discovered in virginia. for the first time, doctors find a virus that causes severe birth defect in a person in the commonwealth. an urgent need.the local red cross calls for thank you for choosing good day virginia. it's january 27, 2016 i'm kyle benjamin and i'm january keaton police in galax are looking into online threats made those threats were made to the chestnut creek school of the arts from a facebook picture- that appears to be from someone associated with the school.officials say they are looking into whoever made the picture- and are investigating it as a crime.the picture showed bullets and suggested they were the way to cure post traumatic stress disorder. with yet another day of school delays or closings, many parents throughout central and southwest virginia are feeling the snow day blues. we found parents scrambling to pick up their kids from babysitters and daycares in lynchburg on tuesday night.tuesday marked five or even six snow days for some schools. some moms say they're forking out a lot of extra cash for the unexpected days off. amber ly "i'm a little upset because they could go two hours late. i don't understand why they're just closing it." teritta brown "the kids, of course they're enjoying it, but as far as me getting back and forth to work, the roads been hard."there are plenty of new babysitter listings popping up online.parents, do your homework, check references before dropping yours kids off somewhere new. last weeks winter storm forced the american red cross close some donation centers. now the group is in urgent need of platelets donations. platelets are one of the main components of blood. many patients who need platelet transfusion are people undergoing chemotherapy, organ transplants of have weakened immune systems. people with blood types of a positive, b positive and ab blood types are encouraged to become platelet donors. wfxr's solina lewis has more. 27-371:11-1:20 2:13-2:18 the snowstorm problems for the red cross to get enough donations and are urging anyone who can donate, to help""when he was dying of cancer, he got platelets and it was like an energy drink he could sit up and it, it gives them a chance to the ones they love, it was especially at the end"nurse at the red cross in roanoke, who lost her grandfather to cancer, getting platelets is a cause that is close to her heart....unlike many she hates missing work, because each day the red cross was closed, was another day patients weren't getting the platelets and blood they so desperately need "you do take it home with you when you cant get to work, because it does matter to us and donors too"many of whom are back week after week..."i come in every two or three weeks and lay around for a couple hours" larry locke discovered his after donating blood--his platelet count was extremely high, allowing him to provide enough platelets for three people at once..."it's my secret gift that i didn't know i had"lisa says in her 16 years she's seen some incredibly generous people, coming in to help people they don't even know and may never much lisa but i can do this and it makes me feel good" if you would like to help out and donate, we've help out and donate, we've got that information posted on our website, virginia first dot-com. during this recent snow storm many people used their time to relax and enjoy a day off. others used it as an opportunity to help!here at who went above and beyond to help their neighborhoods our "snow heroes"our first hero is his uncle daniel hunting hills area in south roanoke to help shovel driveways of some folks who needed it. kenneth says he just thought it was a nice thing to do plus it's a good form of exercise. now he's going to encourage his friends to get involved as well. the people in hunting hills say it's just amazing seeing a kid working so hard. "it really impressed me that this 13- year-old kid out there instead of playing video games, sledding out there making money, doing something with it. kenneth says next snow storm he's going back to hunting hills to help but he's also going to help out in his own neighborhood starting with the elderly woman across the street. frontal boundary shifts east today with high pressure moving overhead by thursday morning. a trough will slide by thursday nightwith a of cold air. high pressure builds in fridaythrough the weekend as temperatures moderate above normal. one of the nation's largest coal producers is cutting jobs. alpha natural resources is closing eight mines in west closing eight resources is alpha natural alpha natural closing eight mines in west closing eight nation's largest one of the nation's largest coal producers is cutting jobs. alpha natural resources is closing eight mines in west virginia. that will cost nearly one thousand miners their jobs. marfork coal and elk run coal will be cutting back their workforce by the end of march. the company is currently in chapter 11 bankruptcy. the reason for the massive cuts to an already dwindling industry demand, which has made coal prices plummet. more troubling news on the job front, this time for sprint. efforts to revamp the company will force 2-thousand people out the door. the company is is closing or cutting back call centers in new mexico, tennessee, texas, virginia and colorado. with fewer call centers operating, sprint is urging customers to handle routine business online or through the sprint zone app. a virus that causes birth defects in unborn babies has been reported in virginia. this is first confirmed case of the zika virus in virginia-- and the second case in the united states. the person recently traveled to a country where the zika virus transmission is ongoing. health officials say the virus was caught through the bite of an infected mosquito. officials say this is the time of year when more people travel to countries with warmer climates where zika virus is found. roanoke county parks, recreation and tourism recently released a draft concept of what explore park may look like in the future. presented to the board of supervisors in march, roanoke county wants to hear your feedback. wfxr's taylor kanost has more on what's included in this first draft and how you can get involved. good morning. last year, the roanoke county parks, recreation and tourism department received over a thousand responses from the public on what they want to see from this 1,100 acre facility in the future. an overwhelming amount of the on the need for more physically active options in the area. the most common requests included hiking and biking trails, zip lines, and better access to the roanoke river for various water activities. those were all included in this first draft along with a number of other options such as reserved spots for camping. the this master plan is expected to this master plan final draft of for camping. the final draft of this master plan is expected to be completed at the end of february, but officials say there's still time for the public to have their voice heard. of fluid process, we have the ability to make changes to the plan. that's why it is important we get the citizen feedback. we still have plenty of opportunities for them to influence the final product of what we want to focus on at explore park. if you would like to see the progress made in person or if you have any questions or comments on the master plan, roanoke county parks and rec will hold two open houses over the next week. the first one is tomorrow from 6 to 8 pm at the vinton war memorial. the second open house is at the south county library on tuesday, february 2nd from 6 to 8 pm. if you have a comment or question and can't make either of these meetings, you are welcome to call 540-387- 6078 or email explorepark@roano kecountyva.gov. if the board of supervisors accepts this plan, crews will begin phase one of the implementation of the plan which will focus on circulation through the park with vehicles, trails and better connection to the greenway. parks and rec officials say there will be about 8 - 10 phases all to complete. to 40 years to anywhere from 25 to 40 years to complete. reporting in roanoke county, taylor kanost wfxr news. tomorrow night's republican presidential debate will be missing the front runner.next on good day virginia, we will tell you why the donald is boycotting the event. a local winery wants to develop a research center- to study bees!what it hopes to learn is next on good day a local winery plans to open a again! again! again! again! again? again! again! general mills is removing artificial flavors and colors from our cereals. so you can love cereal... again! frustrated with your overactive bladder medicine not working? can't handle the side effects? botox treats symptoms of leaking, going too often, and the strong sudden need to go. ask your urologist if botox can help calm your bladder and reduce your daily leakage episodes. the effects of botox may spread hours to weeks after injection, causing serious symptoms. alert your doctor right away as difficulty swallowing, speaking, breathing, eye problems, loss of bladder control or muscle weakness can be a sign don't take botox if you can't empty your bladder on your own or have a urinary tract infection, or uti. side effects may include allergic reactions, injection site pain, fatigue, uti, painful urination and difficulty emptying your bladder. tell your doctor your medical history. muscle or nerve conditions, medications including botulinum toxins, antiplatelets and blood thinners, may increase the risk of serious side effects. ask a urology specialist at clorox 2 we've turned removing stains into a science. now pre-treat with clorox 2! watch stains disappear right before your eyes. a local winery a local winery plans to open a research center - to study bees - since pollination plays an important role on various farms. w-f-x-r's kristen eskow takes us to vineyards in christiansburg - where owners say the hives - will be making a comeback. :27-:32:49-:54:55-1:00 whitebarrel winery are co with blankets of snow - but come springtime they'll be buzzing with anticipation."we really want to contribute back to the agricultural environment."tess gallagher research company scientific - with her husband, rik obiso. he says the last time winery was 2013 - when the last of their population somehow "two colonies basically died and disappeared. us taking really good care of them. and the honestly have no idea." creating a research center and bee sanctuary in floyd - where they are inviting researchers from radford university and virginia tech - to team up with avila scientific - to study bees - which includes try to stop the bee population's decline. "it's a fairly significant problem. and a lot of times the decline why a hive will die."standup: "the research will be divided and here at the winery, finally bringing hives back to the vineyards.""the variety of available to you after, or with no bees is extraordinarily limited." gallagher says bees help pollinate raspberries and blackberries grown at the winery. she says many crops grown on farms require population - which is why bees bringing bees back, we products. our research sanctuary will certainly help tourism for the county and for floyd county as obiso says at least ten hives at the start of the group's spring. with the ag life report the winery has a crowdfunding page set up crowdfunding the winery has a crowdfunding page set up online - to raise money to benefit their research on bees.we have the link to that page up on our website - virginia first dot com. one local creamy is still busy even after the storm, refilling the shelves of stores they supply.homestead creamery officials say customers are still playing catch up after the holidays and with the winter storm, they couldn't keep eggs and milk in stock.homestead says it ramped up production by 20 percent to help out.even though the storm is over, the creamery is still as busy as ever. after the storm, everyone is empty and and everybody needs to be filled back up so, you know, sales will be back up another week and then we may off." they say a couple of trucks for delivery were not able to make their deliveries last week because of the weather, but were able s frontal boundary shifts east today with high pressure moving overhead by thursday morning. a trough will slide by thursday nightwith a reinforcing shot of cold air. high pressure builds in friday through the weekend as temperatures moderate above normal..today...mostly cloudy this morning...then becoming partly sunny.highs around 40. northwest winds 10 to 15 mph. gusts up to 30 mphthis morning. .tonight...partly cloudy. cooler with lows in the lower 20s.light and variable winds. .thursday...mostly sunny. highs in the lower 40s. light andvariable winds...becoming west around 10 mph in the afternoon..thursday night...partly cloudy. lows in the upper 20s. westwinds 10 to .friday...mostly sunny. highs in the lower 40s. northwest winds10 to 15 mph and don't forget and don't forget you can get your latest weather and news on virginia first.com .... 24 hours a day. wfxr news is your local election headquarters.... manager says the g-o-p frontrunner is skipping the next republican debate ... hosted by fox news channel. the decision follows trump's calls for moderator megyn kelly to be removed from the debate.patricia stark has more from new york. :14-231:24-1:40republican presidential candidate donald trump will be a no show at the final debate before the iowa caucuses. the reason? will be one of the moderators which is being hosted by fox news channel this thursday night.trump says: "i'm not a fan of megyn kelly. i think she's a third rate reporter. i frankly is not good at what she does and i think they could do a lot better than megyn kelly." during a rally tuesday night... trump didn't even mention the debate at all... but his confirmed he won't be there.... in a statement reading... "unlike the very stupid, highly incompetent people running our country into the ground, mr. trump knows when to walk away." the donald has been criticizing megyn kelly ever since her tough question on in august.kelly says: "you've called women you don't like fat pigs, dogs, slobs, and disgusting animals."trump says: "only rosie o'donnell." kelly says: "for the record it was well beyond rosie o'donnell."trump says: "yes, i'm sure." kelly defended her moderating during her show tuesday night.kelly says: "in the months since, mr. trump has repeatedly brought up that exchange as evidence of alleged bias on my part. i maintain it was a tough but fair questions and we agree to disagree." so what is trump going to do while the debate is going on?trump says: "we'll do something where we raise money for veterans and the wounded warriors. we're going to do something simultaneous with the debate." with trump at the top of the polls... he was supposed to be at the center on the debate stage... but there is still a chance he could change his mind. and with senator ted cruz not far behind in iowa... the give him a chance to get ahead. in new and just days before the iowa caucuses- jerry falwell junior endorses donald trump for president.liberty university president announced his endsorsement - and it was posted on donald trump's website.this endorsement is a blow to texas senator ted cruz- who announced his campaign from liberty last summer. a little student recently found a little living surprise in her school lunch.... and you will not believe what happened to it... we will explain next on good day are always telling their children to eat their greens... but they probably would not have said it to a kindergarten student in new jersey. that's because she had a stowaway in her salad.jennifer joyce has the story. thank you for choosing good day virginia. it's january 27, 2016 quiet now, the emergency room coming up in our eight o'clock hour, we will be talking with a doctor about ways you can protect yourself from heart attacks this winter. frontal boundary shifts east today with high pressure moving overhead by thursday morning. a trough will slide by thursday nightwith a reinforcing shot of cold air. high pressure builds in friday through the weekend as temperatures moderate above the first woman to lead ferrum the first woman to lead ferrum college will retire this summer.jennifer braaten, is the 10th president of the school.in a release, officials say family health issues led to her decision to step down.a committe is in the what can people look forward too?the taubman museum of arts is presenting the 3rd annual international wine festival on sunday jan 31st. the festival is happening between 1p.m.- 4p.m. some highlights from the festival is 30 different wines from the globe. there will be expert food and wine pairings, tasting notes from experts, spotlight talks selection. for music lovers, there will be live music by the brian mesko organ quartet featuring randy johnston. there will also be a silent auction, designated driver service, and souvenir wine glass. are there any non-alcoholic options?how can people get tickets?tickets are available for $45 in advanced taubmanmuseum.org/winefest and through jan.27 at area kroger locations. tickets are $55 and you may get goosebumps over our next guest... we are talking to childrens author r-l stine about his books and coming up on good day virginia. this winter, you have the power to heal. because your purchase of vaseline intensive care lotion, supports the vaseline healing project. join us to help millions in crisis heal their skin. frontal boundary shifts east frontal boundary s digital.blu-ray, dvd and now available on worldwide and is million grossed $112 adventure picture the motion reluctant ones. readers out of voracious decades, making lives for in children's a powerful force continues to be goosebumps in 32 languages. internationally million another 50+ english and million in in print, 350 goosebumps books than 400 million there are more time. today, series of all- children's book selling of the best-goosebumps, one publisher of the global scholastic is children ceo.save the carolyn miles, donation," said generous for this and scholastic entertainment pictures home thank sony with them. we we start working in the home when children's books serve have no children's books in the home when we start working with them. we thank sony pictures home entertainment and scholastic for this generous donation," said carolyn miles, save the children ceo.scholastic is the global publisher of goosebumps, one of the best- of all-time. today, there are more than 400 million goosebumps books in print, 350 million in english and another 50+ million internationally in 32 languages. goosebumps continues to be a powerful force in children's lives for decades, making voracious readers out of reluctant ones. the motion picture adventure grossed $112 million worldwide and is now available on s s frontal shifts east today with high pressure movingoverhead by thursday morning. a trough will slide by thursday night with a reinforcing shot of cold air. high pressure builds in fridaythrough the weekend as temperatures moderate above normal..today...mostly cloudy this morning...then becoming northwest winds 10 to 15 mph. gusts up to 30 mphthis morning. .tonight...partly cloudy. cooler with lows in the lower 20s.light and variable winds. .thursday...mostly sunny. highs in the lower 40s. light andvariable winds...becoming west around 10 mph in the afternoon..thursday night...partly cloudy. lows in the upper 20s. westwinds 10 to 15 mph with gusts up to 35 mph. .friday...mostly sunny. highs in the lower 40s. northwest winds10 to 15 mph with gusts up to 35 mph..friday night and saturday...mostly clear. lows in the mid 20s.highs in the upper 40s..saturday night...mostly clear. lows in the lower 30s..sunday and sunday night...partly cloudy. highs in the upper 50s.lows in the mid 30s..monday through tuesday...mostly cloudy. highs and don't forget you can get your latest weather and news on virginia first.com .... 24 hours a day. a lot of panther fever as carolina prepares for the super bowl. but they may want to reconsider that souvenir purchase... the reason why when good day virginia the countdown to the super bowl is on... and t-shirt vendors are flocking to charlotte to cash-in on the panthers success.jenna deery found what they are selling is just short of being considered counterfeit. out-of-town t-shirt vendors are flocking to charlotte to cash in on the carolina panthers' success.eyewitness news reporter jenna deery found what they are selling you is just short of being considered counterfeit.vendor diamond horton came from atlanta and is one of four tents in charlotte under his vendor company that operates with a permit from the city but what they are selling sits on a fine line of legal and counterfeit. they're knockoffs and free of trademarked phrases and logos, along with trademarked phrases like "keep pounding."tent vendors said officers have been out to check out what they are selling. some tent vendors said they plan to be in charlotte for a while, at least two weeks after the super bowl. in the meantime, police will be inspecting them