as you start election day. 66 in sarasota, 61 in clearwater and these temperatures are anywhere from about the same as yesterday up to 5 degrees cooler. so you'll notice that difference. afternoon high today of 82, that's slightly above the average of 80, now, at 6:08 i'll let you know how many days in a row we've seen dry conditions and when the rain is expected. >>> i'm getting updates left and right. on the howard frankland bridge we're 11-minute commute. i'm going to go ahead and show you you a live look so you can see what i'm talking about on the howard frankland. they've pretty much got everything pushed over to the far right shoulder. now, just barely in the right lane. it's kind of blocking there. and everybody's checking out what's going on. southbound by the hump, i'll keep you posted. >>> and it's your vote today the campaign something over and this morning and close at 7 tonight. of course all eyes are on the presidential race both donald trump and hillary clinton finished their final rallies last night. tonight both will hold what they hope will be victory parties in ne

sarasota. you will feel the difference there, especially the farther north you live. doris is at 66 degrees house. with all the standing water well need to dry out. the rain chance today, 20%, especially for areas to the south where it's humid. tomorrow morning, look at this dry air. still around, mostly sunny and pleasant, and tomorrow, just a 20% rain chance, and the dry air will begin to retreat, and then back to reality with the increasing humidity into the weekend. leslee, how about traffic on the 8s? >> traffic is definitely getting busier out there. i think people are excited to get back to work. and it's usually not this crowded, even though you get by just fine. again, heavier manor -- heavier than normal. this remains closed at betts road, but good news, you don't have to go up to state road 64. just take betts road around to get around this closure here and it's due to a possible fatal there on state road betts. now back to gene and gayle. >>> it's 6:20, and a day care garden that forced police to shut down the facility. >> that's what we are calling it? a garden? >>> the

yesterday in the heat but we were close. sarasota, you hit 97. thankfully not the record which is99 for yesterday. tampa hit 94, the old record 97. now the sun is coming up on wednesday. the beautiful sunrise at the hyundai of new port richey where it's 79 degrees. and now getting into the routine in class, 79 degrees 89degrees by your lunchtime. and 92 when the final bell rings and the rain chances start ramping up. through 3:00 p.m., the rain chance is 20%. but up to 40% rain chance around 4:00 p.m. and storms push closer to the coast. at6:38 in weather and traffic on the 8s, i am tracking tropical depression six for you. >>> and we have problems popping up. we were good for a while and now we have issues. we've got an accident here. you can see that truck off to lanes are blocked. -- shoulder, no lanes are blocked. on the right shoulder, people are slowing down. and these are just people lookie looing. and that's why we have slow-and- go traffic there. and see that orange right there? that's the back-up. westbound slow-and-go, you start to hit the brakes and this is backed up to mcin

refreshing 57 in plant city. 60 in fish hawk. 61 in sarasota. 50 in zephyrhills. that's cool. look at this, 24 hour temperature change. you are actually at 6:30 yesterday. five degrees warmer in plant city. and just a pleasant day. sunny, 81. at 6:38, i have an eight-day temperature trend. and we will let you know how long it stays this comfortable. and leslee lacey has the roadways. >>> getting busier. we have some issues in pinellas county. that's what i'm going to talk about. st. pete, this accident is tying up lane, haynes road at 6th avenue. be aware of that. and hopping over here, another one with injuries involved, 54 58th street. and now let's head over to one of my favorite places in the bay area, safety harbor, 4th street at 5th avenue north, that's a collision with injuries involved. and over here in pasco county, we have one state road 54 at smith road. and that's off to the shoulder. that's weather and traffic on the 8s. back to melanie and gayle. >>> it is what everyone is talking about this morning, in your vote, republican presidential nominee donald trump continues hi

at 67, 64 in clearwater, 65 in fish hawk. sarasota you're starting your day at 67. and i checked in with my weather watcher patty in new port richey. she says it's 64 degrees. let's talk about the long-range forecast. today verymi from the east and lots of sunshine. do i add in a small rain chance for both wednesday and thursday, still breezy with these winds coming out of the east. it's not until friday when we get this long-range change. 20% rain chance when the front comes through, but it will bring some cooler air. temperatures go back below average, so 86 today, 85 tomorrow and 84 thursday. highs in the 70s this weekend and we fall back. so you turn those clocks back saturday night. sleep. >>reporter: looking forward to that. i could use that right now, actually. let's take a look at traffic right here. as you're waking up, folks, look at this, southbound 275 really starting to come busy coming away from bearss and this is right through hillsborough. also want to show you i-4 coming away from ybor city starting to hit those brakes. checking out travel times, we're up to a a hal

the gulf of mexico. but not very many. western portions of manatee and sarasota county, some showers. 20% rain chances this morning. and again, this is a tropical air mass so we will get thunderstorms to develop, 30% rain chance at lunchtime. 50% rain chance by the afternoon. and the storms will push inland. in weather and traffic on the 8s, i have an hour-by-hour look at your wednesday and leslee lacey has the commute this morning because there's been some areas people really need to know about. pasco county. construction lingering in sarasota. let's go ahead and take a look. let's start with a nice live look at downtown tampa, still snowing at great speeds and construction tying up westbound lanes university parkway underneath 75. now we also have a collision seidel road at state road 72 in sarasota county. and now moving over and looking here, remember eastbound ridge road still blocked just past airway boulevard due a fatal crash. antr college to get around that. back to gene and gayle. >>> breaking news now in brandon where detectives are investigating a death in a quiet

so we stay warmer. right now 70 in tampa, 70 fish hawk, 66 in lakeland, 72 in sarasota and in st. petersburg. that is warmer than yesterday. only by a degree in tampa and st. petersburg. brandon, you're 4 degrees warmer than 6:00 a.m. yesterday du that's even above the average of 82 despite the extra clouds. at 6:08 i take you hour by hour through your friday and then plan out your weekend for you. >>> leslee is going to help you plan out your commute. >> looking forward to the weekend. >> yeah. >> things are business ness -- busier but good. when i show you surface roads and they are yellow it's a good drive but that's a lot of surface traffic lights that you have to go area. st. petersburg,a great dive on 275. in tampa, bearss avenue down to i-4 just a 10 minute drive. we have a collision over in manatee county. just a head's up. it's off to the side of the roadway, u.s. 19 at ken hubbard lane. a little accelerate -- activity but no lanes blocked. now back to gene and gayle. >> thank you, leslee. >>> right now questions re main after a fire tor destroying the building and killi

overall on 75 in sarasota. but a collision past state road 72. no delays. that's a look at weather and traffic. and now back to gene and gayle. >> thank you. >>> we have breaking news this morning. sarasota deputies are on the scene of a deadly shooting right now. this say live picture from that scene. it's outside a home in the 1800 deputies tell us a man there is dead and they have a shooter in custody this morning. we are working to get more information about exactly what happened there. as soon as we learn more, we will bring that to you on-air and on wfla.com. >>> crime stoppers is offering a reward for any information that will lead to the arrest of a road rage shooter. detectives say the person shot at a couple headed to a local walmart. the shooting took place. jamel-- >> reporter: good morning, gayle. well the road rage incident started near land o'lakes boulevard and moved over here into this parking lot here at the walmart. this is where detectives stay suspect armed himself with a shotgun and pulled the trigger. detectives say the victim jake everett was driving east on sta

crystal river but not moving closer to shore. 80 degrees tampa and st. petersburg, 77 in sarasota right now. as downpours develop it's going to keep temperatures down to 88 degrees. at 6:38 an 8-day temperatures trend for you. >>> meredith has the report on the roads. >> florida highway patrol just on 275 near state road 60. i don't see anything. another update in a couple of minutes. >> thank you. >>> another road rage understand didn't db understand -- incident leaves a man in the hospital and another in jail. a motorcyclist was shot with another driver. ryan hughes is live this morning. the shooter took off but wu caught. >> reporter: good morning. ezekiel henson left the scene on nebraska avenue and found a short distance later. this is where this is this morning, at the jail. he was booked here just a few hours ago. this is what he looked like at the time. we have video of the scene of the crime. with a crash on nebraska and 109th. carlo road -- rodriguez and the suspect got in an argument. as rodriguez was walking back to hi to his car he was shot in the back. back in may robert v

morning in sarasota as trump fights for florida votes. . review of those newly discovered emails and says she will not face charges. hear how trump fired back in response. . >> and final preparations for election day are underway, 8 on your side making sure officials are taking steps to safeguard your ballot. >>> good morning p.m. and welcome to news channel 8 today.. >> it is straight up 6:00. if you're just waking up it's 64 degrees, pinellas park 67, 64 in riverview. so let's go through the day with the metro cast and the first thing you'll notice is how bright it's going to be at 8 p.m. >> 67 degrees as you head off to work this morning. lunchtime a few passing clouds, there will be a breeze, 80 degrees at lunchtime and during the afternoon, again partly cloudy, may be a few passing clouds that's abo the afternoon. so at 6:08 i'll have an hour by hour look at today and of course election day. >>> all right. well, we've got a pretty good drive. we've had a couple of issues out there. an earlier accident in the venice area is cleared up. let's take a live look by state road 33, a g

palm harbor a wonderful commute there. a look at manatee and sarasota county. state road 64 to fruitville road up to speed. i-75 looks great throughout the suncoast area. heading over into tampa, great drive through that's a look at weather and traffic. now back to melanie and gene. >>> happening today, a local high school baseball star turned major league pitcher is being remembered. jose fernandez was killed over the weekend in a boating accident in miami. he was just 24 years old and a rising star for the miami marlins and got his start right here in tampa bay. news channel 8 ryan hughe he led the school to two championships. >> reporter: good morning. jose fernandez help ed ed lead the alonzo baseball team to championships during his sophomore and senior years. those who knew fernandez during his time here can't believe he's gone so soon. >> we had this thing on the field. he glowed. everyone looked at him because he was so aggressive and so -- he put all his heart into the game. you know, i think that really says a others were killed in a boating accident in miami early su

. and fruitville road, crash out here, in sarasota, that's off to the shoulder. but of course, the biggest issue that we have been fo is southbound 75. and now a back up because we are getting closer to rush hour past 6:00. and a live look, here's what's going on, southbound 75 is completely blocked just past fowler avenue due to a fatal accident involving a pedestrian. all the traffic is diverted off on to fowler avenue. save yourself a headache and take 301 or coming from pasco on 75, just switch over to 275. it looks very good right now with no delays southbound and that's a look at weather and traffic on the 8s. back to gene and gayle. >> okay, leslee lacey. n >>> new drama in the ryan lochte theft case. >> what the olympian's father proves that lochte is innocent. f0 >>> and the sharks of brooksville getting pumped up for friday night football. the friday blitz is next. you're watching news channel 8 >>> officials may think that ryan lochte made up the story about being robbed in rio but his father believes his son is innocent. he has won a dozen olympic medal, six of them gol

zephyrhills. and 43 in crystal river. but clearwater, nice at 53. tampa at 58. plant city at 55. sarasota at 56. by the afternoon, we will actually be a couple degrees above average. average is 74. i am expecting 77. should be very nice for the overnight. so the average for the month of march, right around 76 degrees for a high temperature with about 3 inches of rainfall. but the storm prediction, excuse me, the climate prediction center says this march we expect about average throughout the month. so at 6:08, i will have an hour- of march. but leslee is here to get you >> that's right. >>> and it's a tough one going 75, we have a fatal accident. here's the situation, we're slowly seeing traffic slow down and the numbers creep up here. and we are now in the yellow, southbound 75 to, 301 to big bend road, now it's about 11 minutes and normally it's six minutes. let's zoom in here. you can see right where it's original, it's turning red here, south 75 past gibsonton drive. gibsonton southbound. all traffic. and here's a look. you can see they are exiting right at gibsonton drive. the key is ta

place, sarasota and pinellas county provide free bus rides. for a guide, head to wfla.com. >>> new hope for a vaccine to fight the growing threat of zika virus scientists believe it may take years to produce a vaccine capable of combating zika virus but while researchers race to create a vaccine against the mosquito-borne illness, there's new hope using existing drugs. researchers at florida state are among those experimenting with drugs to see if they could help cure zika virus patients. still, it could take weeks or months to know if they are making a difference. 6:08 on this tuesday morning. a lot to talk about weather- wise. >> yeah, what's happening right now as you get the kids off to school. and at least it's dry now. but you can see on the east coast, there's rain. and there's rain to the south. and even a few showers off the shoreline. i don't think it's going to stay dry for long. i left in a 10% rain chance this morning. already 30% at lunchtime around 87 degrees. and 50% rain chance early in the afternoon. and 90 at 3:00 p.m. and a 60% chance out, the worst weather will

times. great drive in bradenton . state road 64 looks great. i 75 in sarasota is up to speed as well. >>> a site many cubs fans have waited a live time to see, the cubs led by formers transformer raise manager joe maddon are world series champions, the first time since 1908. can you believe the players, fans, and much of chicago celebrating all night long. >> here's a live picture outside of wrigley field in people hanging out at the moment . i want you to focus on the top left of your screen. read that, wrigley field home on the chicago cubs world series champions. i guarantee you those words have never appear there before. >> what an incredible game it was going extra innings against the indians, rain delay added to the suspense. >> top of the 5th the cubs go up 5? everything was going well at the time but the indians fight back. davis hits a home run tying the game up but after 17 minute rain delay off come the tarps and back came the cubs at the top of the 10th. rizzo hit the game-winning hit. comes go to win it 8 - 7 and the curse of the billy goat is finally over. traditio

this point. other parts of pinellas not too bad. and then farther south into manatee and sarasota county, and we have batches of rain there. not as widespread. the problem is, we've already two days, especially near the coast. and now i'm expecting to see more rain. look at the rainfall potential today. this is just one computer model but i think it's giving you a good trend as to what i believe is going to happen. you see the red shaded area, some spots between now and 9:00 p.m. could see 3 more inches of rainfall. and now the blue color, that's about an inch of rain. most will see about an inch. and there will be some spots that see higher totals than that. especially for areas along and north of i-4. notice it drier the farther south and east that you go. right now, winds have been quite strong. not as strong as i have seen them. earlier we were seeing wind gusts up to 50 miles per hour. and these are the blue numbers here. we're seeing wind gusts now at 30 miles per hour. the problem with that is that the ground is soggy. three days worth of rain and so sometimes big trees whe

above average. palm harbor starting your day a. 67 in sarasota. so let's go through your fridaye sun will just be coming up about 8 a.m. because again, time change will mean next week it's going t today 6 degrees at 8 a.m. a mix of sun and clouds lots of sunshine at lunchtime, 78 degrees. you don't see rain, a 10% rain chance, 5 p.m. heading home from work at 82 degrees. i'll go more specific hour by hour and of course give you the weekend forecast. in the meantime let's help you get out the door. delays there on 75. in pasco county though over to the surface roads we do have a collision it's in a residential area but tying up some lanes on antonio way. that's a look at weather and traffic. >>> happening today a 71-year old man accused of hitting and killing a mother and injuring a sheriffs deputy in lake wales will be in court in several hours. charles lewis is in jail right now and will go before a judge this afternoon. news channel 8 ryan hughes is live at the polk county sheriffs office this morning. >> reporter: good morning. a tip simple as that. we're tod somebody called crime

confirming just how clear everything is from inverness over to sarasota. i hope you're enjoying the weather. you wait on it all summer long. it's nice and cool in the morning and warm in the afternoon, and tampa. 64 right now, and you're one of the er slightly warmer than this time yesterday, and plant city is about 2 degrees warmer than yesterday. tampa 3 degrees warmer, and brandon is 4 degrees warmer, and it's warmer in clear water and st. pete. that's a degree above the average of 82, and it's 6:08. i will take you hour-by-hour to know what to expect at any point today. >>> this is a wonderful commute. i tell you what, a nice drive. we hope it will continue. bridge. wonderful move across it, and the courtney campbell up to speed. the new port richey, a lot of lights to go through, and u.s. 19 through palm harbor, we are up to speed as well. now back to gayle and melanie. >>> we begin this morning on the campaign trail. it's hard to believe the next president of the united states will be decided 2 weeks from today, and the final push clinton feels so confident, the democrats are now shif

, 83 clear water beach, 77 riverview and 79 in sarasota. with this humidity though we're going to translate that into some afternoon the storms will push east of i-75 when it's not raining on you a high of 90. so at 6:38 i'll have a look at the tropics and where today's rainfall could fall. >>> a look at traffic now to see what is going on out there. >> big trouble in pasco county. got an update for you. let's take a look at the maps. i've nn mention ing -- i've been mentioning this. just keep this many in mind, north 19 a motorcyclist. fhp is now calling this a fatal crash. so expect extended delays here northbound on u.s. 19, again, at state road 52. what i want you to do is hop over and take little road at this point. looks like southbound you also cannot turn onto state road 52. allow for extra time. that's a look at weather and traffic. back to paul and gayle. >> 6:32. breaking news right now. >>> scary moments over night along the veteran's expressway where witnesses reported gunfire the sheriff's office told us this morning they are investigating. now we have learned that e

water. currently 74 in sarasota, and i checked watcher dora this morning, and she's at 73. this is dry and warm for most of the day. showers don't start until after 4:00 p.m. for the inland areas, and then pushing to the coast, the evening storms may be strong and more widespread, and take the umbrella with you to dinner. slightly dryer dinner above us, and the rain chance is 30% for saturday and sunday. meredyth censullo with traffic >>> this is eastern polk, westbound i-4 near the davenport area. florida highway patrol not on scene yet. no word on the roadblocks. right now, not showing any delays. if that changes, we will certainly keep you posted. a live view of downtown tampa, southbound 275, getting busier for the west shore area, and no delays yet. gayle? gene? >> thank you. >>> a new twist to the twinkies you buy at the store. >> what they are doing to give it the state fair twist. >>> and starbucks will soon off a dairy-free option. when the coffee giant plans to add this to the menu. it's now, 6:20, and yes, it's friday. >>> your consumer watch this morning, customers have

paratoe and tampa. and so all morning long -- in sarasota and tampa, and all morning long it will be sunny and dry. this is our best chance of rain, 30% chance, and at 7:00 high school football gamings 0- the buccaneers' game, the rain chances is coming to an end. tomorrow i will watch the tropical wave headed through the bahamas. for us a typical summer day, and it's not until sunday when enough of the tropical moisture will spread northward that even if the system does not develop, i think will increase the rain chances, and that is at 60 bucs's game, and a very special person will be on the field tonight. i will tell you about that coming up. greet drive here on the howard frankland bridge, and only 6 minutes to cross it we have had a really, really nice morning this friday morning, and just 10 minutes, that's a look at weather and traffic on the 8s. my ears are ringing a little bit, and back to >> that was loud. leslee, thanks. >>> how a skunk got out of a stinky situation, and who helped him out of it. >>> the picture going viral this morning, the heart warming story behind this

. >>> playing pokemon go in the wrong place landed a sarasota man in handcuff the. but deputies smelled marijuana coming from his car. when they searched it, deputies found pot and other drugs. >>> happening today, neighbors in st. petersburg in clear water will join police officers for national night out against crime, and in clear water, the event will be held at the clear water mall at the intersection of u.s. 19 and sr60. in st. petersburg it will be the target on martin luther king jr. north. let's check on weather and traffic on the 8s. >>> this morning, patchy clouds around the area. feeling relatively comfortable. not too bad, and it's still a little on the steamy side. hour-by-hour through the rest of the day. 82 at 11:00, 86 at 2:00, and a little gradual increase in temperatures, and gradual increase in rain chances after about 11:00 this morning, going scattered downpours this afternoon, and really the next couple of days, and then, after that, thursday and friday, it will closely watch matthew. after friday, the storm is headed to the carolinas, and drier air is wrapping in

about 80 degrees at 8:00 a.m. to 85 in the afternoon. 75 in plant city. 23479 sarasota. 37 in clearwater. here's the culprit. this area of low pressure with the counterclockwise wind flow, just pulling in tropical downpours. here at 7:30 a.m., areas along and north of i-4 and along the coast, that's where we will see the heaviest rainfall totals. so please be careful on the morning commute. still getting heavier rain with the brighter yellow and at times, just light rain and maybe even stopping rainful going to keep it cloudy when it's not raining on you but the low pressure still sitting there so at any point, rain will come onshore and be heavy, especially near the shore. 70% chance today. and a 60% chance of rain tomorrow. not until wednesday when we start to lower the rain chances and start warming things up too. let's check on the wet roads. northbound 275. you can see they're stacking up here at 54th avenue north. reported accident just north of here at 62nd avenue north. downtown tampa, 275 junction, dry right now. you saw it on leigh's radar. sitcomming. starting to see delays he

commute. >>> a couple problems out there. but i told you i would look at sarasota. and now we are seeing delays. an update on this accident southbound 75, and it's actually right at university parkway. and so we've got a back-up approaching university. you can allow for an extra 15 minutes to get through this and you will be fine. hopefully it will wrap up soon but the two right lane blocked here. and-- lanes are blocked here. fhp says the it's an accident, not construction. that's a look at weather and traffic. and now back to gene and gayle. >>> right now, terror at an elementary school. a teenager armed with a gun opens fire on a school playground. it happened in a small south carolina town. and investigators say the 14- killing his own father. news channel 8's meredyth censullo is in the tampa news center with the very latest. >> reporter: well, gayle, today questions about why that teenager would do what he did and what was his motive. >> the shooter is going to be a white male, all black clothing and blond hair. >> reporter: now police say the teenager who is not being ident

, 78 degrees. pasco kids back to school for the first day, 80 in bartow and sarasota right now. pasco and polk counties, first day back. off to class, 79 degrees and patchy clouds. and 92 after school when the kids play outside. and about a 40% chance of the late day storms. notice mostly dry through the first part of the day. the rain chances ramp up to 40% by 5:00 p.m. and storms push towards the coast. at 6:08, i have an hour- you. >>> and we are still looking good in lakeland. polk county up to speed as well. u.s. 92 starting to get busier. and manatee county as i zoom in. i want you to see that orange dot there. well, that's a slow down. that's southbound on i-75. and that is after you pass 275. that's where you hit the brakes, down to about 23%. fhp tells me that the crash is tying up a lane. south 75 in the palmetto area. fhp says still tying up a lane at ulmerton road but not seeing delays. great drive on the sunshine skyway bridge. that's weather and traffic. back to gene and gayle. >>> in breaking news, a second night of protests in milwaukee ends with more violence. one per

still sleeping in, 77 in sarasota. all of us will stay nice and dry through the morning hours. in fact, even early hours, the rain chance is very p.m. when i bring the rain chance up to 40% and the storms generally push closer and closer to the coast by the time we see the sunsetting this evening. above average, but just slightly as far as temperatures are concerned. i'm expecting 91, the average is 90. at 6:08, i have an hour-by-hour look through thursday. >>> we've been off to a really quiet start. so hopefully we will keep it that way. here's a live view of 257 at fowler. we are seeing more folks hitting the road but no one hitting the brakes. and busy in the plant city area. both directions of i-4 at park road but the same deal, no one is having to slam the brakes on. you should never follow so closely that you have to do that anyway. bay area bridges from top to bottom, courtney campbell causeway, howard frankland bridge, gandy, all in the green with a travel time of about six minutes. gene and gayle, back to you. >> thank you. >>> >>> right now, pasco county deputies are looking

putting skimmers at several gas stations in hillsborough, pinellas and sarasota counties. >>> and happening today, this morning we are expecting to len who may have died due to negligence by a pinellas county nursing home. >> this happened back in may at gracewood rehah pillation and nursing care in pinellas park -- rehabilitation and nursing care in pinellas park. meredyth censullo is live with more. >> reporter: we are going to hear from the man who was appointed as the health care proxy or guardian for wilbert moten. he is frustrated no one has death. the 65-year-old man suffered from second degree burns and dehydration when he allegedly spent hours outdoors in 90- degree heat. he had no living relatives and psychiatric problems. he livid at the -- he lived at the facility for years. the guardian seen here in an earlier interview with news channel 8 now wants legislation that prevents such negligence from happening in the future. he has state representatives. he will lay out the proposed legislative changes today. news channel 8 will be there and we will have more after this mo

clouds in places like highlands and sarasota county, but most of us nice and sunny this morning which allows temperatures to warm up quickly. 88 at noon. 92 for an afternoon high. that's slightly above the average of 90. but keep it at 92 for friday and downward, down to 89 degrees by monday, that's an indication that the rain chances are going up due to the tropical wave. and going to be adding some rain chances to our forecast whether or not it develops. stay tuned for sure. we will check with traffic on the 8s as the sun comes up and more people are hitting the road. >> they are. >>> still a good drive across the bay area bridges no. delays across the water. seven minutes across the howard frankland bridge. 10 across the courtney campbell causeway. and that takes you from pinellas all the way over to well on the polk parkway. and we saw police activity out here, here's what's going on. police activity on the side of the roadway. this is eastbound i-4 right around county line road. and over here just off camera, there was a vehicle and i saw that there was front-end damage on the ve

in sarasota. so coming up at 6:38 in weather and traffic on the 8s, i am tracking the tropics two. systems right now but leslee lacey has the roadways. >>> just a couple thingsment starting to get busier because we are pressing into rush hour. let's take a look at i-4 right now. ybor city, 301 to 275, roughly a nine minute commute. and same for the veterans expressway. that's up to speed. and ybor is where we're seeing a slow down in the area. and eastbound, not westbound, not seeing delays at the junction. and let's go ahead and look and there's where you see it, starting to hit the brakes there coming through ybor city and link up with 275. let's move over to 75, out in the brandon area, vehicles slowing down a little bit. but still a good drive here i- 75 right around brandon boulevard which is highway 60. that's weather and traffic. back to gene and gayle. >> thank you, leslee. >>> the landing gear on an american airlines flight malfunctioned. >> everyone is safe but the stories we are hearing from passengers are terrifying. passengers telling each other good-bye and flight at

great also. i-75 through sarasota a good drive too. that's weather and traffic on the 8s. back to you. >>> newschannel 8 gearing up for kindness day december 9th. annual tradition in our studios. just drive through, roll down the window and hand over some teddy bears for the rough riders. also toys for tots, food for feeding tamp bay and even -- tampa bay and even blood for one blood. we hope to see you there. to donate the blood though you have to get out of the car >> everything else you drive through. >> for a great cause. >>> with a few clicks you can get almost anything you want to your door stop. >> but there are concerns. crooks are stealing packages off our door steps. easy and free ways to prevent the thefts coming up. >> track footage from the carolinas. the drought-stricken states needed water but these storms >>> 6:13. with modern technology you can buy just about anything and have it delivered to our doorstep. >> it's convenient but not just for us as shoppers. also convenient for the people who want to rip us off. our mere >> having someone take your packages off your do

sarasota bradenton airport. shattering the old record of 96. tampa, tampa international record of 95. what is going to happen today? 7:00 a.m., 80. by noon, 90. afternoon high around 93. and today's record is 95. very close to record highs again. and as governor scott mentioned, get rid of the standing water. well, we should have some rain around. not this morning. the first few showers start in polk county and highlands county around lunchtime. and notice the storms make their way toward the coast in the evening. and there will be pockets with that will create the puddles. get rid of those as quickly as possible. 39 today and tomorrow. -- 93 today and tomorrow. trending back to average by tuesday. and let's check on traffic on the 8s as people hit the door for work and school. >> southbound approaching i-4, leaving new tampa, this it's underneath 75 eastbound state road 50 to under the interstate. and state road 54 at hunt road, a collision. and let's mountains north. very heavy traffic. traveling eastbound, already from the sun coast and veterans expressway, that area over here to

72. more humid to the south. sarasota, you're 76 verses a cool 64 in inverness. so yes, when you look at the water vapor imagery, the bright red color is the dry air. and the more humid air across south florida but nice to see the red color taking over most of tampa bay. which is why the rain chances today are so small. out of forecast this morning. only going up to a 20% chance later today and that's south of afternoon high of 91 which is not too far from the average of 90. in weather and traffic on the 8s, i have an hour-by-hour look at your thursday. and leslee has the thursday morning commute. >>> a little bit of trouble on the roadway but not slowing you down. we have a collision out here, flashing lights for you. this is southbound 275, injuries involved and it's tying up the right lane here. this is south 275 past 54th avenue south before you get to and this is where it's located. you can see orange under there. that's because the vehicles on the road. and a crash 126th avenue at 66th street north in pinellas. and now back to gene and gayle. >> thank you. >>> the clean-up

speed. and also, palmetto out in manatee county and sarasota county both looking good. this is mike's office. if he doesn't show up, he doesn't get paid. did. i am patrick murphy. to get things done, you've got to show up. you've got to work together. whether it's protecting social security and women's health care or growing the economy, we've got to start solving problems instead of pointing fingers. i am patrick murphy and i approve this message >>> a republican campaign office fire bombed and vandalized. how donald trump is reacting and who he is blaming for the attack. >>> and comedian amy schumer booed at her tampa show. >>> plus, a stand-off off in pasco county ends with deputy's shooting and killing a man. why deputies resorted to gunfire and the weapon they claim the man tried to use on them. >>> good morning. i am candace mccowan. welcome to news channel 8 today. gayle guyardo has the day off. >> and i am gene ramirez. let's get to ed bloodsworth. >> yeah, good morning. a mild start but another than that, i don't think we could morning. looking from a million watt radar, that

for students in sarasota county. this means you will want to slow down and be cautious approaching those school zones. news channel 8 is live at fruitville elementary. law enforcement will be onhand watching for drivers breaking the law. >> reporter: that's right. good morning to you. you know, officers will not welcoming back students and looking for people breaking the law. you know, the citation cans add up quickly between $150 to $450. now remember you must stop for all school buses as students leave and board the buses when the buses are stopped and when the red lights are flashing. and that includes drivers on the other side of the street unless there's a raised median that divides the road. each year drivers are caught speeding by these buses while off. and putting our students' lives in a dangerous situation. here are some other important tips that you will want to remember. allow yourself plenty of time to travel. we know there will be traffic out there today. and watch for other cars, pedestrian, cyclists and again, school buses. and pay attention to crossing guards and a

sarasota counties. at 6:80 in weather and traffic on the 8s, i take you hour-by- hour through the day. and leslee is going to take through you the commute. >> that's right. >>> and it is a wet one. a lot of accidents popping up. let's go ahead and take a look northbound on the sunshine skyway bridge towards the pinellas county side. and look at the delays here, an accident southbound 275 away from st. pete. and all eastbound i-4 right before mcintosh road. and then another crash, this tampa road. that's a look at weather and traffic. >>> a handcuffed suspect is on the loose this morning. they are looking for this man. he was arrested in a traffic stop near fowler avenue and 22nd street. he and another suspect were in the car when he somehow escaped. now inside his car, deputies found 20 bags of heroin drug charges this morning. >>> and new this morning, ai school closing in hillsborough county. the literacy leadership academy in progress village closed today after a lightning strike causing damage there. the lightning injuring two staff members were at the time both leaning up aga

for years to come. >>> there is a heroin epidemic in sarasota and this morning police department and community partners are making a public plea to stop it. they'll come together and address heroin overdoses at 9:30 this morning. in less than two months, 43 people in the city have overdosed on suspected heroin and another unknown drug. eight of those people have died. >>> around 10:00 this morning, it will be fall. >> yep. and it will feel like it in a after you get into the fall season. temperatures will climb into the mid-80s. 87 by noon. 89 at 2:00. 90 around 3:00, 4:00. the one thing about today that is a little bit different is that we have slightly lower rain chances. starting a 20% chance this afternoon. and also 20% for friday and saturday. and 30% into sunday and monday. so that's topping the headlines. yes, fall has begun and it will begin at 10:21 but the summer heat continues. rain chances are lower through the en in the tropics, there's two systems but they'll stay in the open waters of the atlantic. it's tropical depression karl and tropical storm lisa. so nothing on th

releaptless rain caused the whitaker bayou in sarasota to overflow, forcing some residents to seek higher ground. news channel 8's ryan hughes is there live this morning. ryan, what are you seeing now? >> reporter: well, gayle, good morning to you once again. the water here in the bayou has gone down significantly since we came to you at 11:00 last things looked terrible. look behind me. you can see the retaining wall. the water is probably two feet below the top it so that is a good sign. we saw light drizzle around 4:00 this morning. it has since stopped completely since then. let's go to video of neighborhoods. at least seven residents had to be evacuated when water got too close to their homes late last night. and now some pets were left earlier in the day, streets all over sarasota flooded. some drivers simply rolled the dice. only to get caught on the flooded roadways. residents at this point are bracing for more rain today. >> where i'm concerned at is when it's high tide. right now, it's low tide and we're getting these back-ups in certain areas and ting storm water system

brooksville. plant city, halloween but not uncomfortable. 69 degrees in sarasota. and give you the sky cast, look at the high thin clouds streaming across the area, temperatures climb up to 86 degrees. a breeze from the east. clear tonight for all the halloween festivities, down to 67 degrees and comfortable. for tomorrow, same thing. this quiet, sunny weather pattern continues with a high tomorrow also at 86. in weather and traffic on the >> i saw you, that's when i first met you, the first year in the microphone outfit, one of the best costumes ever. >> thank you. >>> let's take a look at traffic. manatee county as i zoom in, we still have state road 64 blocked here. a fatal crash and it's right at taylor road by the hardee county line. and take state road 62 as the alternate instead. meanwhile, we have a good drive elsewhere in manatee county. that's a look at weather and traffic. back to gene and gayle. >>> another twist in the 2016 presidential campaign. this time it involves emails allegedly from hillary clinton's private email server. more emails were found on a computer belongi

in sarasota. bee ridge at lockwood ridge. that's a look at weather and traffic. back to gene and gayle. >>> breaking news this morning. tampa police continue to comb over several possible crime scenes following a shooting this morning. >> yeah, the report of shots fired came in around 2:00 a.m. on nassau mile from downtown. news channel 8's meredyth censullo is onscene. meredyth, what are you learning out there? >> reporter: well, all tpd will confirm is that one person was shot and killed. i just talked to a woman who knows the mother very well. she said the young man in his 20s. and the family told him to stay away from this apartment complex but he came here anyway. no motive though has been released. right now. bullet holes in windows and a car. there was a crowd here all morning long, including the victim's mother and family members. and we do expect to learn more from the tampa police department later today. one resident of the neighborhood did come up to me this morning and said shootings like this are senseless. they told me there's a stop the violence walk this sunday st

and pinellas park. riverview, 78 degrees. 77 in wesley chapel. bartow, 79. and sarasota 79. rain chances, back out of the forecast for the first few hours of the day. maybe a stray shower around lunchtime. but as the evening progresses, storms will head toward the coast, the rain chance goes up to 40%. and you will be wishing for later today. cooler than yesterday but above average. i break it down hour-by-hour for you. and leslee will break down the commute. >>> we have a much nicer drive this morning. not as many vehicles on the roadway yet. good drive here, about 11 minutes. a lot of lights to go through. and venice, that is sarasota county, toledo blade boulevard, drive. and state road 64 to fruitville, about a nine minute commute. and in sarasota, clark road to state road 70, both on i-75, just 10 minutes. that's weather and traffic. back to gene and gayle. >> thank you. >>> right now, a bay area elementary school is preparing for a difficult day ahead. a popular music teacher hospitalized following a car crash died. they are hit by a suspected drunk driver in pinellas count

, this is not over yet. thank you, mary. >>> happening today, sarasota police will release information a major drug bust late they are morning. police say the undercover sting began back in april and that they have taken a significant number of dealers off the streets. news channel 8 will be there for the police briefing and we will bring you more on this later today. f0 >>> the city of port richey is the council passed the measure 3-2. under the measure, police have the discretion to issue a civil citation instead of of a criminal arrest. that would be $155. applies only if the offender is 18 years of age or older and in possession of less than 20- grams of marijuana. >>> in your vote, we are 53 days away from election day. w polls show a tight race between donald trump and hillary rodham clinton here in florida. leading clinton in florida 47% to 44%. another national poll shows clinton leading trump 48% to 43%. n a two-way match-up among likely voters. >>> how important is health when it comes to selecting a president? well, today, hillary rodham clinton returns to the ca

basically from the sunshine skyway bridge down through manatee and western portions of sarasota county. this is a visibility map. i shows you how far you can see. and 10, 9, 7-mile visibility means basically no fog at this point. it's not until you go down to sarasota where you get less than a mile. so now i'm going to use a fog forecast. using the same visibility. how far you can see. going forward in time now until about 7:45, i expect the fog to get a little bit more widespread for areas near the coast. basically from tampa west toward the shoreline, places like polk county and highlands, not going to be as bad. the thickest part of the fog should be between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. again, especially near the coast. and after 9:00 a.m., everybody clears out except the immediate coastline. most of the day. so if it's not foggy for you, the bigger story is how warm and humid it will be. and it will make to it 81 degrees today. in weather and traffic on the 8s, i give you a look at the day. and leslee is going to let you know about this big problem. >> yes,. >>> a long detour. especiall

way bridge through bradenton and into sarasota but we have a collision here, folks and this is southbound 301 at 51st and that is just north of state road 70. injuries involved and it is . >>> 6:30 on this monday morning. good morning, welcome to news channel 8 today. i'm gene ramirez. >> and i'm gayle guyardo. in our top stories this morning, a violent weekend in the bay area. two people are dead and five injured in three separate shootings. the first one, a deadly shooting at smoke and bowl restaurant and hookah bar in hillsborough county. one person died, three others were hurt. two teens were shot during a hotel party in st. petersburg on sunday and breaking this morning, one person is dead after a shooting at a tampa liquor store. >> this morning, the fbi is this is the latest move in a bad battle over your privacy versus security. the fbi director insists apple could help get access to a terrorist phone without jeopardizing privacy for all apple consumers. >> a photo finish. denny hamlin is waking up to what is the closest daytona 500 win in history. it is the first in 23

uncovered the results of the report and took our questions to the sarasota county school district. >>> a convicted cop killer's supreme court the this morning for an appeal hearing. dontae morris is on death row for three of four murders. two of those murders are the shooting deaths of tampa police officers david curtis and jeffrey kocab in 2010. today morris' attorney will argue that florida's death penalty sentencing system is unconstitutional. >>> and this morning, the midwest is getting hammered by a massive winter storm. check out the video. blizzard warnings are in place for minnesota. officials are warning drivers there to stay off the roads. as much as 10 inches of snow are expected to fall. >>> and we want to get a check on our weather with meteorologist leigh spann. getting warm here. >> it is. even when you walk out the door right now, it's going to feel much more spring-like. 72 plant city. 70 in clearwater. 71 sarasota. and 70 in lakeland. but the big thing, look at the difference between yesterday and today. lakeland is 13 degrees warmer than just at 6:00 yesterday morning.

infoformation on wfla.com. >>> a woman n is thanking the the sarasota police department for their efforts after they removed a four-foot long python in from her patio. >>>> animal services wasn't able early in the morning when she saw the snake so the officers sprung into action, grabbed a pole and put on their game faces. now you might be cringing at home like i am here to see that. but the officers, they weren't exactly thrilled either. >> he kind of blends in. but they were glad that it was a snake. >> i prefer that animal call than some other calls that i have to go to. i would have that than a bank robbery going in wondering if sosomebody is going to shoot at you. so handling a snake isn't a big deal. >> you know, it's all about perspective. one officer happened to just have the pole in the trunk so ththey used it to safely move the snake away from that home. >> wow. >>> a change ofof venn view for the hillsborough county -- change of venue for the hillsborough county special olympics summer games. >> our school really does care about helping these kids and allowing them to express their t

clearwater. 55 in plant city. we are at 51 in sarasota. and specifically, betty in plant city says it's cooler around 50. and what a difference, almost 10 degrees below where we were yesterday. that's one reason the fog has developed. after sunrise, clearing out. no clouds with the low humidity. cool to start the day tomorrow. and high pressure just keeps the beautiful weather here. and only a slow warm-up into the weekend. how is traffic on the 8s? >>> well, it's moving at good speeds out here. we have some more traffic as we get closer to rush hour but overall, still a good drive. and we have an accident, just outside the new port richey area. a good drive on state road 54, veterans expressway, a little bit of fog but a good drive. 53rd east at 56th street court, that's off to the shoulder. look at this fog, i-4 around 75, thick in the area. and brandon, i-75, thick as well. and this is a look here at fowler avenue. so use caution, fog on the roadways. when i come back, i will show you i-4 and now back to gene and gayle. >> thank you so much. >>> well a new twist for jewelry that's ke

on the weather. good morning. we're at 61 in tampa but 54 in sarasota, the sun is coming up. by 8 a.m. it will be 60 degrees we may see a few high thin clouds out there. 75 at noon around 4 p.m. yeah, 77 degrees barely a cloud out there, great weather for veterans day, sunny and pleasant afternoon high of 78. now, at 6:38 i'll have an 8-day temperature trend for you and our resident veteran is going te the roadways. >>> and happy veterans day to all you who have served out there. this is i-75 to the left southbound as you transition to i-4 we do have a collision you can see it up there to the right. so i'm going to zoom in here we've got a little bit of a delay southbound and northbound. keep that in mind. i'll come back and take a look at one in pinellas county. >> we'll check back in a minute. election of donald trump taking to the streets as you see here for a third night in a row that includes right here in the bay area. >> and president elect trump is reacting to the backlash, in the past 30 minutes donald trump has tweeted about this after protests turned dangerous. >> yeah,

clearwater. 52 in plant city. and we are currently sitting at 54 in tampa and 54 in sarasota but we get a fast warm-up, all the way to 74 today just above the average of 73 and right at the average of 55 for tonight. in weather and traffic on the 8s at 6:08, i walk you hour-by- hour through today so you can head into the weekend and that forecast too. >>> well, we have a decent drive. we have issues going on. northbound u.s. 41 and spring hill drive into brooksville, we have an accident tying up lanes here. and let's look at another crash. this one has injuries involved as well. and it's tying up part of the intersection at moore road and dean still road. blocked, but should be wrapping up ehrlich road underneath the veterans expressway. and this construction has now completely cleared in bradenton. back to gene and gayle. >> thank you. >>> breaking news this morning, a woman we trust to teach our children and keep them safe is in jail this morning. highland middle schoolteacher stacey hook was arrested this week on a slew of charges. >> 8 on your side's ryan hughs is live in sebring th

. other tigers playing the yankees. sarasota, braves and orals. everybodody may see some extra clouds and there's just that 10% rain chance but low 70s when the games start. our tempmperature trend is to next several days, 75, 7474 degrees through sundayay. and then we t trend a little warmer getting up to 80 by tuesday. >> here it is at 6:38 so time to check on traffic on the 8s. the sun is cocoming up this morning. >> it is. >>> pinellas county, accident- free. we like to see that. and people concernened about bay area bridges so we want to show you the howard franklin. this is going to be the oncoming cars into tampa. and we're not seeing any delays just yet. so good news there. courtney campbell and gandy looking good. southbound 275, certainly starting to bog down a bit. and starting south of bearss in through bird street, those typical delays. another update in a few. gayle, gene, back to you. >> okay. >>> the final day of our universal contest. >> and now is the time to give away the grand prize. all you hahave to do is be the eighth caller to win four juneier sal park t

sprinkles, but not the heavy dunn powers that we've seen in the past couple of mornings. sarasota, you might sneak in here with heavier rain. i've highlighted for you. so off to class this morning. patchy clouds around and 76 and slim rain chance and after school, that is when the rain chances get better, 87 degrees. and look at it here. this morning, 20% and 30% at lunchtime and 50% early afternoon and 60% by the time the rest of us are coming home from work around 6:00 tonight. so i have an hour by hourlike at this first day of school for many kids. with the buses. >> back to school affects all of us, if you have children or not. you will see extra traffic on the roads. downtown tampa already busy here. both directions of 275. but everybody is moving along without delay. 1275 and i-4, 75 and the veterans checking in accident free. we have an issue in pinnelas park where the kids are heading back to school. and the railroad crossing arms are stuck in a down position. avenue. you'll want to use 58th street or. >> 34th street at your alternate routes for now. and csx is heading there. a