the courts to congress. >> this was not the healthcare that was promised to americans. >> health care should be a right guaranteed to all. nikole: after dozens of attempts, republicans resurrected legislation to repeal the law they dub "obamacare," >> the bill as amended is past. nikole: while lawmakers also chipped away at portions of it in a massive budget bill, and may use it as a talking point in 2016. >> from a political perspective, obamacare has been the gift that keeps on giving for republicans. >> whenever they've run on it aggressively, they tend to do fairly well. nikole: putting democrats on defense. >> you can't go in and tell 12 million people, who have insurance because of obamacare, we're taking that away. you can't tell people, say, with cancer, who have gotten insurance because of obamacare, that they no longer have insurance. nikole: so, while the presidential hopefuls may play up the issue on the trail, >> obamacare has cooled a little bit as an issue. nikole: kaiser family foundation ceo drew altman says, polling shows the public has more pressing health concerns. of drugs, this is really a surprise to me, emerged as the number one issue for people as their top priority for the president and congress. nigel: according to kaiser, the public remains divided over the health care law. gabrielle: as of december 2015, last month, 40% favor it, while 46% are opposed. nigel: health care is not just a national issue. it's also local, very local. today, i sat down with an upstate doctor to talk about the current state of health care here. >> i would say the state of health care is constantly in flux, and answering that question becomes very very challenging, because it depends on where you are in the health care spectrum. nigel: for example, dr. michael rowley with new horizon family health services says, for those who have a good job with health care coverage, and they are active and healthy, for them, health care in south carolina is good. the entire spectrum of the patient population that we have. nigel: in fact, the u.s. census shows the median household income in south carolina from 2009-2013 was just under $45,000 a year, about $10,000 less than the national average. of the almost 5 million people who live in south carolina, according to the kaiser family foundation, 13% of the population are uninsured. in north carolina, it's a little less, at 12%. and in georgia, 16% of the population is uninsured. >> you get appendicitis, you have to go to the hospital. that's a surgical problem. we are going to do surgery on you and take your appendix out. here in the united states, that's going to be about $20,000 for that to be done. that is catastrophic. that is a down payment on a really nice house, a new car. in $2,000. nigel: about one out of every four south carolinians is enrolled in medicaid, a number that has been growing. in north carolina, the weather is finally cold enough once again this ski season, to make snow. gabrielle: they are indeed making snow. wyff news 4's aly myles was in maggie valley this morning. aly: a freezing morning here in maggie valley, but a very welcome sight for snow bunnies. just take a look at that. they've made at least 4 feet of snow. they say they've only been open for about 10 days this season here at tube world, because it was at least 55 degree nights just a few nights ago. they say they're making the most of this weather, making as much snow as possible so that they don't see bare grass again, which, up until the end of december, that's what they were seeing here. again, very welcome sight for the slopes, or on a tube. aly myles, wyff news 4, in maggie valley. nigel: now, we're taking a live look outside at greenville through the paris mountain sky cam. on paris mountain, there is no snow. gabrielle: just a beautiful sunset this evening. wyff news 4's chief meteorologist john cessarich is joining us. look at those cool temperatures. john: isn't that ridiculous? especially after the past couple weeks of warm temperatures. we were breaking record high temperatures last week. now, we are not close to breaking record lows, but below average temperatures. clear except for a few high, thin clouds. temperatures warmed up a little bit, only into the low 40's across the area. they are starting to cool down. 27 in boone, 36 in spartanburg, 36 in hendersonville and 41 in toccoa, 42 in abbeville. clear and cold, light winds. we do not have to deal with wind chills like overnight last night now back to you. nigel: the greater greenville changes to its recycling policy. it takes effect july 1. bins will be switched to roll carts. recycling pick up will be moved from weekly, to every other week. you will be required to pay a one-time, $25 registration fee, and they will no longer be accepting glass for recycling. in a release, officials say these changes are necessary, to allow them to continue to provide recycling services. gabrielle: a warning from tonight. exposed to rabies by a skunk. they say it happened between homeland park and lake hartwell, on december 30th. an official with dhec says you should avoid any wild animals acting tame, and tame animals acting wild. this skunk is the ninth animal from anderson county to test positive for rabies in 2015. anderson city council has chosen an anderson native to serve as the city's manager. linda mcconnell started her job yesterday. we're told she's the first woman to become city manager of a major south carolina city. >> having the opportunity to hopefully make a very positive difference in your hometown community is a wonderful place to be right now, and having been here for 38 years, i'm very proud to see the progress we've made, and look forward to continuing that good progress. nigel: another change to the office, her predecessor, john moore, was a clemson fan, and mcconnell is a gamecock. coming up in our consumer watch, if your new year's resolution is to lose some weight, we have some tips on how to avoid those costly gym memberships. gabrielle: plus, why are decades-old trees coming down on furman university's campus? school officials give us but first, tonight's primetime if your new year's resolution is nigel: if your new year's resolution is to get in shape this year, you might be tempted to get a gym membership. you in to long-term agreements. gabrielle: as deanna dewberry tells us, there are alternatives where you can feel the burn without burning your wallet. >> everybody has their own method. deanna: 75-year-old jack featherstone likes to work out. a lot. >> well, i spend 45 a day. 15 on the stair climber, and 15 on the elliptical, and 15 on the treadmill, and then i do weights. deanna: but in addition to being fit, he's also smart. >> i think i do pretty good for my age, but it's still my age. deanna: featherstone works out here. >> hospitals are one of the best places to come to get in shape. one thing that's great about a hospital is, it's not going to be super crowded. you're going to pay a lot less for your membership. there's no long-term contracts or initiation fees. we also have health support staff on site if anything goes wrong. go right. deanna: classes are $13.50 a month. your city's rec center is another place to try. this one's $18 a month, with no long-term contract. classes vary, and cost extra. >> there's no guarantee they'll take a first round draft choice. deanna: but it's not just about cost. gyms like these can also offer a more relaxed atmosphere. >> you don't have to dress up. you don't have to put make up on. you don't have to get in shape to come in and work out at our facility five. >> you're not worried about how you're dressed, or, you know, you just do what you can do, and go on from there. michael: coming up all new at 6:00, a second chance at a national title, and tonight, we're going back in time with clemson great jeff davis. >> when i look at it, i begin to think about, well, you're getting on up there, hahaha. michael: oh, no. what he had to say about clemson's future, while we take a look at the past. you're not so far up there. nigel: coming up, a hoverboard bursts into flames, with the rider on it. gabrielle: and, caught on camera. firefighters spring into action, and pull a dog out of an icy pond in utah. john: a live picture from asheville, clear skies, light winds. it is still cold, 36 degrees. the weather pattern changes towards the weekend. days after the paris attacks, senators came together for a top-secret briefing on the terrorist threat... marco rubio was missing - fundraising in california instead. two weeks later, terrorists struck again in san bernardino... and where was marco? fundraising again in new orleans. over the last 3 years, rubio has missed important national security hearings and missed more total votes than any other senator. politics first: that's the rubio way. is responsible for the content of this message. gabrielle: must-see video out of california, as a hoverboard bursts into flames with a man on board. this video was taken after the man jumped off the hoverboard and turned his camera on, showing the smoking board. he said he had it for a few months and had no problems until the last week, when this happened. he says it was recently charged, and not over-charged. the board cost $600. nigel: a new hampshire man gets out of a dangerous situation unharmed. look at that right there. did you see a diaconate -- did you see it? he had a camera rolling when a sheet of ice flew off of a car, and shattered his windshield. right there, do you see the ice coming right at him? the driver said he was able to remain calm, and get off the highway. gabrielle: firefighters pulled a dog from an icy pond in utah. the owner lost control of the dog when it chased after some ducks. the dog fell through the ice, and couldn't get out. firefighters sprung into action, and pulled the dog to safety. he was cold, but he was ok. the owner sent a photo to the fire department showing their appreciation. the photo is right there. nigel: there have been several earthquakes in the last week in oklahoma. now, regulators have taken action. most of the quakes happened in areas where injection wells pump salty wastewater deep into the earth, so the oklahoma corporation commission says it's ordering the companies closest to the quakes to cut their waste water in half. >> look. all options are always on the table. a moratorium, in terms of just turning everything off, is something that we've the situation, that most are operating in areas of no earthquake activity, would not be something that is viable. nigel: a hearing is expected at the oklahoma state capitol friday. it will address citizens' concerns regarding the quakes. gabrielle: another big powerball prize is up for grabs. tomorrow night's drawing will be for an estimated 450 -- $450 million. it was initially $400 million but a surge in ticket sales caused an increase. the jackpot cash value is 200 $75.4 million. it is the sixth largest jackpot in any u.s. lottery on record. nigel: winter has arrived at the virginia coast. snow flurries appeared overnight in coastal areas. the snow was falling at a pretty good pace this morning, in hampton roads. there was enough of it to start sticking to some surfaces. with high temperatures right at the freezing mark, it's possible a few flakes of snow will still be on the ground tomorrow >> now, your live super doppler 4 hd weather forecast. john: what a difference a week makes. the flurries along the coast line of virginia, and a stationary front that is developing here, it was an area of low pressure. we may get voiced or onshore close to wilmington tomorrow afternoon, which means may be a little freezing rain tomorrow morning if it is early enough. precipitation mixed with light rain, it shouldn't be heavy. all the moisture off shore, and this is the doma by pressure -- the dome of high pressure. 40 in anderson, wind chill 34 because of the northeasterly wind. the opposite of yesterday. strong winds in the mountains, lighter winds yesterday evening in the upstate. now, lighter winds in the amount 's with a northeasterly breeze at 10 miles per hour in the upstate. here is a live shot over like hartwell. it feels like 34 degrees with the windchill in anderson. 38 in northeastern georgia, temperatures running about 5-10 degrees below average this time of year. 38 in toccoa, carnesville, livonia, dillard, 34 in bowman, 36 in elberton. cold across. . the wind will continue to die down. first in the mountains, then in the upstate later tonight. the strongest winds are in greenville and anderson. east wind at eight miles per hour in clemson. humidity remains low. humidity will continue to drop overnight as high pressure builds and briefly tonight and heads up to see as we go through the day -- heads out to sea tomorrow. clouds in the plains states, rain through the texas panhandle and western oklahoma. the high, thin cirrus clouds will move across our sky tomorrow, which will keep the temperature for warming up to quickly. warmer tomorrow been today. a slow warming trend, mid-to-upper 40's for highs tomorrow. a good storm system coming into california, rain in san francisco and los angeles, san diego, heading of the way to las vegas. this will move into the four corners area, and into the plains, and will affect us in time for the latter part of the week. the weekend, looking a little iffy. the models are all of the place. some of them stall out the system over the weekend, some of the move it through. we end up with a 50-50 weekend, dry one day, wet the next. i am putting in precipitation, not extremely high, on both days. i do not want to say a washout. 24 in boston, early two in michigan and chicago, 29 in minneapolis, 40 four in denver. melting away some of the snow they had last week. tonight, clear skies and cold. light winds, low 22 in the upstate, midteens in the mountains. a cold start the day tomorrow. sunshine, but high, thin clouds coming in the afternoon keep the temperature from warming up quickly. five degrees below average for this time of the year. 47 in the upstate, 43 in the mountains. not as cold, i don't want to say milder, but not as cold as today. a little bit milder on thursday, more clouds around. rain comes in on friday and maybe unsettled as we get into the weekend. it should be all liquid precipitation. now back to you. nigel: now to our ulocal shots of the day, take a look at this nature picture. gabrielle: eight beautiful picture there. and look at this. a vintage picture in -- of a 1982 clemson orange bowl champs mini flag. hope whoever sent us this picture will be waiving it again coming up this monday. keep those pictures coming. upload them to the ulocal section of wyff 4.com. we would love to show them right here on tv. gabrielle: take a look at this. the festival of light began in finland today. it's designed to help people get through the long polar nights this time of year. bright artworks offer a festive atmosphere. for a couple weeks in january, people will only see the sun for a few hours. around 500 artists from around the world created artworks on display in city center. mark zuckerberg has issued another new year's challenge. the facebook founder is challenging himself and others to run 365 miles in 2016. zuckerberg admits that while it it is one mile a day, last year his challenge was to read one book every other week in 2015. nigel: this is on my bucket list. the annual international consumer electronics show will officially open tomorrow in las vegas, and we have a peek at what is to come. many items were on display yesterday and today. those included this wiggly, bendable product named "pic." it's a flexible camera that wraps around your wrist. it can be straightened out to take that selfie. things gadget. everything. tvs, cars, i need to go. i need to go. the show is open from wednesday through saturday. i will be all right. as well. a big fan of movie cars in austria is taking his hobby to life-size proportions. you see it there. modeled after popular movies and tv shows. among his collection so far are , hey kitt, i am ready to go home. knight rider's "kitt", the "back to the future" delorean, and the batmobile. i think that is the a team than. -- van. his cars are so well done that they are allowed to drive officially on the streets. i was having so much fun. gabrielle: this is what is coming up. trees coming down at furman university. why school officials say this has to happen now. nigel: lots of work on the furman university campus while the students are away on break. gabrielle: today, we found out trees are coming down. furman university is slowly altering the landscape out of necessity. >> trees are like any of us. there is a lifespan. gabrielle: the oak trees were young when this picture was taken in 1958, shortly after furman moved from downtown greenville to its current location in northern greenville county. >> back then, the trees were probably taken from the woods, probably not a tree farm. gabrielle: scot sherman, the director of campus planning, says, many of these trees are now old and dying. several came down during the heavy rain this past fall. >> they're reaching an age, and a quality, that they're just not gonna last a whole lot longer. gabrielle: so this is the 4th year crews have used the holiday break, while students are away, to remove trees. here's a picture taken during the week of christmas. this year, they removed 21 trees, mostly around the library. this week, they're putting 22 healthy oak trees into the ground. trees on this side of the library, and a few here in front of the chapel. and everything has to be done by the end of this week, because the students return to class on monday. >> so we're just trying to preserve the beauty, the aesthetics. gabrielle: bit by bit, year by year, crews will ultimately remove and replace almost 200 trees all around campus. the entire process is expected to take about a decade. >> so this is really for the future generations, many generations to come. gabrielle: these hardier trees are expected to live for hundreds of years. nigel: some of the old trees will be made into mulch. gabrielle: others may even be turned into mantelpieces, and furniture that could be used on furman's campus. nigel: thanks for joining us at 5:00. gabrielle: news 4 at 6:00 with michael and carol starts now. >> live, local, breaking news. this is wyff news 4 at 6:00 in high definitio bottle of aspirin, we should make sure they can't pull a trigger on a gun. carol: president obama will tighten gun control in the u.s., on his own. as he told the country how today, he let some emotions show. >> spartanburg is the biggest economic development story not just in the upstate, but in the state of south carolina. michael: spartanburg's ongoing success and a key ingredient to , making it happen. carol: the president addressed the nation today, and laid out what he calls common sense measures to curb gun violence. michael: he'll take executive action on the background checks system. wyff news 4's patrick hussion is here with more on what the president had to say. patrick: quoting doctor martin luther king, junior, the president calls this effort the "fierce urgency of now." there was a lot of applause today as the president laid out his plan, and there was a lot of emotion from the president himself, and of course, some backlash from -- republicans. so what does the president propose to do?