the wind is so strong, it's been blowing all afternoon. look at the video from beach mountain earlier today. the strong wind gusts made it difficult for drivers to get around. the d.o.t. is working twelve hour shifts because of the snow across the high country. a tour bus filled with 30 skiers from charlotte had to turn around because of the road conditions. the police chief called in the d.o.t. to scrape the road several times to help the bus driver get out safely. >> with the snow being a wet snow, once it packs down, it's like ice, it's not like a powder. it makes driving much more treacherous. >> and earlier today, the d.o.t. was putting down primarily salt on these roadways. but it's gotten so cold here in the north carolina high country, they just called and told me that that salt is no longer working. where i'm standing right now, the temperature is down around 9 degrees.

feels much colder than that. live from watauga county, dave faherty, channel 9 eyewitness news. dave, thank you, remember you can track the cold temperatures throughout the night along with us using our wsoc-tv app. it's free for iphone and android devices. cleaned up and packed up. >> today the carolina panthers officially closed the chapter on their record breaking season that ended with thatat heartbreaking loss at the super bowl. eyewitness news anchor brittney johnson found out how the team is now using defeat to all ready start to plan for next season. >> reporter: well the panthers are looking back on the 2015 season with everything they've accomplished. including getting to the super bowl. but after losing, even though they're about to take a break, they're working to figure out how to get back to the big game. after a record breaking season of dancing, dabbing, and defying expectations on the field. >> we did what a lot of people

>> the carolina panthers are clearing out their lockers and trying to move passed a disappointing super bowl loss. >> it sucks when you're packing up all your stuff, but again, i'm very happy with what we were able to accomplish. >> reporter: they're leave with a 17-2 record, league mvp and coach of the year awards. and coach ron rivera is ready to focus on the future. >> icon garagelated the guys today and talked about the accomplishments we had. and then i started talking about going forward. >> ron rivera hasn't reviewed game tape from the super bowl but the team didn't play well enough to win. and he's hoping the players will be inspired by the broncos come back story. >> denver, you know, came off a very disappointing loss in the super bowl and got knocked out in the playoffs the next year, and a year later they're super bowl champions. >> he says the locker room will look different next year as some players will leave.

infectious energy will stick around. >> the locker room will never be the same. i'm proud and honored to say i was the head coach of the 2015 carolina panthers. >> reporter: coach ron rivera told us that he is definitely again looking forward to next season and that he's planning meetings with people who have been to the super bowl to try to plan out how to get the panthers back there and to win. he said some players wouldn't be back next season but he wouldn't give specifics as to who. coming up, we'll show you how the team is standing behind quarterback cam newton. brittney johnson, channel 9 eyewitness news. now this is hard to watch. but as the panthers were packing up, denver was celebrating the broncos super bowl win. tens of thousands of people attending today's parade for the players, officials, and their families. channel 9 is your best resource for panthers pride, the super bowl run, and the team's incredible season. you can see raw video of

interviews with the players, and coach ron rivera, all of that under wsoctv.com. some breaking news right now in hickory, a crash causing major traffic issues for drivers trying to head home. highway 127 closed in both directions at fifth avenue northeast. police say the accident took down some power lines. they say this delay could last for several hours. a student was robbed at knife point today at central piedmont community college in huntersville. this forced a lock down at lake norman charter school as police looked for that robber. eyewitness news reporter ken lemon is live in huntersville with the latest on this investigation tonight. >> the primary focus of the investigation was right hear in this corner of the parking lot on the north corner of the campus. but from right here, you can take a look and you can see the entrances to the school, all day i watched students come and go, all concerned about what happened here. huntersville police said very

the crime scene tape dropping evidence markers. elizabeth fisher drove up just as officers started their investigation. >> i saw the ambulance around 12:00. >> she didn't see the student reportedly cut by a knife wielding robber and didn't know what happened until we told her. >> it's kind of nerve racking. >> she was more cautious while headed to her car yards from the crime scene. >> i guess, especially in broad daylight, you wouldn't expect this. >> reporter: this is a small else. but they aren't sure who was cut and who was robbed. fine. the suspect ran. witnesses placed a charter school on lock down. the owner of a gun store up the street didn't want to talk but

video camera focused on the road outside. >> it's very scary. >> reporter: i asked school officials if they plan to do anything differently after this. just a few minutes ago i got a reply from them. they say it appears to be an isolated incident. we'll wait and see what the investigation finds before making any decisions regarding any security changes. live in huntersville, ken lemon, channel 9 eyewitness news. all new at 5:00, a charlotte man who fired a gun at police officers will spend the next five years in prison. a judge sentenced omar cook this afternoon. yesterday a jury found him guilty of two counts of assault with a firearm on police. cook shot at the officers who were searching his home on village lake drive two years ago. prosecutors wanted the jury to find him guilty of attempted murder. talks over money for charlotte mecklenburg schools the school board and commissioners are reviewing the

elsa gillis just stepped out of the meeting and some don't think they're on the same page. >> reporter: yeah, erica, this meeting comes at a crucial time for both of the boards the school board is working on student assignment. the board of county commissioners is facing its budget and how much money to give to cms. today the school board said they need the support of the commissioners to move ahead of student assignment. there was some talk over the role busing could play in this and the concerns of labeling children as poor. they moved on to budget talks discussion. some accused the board for asking for unrealistic amounts of money when they say they're giving cms half their avenue. board of education members say they're responding to the needs of the students they serve. and they're careful with how they spend money. that's when the chairman stepped in. page.

needs that need to be satisfied with that very same pot of revenue and make some choices out of that. unfortunately, the way the system is set up, it pits us against each other. >> reporter: now the school board has a busy night. i'm about to go into the regular meeting. they're set to address the superintendent situation. which could mean current superintendent anne clark's contract for another year. stay with me on twitter for updates. live at the government center, elsa gillis, channel 9 eyewitness news. thank you elsa. you can follow elsa's tweets at elsawsoc 9. president obama released the budget for a record breaking $4 trillion. he wants 19 billion for cyber security, $1 billion for cancer research. and a 10-dollar per barrel tax on oil he says that will pay for clean transportation projects. that plan would increase taxes

the next decade. it has little chance of being approved by the republican congress. new tonight, fewer people bought homes in charlotte last month. the charlotte regional realtor association says home sales dropped more than 10% from january 2015 compared to a year ago. but pending sales were up 13%. realtors blame the bad weather and fewer homes for sale. newer listings dropped 6% compared to a year ago. it's decision day in new hampshire. >> in new hampshire, the poems will close in -- the poems will close in -- the poles will close in lest than two hours. eyewitness news anchor allison latos has a look at the attempts to get final votes. presidential candidates have been crisscrossing the state and visiting precincts all day. analysts are predicting a

one of the more important precincts for the republican side decided a winner. dicksville notch is a tiny town with a population of 9. it's one of three precincts that participates in the midnight vote. for republicans it has a good record of predicting the party nominee. john kasich won at that precinct today getting three votes while donald trump received 2. >> i said i wouldn't get in the race. i couldn't raise the money. i couldn't get to new hampshire. i wouldn't make the debate stage. i hope they keep under estimating me. >> new hampshire is known as the do or die state for candidates at the bottom of the pack. after this primary. the political spotlight will shift to south carolina. that's the reason franklin graham the son of billy graham held a prayer rally at the state house in columbia. he's visiting all 50 states. african american surging voters to pick -- graham is urging voters to pick someone that upholds biblical principles. donald trump is leading on

sanders is beating hillary clinton. thanks alison. we'll track the outcomomfor you in new hampshire. we'll have the latest on that for you coming up on eyewitness news at 10:00 and 11:00. i talked about windchill values below freezing all over. it's one thing to talk about. it's another to be out in that. john ahrens will join me to show you what kind of effect that will have on your body. a natural herb or a deadly drug. >> my 6-4, 22-year-old son. >> 9 investigates how a substance banned around the world is being sold legally in upscale charlotte neighborhoods. plus the smallest baby ever born in north carolina is finally going home. >> she fought to be here.

doctors helped her beat the doctors help sometimes the most precious things come in small packages. today the smallest surviving baby ever born at a north carolina hospital is finally going home with her family. she was born last year, 14 weeks early and weighed less than a pound. >> eyewitness news reporter angela hong has more on how cmc alive. >> reporter: don't mistake those cries for weakness. at just 5-pounds 8-ounces, she has beat all odds. >> here we are. here we are. and finally. >> reporter: when she was delivered via c section she was just 10-ounces. the weight of two baseballs. now, for the first time since she was born in september, mother and father.

here every single day. if not every other day. >> the doctors here say they didn't know if she would survive. she was the smallest surviving baby ever born at cmc. >> she has just gone above and beyond what we ever expected of her. >> reporter: this is video of megan and the baby taken by staff in the hospital room. the nurses and doctors had to help her breathe, control her body temperature and closely monitor her nutrition. >> we gave her more calories in each ounce of her formula. >> her progress, nothing short of a miracle. >> she's nine times her birth weight. there were times megan wondered if this day would come. >> it's frustrating. you get hope like finally, my baby's coming home after all this long time. and today's the day. >> the family is looking forward to getting to know her personality. the one thing they don't doubt, she's a fighter.

channel 9 eyewitness news. >> just precious. doctors say she will have some challenges as she grows up. she still has to be tube-fed. but with her parents love and dedication, doctors say there's no reason that she can't grow up to be completely healthth we posted the hospital's video of her progress on wsoctv.com. just look inside angela's story right there on our home page. well outside, the sun trying to peek through. here's chief meteorologist steve udelson. >> doing its best to add warmth. you can see the sun literally shinning through the clouds down on the ground. it looks really cool. charlotte cam. a lot of neighborhoods are seeing this now. these clouds will linger a little while longer. tracking a few flurries. this is southern chester county. not far from great falls. that's falling apart as it moves toward heath springs. i doubt it will reach kershaw. a little bit of light rain or

that's going to school across northern richmond county north of ellerby and then be gone. chill. 37 charlotte, monroe, and chester, 33 statesville, teens right now in the mountains. it's blowing 10 to 15 miles per hour in the charlotte area, better than 20 miles per hour up in the high country. and that makes this windchill, this is how it feels to the skin, upper 20s to 30 degrees in the charlotte area. and near 0 in the mountains. it's one thing to talk about this. let's talk about how it feels to the skin. john ahrens is outside. believe me. he volunteers for this. to check out what it feels like when it's this cold. >> reporter: i have to tell you, it's hard to be outside right now. right now, uptown charlotte, the wind coming out from my left to the right. from the northwest, 15 to 20 miles per hour. and it really just accelerates the heat loss on your skin. when you look at the signs we have uptown, they're blowing in

20 miles per hour wind. we've been watching this carport sign attached to the telephone poem, that looks like it's going to fall off. and gloves. look at the forecast we have later for tonight, the about 20. in the high country, it's at or below 0. 5 to 10 below 0. that could cause frostbite in 15 to 30 minutes. be extremely careful out there. what's happening is i have air that's even colder west of the mountains trying to move through. and as it moves up the mountains, it produces snow. for more on that, here's steve. >> we've seen off and on snow showers in the mountains since this time yesterday. the latest future cast says it's doing to go all night tonight through early tomorrow morning. it doesn't escape to the charlotte area. it's just cloudy and cold here. temperatures are lower 20s. teens as you hit the high country. bus stop forecast, hats,

as many layers as you can dress up in. 20 early on as the kids head back to school, in the mid 20s. we'll start to rise from there. a few clouds in the afternoon. not a lot. we'll only see temperatures fall shy of 40 degrees. that's 15 to 20 degrees colder than you would typically expect. and we're talking about a steady northwest breeze adding to that chill. it's going to be pretty ugly outside. cold in matthews. cooling this time tomorrow evening, neighborhood forecast for wadesboro, plain old cold. it doesn't change much as the next batch arrives through late week into the weekend. here's the five-day forecast, at least we get some sunshine to look at. lower 40s as we work our way through the afternoon. not a bad day for valentine's day as well. we'll take a look at that at 6:00. >> you'll need your valentine to keep you warm. identity thieves are

some as young as five months old. >> the way the world is these days, there's really not much protection out in. >> coming up tomorrow at 5:00, action 9 is investigating what you can do immediately to protect your children from identity thieves. channel 9 has covered his arrests for years and tonight police say this man terrorized innocent people across charlotte. and now we're asking if those dismissed cases could come back into play. the flu season hitting this local school hard. now even the health department is getting involved. he had a fever of 101. i kept her home. the steps the school is taking to make sure virus doesn't spread. violent felons, gang members all caught with guns,

the check ups making those the check ups making weapons and drugs including cocaine and heroin. plus thousands of dollars in cash all seized in a massive operation. all new tonight, eyewitness news reporter alexa ash well found out local and federal agents joined forces to crack down on felons and gang members neighborhoods.

state as either violent felons or gang members. tonight these 18 men are accused of violating their probation or parole after a massive multiagency operation. compliance checks that led investigators to 15 weapons, two of which were stolen. drugs, including cocaine, marijuana, heroin, ecstasy, and crystal meth, as well as more than $2,500 in cash and a stolen motorcycle. all seized here in mecklenburg county. within communities where people like michael and diane live. >> there's so many shootings and violence and everything. i think something needs to be done. and i'm glad to see somebody taking a positive action. >> the compliance checks come weeks after the police chief announced over all crime was up 10% in 2015. it was then he named drugs and guns as big factors in shootings and robberies.

safety which led this operation stressed drugs and guns are often linked to gangs. >> we need to make sure those supervised on probation and parole are following the terms of their supervision. >> we make it harder for the gangs to operate. they'll search for other places. we shouldn't be held hostage in our own homes. >> reporter: alexa ash well, channel 9 eyewitness news. the total of 100 federal, state, and local personnel took part in this operation. i'm allison latos a powerful herb banned around the world is being advertised and sold here in charlotte. >> my son would probably be alive today. >> a mother's urgent warning and our 9 investigation into this substance. dollar mark. the drivers paying the least.

prices go from here. police said he was wearing halloween masks and robbing convenient stores but a jury found him not guilty. but why those previous cases

he's facing similar he's a bitter chill has set in

we barely made it into the 40s today. and those temperatures are all down. in the mountains, they're not only battling the freeze, but several more inches of snow. i'm allison latos. chief meteorologist steve udelson is tracking the snow. >> misery loves company, right? we have plenty of that as the same whirlpool of cold air has settled in throughout the southeast from the atlanta metro to the charlotte metro. and of course the mountains have been dealing with nothing but off and on snow showers since early yesterday. and they continue to fall. john touched on this at 5:00, here's why we're seeing the snow. it's not a big storm. it's strictly the wind. and more importantly, the wind direction. it lifts the air up on the tennessee side of the mountains, forms clouds, and deposits moisture. until we see a change in wind direction, we'll see more snow