>> dozens of students who today. and several more were sent home after getting sick. >> and we're pressing the district officials to find out how they plan to keep the norovirus from spreading to other schools. eyewitness news reporter alexa ashwell is live where crews are trying to clean up all afternoon. and the classes have been canceled for tomorrow. alexa? >> yes, scott, erica. health officials say the district has been given specific cleaning supplies to get rid of this virus. and not only are they including this, but it's buses as well. metro school officially closed after students dismissed from school today. we're told 63 were absent. and an additional 7 with norovirus. that's 70 students out of a population of 250. today, the county's health director said this outbreak is a specific concern. because of helping students some with other health issues. norovirus, as you know, is a gastrointestinal cure. they said one of the biggest concerns with this virus is dehydration. he also said it likely spread after a student who had the virus came to school. >> very hard to know where it came from. you know, probably one of the students had it. and once you get this virus into an institution, it's notorious for spreading out. >> and health officials warn, you can still be contagious for a few days, following your recovery. again, no classes for students here at the metro school, while officials work to disinfect the building. reporting live uptown, alexa ashwell, channel 9 eyewitness news. >> also breaking tonight. wingate university officials are waiting to hear if they have an outbreak of norovirus too. since tuesday. they're wait being for test results to come back tomorrow on that sickness. eyewitness news has gathered contagious virus and symptols. -- symptoms. look for that in alexa's story. governor pat mccrory has declared a state of emergency because of ongoing power outages. duke energy crews are still out, hard at work, across the charlotte region tonight. trying to restore power after yesterday's storms. now, earlier tonight, at 5:00, we showed you schools schools and businesses that were forced to close because of the downed power lines. tonight at 6:00, eyewitness news reporter jim bradley asked the energy giant officials why it is taking so long to get the lights on in some neighborhoods. >> winds are still whipping across charlotte's canopy tonight. and so are questions, on why last night's storm seems to be taking so long for power crews to respond to. eddie hayes told us his west charlotte home has been without power since yesterday afternoon. >> and why are they -- when are they saying it might be back on? >> tomorrow. >> think about that. yonts like that. >> it's been a long day for trees are down all over town. more than a few of them in hard- to-access backyards. but duke says it was last night's high winds that slowed down repair crews considerably. >> we saw high winds that were greater than 35 miles per hour. so we were not able to put our crews up in the elevated bucket truck to make repairs. >> reporter: by this afternoon, the winds had died down. many haven't seen it yet. she wondered why there aren't more power crews out working. >> i don't think it should take that long. bring some more help in here. >> crews in other states were tied up last night, with their own storm damage. they're on their way to charlotte now. but yvette hayes wasn't here, until maybe tomorrow. before her power is back on. >> i was upset. like, do i have to stay another night like this? hour, duke said they were doing better than they expected and most customers they expect to be back up by midnight. but there are still some pockets that may not have power until tomorrow evening. so it could be a long night for them. in greer heights, jim bradley, channel 9news. if you have to hire somebody to repair damage to your home. they say make sure you research the fortune first, that they're license said, bonded and insured. and don't pay all of it up front. action 9 posted a full checklist. >> our communities in the north carolina mountains are dealing with strong winds and snow again tonight. in avery county, crews have been dealing with a mix of snow and sleet there. it made the roadways very treacherous. that snow will continue to fall throughout the night. tonight, our chief meteorologist steve udelson is tracking that snow. and when the blustery wind is starting to settle down for all of us. snow showers up in the high country. most folks, under an inch. way up in ski country, an inch or more. that's where you want the snow. the winds have been a major issue. gusting to better than 30 miles an hour. everywhere east of the mountains, including charlotte. up to 60 miles an hour, in the high country. the best news i can give you, hang on. these winds will finally calm down east of the mountains. now that the sun is down through the night. by the time you get up tomorrow morning, generally, 10 miles an hour. not bad. still blowing to 20 miles an hour in the high country. that means wind chills, hats, gloves and scarves, all necessary in the high country. down near zero. i'll show you when we all start to get a warmup. that's the next step, when i come back. >> steve, thank you. a coverage of the strong wind and mountain snow continues online at wsoctv.com. scroll over to the weather tap. and click on the interactive radar. there you, can -- you can find the direct impact on your less than three years. and carly could be leaving the job. and it could end up costing the city and taxpayers a lot more money. new at 6:00, we spoke with a former city leader for a look at what could be next for charlotte. >> reporter: the city of charlotte may have a problem on its hands. >> so you think charlotte has a problem with keeping leadership? >> yes. >> yesterday, the city's single- most powerful one, city manager, ron carly, announced he is stepping down. >> i thought that the council has made it clear for the last several months that they were concerned about issues in the city and how things were happening. >> reporter: former mayor protem, michael michael barnes tells me, tension between carly and city council may have led to carly's decision to leave. have stained the city's reputation as an employer. >> if you've got a good candidate who is comfortable in some city and he or she sees what's been think in charlotte for the last four years. they're not going to be likely to want to move here. >> reporter: the charlotte chamber of commerce may help with the search of carly's replacement, if asked. >> would like to maintain that entrepreneurial leadership in the role of the city management. >> council has announced an interim yet, or how they find a new city manager. but lawrence believes it may be tough, getting someone to step up to the plate. >> they have to pay a half million dollars to get an okay candidate. and that's not what anybody wants to do. >> reporter: jenna deery, channel 9 eyewitness news. >> all new tonight at 6:00, charlotte-based bank of america, wants to clear up a federal investigation into whether the bank did enough to try to protect certain customers. b of a made the announcement in a filing with the securities the banks, saying that the federal reg cuters have been investigating whether the bank's merrill lynch unit took the proper steps to try to safeguard money and customers accounts. last time, we told you that b of a is cutting positions in charlotte and across the country. the company is saying that the cuts are in the global marketing and corporate affairs decisions. bank of america has cut or slashed over 10,000 positions during the last few years, in an attempt to try to save money. packages are being snatched right outside of homes in a neighborhood in north charlotte. >> neighbors in the brightwalk community say they are seeing people behind the delivery trucks, ready to steal the packages as soon as they're dropped off. eyewitness news reporter angela hong found out the neighbors are banding together and using an app to try to fight the crime. >> a neighbor's gold nissan sedan. driving along. then a boy jumped out, sprinted to my front porch, took the >> reporter: brightwalk resident, adriana martinez martinez alert others to packages being taken from the neighborhood. this has been happening all over the city. investigators believe kids are responsible. >> the time frame we're talking about generally is when kids are getting home from school. maybe parents aren't home yet. and the packages are being delivered and it's a problem. >> reporter: but the thefts aren't all being reported to police, even though they're being shared at community meetings and on the next-door app. >> we want to encourage the community to let us know. >> reporter: and people also helping each other. like this post, by a neighbor, who just had a package delivered. >> i was wondering if somebody could pick it up for me. >> reporter: channel 9 pulled cmpd's calls and found there have been 14 calls for theft. martinez said she understands why this is happening. city. and in some transitional neighborhoods, this is what happens. >> reporter: package thefts are a continuing problem. but police say crime generally is down here. thanks to an increased police presence and vigilant neighbors. angela hong, channel 9 eyewitness news. >> police are recommending that you contact ups, fedex, or the u.s. postal service, to schedule a specific time for your package to be delivered. that way, you can be home when it arrives. criminals, preying on prayer. >> he said, you know, god bless me if i helped him. and he's a believer. >> reporter: businesses devoted to christian it, targeted by scammers. >> next at 9:00, we investiga steve: 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: 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 day, for life. new tonight, con artists are targeting local small businesses that market themselves as christian. >> action news investigator, jason stoogenke shows that some are trying to trick owners out of quick cash. >> there's a massage business in this building called prayerful touch. the owner thought she caught a huge break. out it was a huge con. >> she offers massage with christian prayer. >> i just pray silently. that's what i do. >> she said she was excited when someone said he planned to hire a limo and buy his workers business and give them all massages. plus, he promised to pay more than her usual rate. >> $2,000 for 10 massages. is that good? >> it's ridiculous. >> he told her he was very religious. >> of course, he said he was a strong believer. >> he said, god would bless me if i helped him and he's a believer. >> reporter: then the con artist claimed to have a problem with the limo. yeah, and he promised to pay her back. >> $1440 via bank cash deposit. >> reporter: while some may have fallen for it, santacorbecame suspicious and >> it's just rotten that someone is doing this. and they have to know the damage they're doing. >> damage they don't want others to suffer. >> businesses should be especially careful about footing any bill for a customer up front. no matter how much the business thinks they may make in the deal. >> if you'd like to find a past action fineinvestigation and ways to get in touch with jason, go to our website, wsoctv.com. scroll over 9 investigates and click on action 9. police arrested this man, accused of breaking into cars belonging to firefighters 40 times in two weeks. police think that johnny bing hit stations in charlotte, mooresville, and greensville. the fire department chief said they plan to add cameras to some of their buildings that it is a special day for the charlotte mecklenburg police department. the department is selling 45 years of service. a number of the aviation pilots attended today's events. and they are the ones who are often called in to respond, when there is a suspect on the loose. one pilot told us they do so much more than help track down criminals. >> i get the best feeling in the world, when you find somebody who is lost. and you can reunite them with their family. >> the pilots also say they respond in the event of severe storm damage. the of aviation unit started back in 1971. >> meanwhile, north carolina's air national guard base in charlotte said it is once closer to receiving 8 of these massive c17 aircrafts. if president obama's budgeted proposal passes, the military would swap the c17 for the airlift smaller c130s. the air national guard says the c17 is for heavy military cargo. to see them flying low. and today, a little windy for any flight. >> we're going to calm the winds down. and push the temperatures up the next few days. still chilly tomorrow. but as we head through the weekend and the early part of next week, we're going to start to run temperatures well into the 60s. so it's a welcome break from the winter chill. then those powerful storms. live warning doppler 9. nothing going on in the charlotte area. a few mountain snow showers. all that is left. down to 47 in charlotte and valentine. 46 now in belmont. readings in the low 40s, up toward hickory and statesville. at or below freezing all over the high country. future cast overnight tonight, quickly. but as i showed you a while die down. that's good news. by the time we get up tomorrow morning. just about everyone around freezing. same for charlotte. they, monroe. lancaster out toward rockingham. country. wake-up forecast, decidedly different than it was today. it will be noticeably cooler. and end of the morning ride, we're in the upper 30s. hats and gloves, a good idea. focusing on the chill more than anything else. with the winds now no longer an issue. future cast, as we head through tomorrow. ine the mountains get into sunshine. as we head through tomorrow afternoon. and while there will be a bit of a breeze, it's nothing like we've seen the past few days. neighborhood forecast up in concorde looks great. upper 40s by lunchtime. close to or above 50 by this time tomorrow evening. out towards gastonia, temperatures again start below freezing. but will climb into the lower 50s with a lot less wind than we've dealt with today. and chilly start. we're back into the lower 50s as we head into tomorrow afternoon. 49 started last week. looks great for that. they opened their season tomorrow three-game set. boon rised from -- rose into the 50s sunday. in case you're wondering, conditions could not be better in the high country. with deep bases and some of that natural slow going on. weather looks great for the upcoming weekend. five-day forecast keeps us in the sunshine. and after another cool one tomorrow. temperatures well below our average, which at this point is 58, will climb back into the 60s over the weekend. i think we'll stay in it for a while. >> those 60s really look nice. >> those 60s do. and topsy-turvy continues. nasdaq up 40. . nasd exactly one month ago was the monday after the nfc championship game. what a day that was. when the super bowl excitement was so fresh. today, head coach panthers ron rivera was at the combine. talking about plenty. shoulder surgery was successful. he's already started the rehab process. cam newton is going to get together with offensive coordinator mike shula, as he did last year. and find something specific to improve on. last season, it was red zone production, which became a strength during the super bowl run. but most fortunately -- importantly, we learned that the panthers know everyone in the division will be gunning for them. i think those guys all want to compete. and they all want to win. and i know we're right in the and we're going to have to be better. if not we're going to get overtaken. that's what makes the division so exciting. >> they saw their streak snap last night. that's the bad news. but it was against the first placed cavaliers on the road. lebron james put up his first season. just couldn't stop lebron. or anyone really. it was the hornets' first loss in three weeks. but they won't there v time to -- won't have time to dwell on it. next up, the indiana pacers, next friday. >> just have to forget about this one. and have a good practice. watch film. learn from my mistakes. and go to indy and try to put out a big win. >> another game in the spectacular performance. another for charlotte's favorite golden state warriors. finished with 42 points in miami last night. and six, 3-pointers. 147 straight games, 3-pointer. his last two triples were knocking offer a pesky heat team. now, listen to this. he's 23 pointers away from breaking his own record. 3-pointers of the season. got 28 left to do it. >> it's going to happen. >> he will be the guy who causes them to move up the 3- point line. >> are you going to move about 40 feet away? >> make it just about half the line. >> by late february, most of us are ready for a touch of spring, right? we're about to give that to you. the 60s. ask we keep the sunshine around. year? . >> and you put the freethrow line, about 15 to 20 feet away. >> change in the game. >> thanks for joining us tonight at 6:00. >> join us tonight at 11:00. >> and everybody would have to shot. ot steve: 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, breaking news. at least eight dead, including a 2-year-old. more than 30 twisters from texas to pennsylvania. homes destroyed. this truck blown over on the gw bridge in new york. the coast guard trying to save this boat. the showdown tonight. is this the last chance for the other candidates to try and take down donald trump before super tuesday? and, the eye-opening new poll tonight from marco rubio's own state of florida. is trump unstoppable, even there? just 24 hours after our exclusive with apple's ceo, tim cook, the fierilyreery moments on capitol hill today. and just tonight, apple answers the judge. new reporting tonight after a passenger jet slams into a runway. the emergency evacuation. and sylvester stallone, coming back into focus. will he deliver a knockout punch at the oscars? we have stallone, right here tonight. good evening.