this morning's storms knocked out power to several upstate communities ..even leaving some local colleges in the dark. in spartanburg county... a tree fell on top of this home. the family says..they are just happy to have each other. then just down the road... was this building. the roof ripped off all three businesses here. the owners who say they were inside when it happened. but they are alright. willie pearson was working in his barber shop.. when he heard the wind pick up. "when i dusted him off the whole roof blew off the building." "you could have b "hs i thank god." "et

s my husband." crews have been working to fix the roof.. but itts been windy. now the family is hoping for no rain until this roof can be fixed. we weren't the only ones to get hit with severe weather. powerful storms slammed the gulf states... leaving at least 3 people dead...and dozens hospitalized.... yesterday. this is video of damage.. in pensacola, florida.. where at least one tornado was reported. as you can see trees are toppled over ... and some homes have been leveled..because of the storm. now people are assessing the damage to their homes... and starting recovery efforts. and while people in the south are seeing rain... people in indiana .. are seeing snow. the wind gusts, heavy snow and dropping temperatures .. made it dangerous for some drivers on the roads. state wide there have been 46 vehicles to slide off the road .. and more than 40 wrecks. state police there are urging people to stay at home. the weather wasn't the only problem for drivers in the upsate today... it was potholes on interstate 85. a big pot hole near exit 57 south bound.. blew out tires

the side of the road. people say they are tired of trying to dodge problem spots .... and want them fixed... now. but 7 news reporter addie hampton tells us the effort to fix them in columbia is full of road blocks. dark mornings...plus rain...combined with crumbling roads .... it's an equation with a disasterous outcome... "i hit the pot hole about a half mile back." wednesday morning ...ryan camp joined a growing unhappy club of drivers with shredded tires...thanks to a deep pot hole near exit 57 south bound on 1-85. "this is the second tire i've actually had blow out on that pothole in the last few weeks." big rig driver richard kindreck says ...this time ...it was too big to miss... "we've been hittin' that same hole. just seems to get bigger then they patch at it, then it's just rigb i and wittcwe hav yover in thar ns n' somethi tinevitable. s .kindreck says...it took him out.... "just kinda shook up. i mean when a steer tire blows on a big truck it's um, it's not like your average tire blowing on your car."

in a short time... many sharing this feeling...from camp .... "something's got to be done about these roads. i mean i'm not a road expert but this is unacceptable. this is dangerous." as the sun came up...it shined light on the issue... a d-o-t crew was called out to patch it up... meanwhile...90 minutes south...at the statehouse in columbia ... beaufort senator tom davis continued his filibuster...int o day 4... effectively blocking any action on any road funding plans. meaning ryan camp ...richard kindreck and the rest of the shredded tire club....may be back here again .. before thee senate settles on a solution. that was addie hampton reporting.. the d-o-t was working all afternoon to patch the pot holes .. they say a mix of rain getting into the cracks.... plus trucks moving over them...just makes things worse. but they're not commenting on the stall at the state house .. remember... you can count on 7 news..for your latest weather and traffic updates.

dot com and download the app... it's free for iphone and android users. now... the latest on "campaign 20-16"... democratic candidate hillary clinton... is still working to build support... in south carolina. today... clinton was at a luncheon...hosted by the oldest african- american sorority. organizers say... they focused on issues that impact the community... and they're hoping for a strong voter turnout... for saturday's. senator bernie sanders... was also campaigning in columbia earlier today .. but now he has moved on to kansas city. donald trump is on a roll.. after adding nevada to his victories in new hampshire victories in to his victories in new hampshire and south carolina.. but now his other g-o-p candidates other g-o-p but now his other g-o-p candidates have to play catch up... if they want to stop the billionaire businessman. senators marco rubio and ted cruz..say they still have time to beat him. you need over 12- hundred delegates to seal the rereublican nomination. right now trump has 81 delegates...cruz and rubio... have 17 each. so all eyes are on next week's super tuesday.. where 595 delegates

delegates.. belong to texas... and cruz is confident he can win in his own state. but polls there show... trump is running a very close second behing him. the governor of texas endorsed cruz today. we talked to a local political expert today .. who says trump should be thanking south carolina for his continued success in nevada. 21:13-30 you had trump with a big win in new hampshire. now people were looking at whether he would sustain his momentum after that into sc and despite the endorsements of 3 out of the 4 major gop figures in sc 21:34 -38 trump still won and handily so now he's on a 2 game winning streak .. 21:50-22:03 and so it really seems sc gave him the momentum to sustain what he had after new hampshire and thus he's taken it to nevada and he'll take it beyond doctor jonathan sarnoff from "limestone college" says unless john kasich or ben

it may be difficult for anyone to unseat trump going forward. tonight...republican lawmakers are speaking out... against president obama's plan... to close the guantanamo bay prison. senator john mccain says... the proposal... "is not a plan." and senator lindsey graham says...president obama..."made a promise he cannot fulfill": ----- "so, here is what i want to do. i want to take this proposal and have a hearing about it, because it's gibberish, and own everybody who has a better idea to come forward." ----- senators graham and mccain say... the president's report lacked details... and didn't even name a new place... for the detainees to go. mccain says...anyone who doesn't believe the u-s will be capturing more terrorists... has a very different view...of the world. tonight... an upstate fire chief...is on administrative leave... and an investigation is underway... into his actions... at the scene of a fire. brianna smith talked with the fire district board... and the chief. it's a story you'll see... only on "7 news": ----- this sign outside the kelly kelton fire department is missing some of its letters. it's not the only

volunteer department that serves some of union county. "currently there is no alcohol use policy n the books for the department. no there is not." at a board meeting last night...the new members...handled regular business. *nat of them talking about bills* and then went into executive session ... to discuss what happened on this night earlier this month. *nat from fire video number 6* on the monday after the superbowl... departments from across union county arrived to fight this fire in lockhart...this video was given to 7 news by one of the volunteer firefighters there...engine 601...with fire chief brian farr behind the wheel...arrives to the scene .... but it's what he was doing houreetha t d an "wer rihanhu .ooyt erf f yo mtg po drisa l u eaasat 2:30" we on that call... other firefighters on scene called the sheriff's office...saying that the chief was acting intoxicated... the sheriff's office says they took him in for a breathilizer test...and it was inconclusive... farr claims that there may have been another reason his

was impaired. 'i did have a stroke three years ago, i'm on light duty, i can't fight a fire. i don't walk good, i wasn't supossed to walk, i wasn't supossed to live, but i did and i beat all odds, but i do stumble and i can fall easily." since there's no policy on record...the board is now investigating how they'll handle situations like this in future...and what the future holds for their chief. 'we're going to continue to investigate the incident, and we're going to continue to investigate it at our next board meeting, and looking to put new poi pe" that was brianna smith... reporting. the "kelly kelton fire board" says...they don't have an alcohol policy... on record. the fire chief is on adminstrative leave ... until the next board meeting... march -7th.- "hollywild animal park"... is hoping to partner up with a local business and organization... to raise money... for renovations and repairs... to the facility. details were unveiled... during a public forum today. park officials say... in the past...they tried to support the park's needs...with park

they're reaching out to the community...for extra help. officials plan to set up... a "go-fund me" page. "hollywild" is trying to raise thousand dollars ... by december. next on 7 news .... a local activist .. is going after nightclubs... after a string a violence. and now he's calling for better security.... or to shut them down. we'll tell you how he hopes to get his message across. and... cool, fresh rides... are in the upstate... for the "auto summit" this week. but it's not just about... the car's appearance. people are looking at... techonology. we'll show you...what makes the "auto

a local activist wants the state... to shut down nightclubs across south carolina ... unless officers... certified by the state law enforcment division... are allowed to work security. jack logan says ... he' seen criminal activity happen at -2- clubs... involving the bouncers hired... to work

has written a letter... to the state attorney general ... about the matter: ----- sot logan i will make every effort to ask mr.wilson to make that a requirement to shut down the club until they have certified sled officers in there. a spokesman for attorney general wilson says the office has not received the office has wilson says general wilson says the office has not received logan's letter and wouldn't comment. there's a new effort tonight... in south carolina... to better protect your personal information ... on-line. governor nikki haley says... when the "state department of revenue" got hacked in 20-12... it woke up everyone... to how vulnerable we are. the hacker got personal information ... off the tax returns... of more than 4-million people and businesses. this new program ... will try to keep the state... ahead...of hackers: ------ "what are the newest and latest ways that they're trying tk?wha a vulnerablesha ntowatching fo?wcan e uee private secoo ahk prec themsesnrw trangurnt

isexera?" ----- large and small businesses from across the state... will send their employees to columbia... to "i- t- ology"... for specialized training ... to better protect their computers... and your information. the program... will also be a research and development hub... for new cyber- security technology. "auto week"...doesn't stop at wheels and an engine... anymore. technology to keep you safe... has drivers and car-makers alike... buzzing. today... we got a look inside... the "south carolina automotive summit." the auto industry ... is a huge economic force... in the palmetto state. it supports tens of thousands of jobs ... and contributes billions of dollars...to the economy. the summit is also an opportunity...to talk about new technologies in the industry... om software... to wireless car connectivity: ------ "one of the things that's really changing in the industry istnot jut abocars." ----- governor haley will be speaking at the summit... tomorrow. she'll talk

next on "7 news" ... musical artists ... are coming legend. we'll tell you where you can see... a special tribute... to georgia native... ray charles.. in just a few minutes. first... here's a look at your prime-time lineup

(music playing) i feel pretty (west side story) not every cake can be handcrafted in store by skilled decorators layered with fresh berries and frosted to perfection like our publix bakery chantilly cake it'll be remembered for all the right reasons. pupuix. where shopping is a pleasure.

as if you were a man-male... this is one of the jobs where they have to pay you the same. but there are so many examples where that doesn't happen. i'm going to do everything i can to make sure every woman in every job gets paid the same... ...as the men who are doing that job. i'm hillary clinton and i approve this message. economy seats on planes... have become smaller over the years ... so that airlines can fit more passengers. but... it takes away space. now... designers in london... have a much different idea... they're making new seats... with comfort... in mind. designers... are literally

economy seating... so... as your body twists... so does the seat. the chair will be padded... and covered. designers say...the end result is a chair... that adjusts to your body... and is more comfortable for sitting... even sleeping... for long stretches of time. they hope the "twister seat"... will take off... within 2-years. "facebook" lovers ... soon you'll have more buttons... to express your feelings. the social media network.. is expanding its user's ability...to react to something ... on their news feeds. it used to only have a "thumbs up" button... if you wanted to "like" something. now... if you hover your mouse arrow ... over the "thumbs up" button... you can chose from like, love, ha-ha, wow, sad or angry. the new options are already available ... world-wide... whether you're at a desktop... or using mobile devices. as if chocolate ... wasn't awesome enough... already a new study finds ... it's good for your brain. the study in the journal "appetite"...found regular consuption of chocolate... helped memory... abstract reasoning... and better performance on tests. it's the flavonals... that help reap the benefits. dark chocolate...has the highest

mcdonald's is testing a few new breakfast items in southern california... the fast food chain is teaming up with greek yogurt maker chobani to offer parfaits and smoothies. the company is also testing two breakfast bowls, one made with egg whites, turkey sausage, spinach, and kale. the move is fueled by the success of its all day breakfast menu. students who do physical activites while learning math and spelling... score higher on tests compared to those that sit at desks. a new pediatric study got those results .. after looking at nerarly 500 second and third graders. they found the score increases in the active group were equal to four months of learning. the president and first lady... will honor music legend ray charles... tonight in washington. they're hosting a tribute... to the iconic singer, songwriter and musician... as part of the "in performance at the white house" series. a range of artists... are performing his music. the event is being streamed on-line ... at whitehouse- dot- gov- slash- live ... right now. if you want to see it on t-v... you catch it again...friday night at 9...on p-b-s... and cable

technology is taking on a human life form. coming up.. we'll show you a new robot ... and what all it can do. " " with a variety of fresh-made seafood meals starting at just $4.99, no one does seafood like d's! try our new home-style flounder meal or double dozen shrimp. or our grilled menu, featuring new tuscan tilapia. each with two sides and hush puppies.

with a variety of fresh-made seafood meals starting at just $4.99, no one does seafood like d's! try our new home-style flounder meal or double dozen shrimp. or our grilled menu, featuring new tuscan tilapia. each with two sides and hush puppies. for full meals starting at $4.99,

no arnold is not back. and no, this is not an outtake from 'ex machina.' but it is... a human-like robot. standing 5-foot-9 tall... and walking on two legs.... boston dynamics showed off its latest "atlas" prototype. they say sensors help it to walk through the snowy woods, open doors, pick up boxes and get back up on its own...if it's knocked down. thanks for joining us. i'll see you at 10 on the carolinas c-w... and we'll be back here at 11. until then... you can get the latest updates by logging-on ... to wspa dot-com. stay with us