. >> rex: i'm rex hodge in haywood a look at the >>> you're watching news 13 with darcel grimes, tammy watford, chief meteorologist jason boyer, and on time traffic with jaclyn deaugustino. this is news 13 at 5:00. >> darcel: some drivers who braved the roads today found themselves stranded in icy conditions. vehicles were abandoned across buncombe county after landing in ditches. >> tammy: portions of long shoals road had to be shut down after half dozen trucks got stuck. jennifer, what are conditions like right now? >> reporter: tammy, unfortunately those conditions haven't improved today. they've made several passes on that roadway but still tractor the ice and snow. the incline proved too steep in snow covered icy roads. antonio johnson's big rig got stuck when he realized his delivery point was closed. his truck slid. he wasn't alone. because of the volume of rescues, tow truck drivers told us the wait is three hours. it made johnson think twice about continuing. >> once he pulls me out, i'm gone. back to the truck stop. i guess i'll be there until monday. >> reporter: he won't be

and rex hodge is checking where things stand in the western county. >> tammy: but first we go to jason. >> jason: we have certainly refined our forecast. think more snow than ice in this situation. winter storm warnings are still out. they were out yesterday. in fact today they issued a winter storm warning that goes from 7:00 p.m. this evening until 7:00 a.m. on sunday. you're not going to avoid this storm, folks, unless you're far enough south. anything east, anything west, anything north, it'sll impacted. winter storm timeline, here's what you can expect. thursday overnight, icy mix to snow some time over midnight. that will a aumulate on the grass and surfaces. snow and ice will be on the ground by friday morning day break. we'll have heavy snow periods as we go throughout the day friday in to saturday. it is in missouri spinning right there. that's the main energy with it. we're going to see that energy dive south and east and carve this system out and also drop tremendous snow fall in the area. as this system drops to the coast, we have issues with the freezing rain that could po

here's news 13's rex hodge. >> rex: a muddy mess is what's left behind now. earlier in the week, some of the folks that live in these trailers had to be evacuated. >> now i'm thinking it's dangerous to do. >> rex: mercedes and her husband clean up their trailer. they're okay. >> we're still alive. a little bit scary but still >> rex: but some of what used to be near their trailer isn't there anymore. washed away in rushing water. >> from here to over there. >> rex: possibly too dangerous now to replace. and there are other questionss like mold concerns. >> the inspection will come to see. >> rex: and she wonders if the water will some day rise that high again. >> or the inspection comes to say you no can live here anymore. >> rex: residents had to leave a half a dozen trailers here because of the tuckasegee. >> the water come to here very fast. and the water come underneath. >> rex: francisco and his wife next door have two kids. working construction, he lost expensive tools from his shed to the river. but laid out invaluable family pictures that had gotten w

but as news 13's rex hodge reports. >> rex: those affected by flooding like here in kul oh . >> now i think it's dangerous to go. >> rex: mercedes hernandez and her husband they're okay. >> yes, we're still alive. a little bit scary but still alive. >> rex: but some who used to be near her trailer isn't there anymore. rushed away with water. >> from here to over there. >> rex: possibly too dangerous now, she thinks, to replace. >> i don't know what will happen. >> rex: there are other questions like mold concerns. >> the inspection will come to see. water will rise that high again. >> inspection come to say, you no can live here anymore. >> rex: residents had to leave a half a dozen trailers here flooding. fast. the water come underneath. >> rex: francisco and wife have two kids. laid out invaluable family pictures that had gotten wet. he, too, worries about mold getting in to his trailer and the concrete blocks. >> twisted, like come down a little bit. >> rex: both neighbors got a help with supplies. and the tuckasegee trading post down the road is collecting donations. for emergency

she sat down with rex hodge to tell her story. what did she tell you, rex? >> rex: that she allegedly got in to prostitution out of a desperate attempt to help her family. deion grey had a tough childhood in georgia. >> growing up my dad was very abusive. >> rex: by 16 grey was working at a strip club. >> before you know it i'm in to >> rex: drug arrests followed. booking her was police captain david grey who took her to church and picnics. in doing so, grey lost his job but gained a wife. by 2010, bills piled up. and deion says she turned to prostitution briefly just enough to pay for esthetician school. david had a job with an insurance company but lost it when another company took over. living in moorhead city. job interviews for david but no offers. deion says it's because of his skin cancer treatments. >> those cost anywhere from $5,000 to $18,000 each. and we have no insurance. >> rex: out of desperation. >> we're broke. >> rex: she says she turned back to prostitution for a short >> the kids were never here. >> rex: deion says she's off drugs. prostit

rex hodge is live at walker service station. >> darcel: rex, there's something else unique about this business. >> rex: yes, it's a combination garage and art gallery run by a husband-wife team. but they're both ready to move on to thehe next journey in their lives. for 88 years, walkers service station in the heart of business. >> we've been here since the 20s. my grandfather started the business. the customers have been with me for 40 years. i really appreciate it. >> my sculpture garden is down here, too. 90's, his wife grace moved in to part of the garage. a gallery space created for her sculptures. but pretty soon the blend of garage and gallery became a hit. she had art space and materials. >> great drums and different parts of things i've made lamps out of it. muffler pipes. >> rex: husbands and wives bringing their cars in, putting eyes on the sculptures. but now this well oiled change. the garage is closing after three generations. time. >> rex: with the building closing, grace's art gallery will live on, online. >> good to see you. and your work is so special. >> hey, how ar

news 13's rex hodge is live in the county's emergency services office in franklin. rex, leaders there are asking the state for help. >> yes, state emergency management workers are on there way right now to assess damages that could lead to hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage. recover from flooding over the christmas holiday. the dot beginning the replacement process. residents not far away along willow brook. >> it's traveled probably close to three quarters of a mile and wound up here. >> reporter: wes stoops is helping his neighbors clean up. >> it was within half inch to getting in my house. >> reporter: still it caused damage damage. crews on the scene desanitizing against mold. >> there's just beginning the recovery process. >> reporter: stoops says neighbors helping neighbors recover here. homes are damaged, five unsafe to live in. 23 private roads and bridges are damaged. two completely out with a price tag around 440,000. a request is out to north carolina emergency management for an assessment that could lead to programs to help with these costs. >> w

news 13's rex hodge is live at the franklin police department. rex, officers there just started using them this weekend. how's it going so far? >> rex: no problems in the last couple of days. the police chief here says it's a new law enforcement tool that comes with benefits and also some new things to learn. for one thing it's a lot of video that has to be stored. there will be questions about the public's privacy and privacy for his own personnel and when and how body camera video can be used in court. outweigh any of these issues. >> protects all parties involved. the officer against false allegations. also the officer who is doing something he should not be doing. >> rex: chief says using the body cameras is the macon county sheriff's office is doing about body cameras and what the people here on the streets are saying about them. rex hodge, news 13. >> darcel: let's see how the afternoon drive is shaping up. >> larry: jaclyn, are there any problems out there? >> jaclyn: larry, we are accident free right now. traffic near merrimon avenue. get

. >> frank: rex hodge continues live. >> tammy: rex, many people expect snow here in january but it's brought both smiles and frustration. >> rex: yes, you know some folks say it's time we had some snow and it brightens things up a little bit. but if you're driving out in this stuff, it's not any fun. it's taken 20 days in to january but finally snow starts piling up. especially high up in places like soco gap on the haywood-jackson county line. >> pretty cold. >> rex: by midday, navigating highway 19 became challenging. alicia buchanan made it from mountain but needed a push for her maggie valley destination. >> i'm hoping to get on the other side of the mountain. >> rex: dot crews are on 12 hour shifts to keep up. eleanor and her husband stopped at the mountain top. >> we didn't know to follow him or try and take our chances of going down the hill. >> rex: in the end, they decided to skip the snowy curve to the reservation. roads could be slick anywhere. vehicles sliding off country club drive in waynesville. it's those unmarked and unpaved roads that can provide a fun way of travel

. >> rex: i'm rex hodge in haywood county. the proposal a it stands and why it's firing up debate among neighbors. >> frank: and you can't see it or smell it, but if it's inside your home, it could slowly be killing you. >>> now from western north carolina's news leader, this is news 13 at 5:30. >> tammy: bundlee up and turn on a chilly night. >> frank: that's right, temperatures dropped below freezing last night and they're expected again tonight. >> tammy: jason boyer with your skywatch forecast. >> jason: not quite pipe bursting weather unless you leave those pipes exposed. morning. many places in the single digits higher up to low and middle teens in the valleys. 12 in waynesville. city. we certainly improved on that. here's our leicester carpet sales news13 sky cam network from franklin in macon county. sun setting now. beautiful clear sky. it's a beautiful sunset, too if out. 40s right now in bryson city. elsewhere, 30s. still have that wind to deal with. it's a south to easterly wind. more of a northeast wind over the u

that's just one issue concerning >> larry: news 13's rex hodge is live for us in franklin, where officers just started using body cameras. what's their reaction, rex? >> rex: both residents and police like the accountability that body cameras can bring from different points of view. >> basically just looking straight ahead. >> rex: there will be new procedures to learn. the police chief says therey're a useful new tool. >> it's nice to have that documentation. officer involved shootings, possibly, if he gets away from the area. >> rex: chief says the cameras the police the police. the cost is picked up by the local abc store. >> by state law, a certain percentage of the profits have to go to law enforcement. twice the staff but doesn't have the funding but wants to get them. >> the media or the general public being able to obtain that information. but the legalities of that individual employee or officer. >> i feel like that would be a perfect safe guard for people that overstep their bounds. >> how much are you going to be using with cameras and just how much is that going to hold u in c

rex hodge found quite a bit of it in both haywood and jackson counties. rex, how are people responding to it? >> rex: until today we haven't had much of it so some are welcoming it. a lot of students either didn't have to go to school at all or they got out early. if you're driving in this stuff, it could be very nerve racking. during some heavy snow fall at midday, dot plows were running east and west to keep up. to pause and reroute. folks buying snow melt, shovels, insulation and sleds. >> hopefully we'll get a little bit more. get stocked up real good. hopefully we'll sell a lot of it. >> rex: law enforcement advises caution on the roads, of course, bridges and overpasses. and leave plenty of time to get to where you're going and plenty of space between you and the next vehicle. the experts say there are things you should have in your car including blankets, shovel, flashlights, and extra batteries for those flashlights, and also a spare cell phone in case you have to call help on 911. also extra winter clothes can help. a first aid kit, food and drink

. >> frank: rex hodge is live at the poultry auction in haywood county. rex, people in this business took a hard hit. news? >> rex: they are thrilled to be back in business. the owner here says actually being back in operation will actually help track avian flu. mike keggel is anxious. in mid august, the state of north carolina banned poultry sales. >> as a cautionary procedure, i guess. north carolina department of agriculture decided it was in the best interest of the commercial poultry business to shut down the trade and travel of backyard poultry. it could happen but it didn't happen. their reason was a migratory pattern of the water fowl. >> rex: the state is now giving >> tickled to death to get that news. >> rex: five months without his usual 10 o'clock saturday morning auctions cut in to his usual business. 54,000 in 2014 sales. 20,000 less last year. >> when you go from $5,000 a week to zero per week, it hurts. i don't care who you are. those guys are renting barns and paying rent. >> rex: improve the detection of avian flu. >> we actually have a

rex hodge, news 13. >> stay home. that's your best bet. >> darcel: more team coverage ahead with a warning from some of the most experienced drivers on the road. see the video proof of why you should listen to them. >> larry: and just in to the news room, some pictures of what you're seeing around the mountains. the first one from terry ramsey of a car flipped completely upside down in fairview. >> darcel: another dangerous situation in franklin. larry newton says the heavy wet snow caused a branch to break >> larry: stay safe out there, in this line of work only the freshest ingredients make the cut it's important to me to know every dish i serve is the best it can be. especially for this food critic. publix bakery scratch made bread we bake it in store every day with pride so you can serve it with some >> larry: icy snow covered roads made heroes out of truck drivers today. >> darcel: some had to abandon their vehicles. that's what happened after tractor trailers jackknifed. it closed a portion of long shoals road b

. >> frank: news 13's rex hodge is live along the smoky mountain expressway. rex, how do things look there? >> rex: tough going in weather like this. some drivers getting stuck and abandonly their vehicles. he's been busy with his business. >> we're just trying to get it back to shop where they can repair it. >> rex: the best advice for most. >> stay home. >> we've got nurses, physicians, ultrasound tech. anything that might come up, they're here for the next three days just in case the roads are a little messy sunday morning. >> rex: about 30 staff members spent thursday night and they'll do it again and again to ensure patient safety. that safety requires keeping the hospital emergency area and parking lot clear of snow. >> you have to really keep the sidewalks. >> rex: this snow fall will make travel difficult for a while. >> it's very slick. if you don't have to be out, i'd advise you to stay home. because it's really bad. the roads is. >> rex: snow makes for some pretty picture. parkway is shut down. we've seen light snow, heavy snow. we've seen a variety

coming up at 6 reporting live tonight in waynesville, rex hodge, news 13. >> darcel: we have new information surrounding concerns about a mudslide in polk county. a stretch of highway 176 remains closed. the road was closed between saluda and tryon. dot geologists determined the rest of the rock will have to be removed. work on the road is underway already and will continue until the end of the month. >> darcel: now let's get a check on your afternoon commute. >> tammy: and jaclyn, there are a few wrecks to be aware of. >> jaclyn: it is in the clearing stages and should be out of the roadway within the next 10 to 15 minutes. ongoing construction on i-40 is slowing things down once again. you can expect backups on the west bound side. that's a look at your on time traffic report brought to you by debruhl's used car superstore. >> darcel: several students are injured in a fiery crash involving a school bus in charlotte. the bus was heading to school this morning when it collided with an suv. eight students, the bus driver and two other people were hurt. police are investigating what led to the

rex hodge is live outside a gun store in waynesville. rex, how are people that you spoke with reacting? >> rex: very strongly one way or the other. many people here see gun control as a violation of their second amendment rights. the president is taking action even without approval of the congress. kenny walker sets his sights at the offering. >> i'm going for the assault rifles because i think they're the ones going out first. >> rex: expand background checks is the reason for this trip. >> i want to go ahead and take advantage of it before our rights are infringed on. >> rex: these guns are sold legally. >> bought at gun shows without background checks. you can buy them anywhere. >> rex: the president's plan would target unregistered background checks. rebecca gibson supports the use of executive power. >> i like the idea a whole lot because i think it's just too loose. i think we have too many guns. like semi-automatics. those kinds of guns. >> constitutional rights. >> this is america and we have the right to own guns. >> rex: keeping

rex hodge, news 13. >> tammy: some local teachers and administrators could soon be allowed to carry guns in school. two upstate representatives are among those co-sponsoring the school protection officer act. it would allow certain trained school employees to come to work armed in south carolina. an upstate anti-gun activist is speaking out against this proposed legislation. >> there's a possibility a child could grab the officer's gun. a gun could accidentally go off if an officer were to make a bad move and cause an accidental death. >> tammy: we reach out to local lawmakers backing this guns in schools proposal. >> tammy: jaclyn, how is it looking today? >> jaclyn: we are accident free in the asheville area. so that's good news. i-26 at brevard road, you can see traffic is flowing smoothly in both directions there. if you're heading out toward i-240, you are going to see delays. traffic slowing down between the bowen bridge and i-240. the now is open. crusoe road in haywood county is now open. the road was closed because of snow and ice on sunday. but that is now reopened and totally

. >> rex hodge continues our live team coverage. how does it look out there? within the next 30 minutes. not much accumulation wet right now, elevation is key. all you need to do is take a 10 minute ride. you can see light snow cover especially on those secondary roads. the department of transportation says there are cold temperatures, they have been able to pretreat the roadsroads. with winter weather arriving in earnest and more snow this afternoon, people have made their way to the local hardware store to pick up winter items. >> getting ready for the cold weather. trustworthy hardware. it has been a struggle. they hope the cold snowy spell some snow is falling, more is expected this afternoon. with that winter weather, haywood has closed down totally for today. they figured as soon as they get kids to school they would have to call an early dismissal so it is their first snow day. the do the usual drill of leaving plenty of time for where you are going, plenty of room between you and the next guy, don't text. you want to make sure you have some of -- make

will meet next tuesday to choose an interim manager and discuss how it goes about searching for a rex hodge, news 13. >> darcel: an update on last night's power outage in asheville. duke energy says an equipment failure was to blame. about 4,000 people lost power when a regulator that controls voltage caught fire at the biltmore substation. crews were working to repair that substation today. they're still trying to determine why the equipment failed. >> tammy: heads up for drivers heading towards future i-26. >> darcel: jaclyn, lanes are closed near new stock roads due to a vehicle fire. >> jaclyn: darcel, this vehicle fire is on the east bound side of lake bridge. dot expects it to reopen just after 5:30. an accident near brevard road is causing big problems this afternoon. we're dealing with about a seven mile back up because of this wreck. avoid that area if you can. heads up for drivers over in jackson county. greens creek road. get ready for delays if you're heading towards this stretch of i-40 west bound. an earlier wreck in the area is still backing up traffic. that's a look at your

reporting live tonight from waynesville, rex hodge, news 13. >> larry: a spot in our own backyard took a brunt of that storm. jason boyer has more. >> jason: leicester carpet sales news13 sky cam network. first our sunset. clouds overhead. and the snow is very deep. you cannot really tell from our view. leicester carpet sales news13 sky cam network up there in mount mitchell. 41 inches coming on saturday. there you go. 66 is a lot of snow, folks. that's more than the blidard of 93 by 16 inches. and boone. watch out, though, these freezing. 50s over the upstate for places like clemson and anderson. you've seen some pretty decent weather today. down to freezing in asheville by 11. i'll show you the bigger changes that are coming with rain and stick around and see when. >> darcel: a marion man accused of setting his wife's home on fire last month now faces a new charge of arson. jonathan set fire to a camper on highway 70. his wife and son weren't home at the time. stroud faces child abuse for an incident last february. >> larry: a pedestrian in mcdowell county was struck and killed. this

rex hodge is there. we have live pictures from inside the haywood county school board. we are streaming it live on wlos.com. the board of education says the reductions will be prod sweeping across many areas. news 13 will have a wrap out of the plan to close the school >> asheville police have plans in the works to improve the safety of pedestrians and cyclists. results just released pr their watch for me campaign show accidents involving pedestrians and cyclists were reduced 27% in the city. the fall campaign compares statistics from the same time frame over the past four years. we have moved forward from the campaign which is reapplying for, we keep seeing a reduction every year. >> back in the summer we caught up with officers as they underwent training prior to campaign. officers focused on educating motorists and cyclists as well as enforcing the law through citations. >> new details are emerging as italian police investigate the death of a woman in florence. 35-year-old ashley olsen was found dead in her apartment over that story starts today's newsreel. >> police

for january 26th with the board the school's closure coming up at their meeting on february 8thh rex hodge, news 13. >> darcel: all new at 6, a marion man is arrested after police say they burned down the house of a man he had a disagreement with. jesse volson is charged with felony second degree arson. police say he intentionally set a fire. >>> we are just three hours away from president obama's final state of the union speech. and local lawmakers are talking about what they hope to hear the president address tonight. >> i hope to hear the president lay out a plan to defeat isil. and i'd also like to hear a detailed plan on how we have been left behind by the so-called economic recovery. >> darcel: make sure to follow for any updates as well. >> larry: a roof repair on a college campus results in thousands of dollars in damage. how it happened and who is responsible to pay for it is tonight's reality check. frank fraboni joins us. what kind of damage, frank? >> frank: larry, it's water damage. >> damaged lots of gear, piano, some broadcast gear that we had that were spare parts. it was b

a news conference is going on right now and news 13 rex hodge is there. the board of education says the reductions will be broad sweeping across many areas. coming up in our next half-hour. >> we have also just learned that the henderson county superintendent is retiring at the end of the school year. david jones announced his intention to retire effective july 1 after nearly four decades of service. he has held several titles public schools. >> asheville police tell news 13 they plan to decrease the number of accidents including cyclists and pedestrians. this follows results just released from the watch for me campaign carried out last fall. lauren joins us live from downtown asheville. what do police find during the study? >> overall, they found that asheville is seeing improvement when it comes to a trop in the number of accidents involving pedestrians. they say one of the biggest issues they are seeing is when drivers begin to turn right on red, instead of watching for pedestrians who have the right other vehicles so they hope to improve that and rais

rex hodge, news 13. >> darcel: there are a few trtffic issues around asheville right now. >> tammy: jaclyn, we're dealing with road closures and wrecks. >> jaclyn: tammy, wreck with you can see speeds there at haywood road slowing to 39 miles per hour. heads up for drivers in the downtown area. gas line break at the hyatt place downtown. avoid that area as well. be careful if you're heading towards wilson road. it's shut down due to a new wreck. that's a look at your on time traffic report brought to you by debruhl's used car superstore. >> tammy: coming up, president obama's final state of the union address. what he acknowledged about the threat of terrorism. >> darcel: plus following the union >>> you're watching news 13 with darcel grimes, tammy watford, chief meteorologist jason boyer, and on time trafficith jaclyn deaugustino. this is news 13 at 5. >> tammy: people are reacting today to president obama's final state of the union address. the president put a spotlight on what he's achieved during his two terms. >> darcel: the expressed regret the political divide. he pushed back agains

rex hodge, news 13. >> darcel: the north carolina dot has a new pledge to report any pothole reported by a driver within two hours. more on a revamped contact us kim. >> kim: that's right, darcel. even today we've already seen how potentially this will speed up repair time. say for example, you see a an on and off ramp on 240, it's a state operated road. you can get on your smartphone or app. it gets submitted and sent to a dot official who will then immediately send a crew out to repair it. >> you can click on the first link that says pot hole. there's a three-step process. >> kim: he's more than happy to show us how easy it is to use the app on a smartphone. >> go to ncdot.gov/contact. >> kim: this is a web submitted report by a swannanoa driver. pot holes on the buckeye cove access road. we spoke by phone with norman lossi who submitted the report. buncombe county dot officials. >> they respond with an e-mail back to me on monday saying they have the information and gave me a follow up, kind of a tracking number, so to speak. >> kim: within 48 hours the two pot holes he reported, i

i'm rex hodge and i'll tell you about garbage collection and mail delivery. >> jason: road conditions improved today with melting going on. but more freezing tonight and more wintery weather. i'm tracking that. i'll show you when. >> frank: citadel cadets will face after pictures posted all over social media. >>> now from western north carolina's news leader, this is >> frank: digging out of a crippling snowstorm. many roads are still covered in snow and ice. crews got some help today with lots of sunshine. but tonight, the refreezing of melting snow could still make driving dangerous. >> tammy: because of that we're already seeing closings and delays. buncombe and henderson county schools will be closed tomorrow. >> frank: despite the lingering road problems, many services spent today trying to get back on track. >> tammy: rex, things like mail delivery and trash pick up are resuming. but there are things people can do to speed things along. >> rex: yeah, here in waynesville and haywood county, one of the convenience centers. if you have garbage pick-up and you want your mail deliver