meteorologist alyssa corfont has the forecast. good morning. >> good morning. we're starting off on a clear note as we start this thursday, but the clear skies are actually leading to cooler temperatures. remember, we had a cold front move through yesterday. that is also helping to drop the temperatures. so now we're at 51 in raleigh. 44 in sanford. 49 siler city. the low 50s in roxboro, south hill also in the 50s. good morning rocky mount, you're checking in at 56 degrees. here's the forecast for today, plenty of sunshine early but 52 degrees, take that light jacket this morning. 69 at lunchtime. today plenty of sunshine and pleasant. we won't be as warm this afternoon but keep in mind normal highs for this time of year around 64 degrees. i'm expecting a high near 77. so still well above that mark. back to 73 with a few clouds heading into 6:00 this evening.

up in the storm team forecast. traffic, i-40 and harrison avenue, it's early but there are a few cars in both directions. the good news, no delays, no accidents to report just yet on this thursday morning so. we'll use this time to remind you, yes, it's the first round of the march madness tournament. pnc arena, first game starts at 12:40. parking lots open two and-a- half hours before each game. cars and vans. it's going to cost you $20 to park. i'm expecting a lot of congestion there so if you don't need to be there try to avoid it. another check of traffic and weather coming up in about 10 minutes. right now five cumberland county deputies are facing discipline for this arrest you see in a recent rally for presidential candidate donald trump. >> "cbs north carolina"'s emma wright is live with details. >> reporter: the sheriff says the deputies didn't act fast enough after a trump supporter punched a protester in the face. it was caught on video.

the cumberland county sheriff's office rakim jones punched by 78-year-old john mcgraw as he was walking up the stairs during the trump rally. the sheriff has disciplined five deputies involved floating three in rank and suspending for a period of five days without pay. two other deputies were suspended for three days without pay. they will all be on probation for 12 months. trump supporters say the incident is unfortunate. >> i can't blame one man for another man's action. as far as i know mr. trump didn't ask the man to punch a protester. so i heard nothing like that. so, i think it's all on him, on the man that actually assaulted the protester. >> reporter: john mcgraw was eventually charged with punching jones. more in the next half-hour. a man expected in court accused of peeping in windows near large apartment complexes

the incidents happened near morganton road and westlake drive. there are several apartments there. 36-year-old chris lewis is now facing a list of charges. he's believed to have been in fayetteville for at least the last three years. right now raleigh police are searching for a gunman, police responded to a home on fountain drive 5:30 yesterday evening. where they found the victim. he was taken to wake med and expected to be ok. neighbors kept away from their homes for an hour and-a-half while police investigated. still no word yet on what led up to the shooting. police in durham are still looking for leads after a 23- year-old man was found shot to death. we brought this as breaking news yesterday morning. officers found simon lewis outside of an apartment complex on hardy street. police haven't made any arrests. three people including a state trooper are expected to be ok after several vehicles were involved in a crash at u.s. 1 and i-440. police say a motorcyclist lost control near the exit and crashed, a trooper pulled over

say a person driving a mercedes hit the trooper's vehicle. charges are expected. we talked to the mother of one of the two people killed last week in a double murder in johnston county. she talked about the emotional and financial struggles she's experiencing. jessica's mom went into exclusion after her daughter's murder struggling with the emotional turmoil created by the loss of her daughter. michelle recently lost her home, can barely afford gas money and says paying nor a funeral is out of the question. >> i need help to make sure my baby gets a proper burial. >> have they told you how much you're going to need? >> oh, wow, about $4,200 just to have her cremated. >> investigators haven't made arrests in the case. call the sheriff's office if you have any information. to tynd out how to -- to find out how to help the family we have a link on wncn.com. extra police officers will greet students at fuquay-varina

officials learned about a student reportedly making threats to two other students. authorities say there's no danger to anyone and no threat to the school. the development of environmental quality held a public meeting in person county last night. at least 13 families there receiving bottled water after concerns nearby coal ash ponds contaminated tap water. the focus and what order the deq should close the ponds -- that didn't stop residents from speaking out >> i worry about, if i brush my teeth don't open my mouth. >> you believe the water in the wells close to the facilities are safe? >> yes, the water in these private wells are similar to public well water across the nation. >> the department of health and human services originally sent out that letter warning certain residents to not drink the water.

saying the water was safe but people still remain skeptical. today's a big day for college basketball fans. even bigger day for fans of local teams. tar heels will face florida gulf coast tonight. tipoff 7:20. the tar heels are riding a five- game winning streak. duke plays today. blue devils open up tournament play at noon against unc wilmington. you can watch the game, it's going to be right here, at "cbs north carolina." coming up next -- >> videos. i don't know what i'm going to do. that's how bad it is. >> a fight surrounding a pet alligator is heating up in florida. why the owner says he cannot survive outside. >> she's hugging it. 40s and 50s, 46 in lewisburg, 51 tarborough.

long the cool morni let's enjoy the warmth while we can. >> yes, temperatures will be back in the seven today. yesterday we tied a record, 86 degrees. >> it felt like it. >> and it's march. i'm kind of scared for the rest of the summer. let's look live outside. 51 now. this is a live picture from our north raleigh studios. not a lot going on as expected. it's not even 5:00, but you will need a jacket as you get ready to head out. you're looking at clearing skies and the clearing skies in the wake of yesterday's cold front all contributing to the fact that temperatures have dropped considerably. yesterday we only had one area in the 40s, that was sanford. sanford this morning you're at 44. nearby siler city is also in the 40s at 49. south hill and lewisburg both in the mid-40s. raleigh, again, we're 51,

here's your hour by hour forecast, around 8:00 a.m., don't forget the sunglasses, also don't forget a jacket. 52 degrees. we climb to 64 by 10:00 a.m. 69 at noon, in the 70s this afternoon. 73 at 2:00. our high will be close to 77. now normal for this time of year around 64 degrees. we're well above that mark, still today. however, we're not near recordbreaking, today's record sits in the 90s. so i'm very happy we won't be breaking that. again, your st. patrick's day will be dry. tomorrow we drop back to 69, and the start for the weekend, saturday, back to 58 with a chance of rain. more details on the rain chances for the weekend in a little bit. back to you. how would you like to have this as your neighbor? a florida woman says she'll continue to fight to keep her petal pet alligator. "rambo" lived with mary for seven years now.

rides and even to the store. state regulators say you can own an alligator but it has to be outside on at least two and- a-half acres of land. well, rambo lives inside. >> he's a house gator. he lived in the house all his life. he only knows house sounds. you bring him out and he's scared of the birds. >>thorne also says he's sun sensitive and can't survive outside. she keeps him in shade and puts sunscreen on him when they are outside. that kind of frightens me to even look at that. the time is now 4:42. why utah's first republican presidential debate will not happen. plus -- >> duke knows all too well that anything can happen in march madness. they won it all last year but struggled in years past to get out of the first round. coming up on "cbs north

making another deep run. welcome back. north carolina state trooper and two others are recovering after a nasty traffic accident along the raleigh beltline. >> the trooper just pulled over responding to a motorcycle crash when another vehicle slammed into his cruiser. charges are now pending. >> still no arrests in connection with a deadly shooting that happened in durham. police found simon lewis dead outside of an apartment complex on hardy street early wednesday morning. if you have any information about this case please call police or crime stoppers. >> five cumberland county deputies are suspend the without way for the way a violent incident was handled during a trump campaign last week. a 78-year-old john mcgraw was not arrested until the next day. >> three north carolina house primaries could go to a recount.

patricia oliver leads jimmy massengill by only a few votes. margins could adjust as absentee ballots trickle in. candidates can request recounts if the difference is less than or equal to 1% of all votes cast. monday's republican presidential debate in salt lake city will not happen. fox news cancelled the event because donald trump and john kasich decided they won't participate. trump said they had had enough debates and he's committed to a big speech on the same night. the ohio governor john kasich says he won't debate without trump. the debate was scheduled a day before the utah caucus and arizona's primary. president obama's choice of a new supreme court judge, merrick garland, will make his first visit to capitol hill to meet with members of congress. the president announced the chief judge on the u.s. court of appeals for his choice to replace antonin scalia. the 63-year-old was born in chicago and graduated from harvard law. the president says he's one of the country's sharpest legal

integrity and even handedness. >> these quatlez and his long -- qualities and his long commitment to public service earned him the respect and admiration of leaders from both sides of the aisle. >> republican critics are already jumping in threatening to block the nomination until a new president is elected. the white house insists the senate has a constitutional duty to consider the president's nominee and not hold out. today in the ncaa the duke blue devils open up tournament play at noon against uncw. >> this duke team says they are ready. "cbs north carolina"'s david hurst is covering the blue devils from rhode island. >> reporter: we're hours away from the start of march madness in providence as duke and unc wilmington tip things off today. this duke team he is they are a lot different than the one last year that won the national championship but say they still have the characteristics to make a deep run. if any team has experienced the

it's the duke blue devils. >> we know anything can happen. >> reporter: they are taking a similar approach to last year, always looking ahead. >> i'm proud of the team so far. i think this is the start of a special journey. >> reporter: while the pressure can be high playing for a program like duke, they still find time to joke around to ease some of that pressure. >> he's funny in the locker room. who is the funniest? >> i don't want to give too much -- anybody too much credit but probably chase. >> chase can -- impress, do impressions of anybody. i won't say which coach but he does some of the coaches. i'm not going to sell him out. >> reporter: jokes aside they say things are always more fun when they are winning, something they hope to do a lot of the next few weeks. >> at the end of the day basketball should be fun. fun to go through a whole season together but the most

that's the main focus more than anything. >> reporter: tipoff is scheduled for 12:15 between duke and unc wilmington on "cbs north carolina." your only home for march madness. reporting in providence, david hurst, "cbs north carolina" news. >> thank you. i've got my bracket ready. i know russ has hers and alyssa does too. and president obama hopes he made the right picks on his bracket. >> bill self owes me. i'm putting kansas in here. coach, i'm just teasing, i'm not putting pressure on you. this is going to be the year, i started off making the right pick, i'm going to end making the right pick. >> you noticed he picked kansas to beat the tar heels in the national championship game. before that though he has unc beating michigan state in the final four and kansas beating texas a&m. i have kansas on the top too. >> who do you have?

>> we'll find out. alyssa won last year. we don't want her to have kansas -- we need to peat alyssa this year. >> she won't get in the shot because she knows she's going to be wrong. president obama did get his bracket right in 2009, his first march madness in office. >> he picked the tar heels, they did win. it's the last time they went to the final four though. a girl from the state got a response from the president after she took a jab at the president. the 11-year-old said you are a great president, just not the best bracket picker. you can see it here. he says he expects big things from her in the years ahead. we've also made our picks like i mentioned on "cbs north carolina." go to the special section of our web site, find a link on the home page and check out what alyssa has this year. with the bracket. >> i'm nervous. >> there's a lot of pressure when you're a previous winner. >> i picked duke last year.

there you go. >> i took unc and villanova to fingers crossed. i can't disclose how i picked very scientific. >> last time i heard it was >> i'm not telling. one thing you always get right is the weather. tell us more. >> another warm one today. it won't last forever, cooler temperatures will come through over the weekend ahead. degrees. here we are from the raleigh- durham international airport as we start this thursday morning. let's check with temperatures elsewhere, 50 degrees in clayton, 46 lewisburg. 56 rocky mount. new to the 40s club, roanoke rapids now at 49. 44 south hill. roxboro 51, along with us in raleigh, also 51 around the goldsboro area. as you plan your day today take a light jacket out the door, 8:00 a.m. temperature 52. we climb to 69 at lunchtime. that is still going to feel nice. 77 this afternoon, nowhere near

yesterday here in raleigh we actually tied a record of 86 degrees. we'll fall back to 73 with just a few clouds around sunset this evening. here's the setup for today. we're tracking a cold front yesterday, now off to our east and that is in the wake of that, why we're dealing with cooler temperatures. high pressure starting to build in to control our weather. overall it's still going to be a really pleasant day. we just don't have to worry about the mid and upper 80s that we were dealing with yesterday. so plenty of clear skies this morning. as we head into the afternoon, say a cloud or two from time to time. nothing to have a negative impact on the forecast. we'll stay pretty clear overnight tonight. then as we head towards friday, calling it partly cloudy at times as we head into the weekend ahead we're tracking even more clouds and the chance of rain. rain we could use, just unfortunate timing for the weekend. let's stop for the highs today. 78 sanford. 81 pinehurst.

fayetteville. wilson 77, 78 around portions of johnston county and smithfield. in the triangle 77 in raleigh and cary. 76 durham. lewisburg, also looking at topping out in the mid-70s. overnight tonight, if thinking this morning is chilly wait until you wake up tomorrow morning, 46, pretty clear skies for friday morning. friday afternoon, 69 and then look at the weekend ahead, spring officially starts on sunday. that spring equinox, starting around 12:30 in the morning, so many of us will be sleeping but by the time you wake up on sunday we'll be in the spring season, sun directly over the equator on sunday. as we head into early next week we'll see temperature start to climb back to 70 by wednesday. 4:53 on this thursday morning. let's switch gears and get to traffic. if you're getting ready to head out we showed you this earlier, i-40 and harrison avenue still showing some cars in either direction. no slowdowns, no accidents to report. what we have, some information

nc-55 westbound, that is the apex highway, two lanes are closed near carpenter fletcher road as they clean up an accident in that direction. so again, that is nc-55, maybe heading into the durham area from apex, certainly watch for this, it could slow you down this morning. that's the latest check of traffic and weather. hello, i'm gayle king. coming up, how safe is your tap water? the surprising results of a usa today network investigation of the u.s. water systems. comi rooms come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. there are big rooms, tiny rooms, rooms that are - whoa. with eight times more fragrance control, the new air wick scented oil warmer lets you dial up or down to fill massive minimalist rooms. small secret rooms. and tall rooms you climb to. a treehouse is totally a room. you get the perfect amount of fragrance.

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funeral arrangements underway for frank sinatra jr. his real name was francis wayne sinatra. we're just minutes away from the nation's second largest transportation system reopening after a 24-hour shutdown for repairs. inspectors found at least 26 defects requiring replacement or repair. at least three of the areas are urgent. the trains are expected to be up and running by 5:00 a.m. a warning from law enforcement officials across north carolina. if you drink and drive expect to be caught. in charlotte the governor's

annual booze it and lose it st. patrick's day campaign. patrols will ramp up through sunday. that includes additional checkpoints across the triangle. d.o.t says 11 people were killed statewide during last year's st. patrick's day crackdown. it involved drivers with alcohol levels four times above the legal limit. >> it's a preventable crime. there's no need for anybody in north carolina to be a victim of impaired driving or to kill themselves. it's really a simple solution. don't get behind the wheel. >> authorities also believe ride sharing services like uber and lyft helped in getting more people home safely. the campaign started 22 years ago, in that time the annual fatalities have dropped from more than 600 to 400 deaths each year. it's just before 5 in the morning.

are in trouble after an incident during a donald trump event. >> the punishment they face coming up. you're watching "cbs north carolina," it's thursday, march -- what is it? >> the -- i don't know. >> we'll double check.

>> i think it's the 17th. good morning. thank you for joining us on "cbs north carolina" on march 17th. i'm stefan chase. >> i'm russ bowen. emma wright is in the house with the fallout from an incident at a donald trump rally in fayetteville. and the morning commute as well. >> first we go to storm team meteorologist alyssa corfont. where is your green? >> i can't wear green, not at the wall. >> oh, that's right. >> pretty clear skies and the clear skies leading to some chilly temperatures this morning.

52 in raleigh and in durham but 43 in sanford. also now in the 40s raeford and rocky mount. wilson, you're actually around the 50s. 50 clayton, 46 lewisburg and 44 south hill. here's the forecast for the day ahead, 52, take a light jacket and sunglasses. 69 at noon. then 77 our high. it's not going to be as warm but remember yesterday we tied our old record with a high of 86. normal for this time of year actually around 64. so still well above that mark. heading into the afternoon. we do have cooler temperatures on the horizon. i'll let you know when they arrive coming up in the storm team forecast. let's check with traffic before you get ready to head out. here is i-440 and six forks road. you can see 440 in the distance and we can see just a few cars in either direction. so some good news as you start your thursday morning. no delays, no slowdowns to report on the roadways. let's check in with some