victim's car. which was later found wrecked on walker street. the man was taken to the hospital, treated for

and anyone with information on moore's whereabouts, asked to call crimestoppers, 1-888-crime sc. as a reminder for the richland county sheriff's department, don't leave your car running unattended. it could get stolen. seems simple, right? officials say since january 15th, more than a dozen cars have been stole be. sheriff lott said these type of car thefts typically take place during the winter when people warm up their cars getting ready for work. we have a boil water advisory to pass along this morning. residents living in the 700 block of kingsbridge road, 700 block of tara trial and all of tara lane, you need to boim your water for at least a full minute before using it to drink or cook. city of columbia water works says a six-inch water main break is to blame there. still to come this morning, warmer days have us wishing for spring here in the midlands, but in other parts of the nation, still a winter wonderland. >> jonathan: far from winter-like for us this morning.

as you head out. now, it is dry right now, heavy rain later today.

and gervais. >> join us again this year for inspiring superbowl stories from the best

>> jes christ has changed my life in so many ways. >> god. family. football. and you've got to keep it in that order. >> as long as you love god, you know that he has a plan for you. >> i'm a true believer that god is in control. >> my identity and my value comes from just

thursday >> jonathan: good wednesday morning. a nice dry start for us today. it is plenty warm, temperatures in the mid- to upper 60s right now. that's right, in the 60s. we are already almost 10 degrees above normal for our normal high this time of year, now, it is not going to be all fun today, with the warm air. we are looking at thunderstorms to come our way. right now, not much to speak of. most live dry conditions and mostly cloudy skies, but some rain and some pretty nasty thunderstorms are possible this afternoon. we will keep an eye on those as they cross the mountains. that's the telltale thing, how do they cross the mountains, do they hold up or does the line fall apart.

have an umbrella later today. >> eric: yesterday we were talking about groundhog day, punxsutawney phil. phil's predictions o o spring-like weather, pretty accurate in the midlands. for some california residents, a different story. >> jonathan: record level snowpack blanketing california sierra mountains. the state department of water resources says the sierra snow pack is more than double what it usually is this time of year, great news. the already about 72% of april 1st average. good news is, california water managers say the numbers are encouraging for the state that's been drought-stricken, residents still urged to continue water conservation efforts there. they are excited because they could actually water their lawn. and good for the long-term health of their water, the more snow they have, that charges up the springs and gets water down the line. good for water for everybody

>> something we don't worry about here. >> eric: still to come, super bowl 50, worried about that, days away, but we are already getting a sneak peek into the famous ads. stay with us.

gervais. >> eric: the most hated man in america, martin shrkeli, hiring a well known lawyer.

hiking the price of a drug used by cancer and hurricane ivan patients. he is remaining -- retaining benjamin brafman. shrkeli ran the pharmaceutical company retrophin like a ponzi scheme while he was ceo. they believe he bilked the company out of millions of dollars. super bowl just days away, we are already getting a peek into the famous super bowl ads. bud light releasing a short teaser that shows comic actors amy schumer and seth rogan as candidates of the bud light party. bud light's owner anheuser-busch, airing three and a half minutes during the big game. bud light the official beer of the nfl. scientists have mapped genome of bed bugs in new york city. they tracedd fragments of the pest' dna through the subway system and made surprising genetic diversity among bed begs. west side bed bugs are quite different from the east side. by looking at the bloodsuckers, scientists hope

develop better insecticides and blood thinners. from one bloodsucker to another, a new discovery concerning the zika virus. a patient in texas has acquired the virus through sexual transmission. and before this case in texas, a researcher who was infected with the zika virus in senegal in 2008 returned home to colorado and is believed to have infected his wife through sexual transmission. this information is according to a paper in the centers for disease control emerging infectious diseases journal. federal health officials are expected to issue guidance in the coming days on prevention of sexual transmission of that virus. the virus has health officials on alert in our country. the world health organization is predicting 3 million infections worldwide in the coming year. doctors with lexington medical center say the worst impact is on unborn babies, who come into contact with that virus. >> it has been linked to causing a small brain during pregnancy, and some actual

spots inside the brain in a couple babies. >> eric: symptoms of the virus are less severe in adults, typically a rash, fever and joint pain. hollywood's looking into the world of rock and roll, and it's coming with a series of jammin' records on display. abc's jason naython son has that -- nathanson and that and more in show biz rap. >> oscar controversy at the aol makers conference. berry said when she became the first black woman to win best actress at the oscars, she thought a barrier had been broken. >> and to sit here almost 15 years later and knowing that another woman of color has not walked through that door is heartbreaking. >> she said the films coming out of hollywood aren't truthful. >> and the reason they are not truthful these days is because they are not really depicting the importance and the involvement and the participation of people of color in our american culture.

for her role in the film "monster's ball." lady ga getting in on the super bowl action. she will sin the national anthem sunday. she joins a list of superstars given the honor, including whitney houston, cher and garth brooks. idina menzel did it last year. that's not all for gaga, she will be paying tribute to david bowie a little over a week after the super bowl singing a med live of his songs. and -- medley of his songs. memorabilia from madonna, lady gaga to celebrate the 45th anniversary of the hard rock cafe. >> covering about 50 years of rock and roll history, at least 22 pieces, from the mid-60s all the way through lady gaga, shakira and katy perry, . >> zanini is the hard work memorabilia expert. the hard rock opened in london in 1971. that's what's happening in

jason nathanson, los angeles. greenville zoo welcoming a babe giraffe this morning. you can give that adorable baby a name. stay with us.

gervais.

morning, waking up with a very warm start. >> jonathan: temperatures in the mid- to upper 60s, it is dry for now. obviously look at all the action just back to our west, now, a few showers coming a little close to home, but i don't expect to see too much from that, maybe a few isolated pockets of rain here and there this morning, but really awaiting that cold front to come our way later this morning into this afternoon. i think the main event will be coming our way around 2:00, if not a little bit later than that, based on the latest projections. could be sear sooner if it cost -- crosses the mountains easier, but mainly this afternoon for the chance for strong thunderstorms to come our way. >> eric: an adorable new addition making its home at the greenville zoo. zee coopers say -- zookeepers say autumn the giraffe gave birth yesterday morning to her third calf. they say there were no complications during the conception, there will be a physical exam to determine the sex, height and weight. zoo officials are offering a chance to name the new baby giraffe. for those who would like to make a donation, the name will

>> cool is that? still to come, we are cruising halfway into the workweek, pretty cool as well. and it is coming along with a yummy edition. had breakfast yet?

gervais. >> eric: welcome back. it is just about 7:00. on wednesday. >> feels quite nice outside. temperatures in the mid- to upper 60s already this

so very warm, if you got to be outside, exercise, walking the dog,g,hatever you may be doing, get it done as early as possible. wait a couple hours, the rain will come our way. temperatures in the 70s. that will be nice today, but storms come our way this afternoon. chances for rain tomorrow, little cooler for us. back to sunshine for weekend. >> eric: now we are looking at what happened in the day in history. clinton ends trade embargo of vietnam, that's in 1994. new england patriots win the first super bowl in 2002, and gonzalez becomes the first hispanic u.s. attorney general, that was back in 2005. >> yes. today is take a cruise day. that sounds good to me. national signing day for football fans, and college football fans, and national carrot cake day. >> you can't have. you probably could have the carrot cake. >> i risk it with carrot cake. i am allergic to raw carrots, if you missed the first hour. raw carrots give me a bad reaction. my throat as well as up or whatever. -- swells up.

an exception for.