boulevard, where we are now, it was coming down a few minutes ago. we just passed the heaviest. it caused ponding on some of the roads. a little slip and slide out there all ready up and down wilkinson. this is now 277. the next couple days, we'll add more rain to this and we'll have a severe weather threat and a flooding threat. meteorologist john ahrens, channel 9 eyewitness news. remember you can track the rain in your neighborhood right alongside our team of meteorologists by going to wsoctv.com, scroll over weather and click on our interactive radar. back to live pictures from inside the government center in uptown charlotte. rows of people packed in here at the city council chambers to sound off on the controversial ordinance to ban discrimination in businesses and public restrooms for the lgbt community. governor pat mccrory promised vote to approve the changes tonight. blake hanson is live just outside the meeting place with more on the potential battle now brewing between charlotte and the state. blake? >> erica and scott. the heavy rain coming down. that's not why the crowd is dispersing. it's because they're now going into this council chambers. i was just inside the charlotte fire department is inside to make sure they don't go over capacity. but believe it or not, this might not be the end of this battle. i caught up with charlotte mayor jennifer roberts this afternoon just hours ahead of the biggest vote in her time as a city's executive. >> council will listen carefully. and replay what they hear and have a vote. >> the vote might not be the end of it. the governor hinted at legislative action. saying allowing a person with male anatomy to use a female restroom or locker room will most likely cause immediate state legislative intervention which i would support as >> do you think the state should get involved in this? >> the state has the ability to weigh in on a lot of different issues. we'll continue to have good conversations with them about what we see is best for the city and state going forward. >> state government experts point out the city often doesn't have authority if the state that created it steps in. >> some states are home rule states where they get a charter and they pretty much can do anything they want as long as it's not inconsistent with state constitution or state statutes. in north carolina, we don't have home rule. >> and back out live, you can see that line. just to get into the government center. there's another line to get into the council chambers. we have a crew in there. my colleague spent the last 20 minutes waiting in line to get through as well. i'll be in as well as they fight the crowd for a contentious meeting tonight. center, blake hanson, channel 9 eyewitness news. this is the view inside the government center live right now as things are getting under way. we will continue to monitor these developments. we'll update you coming up about the vote tonight on eyewitness news at 10:00 and 11:00. tonight the state fire marshal's office is investigating a major house fire in huntersville. this happened around 2:30 on devon shire drive near burke dale golf club. firefighters say the house was fully covered in flames when they arrived. the house was empty. it was under going renovations but a bystander had to go to the hospital for smoke inhalation. >> we didn't see the person when we got here. he came up after the fact. >> it took 30 firefighters an hour to put that out. in the mean time thieves targeted another local fire department. the seventh in the past two weeks. this morning firefighters in flint hill south carolina found their car windows smashed and cash stolen. i want to show you a look at crimes has been. all new tonight, eyewitness news reporter angela hong found a local veteran who's now standing up to help first responders. >> the most recent case happened at the flint hill fire department sometime early monday morning. you can still see glass left over in the parking lot. firefighters here are hoping that the surveillance cameras on the outside of the building will catch whoever is responsible. the flint hill fire department got back to business hours after someone broke into two firefighters cars and stole cash. >> they're public servants here to do a job. for someone to violate them, that's wrong. >> this is one in a series of similar crimes. over the past two weeks, thieves have broken into cars at flint hill, kannapolis, huntersville, and cornelius fire departments. two stations were also hit. >> bring it on. what you got? >> resident woody williams is doing something about it. >> every time i see the fire hang around. >> this veteran is keeping watch, giving back to the firefighters who work to keep the community safe. >> these are scoundrels. these are guys that would help the burglar if he had a heart attack or a fire. >> the police department is now watching the station when the firefighters go on calls. citizens have offered to pay for damages but the department has to decline the offer. >> that breaks my heart. >> the case at the flint hill fire department is under investigation and it's unclear whether it's connected to any of the other cases around the charlotte area. reporting in fort mill, angela hong, channel 9 eyewitness news. new tonight, troopers have locked up a fugitive after he led them on a chase in mecklenburg county. officers say he was speeding down i-85. he wouldn't stop. he led troopers down i-77 getting off the highway and they caught him after a chase on foot. he was wanted in charlotte and georgia. days after an eyewitness news investigation brought up a new call for environmental testing at hope billion high school, a school board member says that she is calling on the county health department to get more involved. for the past two years, we've been reporting about an unusual number of cases of a rare eye cancer with links to hope well and the huntersville community. patients and elected officials say they're willing to pay for independent testing of the air and water but cms has been reluctant to grant access to the campus. one school board member is pushing for testing too. >> i would hope that somebody could identify at least a recommended list of tests and give us some options of who perhaps we could hire. >> and then cms -- >> not only allow access but we would take care of that with our safety budget. >> and there is another effort under way now to address huntersville about the cause of those cancer cases. eyewitness news reporter jim bradley has covered this issue for two years and he is live at the health department tonight with a look at how doctors across the state are now volunteering to get involved. >> as the sparring over that environmental testing continues between patients in huntersville and local and state health officials, we even discovered a parallel effort that's going on right now to try to help things. the requested is to get more answers more quickly about one of the big questions the folks in huntersville have. that's are there more cases of this rare eye cancer that haven't been detected? as eyewitness news investigated nearly a dozen cases of rare eye cancer with links to huntersville and possibly hope well high, mike brennan has been busy organizing doctors across the state to help. >> one way to for the moment, at this time, resolve anxiety and uncertainty is to have a comprehensive exam. north carolina society of eye physicians and surgeon is offering. any students who are worried about their own risk of eye cancer and can't afford an exam on their own will be offered one for free. at horizon eye dr. merriam ridly is one of those donating her time. >> we measure the person's visual acuity. we dilate the pupils and have a thorough examination of the interior of the eye. >> the screenings are important because eye tumors seen here as the lighter colored areas often go unnoticed. >> horizon is all ready getting calls on a special line set up just for the screenings. >> we just want to give these parents peace of mind and the students peace of mind. >> jenna, who's daughter summer is battling ocular melanoma now hopes huntersville will take advantage. >> it's a disease that's creeping up. it can effect you. and it's life threatening. current and former students of hope well. they'll be taking place here in charlotte. but also in brewington north carolina once a month for the next year for people who may no longer live near charlotte, there's special phone numbers that have been set up to take those appointment calls. we put that information and more on our website, find it at wsoctv.com. live at the health department, jim bradley, channel 9 eyewitness news. tonight the political dust is settling from the redistricting battle over north carolina's congressional district lines but the voting has all ready started leaving questions for 2016. mecklenburg county's election office told us they've all ballots. election director michael dicker son said they're waiting for the judges to approve the map drawn by lawmakers last week. they'll photoif i voters once the next month's primary is over. the state's ncaacp fired back against the new maps. using political data in place of race which they say is also illegal. supporters say the maps are fair and legal. tracking rain across the carolinas. how much more we'll see before it ends. this family lived in fear. escaping a war zone dayed before the home was bombed. now refugees are living in the carolinas learning to adapt to american life. >> it's daunting. the number of things that they need to learn and get in place to function here as a family of seven. >> next at 6:00, how they're their lives while we're back now live at 6:14 with live pictures from the government center where as you can see, more than 100 people are now preparing to share their thoughts about a controversial ordinance that bans discrimination in businesses and public bathrooms. we will continue to update you on this controversial vote coming up tonight on eyewitness news at 10:00 and 11:00. the south carolina senate will soon consider a bill to create a registry for tracking syrian refugees living in the area. this controversial bill was proposed after the terror attacks in paris. since october, eyewitness news anchor brittney johnson has been following the progress of one family who moved here she shows us how they're adapting four months after moving here. they're celebrating the seventh birthday for their twin girls. the first in their new home in east charlotte. happy birthday to you. they know that they're going to be safe. and they're not worried that a missile will come at any minute. >> their father showed us these pictures after their house, blasted to rubble just days after they fled syria. after four years in limbo, the family was granted refugee status. we talked to them in november soon after catholic charities helped them resettle here in charlotte. the day after this interview. terrorists attacked paris, killing 130 people and setting off an international debate over syrian refugees. >> are they all people who we citizens and are not terrorists ? >> governors pat mccrory, nikki haley, and more than 20 others signed a letter telling the federal government their states would not accept syrian refugees. but they were all ready here. backlash. the family of seven had six months of free rent and no choice but to rebuild. we visited again in mid january and discovered they're getting help from people like advocate and translator. and tim lynch, a general contractor and former arabic interpreter in the military. >> i read about the family. i saw a picture. i thought to myself, the girls look just like my girls. >> lynch gave him a job. >> i work him hard. he's a quick study. he's helping with cabinets and flooring. >> lynch gives him a ride everyday. he helped translate the dmc test. and his wife earned her permit. small signs of progress in a long, slow process. >> it is daunting. the number of things that they need to learn and get in place. >> this is gail laughlin, she and her dawger are helping them with their biggest challenge, learning english. >> all by herself. >> little by little, they're settling in. and while it's far from easy, they say knowing their children are out of danger means the pain staking journey is worth it. in east charlotte, brittney johnson, channel 9 eyewitness news. we've been tracking the first of many waves of rain pushing right through the charlotte area with some of the heaviest rain right now sliding through uptown, heavier rain moves through gastonia in the next minute or two. same for belmont. huntersville about 6:35, lowsville at 6:40, it's just there's no thunder in this. but there's decent down pours. extending west to cleveland county. shelby seeing rain right now. lincolnton a little after. morganton at 6:30. as well as sherels ford. temperatures cooled dramatically. 66 at 10:00 this morning in charlotte. and look what's happened since. a cold front pushed through. and it's driving the warm air south and look what's happened. it's down to 49. statesville and salisbury. low 40s in the mountains. 54 in charlotte. 10 to 15 degrees colder than this time yesterday. focus on the mountains. the future cast picking up a good chance of thick fog in the charlotte area, a lot of low clouds mixed in with the rain and a touch of fog. we'll be in the upper 40s immediate metro. mid 40s i-40 corridor. wake up forecast, umbrellas, raincoats, and extra time. your drive will be a whole lot smoother. remember keith monday will take you through that morning drive. here's the future cast for tomorrow. after that wet start, i believe we'll see an extended stretch. a good 10 to 15 hours of very little rainfall before the rain returns coming out of the midlands of south carolina. reflected in my hourly rain chances for tomorrow. highest for the morning drive. lower for the evening drive. it picks up tomorrow night. there's the future cast. the rain tomorrow night. and then watch what comes in from the west. we'll track a powerful squall line. you'll hear a lot about this over the next few days and how strong it will be when it gets here. for more on what's going on with that system and the threats, let's head to christine rap. >> the center of the storm, still 1400 miles away in southern new mexico. i want to track that for you as it moves south. it's going to reek some havoc. they'll pick up some gulf moisture. very strong tomorrow. areas of mississippi and alabama could actually see a severe weather out break as it moves off to the east. here in the carolinas, we'll see the showers move into the area throughout the day on wednesday. what threats are we concerned with here in the charlotte area and the carolinas for wednesday, obviously very strong winds expected. we'll have lightning and heavy rain and flooding. a very high concern. for more on rain totals. back to steve. >> we'll see waves of rain. we can easily see an inch to an inch and a half more. grand total, about 2 to 2.5 inches. that's why christine talked about the risk of flooding. after that, we're done, as we head through late week and the end of the weekend, things will improve. in the mountains, we're stuck in the low 40s. a good chance of fog as well as off and on rain, i-40 corridor, a break of the rain in the afternoon, hickory, troutman, statesville, mid 40s in and around the charlotte metro, as well as across the midlands. it may cool during the afternoon. we'll warm up on wednesday as the cold front sweeps through with its rain. after that, more typical late february weather. >> we're ready to get the rain out of here. and it's hardly just started. i'm all ready sick of it. thanks steve. a look at the numbers on it's been top psi turvey it's bep psi turvey it's besteve: today is your lucky day. woman: (surprised) oh, my goodness mark: you've just won - a thousand dollars! woman: that'amazing! that' amazing! (shrieks) woman: ok, nice job. mark, way better than yesterday. maria, that delivery felt alittle forced. and steve, steve: yeah? woman: i am still missing that raw emotion. woman: pretty awesome for atuesday, but tomorrow is hump day, so let's really bring it! lucky for life. win a thousand dollars a day, every last night hours after the big win denny hamlin wrote about his dream to win the daytona 500. that's how big a deal winning this race is for those with nascar dreams. when he crossed the finish line first yesterday, the dream became a reality. there are two goals of every sprint cup driver. win championship and win the 500. for hamlin, an exceptional driver with no prior wins this helps define his career. he doesn't see the light at the end of the tunnel but he's deep enough to understand he's running out of time to make his mark and leave a legacy. >> i'm in a darkness, i can't see back and i can't see forward. i feel like i'm right in the middle and i want to get some of these accomplishments done because ultimately, you're defined by the big moments. >> the charlotte hornets have maintained the momentum they built heading into the all-star break. now posting back-to-back road wins to start the second half of the season. last night it was kemba walker in his hometown of new york city leading the hornets over the brooklyn nets. that's the fifth win. and fourth road win. that was a challenge for the hornets prior to this stretch when they were 11 games under .500. away from time warner arena. >> we know we have to play better on the road. that's what we're trying to do. we'll try to limit our mistakes. trying to be better over all. >> hornets seventh in the east. >> rain, and a lot of it. the first wave moving through now. it won't rain all the time. the peek of it is one batch tonight. another on wednesday. a bit of a break tomorrow. watch out for the stronger storms on wednesday. steve thank you. thanks for making us your choice for news at 6:00. world news is next. 10:00 and 11:00. breaking news tonight in the race for the white house. the major resignation. also, donald trump, is he now unstoppable? rubio and cruz, battling to be the alternative. but with both of them in, does it help trump? >> you're going to say, please, please mr. president. we can't stand it anymore. we don't want to keep winning. >> and tonight, has hillary clinton turned a corner? inside the seven hours of terror. the alleged uber gunman in court. six dead. passengers who got into his uber car before and after the shootings. what he said to them. the storm system tonight, in the south, possible tornadoes, hail and about to move right up the east coast. major snow right behind it. the consumer alert tonight. the cdc now pointing to a popular home improvement item, saying there are possible cancer risks. the alarming new numbers. and forever young. he's 1she's 106, and she's teaching the president and the first lady how to dance. good evening. and it's great to have you with us here on a monday night. and we begin with fast-moving developments in the race for the white house. tonight, we learned of a key resignation on the republican side, amid the bigger question at this point, can anyone catch up to donald trump? trump winning big in south carolina, after a major win in new hampshire. and no republican who has won both new hampshire and south