great here and hopefully, north carolina and florida. i think that in the state that is coming down the pike, we have great opportunities. >> reporter: leaders from the democratic party in the area will gather here in just about an hour to watch the results roll in. i'll be bringing you their reaction tonight at 10:00 and 11:00. elsa gillis, channel 9, eyewitness news. and now we turn to the contentionious republican primary. as blake hanson explains, the candidates worked hard the past few days to leave their mark. blake? >> reporter: yeah, erica. and it doesn't hurt that donald trump has been very visible in north carolina in hickory yesterday and concord last monday. this is video of trump in

he will be speaking live in palm beach florida. sunday and tuesday, he was holding rallies. and ted cruz is trailing trump in north carolina by double- digits. marco rubio and john kasich are trailing trump in florida. we will have much more throughout the evening. blake hanson, channel 9, eyewitness news. >> thank you, blake. and a lot is at stake for any candidate to try and secure a nomination especially on the republican side.

100 delegates, 471 to cruz's 371 and 358 republican delegates up for grabs, most from ohio and florida. hillary clinton's lead is stronger, but she still needs about a thousand delegates to get the nomination. 691 are possible tonight and voters are all the deciding on a $2 billion bond referendum. $90million would go to unc charlotte and colleges would get some of that money and crowders mountain state park, $750,000 to make improvements. >> i think the people are uit. >>ed -- united behind

>> and state leaders say that the bond referendum will not cost taxpayers any extra money. a live look at the covenant presbyterian church. polls close at 7:30. in conover, we had a strong voter turn out. people told us this election is more important than in previous years. >> i feel ike it's more important. i just want to see a change in the government. i think we are ready for a few change. >> more than 11,000 people went to the polls early this year in catawba county. lake norman voters say at that time i-77 tolls are on the ballots for them once again. several of them are running on the anti-toll platform. channel 9 will keep you updated throughout the night as results

time, joinous facebook at 9:00 and 9:30 for live coverage and a behind-the-scenes look at how the results come into the newsroom. it was an election day very much like this one that led to new charges for charlotte's disgraced former mayor when he voted as a convicted felon. at any moment, patrick cannon could be facing those voter fraud charges in the courthouse, and jim, you have learned there might be already a deal? >> reporter: that's right, erica. several are saying that they expect the voter fraud case to be wrapped up very quickly and perhaps as early as tomorrow. the last time we saw mr. cannon is when the former mayor was walking into a federal prison 15 months ago. tomorrow, we are expecting to

in fact on the 5th floor of the courthouse. the state indictment over patrick cannon is now over a year ago. but that charge and cannon himself will finally go before a judge. legal experts believe that much more than a scheduled arraignment will take place. pat cannon was appreciate from being sentenced to 44 month ms. federal prison after pleading guilty to taking bribes in offense when he admitted to voting in the 2014 election but as a convicted felon, he wasn't allowed. >> i was not quite frankly thinking about what i was doing. >> reporter: he went to report on a snowy day to prison as a mecklenburg grand jury indicted him. it's likely that there is already a deal. >> it's likely it was discussed before happened and there will be an arraignment and some type of plea. >> reporter: for cannon,

already imprisoned, there is good reason to resolve the case. >> if there is probation t can begin to run now, if he doesn't take care of the case now, he will have to address this issue. >> reporter: a short time ago, i heard from cannon's attorney who expects that the case will be resolved tomorrow but not how it will be resolved. cannon has to be here, and we just checked. he is not here yet but prosecutors told us to expect him this evening. jury selection underway in the trial of a man accused of killing his 6-month-old baby girl. todd broderick faced a judge this afternoon. in 2012, they pound his daughter not breathing at a motel.

let him have a bench trial instead of a jury trial. the judge denied that request. and it's not clear how long it will take for jury selection to wrap up. an american airlines plane is evaluated after having landing gear issues. channel 9's cameras were rolling as the plane touched down at 11:00 this morning. you can see several first responders waiting nearby as the plane came in. officials say that a mechanical issue was to blame. no one was hurt. and a toddler is in a medically induced coma right now after fall progress a second story window. medic rushed the child from the apartment on graylin loop from

-- winston, salem. part of a plane involved involve -- plan involved a 4- year-old granddaughter and today, the case is going to trial. >> reporter: that's right. she was sleeping between the two grandparents but the suspect in the case said he didn't want her in there. the victim's sister told the jury that elaine ghent told her000 leave months early are early on-early every but john ghent said he had nowhere to go. he called his daughter and left

she called her brother who was in the house and didn't know anything had happened. he found his mother dead and his father with his arm over her. he punched and kicked his father more than 20 times before he said that ghent confessed. howell heard him say it. the victim's father had also rushed to the house on home place lane. he told the jury he stepped into the bedroom and held his daughter. deputies say john ghent not only confessed to his family but to the paramedics that treated him, and if convicted of murder, she could spend 30 years to life in prison. the prosecution is expected to wrap up its case tomorrow. greg suskin, channel 9, eyewitness news.

expected to sign a bill into law signing domestic abuse and creates a task force to investigate and standards for each investigation. south carolina consistently rates as one of the worst states for domestic violence in the country. leaders held a ribbon cutting for the wallace educational forum yesterday. the district had been debating a centralized office for years. allergy sufferers, ready for more rain to wash away the pollen. i'll tell if you we will see any of it. and after years of debate, the nfl finally admits there is a link between football and brain injuries later in life. >> it's probably not a matter of if but when.

another live look at a polling location. they all close at 7:30. this is the location at dilworth. count on chanle 9 to bring you

and we are on the scene of a deadly motorcycle crash. of at high ridge court. emergency crews are out there with police right now. we are hearing that one person was killed in the crash. we're asking police what happened and if anyone else was seriously hurt. for the first time, the nfl is admitting there is a link between football and brain injuries. >> this comes amid growing concerns for the health and safety of players once they retire. one player told ken lemon what it means to be a former athlete. >> reporter: willie green was 1 of the first 10 selected amid 18,000 former nfl players available for the suit from a few years ago.

link between the game and brain injuries, until today. the senior vice president on health and safety was asked if there was a link between studies showing elevated brain trauma among players and concussion. >> certainly there is a link in the number of retired football players. >> i have lived a great life. >> reporter: willie green won two super bowls with the broncos. >> him admitting that is sort of the final validation. >> reporter: he lives in shelby and moved there after nine years in football. he and several players have been diagnosed with brain injuries after death, and green said he has no symptoms but told his family he will likely see symptoms, too. >> it's probably not a matter of if but when.

the admission is something that most players understood decades ago. >> we as players know there is a risk. >> reporter: he told me he can't be angry about what happens now and he will look for medical help in the settlement between the nnl and players union. green called two months ago for an appointment. >> the earliest i could get in is july. >> reporter: green said there needs to be more doctors to handle this and he wants to be prepared for whatever happens and he has no regrets about what he has done. if he had to do it all over again he would again. his sons play college and high school football and hopes that they become pros. ken lemon, channel 9. thank you, ken, and gastonia police say they arrested a man they believe was trying to lure children into

police have arrested ricky townsend. he faces felony second degree kidnapping charges, marijuana possession, and collaborate contributing to the delinquency of a minor. this is surveillance video from last year of a dark dodge dart. neighbors say that driver was attempts to get children in the car. look for more answers tonight at 10:00 and 11:00. we are covering the carolinas county by county starting in stanly county where troopers are investigating a deadly motorcycle crash. troopers say that a hyundai tried to turn left in front of a motorcycle on highway 205 in oakboro. the driver of the hyundai was cited for misdemeanor death by motor vehicle. the victim was richard wolk.

a man trying to put up 14-story hotel in cornelius who owns the land and is working with a developer to try and bring that hotel on west catawba avenue. in new york county issue officials are touring another indeer sports complex. they plan for one in rock hill. councilmembers toured the facility in spartanburg and talked with officials there. leaders hope to open the facility next fall. outside, a beautiful day transitioning into a beautiful weather evening and hope you take advantage of the sun. he is chief meteorologist steve udelson. the sunset at 7:30, and we'll get used to that early. i know christine rapp snuck up to the lake and took this beautiful picture. this is a live view from the charlotte tower cam. skies are fair and it couldn't be prettier. i talked about the chance of rain.

only by the late weekend could we see the rains. we could use the help. last night's rain didn't do anything to you -- wash the pollen out. oak pollen is that yellow film you see on everything and that is not the only problem. we are seeing the high country around 70 degrees, and that's more like midday. the forecast heading through the evening, the sundown, 7:30, temperatures slowly back down to 70 by 9:00 a.m. and waking up tomorrow morning, light jacket weather at the most, mid-50s at 6:00 a.m. and mid-60s by the time the ride comes to an end, and we will see subtle changes tomorrow and showers to the west that will rye -- try and make a run at us.

the bottom line is it won't bring us any pollen-washing rain nor keep us from warming up. the temperatures tomorrow climbing back in the upper accepts if not lower 60s tomorrow afternoon when we cool it back down. the record high tomorrow, 83 and it will likely fall just short in charlotte of the record. and midday forecast in gastonia, the clouds rolling in around lunchtime, lower 80s heading through tomorrow afternoon and fort mill, a beautiful afternoon. again considering it's mid- march. st.patrick a day on - - st. patrick's day on thursday, and we have a lot of festivities, and it should be a nice day, a little cooler but we won't complain about temperatures in the mid-70s. the trend as we head into the weekend, it will feel more like late winter even though we officially kickoff spring on sunday. with the weekend always in

and we may see a few showers on sunday. you will definitely feel the cooler weather with temperatures around 80 and we're talking highs in the 50s over it is weekend. but it doesn't last and we warm up again next week. >> all right. looking forward to it. thank you, steve.

the dow finished up the win streak characterized by an offensive efficiency burying teams under 3 pointers but last night, not so much as the hornets were 11 of 41 from the field for the first half and missed 12 free throws. you just can't give away points in the nba. the second half really fell stroke. walker said it didn't look as

>> last night was one of those nights when things just didn't go our way, and even the loose balls didn't go our way. but it happens, you know. we have to get back to what we were doing. the panthers continue to methodically add to what they hope is a championship puzzle with the signs of defensive tackle paul soliai to a deal after two seasons with the atlanta falcons. he will add much to the depth of the d-line. the 49ers held their pro day. six 49ers were looking for their chance. and we will have more

one more warm day tomorrow, and then 50s for the weekend. thank you for making us your choice for news at 6:00. the world news with david muir is next. >> and stay with us. the election results coming folks have some questionsabout my spicy, freshly-preparedworld-famous zinger sandwich. like,"is it freshly-prepared?" yes. "is the the freshly-preparedzinger sandwich available in a $5 fill up?" if you have five dollars, yes. what a great limited time deal!

's fin folks have some questionsabout my spicy, freshly-preparedworld-famous zinger sandwich. like,"is it freshly-prepared?" yes. "is the freshly-preparedzinger sandwich available in a $5 fill up?" if you have five dollars, yes. what a great limited time deal! it's finger lickin' good! breaking news tonight. the exit polls coming in right now. what the voters are revealing already. will donald trump essentially seal the deal? >> this is the place i want to win. this is the place. >> his rivals looking to stop him tonight. all eyes on john kasich and his home state of ohio. and hillary clinton. can she finally put it away? or, another sanders surprise tonight? clinton tells us she's optimistic. >> but not confident? that's a word a lot of your supporters might want to hear you say. >> okay, i'm confident. >> our team standing by on it all. also tonight, the severe weather hitting right now in several of the states voting. now images of the tornadoes in ohio.

and dangerous driving for millions in the east. the alleged uber gunman. the murder spree and the new video here tonight. breaking news for the millions of americans prescribed painkillers. major new guidelines tonight. why the cdc is so concerned. and your money. your taxes. three deductions many people often forget. are you leaving money on the table? good evening. and it's great to have you with us. a make or break night. could donald trump wrap up the nomination? could hillary clinton close the deal? or will bernie sanders supporters decide otherwise? already, the exit polls coming in. voters lining up across five states. this church in cincinnati. outside a polling site in orlando tonight. donald trump telling voters, we can make this happen tonight. but if he doesn't win ohio, will this be a contested convention? and hillary clinton, is she nearly there?