lynchburg men facing multiple charges following a drug bust. thank you for joining us.i am mona kosar abdi. police arrested 20-year-old sean clegg and 21-year-old joseph guida. police said executed a search warrant a little over a week ago at an apartment on the 300 block of peninsula street. there, they found you want to, hash oil, and various smoking devices and handgun. right now, a judge's hearing witness testimony for the trial of ashley wright, the mother of a five-year-old boy found dead in a septic tank. this comes after a two day long struggle at the beginning of the week to seek a jury. she is facing felony child abuse and neglect charges. on tuesday, judge bradley granted the defense counsel

in turn, the prosecutor asked her a bench trial, which white and her attorneys agreed on for the prosecution is expected to bring in some 20 witnesses to testify. stick with abc 13 for the latest on this case. we're going to take a break from the headlines and check in with melissa le fevere over the weather center. it is super cold and only going to get colder from here. >> melissa: if you're heading out to get some lunch, you will be the heavy coat. it is beautiful out there. a live view of our lynchburg tower can with blue skies and sunshine. a live view of liberty university. everyone is out and about. we will see clear skies throughout the day, but temperatures in the 20s and 30s. 32 in danville. 26 in roanoke. 31 in brookneal. lower 20s in blacksburg. still seeing the teens in hot springs. it is a bit windy. check out what it feels like right now.

that cold air is not going anywhere anytime soon. we will take a look at the full forecast coming up. danville police investigating a robbery that happened at the golden corral. they say they responded to a call last night at the business is parking lot. there, they found two pittsylvania residents that said a man pointed a gun at them and demanded money and then ran away. if you have any information on this case, please call the danville police department. a virginia house has approved three bills that would allow more concealed weapon permit holders to legally carry in the state. the legislation was a compromise between governor mcauliffe and top republicans for the approval came despite heavy criticism for national gun-control group. the law would expand the number of concealed carry permits virginia accepts from other states, but would prohibit people subject to protective orders from caring. law that would allow security officers to carry guns

its way through the general assembly, but not everyone is in favor. opponents say the bill is bringing more guns to school. >> reporter: for years, a bill aiming school staff to arm themselves at public or private schools have failed. now, a proposal to allow security guards at schools is making his way to the general assembly passing the education committee today. the security guards would have to be retired police officer and get permission from the local school board.>> this is at least a small step in the right direction. >> reporter: philip vancleave with the virginia defense league still thinks permit holder should be able to carry on school grounds, but believes the bill is a steppingstone in that direction. >> everywhere they allow permit holders to carry whether that be in school, churches, anywhere else >> reporter: he said it is already working in higher education in virginia. >> liberty university is a good example of this. they never had any problems

>> chipping away every year. >> reporter: andy goddard with virginia responsible gun laws, is concerned if the bill passes it could be another step toward allowing more guns on school property.>> if you can find an opening to crack open the door the next year you can add more things and push the door open wider. >> reporter: goddard says even retired officers should have to go through annual training before they are allowed to carry a weapon on school grounds. people who smoke cigarettes in cars with children could be hit with a $100 fine. that is the legislation republican. the richmond times reports the house is given pulmonary approval that would make it illegal to smoke in a car with a child under eight years old. drivers could not be pulled over for smoking in cars with children.opponents of the bill say it is overly intrusive measure by the state government. a virginia bill that would require students to use the bathroom that corresponds with

a house sub committee voted 8 to 13 to kill the bill. this bill followed a case where a virginia transgender student said the school for not letting him use the boys bathroom. supporters say the bill was designed to protect the privacy of students. in california, a transgender high school student has sparked a fierce debate room. jen briscoe is a high school freshman who was born female, but 11 parent found out briscoe was using the boys locker room she complained to the school board. the mother said her son was uncomfortable and upset. >> my son's experience to undress in the presence of a female feeling like his privacy was being violated should have never happened. >> mona: in 2014, california passed a law that schools must allow transgender students to use a facility that conforms to their gender identity. the director of the cdc and national institute of allergy and infectious disease both set to testify.

discussing president obama's emergency $1.8 billion funding request to fast-track a vaccine. ferguson, missouri facing a new challenge after the federal government announced it is suing the city. after the fatal shooting death of michael brown, an investigation found a pattern of problems with excessive force and racial discrimination in the police department. bazi kanani has the latest. [chanting] >> reporter: a new battle in ferguson, missouri.the justice department now suing the city for violating its residents civil rights. >> the ferguson police department violations in particular were expansive and deliberate stopping people without reasonable suspicion by arresting them without cause and using unreasonable force. these violations were not only a gracious, they were routine. >> reporter: the city council voting to push back against the

with the justice department after months of negotiation. >> i think the things we have asked for a very reasonable. >> reporter: leaders want to amend the agreement which they said the city cannot afford to implement, but attorney general loretta lynch is not buying that argument. >> the department of justice and ferguson's own negotiators came to an agreement that was both fair and cost-effective. >> reporter: lynch says city leaders leave for no other choice forcing litigation to protect the rights of residents who she says are treated unfairly by police and a profit driven court system. >> they have waited decades for justice. they should not be forced to wait any longer. >> reporter: this case now goes to trial unless the city and justice department are able to settle first. attorney general loretta lynch did not indicate much hope for that. as economic, abc news, washington. ahead of the succulent a primary, democrat hillary clinton and bernie sanders will

to use that time to bring award-winning coverage of lynchburg, bedford, roanoke, and the new river valley. some fast food workers asking for higher minimum wage. demonstrators have stage rallies like ththis one in milwaukee two years ago demanding a minimum wage of $15 per hour. organizers expect more than 1000 protesters outside the debate site tonight.

cap it at $12 an hour. the minimum wage is currently at $7.25. the state department may release some of weekend. officials offered to release the emails after a federal judge criticize them for delaying the release. the emails are from the private servers clinton used when she was secretary of state. critics claim the private server put national secrets at risk. the state department has so far released 85 percent of clinton's emails. after four tough days at sea, a cruise ship seriously tossed around in the storm this weekend is now back at a port in new jersey. no serious injuries were reported, but some passengers lives. rc gonzales reports. >> reporter: pure relief and anger today. >> never again. >> reporter: 4500 passengers on royal caribbean's anthem of

new jersey after this. the ship cruised into a storm sunday pounded by 30 foot waves and wind gusts topping 100 miles per hour.>> out of nowhere, the ship started going crazy rocking. the ship was on its side. water was coming in. it was scary. >> reporter: some questioning the captain's judgment knowing severe storm warnings were in the forecast. royal caribbean refunding the passengers giving them half off a future cruise and an apology. >> role caribbean cannot be sorrier about what happened. we already know we're going to make some changes to provide more guidance, more oversight. >> reporter: maritime lawyer jim walker said despite the nightmare passengers looking for anything more probably don't have a case.

>> reporter: marcy gonzales, abc news, new york. reality tv star kim kardashian opens up about being a mom of two and how sleepless

>> a forecast you can count on from abc 13 weather experts. good thursday. just about 12:16. we are taking a live view of our danville tower cam. you can see it shaking. it is beautiful, but breezy across the heart of virginia right now. we have seen some gusty winds throughout the day. pinpoint doppler radar looking good. we're seeing all sunshine for our viewing area. those temperatures slowed to warm. 28 in lynchburg. 26 in roanoke. 22 in blacksburg. some 30s down to the south. pretty in martinsville.

wind speed right now 12 miles per hour in lynchburg as well as danville. 17 for blacksburg and roanoke. what does it feel like as your stepping out the door? 18 right now in lynchburg. 13 in roanoke. 20s down to the south side. still single digits in blacksburg. you will need the coat, gloves, scarves. all of the winter weather gear. keep a close today throughout the weekend. i want to take you hour by hour throughout your thursday afternoon. temperatures slow to warm. afternoon. about 30 by the 1:00 hour. a high of only 31 despite all that sunshine. lots of cold air is in place. futurecast looking good for the afternoon commute home. no weather worries. mostly clear tonight. we will notice clouds begin to increase early into friday.

your friday. we do have an alberta clipper impacting the area.what does that mean? we will have all of that cold air locked in place. it is going to be a matter of how much moisture we actually see. could the light snow showers. not expecting significant accumulations. a lot of that will stay toward the mountain area. it will be cold all throughout your valentine's day weekend. 31 in lynchburg. 34 in altavista. 36 for danville. 31 in roanoke. 20s out in the new river valley. it is going to be breezy and cold with wind gusts up to 20 miles per hour. overnight tonight, remember the pats and all the loved ones. temperatures will drop into the teens with low wind chills. another cold night. we have been talking about cold weather.everyone is looking ahead to valentine's day. you will want to bundle up here with that clipper, we're going to get another shot of arctic air for saturday and sunday. we will see temperatures climbing into the 20s.

morning temperatures in the teens saturday morning. of 27. sunday morning, eight. many of us in the single digits waking up valentine's day. then, we see a high of 28. as we head throughout the next couple days, we're going to be tracking the cold monday into tuesday. here is what we're looking at. we will see the chance for a winter storm. we will keep fine-tuning those details and keep you up-to-date. back to you. at your glass of wine and popcorn ready. scandal comes back on tonight. the gladiators will be back in business right here on abc 13. millions of viewers have followed every hairpin plot twist about olivia pope and the president who nearly survived an impeachment trial. kim kardashian opens up about how she is handling two children under the age of three. the reality tv star took to her blog to write about the

she said one is referring to when someone has one child and two is like 20. according to a 2015 study, 60 percent of women are less likely to be happy the first year or two after the birth of their second child. >> this is what you want your reality stars to be like, relatable. kim kardashian prove she is just like every other mother

>> mona: parenting abc 13 closed captioning brought to you by audiology hearing aid associates did the

service and crematory. the daily cost of the flint water crisis is taxing on charities in the area, from filters to bottled water. they say it's putting their mission of helping people at risk. one soup kitchen set the filters on the faucet and icemakers alone run a $700 tab every month. the manager says something like pasta might cost one dollar, but to rinse it it costs $2 since they use jugs of water. they say budgeting for bottled water could jeopardize their mission. each week, we're partnering with chideo to bring in new stories about cause and giving. this week, the chideo cause water takes a look at how you can make a direct difference for those in need. [music] >> reporter: look around you. in every city and every town there are people in need.many

their is no guarantee their donation is helping the intended recipient. hand up as a company that does just that. >> hand up is a direct donation system for homeless people and other people in need that let you donate directly to a specific person you want to help. >> it is so powerful as a tool to reach more people and sharing a story. >> reporter: to find someone to help and to donate, visit hands up. a restaurant called hugs cafi in mckinney, texas is changing perceptions and dishing out respect with every meal. >> we are a nonprofit organization that provides food service training and employment to adults with developmental or intellectual disabilities. >> reporter: rick thompson seeks out other employees other bosses might overlook. the hope is to take whatever they learn to future employment. >> i never dreamed how widespread it would be. >> reporter: this relies on your donation. give at hugs cafi.

it is almost time now for it's time for our lynchburg pet of the week. heather smith is here from the lynchburg humane society with frenchy. his name. mustache. >> mona: held a spreadsheet? >> two years old. he is an affectionate, loving cat. as soon as you open the door to the kitchen, he is the first want to greet you. he is a great cat. he will make a wonderful he likes to be held. >> mona: how is he with kids? >> very good. young or old, he is the first one to meet you. he has done very well.

>> mona: how about with other cats or a dog? >> he is in a room with other cats and does very well with them. with a dog situation, basically, it is something we would have to try out to see what happens. he definitely likes kitty cats. >> mona: the number is on your screen if you want to adopt frenchy. we will send it over to melissa for a last look at your forecast. >> melissa: frenchy is so cute. he is going to need a sweater. we are in the lower 30s. upper 30s tomorrow. valentine's day weekend not looking so warm and fuzzy. overnight lows in the single digits saturday into sunday. >> mona: snuggling with your loved one for valentine's day will have a whole new meaning. >> melissa: i want a snotty

a snuggie and hot chocolate.