thank you for joining us this morning. i'm britney johnson. meteorologist christine rapp has been tracking the system moving through. >> and we are seeing a few showers out there, lots of clouds to start across the metro area. temperatures are mild, starting off in the upper 50s. 57 by 10:00 a.m., and keeping that rain chance around as well. not everyone will see the rain today but there's a chance as you head throughout saturday, so coming up in about 10 to 15 minutes, we'll talk about the rainy saturday, and see temperatures dropping at or below freezing. i'll let you know when those temperatures arrive, coming up. >> and you can always track the current temperatures and find out when the rain will hit your area by using our wsoc tv app, with hourly forecasts and current conditions and a look at the radar. we are following breaking news this morning. in the last 20 minutes we

plane crash in southern russia that killed 62 people. russian officials say they have found one of the flight recorders from the fly dubai crash site. they say the plane tried making a second attempt at landing in bad weather. officials say wind gusts were 30 to 50 miles an hour when the plane landed and the wing touched the runway then burst into flames. investigators are trying to figure out why the plane broke down, killing everyone on board. this is north tryon street at 11th, two cars with significant damage, one to the front end right there. we know at least one person was injured in this crash. we are asking police what happened and if any charges will be filed. sled is investigating the death of a decorated police officer killed in the line of duty. police say officer allen jacobs

deontae mackie, a 17 self- described gang member. officers stopped to talk to mackie about a gun when he took off running behind a house. >> mackie fled, we gave pursuit, and without demonstrating any force and without exacting any force, our officer was shot and killed, then mr. mackie took his own life. >> mackie reportedly fired a begun, hitting jacobs several times. jacobs did not draw his weapon. the preliminary investigation shows none of the other officers fired their weapons but sled is investigating. jacobs was a decorated iraq war veteran and father of two with one on the way. two students found a body on or near the bravard college campus around 6:30 last night in a wooded area behind the maintenance building. authorities haven't said if the body is male or female or if

they are looking through missing persons reports. bravard police and the fbi are investigating. in the last 30 minutes, the brussells mayor says a paris terror suspect has been discharged from the hospital. right now leaders are pushing for an immediate extradition of this man, salah abdeslam, who spent four months on the run after the november terror attacks that killed 130 people. police captured him yesterday in belgium after he was shot in the leg during a gun battle with authorities in brussells. four others were also arrested. a man walked channel 9 through the terrifying moment he was robbed at gunpoint right outside his home minutes from south park mall. he said he was so scared, he even gave the suspect the pizza he was holding. >> reporter: the victim says what shocked him most is the time this all happened. police say the suspects robbed

he told me he's been out in his neighborhood much later and has always felt safe. shocked and scared. that's how this 31-year-old man described the night he won't soon forget. >> my mind was not working. i was like in a state of shock for sometime because i'd not seen this for. >> reporter: thursday night along the 4000 block of kings gate place in the strawberry hill community, a neighborhood where he says he's always felt safe. >> the only thing i thought, let me give it to them. >> reporter: he says much of his routine leading up to the robbery was different. he came home later than usual and went out to get pizza when he normally would order in. >> coming the providence road, nobody was behind me. when i took a left there, i knew someone was behind me. >> reporter: two men were waiting at his door when he got

>> i saw the gun and it was pretty big. so i don't want to take any chances. >> reporter: police say the men took his credit cards, cash, even his driver's license. it's an illinois license because he just moved to charlotte weeks ago. >> if it was not me, it would be someone else. lucky i'm not hurt, that's the important thing. >> reporter: and police have yet to make any arrests. happening today, former cia director david petraeus is expected to appear before a house committee on benghazi. he led the mission in 2012 and agreed to come back because his prior testimony was cut short. this weekend the president will visit cuba, marking the first time in nearly 90 years a

he'll meet with cuban disdents and human rights activists. despite the thaw in relations between the two countries, the trade embargo is expected to stand. >> the u.s. delegation leaves tomorrow. the white house says president obama will advocate for better respect for human rights and visit with people previously victimized by the cuban government. earlier this month we learned american airlines wants to operate daily flights between charlotte and cuba. the airline applied for 14 daily flights into havana, most of miami but one out of the hub here in charlotte. we learned charlotte's former mayor is still in the mecklenburg county jail right now. officials brought him here to face sentencing on voter fraud charges earlier this week. it's not clear when he will be bussed back to the federal

we have learned it cost more than $157 every day he stays in the mecklenburg county jail. construction to fix a danger leak in the inbound lanes near sunnyside avenue and i-277, charlotte water tweeted yesterday that unforeseen circumstances forced crews to cancel the work. they closed this spot twice last month because seeping water iced over and caused several crashes. happening to, the irish ambassador to the u.s. will be visiting the area to take part in fact st. patrick's day parade. they will discuss challenges and change for small business leaders. the festival begins at 10:00 this morning and the st.

thousands are expected to attend both events, which means traffic restrictions in downtown charlotte. >> there are a lot of festivities going on this weekend, lane closures between 5:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. this weekend. we'll see about 3,000 marchers, 12,000 attendees expected. the route is tryon, 9th down to 3rd, then turning off toward college street. you can use any parallel roads as your alternate. 7:08 right now. major changes coming to mecklenburg county job applications to help people get work. board members voted unanimously to approve an initiative called ban the box. they are taking the box off the job application that asks about a person's criminal record. the county commissioner says

background checks and says the move will give people second chances. >> we're going to be welcoming to people and we're not going to be judgmental and we're not going to let implicit bias prevent us from hiring someone. >> the changes will take effect right away. troopers are trying to figure out how a driver crossed the center line, causing this deadly crash in lincoln county. debris along highway 27 near vail stretched almost 100 yards. witnesses tell channel 9 they saw the pickup driver slumped over the wheel before the truck veered into the path of a larger truck. one witness drove off the road to dodge some of those flying parts. >> looked like a nascar race, man. looked like just everywhere,

tires, axls going up in the air, that's it. >> troopers say it is not clear why that driver crossed the center line. possible charges after a fire was intentionally set in a cms school bathroom, causing hundreds to evacuate. it happened yesterday morning at walter buyers middle school. the hallway filled with smoke and more than 500 students were evacuated. at this time cms is only saying it was a liquid thrown on the floor that caught fire. a woman says she had to jump on her daughter's school bus after a man in hickory approached her with a gun. she backed out of the driveway and got on her daughter's bus down the street, telling the driver someone was trying to kill her. after an hour long manhunt involving s.w.a.t., deputies arrested wesley wright, charged with attempted robbery with a dangerous weapon. >> i was so scared, i couldn't remember if he said get out,

out, get out. >> that's the man taken into custody after the manhunt and he is facing serious charges of attempted robbery with a dangerous weapon. take a live look outside, looks like the ground could be a little wet. we are tracking some rain. >> already this morning tracking one or two showers to start the day. temperatures are mild, in the upper 50s and low 60s across the metro. a wider view shows 40s up in the mountains as we start. if you're heading out, maybe the rain jacket or umbrella if you're heading to the festival and parade this morning. rain chances are scattered. not everyone will see rain today. more of those details coming up. investigators say a dallas man accused of stealing $18,000 worth of gas was busted. coming up, the reason he was

how easily he transported all the gas. a major company coming to charlotte bringing hundreds of jobs. >> this is something that is part of what we moved here for. >> at 7:30, the reasons the company picked charlotte and what the move says about the city's future. first, a south carolina town is on the short list of cities with a high risk of seeing the

next, the help officials say good morning, 7:14. we are tracking rain and some people are going to be waking up to it this morning. we'll have more on your chances depending on where you live, coming up.

investigators are looking into a new piece of evidence that could be critical in the investigation into a deadly officer-involved shooting in raleigh. last night officers looked into a bullet hole in the side of a house near where an officer shot denkins while trying to serve a warrant. if connected, it could offer more clues about where the shooting happened. the fbi could wrap up the investigation early next week but the county's district attorney says it could be two months before the state finishes the final autopsy. this week raleigh city leaders approved a pilot program to give police officers body cameras.

would get them. new. this morning, charleston is among a handful of u.s. cities with a high risk for a zika virus outbreak. the virus has been linked to birth defects and paralysis. new findings found 50 u.s. cities may be at risk for a potential outbreak and charleston is among 9 with a potential high risk. officials say they need the public's help, especially during the normal surveillance and treatment to be sure there are no locally transmitted cases of the zika virus. the big concern is mostly in latin america and the caribbean but in north carolina there are confirmed zika virus casings. officials say each patient got the virus while traveling out of the country.

within 500 feet of a commercial plane at lax. yesterday the plane was about 5,000 feet up in the air when the drone came close. police are now looking for the drone's owner. and two planes on saturday had to change paths to avoid hitting a drone flying higher than faa regulations allow. a senate committee approved a bill last week to start a technology. that would spot a drone in the air and the location of the person flying it on the ground. starting to get into some rain now. >> you could see the wet pavement out there earlier.

moving through, keeping an eye on this near uptown or north of there. this is moving east northeast, so areas like huntersville, even cornelius, will be picking up on light rain here. off to the east, we have steady light rain here this morning. just a heads up there is wet pavement out there if you're heading out early for the festivities going on this weekend. we'll have a few scattered showers out there, 8:00 here, just keeping a little activity in the foothills. that continues through the lunchtime hour and into the afternoon. around 5:00, 6:00 this evening, that's when we'll have a steadier line of showers pushing through the metro area and off to the east. a little disclaimer today, everyone will see the clouds. not everyone will see the rain

may have a brief downpour but you could see showers not packing much of a punch and pushing off to the east throughout the overnight hours tonight. threat tracker for this weekend in general, we are tracking rain moving in. the thunderstorm threat is low, maybe a rumble of thunder, lightning, brief heavy downpour. that's about it, not expecting any severe weather this weekend. we'll have highs in the low 60s. today will be the first day since march 7th we'll have highs not in the 70s and 80s. 63 this afternoon in the charlotte area, boone with a chance of rain and highs in the 40s. albemarle, rain chances will be on and off as well. we'll have periods of dry weather today. not a complete washout here, still tried for our second driest march on record.

rain so far this month, and we'll get a little more today. we're dry tonight with a few spotty showers to talk about, mainly sunday afternoon and sunday night. if you're out and about, it will be the drier day of the two. we're dropping by about 10 degrees. monday and tuesday morning temperature are dropping below freezing and we'll have frost conditions in the metro. stay on top of the latest weather conditions with our wsoc tv weather app, interactive radar a great tool to have with you. >> those warm temperatures are coming back? >> by midweek we'll be back in the 70s. new this morning, and trending on social media,

ncaa victory last night with this game-winning buzzer shot. just 2.7 seconds left on the court with this great look, banking that half court shot. so happy there. look at those smiles, 11 seeded northern iowa knocked off number 6 need texas 75-72. police say a dallas man stole 9,000 gallons of gas. coming up, the way he was able to steal it and who alerted police to the theft. a major company is opening a branch in charlotte and they are bringing 400 jobs. the factors that made charlotte stand out. but first, people living near coach ash ponds in belmont want the state to retest their water.

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people living near coal ash ponds in belmont are asking the government to be sure their water is safe. neighbors want the state to retest their water. last year state told people near the duke energy plant not to drink their water because of elevated levels of metal toxins. this month a new letter said the water is safe to drink. neighbors say no one ever retested the water. >> the only thing that changed

how do you expect us to erase a whole year of fearing our water? >> people there have been using bottled water for cooking, cleaning and drinking since last year's order came out and say they will keep doing so until they are convinced their water is safe. duke said in a statement: >> neighbors have two chances to meet with the state's department of environmental quality within the next few weeks about coal ash concerns. this thursday at 6:00 at gaston college's dallas campus, there will be a hearing. another one will be march 29th at 6:00 in hickory. we have been covering the community's coal ash concerns

past coverage at wsoctv.com. if you have plans to be out today, one event that's going on this afternoon, the unc charlotte weatherfest. we'll be there throughout the afternoon hours today if you're heading out. you may want that rain gear just in case. temperatures in the low 60s but we are going to continue to slide down, dropping about 10 degrees by sunday afternoon. more on the full weekend forecast, coming up. >> feels like a drastic change because it's been so warm. >> it will be a shock. keep those jackets handy. for 20 years, people have pushed for a public beach in mecklenburg county. now they are seeing that dream come true. coming up, the major impact only lake norman and when you can start swimming. and police say this man stole

how he was able to take the gas and who caught him. first, a major company opening in charlotte. next, the reason charlotte was chosen and why some say the

could this morning rain is on the way to the charlotte area. you can see that moving east right now. the timeline for when the rain will hit and when we'll see even colder temperatures across the area. a major company is opening in charlotte, bringing several hundred jobs. the reason the company chose the queen city.

finally getting light enough out there. out. good morning and thank you for joining us. i'm britney johnson. we have some showers this morning? >> we could feel some light drizzle in and around the charlotte area. temperatures out there right now, starting out in the 50s in the foothills and 40s in the mountains, but we won't see much of a warmup for your saturday. more on the afternoon forecast and the rain details coming up in a few minutes. >> and you can track the current temperatures and find out when the rain is hitting your neighborhood by using our

it has hour by hour forecasts and current conditions as well as radar. if you're heading to the blue ridge parkway this weekend, you'll run into road closures. crews are blocking off small sections for two and three days at a time till the end of the month to remove large trees and debris. they usually do the cleaning during the winter months but they were missing a part of a machine. and it will be closed to bikers and walkers too. we are following breaking news this morning. overnight we learned a plane crashed in southern russia, killing all 62 people on board. last night the fly dubai plane tried making a second landing attempt during bad weather. officials say the plane tried landing in winds 30 to 50 miles an hour. the russian emergency situations ministry says when

runway up and down and began to break down, then burst into flames. investigators at carolina university are investigatorring racial comments on social media in the middle of students black lives matter movement. they say it was supposed to be a peaceful celebration but turned ugly on facebook and through the app. >> there were some that said black lives splatter, talking about bringing in the kkk, saying they didn't feel like we had a point. >> some students deleted the app and messages following those comments. others say the university's response wasn't fast enough, allowing more posts to surface. university officials sent an e- mail condemning the posts and encouraging discussion. east carolina university police charged a charlotte teen with simple assault and ethnic

racial slur while assaulting another student thursday night at a bus stop. the chancellor released this statement: 7:33 right now. a major company is coming to charlotte and bringing hundreds of jobs. >> reporter: paypal has 10 other operations centers and reported $9.2 billion in revenue last year. this is a successful company hoping to expand even further, so this is big for the queen city. >> 400 new jobs right here in charlotte, north carolina. >> i think it's great for the city. >> this is manage that was parking lot of what we moved here for. >> reporter: paypal chose charlotte to open its 11th operations center. >> we are here because of the engineering talent, the labor

opportunity here in charlotte. >> reporter: new positions include customer as far as, risk operations, engineering and technology. the company plans to advertise for jobs in later may or early june and start training in september. >> we're going to develop software for our payment systems. we are going to manage risks for the cyber security side. >> reporter: $3.6 billion investment will come by the end of 2017. this comes after the jobless rate rose in the area. the overall economic outlook is promising. >> it's always difficult when, you know, the markets have been so volatile. clearly paypal sees there is an opportunity for them here and this is a work force with a lot of skills they can leverage. >> reporter: they plan to move

beginning of the summer. >> if you're looking for a job, we have more information on the opportunities coming to charlotte at wsoctv.com. just look for this story under news. new this morning, isis released a new video showing hostage and british journalist john cantoli talking about kiosks where propaganda is distributed. he's saying americans are so bankrupt of intelligence that the kiosks are all they have left to tart. this is the first message from him since february 2015. he was kidnapped in november 2012. today dozens of students an teach, are expected to march on the government center in uptown charlotte. they say agents are targeting students for deportation. people from the students for education reform and latin american coalition are

they are also holding a rally at the government center starting at 6:30 tonight. in a statement, one spokesman talked about the deportation order for a child picked up outside his home. agents say they try to avoid sensitive areas like schools and churches. you could be forced to pay airport. they will change the system this spring and officials say daily and hourly rates will be available but travelers will be encouraged to avoid top rates by booking and paying for parking in advance online. 7:36 right now. deputies are searching for this man right now. they say he is armed and dangerous. investigators say bobby fish was following a woman's vehicle earlier this week and she told

alongside her and fired a shot into the car. she pulled into a family's driveway in cherryville, and fish and another car pulled in behind her. eventually police say fish took off. after two decades of fighting for a public beach in mecklenburg county, it's now becoming a reality. coming up, the impact on lake norman and when you could go swimming. >> and although the official start of spring may be here tonight, winter conditions are

more on th welcome back, 7:40. we are tracking a few areas of light showers so maybe grab that rain gear if you're heading out. temperatures this morning starting in the 40s and low 50s, 59 right now in charlotte and 60 gastonnia, 57 in lancaster. by this afternoon, not much of a warmup, 40s, 50s and 60s expected for saturday afternoon. the big change, we are tracking some rain. more on that and planning of the your day, coming up in a few minutes. on monday mooresville residents get to voice their concerns about a controversial retail developmentment the project would include a sporting goods store, costco and six other businesses. some neighbors are worried their home values will suffer. town leaders are expected to vote on the development on monday.

smaller this year when it holds its spring news conference monday. it's expected to have a smaller version of the iphone and smaller version o. ipad pro. it starts at 1:00 eastern monday. after two decades of fighting for a public beach in mecklenburg county, it's finally a reality. coming up, the impact this will have on the county and when you could start swimming. first, police say this man stole $18,000 worth of gas. next, the way he was able to steal thousands of gallons and

theft. to th good morning, 7:44. we have a live look at independence and i-277. you can see clear conditions for the most part. we are expecting and seeing some rain across the area already, so look out for that. we'll get an update on the rain chances in just a bit. new this morning, we have learned when emergency responders arrived at the scene of the san bernardino attack that killed 14 people, their

broadcast live on the internet. a police, fire and medical interagency says that created potential danger for them, since people could hear their every move. yesterday at a legislative hearing, the police lieutenant said it's a precarious situation for first responders. since then, personnel have been evaluating how they responded to the deadliest attack on u.s. soil since september 11th. the shooters died in a shootout with police. investigators in lincoln county revealed how they caught a man accused of stealing 9,000 gallons of gas. deputies say video of joseph gibson taking gas on security cameras helped track him down. his job with public works gave him access to a county gas card.

month, he pumped $18,000 worth of gas, and most of that put into very huge drums. >> somebody starts and gets by with it, then they try more and more. >> another worker alerted authorities to the purchases. gibson is now charged with fraud. the department of revenue wants lawmakers to return the interest collected on taxpayer refund to taxpayers. if you owe money to south carolina, you're required to pay interest. the state newspaper reports the money currently goes to pay for children's programs. when lawmakers decide on the budget that begins july 1st, they will decide whether to send that interest back to taxpayers. in the last three years the interest would have amounted to about $14 million. an investigation uncovered a charlotte road project way behind schedule. it's the university boulevard extension project, which started in 2013 an was supposed

nearly a year later, that project is only 30% completed. >> it's just unexpected. we just don't know, you know, what's going to happen from day- to-day with the construction. >> the city told us they could not get the contractor, triangle grading an paving, to finish the work. the city fired them last month. we have a system coming through bringing snow to the northeast but mostly rain for us. >> we are kind of in the middle. we'll have lower temperatures but our storms won't be strong or severe. that's the good news. we need the rain but it won't put a damper on the saturday plans. this is a look at the doppler. if you're heading out soon throughout concord, salisbury, rockingham, some light rain pushing through this morning. so watch out for the wet roadings.

today, showers that are very spotty and scattered. this is a cluster now pushing through the huntersville area here, concord coming up here in its track. some light rain is not out of the question here. for today, we have a lot of clouds around. that's one thing we'll all deal with. not everyone will see the rain. it will be spotty. we'll have that chance through the lunchtime hour and again through 5:00, 6:00. this is a better chance for seeing the scattered showers around the metro area. have that umbrella or rain gear on hand to be safe. things push east through the overnight hours tonight, maybe a spot or two to start tomorrow. for the most part as you head out, should be mainly dry across the carolinas. by lunchtime tomorrow, that trend continues.

rain throughout sunday night. hickory, shelby going to see the rain first afternoon dinner time area form, then it will push through the metro area. this will cool us down tomorrow. the mountains may have a light dusting of snow to deal with monday morning. for the rest of us, rain totals staying pretty small, under a half inch for most of us. tomorrow we're drier but cooler, mid-50s expected sunday afternoon. this will be the coolest we have had since the first week of march. it's not just the afternoon temperatures but also the overnight conditions. monday and tuesday will be the coldest mornings. you'll have to get those winter coats back out for the kids early this week, and i know we have been very warm the past couple days with highs in the 70s and 80s. we have frost and freeze conditions likely monday and

up as we start the week. another look at the five-day forecast, we'll have sunshine returning and temperatures back in the 70s. stay on top of the latest conditions throughout the next couple days by downloading our wsoc tv weather app, live radar to see what's happening down to your neighborhood. you can download that for free. >> it's a good day to hold onto a light layer at least. >> yes, jacket, maybe rain in your area. happening today, relatives are celebrating national safe place week with roberts walk to the crisis center on east boulevard. the relatives is the safe place agency for mecklenburg county, celebrating national safe place week every year, raising awareness about runaways and

for nearly two decades, residents called for a public beach at lake norman in mecklenburg county. yesterday leaders said mecklenburg county's first memorial day. so mark your calendars. leaders are trying to bring public swimming to the lake since 1997. people nearby say they are excited for more people to be able to enjoy the lake. >> i think the people that live here and hopefully people in the entire county will take an opportunity to come up here and have some fun. >> last year more than $21 million came into lake norman and officials hope to top that this year. there will be a charge of $3 per car to use the beach and the parking lot fits 127 cars.

inside a church last summer. yesterday a memorial inside charleston international airport with stained glass with the etched names of the victims and survivors, and the bible open to the scripture that was being read at the time of the shootings. people are invited to take part in the next phase of the downtown master plan update process. the planning an neighborhood development department will host a series of urban design workshops later this month and during those workshops, people will develop and test new ideas for the downtown area. there will be meetings march 21st through march 24th at 1:00 or 6:00, all at concord city hall. all eyes on the ncaa tournament right now with some

how the tarheels were able how lease a 2016 lincoln mkx for $399 a month

at your lincoln d it may have taken them a half to wake up, but when they did, carolina outscored the eagles by 15.

17 rebounds and 8 blocks. johnson said two nights ago that he was disappointed in the play. the head coach says his team is fortunate to come out with the win. >> one of the worst halves we have played all yearlong. first 10 minutes of the second half, we were really good. every time they drove it in there, bryce blocked so many shots and the basket. that was huge for us. for us, feel good to still be here. >> they will play tonight at9:40. duke will battle yale after the bulldogs upset baylor. coach says if marshall doesn't play well, they don't have a shot. >> the number of times in the second part of the season our most important player is marshall. when he plays well, we have a chance. if he just plays okay, we don't

he was okay in the first half but played great in the second half. >> unc and villanova, uphill battle for the bulldogs. trailing by 7 and villanova was just too strong. check out the buzzer beater, unc one and done 86-56. playoff time in college basketball, the hornets solidifying why they may make noise in this year's playoffs. charlotte just a half game behind atlanta for first place in the southeast division. right now they are the 6th seed in the playoffs an host the denver nuggets tonight at 6:00. we can expect the rain to just pop up all day. >> not an all day rain event. today you can see that little

this is where it's heading next, harrisburg, concord, heading through the next couple hours. it's producing brief heavy rain. look out for that throughout the afternoon, hit or miss showers. have that rain gear. >> thank you for joining us this saturday morning.

good morning, america. breaking overnight, deadly crash. a boeing 737 explodes while attempting to land. the disaster caught on camera. the plane erupting into a fireball. the investigation this morning, was bad weather to blame or perhaps something else? paris fugitive captured. the terror raid takedown. people running for cover as europe's most wanted is hauled away in this dramatic assault in his alleged role in the paris attacks hiding in the same neighborhood police have been searching for months. how did he evade them for so long? hulk hogan's huge courtroom victory. >> just give us something, hulk. >> awarded $115 million. his emotional reaction winning his lawsuit against the website that posted his sex tape. >> this is not only his victory today but also anyone else who's