Remainder of todays recast. 33 we want to 33 give you a quick traffic head out and about this morning. And good news. There are no trouble spots to report on the roads in or around the capital city. But well be sure to keep our eyes on the roads and keep you updated for your morning commute. Abc columbia wants to help you jump day. We have a quick rundown of your top morning headlines. So, lets get started. The countdown to saturdays republican president ial primary here in South Carolina. Is winding down. And ahead of this weekends vote. The candidates are hard at work vying for your vote. Many of the gop hopefuls will be in the capital city today. Ted cruz is set to speak at a rally with governor rick perry and congressman jeff duncan. Columbia armory. Cruz will also be making stops in anderson and Mount Pleasant today. Gop candidate jeb bush will also be in columbia today. This on the heels of his North Charleston appearance. With his brother. And former president. George w. Bush. The elder bush rallied ters in the lowcountry to support his brothers bid for the white house. The Campaign Appearance is a move the Bush Campaign hopes will build grassroots support in South Carolina. Following disappointing performances in iowa and new hampshire. 33 jeb bush will be in town hall at Fn Manufacturing at 10 30 this morning. Hell also be making stops in batesburgleesville and aiken. All this week on abc columbia. We will be profiling republican candidates ahead of saturdays primary. This morning. Jeb bush. 33 thanks jennifer. Well be profiling the candidates all this week on abc columbia. In the meantime. The candidates will be busy crisscrossing the state looking for your reaching out to voters in greenville and lexington. Ben carson. Has stops planned in roebuk, gaffney. And two stops in aiken later today. And donald trump will be in North Augusta and beaufort. Marco rubio will also be in beaufort today. He also will be along the coast. With town halls planned in summerville and north myrtle beach. This comes after yesterdays Campaign Stop at harmons tree farm in gilbert. Rubio supporters gathered to hear the president ial hopeful speak on National Security. And how he plans to untie the republican party. 33 meanwhile on the other side of the political fence. The democratic president ial candidates are hoping to win over some votes ahead of next sanders will be in columbia this morning. Hell be attending the faith and justice breakfast at allen university. Thats taking place in the John Hurst Adams gymnatorium. The free event starts at nine. Doors open at eight. And bill clinton will be campaigning in the upstate for his wife and democratic president ial hopeful. Hillary clinton. Later today. Just a reminder. The republican president ial primary is this saturday. The democratic president ial primary is next saturday. February 27th. Stay tuned with abc columbia onair and online. For the latest on vote 2016. Still to 33 come. Our coverage of vote 2016 will continue. Were also taking a look at some of the other stories making headlines across the country. Light rain continues to fall drier and warmer afternoon. 33 heres a quick look at stories that are making headlines across the country. It looks like weve dodged a bullet. As a dangerous mix of snow, ice and heavy rain continues to hit the east has the latest. 33 its another milestone for the lady gamecocks. Eric, what can you tell us . For just the second time ever, the usc Womens Basketball team comes back from knoxville with a win over the lady vols. And this time it comes along with a championship. Tim hill Sports Minute to win it. 33 still to come. Honoring the memory of one of the charleston nine. Its a generous donation. To help a Capital City University grow. From main and gervais. Experiencing an upclose look at the moon, planets and more. You can also witness he raw power of the cosmos in the violent universe show that takes place in the planetarium. To catch all the cool views. Second shift twosday starts at five and runs until eight and its almost time for the big saint pats celebration in five points. Thats right. And if at this years celebration. You better hurry. The deadline to apply by sending a band biography. A picture. Three or more songs and your Contact Information is this fririy. And for those of you who are only looking to go catch the action. Presale tickets are on sale now. Six stores are armed with hundreds of tickets for 15dollars. For a full list of places with Presale Tickets. You can go to our website, abc columbia dot and the 33 town of chapin is choosing this years theme for their labor day festival and parade. Themes from the past few years include chapin rocks. Chapin champions. Hooked on chapin and last years theme. Chapin proud. The Chapin Town Council is meeting tonight at seven to review and reveal this years winning theme entry. The winner is receiving a free entry and prime position in the 2016 from local chapin businesses. 33 33 were checking out what will be making headlines later today. Heres eric with your look ahead. A panel of Diverse International student voices are sharing their perspectives on the Emanuel Church massacre today. They will be relating the Church Shootings to the impact of gun violence and possession in the United States and their respective countries of origin. An interactive, question and answer sessiononill also be incorporated into the discussion. This begins at 11 this morning at antisdel chapel. And its a donation in memory of reverend clementa pinckney, who was killed during the emanuel ame mass shooting. Boeing announced its investing 100thousand dollars into allen universitys chappelle auditorium for renovations. Boeings ceo, ray conner, said in a statement that reverend pinckney was one of the strongest advocates for restoring chappelle auditorium. The auditorium is College Structures marked for preservation by the us. 33 still to come. A car chase, and crash lead to gun fire. How Columbia Police continue to search this morning for two suspects. From main and federal prosecutors say leon paid bribes to a man connected to former lexington county sheriff james metts to keep employees at the mexican Food Restaurant from being deported when arrested on minor offenses. A car chase, and crash lead to gunfire. This morning. Columbia police are looking for two suspects they car chase in a stolen vehicle. Letitia baskett says she turned her car on to heat up while getting ready for work. And when she returned outside. Her 2009 toyota camry was gone. Basketts son, jared, spotted the car on farrow road and a short chase ensued until the car crashed into the greenview neighborhood sign. Jared tells abc columbia when he approached the suspects. One opened fire before both fled. 33 if you have any information that could help in this case. Youre asked to call crimestoppers. That number. Onetripleeight 2016 continues. The candidates vying for your vote ahead of saturdays primary. From main and gervais. Coming our way soon. Lets turn things over to meteorologist Jonathan Kennedy and about this morning. And good news. There are no trouble spots to report on the roads in or around the capital city. But well be sure to keep our eyes on the roads and keep you updated for your morning commute. Abc columbia wants to help you jump start your day. We have a quick rundown of your top morning headlines. So, lets get started. The countdown to saturdays republican president ial primary here in South Carolina. Is winding down. And ahead of this weekends vote. The candidates are hard at work vying for your vote. Jeb bush will be in columbia today for an employee town hall at Fn Manufacturing at 10 30 this morning. This comes on the heels of his North Charleston appearance. With his brother. And former president. George w. Bush. The Campaign Appearance is a move the Bush Campaign hopes will build grassroots support in South Carolina. Following disappointing performances in iowa and new hampshire. Ted cruz will also be in the capital city today. Hes set to speak at a rally with governor rick perry and congressman jeff today at the columbia armory. And its a new wave of attacks from cruzs gop rival. Donald trump. Thats right. Trump is threatening to sue the texas senator. Over cruzs eligibility to serve in the white house. The billionaire real estate mogul has previously said a federal court should decide whether cruz meets the constitutional requirements of being a natural born citizen to serve as president. Now trump says hell file suit over the issue unless cruz, retracts his lies and stops airing false ads. The latest poll among likely South Carolina republican primary voters. Taken the day before saturdays debate in greenville. Keep trump on top of the gop pack. Trump holds a large lead in South Carolina. With 42 percent of the likely republican primary voters who joined the survey. Ted cruz follows with 20 percent, while marco rubio garnered 15 percent. The rest of the remaining republican candidates had numbers below chance to learn a little more about president ial primary politics before saturdays vote. Before heading to the polls you have the chance to have your questions answered about the primary. By a panel of national journalists. Its all part of a president ial primary panel hosted by the university of South Carolina. The free event is set for tonight at 7 30. In room 231 of the williamsbrice building. Not everyone can make it out to the polls this saturday. But it doesnt mean your voice still cant be heard. Today is the deadline for those voting in the republican president ial primary to return their absentee application by mail. Absentee voters can vote in person or by mail. You can get an absentee ballot online or request an application from your county Voter Registration office. Once you receive your absentee ballot. Be sure to return it to your county Voter Registration office by seven pm. Saturday night. For more information. Be sure to head to scvotesdotorg. Just a reminder. The republican president ial primary is this saturday. Primary is next saturday. February 27th. Stay tuned with abc columbia on air and online. For the latest on vote 2016. Governor nikki haley is set to hold a press conference today. Christian soura. Director of the South Carolina department of health and Human Services will also be in attendance. That press conference is taking place at one this afternoon. Right across the street from us. At the state house. Also out of the state house. Lawmakers say its a hard road ahead for bills looking to raise the minimum wage in South Carolina. In a republicandominated legislature. While democrats say they have virtually no chance of passing. They add they hope to spark a debate as the nations attention turns to the state for the firstinthesouth primary. Still, republicans contend the bills would hurt the economy. Still to come. A wet morning in the midlands. But in other parts of the nation. Mother nature is packing a punch. Were weather sweeping through washington. Light rain continues to fall this morning but expect a drier and warmer from main and gervais. 33 our muggy and wet conditions this morning are experiencing in washington state. Yeah. King county has issued phase three flood alerts for the snoqualmie and tolt rivers. Officials say the rivers are creating potential for widespread, moderate flooding. King county officials are even advising that some areas could experience deep and fast flood waters. 33 were now going to turn our attention to your health. Dean has a look at what is making headlines in the medical community. If you need some tips to keep up with that new years resolution to exercise more. You may want to listen up. Abcs doctor Timothy Johnson has 33 still to come. Its an onslaught of unhappy customers taking to twitter. Following a Service Outage across the country. Stay with us. Were live from an e been restored. Ikea is reportedly avoiding to pay taxes in europe for the past six years. Thats according to a report commissioned by the european parliament. It accuses the furniture giant of funneling money through lichtenstein and the netherlands between 2009 and 2014. Ikea has yet to respond to cnn moneys request to comment. But other Media Outlets report that ikea says they are fully operations in a responsible and Sustainable Way and they quote. Pay taxes in full compliance with national and International Tax rules and regulations. And the banking giant. Hsb c. Is staying put. The Company Announced its keeping its headquarters in london. Officials were considering moving to hong kong amid concerns over tougher regulations. After a ten month review, the hsbc board unanimously voted to stay in the uk. Saying it remains an important and globally connected economy. Looks like it was another glamfilled night at the staple center. Eric what can you tell us . Its a night full of fashion. Performances. And those golden awards. If you missed last nights 58th annual Grammy Awards show. It was a big night for rapper kendrick lamar. He won five of his 11 nominations and also received a standing ovation after his performance at the awards show. Among other awards. Album of the year honors went to taylor and for this years record of the year. Uptown funk by mark ronson, featuring bruno mars. 33 and there you hear it. Adele returned to the grammy stage performing all i ask but you may be surprised to hear she had some fans taking to twitter to ask if she was a little off her game. They say the usually flawless singer sounded flat. Adele cleared up the mystery after the show. She tweeted the pianos mics fell onto the piano strings, which made it sound out of tune. The singer went on to say because of it though. Im treating myself to an in n out burger. So maybe it was worth it. And from the big stage to the big screen. It looks like the force is returning to the box office. Disney is announcing the new cast members for the next big star wars movie, episode eight. They are laura dern, Benicio Del Toro and kelly marie tran. The trio were welcomed in wars Facebook Page. The post also announced the filming on episode eight began yesterday at londons pinewood studio. The movie does not have a name yet but is set to hit theaters in december. Still to come. Were heading to the tombs of egypt. Where a sealed Burial Chamber can be found. From main and gervais. 33 lets check out the day in history. Archaeologist opens tomb of king tut in 1923bill johnson becomes First American to win olympic gold in down hill skiing in 1984jeff gordon becomes youngest daytona winner in 1997 today is. National almond day. 33 thats all 33 the time that we have for the first hour of good morning columbia. But were coming stay with us. Were live 33 from main and gervais. Good morning, columbia. Today is tuesday, february 16. The countdown to saturdays here in South Carolina is winding down. From where the candidates will be campaigning to the latest poll numbers, our coverage of vote 2016 continues. Plus Severe Weather sweeping the south. Were taking a look at the dangerous mix of snow, ice and rain. Historic flooding continues here we have more information on an important deadline for residents still working to recover. Good morning, columbia starts right now. Captioning provided by caption associates, llc www. Captionassociates. Com. Eric good morning, columbia. We are glad you are starting your tuesday with us. Im eric weisfeld. Rochelle and im rochelle dean. Were live from main and gervais. The times now 6 00. Eric and straight up when you go outside, its wet, windy and warm, very warm, i was surprised. Rochelle a lot nicer than it has been. Temperatures we have seen previously, may need a light coat but definitely not the cold temperatures weve been seeing. Lets turn things over to meteorologist Jonathan Kennedy for what you can expect for the rest of the day. Jonathan the good news, even though we have seen rain and its breezy, we have seen warm air. Weve seen a lot of cold air and wind and all kind of stuff but rain it is moving out for us and we are looking at a much warmer start. The rain not really happening for us, we are looking at all the rain to move to the north and east, a couple showers left over and cloud cover left over but i think we are looking at a dry set up for the remainder of your day barring a few isolated showers, but other than that, it looks nice and dry for us. 0. 78 the rain total in columbia. 1. 56 in manning. Everybody around a half inch or more, warm start. 50 to 54, we are pretty much in the 54, 55 range for us. Cooling down to the east. Notice the blue, thats the cold pocket of air. Thats why we were seeing icy conditions than plain rain we saw at home. Wind mainly out of the westsouthwest, that will kick raleigh to myrtle beach, that is moving to the east, the system is progressive system, the low has reached the coast and will jump up the coast in a little bit. I expect to see a much anticipated drying out for us here as we look for sunshine and thankfully warmer temperatures as well as we get further into your day today. As we look at the models, they have all the rain going away from us, temperatures to be around 65 for us. 42 tonight, all in all not too bad, should be in the 60s or close to it for the remainder of the week. Into the weekend even warmer conditions, sunshine, highs in the 70s and no chance of rain as of now until next monday. Eric its almost beach weather. Rochelle im not pulling out the flipflops yet but definitely pulling out the sun glasses. Eric we know you will. Lets check out the roadways as you head out and about. Rochelle still good news, no trouble spots around the capital on the road and if anything changes we will update you for the morning commute. And abc columbia wants to help you jump start your tuesday. Eric we have a quick rundown of your top morning headlines. The countdown to saturdays republican president ial primary here in South Carolina is winding down. And ahead of this weekends vote the candidates are hard at work vying for your vote. Many of the gop hopefuls will be in the capital city today. Ted cruz is set to speak at a rally with governor rick perry and congressman jeff duncan. Thats at 3 00 today at the columbia armory. Cruz will also be making stops in anderson and Mount Pleasant today. Gop candidate jeb bush will also be in columbia today. This on the heels of his North Charleston appearance with his brother and former president george w. Bush. Rochelle the elder bush rallied voters in the lowcountry to support his brothers bid for the white house. The Campaign Appearance is a move that the Bush Campaign hopes will build grassroots support in South Carolina following disappointing performances in iowa and new hampshire. Of the disenfranchised. He will rise above the petty namecalling and, once elected, he will not need a poll or focus group to tell him how to think or what to do. He will stand on principle. He will not waver in the wind, and he will always do whats right for american people. Rochelle jeb bush will be in columbia today for an employee town hall at Fn Manufacturing at 10 30 this morning. Hell also be making stops in batesburgleesville and aiken. Rochelle all this week on abc columbia we will be profiling republican candidates so you can hear more of what they have to say ahead of saturdays primary. Eric this morning our jennifer ready profiles jeb bush. Reporter following in the footsteps of his older brother and father, jeb bush is vying for his chance at the oval office. The world is desperately needing of leadership. Reporter focusing his president ial campaign on growing bush is capitalizing on his experience as governor to set him apart from his fellow contenders. Bush we led the nation in job growth but we shrunk the government, dont you want that for our government and for washington, d. C. Reporter bush led the Sunshine State for two terms where he worked to cut taxes and build business reform. Bush others can talk about it, ive done it and its not easy to do, it requires leadership. Reporter but early in his run bush was criticized for his lowenergy and lackluster debate performances and finished 6th in iowa and 4th in new hampshire. Days away from the first in the south primary, the former governor is hoping for a strong backing in the palmetto state bringing his brother former president george w on the trail. Bush he knows what it takes to be president of the United States, to be commander in chief and that he believes i have those skills based on my record and based on how he knows me. Reporter bush whose last name is left out of his original logo is embracing the family name just in time for the South Carolina race. Bus im jeb, exclamation reporter a state that has supported the bush family in the past, both george w and their father won the South Carolina primary during their campaign days. South carolina, we like the bushes. Reporter a tradition jeb is looking to continue come saturday. Eric thanks, jennifer. Well be profiling the candidates all this week on abc columbia. In the meantime the candidates will be busy crisscrossing the state looking for your vote. John kasich will reaching out to voters in greenville and lexington. Ben carson has stops planned in roebuk, gaffney, and two stops in aiken later today. And donald trump will be in North Augusta and beaufort. Marco rubio will also be in beaufort today. He also will be along the coast with town halls planned in summerville and north myrtle beach. This comes after yesterdays Campaign Stop at harmons tree farm in gilbert. Rubio supporters gathered to hear the president ial hopefuls speak on National Security and how he plans to unite the republican party. I will bring us together, real differences going on right now. And they love it. And the democrats love that stuff. They cheer everytime we call each other names, we fight, we bicker, we get at each others throats. The longer we go on, the worse its going to be. I can unify this party and i can grow it. Eric meanwhile on the other side of the political fence, the democratic president ial candidates are hoping to win over some votes ahead of next saturdays primary. Rochelle Bernie Sanders will be in columbia this morning. Hell be attending the faith and justice breakfast at allen university. Thats taking place in the John Hurst Adams gymnatorium. The free event starts at 9 00 but doors open at 8 00. Rochelle and bill clinton will be campaigning in the upstate for his wife and democratic president ial hopeful Hillary Clinton later today. Anyone who wants to head out to the debates, the republican president ial primary is this saturday. The democratic president ial primary is next saturday february 27th. Stay tuned with abc columbia onair and online for the latest on vote 2016. Still to come, our coverage of vote 2016 will continue. Ereic were also taking a look at some of the other stories making headlines across the country. Jonathan and light rain moving out leaving us with cloudy skies this morning and nice mild temperatures. Sunshine and warmer air this afternoon. Main and gervais. For rafael cruz, faith is no secret. Jesus said, you dont take a light and hide it under a bushel. And neither is his love from america. This is a country where with hard work and perserverance all your dreams can become reality. His new book calls for christians to stand up and be counted. We need to bring that light; we need to be part of every aspect of tuesday jonathan 6 12 on tuesday morning. Still seeing light showers, but we will see a dry set up for the rest of the day. We will see cloud cover, sunshine this afternoon and highs climb into the low to mid60s today, so a nice warm up for us, certainly compared to where we have been, a little above average for us, around 60 as we get toward the second half of february. Tonight nice and mild there, 42, partly cloudy skies, all in all nice warmer day for us on the highs and lows as we head throughout your day today. Rochelle thank you, jonathan. Rochelle heres a quick look at stories that are making headlines across the. Country. Rochelle the passing of long Time Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia could up the ante in the upcoming primary and president ial election. Should president obama name a nomination, but it is not the next president of the united state. Its something political experts say increases the importance of South Carolinas upcoming primary. The stakes have just increased substantially and South Carolina is the first state that gets to determine who moves forward from there. Rochelle scalia was a consistently conservative voice in his three decades of service and his now open seat adding fuel to an already heated president ial debate. Rochelle its another milestone for the lady gamecocks. Eric, what can you tell us . Eric for just the second time ever, the usc Womens Basketball team comes back from knoxville with a win over the lady vols and this time it comes along with a championship. Tim hill explains in this mornings Sports Minute to win it. Dawn stale i continues to add to her impressive resume, they take a three point lead in the mitchell, putting the gamecocks ahead of the rocky top. They win it 6256 the final for the Third Straight season usc will have at least a share of the sec championship. I think when you have players, seniors, we have seniors who have played a lot of basketball for us, a lot of tough environments and its familiar to them, so, you know, we dont fret about being down or playing close games. I think we play our best basketball in the Fourth Quarter when the game is on the line. An outright sec championship will be on the line thursday against georgia. Im tim hill, thats your minute to win it, hope it gets your tuesday off to a good start. Eric tim, thank you. Eric still to come cleanup following octobers historic flooding continues here in the midlands. We have more information on an important deadline for residents still working to recover. Stay with us. Gervais. Rochelle welcome back to good morning, columbia. Thanks for waking up with us on this tuesday morning. Your time right now is 6 18. Jonathan lets take a bite out of your morning menu, sponsored by bojangles. Its tuesday which means the state museum is open afterhours for second shift night. Any questions. Jonathan yes, its not monday anymore. They are inviting you and the family to observe the night sky in the boeing observatory. You can experience an upclose look at the moon, planets and more. You can also witness the raw power of the cosmos in the violent universe show taking place in the planetarium. To catch all the fun second shift twosday starts at 5 00 and runs until 8 00 tonight. Its almost time for the big st. Pats celebration in five points. Rochelle thats right, we have our green on, we have a jump start on it. Jonathan thats right. Rochelle thats right, and if youre in a band and would like to get the chance to play at this years celebration you better hurry. The deadline to send your Electronic Press kits of a band biography, a picture, three or more songs and your Contact Information is this friday. And for those of you who are only looking to go catch the action. Presale tickets are on sale now. Six stores are armed with hundreds of tickets for 15. For a full list of places with Presale Tickets you can go to our website, abccolumbia. Com. Rochelle and the town of theme for the labor day festival and parade. Themes from the past few years include chapin rocks, chapin champions, hooked on chapin and last years theme chapin proud. The Chapin Town Council is meeting tonight at 7 00 to review and reveal this years winning theme entry. The winner is receiving a free entry and prime position in the 2016 parade along with a labor day gift basket with goodies from local chapin businesses. So, you get to have your winning name as the theme and you get a goodie basket. Jonathan treats. And speaking of labor day, im ready for summer, holy cow, that would be the end of summer, but ill take either one. Rochelle its summer either way. Jonathan i will take it because its been cold. Thankfully we are seeing warmer air. Waking up temperatures in the 50s, not as brutally cold as it has been as you are waking up and heading out the door, you big jacket you have been wearing. 65 this afternoon, 63 tomorrow, nice warm up and dry through the upcoming weekend. Rochelle its looking good and the end of the week is looking better. Jonathan thats right. Rochelle were checking out what will be making headlines later today. Jonathan heres eric with your look ahead. Eric we have an important deadline to pass along to residents still working to recover following octobers historic flooding. Taxpayers impacted by the floods who were offered an extension for returns and payments the deadline to file is today. That extension is for returns and payments due between october first and today, february 16th. Now, if you are a resident or a business in an affected county, there are a few ways you can get state tax relief. On a paper filer affected taxpayers should write sc flood at the top of paper returns or complete the disaster area check box if one is provided. And should you receive a penalty notice, call the number listed on the notice. Relief and payment methods, be sure to visit dor. Sc. Gov. We are still talking about that, a lot of people are recovering. Jonathan making the tax returns more intricate. Rochelle we will have to deal with that, the paperwork and time, great to have help there with that. Jonathan no doubt. Rochelle still to come were taking a look at some of the other stories making headlines in the midlands. Including a family seeking justice for their father. Stay with us. Gervais. Eric the Cayce Police Department has cleared two of its officers in the deadly shooting of a motorist last november. The department has released dash cam video from that night. We want to warn you that some viewers may find the video disturbing. Rochelle 21yearold Demetrius Bryant died in a shootout with officers. Police say that confrontation escalated after one of the officers found bryant sitting inside an idling car. An internal investigation now finds officer rhett kelly and Sergeant Frank ballentine did not violate any policies or procedures that night. Cayce police say Ballentine Kelly continues to recover from injuries and works on limited duty. Rochelle five months after the murder of a columbia man, the victims daughters are increasing the reward money in the case. Eric Columbia Police say charles kusko, jr. , was found shot and killed at his home on budon court in columbia on september 8th of last year. A reward in the case has been increased to 5,000. His daughters have dedicated a Facebook Page justice for charles for any information that could lead to their fathers killer. If you saw anything that night that could help investigators call crimestoppers, that number 1888crimesc. Hopefully they will get answers. Eric still to come, our coverage of vote 2016 continues. Rochelle the candidates vying for your vote ahead of saturdays primary. Stay with us. Gervais. Eric we have one half hour lef of your morning news. Im eric weisfeld. Dean. Eric what you can take away from this morning its a lot warmer. Rochelle and drier. Lets turn things over to meteorologist Jonathan Kennedy for what you can expect as you head out this morning. How about it, jonathan . Jonathan the good news is the rain did bring warm air. It is something we are looking forward to as you wake up. Right now 55 degrees, that is spectacular compared to what we have been seeing, temperatures in the 20s. Certainly nice to see temperatures more mild for us. Wind out of the west and southwest at 13, its a little warm, we physically cant drop below the dewpoint. Looking at dry conditions, rain fall totals are not huge by any in sumter, 1. 5 in manning. Three quarters to half an inch for most of us in columbia and lexington. As we look at what is coming our way, a drier set up and warmer one as well. We are starting out in the 50s. I think temperatures will cool down a little bit from where we are now. Saluda is 42. Wind out of the west, that will bring a little bit of the cool air in but i dont think it will make enough of a difference to really hinder us from seeing temperatures eventually in the 60s later today. Winds pretty breezy around 13 miles a hour downtown, 15 in some spots, that will continue to usher the system out of here. Notice we are seeing the rain move out, thick cloud cover and we are left with thinner cloud cover. That is good news, body well for sunshine coming back to the forecast later this afternoon. Probably wont be perfectly blue skies but we are expecting to see sun at some point, looks like another kind of round 2 of stays to the north, we will see clouds from that, dont expect to see too much in the way of rain fall later on tonight. We will stick with a dry forecast for most of us through the day today. Highs in the 60s, 60s tomorrow as well. Upper 50s on thursday and then warming up nicely as we head into the weekend, nice and dry, no sign of rain until monday and weekend nice and warm with highs in the 70s. Rochelle the temperature is nice in and of itself but when you say sunshine we have been missing it. It will be nice to see the sunshine return. Eric very good, it will be nice to see exactly, shorts. Safe conditions is what we are looking out on the road. Rochelle here are some trouble spots that you might encounter. The South Carolina Highway Patrol is reporting a collision on i26, no injuries. We will keep you updated if anything else pops up. Rochelle abc columbia wants to help you jump start your day. Eric we have a quick rundown of your top morning headlines. The countdown to saturdays republican president ial primary here in South Carolina is winding down. And ahead of this weekends vote the candidates are hard at work vying for your vote. Many of the gop hopefuls will be in the capital city today. Gop candidate jeb bush will also be in columbia today. This on the heels of his North Charleston appearance with his brother and former president george w. Bush. Eric and its a new wave of attacks from cruzs gop rival donald trump. Rochelle thats right. Trump is threatening to sue the texas senator over cruzs eligibility to serve in the white house. The billionaire real estate mogul has previously said a whether cruz meets the constitutional requirements of being a natural born citizen to serve as president. Now trump says hell file suit over the issue unless cruz retracts his lies and stops airing false ads. Rochelle the latest poll among likely South Carolina republican primary voters taken the day before saturdays debate in greenville keep trump on top of the gop pack. Trump holds a large lead in South Carolina with 42 of the likely republican primary voters who joined the survey. Ted cruz follows with 20 , while marco rubio garnered 15 . The rest of the remaining republican candidates had numbers below 10 . Rochelle you have a chance to learn a little more about president ial primary politics before saturdays vote. Eric before heading to the polls, you have the chance to have your questions answered about the primary by a panel of national journalists. Its all part of a president ial university of South Carolina. It is a free event that is set for tonight at 7 30 in room 231 of the williamsbrice building. Eric not everyone can make it out to the polls this saturday, but it doesnt mean your voice still cant be heard. Today is the deadline for those voting in the republican president ial primary to return their absentee application by mail. Absentee voters can vote in person or by mail. You can get an absentee ballot online or request an application from your county Voter Registration office. Once you receive your absentee ballot be sure to return it to your county Voter Registration office by 7 00 p. M. Saturday night. For more information be sure to head to scvotes. Org. Eric just a reminder the republican president ial primary is this saturday. The democratic president ial primary is next saturday february 27th. Stay tuned with abc columbia onair and online for the latest on vote 2016. Rochelle governor nikki conference later today. Eric Christian Soura director of the South Carolina department of health and Human Services will also be in attendance. That press conference is taking place at 1 00 this afternoon right across the street from us at the state house. Eric also out of the state house, lawmakers say its a hard road ahead for bills looking to raise the minimum wage in South Carolina in a republican dominated legislature. While democrats say they have virtually no chance of passing they add they hope to spark a debate as the nations attention turns to the state for the firstinthesouth primary. Still, republicans contend the bills would hurt the economy. Eric still to come, Severe Weather sweeping the east coast. Rochelle were taking a look at the damage left behind by some powerful forces of nature. Jonathan and for us here at home we did see nice steady rain overnight but its moving out leaving us with cloudy skies for the time being, but we will see sunshine and warmer temperatures this afternoon. Ill have the forecast next. Main and gervais. Jonathan good tuesday morning. Your time 6 40. Waking up you wont need the umbrella, we will see rain around the area, but by the time you head out the door it will be well off to the north and east. We are watching the system move off in North Carolina into virginia. Seeing heavy rain at times, we should see a much drier set up for the rest of the day and should be seeing nice warmer temperatures as well. Eric i walked out with a big wool coat and took it off when i got outside. Jonathan it was a welcome sight not to try to find the keys and shake. Eric a muggy and cold forecast for us here in the midlands but further south its a force of nature leaving a handful of homes damaged caused problems in parts of northwest florida yesterday. The confirmed twister damaged structures and caused thousands of power outages. Three minor injuries have been reported so far. Several schools in the area are closed this morning due to the storms. And authorities are now asking everyone to stay put in their homes. Eric unfortunately it comes with the territory when you live in florida. Jonathan thats right. Eric were now going to turn our attention to your health. Jonathan rochelle dean has a look at what is making headlines in the medical community. Good morning, rochelle. Rochelle good morning, jonathan. Good morning, eric. A new wing of a Childrens Hospital is bearing the name of actress Jennifer Lawrence. The hunger games star is donating 2 million to help build an intensive care unit for young Heart Patients in kentucky. Doctors, staff, and patients watched as Jennifer Lawrence announced the plans for this stateoftheart facility. Her family says the children at kosair Childrens Hospital touched her heart when she visited at christmas. The facility will help children surgeries, heart transplant, heart failure, and other cardiac conditions. Rochelle uscs Delta Zeta Sorority is helping others today with their annual sweet caroline bone marrow and blood drive. Students and faculty will have the opportunity to give blood through blood connection and register for the National Marrow Donor Program with be the match. This is taking place at the russell House Ballroom from 9 00 this morning until 5 00 tonight. Each donor will receive a tshirt from the sorority. Rochelle a local author is announcing he has pancreatic cancer. Pat conroy from beaufort, South Carolina, made the announcement on his Facebook Page yesterday. The 70yearold didnt give many details about his diagnosis but he wrote in a statement that he promises to fight it hard and that he owes fans a novel and intends to deliver it. Conroy has written a dozen books including the prince of tides rochelle still to come ben and jerrys are releasing a new line of ice cream. And s got a surprisingly delicious twist for a strict diet. Jonathan and waking up with mild temperatures, cloudy skies, little rain, most of the rain should be done for most of us, look for drier conditions and a nice warm afternoon. Details are next. Jonathan time right now 6 47 waking up with cloudy skies, rain has moved out so the roadways are wet, keep it in mind as you head out this morning but at least its warm for us. We are in the 50s, we will warm it up to the low to mid60s, probably a few showers to our north but just a few clouds and lows in the 40s 40s. Rochelle with the temperatures heating up, here is a story that may cool you down. Ben and jerrys is famous for its ice cream but now its trying a different spin on dessert. Theyve created a series of nondairy treats for vegans and those who are lactose intolerant. You hear that jaylynn . You might be able to get some of this. The result four decadent flavors. Two are spins on the iconic favorites chunky monkey and Chocolate Fudge brownie. But the other two are brand new and only available in nondairy. They are coffee caramel fudge which sound delicious. And pb and cookies. Ben and jerrys sean greenwood, shipped out and most stores should have them in two to four weeks. So, not having to wait long now. Rochelle and this may be just as sweet as ice cream shockingly low gas prices. Get this, gas prices at the Pilot Travel Center in toledo, ohio dropped to just 19 cents on sunday. The pilot clerk says the dropping prices were actually the cause of a computer malfunction. But its a glitch that prompted the circlek station across the street to get in on the action. They dropped their prices to just 17 cents and someone even had a receipt reading out at a penny per gallon. Prices are back to normal now though at a buck50. Still not too bad. Rochelle and back here at home, the readers of travel leisure magazine are loving the holy city. The magazine is proclaiming charleston the number one city in north america. This is just a year after naming it the second best city in the entire world. The magazine notes that by balancing sophisticated tastes with smalltown charm. Rochelle looks like the force is coming back to the box office. Eric, what can you tell us . Eric were getting a sneak peak back into a galaxy far, far away. Abcs Elizabeth Hur has the latest on a big star wars announcement and more in your showbiz wrap. Reporter its official filming of Star Wars Episode 8 is now underway. And in addition to carrie fisher, john boyega and Lupita Nyongo returning, some more big names in hollywood are joining the cast including Benicio Del Toro and laura dern. Welcome to episode 8. Reporter episode 8 is set to reporter episode 8 is set to hit theaters next year. Reporter speaking of stars, Charlize Theron looked absolutely stunning in germany. The oscarwinning actress also famous for her work as an activist was the guest of honor gala in berlin on monday. Reporter also overseas, the Material Girl in asia i love you so much. Reporter fans ecstatic catching madonna at the tokyo stop of her rebel heart tour. Even though the opening show started two hours late, most fans gave the queen of pop two thumbs up. Turns out the last time madonna performed in japan was 10 years ago. And thats whats happening in hollywood. Elizabeth hur, abc news, new york eric still to come they say diamonds are a girls best friend. Were talking about a discovery thats sure to sparkle. Stay with us. Jonathan we are looking at rain moving out, leaving behind cloud cover but warmer temperatures. Im have the details what to expect next. Stay with us, we are live from for rafael cruz, faith is no secret. Jesus said, you dont take a light and hide it under a bushel. And neither is his love from america. This is a country where with hard work and perserverance all your dreams can become reality. His new book calls for christians to stand up and be counted. We need to bring that light; we need to be part of every aspect of tuesday eric waking up, temperatures in the 50s for us, at least most of us. We are seeing cooler air to the west, saluda and newberry in the lower 40s, we will see a little cool down where we are, cooler and drier air coming our way but just in time for the sun to come up. Temperatures will rebound, much more mild, more seasonable day, by february standards weve been cold. Certainly looks nice to see the rain moving out and warm air sticking around. Eric if diamonds are forever, then weve got a glimpse of a big chunk of eternity. Rochelle you said that right. Check this out. This 400 carat diamond recently discovered in the african country of angola. Its about the size of a credit card and experts say is virtually flawless. The company that found the diamond says its entirely transparent making it quite valuable and rare. It could be worth about 20 million. The discovery is the 27th largest diamond ever recorded. Eric that would be a good valentines present. Rochelle for a lifetime, right . You would get nothing else ever. But the size of a credit card so you are figuring its this big, thats a pretty good sized eric nothing to sneeze at. Rochelle no, diamonds are my friend eric still to come were heading to the tombs of egypt. Rochelle where a sealed Burial Chamber can be found next in your day in history. Jonathan light rain moving out for us, cloudy this morning. Sunshine and much warmer air this afternoon. Jonathan good tuesday morning. Thankfully that early rain you heard has pen moving out, in raleigh, moving toward fayetteville and that area, its moving out very quickly, good news for us. In its wake we will see drier conditions, nice warm air, i think we will see temperatures bounce back to 60, 65. 63 tomorrow. Well be around the 60s for this weekend, just about perfect, 70 and sunshine and no rain until the start of next week. Rochelle this is a lot of the weather many of us have been waiting for, we are ready to get out of the house and enjoy sunshine, little fresh air and get rid of that cabin fever. Eric get out there rochelle lets check out the day in history. Archaeologist opens tomb of king tut in 1923. Bill johnson becomes First American to win olympic gold in down hill skiing in 1984. And jeff gordon becomes youngest eric today is National Innovation day and national almond day. Becomes sometimes you feel like a nut rochelle and sometimes you dont. Jonathan almond joys, i buyout the almond and throw the rest away. Rochelle i will eat whatever part you wont. Good morning, america is next. Thanks for joining us this morning. Good morning, america. Weather whiplash. A wild swing in temperatures and slick roads spark major accidents. A massive pileup overnight. 17 reported tornadoes in the south destroying homes, businesses, and cars. And a new batch of bad weather moving in right now. Just four days until the next showdown, jeb bush calling on his brother to charm voters. Ive been misunderestimated most of my life. Ted cruz. Aye never seen anybody that lied as much as ted cruz. And he goes around saying hes a christian. Now threatening to take cruz to court. Donald trump is joining us live this morning. Stunning revelation. The wrestling superstars now speaking out about the secret they kept for so long. Why wwe star Daniel Bryans wife agreed to keep quiet about her husbands concussions, the ones that eventually forced him to call it quits. Everybody and the grammys rocking all night long. Lionel richie saying hello to musics biggest night. Taylor swift taking home a huge award and taking on kanye west. You dont let those people sidetrack you. We could be heroes just for one day and lady gaga with an outofthisworld tribute to david bowie. This is Ground Control to major tom