virginia is under a state of emergency after tornadoes and thunderstorms left at least four people dead. the hardest hit was waverly where the twister cut a 5-mile path of destruction through the town. two men and a toddler died when their mobile home was hit by the tornado. police say their bodies were found about 300 yards from the home. "as wind gusts continue to affect the area, citizens should be aware of loose limbs, downed power lines, other wind-related hazards. so use caution if you're traveling as debris and wires may still obstruct the roadway." in lancaster pennsylvania, high winds flattened homes and barns. deaths or injuries. the national weather service had confirmed at least 27 tornadoes from the gulf coast, texas, the carolinas and virginia as of thursday morning an inmate firefighter is in critical condition in southern california. she was part of a crew battling a brush fire near malibu. the fire burned about 20 acres, and forced the evacuation of nearby homes. it started around 3 o'clock this morning, near the pacific coast highway. the cause of the fire is still und

ben carson is stopping by piper's opera hosue in virginia city-- monday morning. then jeb bush and ted cruz will be in reno monday night. also on monday-- marco rubio is planning on making stops in elko, reno, and minden. donald trump will have an event at the nugget on tuesday... while cruz makes stops in fernley, minden, and carson city. you can find more information about the campaign stops, at kolo t-v dot com. ### every election year, voter i-d laws are brought up. some think the laws help to prevent election fraud. others think they disenfranchise minorities, and tip the scales in favor of republicans. south carolina is gearing up for the first vote in the south, -and it's the first state to impose a voter i-d law. kolo 8 news now zampa spoke with experts in the palmetto state. voter id laws have evolved since south carolina pioneered the requirement in 1950 - but the question has remained the same throughout the years: why are the laws really in place? 33 states have voter id laws - some are stricter than others. professor todd shaw: "it's a form of a poll

cam 3 - wx mic thieves took high end bottles from total wine and spirits on south virginia street, sunday morning. kolo 8 news now paul harris is following this active investigation. paul, police say these theives knew exactly what they wanted. noah... police say it was not your usual smash and grab case... as the for the expensive bottles of bordeaux and napa cabernet. officers also told me this is not the first time these suspects have targeted total wine and spirits. nats on monday total wine and spirits was back to normal business but that was not the case sunday morning. officer tim broadway, reno police department, "noticed glass from the door " police say these two suspects described as two black males, 6'1" to 6'2" with heavy builds. broke the lower part of the front door and headed directly to the high end section of the store where the expensive bottles are kept. they then loaded the bottles into this white door and headed directly to the high end section of the store where the expensive bottles are kept. they then loaded the bottles into this white ford f-150 pick up and made t

shortly after midnight, when officers responded to a report of a break-in at the store located on south virginia street. when officers arrived on scene, they found a smashed window. the suspects made off with a "large amount" of merchandise. police are looking for two black men seen driving a white, four- door pickup truck. anyone with any information is asked to call the reno police department or secret the body of one of the two fishermen who went missing in pyramid lake has been recovered. authorities say it was found just off of warrior point in water about 130 feet deep. today, searchers were expected to continue their search for the second man. both were visiting from the bay area. they disappeared during a fishing trip on january first. washoe county's second judicial district court is warning you about a phone scam targeting washoe county residents. scammers claim that the potential victim failed to appear for jury duty on a specific date and that a fine of up to two thousand five hundred dollars must be paid to avoid arrest. the scammer will sometimes say multiple letters were already s

heather baker from virginia is living the scenario that health officials fear. baker: "after i got home from my trip, i discovered as swollen lymph node on this side of my head." baker worked as a missionary in guatamala and now has the zika virus. and even for those staying at home, there is health emergency because of 12 cases in five counties there. gov. rick scott: "we are requesting that cdc provide us with 1,000 zika test kits so we can test pregnant and new mothers who have travelled to affected areas and have symptoms of zika." in brazil, the fight against zika is uniting the nation. a brazilian health workers union has even called off a strike... staying on the job to help in the battle aginst the fast spreading virus. brazil's president in a speech to the nation said zika has gone from a "distant nightmare" to a "real threat." the government, scrambling to start developing a vaccine... but until one is ready, she says, mosquito control is their best course of action. but with tourists flocking to brazil for carnival and the olympics, health officials a

on october 31st a bicyclist was injured in a hit and run accident at virginia street and beacon. while reno police located the vehicle, which was reported stolen 15 minutes after the accident, they are still looking for the driver. that person too will be charged under the new law with felony hit and run. we don't know if the law will change the attitudes of drivers-- knowing a felony charge is in the making if they cause death or injury and leave the scene--but that may ultimately not be the point. instead law enforcement hopes drivers just do the right and responsible thing. tim broadway: it is not worth your livlihood and your freedom if you leave the scene of an accident. own up. it gives closure to families when we can identify all the people involved in the accident, and get their side of the story as well.. broadway says the new law's motto: "don't run call nine-11. in reno terri russell kolo 8 crashes. call secret witness. ### police may be clamping down even harder on buzzed drivers. and, it could have a very real impact on the next time you go out for drinks. we're brea

a second virginia tech student, is facing new charges. the announcement comes as the mother of the victim speaks for the first time. megan hughes reports. the mother of 13-year- old nicole lovell- nicknamed coley- speaking publicly for the first time since her daughters body was found saturday dumped along this north carolina road. tammy weeks, victim's mother: nicole was a very lovable person. nicole touched many people throughout her very short life. and now we're learning more about how lovell's life came to an end: mary pettitt, montgomery co. commonwealth attorney: a very preliminary determination of cause of death is stabbing. 19-year-old virginia tech student natalie keepers had previously been charged with improper disposal of a dead body. she's now facing a new premeditated murder. the commonwealth's attorney says the murder occurred last wednesday-the same day nicole's parent believe she climbed out of her bedroom window. weeks said her daughter had a liver transplant before the age of one, battled non-hodgkins lymphoma at four

and a murder mystery in virginia is finally solved.... presidential candidates announcer: here's to the things that can keep us safe. and, now, those that we carry with us everywhere will bring us wireless emergency alerts, with a unique sound and vibration, fire can travel over a mile. you can't control where it will land. only what happens before it does. visit fireadapted.org to learn how to protect your community from wildfires. are working down to the wire with just one day left until the iowa caucus. abc's brandi hitt is in nats - "...rally..." the day before the iowa showdown... it's an all- out push to win undecided voters. sot - sen. marco rubio / presidential candidate "hillary clinton is not qualified to be president." the final poll before the caucuses... shows donald trump leading the g-o-p race - five points ahead of ted cruz. sot - donald trump / presidential candidate "we're leading in the polls... but there's a theory we could do even better." - trump even getting candid with abc's george stephanopolous... about his lead.