tv Eyewitness News at 500 ABC February 11, 2016 5:00pm-5:30pm EST
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get down to the root, a leaking water line. this is the block radio crews have been working on all day. because saturday, it froze over, leading to a series of wrecks. and then today, we saw drivers getting into fender benders this morning to avoid it. so nc ot investigate the and found an old water line had burst and was seeping onto the road. road crews tried -- crews tried to patch the leak the only to discover that didn't work. now it's up to charlotte water to fix it. and that could mean repairs are happening into the overnight hours. and as we just learned, into tomorrow afternoon. with temperatures expected to continue to plunge into the weekend. ncot officials said it is a problem that cannot wait. >> that we want to make sure that if there's even the slightest potential of water to be on the road, that motorists are away from that spot. because even during the daytime, when we don't get very much above freezing, it can cause a big issue for travelers.
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ago, crews pack it up and possibly head home for today, assuming that they're going to be out here tomorrow, to make those repairs as we just learned within the past 10 minutes. this road not expected expect -- or lane, i should say, not expected to be reopened those charlotte waters have been very busy today, repairing other road leaks. what you should be aware of, while you're out, despite low rain -- no rain but low temperatures. that's tonight at 6:00. we have been following the repairs for you, ever since eyewitness news daybreak. count on traffic team 9. we'll have the latest on the closures, starting tomorrow morning at 4:30 a.m. now, we turn to breaking news out of caberrance county, where the sheriff's office says it needs your help to find a man who is on the run. he's accused of rape and indecent liberties with a child warrants are out for 37-year-
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his picture there. they say he left the area tuesday. deputies believe he is driving a 2011 white chevrolet, hrls. it has north carolina license tag, tvw2126. anyone with information about him should call at caberas county sheriff's office. new details tonight on a case against a morganton teenager giving information to isis. federal prosecutors filed new motions, asking that a person be appointed to handle the classified government evidence. so far, no trial date has been set. >> charlotte mecklenburg police took two suspected into custody after a shooting and a short chase. officers say somebody fired shots on leak street, just off west boulevard. nobody got hit. police spotted the suspect's car a short time later, and there was that short chase. they say the two tried to jump out of the car and run, but
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>> some major developments tonight. this man now faces murder charges after investigators say he shot and killed his own mother. all new tonight, eyewitness news reporter greg suskin talked to the victim's neighbors who say they never suspected a thing. >> reporter: not only is this a rural area. but the houses around here appear to be empty. that behind me. this over here. and this is the house where the woman's body was found. neighbors tell me, they didn't even know who she was. >> flatwood road and duck creek road. we found strips of crime scene tape, where deputies found the bodies of 57-year-old carolyn torino. her sister call the saying she hadn't heard from her in a few days. torino was wheelchair bound. deputies say she had been dead for a few days and had head wounds. >> it's kind of scary.
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minds their business. >> reporter: one reason it's so quiet is the houses nearby are vacant. people have moved out. neighbors say trucks building the mine are in and out. they thought somebody would see something. >> they go up and down all day, all night. so i'm really surprised something like that would happen? >> robert hypes showed up acting suspiciously and asking about her account. deputies investigated the crime scene for 12 hours before leaving early this morning. greg suskin, channel 9 eyewitness news. >> lancaster sheriff's deputies have not yet released a motive for the murder or any other details about the crime. stocks tumble on wall street today, the fifth day in a row. the dow managed to rally and come back from a 400-point drop. nasdaq lost almost 17 today. the dramatic crash in oil prices is driving a huge drop
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oil prices are now below $27 a barrel. they haven't dipped that low since 2003. and this causing energy company profits to plunge. and raising worries about possible bankruptcies in the oil sector. >> south carolina is now the next target state for candidates who are vying to be the next president of the united states. in less than an hour, some republican candidates will be at winthrop university, hoping to win your vote. eyewitness news reporter alexa ashwell has a look at who voters can expect to see at alexa? >> reporter: erica, as you mentioned, we're just an hour away from hearing from some of those presidential candidates here at winthrop. you can see, some people already arriving for the forum, which is set to begin at 6:00. senator ted cruz is set to speak first at 6:00. he placed first in the iowa caucus and then third in the new hampshire primary.
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with dr. ben carson. and rick santorum dropped out of the race, but is here on behalf of marco rubio. students seem divided on who they want to see in office. the college's republican group had a tent outside the auditorium, providing literature about the candidates am but there were those in favor of the democratic nominees. remember, this is solely a forum for the republican candidates. one student told me, it's very important for them to gain the support of more millennials. >> i think that's one of the struggles of the republican party, is to identify with millennials. so having candidates here, millennials have the opportunity to see the candidates face to face and hear them. and some of their positions. >> reporter: again, that live look at people in the forum. it will be family values. hear from what students hope to hear at 6:00. for now, live at winthrop university.
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>> thank you, alexa. >> tonight, democratic presidential candidates hillary clinton and bernie sanders will be duking it out at a debate. clinton now scrambling to regain support after a narrow win to iowa and a blowout loss. she admits she needs to focus more on young female voters. sanders, meantime, is trying to appeal to more minorities. you can count on channel 9 to bring you highlights and any changes in the candidate's messages. that's coming up tonight at 10:00 on eyewitness news. breaking news. a georgia police officer dies after he was shot trying to serve a warrant. this happened at an apartment complex in riverdale south of atlanta. police say one of the suspects ran out, confronted the officer and shot him twice in the chest. the suspect was also shot and is now in critical condition. a woman is facing federal charges after investigators say they found drugs in her suitcase and on her body.
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charlotte douglas airport. prosecutors charge tamara williams-kelly on wednesday. investigators say they found packets of cocaine in her waist area after she landed in a flight from jamaica. back in october, police arrested this man, winston richard. they say he tried to smuggle two pounds of cocaine from the airport. he flew in from jamaica. police say he had the drugs in his carry-on bag. tonight, there is a new leader for charlotte's biggest employer. the 51-year-old african american health exec from texas is only the third ceo at carolina's healthcare system in the last 35 years. eyewitness news reporter jim bradley talked with him about his plans to lead one of the biggest hospital systems in the country. >> thank you so much. >> reporter: for the last several years, gene woods has been repeatedly mentioned as one of the top minority healthcare executives in the country. now he's about to become one of the top executives period. after a unanimous vote from the
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spent the morning, accepting applaud and handshakes and accolades. >> we needed a leader who would inspire and engage. as we evaluated the candidates, gene just rose to the top. >> reporter: woods who spent the last five years as a healthcare executive in texas says he'll take over a system here in charlotte that doesn't need fixing but will need to adapt. >> this is a ministry that going through -- an industry that is going through phenom nal change. unprecedented change. and the next 30 years will look much different from the previous 30. >> he says he will continue. >> i want to hear what their aspirations are. i want to hear where they see the best future is. and take all that was together. and shape collective dreams. >> in taking over carolina's healthcare, gene woods will take over the biggest employer and wasted no time earning pointeds with his soon to be hometown. >> as i learn about this
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keep pounding. -- keep pounding. >> he said he got that keep pounding bracelet as part of his welcome packet. he will have about two months overlap before the current ceo retires at the end of june. jim bradley, channel 9, eyewitness news. and it was just last week, that we learned the current ceo, michael tarwater was paid $6.6 million last year. chs has not released any detail about gene woods' salary at his job in texas. he was paid $1.8 million in salary and compensation. they're starting to return to the carolinas, just in time as the next winter storm takes shape. did you ever notice how the charlotte area is always on the bubble of rain or snow when we come back, we'll show you why. you expect some city employees to make overtime pay. but some making so much they doubled their salary.
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>> how confident are you >> how breaking news tonight, these repairs along busy independent boulevard won't be over any time soon for drivers, just within the past 20 minutes, we learned from the d.o.t. that the westbound lane, just before 277, into uptown, will be closed until 4:00 tomorrow afternoon. now, right now, traffic appears to be moving pretty smoothly there now. we will continue to watch for any backups and alert you throughout the night. new developments. a 25-year-old double murder case in lenore will go to trial for a second time.
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deadlocked, 6-6 in the trial for bill murphy. prosecutors said he rejected a plea deal this afternoon. he's accused of killing mark and jeanne seacrest in their home in 1990. a new trial date has not been set. a pickup truck slam spod a school bus full of kids in east charlotte. 90 minutes ago. take a look here. chopper 9 flew over the scene. not too much of an impact here. they say no injuries. nobody went to the hospital. those kids were from mend hill middle school. it's not clear if anybody will face charges in that crash. cruise passengers are just starting to make their way home tonight, after their storm- battered ship docked in new jersey late last night. the 4500 passengers and crew left on saturday, for a seven- day cruise upon. but on sunday, they ran right into a storm. they say the ship was pounded by 30-foot waves and wind gusts of up to 100 miles an hour. well, we found out that a woman
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cruise. channel 9 talked to crystal hutchins last month, when suspects broke into sportsman hangout where she works. we are now told she is flying back to our area. >> that's too bad. a trip ruined. we just found out, too, that avery county will be on a two-hour delay for schools. and our meteorologists have been will telling us for days that a system moving to our area could bring snow or freezing rain. or just rain next week. >> meteorologist vicki graf explains why the dividing line falls. >> pure, white snow. that's the hope for most kids' snow day. but unfortunately, here in charlotte, this is what we often end up with, snow, slush, freezing rain. that's what i'm forecasting for monday. north of i-85, we're predicting snow. south of 85, expect to start the day monday with but as it warms up, that changes over to
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but i don't want it to snow. >> reporter: it's often that i- 85 line that divides who gets more snow and more rain. >> reporter: this is why. you know it snows in the mountains, where it's cold. as that cold air rolls down, it starts starts to warm through the foothills, but it's still cold enough for snow. but by that time it gets to charlotte, it can warm enough to switch over to rain. >> reporter: a little distance makes a big difference. it's important to note, since this is still five days out, that dividing line of cold versus warm air, it will move. which will make the difference of whether you get snow or freezing rain in your neighborhood. >> reporter: in this area, it also makes a big difference for road crews, trying to keep you safe. snow is easier to treat. freezing rain can wash away any salt or brine. and makes roads far more dangerous and can also lead to more power outages. >> and we have been watching the models very closely here in severe weather center 9 in the past couple of days. and they have been trending warmer.
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freezing rain. christine will have more on the track of the storm. >> we like the trend. let's just say we like the trend. and today, sunshine. that was nice, too. and a bit of a warmup. looking at temperatures now, we're still looking at mid- to upper 40s. charlotte down to ballantine 40s. a little cooler as you move toward i-40. lower 40s. the mountains? what can we say? it's not quite freezing but a step in the right direction. we were in the teens this time yesterday. we were in the mid-20s. without the biting winds we saw. wind speeds, 10 to 15 miles in the mountains, much less than that. that is making it more tolerable to be outside. still need a coat. that's for sure. upper 30s by 9:00. not cooling quite as much or as quickly overnight tonight and early tomorrow, with temperatures again, lower 20s, first thing tomorrow morning, under those cloudy skies. ahead of that next system, which will start to push our way. bus stop forecast, gray skies,
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the sky in the charlotte area. temperatures will be, for the most part, mid- to upper 20s. there's that next weather system. it's got a lot of real estate to cover. but it will do it quickly as we head through the day tomorrow. snow showers likely touch off in the mountains by early morning. charlotte area, if anything falls in the sky, it will be through late morning to the middle part of the afternoon. and the latest forecast suggests more rain than anything else. there may be more flurries north of town. don't be surprised but don't be freaked out. because that's all it will be, a few flurries. middle 30s by lunchtime. and again, if there's a time when something is falling, that's when it will be. and it will be the upper 30s as we head through the afternoon. far cry from our average high of 54. and we are still looking for some brutally cold weather this weekend. saturday, upper 30s. valentine's morning. middle teens. highs only in the mid-30s. and not much better as we head on through the rest of the weekend and early next week. upper 20s in the mountains tomorrow. pinpoints regional forecast
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snow showers. and here it may pile up a little bit. because it will off and on -- go off and on through the day. 40% chance of a rain drop or snowflake. but a 30% chance in the charlotte area. afternoon highs will be right around the 40-degree mark. the five-day forecast, if you look through valentine's day. again, that will be the peak of the chill and the last of the chill for a while. the storm next week, actually is heralding warmer air. >> uh-huh. >> we just have to get through monday next and the wintry mix. >> well, the peek of the chill. >> there's something poetic about it. i don't know what that is. >> i'd rather it be hot. >> i think we all would. stopping the shrinking airline seat. why a push to get passengers more room was just shot down. plus -- >> i'm very embarrassed about it. and it was a complete accident. >> arrested for trying to bring a gun through charlotte douglas. channel 9 asked the former
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asking, how that small child as a plan to stop airline seats and keep that from shrinking failed in washington today. the seat act was setting minimum seat sizes. a congressman introduced it saying, it's not just about comfort but safety. he questions whether people can evacuate in an emergency. but the house transportation panel voted to shoot that down. >> reporter: there will be a crash. and there will be people who will not be able to get out of an airplane because of this situation. and they'll have lungs filled with smoke. and they'll be dead. and then we'll do something about it. >> lawmakers who voted against the bill say it's redundant. they say safety surrounding seat size is already being addressed in an faa reauthorization bill. meanwhile, the airline say by cramming in all of those seats, they can offer you a lower fare.
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>> and you might notice those lower fares the next time you buy a plane ticket. they say the plane fares have dropped to a six-year low. average price is now about $372. expansion of airlines and plunging jet fuel costs are big plungers behind the drop. booking vacations through fake hotel reservation sites. they claim to be affiliated with major chains. but the people who run those sites pocket your money, without actually booking a room. a new bill would aplow federal trade commission to govern after these -- to go after these sites and shut them down. investigation into some city workers making so much overtime, one nearly doubled his salary. >> how confident are you that your employees are not gaming system? >> the tax dollars you're
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again tonigh extreme cold for days tonight. we are tracking more arctic air that could bring snow to charlotte. the mountain will see another round, too. and some areas have already seen as many as 9 inches this week. i'm allisonularas. >> i'm scott wickersham. meteorologist steve udelson is tracking this brufort of -- burst of cold air. >> the first arrived yesterday. kind of peaked this morning. today, this afternoon, sunshine warmed us up a bit. but don't get too used to it. while it's got a lot of real estate to cover, we're tracking that next batch of cold air, which is now the snow showers. you see the upper left-hand corner of your picture, that's going to make steady progress toward the carolinas. it's now a little over 700 miles away. overnight tonight, just the thickening clouds, which will actually help us out. remember, clouds act as a blanket. won't fall quite as quickly.
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country. tomorrow's future cast, we're going to stop the time line, 9:00 a.m. first snow showers break out in the mountains. if anything falls from the sky in the charlotte area, it will start about 10:00, 11:00 in the morning. maybe a snowflake or rain drop and quickly push on out as we head toward about 2:00, 3:00 in the afternoon. but the snow showers will continue to fly in the mountains. and tomorrow's threat tracker, the snow in the mountains, making for tough travel. and again, cold and wind chill, something that the high country has been dealing with all week long. and of course, north carolina ski country, getting ready for what could be one of the busiest weekends of the year. dave faherty spoke with the d.o.t. about efforts under way to make sure drivers are safe with more snow in the forecast. dave? >> reporter: and steve, i kept my truck in two-wheel drive today. and i was able to make it here. i'm at the very top of appalachian ski mountain. the main roads are in real good shape right now. the d.o.t. wants to keep it that way this weekend. >> reporter: shortly after lunchtime today, we were there,
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