of that bankruptcy filing by centra down in a project in texas might force north carolina's governor to cancel the project. but today his transportation secretary gave little indication he expects that to happen. north carolina transportation secretary nick tennison spent half of his morning speaking at a transportation forum in ballantyne and the other half answering questions about his trip to texas on monday ordered by governor pat mccrory. >> what i'm expecting to do is have a candid d.o.t. to d.o.t. conversation about texas experience. >> the texas experience is the bankruptcy of a toll road project built by a subsidiary of centra. the same parent company that's clearing land for controversial toll lanes on i-77. tennison insists one has nothing to do with the other but admits the bankruptcy doesn't look good. >> that's a toxic word.

toxic politically for his boss. governor pat mccrory has been hackled by critics. today pat mccrory left the door open. >> i need reassurance this company can fulfill its responsibility. >> when you see something like this, it's a good idea to go >> nick tennison says he sees no reason to cancel the i-77 toll lanes deal but knows his trip to texas is a delicate assignment. >> we need to say we understand this is a sensitive question, and we're going to go resolve it. >> reporter: secretary tennison plans to spend just monday in texas and then come back and put together a report for the governor on what he finds. he promises he'll make it available to the public. jim bradley, channel 9 eyewitness news. last night at 6:00, we told you it's likely tolls will

interstates even if centra is stopped. local transportation leaders told channel 9 toll lanes is still the best way so manage traffic. they say years of research back up their plans for paid lanes across the charlotte metro. eyewitness news has extensive coverage of the i-77 toll project and our previous investigations into centra online at wsoctv.com. look for our stories right on the home page. we've been covering breaking news in east charlotte for the past hour, in the last 30 minutes, channel 9 confirmed this water search near mall wood circle is connected to a murder that happened in mount holly. divers are still in the water now. we know they're not looking for a weapon. but we're not sure what they're trying to find. officers say this man was shot sunday morning at a party. reports show party goers took him to the hospital where he later died. we'll let you know if they find anything. a farmers market preparing

was devastated when a massive fire ripped through the warehouse. from chopper 9 we saw flames shooting through the collapsed roof. we spotted the thick smoke all the way from uptown charlotte. nearly an hours drive away. the owner says he was just a few minutes away when he got the call about the fire. >> i can see it. i could see that black smoke. i knew i was in trouble. burning trash. they believe that strong winds caused it to spread. causing hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage. we posted more video of the fire on our website at wsoctv.com. home page. charlotte based duke energy is facing a new round of criticism over coal ash. today north carolina environmental regulators said duke's coal ash pits are polluting our water and new fines could be coming. in letters sent to the energy giant, the state diction of water says duke is breaking the law.

waste water to leak from coal basins at 12 of the states 14 power plants including the allen, buck, and marshal steam stations ? the area. coal ash contains toxic materials including arsenic and chromium, environmentalists were happy about today's developments but have been telling governor pat mccrory's administration about the illegal discharges for the last three years. duke energy has yet to comment on today's action. for the first time since this video showing a cmpd officer punching a suspect surfaced, a local group is now gathering to protest cmpd. eyewitness news reporter elsa gillis is live at marshal park uptown where the rally is expected to get under way in the next ten minutes. elsa? >> reporter: the group who organized this rally is called justice for charlotte. the plan is to march from marshal park to the charlotte mecklenburg police department. this rally comes after video

officer punching a suspect in the nine second video, you can see seven officers surrounding malcolm elliott. and one of them punching him several times. police say elliott was involved in a hit and run. and that he tried to resist arrest when they caught up to him. the incident remains under investigation. but justice for charlotte claims cmpd has a history of using excessive force. >> we're coming together as a community to say we're not going to stand for the police brutality that we saw on monday. >> we reached out to cmpd regarding the rally. they told us they are aware of the demonstrations saying they will work to facilitate the rights of individuals to assemble and demonstrate lawfully. i'll be here with residents as they rally and we'll bring you more on the message they hope to send to cmpd and the public on eyewitness news at 10:00 and 11:00. elsa gillis channel 9 eyewitness news. right now we're following breaking news out of west

arrived over the 3,000 block of wilkinson boulevard. there's a heavy police presence out there. officers saying they were called to this area to search for a suspect. we do know they all ready have one person in custody. but police aren't saying why the person was wanted. we'll bring you any new information as soon as it comes into the news room. the presidential spotlight will be back on the charlotte area on monday when donald trump comes to concord. the republican candidate will hold a rally at the cabarrus arena and event center at noon. it'll be a brief stop before trump heads to mississippi later on that night. new at 6:00, police made two arrests in just two days at a local charlotte high school. officers arrested a suspect after they say they found a controlled substance on the campus of harding university high school. and just last night, we told you 18-year-old travis minten is accused of bringing a gun to school loaded with seven bullets.

to work at the fastest rate in 16 years. 1.5million americans in the labor force today were jobless in november. february's jobs report released today shows job growth was solid and the unemployment rate held at the loyest level since 2008. employers added 240,000 jobs in february. beating expectations as the labor market maintained strong growth despite economic tour but lense. economists say today's report should ease fears about another recession. worker pay slipped after doing a bit better in january. some economists suggest the jobs report paved the way for the federal reserve to raise the interest rates again. a banking executive says he thinks there's a better than 50% chance that rates will go up in june. mean time, stocks held steady after today's jobs report.

dow jones closing up 62 points. nasdaq closed up 9. investigators are trying to figure out what started a fire at this east charlotte apartment complex this morning. chopper 9 sky zoom flew over the damage on east wt harris boulevard. right across the street from albemarle road middle school. firefighters had it under control in 20 minutes. and no one was hurt. crews spent more than an hour this morning dealing with this over turned tractor trailer on i-40 in statesville. we covered the wreck adds breaking news on daybreak. the truck flipped on the busy ramp to i-77. the driver had minor injuries and is expected to be okay. it was a deadly afternoon in rock hill as a teenager was found shot to death in a car. this is a story we first brought you as breaking news earlier at 5:00. rock hill police were busy investigating three shootings from last night when shots were fired into homes and people were hurt. they are frantically trying to connect the dots in all these

eyewitness news reporter greg suskin spoke to the terrified victims. >> we were there when police came back to pick up more shell casings neighbors found this afternoon. it was a fair if iing night for three families who had their homes shot at sending them diving for cover. tamika wright lives on pierson drive and look at the door now. there are bullet holes in the window. and several in her father's pickup truck parked in the driveway. >> one of my kids was in the house. it was dangerous. >> hers was the third house targeted last night. the first was at 8:20 on arlington avenue. three people went to the hospital after bullets blasted through an open window. fortunately the injuries weren't serious. three minutes later an emergency call from lee street where a family told me they hit the floor when they heard gunfire outside. police found at least eight shell casings in the street. the incident on pierson drive

anthony wright came home to find his mother frantic. >> you never know with these kids these days. it could be gangs. it could be anything. >> this afternoon, shots fired on east black street. later a car found riddled with bullet holes, a teenager dead inside. we asked police if all this violence is linked. detectives are still working that out. it comes on the heels of the three houses that were shot into last night. whether it's related to that or this is something separate and unrelated. at this point in time, we have no idea. >> greg suskin channel 9 eyewitness news. we have breaking news we're following now, we have just learned a second person shot outside a hickory mcdonald's this week has died. cody watts and rochelle were in the parking lot of a mcdonald's wednesday night. rochelle was pronounced dead at the scene. watts was taken to the hospital

eric who has two children with rochelle is charged in the shootings. police expect additional charges will be filed. new at 6:00, the state d.o.t. just awarded a contract to build the final stretch of the i-85 widening project to a company in connecticut. the 108 million-dollar contract will allow work on the nearly 6- mile section that's left. it runs from lane street to north of the u.s. 29601 connector. the work is expected to begin at the end of the month. it should be completed with all the lanes open by december 2018. that is almost half a year ahead of schedule. as we forecast our warm up is under way. about 10 to 15 degrees warmer than this time last night. we have the future cast crunching the numbers to show you if we can keep this going. more mecklenburg county towns have started considering whether to pull their schools out of cms. it's time to put it to bed one way or the other.

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bada ba ba more mecklenburg county communities are saying that they don't want increased busing within the charlotte mecklenburg school district. towns to the south many matthews and mint hill all ready have started a process of trying to pull out of the district. today we learned cornelius, davidson, and huntersville may not be far behind.

hong updates us tonight. >> reporter: this coming week the davidson cornelius and huntersville town boards will vote on a resolution regarding cms student assignment. town leaders want to send a clear message. they want to keep neighborhood skyzooms in tact. after the cms school board didn't definitively say the idea of busing to students to schools outside their neighborhoods is off the table. >> it's time to put it to bed one way or the other. >> the mecklenburg county towns are taking an official stance. >> to have access to local education without being bussed many miles away. with our traffic conditions in north mecklenburg, it's really not feasible to do that. >> at their next town abort madings, davidson, cornelius, and hunterville leaders will vote on resolutions to tell cms they want school choice in neighborhood schools. >> kids need to stay around their neighborhoods. you know what i'm saying. if they go somewhere far they

around the kids they're around. >> unfortunately, neighborhood schools are often not inclusive. that's the issue for me. >> channel 9 has followed recent efforts to pull out from the cms district that requires legislative approval. yesterday he met with someone to discuss their plans. taylor says he's spoking to lawmakers. >> we have their support in moving forward, exploring the options, and navigate through the waters. >> a task force in north mecklenburg county tried to leave cms ten years ago but failed. i asked if they'd try again. leaders say matthews and mint hill are further along with that idea. >> there's always the possibility. it'd be a difficult task. >> the mayor president obama pro tem -- they would need legislative approval in

we reached out to cms about the town's resolutions, the district doesn't have a comment. tonight police are trying to figure out who broke into an east charlotte home and fired shots at a people inside. police say early yesterday morning, the suspects forced their way inside a home on wandering creek way. they shot at someone inside who then fired back. someone else outside the home also fired into a bed room. they tell us a dog inside was shot and killed. but the four people were not hit. a man in catawba county is accused of exposing himself repeatedly near a bus stop. mark is charged with 16 counts of indecent exposure on a private premise. sheriff deputies say he exposed himself while standing inside his home near a bus stop west of newton. deputies say they began their investigation after receiving complaints from the parents of a teenager. on monday people in concord will give the police department some feedback about a proposal to provide body cameras for officers.

of the public gatherings about the department's policies. last night residents told us that they took part in the meeting to try to understand how police are keeping people safer. monday's meeting at police headquarters in concord will be held at 6:00 p.m. the you haven't been outside in the past few minutes, come to your tv and take a look at a gorgeous sunset. i hope this beautiful picture means we're in store for a beautiful weekend. it's absolutely gorgeous. my favorite time of the year. at the start of weather, the sun sitting on the horizon. it'll dip below in the next few minutes. some of the clouds will get brighter. more orange and red hues. this is the way the satellite sees the clouds. they're melting away. 52 in belmont and mint hill and waxhaw and monroe. i've got readings back in the 40s as you head toward statesville and hickory. in the 30s over the mountains. it's plenty cool. heading outside tonight. maybe uptown for the hornets

they take on the pacers. a bit of winter chill as temperatures fall to the low 40s this evening. light coach should do you just fine. don't need any rain gear. by morning, the cooler spots, i- 40 and highway 52 east of charlotte. 44 uptown. 33 for lancaster. mid 20s for the high country. lots of 5ks. this benefits the y and good health in general. a 5k and a half marathon. i recommend layers. especially if you're watching folks in the race. you're not going to move and get the benefit of the exercise and warming up. it'll be plenty chilly early on. by 9:00, mid 40s. tomorrow's future cast starts us out with a few clouds. then the clouds become more numerous. filtering the sun during the afternoon. by late afternoon, early evening, about this time, the first rain drops will arrive in the mountains. in the highest elevations.

you may see a few wet snow flakes out of that. we stop around lunch time, most everyone east of the mountains about 50. on our way to the mid to upper 50s tomorrow ash. some neighborhoods close to 60. like rocking ham and chesterfield. i don't care what you're doing outside this weekend. this is something you need to keep a reminder of. as it warms up, pollen counts are on the rise. tree pollen is the big issue this time of year. right now it's maple in the moderate range. don't forget your allergy medicine. we have temperatures in the low 50s as we head through tomorrow afternoon, concord looking at readings in the mid 50s. and again, a mix of sun and high clouds. there are the showers. they whip in and out of here tomorrow night before you know it. sunday we get back to sunshine. and an even better day. in the high country this weekend, we'll see showers tomorrow night. nothing terribly heavy. sunshine's back on sunday. and great ski conditions. i mean it's march. but we have plenty of snow in the high country. i'm sure it'll be busy. you'll have a lot of company.

it gets warmer from there. mid 70s by next week. five-day forecast, not only keeps us warm, but keeps us dry. which by the way means the pollen count will continue to rise. >> to that's the downside. i'll take it. i'll suffer through that sunshine.

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every day, for life. in the 13 years since returning to charlotte as the bobcats the hornets have never swept the indiana pacers in a series. but they can do that tonight. the hornets clenched a series win in indianapolis in thrilling fashion. now the two teamings are neck and neck in the playoff race. the hornets moved a half game ahead for six in the eastern conference. tip off at 7:00 p.m. highlights at 10:00 and 11:00. the nfl season seems to get shorter and shorter every year. but that doesn't seem to bother head coach ron rivera who spent down time with a football team that's not his own.

and the charlotte football team. he praised the facilities and called them first rate. you may remember during the playoff run, other programs, college and professional teams from north carolina and south carolina -- via social media. he's trying to reciprocate that live. >> we're trying to build one carolina. it truly is about all the teams in this area. that we can all support and get behind. >> tony stuart doesn't know when he'll be healthy enough to race. he's not sure if nascar will give him a medical waiver like kyle busch last year but he knows it hurts to be away in the track. he flew cross country against doctors orders to be atlas vegas motor speed way this weekend. he suffered a fracture vertebrae. he had surgery to stabilize the injury but he's not supposed to be doing anything but walking

but you try arguing with him. >> i can't lay in bed any longer. it's about to kill me. we did everything we could. we did everything short of bubble wrap me to get me on plane to ride out here. >> the foot work, the scoring, even the name, pop tennis, are all nearly identical to the tennis we know and love but it's different enough to feel like a new game. mark discovered the game during a trip to california and loved it and has been trying to raise interest in the game ever since. if people want to get out and play it and try it, they would understand. >> ahead at 10:00 and 11:00. how a guy is trying to bring the sport to charlotte and how to help the sport boom nationwide. >> it's just the racket that's different? >> you have to watch. >> a great weekend to be outside.

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bada several breaking stories this friday night. the o.j. simpson murder case. e lapd confirming they are now testing a knife, allegedly found buried at simpson's former estate. we ask,hy is it jus being tested now? the fallout after the republican debate. trump defending his own words on that stage. >> and he referred to my hands. if they are small, something else must be small. i guarantee you, there is no problem. i guarantee you. >> the urgent effort to block trump. with many asking, is this helping hillary clinton? the friday commuter nightmare. the storms. several chain reaction crashes. snow and ice sweeping through. the next system we're watching already. the cdc now on the scene tonight. the mystery illness in the heartland. a rare infection.