gusts is making it brutal outside. take a look at this video we shot earlier. you can see the strong winds that caused white out conditions at times. for a third day in a row, school was called off. the d.o.t. is working twelve hour shifts to clear the roads. i saw snow drifts of 3 to 4 feet in the higher elevations. we talked with one man who literally disappeared in the snow today in the wind while walking to work. he says wearing several layers of clothing, it's cold. >> the clothes don't work. >> it's too cold. >> reporter: we're getting a little bit of a break from the wind but the snow is continuing to fall. making it harder on d.o.t. road crews. the temperature at beach mountain is a chilly 5 degrees. reporting live from beach mountain, dave faherty, that

you can see it. back to you. thank you dave, still ahead at 5:00, john ahrens is live at blowing rock, the impact the dangerous windchills are having on the people there. if you want to know more about the freeze headed for your neighborhood tonight, christine rapp . is live chatting on facebook right now. breaking news in gastonia where firefighters rescued a worker after he fell into a 12- foot hole. chopper 9 sky zoom was over this construction site as the crews used a fire truck to lift the worker out on a stretcher. eyewitness news reporter alexa ash well is live on the ground and just got an update on his condition. alexa? >> reporter: well, scott, erica, we're told that man is expected to survive. crews told us they were trying to remove concrete from in front of this old building you see here when a portion of the concrete gave way.

years old plunged 12 feet down the hole to the ground. crews couldn't believe their eyes and some ran through the door you see here to get to the basement of the building. chopper 9 flew overhead as firefighters rescued the man. you can see him strapped in a stretcher. firefighters used their truck to pull him from the home. we're told the man was alert and talking after he fell through the hole. we also have some pictures from inside that hole. the fire department snapped them after locating the man. they also had to go through the basement of this old building to get to him. we spoke with a worker who was feet away from the man when the concrete gave way. >> it was frightening. it takes your breath away. left us in shock for a second. >> reporter: we were told the man has some broken bones. again, expected to survive. the fire chief says after falling 12 feet down through this hole, he's a very, very lucky man. reporting live in gastonia, alexa ashwell, channel 9 eyewitness news. thank you.

somebody held up people inside of a bank in ballantyne this afternoon. in the past hour we got these surveillance pictures. pretty good photos of the suspect. this happened at the first citizens bank right across from the harris teeter in a very busy shopping center in ballantyne. reporter mark becker is live with more tonight. >> it happened just before 2:00. a fairly busy time down here in the ballantyne area. we're told the suspect walked into the first citizens bank and demanded money. it's not clear whether or not he had a gun. quickly. when we flew over the bank with chopper 9 sky zoom shortly after the robbery, we could see patrol cars on all sides of the building. by then the suspect had run across john delaney drive toward the harris teeter shopping center. but the bank surveillance

of caused parents to pull their kids out of school today.

message telling them there were rumors on social media that there was going to be an incident on campus today. several students told us it was tense inside the building. >> a lot of kids were scared. they were calling their parents. there were people running in the hallway screaming and stuff. >> the school brought in extra officers as a precaution. but police tell channel 9 they were not able to find anybody who had actually seen that facebook post. some good news for anyone preparing to make a big purchase, the fed could delay raising interest rates again. chairwoman janet yellen told congress today the fed is concerned about china's economy and falling u.s. stocks. economists expected four rate hikes this year. but now say there might only be one or two. yellen's comments and another drop in oil prices caused an early rally on wall street to lose some steam with the dow finally dropping 100 points on the day. nasdaq ended the day up 14 points. now the race for the white

candidates carlie fiorina and chris christie decided to stop their campaigns after not very good finishes in new hampshire. voters give a big win to republican donald trump and democratic bernie sanders. the big surprise came with ohio governor john kasich who got side. hillary clinton also vowing to keep pushing forward. >> i absolutely do believe that i can not only unify the party, but i also believe i can bring back that reagan blue collar democratic who they were for reagan. >> now we take this campaign to the entire country. we're going to fight for every vote. >> in the republican race, it was a three-way tie for third between ted cruz, jeb bush, and marco rubio. now the spotlight shifts to south carolina. many candidates campaigning here. marco rubio host add town hall in spartanburg. ted cruz rallied in myrtle beach. and jeb bush had an appearance in bluffton. tonight at 6:00, greg suskin

why south carolina is such a key state and what the candidates need to do to win your vote. new at 5:00, we're getting our first look at the after math of a crash that governor pat mccrory was involved in after the super bowl. the governor just released this photo. another vehicle rear ended the one that he was riding in on sunday night. the governor was not hurt. our team of photographers are continuing their trip home tonight after covering the super bowl. >> what do you think, carl? >> it's been a beautiful morning, and here's the reason why, ladies and gentlemen, the grand canyon. >> they traveled more than 750 miles yesterday and woke up this morning in arizona as you can tell from their amazing view and their video. and they're documenting their trip back to charlotte with

follow the #wsocbacktochcharlott te. neighbors called 911 after a man was firing shots at an apartment on forest brook drive. murphy fired at police. they returned fire and killed him. swat team members found murphy dead two feet inside his front door. charlotte mecklenburg police chief spoke publicly about the city's rise in crime. he made those comments in front of members of a local networking group in south park. the chief also talked about the need for more resources to fight crime and the impact that the randal carrick trial had on morale. >> that trial really impacted the cmpd family. it almost ripped us in half. >> he says an internal advisory council made of officers and detectives is now helping the department work through the morale issues.

found a way to drive out crime, how they're keeping neighbors say even as the town grows. a mooresville charter school says students are coming back to class after concerns about a flu out break. channel 9 checked with lang tree charter academy today. on monday the school sent parents a letter warning about kids with stomachfully symptoms. today the head of the cdc told congress the agency needs emergency money to fight the mosquito born zika virus now. the virus is suspected of causing severe birth defects. the president asked for $1.8 billion to stop the spread. but republicans say the agency should use money set aside for fighting other diseases like ebola. a charlotte soup kitchen has officially opened its new upgraded headquarters in west charlotte. the harvest center can now double the number of people that it helps in its facility on freedom drive. it currently provides more than 800 breakfast and lunches per

now the staff can also add a dinner service. imagine a child with a cell phone bill, a mortgage, and credit card debt because their identity was stolen. action 9 investigates, the new law and the easy step you can take right now to protect your child's identity. plus fighting a controversial plan that would move thousands of students into different schools. the new push by concerned parents to stop it. today is about as cold as it gets in the area with sunshine and snow on the ground.

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(phone ringing)you can't deal with something, by ignoring it. but that's how some presidential candidates seem to be dealing with social security. americans work hard, and pay into it. so our next president needs a real plan to keep it strong. (elephant noise) (donkey noise) hey candidates, answer the call already. answer the c temperatures all ready

30s in charlotte. teens up in the mountains. in a few minutes john ahrens will be live from blowing rock with how cold it is in the mountains. 24 hours after parents packed this cms board meeting all over a controversial student reassignment plan, we found out there's a new push to try and stop it. >> that plan will impact thousands of students across the district. eyewitness news anchor liz foster talked to parents and found that hundreds of them have signed a new petition. liz? >> erica, it's actually thousands. the plan that could move students from this elementary school to another is getting strong opinions from parents on both sides of the issue. more than 2,000 people have all ready signed this one online petition to keep kids in the school they're currently in based on where they live. but leaders of charlotte mecklenburg schools say the district must under go a comprehensive student assignment review every six

it's a controversial plan that impacts all students in the district with the goal of making schools more diverse and more academically successful. stone who has two kids in cms says there are pros and cons but wonders if it's an administrative issue. >> what are the administrative people doing on this side of town that they're not doing on the other side of town? is it an administrative issue or is it a community issue? >> reporter: others think the plan would be a good change. >> it's all right if it's for diversity. >> reporter: last night dozens of parents voiced their concerns about the plan to shift thousands of students to different schools. after the meeting, we caught up to superintendent anne clark who said there isn't a plan as of now. >> the board is at the point of deciding what the goals of the student assignment plan should be. and the goals may change as

right now parents are taking an online survey about the issue. the deadline for that survey is february 22nd. at the next meeting, school board members are expected to discuss their goals for the student assignment plan. reporting live in north charlotte, liz foster, channel 9 eyewitness news. liz, thank you, as that assignment plan moves forward, we have to look at the time line for you. the community student survey closes on february 22nd. as liz just mentioned, the board plans to voight on students assignment goals at its meeting on february 23rd. and it also plans to hire a consultant by the end of the month. this spring the board is set to determine whether or not a student assignment plan is doable for the 2017-2018 school year. we have put all of that information all about the time line on our website, wsoctv.com. look for that inside liz's story right there on the home page. as the sun goes down tonight, it's dragging those temperatures with it.

steve. >> 45 minutes to sunset. we've all ready lost two degrees. 36 in charlotte, concord, albemarle, monroe. 38 down toward wadesboro. 33 in shelby and lincolnton. it gets colder as you move north. find your neighborhood on the map, i-40 corridor statesville to hickory, around 30. morganton, 29. lenoir, 27. mid teens in the mountains, banner elk, the actual air temperature now, 6 degrees. you factor in the wind, it feels like -2 in boone, -3 in banner elk. it's one thing to talk about numbers like that. it's another thing to see what that looks like and what it's like to deal with outside. we made a john sickle today. john ahrens is in blowing rock downtown to tell us what's going on. john? >> reporter: i'm looking at the wsoc-tv weather app. we have a temp here in boone of 6. a wind speed of 17 miles per hour. and that's all the difference here. because you talk about

and heat are two different things. temperature is the amount of speed of the energy molecules in your body. well, the heat's the amount of energy that you have itself. and the more that you lose, the closer that you get to things like frostbite or hypothermia. you add wind, ask -- and every once in a while we get a flap of the awnings. it's dangerous, we've been up and down highway 321 from blowing rock through boone. the winds have been howling. i haven't found a lot of people outside braving it thankfully. but those who did in the boone area had to go to class. it's going to get colder than this. it's still snowing in blowing rock. for more, here's steve. >> you talk about the kids at app state, in the charlotte area, we won't see snow, but kids waiting for a bus stop, especially the high schoolers

cover up, hats, gloves, scarves, will all come in handy. it's dangerous to be outside with that kind of chill and exposed skin. john talked about the snow showers in the mountains. they'll finally come to an end. we'll see plenty of sunshine tomorrow. don't expect much of a warm up. a step in the right direction maybe. a few wispy high clouds around. low 40s tomorrow afternoon. our average is 54. we'll be nowhere near that. neighborhood forecast for page land, sunshine, but temperatures no better than the middle 40s. here's the trend over the next five days. 40s through friday and saturday and then another bump in the road, more cold air for sunday into the first part of next week. and the first part of next week, we maybe dealing with a winter storm as well. let's enjoy the weekend. we have sunshine both days. valentine's day, the chillier of the two. we start in the teens and only top out in the mid 30s. and again, our five-day forecast, we're talking about temperatures for the most part in the low 40s tomorrow.

a little cooler as we head through sunday. and at 5:30. we'll talk about that winter storm that will move our way for monday. >> everybody really needs to brace for this. >> all right. thanks. >> myers park student was arrested after police say they found him with a gun on a school bus. >> never would i expect that someone would come or have a reason to come with a gun to school. >> the tip that led officers to the weapon and why it wasn't caught sooner. plus huntersville is growing fast but the crime isn't. i went behind the scenes with police and got a firsthand look at the tool catching crimes before they happen and keeping families safe. north carolina families in need drug tested for benefits.

how much steve: today is your lucky day. woman: (surprised) oh, my goodness mark: you've just won - a thousand dollars! woman: that'amazing! that' amazing! (shrieks) woman: ok, nice job. mark, way better than yesterday. maria, that delivery felt alittle forced. and steve, steve: yeah? woman: i am still missing that raw emotion. woman: pretty awesome for atuesday, but tomorrow is hump day, so let's really bring it! lucky for life. win a thousand dollars a day,

new numbers show there's little evidence to support the idea that people ask for public assistance in north carolina use drugs. back in 2013, state lawmakers approved a measure to require drug testing for certain work first applicants who raised red flags. work first is a cash assistance program for needy families.

test or tested positive. the amount they reef receive from the program would be reduced a single mother of two would receive $272 a month. if the mother failed the drug test -- it would be reduced. 7600 cases reviewed from august to december, 150 people met the criteria to require a drug test. 91 applicants tested positive or skipped out of the appointment. it represents 1% of reviewed cases. people who test positive are able to seek drug treatment and come back for another test in 30 days. the state pays for the first test. but the applicant pays for the second round. so far the program cost the state about $5,500 to complete. in the last 40 minutes. vice president joe bruno wrapped up a round table at duke university on how to end cancer the vice president led

researchers, and other public health experts. the president tapped him to lead the new moon shot program a 1 billion-dollar push to find a cure for cancer. biden's son bo died of a brain tumor last year. >> new recommendations from the federal government could help mothers who suffer from post partum depression after having a child. for the first time a federal task force recommends depression screening for a pregnant or post partum woman. most women aren't diagnosed until it's too late. i'm allison latos, channel 9 has all new stories next from protecting your children, a gun on a charlotte bus, and the plunging temperatures, identity thieves are targeting children as young as five months old. action 9 is investigating what you can do tonight to protect your family. then -- >> i'm very upset. i have a child here, so i want

>> a gun at myers park high school. we're asking how long the student had it on campus before police arrested him. and dangerous cold, next steve is mapping out the

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from the mountains to charlotte are creating dangerous conditions for neighborhoods all ready below freezing. we didn't make it out of the 30s today. but the wind makes it feel more like the 20s outside. i'm allison latos. thanks for joining us. i'm scott wickersham. taking us through the dangers in this weather. let's start with chief meteorologist steve udelson. a little perspective on the numbers. mid 30s in the charlotte area. our average low temperature. first thing in the morning is freezing. 32 degrees. we're going to be there in the next two hours or so. 35 in gastonia, harrisburg, 36 concord and mint hill. 37 matthews and monroe. and temperatures in the mountains all ready down to the mid teens. we never went up much today. look how strong the winds have been. better than 40 miles per hour in the high country. in charlotte, winds to 25. driving the windchill values down. mid 20s in the charlotte area.

we have seen off and on snow showers today in the high country. radar not picking them up that great. the threat tracker is picking up the potential for more snow showers over night tonight. that's going to start to die out down. the winds will continue to remain in the mountains. driving the windchill values down. some big time issues across the high country especially where windchills have all ready been below 0. we have john ahrens out there. meteorologist john ahrens dealing with friends up in blowing rock, john? yeah, steve, you know the snow has settled down just a little bit. we're getting some flurries. it's all about the wind. every once in a while you get a good gust of wind, you can see the snow flying down the sidewalk at a good rate and every once in a while, with a little bit of mini circulation, you can see that snow swirl around a little bit. a little snow devil if you will. but it's certainly the wind speeds that are about 20 miles per hour making all the difference here.

some people taking the right