victim is recovering. charlotte's disgraced former mayor back in town sentenced on voter fraud charges. >> openly and obviously the have -- violated the law. >> we are talking about his plans once he gets out. >> the convinces never go away. former mayor patrick cannon is back in charlotte. >> this is the first time we've seen him since he went to federal prison foraccepting bribes in office. he was sentenced to just one day in prison for the voter fraud, served concurrently at the same time as his federal sentence and will head back to morgan county, west virginia. we are breaking down what comes next. jim? >> reporter: the guilty plea

to his time behind bars because it's a one-day sentence but when he was in court today, we saw flashes of pat cannon's charisma and a certain sadness in his eyes and a glimpse from his attorney what prison is doing to him. he looked sharp in his suit but the former mayor who wowed the city on election night and shame today by taking bribe ms. office was in court today admitting that he voted illegally. >> are you in fact guilty of that charge? >> yes, sir. >> reporter: just one day in jail was enough to bring out his charismatic smile but his can be deceiving. >> he looks good in a suit but that doesn't mean that none of this has an affect on him. >> reporter: there were times in court that patrick cannon's

reality that he has more time in federal prison to serve. james ferguson said that cannon will try and spend well. >> you think about what got you there and why you're there and what you will do when you get out. it's that kind of a process that he is going through now and every day. >> reporter: ferguson called it reflection and said that the patrick cannon we saw is undoubtedly different from the mayor who fell from grace and he believes will continue to pay a price. >> no matter what the sentence is, it's a life sentence because the convinces convince -- consequences never go away. he has to deal with that. >> reporter: james ferguson said he believes that patrick cannon has a good attitude and a positive spirit and is looking forward to getting out of prison and doing what he north carolina air. he will head back to federal principle tomorrow.

courthouse, jim bradley, channel 9 eyewitness news. >> thank you, jim, and 9wants to know what it cost to bring cannon back to enter the plea in person, he is staying at the mecklenburg county jail for two days total. the department of public safety can't give us a final price to and from charlotte until he goes back to the federal prison in west virginia. channel 9 has covered every step of his saga and it's all inside jim's star on jim -- story on the home page. and at noon today, filing opened for the u.s. house and supreme court races. candidates have until march 25 to file ahead of the special primary.

because they were drawn based on race. lawmakers redrew the lines but groups like the naacp said they are still unfair. district 12 used to run along i- 85 from charlotte to greensboro. the new map looks different and is entirely in mecklenburg county. it splits the campus of north carolina university. the students say that the map makes their votes cowfnt for less. represent alma adams actually no longer lives in her district, and she said she plans to move to charlotte to continue to live in the area that she represents.

taxpayer money will be pumped into improvements. blake hanson was asking how soon the projects could see the money and how this will be blake? >> reporter: the governor said part of the reason for coming out now that voters approved this was to talk about execution and how $2 billion will be spent wisely. after stops in wake county and greensboro, governor mccrory's thank you tour ended with thanking people for the bond pass. >> it's not sexy but it's what we need. >> reporter: it will include $90 million trsd a state-of-the- art science lab at the university and trail improvements at crowder's mountain and a power plant.

these dollars will be spent wisely and efficiently because we don't get them very often. >> reporter: will it be the end of the year or -- >> we hope to start rolling out the plans very quickly. >> reporter: improvements to aging buildings that students are excited to see. >> we will see it very different. and that is absolutely amazing. >> reporter: the governor said it was important to get the borrowing process going now because of how low interest rates are. reporting live, i'm blake hanson, channel 9, eyewitness news. >> and the national guard will get money from this and move forward with a $70 million plan to renovate three sites across the state and turning one into a regional readiness center. president obama sent a

introducing his supreme court no. >> mr. snew: he said not giving merrick garland a fair hearing will be problem at ache. >> it will create more tit for tat and make it for difficult for any president to carry out their constitutional function. >> senate republicans have vowed to block any of the president's nominees to try and scalia. we have continuing coverage on the nomination and the senate's response to the president's pick coming up on world news tonight after eyewitness news. a man and his girlfriend could face the death penalty after deputies say they caught the couple trying to bury a body behind an abandoned house in alexander county. the suspects paced the judge on new charges in stanley county. >> all new at 6:00, anchor liz

prosecutors revealed where the murder happened. >> reporter: robert hearne's family and friends just finished celebrating his life a few hours ago and his nephew and his girlfriend held in bond for his murder. >> he was a great guy. >> reporter: robert, better than known as tico, was known as a fun-loving man and someone who got along with everyone. his nephew and his girlfriend, linsey lentz, charged with his murder. our cameras weren't allowed inside, and the prosecutors haven't said if they will seek the death penalty. >> we don't wish anything bad for anybody but whatever god's will is. >> reporter: deputies caught the two trying to dump tico's

80 miles from their home a week ago today. >> you never expect something this heinous to happen to a more than like that, so it's a shock for the community. >> reporter: charges were transferred from alexander county to stanly county after investigators searched this albemarle home where he lived with the couple. >> we found evidence to believe that the incident most likely considered her. >> reporter: hearne and lentz will be back in court on the 28th and more charges could be filed. liz foster, channel 9 eyewitness news. a man accused of killing his own 6-month-old baby girl will get a new trial by judge. the jury selection was started yesterday but they were all

and we had a record- smacking 86 degrees in charlotte. it felt more like midjune. ahead. and in the next few days, thick layers of yellow pollen will coat your car and make allergy symptoms unbearable. >> sneezing, wheezing, eyes watering, you know. >> the factors making the

and the step that experts say and the step that ex we're staying on top of braking new -- news in up ton charlotte where a man was shot in the neck at trade and brevard at the transit center. cmpd is questioning one person. you can count on channel 9 to bring you any new developments tonight at 10:00 and 11:00. in just days, the pollen that is on the trees will soon be on your car. >> it will make the awful allergy symptoms more unbearable. but we're breaking down what is making it so intense and when we'll get relief. when, when, when, john? >> reporter: you won't believe this, guys, but the pollen numbers tripled today and the relationship is the wind. i've been taking a look at the

the wind stirring this all around, stirring it all over the city. millions of granules of pollen all around town and they leave surfaces looking like that. we stopped by local car washs wash places today and found them lined up with this. >> it was just a mess. >> it will turn from silver to yellow. >> reporter: how fast? >> probably from the time i leave here. >> reporter: the past three months were the 5th wettest in decades, and that equals more stress for the trees and the more stress, the more flowers and the more flowers, the more this

out there, and i think that's why charlotte has the most pollen trouble in the country. >> and i rub my face and allergies act up. >> reporter: the sniffle and sneezing season is starting with a boom. the only way to avoid the headache is head straight from your house to your car in the morning. that's when the pollen is at the worst. >> let air conditioning filter out the pollen but the truth of the matter is in charlotte, you will just be exposed to the tree pollen. >> reporter: one of the worst problems in the country, and the wild card is the drought. that could slow down pollen growth but judging from what i'm seeing here, i don't think that's going to be happening. coming up, chief meteorologist steve udelson will have the rain chances. we are live in midtown, john aherns, channel mine, eyewitness news.

steve in just a moment but we are posting a daily pollen count and steps to manage your allergy symptoms. look for the story on our home page. tonight, a popular south end restaurant will dedicate the newly redesigned patio in honor of beloved employee, kelly putnam who was hit and killed by a car by mac's speed shop. they will have music starting at 7:00 and the dedication at 8:00. a man from huntersville was sentenced to 11 years in prison for running a drug ring. he was head of a large-scale trafficking scene from mexico to charlotte. five other men were arrested in the drug best, and channel 9

target for mexican trafficking organizations because of i-85 and i-77. a heads up forever part of highway 74 this week. it will be shut down to repair a leaky water main. it's the same spot that crews had to close in february because seeping water iced over and created a significant danger for drivers. that will be closed from 10:00 to noon tomorrow for prep work and through the weekend. it will re-open on monday in time for the rush hour traffic. we heard john talking about the pollen count. let's check in with steve for the conditions. he said we need the rain to wash it out and we have only seen a .25" this escape, --

the fourth dryest march since the 1870s. pine and cottonwood in the moderate range blowing around with the 20-25-mile per hour winds, and that's not helping. i don't see much chance for rain, showers towards d.c., 300 miles away and st. louis, 500 miles away, and i see the next chance of meaningful rain in and around the metro not until saturday, saturday night, and it will be probably enough to bring temporary relief. meantime, hey, enjoy the warmth. 82 in university city and concord, and 85 in mathews, and monroe, 84. belmont, 82. and 60s to near 70 in the high country. heading outside? maybe an after dinner walk, looks good. 80 at 7:00 and sundown at 7:30 and take advantage of the later sunset, lower to mid-70s by 9. tomorrow, a light jacket will

country. again, we will see temperatures rise quickly tomorrow. at the end of the morning drive, mid to upper 40s. the forecast, very much like today with sunshine and high clouds late afternoon into the early evening. certainly nothing to bring us any rain. uptown, cooler. at this point after setting records today you can make the go one way, down. and we will have the afternoon high clouds and ballantyne, fair skies until the afternoon with mid-70s. st.patrick's day tomorrow, a lot of celebrations, and the weather looks good for that. won't get in your way and st. patrick's day in rock hill, 70s and falling into the 60s. we'll be talking about a cool down and here is the futurecast. the shades will blue, that's

the afternoon and 35 degrees colder than right now and readings in the low to mid-50s, and rain late saturday into sunday. the 5-day forecast, about .50" of rain and that will be enough to give you temporary relief for this time of year, just temporary. >> and there are still a few sweaters are i wanted to wear anyway. >> this could being -- be the last chance. >> all right. thank you, steve. coming up tonight at 10:00 and 11:00, caught on camera, masked thieves using a torch try and break into a local gun store. the unique features about the car in the video that police hope will help to track them

and a loat and a lo folks have some questionsabout my spicy, freshly-preparedworld-famous zinger sandwich. questions like, "why isn'tthis world-famous sandwich available in america?" answer: bureaucratic oversight. "is it spicy?" as i said in my preamble, yes. "is it a sandwich?" i already answered that. the zinger sandwich is afreshly-prepared sandwich that is spicy. "is the world-famouszinger sandwich available in a $5 fill up?" the answer depends on whetheror not you have five dollars. but yes.

let the madness of march begin. the national champs will begin their quest to the time 4 tomorrow against unc wilmington, the blue devils with the west percentage, ranking third in all time wins, 105 tournament victories. duke will play unc wilmington for the second time in their history and coach k knows that the first game will be a tougher challenge than most people expect 72 they play an exciting style and are a together group and expect to win and play hard and well together. so we know that the game will be a difficult one for us. but we're also excited to play it. north carolina's quest to get back to the national championship begins tomorrow in raleigh versus florida gulf coast. the tar heels's last championship was in 2009 and

and rolling. >> we are really starting to put it together and become a complete team this year especially in the past couple weeks. we don't have to talk about, well, if we just defend better. we are defending better. the charlotte hornets saw their 7-game winning streak come to an end monday night against the mavericks. the playoff chase is eaten up as the hornests find themselves a game and a half back of the magic. >> we had a good workout yesterday. i'm confident we will come out and play well. >> go out and play, and that's 1 thing. they are young and talented with great pieces. >> we'll have the highlights tonight. >> all right. thank you. >> it's warm out there. >> a temperature rollercoaster, heading back down thursdays the

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c wealth management team. tonight, the supreme court showdown. the president names his pick. a judge who took on timothy mcveigh after oklahoma city. who took on the unibomber. but now he faces republican leaders who have intention of taking any action. republican leader who called the judge. the race for the white house. fresh off major victories for donald trump, tonight, trump's new warning. could there be riots if republicans try to block him at a contested convention? new details emerging tonight. the young, undercover detective shot and killed by a fellow officer. pierre thomas, standing by. the deadly storm hitting in the middle of the country. drivers losing control. and now five confirmed tornadoes. and the young american, sentenced tonight to 15 years of hard labor in north korea.

tonight. good evening. and we begin tonight with the epic battle already under way. the showdown at the supreme court. president obama revealing his choice to replace justice scalia on the court, nominating merrick garland. the president aware of this nation's divided politics, but warning to go down that path would be wrong. tonight, senate republicans vowing the nomination will go no further. at the rose garden ceremony, the president introducing garland, the court of appeals judge long respected on both sides of the aisle, describing him as one of the nation's finest legal minds. but it was not long after, republicans said they will take no action. and tonight, mitch mcconnell and his phone call to the judge. all of this as 63% of americans in our most recent poll said the senate should hold hearings on the supreme court nominee. abc's terry moran, who has covered the court for years, is back at the court tonight. >> reporter: after weeks of