the rain chances wind down for now. show you that in the future cast coming up, also how they will rebuild tomorrow. more heavy rain threats, stronger storms coming in with more severe weather issues. first, let's get you out there on those wet roads. mark. >> for folks heading out, this is what you're dealing with. the damp and wet roadways. we're at 45 getting on to 77 this morning. traffic is building. there are no accidents. but plan accordingly. maybe you'll plan a couple minutes early and give you extra time. because it doesn't take much for things to get busy. drive time technology showing the inner loop of 485 coming out of valentin toward i-77, 64 miles per hour. it's 8 minutes. now if you're coming in from york county on i-77, just checked in. you're at 63 miles per hour. this is near the state line. stephanie.

suspect after a standoff that lasted for hours. >> the s.w.a.t. team blocked off a neighborhood in northeast mecklenburg county before moving in. angela is live there now where investigators just cleared the scene. angela. >> reporter: john, that's right, within the last 30 minutes, police cleared the scene. they will foing focusing their efforts. police were trying to serve a warrant and going in and out collecting evidence from this house. now we have been here since 2:00 this morning when police and s.w.a.t. team members surround this house. medic was out here as well in case anyone got injured. they were trying to serve a warrant from another county for a man wanted from a violent crime. when a man refused to come out. around 3:30, police made their way into the house and arrested the suspect. police have been talking to other people who live in the house and we spoke with neighbors who say that police

ingly was pulling into my driveway and they said remain in the car, do not pull out. there's a very serious situation going on and i was concerned because you know, i didn't know what was going on or if anyone got hurt or anything like that. >> and we are trying to find out more information about the crime this person was arrested for. we will continue to push police for those answers and bring you another live update. reporting live in northwest charlotte, channel 9 eyewitness news. >> tonight, leaders will lay out the focus while creating a student assignment plan. >> reducing the number of schools with poor students. some parents are concerned that will lead to busing students to different schools. more than 400 people packed a church in meyers park to share their opinions. >> why are we staying warm on

>> it does not mean you are not as intelligent as your children. >> eric davis spoke to the crowd and wants families to realize their children's lives are all tide together. we're asking cms how many people filled out the student assignment survey. the deadline to fill it out passed at midnight. as of last week, 19,000 people had participated. just about 6:04 now. north carolina is at risk of losing federal money because not enough students are taking standardized tests. each school is required to have 95% of their students take state exams. they have to meet the same requirement and subgroups that include race and economic backgrounds. more than 300 schools across the state, including some in our area did fall short. more than half high schools failed to meet the requirements for the past three years now. the state superintendent responded to the letter saying she's aware of the problem and schools will face consequences and get targeted help from the state.

that made that list. you can see for yourself and see if your school may be on there. a controversial antidediscrimination will become law in charlotte. city council passed it after hearing more than 100 people speak for and against it. >> the most controversial part allows people which bathroom they use. eyewitness news reporter is live in uptown to explain how council came to the decision. >> reporter: charlotte city council listened for three hour, the passionate pleas for people for and against. but ultimately decided to approve it. here's a breakdown of, 7 voted for, and 3 against it. for or against this ordinance, opponents held signs saying don't do it, charlotte. prevents businesses, but it

and locker rooms of the gender they identify with. opponents say that will open the door for predators, but it's simply about equality. >> your fears for bathroom safety, also will end up being baseless. >> i am asking you to repent of your hell bent way to just bring havoc to our children. the ordinance is going to face several charges before it goes into effect. the action law may recollects could take to stop it. live, ewe witness news. >> time, 6:06, jurors will try to decide the fate of a woman trying to cut a baby out of a appalachian state's woman. diana lane lured michelle wilkins to her colorado home last year. wilkins survived the attack, but her baby did not.

yesterday as defense attorneys argued lane was overcome with a desire to have a baby. >> because it was a hasty, impulsive, and wreckless act, there never was any intention. just because it wasn't a good plan or doesn't make plan, doesn't mean it was an intentional plan she had. that baby. >> charged with attempted first- degree murder. her defense attorneys say she should try formanslaughter. be in court this afternoon for arraignment. richmond is facing several charges, including illegal firearms dealing. smuggling goods from the united states. investigators say he bought 63 firearms and 3500 rounds of ammunition and traveled from charlotte to ghana. the indictment says he hid more

dryer and tried to ship those machines. ry selection is underway for a concord man accused of killing his girlfriend while they were in college 20 years ago. police say edwin killed mcqueen in raleigh in 1996. he went to n.c. state and mcqueen went to shaw university. months after mcqueen disappeared, but dropped charges. they charged him again in 2014 after using modern testing on the evidence. >> the centers for disease control say health hazards could be higher than previously thought. last year, officials discovered some of the company's flooring from chai nay china contained high levels of formaldehyde. health officials say a miscalculation caused the original number to be lower.

their test and one our action 9 team bought. there was a small difference in the results, but the lumberliy lumber liquidators defended their decision. cnn will host the event in columbia. bernie sanders will take that stage first followed by hilary clon ton. hotels booked about 230,000 extra rooms this month as journalists and campaign staffers spent so much time in the state. that's an extra $24 million. each person visited for campaign reasons spends about $330 a day on hotels, meals, and other purchases. republican candidates moved on to nevada now, which holds its republican caucuses today. donald trump is considered the favorite there. marco rubio and ted cruz will battle it out for second place.

results and the key moments from the town hall tonight. watch eyewitness news at 10:00 and 11:00. >> we have weather and traffic every ten minutes. here's meteorologist, keith monday, with your forecast for the day. keith. >> and watching the rain mix south now. across the northern counties, the appalachians moving northbound, so we'll dry out a ttle bit in the metro, it isn't going to be enough to get the roads clear up. so it's going to be a slow go. with more rain coming through tonight, everybody will be under a flash flood watch. starts tonight and go through the day on wednesday. it was not just more heavy rain, even severe threats. and how we should ease things up. let's see if those problems are still there. >> get reports of a stalled vehicle. this is just off of independence. if you're heading out, look

flows through the area. independent boulevard, folks head handgun inbound toward charlotte's inbound, keep that in mind and take it slow if you're heading out in the next couple of minutes. some possible injuries, a hit- and-run. we'll see where that is, see if it's causing any delays and if we'll need any alternate routes coming up next. >> a charlotte veteran is taking matters into his own hands to protect firefighters. >> and for someone to violate them, it's wrong. >> the steps he is taking call and the way other departments are keeping firefighters safe. >> there's a new push to ease the fears after an investigation uncovers a cluster of eye cancer cases. the first push that they are making. >> and making plans for a $50

where they believe time now is 6:14. this is what you will face when you walk out the door. this is live early warning doppler 9. you can see rain falling in some of our communities. it's very damp out there. you'll see very wet streets.

also when it comes to the temperature holding steady from where we are right now. that full forecast including when we'll see more rain from meteorologist, keith monday, in severe weather center 9. north lake mall is preparing for a $50 million expansion. >> but some are questioning how its plans to expand, if it can't fill vacant stores. at least 200,000 square feet of new retail space will sit in front of north lake mall and connect it to the front entrance. we walked the mall, found 18 store fronts empty or under construction. >> i think they need to focus more on bringing people back to the mall. >> expansion is fine, as long as it's not tax dollars, i'm all about that. >> construction on the new retail space is expected to start early next year. >> charges are pending against a driver accused of hitting four bicyclists outside raleigh. investigators say those charges will depend on whether two of the bicyclist survive.

one of the injured cyclists spoke about the crash for the first time. >> i don't know why she can put on the brights or avoid us the other way. >> neither speed nor alcohol were factors in the crash. the driver said she had no choice because a truck was coming toward her in the other lane. >> this morning, we're learning more about what may have caused a deadly crash. the driver, daryl baine may have been distracted at the time. the logging truck crossed the center line off of ferguson road in gastonia. the driver of that pickup was killed. the d.a. will decide if baine will face any charges. >> community members can weigh in. the city is planning a major revitalization of church street and liberty park. neighbors can pitch their ideas at an open house.

8:00 tonight at the war memorial recreation center. >> a aaa study found 15% of all u.s. drivers have had pothole damage to their cars. they say the average repair costs around $300. >> a lot of americans are putting money into repairing their cars that they need to be putting into. you know, the food bill. >> aaa says congress should invest more money to help states fix potholes. and potholes and other road problems are why south carolina, some of them, the lawmakers want to raise the state's gas taxes. senators looked at a proposal to raise that gas tax and raise other fees while cutting the income tax. one senator filibustered that bill, preventing lawmakers from taking action. >> we have weather and traffic every ten minutes. >> keith monday is in severe weather center 9. >> some short-term improvements

are easing from charlotte to south. it will be a couple more hours before the rain dries up. the overall green, less on the map, as you do these, through stainfield, still wet and these roads are not going to dry up, but the steady nature of the rain is easing in. to lincolnton, still fairly steady. as you work your way northbound, northern cleveland county, shelby, the rain is still falling here in cleveland county this morning and all across the foothills, statesville, hickory, taylorsville, still very wet to start out. no easing your rain for now after 7:00. this will start to wind down, i expect a steady mist and drizzle all day long. 47 now in the city. low 40s north. upper 30s in the mountains. cold rain and our temperature

but we stayed barely clogs to 50. no big rine this afternoon. just staying damp all day long, we may few up a couple degrees this afternoon, but not much. look at at future cast. just some mist and drizzle left over. same for the morning commute. most of the next rain chance doesn't come in until well after dark tonight. that's good news for the rest of the day today, and the tournament getting better as we head into the afternoon. we'll see a much stronger chance coming midday for tomorrow. we have to keep our card on wednesday. we have severe thunderstorms working their way through and maybe earlier than you would expect. typically it's an afternoon thing. this is a midday thing for tomorrow. sunshine, but most of us are under a threat for light risk.

going to be a bet. even shawl risk for tornadoes popping up as well. stay tuned for this. it could be active. when you can expect waves of strong storms to work their way in. five-day forecast, the weekend always in view, we start to warm up tomorrow. that will bring in the chance for stronger storms. drying out and cooling down for the rest of the week. 50s for friday and saturday and low 60s on sunday with a lot of sunshine for the second half of our week and into the weekend. time is 6:20. a minor problems, let's get a breakdown from mark. >> a hit-and-run that the medic was responding to. this was happening at nevada boulevard. this will put you south of westinghouse. a minor delay here. according to drive time technology on 49 coming in from the bridge and heading towards uptown. that's a 24 minute ride. something we'll continue to

along with that stalled vehicle, just off of independence boulevard, still green conditions here, but it is billing. wet roadways to deal with. john. >> airlines are taking steps to raise fares ahead of the summer travel season. ahead at 6:30, the small increase at one low cost carrier that has other airlines following suit. >> the tournament kicks off today in charlotte with tens and thousands expected to crowd into uptown. >> it's a great at f atmosphere. >> the specific businesses cmpd is meeting with in order to keep the city safe. >> a channel 9 investigation found a rare eye cancer cluster. next this morning. steps doctors are taking to make sure their families are safe.

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doctors are taking action this morning after our investigation into concerns about a possible cluster of a rare eye cancer case in huntersville. >> the nci society made up of eye physicians and surgeons is offering an eye exam to current and former students who cannot afford them. for the past two years, eyewitness news investigated nearly a dozen cases of ocular melanoma, striking people who lived or worked nearby. doctors hope offering free exams will help give people peace of mind. >> there's a lot of anxiety among hope well students and people who live in the area. so, we are offering eye exams to give patients peace of mind. >> eye care is offering to help with some of those exams. a burlingtom north carolina doctor is offering free exams for people who no longer live in charlotte. patients and some elected officials are willing to pay

but cms has been reluctant to grant access to the campus. >> free shipping will be difficult to come by for most amazon users. the online retailer just raised the minimum amount you have to spend to get free shipping from $35 to $49. a 40% increase. you can get free shipping with amazon prime, however, there is a yearly membership, which costs $99. thieves hit nearly a dozen fire departments in the last two weeks while crews were out on calls. >> those are some scoundrels. >> the actions this local veteran is taking every time he sees a fire truck leave the station. >> intensity of today's rain easing up a little bit. i'm looking at future cast data for severe weather heading our way for tomorrow. >> it's nicknamed the bathroom bill. charlotte city council approved the antidediscrimination ordinance.

plan to stop this law from now, channel 9 eyewitness news daybreak continues. >> we're using the city's most powerful radar to track rain as it starts to ease up and pinpoint which neighborhoods are still getting hit.

ponding on the roads. we are monitoring more than 100 dot cameras to show you conditions before you head to work, including some delays on independence. thanks for joining us on this tuesday morning. >> 6:30 right now. let's get a first check of that forecast, keith monday is in severe weaeaer center 9. still tracking rain. >> it's raining out there. at least we don't have the intensity. big downpours. but, the roads are still wet and we aren't going to see those dry out. still damp conditions, most of what is falling now, fine, mist and drizzle that may very well be with us for the rest of the day. to shelby, we're still seeing light rain in cleveland, lincoln county, hickory, showers continue as these neighborhoods up north between statesville over toward taylorsville through bethlehem, saw mills, hudson, dealing with light rain and the same case for the mountain counties.

the rain chances stepping down, temperatures hold in the low 50s at best for this afternoon. i do see those returning for tonight. i'll show you how quickly those come back. strong winds, they will be rolling in for tomorrow. 6:31, let's talk about the delays and slowdowns on the wet roads. >> independence near morning side is where we are looking. 277, we have reports of an accident. it was just called in. we're working to get more information on what lanes are closed, but it is affecting your commute for folks heading toward the brookshine, go ahead and use the road, we're dealing with the wet roadways and just got an update on an accident happening at the concord this morning, just spoke with highway patrol, they are in route. the communications telling us they are closed. this is going to be west of 85. because of an accident. so we're working to get more information.

going to use harris road back towards poplar as the alternate route. down in south charlotte, down on south near nevada boulevard, just south of westing house, for now, we are seeing minor delays. >> charlotte leaders passed the ordinance that caused so much controversy. >> some people are upset, regardless of gender. eyewitness news reporter, joe bruno is live to explain how the state may now be getting involved with this. joe. >> the lawmakers in raleigh could pass another law to overrule this ordinance. they could send the issue to voters in november. north carolina is not a home rule state. that means the state has the authority to weigh in on issues that city pass. legislatures could strike down the entire ordinance or they could eliminate for bathroom flexibility, they also could send the issue to voters that could decide in a referendum.

ordinance last night, some say it is much needed. others say it gives sexual predators access to children. >> i count data from other cities with similar ordinances does not substantiate claims for women like myself and children will be at greater risk. >> you have also laughed at the idea of a band showering with your daughter. >> the penalty for violating this ordinance is a fine and it is set to go into effect on april 1. reporting live at the government center, channel 9 eyewitness news. >> a 19-year-old chester man has been sentenced to 45 years in prison for shooting and killing another teen in 2014. robert graham's lawyer plans to appeal this sentence, which was too harsh. graham's lawyer presented court exhibits that showed other homicides in the past decade that ed, with guilty pleas, but not life sentences like prosecutors were seeking. they argued a 30 year sentence

member of the round tree circle gang. a group police and prosecutors say is responsible for the shooting death of chester city councilman, odel williams in 2014. >> there's a search this morning to find a group of kids who shot a six week old puppy. 18 times with a bb gun in rock hill. this is video of brody from our news partner at the harold. a utility worker found him bleeding at an apartment complex on springdale road sunday night. the worker told officers he saw 20 juveniles around the dog. he is now at ebenezer hospital and the veterinarian is recovering well. >> investigators hope surveillance video will lead them to the thieves targeting local fire departments. the latest case happened overnight sunday at the flint fire department. thieves smashed out the windows of firefighters cars and stole money. the 11th fire station the thieves hit in our area. but the break ins inspired

he now stands guard when the notifier station responds to emergencies. >> those are some scoundrels doing that. these are the guys that would help the burglar if he had a heart attack or fire. >> still unclear if any of the cases are connected to each other. the ciaa tournament kicks off today for the 11th straight year. tournament sales are up 6% from last year. it's expected to bring 150,000 people to the city and pump millions into our local economy. the city has declared it an extraordinary event, which means you will see extra security. cmpd says it has been in touch with area bars and nightclubs. last year, violence erupted at two venues, neither was associated with the tournament. tv 64 is the official television home, where you can watch the men's quarter finals and semifinal games. game one for the women starts at 10:00 this morning.

>> a total of 12 cases of the mumps spanning mecklenburg,, and iredale counties. three of those are confirmed. we know that two are in iredale, one is in mecklenburg county. the number of probable cases increased to 9. it's not clear where those cases are located. channel 9 broke the news that two of the confirmed cases were connected to lowe's headquarters. health officials say two employees at the support center tested positive for the mumps. the company is now working to make sure the 4,000 employees are safe. taking extra steps to clean the building and adding more sanitizers on the campus. the health department did note some people included in the number of cases have already covered and no longer infectious. the next mumps update will be on thursday. for more on what you need to know about the mumps, go to wsoctv.com. search for that on our home page. >> american airlines dropped a lawsuit against wifi provider go go.

offers that could bring faster wifi on about 200 planes. go go said it would not challenge americans right to consider other offers, but will submit a bid to install new technology in the plains. go go is the largest inflight wireless provider in the country, providing service to more than 9,000 planes. we're only two months into 2016 and already airlines have tried to raise ticket prices five times. fair compare.com, southwest was the latest to raise prices. last friday, it increased domestic fares by $5 one way on trips shorter than a week. southwest is considered a low cost carrier, so since it raised prices, delta, american, are following the lead. southwest airlines announced they will offer nonstop flights out of nashville to charlotte and daily flights to cities in denver, fort lauderdale, and los angeles. service begins august 7.

plan to limit prescription painkiller will help curb the heroin epidemic. proposed limiting high powered painkillers that doctors can prescribe. but the president said painkillers are sometimes the only treatment. federal officials say addiction to heroin and opiate painkillers is killing 78 americans every day. meanwhile, the senate could confirm the president's nominee for commissioner of the fda as early as today. dr. robert is currently the number two at the agency. bernie sanders and other senators held up his nomination. hoping to force the agency to be tougher on drug charges and abuse. he promises to add new warning labels to opiods and require new drugs to go before an outside panel of independent reviewers. new this morning, when it comes to residents, a new survey ranked hickory area

this area ranked 188th out of 190 communities across the nation on the gallop well being index. communities on purpose, social, financial, community, and physical well being. the charlotte concord gastonia came in 61st. had the highest well being community. >> weather and traffic every ten minutes. >> here's meteorologist, keith monday, we're off to a gloomy start because of a lot of rain overnight. >> 2 inches plus fell in charlotte. now things are easing up. the rains are shifting north. so we're drying out in charlotte. find mist and drizzle from shelby up into hickory. still raining, give it a couple hours, things will ease up later this morning, but while the rain is keeping the fog at bay up north, the fog is settling in. over toward lancaster, likely settling into charlotte. i have seen this visibility number go down. be cautious of that.

starting to pop up. mark, what's the latest here? >> we are dealing with wet roadways and starting to cause problems. we're looking, you can see we have emergency responders just pulling up to the scene. it is just about out of the camera view. that's where they are headed. they will push everything off to the shoulder, but look at traffic right now, starting to back up. folks trying to get off backing up traffic right now. use south boulevard or south trion as that alternate route. inbound just before 277, police are on the shoulder on the outbound side. inbound starting to back up. so, central or monroe roadutilize those as alternate routes. blocking poplar tent. this is at scaly bark trail. harris over to odel school road

we are working to gather information. >> channel 9 was the only station to bring you countous live pictures of this yesterday. ahead this hour, the steps crews took next door to protect valuable information if crews could not stop it from spreading. >> overnight, the deadline passed for parents who took part in the student assignment survey. next this morning, the questions we're now asking in the step board members will be taking today. >> so many teenagers complained to the cms superintendent about a drug problem in schools, but it pushed the district to take a bold new step. i searched police records and found the schools with a spike in drug activity and uncovered the new tactic to stop it. >> i have heard from principals from across the county that are asking us to come to their school. >> the numbers for drug

today on eyewitness (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)

6:44. we are using live early warning doppler 9 tracking rain moving through our area. it is easing up just a little just in time for the busiest part of the morning drive. >> it's causing major backups. mark taylor has delays on route 77 right now. >> south charlotte is taking a hard hit already. one lane is open. this is right at the exit. you can see folks exiting on the ramp there. this is at exit 5. the traffic slowly getting through, heading

this is going to be a big issue. so if you're heading out, avoid 77, heading in from south an alternate. that earlier accident was blocking the left lane of independence near hawthorne. you still have police on the outbound side, but it's not affecting that commute. still some inbound delays you could use central or monroe road to get around those. stephanie. >> 6:45 now. so much controversy will become law on april 1. >> charlotte leaders listened to arguments for and against the plan. people choose which bathroom they use. >> joe bruno is live in uptown to explain what will happen now. joe. >> the ordinance doesn't go into effect until april. in the meantime, lawmakers may try to stop that from happening. city council voted 7-4 to

the world bans dediscrimination against the community by businesses, but opponents nicknamed it the bathroom bill, because it allows people to use the restroom of the gender they identify with. the new law will make it easier for sexual predators to target children. supporters say it's about equal rights. lawmakers could prevent this from going into effect on april 1. something the governor said he supports. reporting live at the government center, channel 9 eyewitness news. >> thank you. breaking news now. a suspect is in custody after a s.w.a.t. standoff that lasted for hours. police blocked off a neighborhood in northwest mecklenburg county overnight as they closed in on the suspect. they were at a home on pointer ridge drive, serving a warrant from another county for a man wanted for a violent crime. they say the suspect barricaded himself and refused to come out until finally surrendered about 3:45 this morning. channel 9 is pushing police for answers about who the suspect is and what crime he was wanted for.

morning on tv 64 for updates. four suspects will be in court today charged in connection to a monroe father's murder. police arrested dustin belk and randy thompson. charged with first-degree murder. sasha is charged with accessory after the fact. police say they robbed and shot carol griffin last july. officers saw griffin's body near a car in a parking lot on east hudson street. they arrested cole last year. they say that led to the new suspects in the case. >> tonight, cms leaders will lay out the goals they'll focus on while creating a student assignment plan. that includes reducing the number of students with a high number of poor students. some parents have voiced concerns that it will lead to cms. the deadline to fill out a student assignment survey passed at midnight. we are asking cms how many people participated. they had 19,000 responses. >> weather and traffic every ten minutes.

severe weather center 9. we received a lot of rain with a lot more to go. >> looks like we'll see a break for awhile for the rest of the day. a lot more rain is coming in late today. the rains have dried up in charlotte. still misty. at least the steady nature of the rain has ended. winding down in shelby, gastonia, lincolnton, the rain is easing back up for the northbound. the showers beginning to dry up around hickory, it will take another hour before the i-40 corridor, you really start to see bigger improvement. some areas are starting to dry up, but i would say after 8:00, most neighborhoods up here to the north will start to dry up. the moderate rain is coming down, but the ponding, the puddles on the roads, very high risk. for the rest of the day today, no risk for thunderstorms. that chance is going to spike up to a high risk for tomorrow. more on that in just a moment. you are stepping out the door

a very cold, raw day today and with the northeast wind, we are slow to warm up. hovering near 50 through lunchtime today. we may get some low 50s to work in later this afternoon. likely upper 40s in hickory and statesville, near 60 down south. you will see a warmup near lancaster, monroe, and the mountains, talking low 40s. the rain chances already calming down and we'll stay very low for the afternoon drive. it may be misty and drizzly, the roads to be in the second half of our day today. late today around 11:00, downpours return, this is why we have a flash flood watch in effect for tonight with more heavy rain expected. that may not be severe, but could be some really good downpours through the morning drive tomorrow. but then from 7:00 thereafter tomorrow, downpours really get started in the mountains and there's the line. it will likely roll in around midday on wednesday. so it's not your typical time line of afternoon strong storms, this is late morning

to roll on through, it will pass by quickly by the afternoon hours tomorrow, we get into sunshine. the threat for severe weather will be with us on wednesday. large hail, strong winds, a risk for that. not as high for a tornado to pop in because the timing of this, but we may see some very strong wind gusts coming on through. simply because the winds without the thunderstorms are going to be exceptionally strong. it will be a windy day on wednesday. here's your five-day forecast, that will allow us to warm up around 70 and also bring us more fuel to the fire. we dry out on thursday with the sunshine. 50s return for the end of the week and into the weekend as we look ahead to dryer skies. stay on top of that weather pattern through this week, get severe weather alerts, with our wsoc tv weather app. >> a lot of rain to get through. >> we do. we may get another inch of rain tomorrow before we see 2 inches. flash flooding will be a big concern as well. >> thanks, keith breaking news

team 9 has some alternate routes. >> down in south charlotte, we are looking to get this set up near the ramp. here's the rampway. they now have two lanes open on i-77 northbound. but traffic is already backing up around 485 heading north. so several miles with the delays heading towards the road. utilize those. the good news is, earlier wreck at hawthorne that was blocking that left lane has been cleared. unfortunately, 30 miles per hour, we are starting to see the delays. there's another wreck being reported on independence north, i'm seeing minor delays now and we'll get you caught up on what's going on in ten minutes. >> checking your wall street futures. the dow is down 4 points and the nasdaq is down 10 points. tonight, republican voters will take part in the nevada caucus. next on daybreak, the tweet that prompted an apology from one candidate ahead of the

>> investigators could learn what started this massive fire. next this morning, the concerns

pr 6:54. voters in nevada will caucus to determine their republican presidential candidate. >> the caucus begins at 8:00 p.m. and the latest cnn poll put donald trump in the lead followed by marco rubio, then senator ted cruz. and a surprise move, ted cruz asked his campaign spokesman to resign over a tweet that falsely accused rubio of insulting the bible. ahead on good morning america, a live report from vegas as the candidates make their final push to sway voters. >> investigators could learn as early as today what started this massive fire at a historic school. we brought you updates. as it unfolded yesterday. firefighters were concerned these flames could spread to the adjacent town hall. they removed computers. the building was at the center of a legal battle to keep it

the sheriff had to provide security for the mayor because of threats that she supported the demolition. weather and traffic every ten minutes. traffic team 9's mark taylor has the alternate routes on i- 77. some real issues out there. >> big backups. we just got an update. this is 77 northbound. here's the ramp, so right at the rampway. the left lane blocked, you're getting through the center and the right lane. just got an update from medic. no injuries, but the traffic is backing up as you approach 245. south boulevard or south trion needs to be used as at alternate. due to an accident just west of interstate 85. so, harris over towards o'dell school road, earlier accidents near hawthorne cleared, but look at these backups as folks come up, you'll want to use central. keith. >> so is the rain is ending, and then good news for this

the roads will be wet. the rest of our morning drive will be light rain should be with us, so it may be better than what we're dealing with now, but it's going to be damp all day. then we'll deal with the heavy rain coming in tonight and by this time tomorrow morning, we may be watching the line of severe weather coming our direction. a lot of the rough weather to get here. >> all right, thanks. your local news continues with eyewitness news this morning. >> join us as mark taylor updates you on several crashes,

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have good morning, america. donald trump's vegas-size rally last night. his harshest words yet for ted cruz. >> this guy is sick. there's something wrong with this guy. >> and a protester. >> i'd like to pump him in the face, i'll tell you. >> as cruz is forced to fire a key staffer after new allegations of a dirty trick. severe weather alert. a large tornado outbreak expected to hit the gulf coast. damaging winds up to 70 miles an hour and golf ball-sized hail. 21 million people in the threat zone. flooding rain and storms from

snow hole emergency. this 10-year-old girl falls ten feet below the surface. her father desperately tries to pull her free and we have the rescuers who got there just in time. and are you ready for this? "gma" on safari. an epic event never before attempted on live television. plungeing you into africa's garden of eden. an expedition into one of the wonders of the world. millions of majestic animals on the move as part of the great migration. we're with them from the air to the ground. our drones and trackers following their steps, and you're part of it all with groundbreaking virtual technology at your fingertips. "gma" live on safari in africa