continues overnight until tomorrow morning. a winter storm warning along the tennessee line, winter weather advisory for north georgia into canton, the suburbs of atlanta, there could be another testing to an inch possible in these areas. we are dealing with dangerous wind chills overnight tonight through thursday at 10:00 a.m. in the north georgia mountains. wind chill advisory, wind chills getting as low as negative five degrees at times, maybe as low as -15 degree wind chills in the western carolina mountains. this goes overnight until noon tomorrow. it will be reissued tomorrow night and into thursday morning. nigel: voting in new hampshire, underway. the primary is happening right now. this is a live look at one of the many polling locations across the state. in new hampshire, voting actually got underway in parts of the state at midnight. polls close at 7:00. the ideological divide between democrats and republicans runs

it's reflected in congress, and in the race for the white house. gabrielle: so, what about the be able to bring the country sally kidd continues our commitment 2016 coverage. >> political vendetta. >> outrageous witch hunt. sally: in congress, >> nothing short of atrocious. >> how could anyone defend that? sally: where compromise is rare, >> appalling callousness. >> repulsive and repugnant. sally: gridlock and dysfunction rule the day. >> what's right is what's right. >> you can't be serious about this. sally: the partisan warfare, reflecting a deepening red-blue divide in america. >> don't walk in here and tell me -- >> don't go there. sally: partisan rancor is nothing new, but a pew research poll finds the political gulf has been widening over the last 20 years. repupuicans have become more conservative, and democrats more liberal. the center is shrinking. >> what happened? sally: can the next president be a unifying force? >> it's a pipe dream. sally: it's a pledge presidential candidates often

>> i'm a uniter, not a divider. sally: until the realities of the office intrude. >> thinks he can just sit in the oval office and write his own laws. >> it will only happen if we fix our politics. >> the notion that you can unite the country as a promise, is more of an illusion than it is a reality. sally: but maybe that's okay, some say. >> sure, there have been major bipartisan achievements in decades past, but it's not always the case that the country makes progress simply when the parties and people of good will come together. sally: sometimes big things can get done with one party in charge, though the other side doesn't like it. the bush tax cuts, wall street reform, and obamacare, to name a few. the bipartisan policy center set up a 29-member commission to study polarization in america. among its recommendations, that the president hold regular monthly meetings with congressional leaders. in washington, i'm sally kidd. nigel: gallup, which tracks

has found increasingly partisan views of presidents. gabrielle: it says while president obama and president george w. bush were both elected with hopes of unifying the country, the opposite has happened. nigel: while the super bowl has always been known for its interesting and often funny commercials, one commercial that aired sunday night took a jab at republican presidential candidate marco rubio. gabrielle: you might remember it. it's the ad that talked about the isis threat, then showed rubio goofing off, playing fantasy football. tonight, in truth check, wyff news 4 investigates' tim waller has the story behind the ad. tim: it's not every day a political attack ad is played during the super bowl. but one aired sunday night, and only in south carolina, since our gop primimy is less than two

>> i know i have a debate, but i got to get this fantasy football thing right. okay? >> keep the promise 1 is responsible for the content of this advertising. tim: keep the promise 1 is a super pac that wants to see ted cruz elected as our next president. the group spent nearly a half-million dollars on this ad, and one other that's set to air. super pac president kellyanne conway told d , quote, "the nonsense of which candidate would you rather have a beer with, or have in your fantasy football league," referring to marco rubio, "has been replaced with, who can you trust to keep americans safe?" referring to cruz. this same ad aired in the state of iowa a month before the caucus. cruz won with 27% of the republican vote. now, as far as the clip showing rubio playing fantasy football,

where exactly did that come from, and what was its original context? >> hey, it's marco. hey, what's the latest on cruz? i know, but is he in or is he out? because i keep seeing reports here about both. well, see what you can find out. and what about bush? because he's been kind of quiet this year, and you never know with this guy. tim: this was actually a political ad from rubio himself that aired just before one of the first republican debates. the ad is tongue in cheek, meant to show that rubio can be a regular guy. when he refers to cruz and bush, he's actually talking about nfl stars victor cruz and reggie bush. but ted cruz's super pac has% revived part of that ad to make you think rubio isn't focused on the serious issues. >> i have to get this fantasy footballhing right. tim: in truth, the clip of rubio playing fantasy football has been taken out of context. nigel: remember, any time a political ad hits the air, tim waller will put it to the truth check test. gabrielle: and be sure to check out our other truth check

just head to our website, and click on "politics" under the "news" tab on wyff4.com. nigel: this thursday, wyff4 is teaming with the riley institute at furman university, for a commitment 2016 voter focus group with peter hart. this is an exclusive, live-streaming event that will take place in our wyff 4 studios. it will include upstate voters, who will weigh in on the upcoming first in the south presidential primaries. nationally-known pollster peter hart works with national news organizations, including chuck todd at nbc news. you can watch this exclusive event on thursday, starting at 7:00 p.m., live-streaming on our wyff4 app. gabrielle: the greenville county school district is moving toward a new grading system that will impact all middle school students. instead of zero's, under the new policy, the lowest grade a student can receive on a test, homework, or daily assignment, is a 61, which is still a failing score. the superintendent of middle schools said at a meeting this morning that giving students zeros doesn't motivate them, but

and quit. he says students must still make up missed work. >> to give a student free points for something, i don't think we're doing that at all. i think we're maybe adjusting the overall, devastating affect of a zero, so it doesn't impact an average unfairly. gabrielle: mauldin middle is the only middle school that does not use the new system. it is expected to transition by the beginning of the next school year. some middle schools have already been using this system for years. others just started this year. nigel: it's february, not the time of year you typically go swimming, but some brave souls took a plunge in lake hartwell, all for a good cause. the polar bear plunge will happen at portman marina this saturday, in anderson county. all money raised goes to the "pennies for preemies" organization, which helps families of preemies and children with special needs. it's organized by grace cromer, who's a junior at tl hanna and reigning miss teen south

the plunge will have some celebrity jumpers. >> when the organization started out, i walked around with mason jars and went to schools and businesses. the need started getting bigger, and mason jars were not going to cut it anymore. nigel: you are looking at pictures from previous years. our own geoff hart will be a judge. registration starts at 9:00 saturday morning, and the plunge is at 10:00, again, at portman marina in anderson county. coming up, have you given up on your new year's resolution to exercise? if so, you are not alone. why check-ins at the gym drop significantly today. gabrielle: plus, mardi gras festivities are in full swing.

we will b nigel: it's been 40 days since the beginning of the year, when so many of us made new year's resolutions to get healthier and exercise. now, we are continuing. gabrielle: we are gym buddies. but for some, 40 days is all some people can take. erika edwards explains. erika: since january 1, the number of people making good on

has soared. but yeah, you had to see this coming. it's all downhill from here. >> by the end of february, we're back to the normal people here at the gym. erika: records from gold's gym suggest that after february 9th, check-ins at the gym drop dramatically. other gyms see similar so-called "fitness cliffs," as people fall back into their old routines. let's face it, working out can be tough on the body. >> the muscle soreness, the next day the lactic acid settles in, and i walk funny. erika: personal trainers like gentry manley say, clients may become frustrated when they don't see their hard work reflected in the mirror. >> if you're not getting results, you just figure, well, just forget it. it's not working. erika: the experts say consistency and patience pay off. also, set realistic goals. >> a lot of people want to start out at the top. i always tell people, start out where your body will allow you to start out. erika: if you started out the

aren't working out, switch to another form of physical activity. another tip, find a friend who will exercise with you, hold you accountable, or at least give you a fighting chance. erika edwards, nbc news. michael: here's what we have coming up on news 4 at 6:00. feeding the less fortunate in anderson county. 1,000 children at risk of hunger on the weekends. >> that's what drives our hearts to do this, is that there are some children out there that really do not have food on the weekends, and we need to do that, because it's what jesus would have done. he would have met their needs. michael: how a group is making sure every child that needs it, has food on the weekends.

that's next at 6:00, ri the son of a polish immigrant who grew up in a brooklyn tenement. he went to public schools, then college, where the work of his life began -- fighting injustice and inequality, speaking truth to power. he moved to vermont, won election and praise as one of america's best mayors. in congress, he stood up for working families and for principle, opposing the iraq war, supporting veterans. now he's taking on wall street and a corrupt political system funded by over two and a half million contributions, tackling climate change to create clean-energy jobs, fighting for living wages, equal pay,

people are sick and tired of establishment politics, and they want real change! [ cheers and applause ] bernie sanders -- husband, father, grandfather, an honest leader building a movement with you to give us a future to believe in. i'm bernie sanders, and i approve this message. nigel: officials in ferguson, missouri, are voting on a deal that may cost the city nearly years. the city reached a tentative settlement with the justice department last month. they are working to revamp their police department after the controversial shooting of michael brown. under the deal, ferguson will have to, among other things, pay for a justice department monitor for at least three years, hire staff to maintain data on arrests and use of force

and recruit a more diverse police force. gabrielle: a missouri state trooper was caught on camera saving a woman from a burning vehicle. the officer arrived to the scene of a car crash in belton. you can see the dash cam video here. when the trooper saw the burning car, he immediately ran to the vehicle. he was then able to pull the woman to safety, with the help of another person. the woman did have serious injuries. police say the crash was caused by a driver running a red light. officers tracked down the man, and arrested him. nigel: some more must-see video. check this out. the turkish coast guard has released a video showing a rescue at sea. the footage shows an exhausted young man in a life jacket, clinging to the end of the sunken boat. a diver was lowered into the water from a helicopter. then, he manages to get the man off the boat, and put a harness onto him. the man was hoisted in the air, and brought to safety. gabrielle: high winds cause the

afternoon. check out these waves, crashing ashore at stars and stripe park. sustained winds were 35-40 miles per hour, with gusts over 50 miles per hour. another round of high winds is expected in the area today. it will combine with low humidity across much of the state. experts say the combination of those weather poses a high risk for wildfires. >> now, your l le super doppler 4 hd weather forecast. john: the high peaks and elevations of the mountains of north carolina, you could see winds gusting as high as 50 miles per hour over the next few days as we continue to get energy in the upper atmosphere swinging in from the northwest. no advisories, watches, or warnings in the upstate although we still have flurries and snow showers around the area. the winter weather advisory continues for western north carolina, going overnight tonight until early tomorrow morning. winter storm warning for east tennessee, especially backed up against the western slopes of the mountains along the

it -- a foot of snow possible. winter weather advisory continues for the north georgia mountains down into canton, we are talking the northern suburbs of atlanta. atlanta has seen flurries today. besides the snow, we will deal with dangerous wind chills for the next few days. wind chill for the north georgia mountains, wind chills down to negative five degrees until 10:00 a.m. on thursday. windchill advisory tonight until noon tomorrow for the western north carolina mountains. it will be reissued at 7:00 tomorrow evening and run until thursday morning. very dangerous wind chills through the mountains. windchill's could get as low as 15 below zero for the western north carolina mountains. i will show you the current wind chills in a moment. snow flurries in atlanta, i-20 towards augusta, colombia seeing snow flakes. off and on snow the southern part of the upstate.

star-iva area, through abbeville, calhoun falls, greenwood, all reporting flurries and snow showers. it has tapered off in the mountains. this is a good piece of energy in the upper atmosphere, suite -- squeezing out snow in the southern part of the upstate in anderson back into hartwell, into due west, greenwood, lawrence, the snow could make its way into the laurens, clinton area. flurries for western north carolina and north georgia. not just flurries, most of the snow flip -- the snow showers are along the western north carolina-tennessee line. the storm reports across the area, top honors, eight inches on top of mount mitchell. in maggie valley, seven inches of snow. 6.5 inches in marshall. many places have had 2-4 inches of snow across the mountains. a live shot from on top of paris mountain, here is downtown greenville.

we are squeezing out flurries and light snow showers around the area. temperatures like this. look how cold. 25 in asheville, 18 in boone, he three in toccoa. will stay cold through the weekend. four the wind chill in boone, 14 -- bank of 19 in gainesville around lake lanier. these pieces of energy swinging in from the west and northwest will continue overnight tonight. six degrees in northern minnesota, 17 in chicago, a piece of the arctic air will move in across our area. a colder piece of our air will come -- arctic air will come down in time for the weekend. tonight, scattered flurries, overnight low 22. bitterly cold in the mountains with off and on snow showers and flurries. overnight low 17. tomorrow, sunny but cold. high in the upper 30's, low-to-mid 20's in the

will make it feel colder with a few snow showers around and flurries mainly as you get closer to tennessee. we dry out thursday and friday, maybe flurries around for the mountains friday into saturday. another blast of arctic air comes in for the weekend, setting the stage for maybe a potential winter storm into early next week on monday. now back to you. gabrielle: thanks, john. let's take you to australian now, where a rare baby albino sea turtle was spotted. it's -- its 122 siblings had already hatched and went to the ocean, when the albino sea turtle was found on tuesday, still sitting on the nest. volunteers watched as the tiny turtle safley wiggled its way to the ocean. experts say albino hatchlings are extremely rare. nigel: more animal news. a goat in india has discovered the grass may be greener on the other side, but nibbling on it could land him behind bars. the goat and her owner found themselves in police custody, after neighbors accused the goat of grazing on their lawns. one of those neighbors was a

the goat has been charged with trespassing, and destruction of property. technically, these charges could carry a two-year prison sentence , but it's s t clear if the goat would really be put away, or if her owner would serve time. that sounds baaaa-d. gabrielle: you deserve an oscar. oscar nominees from all 24 categories gathered in beverly hills today. it was for the annual nominations luncheon. sylvester stallone is nominated for best supporting actor for his work in the movie "creed." it's his first academy award nomination since 1977. when asked about the oscar diversity controversy, stallone says he believes his co-star, michael b jordan, should've of

nigel: the streets of new orleans are packed as many celebrate the last day of mardi gras. gabrielle: it's fat tuesday, a final day of overindulgence before ash wednesday and the beginning of the period of lent for catholics around the world. sarah dallof has the story, from

french quarter. sarah: on bourbon street this fat tuesday, everybody is somebody else, be it king arthur, a gorilla, even mr peanut. >> that's what mardi gras is all about. people having fun, dressing up and going out, and having a good time. sarah: an eclectic group from all over the country, and world. >> this is very civilized, because in canada, you may not buy beer in a grocery store. sarah: many celebrating time honored traditions, while mixing in a few of their own. this group orders the most unique beads they can find every year, and tosses them to the crowd, for a price. >> pushups, uhhh, occasionally late at night they'll lick bourbon street. yeah, i don't get that one, either. sarah: people climbed atop ladders and shoulders to get a good view at the many parades. the krewe of zulu dazzled with costumes and performances. not only are the celebrations being called "unprecedented"

the surveillance so widespread, the fbi says visitors should assume they're being filmed wherever they go, as 1100 new orleans police officers patrol the streets. >> we want you to have a good time, but we will not tolerate violence. sarah: all part of an effort to ensure the party stays peaceful, and doesn't stop, >> welcome to new orleans, baby. sarah: until the stroke of midnight. in new orleans, sarah dallof, nbc news. nigel: thanks for joining us for the news at 5:00. gabrielle: news 4 at 6:00 with michael and carol starts now. >> live, local, breaking news. this is wyff news 4 at 6:00 in high definition. >> well, it's a little bit inconvenient, but if it's safer for the kids on the buses, then we have to do what we have to do. carol: more than a dozen delays and closings, affecting thousands of kids. how western north carolina schools make the decision, and what it means, for the rest of

we begin with a live look from our asheville skycam. cloudy and call right now. michael: and it's cold. john cessarich has the forecast for the coldest nights of our in 2016. this is one of the coldest of the season. john: and it will get even colder into the weekend. a larger area of arctic air pushing across the area. unbelievable. this week will be below average. besides the temperatures being below average, and the wind making it feel colder with wind chills, single digits in certain areas. look at the flurries and light snow showers in the southern upstate and parts of northeastern georgia. anderson to hartwell, abbeville, calvin falls, greenwood, flurries all the we have to pendleton earlier, through pickens county, oconee county, off and on flurries in the mountains, some of the snow has been heavy. look how cold it is. 18 in boone, 25 in abbeville,

anderson, most of the upstate.