Morning Answer Daily

(Fox News) Denny Hamlin emerged victorious at the Daytona 500 on Monday night, winning the iconic NASCAR race for a third time, but it was overshadowed by a string of frightening crashes -- including a fiery wreck that sent Ryan Newman to the hospital.

Newman flipped several times; his car ultimately crossed the finish line engulfed in flames. Fortunately, his injuries were not life-threatening, according to NASCAR Executive Vice President Steve O'Donnell, who read a statement from Roush Fenway Racing Monday night...

COLUMBUS (WCMH) — One person has died and a thousand others have been injured due to defective insulin pumps.

More than 300,000 insulin pumps have been recalled due to a potentially deadly malfunction.

Medical device company Medtronic is recalling its mini-med 600 series insulin pumps over incorrect dosing.

The affected devices include the 630-G model distributed between September 2016 and October 2019. This also includes the 670-G distributed between June 2017 and August 2019, according to Medtronic.

According to the FDA, the pumps may have a broken or missing retainer ring, an issue that can cause the over- or under-delivery of insulin...

GREENVILLE, S.C. (WSPA) – Greenlink Transit in Greenville partnered with United Ministries to hold a canned food drive on Valentine’s Day.

Greenlink Marketing and Public Affairs Manager Nicole McAden said they were approached by United Ministries to hold a canned food drive for employees, and they decided to open it up to riders and anyone who would be willing to donate.

McAden said it’s a great way for the community to unite and for riders, who may also be clients of United Ministries, to benefit.

Riders will receive a free ride on the bus with two canned goods. Paratransit riders will get a free ride with four donated non-perishable food item donations....

(WSPA) Cayce Department of Public Safety officials confirmed that the body of missing 6-year-old Faye Marie Swetlik was found Thursday.

Cayce Department of Public Safety’s Director Byron Snellgrove spoke to members of the media at around 2 p.m. Thursday. Public Safety officials address media earlier in the morning Thurday at around 10:45 a.m.

“It is with extremely heavy hearts that we’re announcing that we have found the body that the coroner has identified as Faye Marie Swetlik. We are now treating this case as a homicide,” Snellgrove said. “As this community has been working hard to find Faye and bring her home safely, we wanted you to know as soon as possible.”...

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WSPA) – We are still 18 days away from the SC Democratic Presidential Preference Primary, but the South Carolina Election Commission is already seeing a possible increase in voter turnout. SCEC reports a 50% increase in the number of absentee ballots issued from this time last year.

“Eyes around the world are in South Carolina,” said Chris Whitmire with SCEC.

In less than 3 weeks, SC voters will make their preference known for the Democratic presidential nominee.

“In a normal primary voters are deciding who will be the nominee in the preference primary it’s about assigning state party delegates,” Whitmire continued.

Former White House correspondent, Charles Bierbauer, piggybacked on the purpose of the preference primary...

SPARTANBURG, S.C. (WSPA) — Valentine’s Day is Friday and now is the time to make last-minute dinner reservations.

Before you settle on a restaurant, though, you should consider checking its last health inspection score from the Department of Health and Environmental Control.

DHEC’s health inspectors grade businesses based on guidelines set forth by the state, which are in turn based on the Food and Drug Administration’s Food Code...

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) – North Carolina health officials say four people who recently returned to Charlotte from China are being monitored for coronavirus symptoms.

The Mecklenburg County Health Department said four were being held in self-quarantine.

County Manager Dena Diorio told WRAL-TV that the four people – who have not been identified publicly – are considered “medium risk” for development of novel coronavirus, Diorio said the four were sent home for a voluntary, 14-day self-quarantine...

(Fox News) House Speaker Nancy Pelosi fired back at President Trump on Thursday morning as the two political titans clashed the morning after the president’s historic acquittal in his Senate impeachment trial.

"You’re impeached forever, you are never getting rid of that scar,” Pelosi declared at a press conference, even as Trump is effectively on a series of victory laps.

She pointedly lashed out at Trump over claims in his State of the Union address that he inherited failed economic policies from former President Barack Obama and reversed them to bring about a blue-collar boom...

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump won impeachment acquittal Wednesday in the U.S. Senate, bringing to a close only the third presidential trial in American history with votes that split the country, tested civic norms and fed the tumultuous 2020 race for the White House.

A majority of senators expressed unease with Trump’s pressure campaign on Ukraine that resulted in the two articles of impeachment. But the final tallies — 52-48 favoring acquittal of abuse of power, 53-47 of obstruction of Congress’ investigation — fell far short. Two-thirds “guilty” votes would have been needed to reach the Constitution’s bar of high crimes and misdemeanors to convict and remove Trump from office.

The outcome Wednesday followed months of remarkable impeachment proceedings, from Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s House to Mitch McConnell’s Senate, reflecting the nation’s unrelenting partisan divide three years into the Trump presidency...

SPARTANBURG, S.C. (WSPA) – Storm Team 7 has been tracking potential severe weather that could start moving into the area throughout the day Wednesday.

Carolinas’ Chief Meteorologist Christy Henderson said showers with isolated thunderstorms will start Wednesday.

Rain will increase area wide by Wednesday night and thunderstorms will continue increasing by early Thursday....

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Democratic Party said Monday night that results from the state’s first-in-the-nation caucus were delayed due to “quality checks” and new reporting rules, an embarrassing complication that added a new layer of doubt to an already uncertain presidential primary season.

The statement came as Iowa voters packed caucus sites across the state with at least four leading candidates battling to win the opening contest of the 2020 campaign, and ultimately, the opportunity to take on President Donald Trump this fall...

This year, Hyundai and Jeep scored with whimsical humor by poking fun at Boston accents and reuniting the “Groundhog Day” cast, Punxsutawney Phil included. Google struck heartstrings with a quiet message about aging and remembrance. Cheetos and Doritos both played off exaggerated dancing to good effect...

COLUMBIA, SC (WSPA)- We are into week 3 of the senate debate on education reform as senators pick apart the SC Career Opportunity and Access For All Act.” Early into the debate Senator Tom Davis from Beaufort introduced an amendment to include a Teacher Bill of Rights.

On Wednesday, state senators spent hours debating 2 amendments that seemed to answer the requests made by teachers.

“You had one that lays the groundwork that says ok the districts may give teachers some right then you had one that gave teachers some recourse,” explained Senator Shane Martin, who voted for both amendments...

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson is suing the City of Columbia over gun laws it has adopted.

Wilson filed the lawsuit Wednesday in the South Carolina Supreme Court, asking it to strike down the gun-related ordinances that he has called illegal in the past.

“We have consistently advised for almost three decades, since 1991, that state law preempts local regulation of firearms,” Wilson said in a news release. “These ordinances clearly violate the state law that prohibits local governments from passing any gun laws or ordinances that regulate the transfer, ownership, or possession of firearms.”...

ANDERSON COUNTY, S.C. (WSPA) – New details have been released in a deadly crash involving a special needs bus that happened in Dec. 2019. We previously reported the crash happened Dec. 17 on Belton Honea Path Hwy near Beeks Rd. A vehicle crossed the center line and struck an Anderson County Disability and ADA special needs bus head-on, the coroner said.

The driver of that vehicle, 53-year-old Sherri Depetrillo, was killed in the crash. One of the passengers on the bus, 34-year-old Kevin LeCroy, was also killed in the crash. The National Transportation and Safety Board released a preliminary report on Wednesday,...

COLUMBIA, SC (WSPA)- Here in South Carolina, lawmakers have spent the last two years trying to address issues with the education system.

A large education bill passed in the House last year touches on many areas that lawmakers hope will reform education, including several areas that have been filed in separate legislation.

Education is the biggest issues in the state right now and South Carolina senators are currently debating a massive education overhaul bill in the chambers. But other proposals are also on the table. One bill (S.556) gives parents a voucher to send their child to private school...

CALABASAS (CBSLA) — Here’s what is known so far about the tragic helicopter crash that claimed the lives of Kobe Bryant and eight other people.

Nine people were on board the Sikorsky S76 when something went wrong just before 10 a.m. Sunday.

The passengers were on their way to a basketball game when the chopper went down...

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kobe Bryant, the 18-time NBA All-Star who won five championships and became one of the greatest basketball players of his generation during a 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers, died in a helicopter crash Sunday. He was 41.

Bryant died in a helicopter crash near Calabasas, California, a source told The Associated Press.

A different person familiar with the case confirmed that Bryant’s 13-year-old daughter Gianna also was killed. Both spoke on condition of anonymity because details of the crash had not been released publicly...

(WSPA) – A school bus driver is on administrative leave after the school district says she pulled out a taser to stop a disruption on the bus.

According to Spartanburg School District 7, the driver held up a small pink combination taser and flashlight to “address what she perceived to be a disruptive bus route.”

The district released a statement saying “we are disappointed that this driver’s decision to bring an unauthorized deterrent (in this case a taser) into the presence of students and on school property has created such a disruption for all involved.”

The driver was placed on administrative leave and the district is in the process of investigating the incident.

(WYFF) — Hobart Lewis won the runoff race for the Republican candidate for Greenville County sheriff Tuesday.

Lewis beat out challenger A.T. Smith by taking home 72% of the vote to Smith's 28% of the vote.

A total of 37,633 people voted in the special election runoff.

Lewis had 27,217 votes, while Smith had 10,416 votes.