national title game tonight. 3 our coverage of the national championship game continues here on fox carolina. and all signs point to this being an epic showdown between alabama and clemson. 3 and the tigers know going up against that alabama offense won't be easy with heisman winner derrick henry in the backfield. but it'll be even harder if clemson is without one of their star players on defense. 3 for more on that we check in with sports anchor shannon sommerville who's in arizona, shannon? 3 we finally get an answer to one of the biggest questions heading tonighta game. will tigers all american defensive end shaq lawson be able to play? play? lawsons been dealing with a sprained mcl that sidelined him during the orange bowl.. the daneil high alum told us he expects to play in monday.. but a lot more clarity yesterday from the head coach himself dabo swinney... so the tigers player of the year for the tonight's title game.. 3 3 3 "yeah. yeah, we expect him to play. hopefully he'll be able to perform and play to the level that we all know he can, but you know, if not, i don't think coach saban is going to cancel the game over there. we're going to have to keep playing, so we'll put the next guy in there. so that's just the way it is. but we expect him to play" play"lawson leads the nation in tackles for loss.. with ten and a half sacks this season. 3 but as to whether or not he is 100- percent that's another question we won't know the answer to until we see for ourselves tonight.ben lauren... lauren... 3 and if you 3 couldn't make it to arizona -- there's a special party just for you in the upstate... to cheer on the tigers with *thousands* of other fans. 3 fox carolina's ashley minelli is live at the well this morning-- ashley what time are things getting started? 3 - 7pm- adlib about set up 3 - much like the clemson bball game over the weekend- packed house here at the well- expecting 12-thousand people to show up- bon secours, clemson alumni association, iptay and clemson club of greenville all teamed up- concession stands will be open - trivia, contests throughout the night - gm of well: put a lot into this event 3 3 3 "as soon as fans get here we'll play the tiger rag on you arrive at the arena, you'll start to feel a game day experience and once you're inside we'll have gamday activites to have it feel as close to phoniex as possible." possible."family friendly event:- facepainting - balloon makers for the kids 3 - halftime lip sync battle- free, kick off at 8:30 8:30 3 don't forget tonight at 7 -- tune in for our special report -- "undefeated: clemson's return to the championship." we'll be going in depth on the tigers first shot at the national title since 19-81. 3 fox carolina will be bringing you live coverage of clemson's run at the national title. we'll have live reports from arizona all morning, plus at 4, 10, and 11.you can also get up-to-the-minute updates on carolina-dot-com. 3 3 and if you're **not a clemson fan and your team isn't playing for the title --well -- you could still be a billionaire this week. week.no one won saturday night's powerball -- and now the jackpot has reached a record high of 1-point-3 billion dollars. and it could grow even more by wednesday -- when the new drawing happens. remember-- tune in to fox carolina to catch the powerball drawing live wednesday night at 10:59 pm. 3 let's send back out to nicole live in phoenix. 3 it will be chilly to start the work week as temperatures climb into the mid-40s across the upstate and upper 30s in will be clear throughout the day and evening with lows falling into the low to upper 20s once again overnight. 3 3 now to chris with traffic. 3 with traffic.now to chris 3 now to chris with traffic. *********hold****** 3 we're watching this:accident no injuriesrainbow lake rd @ bible church rd rd 3 you're taking a live look at 3 sad news to pass along from overnightrock legend "david bowie" has passed away.he had secretly been battling cancer for 18 months.his son duncan jones along with u-k prime minister "david cameron" have already tweeted their thoughts. bowie rose to fame in the 70's with hits like "let's dance, space oddity, heroes, and rebel rebel".his last album, "blackstar," was just released 3 it's ______.if clemson wins the national title game tonight.fans wont have to wait long to get their championship gear.we'll tell you what one store is doing--next. 3 we head to break with a live look at...greenville count... pelham you're watching the morning news on fox carolina. 3 you're watching the morning news with lauren elise, ben hill, meteorologist nicole papay, chris scott with pit crew traffic 3 welcome back to the morning news on fox carolina--we're 3 3 we're working on getting more information on an early morning fire fire inreer. the scene just a short time on coldbrook drive.we were told tyger river and greer city firefighters were call to the home around d four oclock.its still unclear how much damage was dononor if anyone was hurt. 3 3 covering our counties. an autopsy is scheduled for today-- after a baby was found dead in the woods in anderson county. 3 the sheriff's say 23-year old joanie holcombe is facing murder charges after she confessed to giving birth to the baby girl and then placing her in a plastic bag. 3 a witness says a neighbor was walking through the woods when they found the remains saturday morning.that person then ran home to call for help. we're told the person found a of broken glass. 3 also in anderson county-- we now know the names of two home in iva. 3 the coroner identified the victims as casey waddell and justin williams. they say waddell and williams both authorities say the shooting happened saturday on pierce and amy road. no other information has been released. deputies ask if anyone has information-- call the office. 3 in macon county-- we're fell into the cullasaja river. 3 dive teams say the found the body of-- "sean kasey" on sunday. on saturday -- first responders were called out the scene-- at the dry falls area near highlandsafter a witness said kasey fell in the water. the search for kasey had to be called off on saturday because it was dark and the water was bad. 3 3 clemson fans aren't the only ones gearing up for the national championship -- academy sports is too. too.if clemson beats alabama academy sports says they will open immediately after the game so tiger fans can get their "national championship" gear.boxes of fan merchandise that say "clemson college football's national champs" good store on woodruff road. 3 3 3 "go tigers were hoping for that big win against alabama were real excited as everyone else in the store umm as you good strike you know the city is live so were just hoping they come thru for us." us."we're told all upstate locations will open immediately if the tigers win. on the off-chance the tigers don't win the championship-- the gear will be shipped back to its orginal vendor. 3 lets send it back out to nicole live in arizona. 3 monday will be clear and chilly with temperatures climbing into the mid-40s in the upstate and upper 30s in western north carolina. temperatures will fall into rebounding in the mid to upper 40s for tuesday. sunshine will dominate throughout the day. wednesday will be chilly once again as highs only reach the mid-40s and mid to upper 30s under clear skies. look to see sunshine persist on thursday as highs peak in the low 50s and upper 40s. friday will be partly cloudy skies with temperatures hovering in the chances to return on saturday as highs climb into the upper 40s. skies will be mostly cloudy throughout. sunday will finish off the weekend with a few lingering showers early and partly cloudy skies late in the day. expect temperatures to peak in the low 50s and mid-40s. 3 now to chris with traffic. 3*********hold****** *********hold****** 3 we're watching this:accident no injuriesrainbow lake rd @ 33 you're looking live at3 pit crew traffic 3 sponsored by kevin whitaker chevrolet cadillac 3 3 time for news you need to know..after six months on the run: mexican drug lord "el chapo" is back in custody. mexican authorities say a secret interview with actor sean penn that appeared on rolling stones website was the key to security forces locating the worlds most wanted drug trafficker. 3 prices are dropping across the country.some areas have reported prices as low as a dollar - 42 cents.south carolina is one of the states with the lowest prices. 3 registration for kindergarten and first grade begins today through january 14 for greenville county schools. children who will be five on or before september 1 of this year must enroll in will be six on or before september 1 of this year must enroll in first grade. 3 one upstate group is raising awareness about a serious disease -- in honor of one of their own.and they need your help! help!the "dan powell warriors" are competing in team draft's 20-16 lung cancer survivors super bowl challenge.you may remember-- former fountain inn city planner-- dan powell-- lost his battle with lung cancer two months ago.he was a *non-smoker who was diagnosed in 20-14. and later went on to start a support group at saint francis.we caught up with former n-f-l linebacker chris draft.who loss his wife keasha to the disease in 20- 11--and was a close friend of powell's. 3 3 3 "were asking people here in the upstate to support dan powells warriors or to become apart of dan powells warriors and give money to his team to make sure to support to maintaining this group" group"if you're interested in donating--we have a link in the "as seen on" section of fox carolina dot com. 3 it's (time).today is game day for clemson and the crimson tide.we'll tell you about a few key match ups on both sides of the ball. 3 we head to break with a live look at...clemson you're watching the morning news on fox carolina. in my business i can count on my i.t. guy bailing me out all the time... i'm not the i.t. guy. i'm the desktop support tech supervisor. and my customers knowing right when their packages arrive. 3 welcome back to the morning news on fox carolina--we're taking a live look at...greenville county 3 clemson and 'bama fans are obviously exexted about tonight's game, but analysts say there are a few key matchups that may determine tonight's winner. winner.alababa freshman reciever "calvin ridley" has more than a thousand yards this year and is expected to line up against clemson's all- acc corner "mackensie alexander".also - defensive end shaq lawson has been dealing with an injury but is expected to suit up and is expected to give alabama's the tide's key to stopping reggie ragland -- who leads the team in tackles.they also say if the game is close, either kicker will need to step up to win the game. 3 now to weather with nicole in 3 it will be chilly to start the work week as temperatures climb into the mid-40s across the state and upper 30s in western north carolina. skies will be clear throughout the day and evening with lows falling into the low to upper 20s once again overnight. 3 ((weather hit)) 3 chris is in the traffic center. 3*********hold****** *********hold******we're we're watching 3 traffic center.chris is in the 3 chris is in the traffic center. 3*********hold****** *********hold******we're injuriesrainbow lake rd @ bible church rdcollision welcome ave @ white horse rd rdyou're looking live at: 3 3 it's ______.everyone is going "all in" for clemson ahead of tonight's national championship game.more live, team coverage after the break. 3 we head to break with a live look at... usc upstateyou're watching the morning news on fox carolina. 3 you're watching the morning news. an ordinary jar of vaseline jelly. it's something we don't think about much. except when we've got chapped lips or a small cut. but for people living in areas of crisis, simple skin conditions can turn into serious issues. so we created the vaseline healing project... a partnership with direct relief to help millions in need heal their skin. because the same thing that helps heal your dry skin ...can help others get to work. or go to school. and that ordinary jar 3 the morning news at 6:30 starts now.. now.. 3 we're bleeding orange all morning long as the tigers get ready to take on the alabama tide.i'm live in arizona with just hours away from the national championship kick-off. 3 how do you plan to watch the ashle minelli has the details about a huge watch party here in greenville coming up. 3 good morning.... it's monday, january 11i'm ben hill 3 and i'm lauren elise , with traffic reporter chris scott. we have live-- team coverage as clemson us just hours away title game. game.meteorologist nicole papay is in arizona ahead of the huge match up.nicole its cold here this morning--how 3 it will be chilly to start the work week as temperatures climb into the mid-40s across the upstate and upper 30s in western north carolina. skies will be clear throughout the day and evening with lows falling into the low to upper 20s once again overnight. 3 ((wrap up)) 3*********hold****** *********hold******we're watching this in the pit crew traffic center:crew traffic this in the pit we're watching *********hold****** *********hold****** 3 ((wrap up))3 ((wrap up)) 3*********hold****** *********hold******we're watching this in the pit crew injuriesrainbow lake rd @ bible church rdcollision welcome ave @ white horse rd rd 3 you're looking live at: 3 3 today's the day clemson fans, the wait is finally over.your tigers are playing for their first national title in more than three decades tonight in arizona.they have to face the number two alabama crimson tide. 3 and it will be 60 minutes against an alabama team with arguably the best defense in the country... not too mention their offense featuring heisman trophy winner derrick henry... but the tigers have some dynamic playmakers too.as head coach dabo swinney says "no one has more will to win than q-b deshaun watson. 3 and as the game draws closer fans can hardly wait. sommerville is live in arizona. and shannon--tigers fans have really showed up there in phoenix. 3 orange flooding the streets of phoenix. in fact nicole papay and i went on a hike at nearby camelback mountain and we saw at least 30 tigers fans on the trail dawning their clemson gear... gear... so it seems phoenix is turning into tigertown at least until tomorrow. i even heard a remark from an alabama fan who was shocked at the amount of clemson fans who made the trip. and tons of activities for the fans to attend over the weekend... we caught up with one local man rodney hinton from greenville who made the trip from the upstate to arizona. for him the trips worth every penny.... 3 "well he last time clemson won was 34 years ago so we look at it as its only a 30 year note at the bank.so just borrow money wait another year and maybe we'll be back next year. we're having a great time i mean inside here is an awesome experience it's huge phoenix itself people are very friendly so it seems to be a great place were enjoying it. " "the hintons just really excited to be here for the game. and even some not even fans of either team just out enjoying the celebration of the great tradition of college football. 3 although i do have to say we spoke to a lot of restaurant owners and hotel employees who say the clemson fans seems to be outnumbering the alabama fans...just a matter of hours now before we find out if that trip back home is going to be a joyous one or the longest 3 and you don't prepare for a big game without a pep rally. rally.trt: 10**music**c-l-e-m-s-o-n c-l-e-m-s-o-n3 former tiger tajh boyd led the cadence count at a pep rally sunday in arizona.hundreds of fans came and out.the cheerleaders and the band were there to get the crowd going. 3 even though the game is in arizona... one of the biggest national championship parties is happening right here in the upstate tonight! tonight!the well is inviting you to watch the game with *thousands* of tiger fans. 3 ashley minelli is live there this morning-- and ashley the free! 3 free... and family friendly... something for everyone everyone- like clemson bball games: concessions open for balloon making for the kids- lip sync battle during halftime - mc of the night: jdew, voice of greenville drive - tons of contests, giveaways the whole night 3 3 3 "fans out there need to be prepared to get some tshirts, be ready to be loud and cheer on your tigers but not only that but at halftime we have a very special little contest. we're going to have the first ever cu sing lip sync battle, it's going to be a lot of fun." 3 the well teamed up with: - clemson alumni association- iptay- clemson club of greenvillebeen planning the event since new years eve win in the *orange* bowl 3 - doors open at 7 here- game starts at 8:30 3 and be sure to stay tuned right here to fox carolina for continuing coverage as the tigers prepare for tonight game.don't forget to tune in tonight at 7:00 for our special report -- "undefeated: clemson's return to the championship."we'll be going in depth on the tigers first shot at the national title since the 1981 season.you can also get live reports from arizona in our 4, 10 and 11 oclock newscasts.and for updates 24/7 follow us on facebook and twitter. 3 let's send back out to nicole live in phoenix. climb into the mid-40s across the upstate and upper 30s in western north carolina. skies will be clear throughout the day and evening with lows falling into the low to upper 20s once again overnight. 3 3 now to chris with traffic. 3 we're watching this in the pit crew traffic center:accident no injuriesrainbow lake rd @ bible church rdcollision welcome ave @ white horse rd rd 3 3 you are taking a live look at: 3 3 it's ______.clemson fans:its a good day for a tiger paw biscuit ahead of tonight's championship game.where you can get one--coming up. 3 we head to break with a live look at...clemson you're watching the morning news on fox carolina. 3 welcome back to the morning news on fox carolina---we're taking a live look at... this is the place to be tonight.. the well.. free viewing party for the clemson- alabama national championship game.. doors open at 7.. ashley minelli is live for us this 3 3 the powerball pot keeps growing to record numbers . .no one matched all 5 numbers for saturday's drawing.that pushes the pot up to a record 1 point 3 *billion dollars.. with an estimated cash value of 806 million dollars.the next drawing is wednesday night right here on fox carolina. 3 for the final time as commander in chief -- president obama will deliver the state of the union tomorrow night. night.after quite a few victories for the president last year -- he's expected to ask congress to pass more of his political goals.analysts expect a republican-controlled congress to fight the president in his final year in office.the president has asked for free community college along with more work-place benefits, and stricter gun control. 3 the state of the union will take place at 9:00 tomorrow night.south carolina governor nikki haley will present the republican repsonse following the address.you can catch it all right here on fox carolina carolina dot com. 3 and this woman -- "edith childs" -- will take part in this year's state of the union. she's a county councilwoman from district one in greenwood. white house reps say she helped inspire the slogan "fired up! ready to go!" during president obama's first campaign.since then, she's been invited to the white house and she will be in the first lady's box for the state of the union speech. 3 3 the wait is finally over -- the carolina panthers know who they have to beat on their first stop to superbowl 50. 50.carolina will play the seattle seahawks sunday at bank of america stadium. seattle escaped a nail-biter in minnesota sunday.the seahawks scored a t-d and took a one point lead with 8 minutes left in the game.but-- the vikings marched down the field with 26 seconds left on the clock and lined up to kick an easy game winning field goal.**except he misses it -- a 27 yard field goal is blown and the seahawks make it to carolina is 1:05.you can catch it on fox carolina. 3 it looks like one of clemson's suspended wide receivers is getting another shot at the team next year. year.deon cain was sent home this post-season along with two other players. team reps say the players broke program rules and will miss tonight's title game.but -- according to officials, the freshman cain is staying at clemson and is going to class for the spring semester.coach swinney says he will have a shot at the team next year. 3 3 this morning you can support the clemson tigers from the get-go.the chick-fil-a in clemson is serving tiger paw shaped biscuits until 10:30 this morning.the manager says the unique biscuits have been on the menu at the clemson location since the fall. fall.but they are really in demand this morning.this is a live look inside the restaurant customers have been coming in to get their hands on them 3 lets send it back out to nicole live in arizona. 3 monday will be clear and chilly with temperatures climbing into the mid-40s in the upstate and upper 30s in western north carolina. temperatures will fall into the 20s once again before rebounding in the mid to upper 40s for tuesday. sunshine will wednesday will be chilly once again as highs only reach the mid-40s and mid to upper 30s under clear skies. look to see sunshine persist on thursday as highs peak in the low 50s and upper 40s. friday will be partly cloudy skies with temperatures hovering in the low to mid-50s. look for rain chances to return on saturday 40s. skies will be mostly cloudy throughout. sunday will finish off the weekend with a few lingering showers early and partly cloudy skies late in the day. expect temperatures to peak in the low 50s and mid-40s. 3 now to pit crew traffic. 3*********hold****** *********hold****** 3 we are watching:accident no injuriesrainbow lake rd @ bible church rdcollision welcome ave @ white horse rd rd 3 pit crew traffic 3 sponsored by kevin whitaker chevrolet cadillac 3 later today the baltimore police officer who drove the van that carried freddie gray on the day he was arrested -- will testify in court. court.investigators say "caesar goodson" was with gray the entire trip in the van but he is the only officer to not give his story of what happened the day gray was arrested.investigators also say the van made six stops with gray in the back where he was handcuffed and shackled but not restrained.goodson is facing a murder charge and 30 years in prison if conncted. 3 3 it's ______.tonight's the night...coming up -- what clemson tigers fans had to say about their shot at the title. 3 we head to break with a live look at...clemson 3 but first let's take a look at last night's winning lottery numbers. numbers. live look at... chick-fil-a.. live look at... we're taking a welcome back--welcome back-- we're taking a live look at... chick-fil-a.. clemson.. serving biscuits until 10:30 this 3 the clemson men's basketball team is taking time to say "thank you" to our nation's finest. finest.military appreciation day was held sunday at the bon secours wellness arena. veterans and active-duty military personnel were honored before the game and at half-time.clemson played host to the 16th ranked louisville cardinals sunday.the tigers went on to upset louisville 66- to 62. 3 thousands of fathful clemson fans will be waking up in arizona this morning ready for the big championship game tonight. tonight.we caught up with some of them this weekend at media day.deborah nelson stands among the truest tiger fans. she's been in phoenix since thursday, already took a tour of the stadium and what will become the tiger's locker room on game day. deborah is such a passionate tigers fan, she tells us her nickname during football season has become 3 we want to check in on the weather.nicole papay is in arizona this morning ahead of the national championship game. 3 it will be chilly to start the work week as temperatures climb into the mid-40s across the upstate and upper 30s in western north carolina. skies will be clear throughout the day and evening with lows falling into the low to upper 3 3 let's send it over to chris with traffic.to chris with let's send it over 3 let's send it over to chris with traffic. 3*********hold****** *********hold******we're keeping an eye on: collision welcome ave@ white horse rd rd 3 you're looking live at: 3 getting close to kick-offand we're live in arizona with full team coverage in the hours counting down to clemson's appearance in the national title game. 3 chick-fil-a.. clemson.. serving tiger paw shaped biscuits until 10:30 this morning..be sure to stay with fox carolina all morning long. we're bringing you the days top stories until nine o'clock. throughout our four hours of news you can catch live reports from the field, plus the morning news starts now. now. 3 the wait is almost over for tigers fans.we're live in arizona with a preview of tonight's national championship against alabama. alabama. 3 if you didn't make it to arizona.. you can still gather with hundreds of fellow fans to cheer on the tigers tonight. we're live at bon secours wellness arena with more on the big party they're planning. 3 good morning.... it's monday, elise.... 3 and i'm ben hill.. here with chris scott.thanks for joining us on the morning news.we are just hours away from the clemson tigers taking the field in the national championship game.. and fox carolina has team coverage for you. nicole papay is live in 3 3 3 it will be chilly to start the climb into the mid-40s across