RAIN HAS CREATED A RAGING REEDY
RIVER IN DOWNTOWN GREENVILLE...
THE VIEW HERE.. FROM LIBERTY
BRIDGE IN FALLS PARK THIS
MORNING.
AND THINGS ARE A BIT FOGGY ON
THIS CHRISTMAS EVE...
METEOROLOGIST CHRIS JUSTUS JOINS
US WITH THE
LATEST.. CHRIS?
It is extremely foggy outside in
fact a fog advisory has been
issued for the entire upstate
until 8pm with visibility down
to zero in some areas if you are
traveling make sure you take it
easy and go slow
The satellite radar shows the
heaviest of the rain has pushed
East we will still see more
showers through the evening
check out the radar you can seethem sttered around tn It is
chilly acrosthe area
temperatures are in the 40s and
lower 50s this evening expect
temperatures default quickly to
the 40s with those showers
coming to an end if you have
plans outdoors look for
scattered rain showers with
flurries developing in the
mountains Much better weather
moves in for Christmas day with
sunshine we are tracking Santa
I'll have your forecast coming
up
EVEN WITH THE FOG ... IT WAS A
SMOOTH START TO THIS CHRISTMAS
EVE FOR MOST TRAVELERS FLYING
OUT OF THE UPSTATE TODAY.
TRIPLE A ESTIMATES ABOUT
5-POINT-7 MILLION AMERICANS WILL
FLY OVER CHRISTMAS. WYFF
NEWS FOUR'S MYRA RUIZ REPORTS
FROM G-S-P.
OUT OF THE ESTIMATED 5-POINT-7
MILLION PEOPLE FLYING IN THE
U-S OVER THE CHRISTMAS
HOLIDAY...SURVEYS SUGGEST MOST
OF THEM WILL STAY WITH FAMILY.
"We are very excited to go to
Portland Maine to visit his
family for Christmas for his
first trip on a plane."
"And he's very excited. Second
time he will meet his
grandparents in Maine."
'TIS THE SEASON FOR FAMILY
REUNIONS.. INCLUDING WYFF
FAMILY...AT THE AIRPORT. MARK
DOPHER AND HIS WIFE
SOPHIA...FLEW OUT TO FLORIDA...
AND REMEMBER THIS GUY?
"Heading up to upstate New York
to go visit the nephews. They're
like 2 and 5. Never seen 'em
for Christmas because,
obviously, working in the news
you always work crazy hours and
the holidays and everything."
THE ONLY CRAZINESS THIS
YEAR..WAS FINDING A PLACE TO
PARK AT GSP. "The roads were
easy. It's just amazing how full
the parking lots are..."
TRIPLE-A SAYS AIR TRAVEL IS
SLIGHTLY UP THIS YEAR... AN
AIRPORT SPOKESPERSON SAYS...GSP
NUMBERS WILL LIKELY SHOW THE
SAME. 'TIS THE SEASON...WHEN
MANY BECOME KIDS AGAIN... OR, IN
WILLIAM CLEVELAND'S CASE...A
BACHELOR. HE DROPPED OFF HIS
WIFE...WHO'S HEADING FOR MAINE.
"And so, she'll be gone for
about a week. She'll be back on
the 30th and I have to come
back and pick her up. If I
don't, I'll be in trouble ."
MYRA RUIZ, WYFF, NEWS FOUR.
AT LEAST ONE DEPARTURE WAS
CANCELLED OUT OF G-S- P...DUE TO
BAD WEATHER ELSEWHERE...THAT
KEPT THE PLANE FROM REACHING THE
UPSTATE.
A MYSTERY ... THIS CHRSTIMAS
EVE. AN UPSTATE MAN AND WOMAN
ARE IN CRITICAL CONDITION
TONIGHT...AFTER BEING SHOT AND
LEFT ON THE SIDE OF INTERSTATE
85. WYFF NEWS 4'S MANDY GAITHER
... WITH OUT REPORT TONIGHT FROM
ANDERSON COUNTY.
NEAR MILE MARKER 16 ON
INTERSTATE 85... A DRIVER
PASSING BY CALLED 911... AFTER
SPOTTING 44-YEAR-OLD JAMES JERRY
DOBSON...AND 43-YEAR-OLD MARY
MARIE FOWLER LYING ON
THE SHOULDER. ONE SHOT IN THE
HEAD...THE OTHER IN THE NECK...
<
we have investigators out
working and we've contacted the
family of these individuals and
we're working back to see who
they might have been with last
night ANDERSON COUNTY SHERIFF
JOHN SKIPPER SAYS DOBSON
MADE A STATEMENT AT THE SCENE,
BUT INVESTIGATORS ARE UNSURE OF
EXACTLY WHAT WAS SAID BECAUSE HE
WAS INCOHERENT... AT THIS
POINT INVESTIGATORS DON'T KNOW
WHAT LED UP TO THE SHOOTING OR
WHY THE TWO VICTIMS WERE LEFT ON
THE INTERSTATE.
<
there was no car at the scene so
we're obviously looking to see
if they were there and brought
in someone else's car and trying
to run down all the cars they
have access to in their family
we're in the process of doing
that now WHILE THERE ARE NO
SUSPECTS AT THIS TIME...THE
INVESTIGATION CONTINUES...
INVESTIGATORS SAY BOTH VICTIMS
ARE IN CRITICAL CONDITION. MANDY
GAITHER WYFF NEWS 4 IN ANDERSON
COUNTY.
DEPUTIES ARE ALSO CHECKING
CAMERAS ALONG THE INTERSTATE TO
SEE IF THEY CAN CATCH ANY CLUES
THAT WAY.
THE FAMILY OF COREY SIMMONDS...
WHO WAS KILLED IN A DUI WRECK
IN ANDERSON COUNTY... IS TRYING
TO FACE THIS FIRST CHRISTMAS
WITHOUT HIM.
ITS ALL STILL.... SO HARD FOR
DEBRA SIMMONDS. HER SON...
22 YEAR OLD COREY... WAS KILLED
IN EARLY NOVEMBER.... WHEN THE
CAR HE WAS DRIVING WAS ALLEGEDLY
HIT HEAD ON BY 24-YEAR-OLD RILEY
MCDERMOTT. MCDERMOTT IS
CHARGED WITH SIX COUNTS OF DUI.
THREE INVOLVING DEATH. COREY'S
GIRLFRIEND.... 20 YEAR OLD
JESSICA ROBERTS AND 17 YEAR OLD
AMBER PERKINS WERE ALSO KILLED.
FOR CORY'S MOM... THIS IS HER
FIRST CHRISTMAS WITHOUT HIM...
AND SHE ADMITS... SHE IS HAVING
A HARD TIME FINDING ANY JOY....
THIS CHRISTMAS.
<
for his life to end in that
way... it was unfair is not even
the word. its like he had so
much life so many dreams so many
plan... you can still see him
walking into the door, you can
still hear his laughter in the
house
DEBRA... SAYS SHE IS FINDING
JOY, IN HEARING MORE AND MORE
GOOD NEWS ABOUT 12-YEAR-OLD
CHEYENNE QUEEN. SHE SURVIVED THE
WRECK AND CONTINUES TO IMPROVE
IN THE HOSPITAL.
A JUDGE IN COLUMBIA SAYS ABOUT
30 UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA
STUDENTS WHO ARE MEMBERS OF THE
KAPPA SIGMA FRATERNITY WILL HAVE
TO FIND SOMEWHERE ELSTO VE.
AND THEY'LL HAVE TO DO THAT ...
BEFORE THE NEW SEMESTER BEGINS
ON JANUARY 12TH.
THE JUDGE REFUSED TO ALLOW THE
MEMBERS TO LIVE IN THE
FRATERNITY HOUSE... SINCE THE
CHAPTER LOST ITS CHARTER.
KAPPA SIGMA'S NATIONAL OFFICE
WITHDREW THE CHARTER FOR FIVE
YEARS AFTER AN INVESTIGATION
FOUND HAZING AND ALCOHOL AND
DRUG VIOLATIONS. THE U-S-C
CHAPTER WILL APPEAL THAT IN
FEBRUARY.
IF YOU STILL HAVE CHRISTMAS
SHOPPING LEFT TO DO, TIME IS
RUNNING OUT. TODAY, WE FOUND
LAST MINUTE SHOPPERS AT SPOTS
ALL OVER TOWN. WYFF'S ASHLEY
SWANN SPOKE WITH PEOPLE WHO
BRAVED THE CROWDS AND COLD...
WET WEATHER TO FIND THAT PERFECT
GIFT JUST IN THE NICK OF TIME.
ALONG MAIN STREET IN DOWNTOWN
GREENVILLE.
12:36:55 <"just going to get a
cup of coffee." WE FOUND A
STEADY STREAM OF PEOPLE BRAVING
THE COLD DRIZZLE WEDNESDAY.
12:37:18 <"It seems a lot
busier than I thought it would
be." TO ENJOY A CUP OF JOE.OR
GRAB A LAST MINUTE GIFT. MANY
WITH THE EXTRA SPRING IN THEIR
STEP.THAT OFTEN COMES ON THIS
DAY BEFORE CHRISTMAS.
12:38:16 <"I wanted to feel
more like Christmas, get a cup
of coffee, kind of chilly.so it
kind of feels more like
Christmas spirit. That's why I
wanted to come out."12:38:25
NATS. AND COME THEY DID TO
HAYWOOD MALL.
13:15:05 <"shopping last
minute." 13:15:08 FOR A
FINAL CHANCE TO GRAB A GIFT.OR
SEE THE BIG GUY BEFORE CHRISTMAS
DAY.
Hannah Grace Johnson / Shopper
13:13:03 <"we're happy to be
here."13:13:05 13:13:08 "b/c
santa's here and we love
shopping." 13:13:11 WHILE
PARKING SPACES WERE
CHARACTERISTICALLY HARD TO COME
BY. THERE WAS PLENTY OF
CHRISTMAS SPIRIT TO GO AROUND.
13:15:27 <"it's surprisingly
easier than we thought.it's not
as tight and stressful.":32
13:15:51 "it feels
exciting.everybody seems happy."
:55 HAPPY, PERHAPS, BECAUSE
THEY KNOW THE LAST MINUTE RUSH
IS ALMOST OVER.
13:16:09 <"hanging out with
family tonight.christmas.get to
see
mimi tomorrow. We're ready,
totally ready.":18 IN
GREENVILLE, ASHLEY SWANN, WYFF
NEWS 4.
HAYWOOD MALL IS NOW CLOSED AND
WON'T REOPEN UNTIL FRIDAY.
BUT SOME RETAILERS - INCLUDING
TOYS R US - WILL STAY OPEN UNTIL
9 TONIGHT.
IT'LL BE A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS
FOR A LOT OF ANIMALS AT
GREENVILLE COUNTY ANIMAL CARE.
THE FACILITY WAS OPEN TODAY FROM
NOON TIL SEVEN FOR SOME LAST
MINUTE ADOPTIONS. EVEN WITH THE
NOISE AND HUBBUB-- WORKERS HERE
SAY AN ANIMAL CAN BE A GREAT
GIFT. PROVIDED FOLKS UNDERSTAND
THE COMMITMENT AND ARE MINDFUL
OF THE CHAOS CHRISTMAS CAN
BRING. SOT <40:25 a lot
of people will say "well don't
so many people return animals
after Christmas?" and that's
just simply not true. We don't
have a higher return rate after
the holidays. People are still
making wise decisions.
SOME FOLKS ALSO DONATED TO THE
FACILITY... SO ABOUT THIRTY OF
THE DOGS AND A COUPLE DOZEN CATS
HAD THEIR ADOPTION FEE WAIVED.
THE FACILITY SAYS-- IT MAKES IT
EASIER FOR PEOPLE ADOPTING TO
AFFORD FLEA AND HEARTWORM
MEDICATION AND ANYTHING ELSE THE
ANIMAL MIGHT NEED.
THERE'S NO ICE SKATING TODAY IN
SPARTANBURG AND GREENVILLE..
HOLLYWILD ANIMAL PARK'S HOLIDAY
LIGHTS SAFARI IS CLOSED, TOO.
ALL BECAUSE OF WEATHER.
THAT'S A BIG BLOW TO HOLLYWILD.
THE LIGHTS SAFARI.. DEER
FOREST.. AND SANTA'S
VILLAGE.. MAKE UP THE
NON-PROFIT'S BIGGEST FUNDRAISER
OF THE YEAR. OTHER RAINY DAYS
THIS YEAR ALSO CAUSED THE EVENT
TO SHUT DOWN. AND THE
FUNDRAISING REALLY SUFFERED LAST
YEAR.. BECAUSE OF TOO MANY RAIN
OUTS. SO IT REALLY HURTS TO TURN
AWAY VISITORS ON CHRISTMAS EVE.
<
46:34 "christmas Eve has been a
very nice night for us. It's a
time when people have had their
family gatherings, or before
they have them and they're
looking for that step out of the
hustle bustle type of experience
and they do that here."
THE LIGHTS SAFARI RUNS THROUGH
JANUARY THIRD. YOU CAN MAKE
DONATIONS ON HOLLYWILD'S
FACEBOOK PAGE AND WEBSITE.