america this morning. we want to give you a quick traffic update as you head out and about this morning. and good news at the top of the hour... there are no trouble spots in or around the capital city. but as always... we are continuing to keep our eyes on the road and we will update you if anything pops up for your morning commute.. a-b-c columbia wants to help art your day. we have a quick rundown of your top morning headlines. it's a match-up in milwaukee. on the heels on the new hampshire primary... democratic presidential hopefuls hillary clinton and bernie sanders will be taking part in a debate tonight at nine. it will air on p-b-s as well as c-n-n. it will be the last debate between the candidates before the firir-in-the south primary... right here in south carolina. each of the democratic candidates have announced major south carolina endorsements. richland county representative todd rutherford is endorsing hillary clinton for president. rutherford says clinton's poor showing in new hampshire will not repeat itself here in the palmetto state. not

is picking up an endorsement of his own. williamsburg representative cezar mcknight is throwing his support behind the vermont senator mcknight says he thinks sanders' message will catch on quickly with south carolina voters. according to the most recent c-n-n o-r-c poll, hillary clinton is leading bernie sanders in south carolina with 64 percent support among likely democratic voters. still... sanders is hoping he can carry the momentum from his new hampshire's win... here into south carolina. with the granite state primary in the rear view mirror... many candidates now have their sights set on south carolina. while voters' concerns may vary.... party representatives on both sides of the aisle say

solution to state problems. 33 it's topics such as those that will be heavy on the minds of candidates as they are vying for votes here in the palmetto state. donald trump is busy shoring up support in the upstate... a place his campaign says is considered to be a conservative stronghold... and a crucial region in the upcoming primary. meanwhile... florida senator marco rubio is trying to sway south carolina voters after finishing fifth in new hampshire. rubio held a rally in columbia yesterday... telling supporters he's fit to be the next commander in chief because of his experience in national security and foreign policy. 33 rubio will now move onto the south carolina coast. and he won't be alone. following his second place finish in new hampshire... john kasich will also be campaigning along the coast. meanwhile ben carson and ted cruz will each be busy

upstate. and jeb bush will be right here in columbia. he'll be holding a rally at senate's end... tonight at 6:30. there are two fewer candidates in the race for the g-o-p nomination. carly fiorina and chris christie announced they are suspending their campaigns. fiornia and christie finished sixth and seventh in the new hampshire primary. a reminder about the primary dates. the g-o-p primary will take place next saturday, february 20th. the democratic primary will take place the following week... on saturday februarar27th. and stay with abc columbia news for complete coverage online and on air.... of vote 20-16. class is back in session. after an early morning evacuation yesterday at airport high school.... classes will resume as normal th morning. lexington district two officials say a fire started early yesterday morning... in an air conditioning unit on the roof of the school's vocational wing. no injuries were

in custody accused of trafficking heroine. kershaw county sheriff jim matthews says last week deputies arrested ronald boone with two ounces of heroine, pot, and pills. matthews says heroine abuse has been on the rise across the country and his deputies are determined to not let it get out of control in kershaw county. columbia police's organized crime and narcotics unit has uncovered thousands of dollars worth of marijuana... inside a homemade grow house. justin helps has been charged with manufacturing marijuana... after officers say they found 45-marijuana plants inside a home in the 14-hundred block of carolina drive. officers say the plants have an estimated street value of more than 164-thousand dollars. plants... officers also discovered rooms set up with equipment used to grow the plants indoors. citizens with any information about narcotics activity are encouraged to call crimestoppers. that number... one-triple-eight-

brutally cold morning... so you're going to want to bundle up before you head out the door. yeah... no famously hot temperatures in our forecast... for more on what you can expect for the remainder of the day... lets turn things over to meteorologist jonathan kennedy. still to 33 come... more than a month later... the oregon wildlife refuge standoff could be coming to an end. what we

plans to surrender. 33 here's a quick look at stories that are making headlines across the country. flags in maryland will be at half-staff today. 's to honor two deputies shot and killed by a gunman. one of the deputies was shot in the head in a crowded restaurant. the second was mortally wounded during a shootout. the 67-year-old gunman... was killed in an exchange of fire. police haven't released a motive... but investigators believe the first deputy who approached the gunman was shot because he was wearing a uniform. the more than month- long standoff at an oregon wildlife refuge... may be soon coming to and end. the final four activists inside the malheur national wildlife refuge say they will leave their weapons behind and

morning. protesters say they took over the refuge to decry what they called government overreach of federal land. the senate has voted unanimously for legislation aimed at keeping north korea from advancing its nuclear ambitions. the sanctions bill was approved 96-to-zero... after lawmakers denounced pyongyang for flouting international law by pursing nuclear weapons. it's shaping up to be a big week for gamecock basketball. and eric has some news from the court... that fans will be happy to hear. gamecock basketball fans wake up in un-familiar february territory this morning...first place in the s-e-c. tim hill has

minute to win it. 33 still to come... it's a task usually set aside for smoky the bear. how officials are hoping to

midlands. s "yellow jasmine awards" ... the awards celebrates organizations and individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to our regions economic development. the columbia police department... forest acres police department... richland county sheriff's department... and south carolina national guard... will all receive the "community impact awards." that's taking place at the columbia marriott at 11 this morning. and united way of midlands is also honoring individuals for their contribution to the community today. theyeyre presenting the "live united awards" to recognize hundreds of organizations and individuals who have contributed to united way's 20-15 campaign. the awards are also recognizing employee participation and volunteerism with the company. this is taking place at agape conference center. the event is free and open to the public... starting at 4:30 this afternoon and running until

33 checking out what will be headlines later today. here's eric with your "look ahead." the city of columbia is now accepting applications to fill a vacancy on the central midlands region transportation authority... or "the comet". the city is seeking individuals who use or have used the transportatio

of this board is to promote transportation opportunities for all citizens within the service area. you better hurry to participate though...the deadline for applications is today" at five. and the south carolina forestry commission is conducting prescribed burn's today. the controlled burns are being hehe for timber improvement and wildfire reduction. todays burnings are taking place at harbison state forest and on the peachtree rock preserve in lexington. both are beginning around 11 this morning. approximately 500-thousand acres are prescribed-burned every year in south carolina by land managers who understand the appropriate weather conditions, fuel loads and atmospheric conditions for conducting such burns. 33 still to come... south carolinians, still picking up

historic flooding . how one group of individuals may

next. 33 it's good 33 news on the financial front for south carolina state university. bill to forgive a 12 million dollar loan given to the school back in 2014 is making its way

house higher education subcommittee approved the measure which now heads to a full house committee. and changes may be in store for a lowcountry military college. state senator marlon kimpson is making a new push to remove the confederate flag from summerall chapel at the citadel. the call for the flag's removal was renewed late last year when photos of cadets wearing white pillowcases on their heads surfaced...an image many likened to k-k-k hoods. the flag is currently protected by the state's heritage act... a law that gives sole power of removing artifacts around the state to state lawmakers. but kimpson's bill would grant that authority to board directors at any public university. south carolina farmers looking to stay afloat following october's historic flooding may soon be getting the help they need. the house ways and means committee approved legislation allowing farmers in disaster-declared counties to apply for grants of up to

last october's torrential rains wiped out 330 million dollars worth of crops at harvest time. and agriculture officials estimate farmers lost an additional 45 million dollars because they couldn't get in the fields to plant winter crops.33 still to come... a final match up before the first-in-the south primary.

tonight's democratic debate. temperatures in our forecast... for more on what you can expect for the remainder of the day... lets turn things

kennedy. we want to 33 give you a quick traffic update as you head out and about this morning. and good news at the top of the hour... there are no trouble spots in or around the capital city. but as always... we are continuing to keep our eyes on the road and we will update you if anything pops up 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. it's a match-up in milwaukee. on the heels on the new hampshire primary... democratic presidential hopefuls hillary clinton and bernie sanders will be taking part in a debate tonight at nine. it will air on p-b-s as well as c-n-n. it will be the last debate between the candidates before the first-in-the south primary... right here in south carolina. each of the democratic candidates have announced major south carolina endorsements. richland county representative todd rutherford is endorsing

rutherford says clinton's poor showing in new hampshire will not repeat itself here in the palmetto state. not to be outdone, bernie sanders is picking up an endorsement of his own. williamsburg representative cezar mcknight is throwing his support behind the vermont senator mcknight says he thinks sanders' message will catch on quickly with south carolina voters. according to the most recent c-n-n o-r-c poll, hillary clinton is leading bernie sanders in south carolina with 64 percent support among likely democratic voters. still... sanders is hoping he can carry the momentum from his new hampshire's win... here into south carolina. with the granite state primary in the rear view mirror... many candidates now have their sights set on south carolina. while voters' concerns may vary.... party representatives on both sides of the aisle say voters are listening for

another 33 concern for south carolina voters... social security. a-a-r-p will be releasing findings of a new survey of likely south carolina voters on their views on socials security and their presidential candidate preferences. that's taking place at 10 this morning... right across the street from us at the state house. it's all a part of a-a-r-p's "take a stand campaign," to urge candidates to share their plan and position to update social security. it's these types of topics that will be heavy on the minds of candidates as they make their way here to vye for votes here in the palmetto state. already donald trump is already busy shoring up support in the upstate. that's right. and after his stop here in the capital city... marco rubio is now moving onto the south carolina coast. and he won't be alone. following his second place finish in new hampshire... john kasich will also be campaigning along the coast. meanwhile ben

be busy reaching out voters in the upstate. and jeb bush will be right here in columbia. he'll be holding a rally at senate's end tonight at 6:30. a reminder about the primary dates. the g-o-p primary will take place next saturday, february 20th. the democratic primary will take place the following week... on saturday february 27th. and stay with abc columbia news for complete coverage online and on air.... of vote 20-16. the richland penny project is looking to spruce up the gills creek area. that's right. boardwalks, picnic areas and wilderness trials are just a few of the proposed features for the greenway along gills creek. and now you have a chance to voice your opinion about the project. the richland penny program will be holding an open house today. residents can stop by brennen elementary school tonight... from 6:30-until eight... to learn more about the greenway. changes could also be in store... along a stretch of road lined with empty buildings, overgrown lots and

main street is getting a make-over. at last night's open house... the city talked to residents about the improvements coming to north main street... over the next three years. officials say the investment is worth the business the facelift will attract. 33 officials say they plan to nail down a contractor in early june... and construction should start this fall. still to come... happy still to 33 still to come... happy to be off the high seas. how a cruise line is trying to make up for a nightmare at sea. mostly clear and cold to kick off your thursday forecast. expect a sunny and slightly

live from main and gervais. good morning topping "america's money" -- some caution from the fed. >> federal reserve chair janet yellen telling congress that interest rate increases may be delayed. >> that's because of the turmoil on the global markets. during v gold is up nearly 15%. and more automakers are recalling vehicles with those

recalling 1.7 million vehicles with the takata air bags that can rupture and send sha ral nell to passengers in the car. burger king is adding hot dogs to its menu. >> it will go nationwide on the 23rd of this month. a classic hot dog will cost you $1.99. >> bold idea by burger king. and this's am and. >> have a great day. we stop arthritis pain, so you don't have to stop. because you believe in go. onward. today's the day. carpe diem. tylenol 8hr arthritis pain has two layers of pain relief. the first is fast.

we give you your day back. what you do with it is up to you. tylenol . adventures from $599, plus up to $300 to spend at sea. come seek the royal caribbean. book now, offer ends soon. valentine's day is sunday!... so get to kohl's super saturday... and save on early birds 'till 1pm... like 70% off fine jewelry. save on dress shirts for him... or sleepwear and loungewear for her. plus - take an extra 15% off! get kohl's cash too!

33 a cruise ship and the

are back home after their battle with a monster storm. yeah... royal caribbean's "anthem of the seas" was on its way from new york to florida for a seven-day voyage. the ship ran into some difficulties, though, when they rode through 120- mile-per-hour winds... battering the cruise ship and injuring four passengers. the ship arrived in new jersey just before nine last night. royal caribbean is saying passengers will receive a refund for their trouble plus a voucher for 50-percent of what they spend to be used toward a future cruise fare senator bill nelson of florida is now calling for a national transportation safety board investigation.33 we're now going to turn our attention to your health. rochelle dean has a look at what is making headlines in

there is an 33 increase in weight loss clinics being a part of obesity treatment. but now a new study is taking a closer look at these clinics... and what they found may come as a surprise.

doctor timothy johnson. 33 still to come... we're taking a look prices at the pump... and how much they're affefeing your savings year round.mostly clear and cold to kick off your thursday forecast.expect a sunny and slightly warmer day today.

and gervais. 33 the average u-s household is expected to pocket 3-hundred-20 dollars in vings this year thanks to plunging gas prices. according to the energy information administration ....the average price of gas for the full year is forecast to be a dollar- 98 cents a gallon. that's the lowest full-year average since 20-09. triple-a says the current average price of gas is a dollar- 72 cents a gallon. the national average is expected to peak at two-dollars and eight-cents during the summer driving season, from june through august, then fall again. you might want to start calling it the hot dog king. that's because burger king's newest menu item takes a bit of a left turn. the fast food franchise will start serving hot dogs later this month. one executive called it the biggest launch since the 1970's, when the company introduced its first

burger king will serve two versions: a classic grilled dog and a chili-cheese dog. the franchise started experimenting with hot dogs inin five cities last year. now, they have decided to take the menu item nationwide. and youtube is putting streaming services like netflix and hulu to the test... youtube released three made-for-"youtube" movies yesterday. they're also launching a new series. the original content is a part of youtube's "red" subscription service. it costs about 10-bucks a month to do away with the ads and get access to youtube originals and the company's music service looks like j-k rowling isn't moving on from her beloved harry potter series just yet... rochelle what can you tell us? if you thought "harry potter" was over and done with, think again. an eighth installment of the harry potter series is coming out this summer. it's not a traditional harry potter book though. it's a hardback version of the script book for the two-part play, "harry potter and the cursed child" the play opens on july 30th in london. j-k

website that the script will be released as a book the following day... on harry potter's birthday. this will be rowling's first harry potter publication in eight years. oprah winfrey is making a huge investment... oprah has paid almost 30 million dollars for a sprawling equestrian estate on the california coast. the 23-acre farm comes complete with covered stalls, spacious pens, paddocks, riding and exercise areas. however, it doesn't appear to come with any actual horses. this is the latest property purchase for winfrey who reportedly bought a 14 million dollar ski chalet i icolorado late last year. and t-g-i-t is back... the night 33 starts at eight with the start

anatomy"... "scandal" comes after that at nine... and the night continues at 10 for you "how to get away with murder" fans. shonda rhimes is hosting the evening's three dramas right here on a-b-c columbia. the night will also include interviews with each of the series' stars... ellen pompeo, kerry washington and viola davis. still to come... valentines may only be a few days away... but we're giving singles a chance to celebrate... next in your day in history.mostly clear and cold to kick off your thursday forecast.expect a sunny and slightly warmer day today.

and gervais. 33 let's check out the day in history. -nelson mandela released from prison in 1990 -underdog buster douglas knocks out mike tyson in 1990 -pop superstar whitney houston dies at age 48 in 2012 33 today is... make a friend day... national satisfied

have for the first hour of good morning columbia. but we're coming right back.

we're live from main and good morning, columbia. today is thursday, february 11.

camping out here in south carolina. where you can find the candidates vying for your vote leading up to the first-in-the nation primary. plus devastating crop loss following october's historic flooding. the legislation moving through the house hoping to keep farmers afloat. and it's a facelift for a stretch of roads lined with empty buildings, overgrown lots and crumbling curbs. more on the improvements coming to an entrance of the capital city. "good morning, columbia" starts captptning provided by caption associates, llc www.captionassociates.com. >> eric: and we're glad you are starting your thursday with us. i'm eric weisfeld. dean. we're live from main and gervais. the time's now 6:00. >> eric: it's another cold better news. >> rochelle: no doubt about it, still cold outside but if you

light at the end of the tunnel. we'll turn things over to meteorologist jonathan kennedy for what to expect for the rest of day. >> jonathan: looking for a silver lining in everything, it's still cold outside. >> rochelle: i want to have something positive, it's the end of the week. >> jonathan: let's check out the current conditions, temperatures in the mid to upper 20s, right at 30 downtown and lexington. temperatures below freezing and believe average. expect a cool start today. satellite and radar nice and quiet for us, that's been the trend, did see cloud cover during the early to mid-afternoon but we cleared back up as we moved into last night. wind light and variable, that is good news, finally lighter winds, we did see a dry little cold front move through and that will allow us to see much less wind today.

the last couple days. wind gusts 40 miles a hour, got up to 37 at the airport, around 35 downtown, so a lot of wind across the area and that has en bringing the wind chill. wind are less than they were yesterday but we are still seeing wind chills. saluda and bishopville feels like 18. clouds on the other side of the mountains, that will be the case today, not enough moisture, not enough activity to lift the system across the mountains but that will eventually change as we move into tonight into tomorrow, we will see increasing cloud tonight. we were looking at a chance of rain for us tomorrow but it looks like that trajectory will slide to the north and there will be cold air. watch this here, we are dealing with cloud, but notice the rain snow mix across northh carolina, you have rain across the coast, but raleigh, piedmont is looking at a snow-rain mix. we are not seeing that.

conditions, little cloudy tomorrow but today almost full sunshine by this afternoon and temperatures in the upper 40s and low 50s, so low 50s not all that warm but warmer than yesterday by 10. we saw a high of 41 yesterday and with wind blowing cold. a small victory today, but a victory nonetheless.>> rochelle: when you say 10 degrees better, that means a big difference on the skin. >> eric: could be one less layer. >> jonathan: instead of 30 jackets. >> eric: let's look at your roadways. >> rochelle: good news at the top of the hour, no trouble spots in or around the capital city, not only is the weather looking up but traffic. we're continuing to keep our eyes on the road and we will pass anything along for your morning commute. rochelle: and as always, abc columbia wants to help you jump start your day. >> eric: we have a quick rundown of your top morning headlines. it's a match-up in milwaukee. on the heels on the new

presidential hopefuls hillary clinton and bernie sanders will be taking part in a debate tonight at 9:00. it will air on pbs as well as cnn. it will be the last debate between the candidates before the first-in-the south primary and that, in case you didn't know, is right here in south carolina. eric: each of the democratic candidates have announced major south carolina endorsements. >> rochelle: richland county representative todd rutherford is endorsing hillary clinton for president. rutherford says clinton's poor showing in new hampshire will not repeat itself here in the palmetto state. not to be outdone, bernie sanders is picking up an endorsement of his own. williamsburg representative cezar mcknight is throwing his support behind the vermont senator. mcknight says he thinks sanders' message will catch on quickly with south carolina voters. according to the most recent cnn orc poll, hillary clinton is leading bernie sanders in south carolina with 64% support among likely democratic voters.

hampshire's win here into south. carolina. eric: with the granite state primary in the rear view mirror, many candidates now have their sights set on south carolina. while voters' concerns may vary, party representatives on both sides of the aisle say voters are listening for solutions to state problems. >> they have to talk about the crumbling schools and infrastructure we have in the state. >> national security and economic security people want our country to be kept safe but they also want opportunity they want jobs for their families. >> eric: it's topics such as those that will be heavy on the minds of candidates as they vying for votes here in the palmetto state. donald trump is sy shoring up support in the upstate, a place his campaign says is considered to be a conservative stronghold and a crucial region in the upcoming primary. rochelle: meanwhile, florida senator marco rubio is trying to sway sou carolina voters after finishing 5th in new hampshire. rubio held a rally in columbia yesterday telling supporters he's fit to be the next

security and foreign policy. >> our team has worked really hard, it didn't work out like we wanted to but we feel good, it's a strong conservative state. >> rochelle: rubio will now move onto the south carolina coast. and he won't be alone. following his second place finish in new hampshire, john kasich will also be campaigning along the coast. meanwhile, ben carson and ted cruz will each be busy reaching out to voters in the upstate. and jeb bush will be right here in columbia. he'll be holding a rally at senate's end tonight at 6:30. rochelle: there are two fewer candidates in the race for the gop nomination. >> eric: carly fiorina and chris christie announced they are suspending their campaigns. fiornia and christie finished sixth and seventh in the new hampshire primary. eric: a reminder about the primary dates. the gop primary will take place next saturday, february 20th. the democratic primary will take place the following week on saturday february 27th.

for complete coverage online and on air of vote 2016. eric: clasasis back in session. after an early morning evacuation yesterday at airport high school, classes will resume as normal this morning. >> rochelle: some scary moments for the staff and students. lexington district two officials say a fire started early yesterday morning in an air conditioning unit on the roof of the school's vocational wing. no injuries were reported. rochelle: richland county council member kelvin washington has pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges of failing to file a tax return. a judge ordered washington to pay back $2500 in fines as well as $1,000 in court costs. he also sentenced him to probation. last month, former city councilman brian dequincy newman also pleaded guilty to similar charges. the charges stem from an investigation into richland county's penny tax program. attorneys for both newman and washington say the charges are not directly related to that

rochelle: a camden man is in custody accused of trafficking heroine. >> eric: kershaw county sheriff jim matthews says last week deputies arrested ronald boone. with two unces of heroine, pot, and pills. matthews says heroine abuse has been on the rise across the country and his deputies are determined to not let it get out of control in kershaw county. eric: columbia police's organized crime and narcotics unit has uncovered thousands of dollars rth of marijuana inside a homemade grow house. justin helps has been charged with manufacturing marijuana after officers say they found 45 marijuana plants inside a home on the 1400 block of carolina drive. officers say the plants have an estimated street value of more than $164,000. in addition to the plants, officers also discovered rooms set up with equipment used to grow the plants indoors. people with any information about narcotics activity are encouraged to call crimestoppers.

it can be anonymous and you could be eligible for a cash reward. eric: still to come, our coverage of vote 2016 continues. >> rochelle: we're finding out where the candidates stand following the new hampshire primary. >> jonathan: clear and cold start to your thursday forecast, lots of sunshine but not that warm of an avenue noon.

live from main and gervais. >> jonathan: 6:12, waking up with clear skies, we'll warm up to 50 this afternoon, it sound better than yesterday but it will still be chilly.

but add a few more clouds, we'll see mostly cloudy skies by the time we start tomorrow morning. we should stay at or abo freezing but a little chilly as you wake up tomorrow. >> rochelle: sounds good, jonathan. thank you. rochelle: here's a quick look at stories that are making headlines across the country. on the heels on the new hampshire primary, the candidates have quickly moved on here in south carolina. abc's lana zak has the latest. >> we mayay have to stage a phone iphonyprotest. that's the only way they show the size of the crowd. this crowd is amazing. >> donald trump with more spring in his step following his major win in new hampshire forcing two other candidates out of the race. now he says he's ready to take on democratic challenger hillary clinton. >> we are going to beat her.

>> clip ton lost women and young people, but nationally clinton still has the advantage over sanders who tells vega he has work to do. >> if the election was tomorrow could you win south carolina and nevada? >> no, fortunately it's not tomorrow. >> and somebody glad for extra time, jeb bush saying his brother will join him. >> he is an entertaining person unless you are a woman, a hispanic, a pow, a displaced person. >> john kasich says he will unlikely be on the attack. >> i won't be a pin cushion but it won't spend my time trying to trash other people. >> back in ohio, a controversial

parenthood plus aids patients has passed. he says he will sign it. rochelle: it's shaping up to be a big week for gamecock basketball. and eric has some news from the court that fans will b bhappy to hear. >> eric: gamecock basketball fans wake up in unfamiliar february territory this morning -- first place in the sec. tim hill has more in this morning's sports minute to win it. >> terrance: the colonial arena continues to be the place for gamecocks, in town last night. simmons likely overall number 1 draft pick does not disappoint. tied at 60 through the half and usc's freshman, pride of spring valley coming upchurch, 12 point

94-83 the final score, gamecocks now 8 and 3 tied with kentucky. here's what frank martin told his players. >> enjoy being tied for first place, enjoy it, you've earned it but it not time to sit back and say we are good good, it's time to reflect to three years ago and say i don't want to go back there so i have to work even harder so i can keep getting better and that's the mind set that we have to keep. >> eric: that was tim hill with that report. eric: still to come, it's a task usually set aside for smoky the bear. how officials are hoping to prevent wildfires here in the midlands.

gervais. rochelle: welcome back to good morning, columbia. thanks for waking up with us on this thursday morning. your time is 6:19. >> jonathan: let's take a bite out of your morning menu, sponsored by bojangles'. they brought us biscuits yesterday, a shout out. the columbia chamber is announcing honorees for this years "yellow jasmine awards." the awards celebrates organizations and individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to our region's economic development. the columbia police department forest acres police department richland county sheriff's department and south carolina national guard will all receive the community impact awards. that's taking place today at the columbia marriott at 11:00 this morning. rochelle: and united way of midlands is also honoring

today. united awards" to recognize hundreds of organizations and individuals who have contributed to united way's 2015 campaign. the awards are also recognizing employee participation and volunteerism with the company. this is taking place at agape conference center. the event is free and open to the public starting at 4:30 this afternoon and running until 6:00. so, if you plan on heading to either event, you will still need a jacket but good news is you don't need an umbrella. >> jonathan: no, it's been dry for us, good news, we don't want the cold air and moisture coming together unless you are a snow fan. but today nothing like that for us. it will be chilly if you are heading to the event, that will be the warmest time of the day with highs near 50. 50 is still 10 degrees below average for us but improvement from yesterday. look for more sunshine and not

>> rochelle: as long as it was not as windy as yesterday, that was brutal. >> jonathan: yes, wind gusts 30 to 40 miles a hour. >> rochelle: that explains why opening the door was hard, pushing against you. rochelle: we're checking out what will be making headlines later today. >> jonathan: here's eric with your "look ahead." >> eric: job seekers, you should know the sit of columbia is now accepting applications to fill a vacancy on the central midlands region transportation authority or "the comet." the city is seeking individuals that use or have used the transportation system. the purpose of this board is to promote transportation opportunities for all citizens within the service area. you better hurry to participate though because the deadline for applications is today at 5:00. >> eric: and the south carolina forestry commission is conducting prescribed burns today. the controlled burns are being held for timber improvement and wildfire reduction. today's burnings are taking place at harbison state forest and on the peachtree rock

this morning. about 500,000 acres are prescribed-burned every year in south carolina by land managers who understand the appropriate weather conditions, fuel loads and atmospheric conditions for conducting such burns. so a lot of thought, preparation and timing goes into those prescribed burns. >> rochelle: jonathan was mentioning less wind so perfect time. thanks, eric. rochelle: still to come, south carolinians still picking up the pieces following october's historic flooding. how one group of individuals may be getting a fresh start next. stay with us. we're live from main and gervais. in today's "techbytes" tough times for twitter. >> it's having trouble attracting new users. it's rolling out new futures

>> the federal government has taken another step toward the truly driverless car. it now says the computer that controls the self-driving car will be considered the driver. >> good news for companies like google developing the new technology. must of us never read terms and conditions. >> amazon snuck in a klaus that would allow its lumberyard to used in the zombie. >> it might happen. all right, those are your "techbytes." >> have a good day. ever look at a squirrel and think, "yeah, i could use that kind ofenergy?

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33 south carolina farmers looking to stay afloat following october's >> eric: 6:27 is your time. eric: south carolina farmers looking to stay afloat following october's historic flooding may soon be getting the help they need. the house ways and means committee approved legislation allowing farmers in disaster-declared counties to apply for grants of up to $100,000 each. last october's torrential rains wiped out $330 million worth of crops at harvest time. and agriculture officials estimate farmers lost an additional $45 million because they couldn't get in the fields

eric: also out of the state house, a group of protestors gathered to demand changes to the minimum wage. it currently sits at $7.25 an hour. >> rochelle: the south carolina progressive network says if it was to be adjusted to meet inflation that wage would be $10.56 an hour, and, a big difference they want lawmakers to take notice of is some workers say they're not making enough money to make ends meet. >> at least if we get the minimum wage rate we will be in a better position, even if we work a few more hours we can save money to prepare for things like that, but right now we live paycheck to paycheck and they don't understand that. >> rochelle: according to the south carolina progressive network 34% of jobs in south carolina are low wage jobs. sobering statistics. >> eric: we'll have to see how that all works out. eric: still to come, a final match up before the first-in-the south primary. rochelle: what we can expect

debate. that story is next.

main and gervais.

your morning news, good morning, columbia, we're glad you are starting your day with us. i'm eric weisfeld. >> rochelle: and i'm rochelle dean. we're live from main and gervais. your times 6:31. >> eric: not so much fun in your weather but we may have found the silver lining. >> rochelle: you still need your coat but things are looking up. now we'll head to jonathan kennedy for what you can expect today. >> jonathan: this afternoon we may get out of the range of not needing the parka, but you still need a jacket when you head out and about. temperatures ranging from 21 in camden up to 30 downtown, seeing urban heat, we have more people, more industry, more things going on in the city, we don't cool off as much. saluda 24, 27 the most popular number, almost everybody at that. orangeburg at 30 to our south, seeing a warmer start but

look for clear skies across the board, that will be the case throughout the day, we'll look for lots of sunshine, slightly warmer day that won't be that hard. today we will get closer to normal but probably still 10 degrees below normal. wind light and variable, that's good to see. wind chill still ramming up, 26 is what it feels like downtown. yesterday we saw teens, some improvement but still cold, pretty much nondiscernable, if it's 20 or 18, it doesn't make that much of a difference. satellite and radar quiet, we are watching cloud to the west, this system is to rotate and tilt and go to the north. we are potentially looking at rain showers tomorrow but looks like it has gone to the north.

bring in a wintry mix and snow toward raleigh and try and. but for us, nothing to worry about, cloud will be well south of the main band of precipitation and that will keep us dry through the end othe week. that's tomorrow. today we are sticking with the sunshine, maybe a little breezy but not anything like we saw a few days ago. highs near 50, still could be better, could be worse, we saw it yesterday, but certainly looking forward to warmer air but looks like we will have to wait a few more days. >> eric: we will get there. >> rochelle: slowly but surely. >> eric: we are looking for safe roads. >> rochelle: unfortunately we have trouble spots. south carolina highway patrol is reporting a hit and run on i-26. >> eric: at mile marker 113 in eastbound lanes. we will keep our eyes on the roadways and give you updates if

commute. rochelle: and as always, abc columbia wants to help you jump start your day. >> eric: we have a quick rundown of your top morning headlines. it's a match-up in milwaukee. on the heels on the new hampshire primary, democratic presidential hopefuls hillary clinton and bernie sanders will be taking part in a debate tonight at 9:00. it will air on pbs as well as cnn. it will be the last debate between the candidates before the first-in-the south primary right here in south carolina. each of the democratic candidates have announced major south carolina endorsements. >> rochelle: richland county representative todd rutherford is endorsing hillary clinton for president. rutherford says clinton's poor showing in new hampshire will not repeat itself here in the palmetto state. not to be outdone, bernie sanders is picking up an endorsement of his own. williamsburg representative cezar mcknight is throwing his support behind the vermont senator. mcknight says he thinks sanders' message will catch on quickly with south carolina voters. according to the most recent cnn orc poll, hillary clinton is leading bernie sanders in south carolina with 64% support among

still, sanders is hoping he can carry the momentum from his new hampshire's win here into south carolina. >> eric: with the granite state primary in the rear view mirror, many candidates now have their sights set on south carolina. while voter' concerns may vary, party representatives on both sides of the aisle say voters are listening for solutions to state problems. >> we have to talk about the crumbling schools and crumbling infrastructure we have here in the state. >> our national security and economic security, people want our country to be kept safe but they also want opportunity, they want jobs for their families. eric: another concern for south carolina voters social security. >> rochelle: aarp will be releasing findings of a new survey of likely south carolina voters on their views on socials security and their presidential candidate preferences. that's taking place at 10:00 this morning right across the street from us at the state house. it's all a part of aarp's "take a stand campaign," to urge candidates to share their plan

security. it's these types of topics that will be heavy on the minds of candidates as they make their way here to vye for votes here in the palmetto state. already donald trump is already busy shoring up support in the upstate. >> eric: that's right. and after his stop here in the capital city marco rubio is now moving onto the south carolina coast. and he won't be alone. following his second place finish in new hampshire john kasich will also be campaigning along the coast. meanwhile ben carson and ted cruz will each be busy reaching out to voters in the upstate. and jeb bush will be right here in columbia. he'll be holding a rally at senate's end tonight at 6:30. a reminder about the primary dates. the gop primary will take place next saturday, february 20th. the democratic primary will take place the following week on saturday february 27th. we hope you stay with abc columbia news for complete coverage online and on air of vote 2016. eric: the richland penny project is looking to spruce up the gills creek area. >> rochelle: that's right. boardwalks, picnic areas and

of the proposed features for the greenway along gills creek. and now you have a chance to voice your opinion about the project. the richland penny program will be holding an open house today. residents can stop by brennen elementary school tonight from 6:30 until 8:00 to learn more about the greenway. rochelle: changes could also be in store along a stretch of road lined with empty buildings, overgrown lots and crumbling curbs. north main street is getting a makeover. at last night's open house the city talked to residents about the improvements coming to north main street over the next three years. officials say the investment is worth the business the facelift will attract. >> we have seen where we've put money into these streetscape projects where areas have just blossomed and the economic growth is amazing. >> rochelle: officials say they plan to nail down a contractor in early june and construction

exciting time here in the capital city, still growing. >> eric: and at record pays, it should be fun to watch. eric: still to come, it's a case of being in the right place at the right time. >> rochelle: how city workers turn into heroes during a driver' morning commute. >> jonathan: and for us here at home a clear and cold start to your thursday. expect sunshine this afternoon and slighy wararr temperatures.

main and gervais. >> jonathan: good thursday morning, waking up it's going to be cold for us, the sun will be out in full effect shortly enough but we have to wait another 40 minutes or so for we will see mostly sunny skies, highs around 50 this afternoon, sohat's an improvement, still

it's not going to be as windy today butarmer. >> eric: calling it baby steps. eric: it's a scary moment for two drivers in canada >> jonathan: yeah, take a look at this their truck fell into a giant sinkhole yesterday into the freezing cold water down below. the men were towing a landscaping trailer when it happened. fortunately, city workers were nearby and helped rescue them. besides getting soaked in uncomfortably cold water, the drivers are okay. city officials say a water main break caused the sinkhole to form >> eric: they will never hear about that. >> jonathan: we hear about water main breaks, we have boil water alerts but you don't think about your truck falling into a hole. eric: we're now going to turn our attention to your health. >> jonathan: rochelle dean has a look at what is making headlines in the medical community. good morning, rochelle. rochelle: good morning, jonathan. good morning, eric. a college in pennsylvania is trying to figure out what made more than a hundred students sick. students at ursinus college started coming down with vomiting and stomach pain. most of them had dinner earlier at a campus dining hall but the school says it's still unclear what caused the outbreak.

determine whether the illness is foodborne or transmitted person-to-person. the dining hall has been closed for disinfecting and officials say they will know by the end of the week what caused the outbreak. rochelle: and the zika virus continues to spread this morning. yolo county, california,s the latest area to confirm a case of the mosquito borne virus. the centers for disease control and prevention says the unidentified patient has a mild case o ozika. yolo county officials say they're not concerned about it spreading. more than a dozen u.s. states and the district of columbia have confirmed zika cases. all were contracted outside of the u.s. rochelle: still to come, we're taking to the airways. where there may be a change for your future flight. stay with us.

gervais. >> rochelle: welcome back to good morning columbia, your time is 6:47. airlines are putting the "squeeze" on passengers in order to fit more seats on planes. but a congressn out of tennessee says he wants to put a stop to it. representative steve cohen wants a new law to establish minimum standards limiting how small and how close together seats can be. he adds it's not about comfort, it's about safety. some argue more seats on airplanes help lower fares. others argue more seats just

margins. rochelle: and speaking of the airways, the boeing company says it is eliminating commercial airline jobs as part of a cost-cutting effort. the company has not provided specific numbers but a spokesman for the company said in a statement yesterday that they would begin the reductions with executives and managers. they say this will ultimately affect employment levels across all of the commercial airplane unit. rochelle: and problems continue to mount for twitter. the social media giant says it lost 2 million users in the last three months of 2015. that news caused twitter stock to drop 12% in after-hours trading yesterday. at the end of last year twitter had around 305 million active users. that's compared to facebooks 1.6 billion users and instagrams 400 million users. twitter has been struggling to win over new users for some time. they've been launching new products to try to address the issue.

favorite. eric has more on what's next for elsa and olaf? eric: that's right, as if you need another reason to get "let it go: stuck in your head, it looks like things are about to get a little on chilly on the broadway stage. david daniel has that and more in your hollywood minute. let it go, let it go >> reporter: "frozen" is going to broadway! disney has confirmed the blockbuster animated musical will hit broadway in the spring of 2018, after an out-of-town tryout -- no word yet where -- in the summer of 2017. the movie's oscar-winning songwriters are set to pen new songs for the stage version, along with the film's familiar favorites. reporter: how big is "star wars"? it even made steven spielberg blink! "episode eight," the follow-up to "star wars: the force awakens," is scheduled to land in theaters december 15th, 2017. that's the same date spielberg had staked out for "ready player one," based on the best-selling

so spielberg and warner brothers are moving their movie back to march 30th, 2018, after the winter olympics, and before the world cup. do you like your book? >> yeah! >> reporter: kelly clarkson is expecting her second child and her first children's book! the "american idol" champ and grammy winner has turned children's author. clarkson says "river rose and the magical lullaby" began as stories she jotted down about places she traveled with her 19-month-old daughter, who, in an amazing coincidence, is also named river rose. look for the book, complete with an original lullaby written and performed by clarkson in october. for hollywood minute, i'm david daniel. eric: still to come, the stars are about ready to hit the red carpet. but even if they don't take home that coveted oscar, they won't be going home empty handed. we'l explain. >> jonathan: and looking at another cold start to the day, temperatures in the mid and upper 20s, winin chill makes it colder.

expect for thursday coming up.

main and gervais. >> jonathan: good thursday morning, hope your day is off to a great start, a little after 6:45, almost 7:00. we are looking at the forecast for the next couple days.

stick with sunshine tomorrow, we were looking at potential for rain to go with the cloud but looks like everything is going to the north. highs around 50 today, looks like we will end the week on a dry week but chilly, make sure to have the jacket handy. eric: the theme of this year's oscar is "we all dream in gold." >> rochelle: glittery cold, yes, we do. >> eric: but it looks like this year's oscars gift bag is costing a lot of green. >> rochelle: that's right, it's setting a record on swag. the bags given to academy award nominees will contain about $200,000 in gifts. so what's in the bag? on the high-end items such as a 10-day, first-class trips to israel, and unlimited audi car rentals from silvercar. less expensive items include a haze dual v-3 vaporizer, which retails for about $250.

might be the voucher for the "vampire breast lift" a new hollywood must have. it is said to use blood-derived growth factors to revive rounder cleavage without implants. going for high prices. also on the long list of high-priced items toilet paper. and while charmin may be enough for bears, it's not for the celebs. what's said to be the most soothing and absorbent toilet paper available costs $275. yeah. >> eric: this story is all over the place. >> rochelle: $275 down the toilet literally. the 88th academy awards air live sunday, february 28th, right here on abc columbia. no bags, though. >> eric: no, we're good to go. >> rochelle: they are making out pretty good. eric: still to come, valentines may only be a few days away. >> rochelle: but we're still giving singles a chance for

history. >> jonathan: clear skies and cold temperatures as you head out, we will get warmer today,

main and gervais. ing. >> yesesrday was one of the coldest days we've seen in quite some time.

warmer, highs around 50, a few more clouds tomorrow, mostly cloudy friday but we should stay dry, dry through the valentine's weekend but won't necessarily want a picnic sunday, cold, highs likely only in the upper 30s. >> eric: chilly. >> rochelle: yeah, my mine is still trying to absorb that and the possibly teen temperatures we could see this weekend. but today we are dry and sunny. >> eric: makes you want to make chili. rochelle: let's check out the day in history. nelson mandela released from prison in 1990. underdog buster douglas knocks out iron mike tyson in 1990. pop superstar whitney houston dies at age 48 in 2012. >> eric: today is make a friend day, national satisfied staying single day, and national peppermint patty day. >> rochelle: i wonder if there's a hash tag on twitter, satisfied