Eric weisfeld. And im rochelle dean. Were live times now 5 00. Its another warmer start to the day. And more good news, were halfway through the work week. Thats right. Things should be nice as you head out your door this morning. Lets turn things over to meteorologist Jonathan Kennedy for more on remainder of todays forecast. 33 we want to give you a quick traffic update as you about this 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 and eye 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 back town halls for the republican president ial hopefuls. Ahead of saturdays gop primary. Tonight. Marco rubio, ted cruz and ben carson will gather in greenville for a town hall. Thats at eight tonight on cnn. And tomorrow. Donald trump, jeb bush and john kasich will take part in their own town hall. Right here in columbia. Ahead of tonights town hall. Gop president ial hopefuls ben carson will be right here in the capital city. Carson will be at cromers. Right off huger street. This morning at nine. After that, hell be attending a veterans roundtable. Thats set for 1030 this morning. Ben carson will also be campaigning in the upstate today. Carson and ted cruz will both be attending the faith and freedom rally in spartanburg tonight. Cruz will also has stops planned in seneca later today. All of the gop president ial hopefuls will be busy vying for votes across the palmetto state today. Marco rubio has town halls planned in chapin, aiken and mount pleasant. Following his bush is set to make stops in beaufort, summerville and myrtle beach. John kasich will be in bluffton. And donald trump will be in walterboro and sumter today. Speaking of trump. He still finds himself leading the pack. Among the republican president ial candidates. A new cnnorc poll shows in the republican race, trump is leading with 38percent support from likely voters. Texas senator ted cruz hold second place with just 22 percent. South carolina gop voters say trump is the best candidate to handle the economy, immigration and isis. And on the democratic side, Hillary Clinton is 18points ahead of Bernie Sanders among likely voters. Still, anything is possible come saturday. As about half of South Carolinas expected primary voters say theyre still undecided. Bernie sanders was in columbia yesterday. Hoping to grow his support here in the capital city. Sanders spoke on criminal Justice Reform and Higher Education and decreasing student debt. Meanwhile, 33 Hillary Clinton. Is also determined to win votes with youth and minorities. Clinton spent yesterday in new york speaking with civil rights leaders about breaking barriers. And former president bill clinton was in greenville conveying that same message. The South Carolina democratic primary is february 27th. It looks like governor nikki haleys mind still isnt made up. Going into saturdays primary. Governor haley says shes not ready to endorse any of the gop president ial candidates. In fact, haley told abc columbia news. Haley went 33 on to say that it would be very unlikely that she would endorse trump. Abc columbia is your home for South Carolinas first in the south primary. As the results come in saturday night. Well have live reports from the top candidates. And up to the minute coverage on air. During the news at 11. And online at abc columbia dot com, twitter, and facebook. Still to 33 come. Our coverage of vote 2016 continues. Were taking a closer look at the growing feud between donald trump and the bush family. Off your wednesday. Expect sunshine and 60s later this 33 heres a quick look at stories that are making headlines across the country. Its a fight for votes. And over family ties between donald trump and jeb bush. Ahead of saturdays primary here in South Carolina. Abcs megan hughes has the all good 33 things must come to an end. Its a hard reality gamecock fans are facing this morning. Eric, what can you tell us . Quite a run for carolina basketball comes to an end. For the first time this season, the gamecocks are dealing with two losses in a row. Tim hill explains in to win it. 33 still to come. Were headed out to the ballpark. But its not just a home for the Columbia Fireflies. Why the ballpark is glowing. Over giving back. Stay with gervais. Clinic. The expansion allows staff to double the capacity of patients served in lexington, fairfield, richland and sumter counties. A tour of the newly renovated adult eye and dental space will be available after the Ribbon Cutting ceremony. This will take place on the third floor atrium of the Richland County health department. It begins at 11 this morning. And thymca of 2016 annual campaign. Thats right. The chair of this Years Campaign is, jerri spurrier. Steve spurriers wife. The goal of the campaign is to raise 400 thousand dollars to ensure that everyone in the midlands has access to Vital Community programs and resources that support youth development. Healthy living and social responsibility. To learn more about how you can support the ys cause. You can visit columbiaymc adotorgslashgive. Theres also a new headquarters coming to the capital city. For this years midlands gives. The 24hour giving challenge hosted by Central Carolina community foundation. Will be headquarted at the new Spirit Communications park. This is the new park. Home to the Columbia Fireflies baseball team. And midlands gives organizers are also spreading the word that local nonprofit organizations have until february 29th to register to midlands gives day 33 33 were checking out what will be making headlines later look ahead. For Small Business owners still picking up the pieces following octobers historic flood. The citys office of Business Opportunities is giving you a chance for a loan. Eligible applicants must be located in the city of columbia. Have applied to fema for assistance. And have been in business for a minimum of two years. To apply. You can call the number 803 545 3259 or visit their website at columbia sc dot net slash obo. But you better hurry. The application deadline is today columbia mayor Steve Benjamin is calling a unanimous vote by city council. A proud moment for all of us. The council has voted to end the process of transferring money out of the citys water and sewer fund to support other projects. Mayor Steve Benjamin says the city will commit to finding a source of funding. That would offset any previous transfers from the fund. Last september the state Supreme Court issued a ruling prohibiting the city from using the water and sewer fund for unrelated projects. A Community Meeting regarding a new Zoning Ordinance today. Theyre rewriting the citys zoning and Land Development ordinance to ensure regulations are aligned with those plans, reflect contemporary zoning practices, and are more userfriendly. To learn about the effort and share your thoughts. You can join the city of columbias planning and Development Services at the Earlwood Park Community Room at six tonight. Still to 33 come. And the oscar goes to. Well have to wait to find out. But were taking the time to take a closer look at the nominations for best picture. Stay with gervais. And more good news, were halfway through the work week. Thats right. Things should be nice as you head out your door this morning. Lets turn things over to meteorologist Jonathan Kennedy for more on remainder of todays forecast 33 we want to 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 and eye 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 so, lets get started. The republican president ial candidates have the chance to answer questions from palmetto state voters. Tonight. Marco rubio, ted cruz and ben carson will gather in greenville for a town hall. Thats at eight tonight on cnn. Ahead of tonights town hall, cruz has been busy speaking to voters on rebuilding the military and president to benefit south carolinians. Our profile of the gop candidates continues. Abcs texas senator. 33 thanks jennifer. Well be profiling the gop republican candidates all week. Abc columbia is your home for South Carolinas first in the south primary. As the results come in saturday night. We will have live reports from the top candides. And up to the during the news at 11. And online at abc columbia dot com, twitter, and facebook. Out of the state house. South carolina senators are set to start their extensive debate on road funding today. Among the proposals being debated to fix states roads. Raising the gas tax by 12 cents a gallon over three years. Senators may have a long way to go this week to find more money for roads. They spent nearly five weeks in session already discussing the issue. Out of the state house. A resolution declaring june 17th as mother emanuel nine day is advancing in the senate. It encourages south carolinians to reflect on Race Relations on the oneyear anniversary of the massacre at emanuel ame. The house approved the resolution three weeks ago. Police say confessed shooter dylann roof. Wanted to start a race war. The resolution states the community instead. Responded with an more of South Carolinas motherstobe. Will get parenting help through a statewide collaboration. Governor nikki haley unveiled more details of the the Nurse Family Program during a press conference yesterday. Under the program. More than 12 hundred families on medicaid will be paired with registered nurses. The nurses will make home visits from a mothers pregnancy through the childs second birthday. The goal is to reduce preterm births and child hospitalizatio ns. 33 still to come. Things are warming up here in the midlands. But it looks like our neighbors to the north partly cloudy and mild to kick off your wednesday. Expect sunshine and 60s later this afternoon. Details next. Live from main and gervais. Were good morning. Topping americas money commercial flights to cuba may start this fall. Nearly emajor u. S. Airline plans to apply for them now that two countries. It allows for 110 daily flights to cubas ten major airports. Be ware what youre sprinkling on your pasta. The fda discovered lower quality cheeses made from wood pulp in one brand of grated parmesan. Ploomberg found oh brands had it in levels that exceeded legal amounts. Just in time for easter, hersheys new carrot cake kisses. Theyll be sold eggsxclusively at walmart. Remember, folks. They dont count as vegetables. A lot of kids will be sad about that. Thats americas money. If youre looking to save money on your Medicare Part d prescriptions, walgreens says, carpe med diem. Just switch to walgreens for savings thatll be the highlight of your day. Now preview the cost of your copay before you fill. You can even get onedollar copays on select plans. Vo you get used to pet odors in your car. You think it smells fine, but your passengers smell this. Eliminate odors youve gone noseblind to for up to 30 days with the febreze car vent clip. Female passenger wow. Smells good in here. 33 finally seeing a sunny forecast here in the midlands. But for those up north, its a mix of stormy winds and heavy rains. Yeah. Rockingham county, north carolina, experienced a damaging storm that swept across the area. Emergency crews had to rescue one woman and her dog after a fallen tree trappethem in their home. The storm also left about fivethousand dukes Energy Customers in the dark. Crews have since been working to restore power to those customers. 33 were now going to turn our attention to your health. Rochelle dean has a look at what is making headlines in the medical community. Autism is a condition thought to affect one in 68 children. But new Research Shows it may not always be easy for doctors to recognize the signs of autism in healthy toddlers. Doctor timothy johnson. 33 still to come. Its a sweet ride up for sale. And you may recognize it from a popular movie that just hit the big screen. Stay with gervais. Million dollars. Youll have to keep this beauty as a looker though. Thats because it doesnt actually have any necessary road certifications to be driviv on the roads. Its becoming a symbol of vancouvers outofreach real estate market. This tiny, tear down home. Is andahalf Million Dollars thats 80thousand dollars more than the asking price. Its missing a few shingles, some of the walls are rotting, and it needs a paint job. But none of that really matters since it will likely be torn down, and a new home built in its place and these jewels arent cheap either but theyre definitely better looking. The Philippine Government has given the goahead to auction a jewelry set worth 21Million Dollars. The jewelry once belonged to the former first lady of the philippines. Imelda marcos. The collection includes a rare pink diamond said to be the size of a grape. The collection will go on public exhibition before the auction. Looks like a romantic getaway gone bad for one famous couple. Eric what can you tell us . Actress Vanessa Hudgens may be in some legal hot water. The High School Musical star and boyfriend actor, Austin Butler are being investigated for allegedly happened during a valentines getaway to sedona, arizona, according to tmz. Hudgens posted a photo on her instagram of a heart carved into one of the areas rare red rocks near the Coconino National forest. That prompted an investigation since federal law prohibits anyone from defacing Natural Surfaces on federal property. Hudgens and butler could face a fine of up to fivethousandd dollars or six months in jail. Homer simpson is going live from springfield. Fox says the iconic animated dad is staring in a live segment at the conclusion of the may 15th episode of the simpsons homer will appear for about three minutes, discussing the news of the day and possibly answering social m mia ququtions. This will be the first time a live segment has appeared on the show in its 27year history. And if you didnt notice during monday nights Grammy Awards show. Rihanna was m ia. Billboard confirms that the singer had to cancel her performance due to bronchitis. Singers doctor put her on vocal rest for 48 hours. Rihanna took to twitter. Posting so sorry i couldnt be there. Thanks grammys and cbs for your support tonight. Still to come. Were spreading the act of kindness on this hump day. Its a National Holiday to bring others some cheer. Next in your day in history. From main and gervais. 33 out the day in history. Senate passes the missouri compromise in 1820shermans army ransack columbia, South Carolina during the civil war in 1865. The opera, madame butterfly premiers in 1904. Day. Y. 33 and random acts of kindness day. 33 thats all the time that we have for the first hour of good morning columbia. But were coming right back. So be sure to stay with us. Gervais. Good morning, columbia. Today is wednesday, february 17. Its a chance for your questions to be answered by the president ial hopefuls. More on backtoback republican town halls ahead of saturdays gop primary. Plus a chance to honor the victims of the Charleston Church shooting. The latest on a resolution that would declare june 17th as mother emanuel nine day. And were finding out where the gop president ial hopefuls stand on the issues. A closer look at the candidates stance on the Second Amendment. Good morning, columbia starts right now. Captioning provided by www. Captionassociates. Com. Eric good morning, columbia. Thanks for joining us. Im eric weisfeld. Rochelle and im rochelle dean. Were live from main and gervais. The times now 6 00. Eric if it is tough for you to get outside, you should know it is warmer than yesterday. Rochelle not tough to get out of bed, the temperatures arent freezing where you dont want to get out of bed. It is warmer but you still need a jacket. Lets turn things over to Jonathan Kennedy for what you can expect. Good morning, jonathan. Jonathan maybe a sweat shirt, knock the chill off, you may not need it later today depending on what you consider warm. We will see a warmer day this afternoon than we have been seeing, right in the 60s. The good news is this morning we are seeing cooler air, drier air to woror about at the moment. Temperatures in the mid to upper 30s for a few spot. St. Matthews, 41 downtown, 43 orangeburg. Saluda is one of our warmer spots. 24 hour change its 10 to 20 degrees colder because we saw such a warm start yesterday. Temperatures in the 40 degree range depending where you are but should see a nice start to your day today. Cloud cover moving in that should stablize the temperatures for the time being. Rain fall for the last 24 hours, most of ours coming in early, a solid total. Saw nice sunshine yesterday, got that evaporated process going to get rid of the rain. We didnt see a ton of rain but with the wind blowing and sunshine helped us dry out quicker. Cloud cover, that wont be the issue later today, well see more sunshine in the forecast. With the sunshine i expect us to see a nice warm afternoon. Temperatures right where they should be. Around 60 for mid to late february and thats where we will be. 62 for the high today. 57 and 32 tomorrow, a little cool down tomorrow, not too far, around 60 friday. I think we will be in the 70 in the upcoming weekend. We will hold off on the rain until next week and enjoy the weekend. Eric pretty safe on the roadways so far, lets see if it is. Rochelle good news, no trouble spots in or around the capital city but were keeping an eye on the road and if anything changes we will make sure we give that information to you for your morning commute. Start your morning. Eric we have a quick rundown of your top morning headlines. Its back to back town halls for the republican president ial hopefuls ahead of saturdays gop primary. Tonight marco rubio, ted cruz and ben carson will gather in greenville for a town hall. Thats at 8 00 tonight on cnn. And tomorrow donald trump, jeb bush and john kasich will take part in their own town hall right here in columbia. Ahead of tonights town hall, gop president ial hopeful ben carson will be right here in the capital city. Carson will be at cromers right off huger street this morning at 9 9 . After that, hell be attending a veterans roundtable thats set for 10 30 this morning. Ben carson will also be campaigning in the upstate today. Rochelle carson and ted cruz will both be attending the faith and freedom rally in spartanburg tonight. Cruz also has stops planned in seneca later today. All of the gop president ial hopefuls will be busy vying for votes across the palmetto state today. Marco rubio has town halls planned in chapin, aiken and mount pleasant. Columbia, jeb bush is set to make stops in beaufort, summerville and myrtle beach. John kasich will be in bluffton. And donald trump will be in walterboro and sumter today. Finds himself leading the pack among the republican presesential candidates. A new cnnorc poll shows in the republican race, trump is leading with 38 support from likely voters. Texas senator ted cruz hold second place with just 22 . South carolina gop voters say trump is the best candidate to handle the economy, immigration and isis. And on the democratic side, Hillary Clinton is 18points ahead of Bernie Sanders among likely voters. Still, anything is possible come saturday as about half of South Carolinas expected primary voters say theyre still undecided. Bernie sanders was in columbia yesterdayhoping to grow his support here in the capital hes picked up an endorsement from erica garner, the daughter of eric garner. Eric garner died at the hands of new York City Police sparking protests nationwide. Garner was black and the officer who administered the chokehold is white. Now erica is throwing her support behind sanders as the democratic president ial hopeful vows to reform the criminal justice system. What we are going to do is do a lot of training of police were going to hold Police Officers accountable. Lethal force should be the last response not the first response. Rochelle meanwhile, Hillary Clinton is also determined to win votes with youth and minorities. Clinton spent yesterday in new york speaking with civil rights leaders about breaking barriers. And former president bill clinton was in greenville conveying that same message. The South Carolina democratic primary is february 27th. Governor nikki haleys mind still isnt made up going into saturdays primary. Eric Governor Haley says shes not ready to endorse any of the gop president ial candidates. In fact, haley told abc columbia news she may not endorse anyone. I dont know yet and im doing what a lot of people in South Carolina are doing, i watch the debate, trying to go through all the situations, looking at different candidates, trying to figure out who that person will be. Im not at a point yet. Eric haley went on to say that it would be very unlikely that she would endorse donald trump. Eric abc columbia is your home for South Carolinas first in the south primary. As the results come in saturday night, we will have live reports from the top candidates and up to the minute coverara on air during the news at 11 00 and online at abccolumbia. Com, twitter, and facebook. So we have you covered. Rochelle best way to stay up to the minute with different they are coming in. Eric fast and furious. Rochelle fast and furious is right. Were coming right back. Keep it here, you are watching good morning, columbia. Jonathan right now, partly cloudy skies, mild start should make it easier to get out of bed. Sunshine and 60s later this afternoon. Live from main and gervais. Jonathan good morning, and good morning columbia, your time is 6 11. Heres a quick look at stories that are making headlines across the country. President Barack Obama Says the process of replacing the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia is a test of whether the senate can function. President obama says he intends to present somebody who indisputably is qualified for the seat. Meanwhile, some Republican Leaders and white house candidates have contended that the seat should be held open after obama leaves office. Rochelle a federal judge has ordered apple to help the Obama Administration hack into the encrypted iphone of one of the San Bernardino shooters. The ruling requires apple to supply the fbi with software it can load onto the phone to bypass a feature that erases the phones data after too many attempts to unlock it. That would let fbi experts try millions of password combinatins without threatening any of that data. Rochelle and the World Health Organization says it may controversial methods like genetically modified mosquitoes to wipe out the zika virus. The virus has been linked to a spike in babies with birth defects and has been declared a global emergency. Rochelle all good things must come to an end. Its a hard reality gamecock fans are facing this morning. Eric, what can you tell us . Eric quite a run for carolina basketball comes to an end. For the first time this season, the gamecocks are dealing with two losses in a row. Tim hill explains in this mornings Sports Minute to win it. Gamecock basketball back in action after the kentucky loss. Taking on last place missouri, things developed for columbia early down to 15 points to the tigers. Cutting into a double digit lead ththouter room but mizzous only senior leads with 18 points. Carrera getting hot, he has 14 points on the game. Here comes carolina, off the bench, a game high 21 and double the offensive lead. They take the first lead in the game. They cant come up with it. Usc for the first time t ts season losing back to back ball games, now tied to third place when florida comes to town this friday. Im tim hill, thats your minute to win it, hope it gets your wednesday off to a good start. Eric tim, thank you. Eric still to come, its a treat for bookworms. How the city is coming together and cracking open a book. Stay with us. Gervais. Rochelle welcome back to good morning, columbia. Thanks for waking up with us on your wednesday morning. Your time is 6 17. Jonathan 6 17, still early. Lets take a bite out of your morning menu, sponsored by bojangles. Richland School District one and the city of columbia are kicking off their eighth annual together we can Read Initiative today. Its a citywide Reading Initiative that impacts over 2,000 thirdgrade students. The kickoff is taking place at city hall, council chambers. This starts at 4 00 this afternoon. Jonathan and richland one School District is beginning a new Online Student registration process. Enrollment process is especially for prek students that need to register for the 20162017 school year. There is a parent information meeting today regarding the new process. It starts at 6 00 tonight at st. Andrews middle school. Parents must attend to provivi documentation and to schedule a screening for their children. Rochelle and the richland two office of diversity and multicultural inclusion is hosting Community Conversations today. Information gathered from these conversations will help create a comprehensive diversity and inclusion plan for the district. Todays meeting is open to the public and is at the richland to Conference Center at columbia place mall. It begins at 6 00 tonight. And people take for granted how important it is to get all that information out there. If your kids are in head start, preschool, trying to get them in the system takes a lot of work lot of people and if they are heading out today they will be met with great weather. Jonathan a lot of the meetings later this afternoon, it will be nice. Dont have to worry about rain or fog, not overly cold, a little chilly depending on your preference. I think we will be in the 40s, then warm it up near 62, see progression through the day, starting off with cloud cover, seeing more sun, it should make for a nice wednesday. Rochelle 62 is nothing to sniff out, thats good weather for february. Jonathan its where we should be this time of year, a little warmer, we will take anything on the warmer end. Rochelle we will take it rochelle were checking out what will be making headlines later today. Jonathan heres eric with your look ahead. Eric for Small Business owners still picking up the pieces following octobers historic flood, the citys office of Business Opportunities is giving you a chance for a loan. Eligible applicants must be located in the city of columbia have applied to fema for assistance and have been in business for a minimum of two to apply you can call the number 8035453259 or visit their website at columbiasc. Net obo. But you better hurry the application deadline is today. Eric columbia mayor Steve Benjamin is calling a unanimous vote by city council a proud moment for all of us. The council has voted to end the process of transferring money out of the citys water and sewer fund to support other projects. Mayor Steve Benjamin says the city will commit to finding a source of funding that would offset any previous transfers from the fund. Last september the state Supreme Court issued a ruling prohibiting the city from using unrelated projects. Eric and columbia is hosting a Community Meeting regarding a new Zoning Ordinance today. Theyre rewriting the citys zoning a Land Development ordinance to ensure regulations are aligned with those plans, reflect contemporary zoning practices, and are more userfriendly. To learn about the effort and share your thoughts you can join and Development Services at the Earlwood Park Community Room at 6 00 tonight. Your chance to weigh in on that issue. Rochelle which is really good because every one is always saying i wish i had the opportunity to tell them what i think about this. And there you go. Thanks, eric. Rochelle still to come, were talking vote 2016 and where candidates s snd regarding some hot button issues before saturdays republican primary. Stay with us. Were live from main and gervais. Hey, there. In todays techbytes new details about a blockbuster new phone. A video posted on a website 7 could be water resistant. One website has a unique ploy. Everything on the site lasts forever. Buy me once has cook ware, furniture, even socks. How about this for a simple good. Its the work of cyclist steven lund by his app that tracks his riding. He says he pores over the map of a city before deciding what figure hell draw with his movements. He has a lot of time on his hands, clearly. Those are your techbytes. Have a great day, everyone. You could stay. In bed all day. You need the power of. New theraflu expressmax. The power to feel better. How do you eat healthier, while you enjoy life and lose weight . Now you can do it all with one simple plan. The allnew smartpoints from weight watchers. Our most advanced plan ever. Join for free. Hurry, join by march 3rd and get 1 month free. Ive been claritin clear for 14 days. When your allergy symptoms start. Doctors recommend taking one claritin every day of your allergy season. For continuous relief. With powerful, 24 hour. Nondrowsy claritin, live claritin clear. 33 countdown to saturdays republican primary is winding down. Eric the countdown to saturdays republican primary is winding down. Rochelle tick tock, tick tock. And ahead of saturdays vote we want to take the time to look at where the gop candidates stand on some of the hotbutton issues this election. We start with the Second Amendment. Gun control has been a much debated topic in the wake of the massshohoing events such as the San Bernardino attack and the Charleston Church shooting. President barack obama has announced an executive action in an effort to combat gun violence. But as the republican candidates show, the debate on gun control has lead to a Political Polarization when it comes to the right to bear arms. Donald trump calls the Second Amendment americanssfirst freedom. Ric to protect that freedom, trump outlines the following on his Campaign Website. First, trump plans to enforce the laws on the books. This would involve putting programs in place that he says would get gang members and drug dealers off the street, while empowering gun owners to protect themselves. Second, trump wants to fix a broken Mental Health system b expanding treatment programs. Trump also plans to defend the rights of lawabididg gun owners allowing them to own any firearm of their choice, improving background check records and making sure concealed carry permits are valid in all 50 states. Ted cruz sees the Second Amendment as a means of security. Rochelle on his Campaign Website cruz says, the Second Amendment is critical to the countrys safety and freedom own soil. Marco rubio doesnt agree with the president s plan to put restrictions on gun ownership. According to his campaign site, new gun laws would not deter criminals from obtaining firearms and would infringe on the rights of those want to use guns for sport or for protection. Jeb bush is using twitter to try and appeal to Second Amendment support in South Carolina. Bush tweeted out this photo of a handgun with his name on it. The tweet simply read america. The picture was posted yesterday after bush visited Fn Manufacturing right here in columbia. When it comes to protecting the Second Amendment, bush says on his Campaign Website that he will repeal obamas executive action on guns and oppose legislative actions that are burdensome to lawabiding gun owners. For once, it seems like trump and bush may be seeing eyetoeye with trump as bush calls a broken Mental Health system. John kasich has a long history of protecting the Second Amendment. Eric during his time as ohios governor kasich says hes removed restrictions for concealed carry licenses and has ended legislation that removes restrictions on licensing requirementstsor hunters. And, finally, ben carsons stance on the Second Amendment is a simple one. Carson says it is a cornerstone of the u. S. Constitution. He goes on to say, without the right to bear arms, american citizens would be unable to stand against a tyrannical government o oforeign invaders. So some varying plans but a general consensus among the republicans that americans right to bear arms shouldnt be infringed upon. Rochelle you can find more information on the candidates stances on the Second Amendment on each of the candidates Campaign Websites. Again, well be profiling the candidates and their stance on some of the elections hotbutton thats been asking about at the town hauls and debates leading up to saturdays primary. Eric still to come, our coverage of vote 2016 continues. Rochelle were taking an even closer look at one of the gop president ial hopeful ted cruz. 0 eric good morning, columbia. We are glad you are waking up with us, we have one more half hour of your news. Im eric weisfeld. Rochelle and im rochelle dean on wednesday morning im always rossville dean. Your time is 6 32. If you are never rochelle dean, let us know. Eric there is another warm start to your day. Rochelle things should get nice here. We had the big coats last week and looks likes we wont need the heavy coats but you will still need a coat. Eric possibly. I dont have one, just for the record. Rochelle before you head out this morning. Lets turn things over to with a look what youan expect as the day progresses. How are we looking out there . Jonathan looking good, a mild start, not overly warm but not cold either. Temperatures around month, a little cloud cover helping us out, keeping us warmer. You will notice a few spots that are cooling down, we are at 35 in st. Matthews, 36 in new burberry, 42 downtown, saluda typically one of our colder spots, not doing too bad. 24 hour temperature change, significantly colder, 15 to 20 degrees colder but that is due to what we were seeing yesterday where it was very warm and rainy. Today drier for us and cooler as well but all in all not too bad as you step out. Satellite and radar mostly quiet, not seeing any rain, we saw a good bit of rain yesterday, a lot before most of you got up. We saw mostly sunshine sunshine throughout the day today. Expecting a similar result, highs in the low to mid60s with mostly sunny skies. Cloud cover coming in, the i20 corridor, a little cloudy, but we are not seeing any rain. Fog not an issue, should be a nice start to your day, not much to worry about weather wise as you step out the door. No fog, no rain, good news there. As we look at the models, nothing but sunshine, highs 60 or so as we move through friday, cooler tomorrow morning and friday morning. As we head for the weekend we will make up for any cool weather weve seen over the last few months, bring back the 70s. It is nice to see highs in the 70s. A few more clouds, it will be nice and warm. Rochelle golfing, tennis, walking the dog. Eric the beach. Rochelle the beach, anything to get out of the house. Eric lets check the roadways for you this morning. Rochelle still good news at this hour, no trouble spots to report on the roads in or around the capital city but were keeping our eye on the road and if anything changes as you head out for the morning commute we will update you. Rochelle as always, abc columbia wants to help you jump start your day. Eric we have a quick rundown of your top morning headlines. The republicann president ial hopefuls have a chance to answer questions at a down hauls. Tonight marco rubio, ted cruz and ben carson will gather in greenville for a town hall. Thats at 8 00 tonight on cnn. Rochelle ahead of tonights town hall, cruz has been busy speaking to voters on rebuilding the military and what he will do if elected president to benefit south carolinians. Eric our profile of the gop candidates continues. Our jennifer ready has more on god bless the great state of South Carolina. Reporter seeking the highest political office, texas senator ted cruz trails close behind frontrunner donald trump. America is ready for a change. Reporter the first gop candidate to announce his run for presidency last year, cruz calls himself the courageous conservative, aiming his campaign at christian voters and highlighting the need to secure the border and restore the nations constitution. The first thing i intend to do is rescind every single illegal and unconstitutional executive action taken by president obama. Reporter in the wake of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalias passing, cruz supports the next president filling the vacancy. I will nominate a new consnsvative justice to replace Antonin Scalia to the Supreme Court. Reporter the texas senator swept first in iowa and finished third in New Hampshire but is facing Harsh Criticism ahead of the first in the south primary. I think hes a very unstable guy. Reporter frontrunner donald trump threatening a lawsuit claiming cruz was born in canada. I will tell you i have never than ted cruz. Were not in grade school where you just get to say liar, liar, pants on fire, and not respond to the substance. Reporter the Cruz Campaign is also reonding to allegedly false attack ads flooding South Carolina. The texas senator is urging voters to ignore the messages before heading to the polls. This election is going to be won or lost person to person friend to friend, pastor to pastor, south carolinian to south carolinian. Rochelle thanks, jennifer. Well be profiling the gop republican candidates all week. Abc columbia is your home for South Carolinas first in the south primary. And as the results come in saturday night we will have live reports from the top candidates and uptotheminute coverage on air during the news at 11 00 and online at abccolumbia. Com, twitter, and facebook. Rochelle t of the state house, South Carolina senators are set to start their extensive among the proposals being debated to fix state roads raising the gas tax by 12 cents a gallon over three years. Senators may have to wait a little longer to find more money they spent nearly five weeks in issue. Rochelle and a resolution declaring june 17th as mother emanuel nine day is advancing in the senate. It encourages south carolinians to reflect on Race Relations on the oneyear anniversary of the massacre at emanuel ame. The house approved the resolution three weeks ago. Police say confessed shooter dylann roof wanted to start a race war. The resolution states the community instead responded with an outpouring of love and unity. And we all remember that. No irrelevants, the cards, the prayers, vigils. Strong. Eric still to come, its an eay dose of spring for us in the midlands. Rochelle but other parts of the country are still dealing with the woes of old man winter. Jonathan thankfully we are not winter like. Temperatures in the low 40s. Cloud cover as you head out. But expect clear skies the rest of the day and highs in the 60s. Details next. Main and gervais. Jonathan good wednesday morning, your time is 6 43, waking up with mild conditions, we are seeing temperatures inn the low 40s, a couple spots in the 30s, thats the exception to the rule. Should be 60 at lunchtime, well climb into the lower 60s later today. A nice afternoon, like as well. Eric i did and i will. Nice and mild conditions for us here but for other parts of the nation, its a series of Severe Weather creating an onslaught of damage. Jonathan yeah, it was a dangerous commute for many areas on the east coast yesterday. In philadelphia they experienced winds over 50 miles an hour that even knocked over a tractor trailer. And in rochester, new york, nearly 18 inches of snow are making for a scary commute. Further south in florida a massive twister created an Obstacle Course for those on the streets. Due to these conditions more than 2500 flights have been cancelled leaving people stranded at the airports. Eric what a mess. Jonathan thankfully we will see sunshine. Eric thankfully we where are we are. Jonathan yes. Eric were now going to turn our attention to some of the other stories making headlines in the midlands. Jonathan rochelle dean has more. Good morning, rochelle. Rochelle thanks morning, jonathan. Thanks, eric. 17pecial Needs Children forced to wait for hours after their school bus breaks down. And a handful of parents were left to wonder, where is my child . Claims the Transportation Office could not let the parents know about the bus delay due to a communication problem. Thats because it was a substitute driver who did not have a bus roster with contact info for parents. But this excuse was not enough for one parent who says monday nights breakdown is part of a larger problem of an unreliable bus schedule for her special needs child. I want them to be consistent. Make sure these kids get to school on time. Drop them off at a decent time. Just have common courtesy. Let us know when stuff happens. Rochelle the School District has sincerely apologized to parents who were not properly notified. The superintendent did not have time for an interview with us but we are told they are reviewing how substitute routes are handled to ensure a roster always a companies the route. Rochelle still to come, one of the Biggest Airlines is saying is too slow. Stay with us. Gervais. Rochelle welcome back to good morning columbia, your time is 6 48. The nations Largest Airline is suing the company that provides wifi for its planes. American airlines filed a lawsuit against gogo because the wifi is too slow. The airline believes it has a and now wants out of its gogo contract that is supposed to last through 2018. Gogo says it has new technology that will deliver a much better wifi experience for flyers but rollout of it will be slow. The company only has a certain amount of time to persuade the airline to stay. Rochelle and speaking of the airlines, secretary of transportation, anthony foxx, has officially signed an agreement to reestablh scheduled air services between the u. S. And cuba. Starting today u. S. Carriers will have 15 days to submit applications to the department of transportation for routes theyd like to fly between the two countries. The development brings airlines and travelers a step closer to scheduled commercial flights. Rochelle and the 100 bill is being debated again this morning. Larry summers, former treasury secretary, says the 100 bill should be scrapped to make life and other criminals. Study from the Harvard Business school. The study argues eliminating larger denomination bills would have little downside for legitimate commerce, but it says difficult for people who are breaking the law. Rochelle an american rock band reclaims the stage in paris. Eric, what can you tell us . Eric its a triumphant return to the stage after the tragic paris attacks. Abcs Jason Nathanson has that and more in your showbiz wrap. Reporter back on stage, the eagles of death metal returned paris to finish the concert cut off by last years deadly terrorist attacks. The rock band held the soldout show at the citys olympia theater. The original venue, the bataclan, has remained closed since november. Several survivors attended last nights show. Reporter kendall and kylie jenner stormed new york fashion week, the sisters stealing the spotlight at vera wangs show. Kendall walked the runway while younger sister kylie, with her Shocking Pink hair, sat in the i think that it was her best collection yet. Anything you want to pull off the runway . Everything literally everything. Reporter and it sounds Lili Colin Firth might be looking to break out of his costumes. The actor known round the world as hearthrob mr. Darcy is currently starring in the film genius. While hes usually cast in movies wearing a suit and tie, the oscar winner says he can do with less. A suit is the costume, i put it on. If someone wants me to wear a mankini in a film, im available. Reporter and thats whats happening in hollywood. Im Jason Nathanson, abc news, Los Angeles Eric still to come, were looking for the best in show. Its all tricks and hopefully treats for one playful pup. Jonathan and right now we are seeing mild temperatures as you wake up, it will make it easier to get out the door. Sunshine and highs in the 60s this afternoon. Main and gervais. Jonathan good wednesday morning, temperatures around 40, we will see sunshine, highs around 60. We are seeing a good deal of cloud cover this morning but i think that will move out for us, we are seeing winds relatively light at the moment on the should be exiting all this cloud cover before we get to lunchtime. A cloudy start, will help us stay warmer, the sun will come up and bring us sunshine for the rest of today. Eric the Westminster Dog Show is all about the best in show but one dog was not on his best behavior. Rochelle not at all. Check this out. This is dario. The normally p pm and proper pooch didnt seem to concerned with the competition as he spends his whole time in the ring trying to get treats from his handlers pocket. While dario missed out on an award in the working group, his tricks were a treat to the packed crowd attending the show at Madison Square garden. Eric hes no dummy. Rochelle he said i dont care, i am getting the treats. Eric still to come, were spreading the act of kindness on this hump day super rochelle its a National Holiday to bring others some cheer next in your day in history. Jonathan and we are waking up with a pretty nice start to ill let you know if that will stick around for the rest of the week. From main and gervais. Jonathan just before 7 0 0 well have the last check of the forecast before we leave you, we are looking at sunshine, a little cloudy but that wont stick around all day. Look for highs in the lower 60s this afternoon, similar yesterday. Tomorrow well stick with the sunshine. Were into 70s for the upcoming weekend, rain early next week, between now and then we have warm air, especially saturday and sunday. Rochelle rain, well worry about it when we get there. Were talking about these good temperatures. Rochelle lets check out the day in history. The Senate Passes the missouri compromise in 1820. Shermans army ransack columbia, South Carolina, during the civil war in 1865. The opera madame butterfly premiers in 1904. Eric today is National Cabbage day and random acts of kindness day. Go out and do something nice for someone. Rochelle what i did yesterday and every day you should try to find something nice to do for someone. Eric you put money in the meter. Rochelle it was only a dime but it was something. Jonathan i will dry. Breakfast. Thats all the time we latch, thanks for joining us this morning. Good morning, america is next. Eric see you at 12 30. Good morning, america. Breaking news, the fbi takes on apple demanding the tech giant help with the terror investigation. Are critical clues to more plots hidden on the phone of the San Bernardino shooter. Why the ceo is refusing to help. It could affect everyone with a smartphone. Teaming up to take down donald trump. Ted cruz, marco rubio and even the president takingg aim at the gop frontrunner. I continue to believe mr. Trump will not be president. As Hillary Clinton tries to avoid another Bernie Sanders upset, a brandnew poll showing them in a dead heat ahead of the next big vote. Winter warning. A new alert about dangers on the ski slopes. The terrifying moment this young boy slipped dangling 30 feet above ground and the hero
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