high definition. nigel: to the weather first tonight. we're taking a live look outside through our asheville sky cam. it is great out there. gabrielle: still a little bit of snow in asheville, although it is turning to slush in many places. john cessarich is in our studio with the ljohn, a potential warm-up? john: a big-time warm up towards the weekend. i will show you those numbers later in the newscast. first, here is the band of rain moving along, ahead of the slow-moving cold front. notice temperatures falling off as precipitation in franklin and andrews, the temperatures will continue to fall through the mountains of north carolina in particular, especially the mountains. temperatures in the 50's and low 60's, even mid 60's in elberton. as the front passes by later tonight, starting at midnight, a freezing rain advisory running until 10 :00 a.m. tomorrow for

we could see rain mixed with freezing rain or freezing drizzle, light precipitation, not a major storm system. most of the precipitation willa trace too maybe a couple hundredths of an inch possible on the trees and power lines and roads. it does not take much, even a trace of ice on the roads could make for hazardous driving. watch out for that after midnight tonight. more about the storm system and the bi up later on. nigel: $100 a day. that's a fine property owners in asheville could face, for not shoveling the sidewalk. gabrielle: tonight is the deadline to get the job done. wyff news 4's myra ruiz is live and local in asheville. myra? myra: we're along fulton street in asheville. take a look at the sidewalk. it is stl covered with snow. property owners have to take a shovel and get the snow off the

this snow stopped falling tonight to go. -- two nights ago. right now, some of the sidewalks in the city of asheville are kind of a sore subject. >> i think they're pretty dirty, to be completely honest. myra: but the grit and grime aren't really what's bothering those trudging along. >> when it's completely iced over, that's kind of a problem. myra: and if city compliance officers find it's not cleaned up 48 hours after a storm ends, it could turn into a pricey problem. >> well, the $100 fine starts after a certain period. myra: chad bandy with asheville public works says the deadline to clean up is tonight. and guess who's responsible? >> i don't really know. it seems like it should be the city's job. myra: it is, but only if it runs in front of public property. if it runs in front of private property, it's the property owner's responsibility. >> you know, not everybody's young and able to shovel snow. and so it doesn't bother me as much, but the city can't do it, either.

that's what most of us need. myra: pedestrians say they'll try to sidestep this problem, as much as they can. >> you wear boots, and be careful. >> i have good treads on my shoes. myra: good treads, and high hopes that the snow melts soon. we didn't meet any property owners who wanted to go on camera, but we have been assured they will get to the snow shoveling when they can. at 6:00, we will tell you why owners do not know that they are respon up the public sidewalk in front of their private property. asheville. gabrielle: thank you, myra. the upstate lawmaker who introduced a bill that would require reporters to register with the state, says he never intended for the bill to become law. but representative mike pitts of laurens county says the media's reaction to the bill proves the wyff news 4's tim waller is here, with the story.

says news reporters reacted to his bill exactly the way he expected we would. and pitts says that's the point he was trying to make, because he believes the media provides slanted coverage on an issue he is very passionate about, the second amendment and the right to bear arms. at a news conference this morning, pitts said his journalist registry bill was just a way to rile the press. >> does the bill have a chance of passing? no. when i read your article, or see your tv-cast, or listen to the radio of a journalist, a news reporter, i should be able to make my mind up based on facts of the debate, and not have a slanted opinion. tim: pitts said he doesn't want to register guns or pens, and that his only interest with this bill was to spark discussion. he said a person's gun rights under the second amendment are just as important as a

first amendment. pitts said some people have accused him of wasting time by filing this bill. he said the bill will go nowhere, but he said he doesn't consider educating the public a waste of time. nigel: thanks, tim. commitment 2016 now the , presidential primaries are just around the corner. but here in the palmetto state, there are two primary dates, one for republicans, the other for democrats. wyff news 4's patrick hussion is here, with more on why. patrick: it's a question that confuses some. south carolina is one of only a handful of states that gives republicans and democrats their own primary voting day. registered voters here have the choice of participating in the republican primary on february 20, or the democratic primary on february 27. of course, the results will then play a part in deciding which two candidates will face off in the general election for president. but the questions remains. do -- unlike most states do you , know why democrats and

special voting day here in south carolina? >> actually, i do not. that's probably not very helpful, is it? >> i have no idea why they would have two separate days. >> i would imagine it's because the state is pretty divided politically. >> sorta past history, they've done it in the past. it provides both parties with their own special day. it makes south carolina stand out, not once, but twice. patrick: and that's exactly right. i spoke with the state election commission today, and they told me it's each party's decision to choose their own day, and this stems from past years when the parties w, of running and paying for their own elections. now, the state government has taken over, but they're allowing the parties to still choose their primary dates. as you can see, south carolina , we were going to show you a map there, but south carolina is one of only a dozen or so states

there are 12 or 13 total. coming up at 6:00, south carolina is an open primary, and we'll talk a little more about that, as we're not far from deciding which can carolina delegates will support for president. nigel: patrick, thank you. last night, the democratic presidential candidates made their final push one week before the iowa caucuses. hillary clinton, bernie sanders, and martin o'malley participated in a live town hall-style forum, where they made their final pitch to potential iowa caucus-goers. they took questions, and tried to explain some controversial aspects about their campaigns. while it wasn't a debate, the candidates did run into some tough questions while trying to win over undecided voters. >> the most significant vote and issue regarding foreign policy that we have seen in this country in mordern history was the vote on the war in iraq. okay? that's the fact. i voted against the war in iraq. hillary clinton voted for the

>> i have a much longer history than one vote, which i have said was a mistake, because of the way that was done and how the bush administration handled it. >> we are far better than the sort of fascist rhetoric that you hear spewed out by donald trump. the enduring symbol of our country is not a barbed wire fence, it is the statue of liberty. nigel: the latest presidential polls have just been released for both the democratic and republican sides. we'll have those for you, c up tonight at 5:30. gabrielle: an update now, lawmakers want the white house to launch a study into potential health risks posed by from -- posed by crumb rubber turf. those are playground and athletic fields made of recycled tires. back in november, wyff news 4 crumb rubber turf hottest new options in our area. it's used on many fields across the upstate. but a soccer coach in washington state discovered that the turf may harm athletes over time. she compiled a list of at least

diagnosed with cancer, most of them goalies, from washington state. right now, there is no research connecting crumb rubber to cancer. the two senators, one from florida and one from connecticut, say more research needs to be done. according to nbc news, a white house spokesman said last week that the administration will respond to the senators' request for the study soon. we will keep you posted. if you'd like to check out our initial report on crumb rubber turf in our area, head to wyff4.com. nigel: south carolina's state superintendent of education was in spartanburg today. she saw firsthand the way one district is working to build partnerships that would ensure student success. wyff news 4's mike mccormick has the story. >> good morning, and welcome to mr. clark's college-bound classroom. mike: students at the cleveland academy of leadership in spartanburg school district 7 got a special visit today, from state superintendent of education molly spearman. >> i wanted to come see it, so i can help explain it to people

duplicate this. >> boys and girls, get ready for our mission statement. >> we are proactive. mike: the school teaches the importance of being a leader, and the seven habi effective people. >> study hard, and thanks for letting me come to your classroom. >> she has 750,000 students. mike: spearman also visited meeting street academy, whis a private school. >> where do you work? >> i work in columbia. mike: here, students start at age three. there are two certified teachers in every classroom. to make this kind of an education more accessible, school district 7 is working to join forces with meeting street academy. it would be a public-private partnership. >> in terms of the students and the staff, there won't be many changes. mike: the superintendent says district 7 would provide transportation, food services, and technology support. meeting street would also become a zoned district 7 school. there would be no more tuition.

have two certified teachers. >> we hope that through this model, this unique model, that we can prove that, with the right amount of resources, we can accelerate student achievement. mike: much of the cleveland academy of leadership is a product of a public/private partnership. >> it does take all of us working together, the business community, the educators, the faith community, parents, everybody join together, and we can make it happen if we've got that kind of cooperation. mike: as for the partnership between meeting street academy and spartanburg school district 7, it's not a done deal. coming up tonight at 6:00, we'll tell you when the superintendent plans to take it to the school board for approval. mike mccormick, wyff news 4, in spartanburg. nigel: coming up, another day of digging out from under mounds of snow following the massive blizzard that his -- that hit the east coast. gabrielle: plus, a shooting scare at a san diego naval medical center today. what investigators were able to

john: a live shot from on top of the peace center in downtown greenville. cloudy skies, rain to the west. i will show you where it is.

nigel: a major scare at the san diego naval medical center t, three shots were reportedly heard coming from the basement of the medical center. the hospital was locked down while authorities escorted people safely out of the building, and police waited outside. a post on the navy hospital's

people in the building to, quote, "run, hide, or fight." after a search the navy says , there was no sign of shots fired, or a shooter in the building. gabrielle: a texas grand jury has cleared planned parenthood of all misconduct. and in a twist, they have indicted the anti-abortion activists behind the undercover videos. this is an update to the story we broke to you last night. the activists released undercover videos alleging td parenthood illegally sold fetal tissue to researchers for profit. planned parenthood maintains it does not profit from the sale of fetal tissue, and only recovers its costs. >> we're thrilled, but not surprised, of course, that the grand jury has found that planned parenthood did nothing wrong. yes, today, we're vindicated by the findings of this grand jury. gabrielle: two activists are accused of using fake drivers

-- they plan to turn themselves in. nigel: digging out from the weekend blizzard continues across the mid-agabrielle: cars remain buried under mountains of snow, and streets remain unplowed. mark barger reports. mark: the blizzard that dumped massive amounts of snow across the mid-atlantic and northeast over the weekend is still creating problems. in queens, new york, snow plows have not been able to treat many of the side roads, leaving residents to fend for themselves. >> right now, just trying to dig out, little by little. get it mark: a situation that could be dangerous. >> if you need an ambulance, how are they going to get through? god forbid you have a fire. mark: more than two feet of snow the federal government is still shut down, while public transportation is getting back up and running. in norristown, pennsylvania, cars remained buried. and even if you can dig out, there's

for days. the region's airports are still struggling, as well, with hundreds of canceled flights. weary travelers are being forced to make the most of it. >> airports take a while to gt back on track, so you just have to live with it. two feet of snow, it's a lot of snow. mark: while officials in numerous east coast cities grapple with what to do with all the snow, children, it seems, have it all figured out. mark barger, nbc news. >> now, your live super doppler 4 hd weather forecast. john: in the northern part of greenville county, all of greenville county, a two-hour delay for schools. travelers rest, a to a route delay. but they are back to sthey have a lot of snow and sleet, a little bit over a half a foot of snow in travelers rest this past weekend. some of it in the shaded areas,

that is why they have the delay this morning. they are waiting for it to thaw out a little bit so the roads will be in gd shape. kids headed to school in travelers rest this morning wia two-hour delay. rain will wash away some of the slush and snow and sleet we still have him tit is all liquid precipitation. in the mountains, it could mix with freezing rain from time to time late tonight, but it will be light precipitation. not big deal. however, as i mentioned earlier, it takes a trace of freezing rain on the roads to make them extremely dangerous. watch out for that. be careful. otherwise, just all liquid precipitation moving into the western north carolina and georgia area. precipitation was modern -- moderate rain in chattanooga and alabama. light precipitation.

rain, it will be light.as far as ice accumulation, a trace too maybe a couple hundreds of of an inch is about it. it starts at midnight, the freezing rain advisory in these areas until 10:00 a.m. tomorrow morning. light freezing rain or light freezing drizzle. a live shot from asheville, you can see stood oh -- snow still on the rain -- on the ground. late tonight, it may change to freezing drizzle. a light freezing rain or freezing drizzle possible. highs starting to cool down. 44 in franklin, 45 in andrews, 50 in asheville, 50 in hendersonville and brevard and columbus. anybody else 50? 46 in burnsville. 44 in boone. spruce pine, 50 in marshall. 51 in rutherfordton, 49 in marion. temperatures abovemark. as the front pushes through,

low-to-mid 30's especially the closer you get to tennessee and especially higher elevations. very little wind outside. humidity much higher through the mountains of north georgia and western north carolina as the rain moves in from the west. 39 degrees in bristol, tennessee. there is a front and there is the rain. we may have a storm system appear moving through the great lakes. here is the next storm system through the southwestern part of said -- of texas. tonight, cloudy with patchy light rain moving into the upstate, low 42. rain likely in the mountains, fairly light, maybe mixed with freezing rain or drizzle. tomorrow, patchy drizzle early in the upstate, patches of freezing drizzle early in the mountains, otherwise sunshine in the afternoon and highs will be above freezing in the afternoon. the for-day plus, the warming trend continues. sunshine on thursday, friday, or the weekend.

into the 60's as we go into the weekend. congratulations angie brewer, our umbrella winner from pelzer. gabrielle: coming up, it could be a milestone in olympic history. a rule change for transgender nigel: bill gates is teaming up

he was rated a+ by the nra. not for his promises, but for defending the second amendment... he's a man of deep faith, who fought time and again for the right to life. he laid out a plan to destroy isis months before paris. he'll strengthen our border and use conservative principles to put washington's broken fiscal house

jeb bush. he's the conservative you can trust, to fight for our beliefs. right to rise usa is responsible for the content of this message. carol: in tonight's 4 your health, transgender athletes could be set to compete in this summer's olympic games without having gender reassignment surgery. the proposed rule change by international olympic committee medical chiefs would be a milestone in olympic history transgender athletes have been allowed in the olympics since 2004, but only after surgery and two years of hormone therapy. the rule change establishes hormone-based criteria. anatomically, male competitors -- anatomically male competitors must prove their testosterone levels have been a benchmark for a year to compete in female divisions. they must also declare that they are female gender. also proposed, female-to-male transgender athletes can compete as males without restriction.

teaming up with billionaire bill gates to pledge $4.3 billion to help end deaths from malaria in the next five years. the bill and melinda gates foundation will also contribute $200 million per year to the package. the gates foundation's first annual contribution will support research and development, and regional efforts to eliminate the disease. >> malaria is a terrible thing. hundreds of millions of people get it. it holds back economies. it kills over 600,000 children a year, almost 10% of all children that die before the age of five. by taking this research money and coming up with , interventions, the scientific community has agreed that by 2040, we can get rid of this disease. carol: in december, the world health organization's annual malaria report showed deaths falling to 438,000 last year, nearly half the deaths in 2000. caffeine is not as bad for our health as some experts once thought. researchers from the university of california surveyed a small

than half had at least one caffeinated drink a day. after undergoing 24 hours of heart monitoring, those participants did not experience an increase in heartbeats. the study excluded people with known heart arrhythmias. experts say some studies have suggested caffeinated products, such as coffee, tea, and chocolate, may have cardiovascular benefits. a lot of teenagers might think e-cigarettes are a safe alternative to regular cigarettes, but there's evidence teens who try e-cigarettes may also be more likely to start smoking regular cigarettes. a hawaiian study included 2300 9th and 10th graders. those who vaped were three times as likely to start smoking a year later. more than two-thirds of the kids considered e-cigarettes healthier than regular cigarettes. aixa: jobs and the economy. i'm aixa diaz in washington. how those issues are playing out on the campaign trail, coming up. gabrielle: plus, what do cam newton and jimmy fallon have in common?

there's a big connection.continuing our eight weeks eight is gabrielle: continuing our eight weeks, eight issues tonight. we look at the issue of the current state of the united states economy and how it plays , into the current presidentl nigel: today, we take a closer look at the ec here at home, what are people saying? gabrielle: and even though the weather affected meals on wheels deliveries, they made sure their clients were taken care of.