>> right now on newschannel8 at 11:00. >> breaking news. the team just announcing it has fired the head coach smith. >> making sure you are prepared for the worst. 8 on your side takes a closer look at el nio and the damage it could do. >> and someone could be getting a whole lot richer. the power ball jackpot. a half billion dollars, and we have the winning numbers. good evening. i'm keith cate. >> i'm jennifer leigh. thanks for joining us. >> it is huge news. >> it is very huge news. >> the lovie moon is over. the buccaneers head coach has been fired. >> this after just two season withs the bucks. anchor dan lucas, our sports anchor is on the case. >> you think about this two season. joe glazer putting out the press release 45 minutes ago.

2-14 the previous season and we have the press release. >> joel glazer releasing a statement. after careful consideration, we have decided to make a change. josh benson is monitoring social media for us and there is a lot of talk already. though this announce. is brand new. >> it sure is. let's start off with the players. we have a consistent coach, three coaches in five years so obviously, he is upset. other players are upset as well. so let's take a look at what some other people are saying here. this is the first shock fire of the season. this man right here is absolutely right. a lot of people feeling the same way. a big shock to a lot of fans and people all across the why don't organizations understand that good coaches team? this guy says wrong move.

here is one where we had a second opinion. why is there such a surprise that lovie smith got fired? people were talking come monday, would he be fired? is it a possibility? as keith said about 40 minutes ago, the news came down from the bucks organization that smith is out and on social media it is evident a lot of people are not happy with the news. back to you guys. >> we mr. have a lot of comments the next several days. the sports shows are talking about this. more on his dismissal on our newschannel8 app. it is at the app store, but we have more now. >> absolutely. dan lucas, our sports guru has been monitoring this. >> reporter: for two seasons we got to know lovie smith intimately. we did our sitdown interviews with him. he had the best of intentions. very calm.

introduced here. think about what was going on around here two years ago. greg had finished his tenure. was fired suddenly. this franchise looked like it was headed nowhere. then lovie smith and tony dungee assistant coach years ago. and we thought the bucks were headed on the right path. he came home to his nfl roots to restore not only faith in the bucks fan base, but a word he used often. >> and it is time as we go to the future. >> reporter: lovie smith, a tony dungee protege wanted to put the bucks back on the nfl map. it never materialized. but two and 14 season in 2014 earned the bucks the top pick in the nfl draft.

all in only to see six wins this year. sure, it wasn't improvement, but another rebuild on the horizon. the bucks defense was thrashed by opponents all season. the panthers, a losing record themselves embarrassed the numbers by 28 points. smith finishes two seasons with four fewer losses than greg schiano accomplished during his two year tenure, but this could be a sign of a move once made to avoid using a coordinator. the bucks got rahim morris. now, dirk cutter remains a head coaching candidate for one of the six other nfl openings. >> and that is important to remember. we will comment on that in a second.

we inform lovie we have decided to make a change. this decision was difficult on a variety of levels. we are not successful but we are committed to doing what is necessary to give our fans the winning team they deserve. now, in the piece there, i mentioned dicker cutter, the offensive coordinator. he is one of the hot coaches of topic around the nfl. there are six, now seven counting the bucks openings. rahim morris was defensive coordinator. one day later, he was the bucks head coach. >> so you think we won't be seeing something like this again? >> we could see dirk cutter. they have a 2:00 press conference tomorrow. if we are right on this, it is going to happen quickly. but, a head coach search led by jason light all of a sudden

this is not a bizarre turn of events. john gruden was fired five days after the season. but i don't think they are ready to move forward. for the sake of jameis winston, i think dirk cutter has to be here. he was the reason for his success. well, besides jameis himself playing well. but jameis and dirk, the relationship is really unbelievable. >> if you are a player sitting out there thinking oh my goodness. we have gone through how many coaches in five years? >> to turn over the head coach oftentimes you are turning over an entire staff. you get a new play book. that takes time. that is what the fans josh had mentioned in the social media. todd bowls took over the new york jets. took them to the brink of the playoffs this year. you thought it could be done. the jets had pieces in place ready to go.

they are going to have to work on this defense. dirk cutter, i'm speculating on the dirk cutter thing. but if indeed he takes over, you could see some continuity at least on the offensive side of the coaching staff. >> still, it is not one and done. two and done. that doesn't give a coach a lot of time. >> i'm trying to do my math here. we will have probably three head coaches on the payroll going going into 2016. >> that are not actually. >> there is a lot of this on social media. on wfla.com. you can chime in your comments there. follow us on twitter, dan will be all over this breaking news alert. you can download the a. it is free to download. get everything you need to know about this big decision tonight concerning the bucks. thank you dan. well, there is a man hunt in polk county right now. investigators are searching for whoever is responsible for killing three people in a lakeland home.

congressmannewschannel8's jamell is live. >> reporter: felix campos is in critical condition. he is holing onto night as the detecterrives search for the person or people who shot and killed his friends. a lakeland neighborhood on edge as three people are gunned down wednesday morning. a fourth was shot in the face and rushed to the hospital. >> that is very scary. >> reporter: polk county deputies responded to a house on east magnolia drive at 6:00 to find blood everywhere. >> they were slaughtered in their house. >> reporter: the motive behind this massacre? drugs. this house was a one-stop shop. >> marijuana, pills, heroin, cocaine. those who think drugs are harmless, drugs are minor, drugs aren't that serious. try telling that to the families.

in ages from 18 to 31. david washington and eneida stacey branch were a couple. the two along with angelica castro were found dead inside the home. felix campos remains in critical condition. washington's sister is in tears. >> i practically raised him. i dressed him for school every morning. that is my only brother. we moved down to florida together. >> reporter: the sheriff vowing to find those responsible. >> we are coming after you. we are going to find you, we are going to put you in jail. and we are ultimately going to send you to prison for the rest of your life. >> reporter: and, families saying that a neighborhood friend walked in that house. found those victims and dialed 911. jen? >> you can imagine that scene. do they have any word on a

>> reporter: not tonight. and that is why investigators are urging people to come forward with any information. the sheriff saying that someone knows something. if you do, you would rather be a witness in this investigation than someone the sheriff has to come looking for. jen? >> thank you. and now to some breaking new. police have found the remains in a wooded area off u.s. highway 98 in lakeland. the bones located just after 5:00 next to a homeless camp near a wal-mart. investigators say a homeless couple spotted these bones and called the police. the remains were removed and taken to the medical examiner's investigation. tomorrow is oscar ray bolin's date with death. he will be executed tomorrow prison. he was first convicted of years ago.

of appeals and each time the convictions were upheld. an armed robbery caught on tape and police need your help. take a look. store surveillance video shows two suspects, one with a gun. the other who goes around the counter and takes the cash. the clerk on duty gave him all the money and says he did everything these guys told him to do. >> at that moment were you scared? >> i am scared too much. >> too much? >> yeah. because they put a gun in my face. >> so take a look if you recognize these guys. you are urged to call largo police. and still to come, we will be back with much more including those winning power ball numbers.

>> now to a weather alert. dangerous and dicey. that is the forecast we are facing the next three months. >> we are talking a lot of severe storms, possible tornadoes, and if the last el nio back in 1998 is any indication, this could get messy in a hurry. melanie michael has the story. >> reporter: when severe weather happens we have it cover. if history tells us anything, it is shaping up to be a powerful weather season. eagle 8 flew high in the sky above the devastation. if you lived in florida long enough, you won't soon forget

it was 18 years ago that floridians woke up to a scene they will never forget. >> what a hell of a night. >> reporter: tornadoes ripped through central florida killing 40 people and injuring nearly 300 others. this deadly pattern of wicked weather courtesy of el nio. >> we look at history. especially 97, 98. the last el nio which was a very strong one. >> reporter: newschannel8 chief meteorologist steve jerve remembers 1998 as one of the busiest and deadliest years he has ever seen. >> we saw 45 tornadoes that year. we typically see seven. >> reporter: it just so happens we are in another el nio pattern. warm water in the pacific ocean piles up and the effect changes weather patterns across the globe. >> we are in florida. lit be hot. >> reporter: let's face it. we felt el nio throughout the holidays. december had record breaking heat.

now, it is time to prepare for possible tornadoes. a statewide drill took place wednesday morning. check these out. there were even selfies of safe spots. >> in florida, there's no basements. we know that. folks in oklahoma and kansas find that. but in florida, we go to an interior room. >> moms and dads take note. tomorrow morning is the chance go. this is something we need to >> thank you, melanie michael live in the forecast sent tore night. something else is in the air. we are talking about power ball fever. >> yeah, record half a billion dollars and we have the numbers. let's get our tickets out. >> this is the part where you only might be here for this

>> i may not be here for the second half of the program. newschannel8's paul live in clearwater. i have one ticket with one number. >> reporter: and you guys cannot leave. i'll tell you that right now. so, you know, with tickets still fresh in hand today, we asked players, you know, those obvious questions. by then, came the unexpected one. >> is this the winning ticket? >> reporter: of course it is. 500million on the line. the odds slim to none. but dreams oh so big. >> what will you do with it? >> i will buy everyone in my family a house. just a nice vacation would be good. >> i will pay all my bills. >> would you keep your job? >> no. >> i will retire. >> where would you go? >> i would go to greece. >> home. >> live here. >> reporter: but now the hard part. say you actually win and a big decision comes with it. >> cash or annuity the. >> cash. >> you lose money? >> doesn't matter. >> reporter: financial experts

over time you will get moringly will live to be 112. >> but he is the exception. >> cash. >> reporter: did you know most of the power ball winners last year for far, far away from the big cities. >> most tickets, most winning tickets are sold in rural areas. >> well that's good. we are in a rural area. >> reporter: this isn't rural it is for us! >> reporter: like rock hill, tennessee. >> this is a rural area. >> you think? >> i think so. >> on the other side of the bridge is a much hotter area. >> reporter: while some chase their dreams, others go for the sure thing. >> i need my $2. >> you need your $2? >> you could win 500 million. >> but he has chocolate donuts for 1.29. >> reporter: yeah, the chocolate donuts are 1.79. but the moment of truth right now. here are the numbers. take a good look for yourself.

course the all important power ball, 17. there you have it. i'm paul, newschannel8. they always take the donuts if you have. 1.29 not a bad deal. 30% rain chance here for friday. we are seeing ago increase. nice rainbow. a lot of rainbow pictures. bright atmosphere for it. moisture. and of course the sun battling it out with the clouds. 61 degrees at 1:00 a.m. overnight, clouds and some clear skies to start out with some sunshine. 57 degrees at 7:00 a.m. temperatures low 70s here in the afternoon. 73 degrees, 74, should be a fairly nice day. of course it will continue with the warming trend. the clouds hold us down today.

high temperature. 57 largo. clear water beach. palm harbor. the air has a cool feel to it. we have a northeasterly breeze which typically this time of night is not as breezy, but it does make the atmosphere feel just a little bit cooler. that can combine with the lack of heating we had today. way out west had severe thunderstorm warnings. southern track with the el nio, the storm track comes a little further south. california gets rain and a lot of snow at higher elevations. rain in houston, area of low pressure back to the west by friday. we will scoot on through here with higher rain chances. this area of low pressure will stay to our east and south. won't have a great effect of our weather playing a small part in helping to create a pressure gradient with a strong easterly flow in the state. otherwise, the clouds stay with us here in the overnight. there are some clear patches as you can see here on the satellite imagery.

rain drops ton windshield. heavier rain on florida east coast. maybe an inch of rain with some downpours in brevard county. when was talk about the inland rain chances with these weather conditions, it is that the easterly stuff moving inland. so the low will move further away from us. not an effect for us. in the morning hours some cloud cover and clearer skies in the afternoon mixed in with the sunshine there for thursday. but as we get into friday, disturbance headed our way. showers possible on and off through the day. rain chance about 30%. beyond that, we are looking for saturday. clears the area. another cold front heads our way. it will approach with a possibility late with rain saturday night into the early part of sunday. but that rain should end early sunday. then behind that front, we will start the cooling trend we have been talking about as we get into next week.

high to be in the 60s again. 74, 77, 77. but the rain chances increase especially later on saturday. looks like the timing of it right now into the early part of sunday. then we start to work in cooler air here. as you can see. as we get into monday and tuesday, wednesday. high temperatures in the 60s through this period. and the rain chances drop a little bit and we start to cool down. so up and down a little bit. but not a bad range overall. nothing like the 80s we saw last week. >> no. >> big change. >> he is still here. thank you. >> that's it huh? >> yeah. a huge sports news tonight. bucks coach, lovie smith fired. >> he is out. dan lucas has been working this story ever since. reading tweets. hearing from you. and getting some more information to bring you. after this break.

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>> welcome back. less than one hour ago, the bucks put out the announcement. they have fired head coach lovie smith after two seasons in which they had combined record of 8 wins, 24 losses. the team will hold a 2:00 press conference. we are going to have team conch there. you can join us live for all of that.

i think it will be a fast moving whirlwind day. i mentioned one possible solution that would be fitting. quick, probably help this fan base rouse up some excitement. cutter orchestrated a record turn around for this season. on monday, the philadelphia media already pegged cutter as a possible choice for the eagles opening. now, in the free world of speculation, we want to go another direction. what about that man there? tom coughlin just left the new york giants under unfortunate circumstances. he sounded like he still wants to coach. he is a disciplinarian like the guy the bucks fans remember. greg schiano. now until this whole lovie news, we with were fearing the loss of the man on the left. a director of player personnel john robinson.

tennessee titans for their general manager opening. or permission to speak with the titans. i wanted to show robinson and talk about him. i think this all ties together. jason like the general manager is obviously placed in charge of this coaching church. john robinson helped to develop what nfl.com called the best rookie class in the nfl this year. if you are trying to keep some continuity which i think the bucks need to do especially on the offense, keep robinson. get the draft and free agency. and the defense. i think they can take the next step. otherwise, you are looking at a rebuild year guys. >> year? years. >> yeah. >> i like your speculation. we will see how it turns out. >> tomorrow at 2:00. >> thank you dan. we'll be right back.

>> some other winning lotto numbers. cash 3, 6, 9, 2. lotto,power ball, 2, 11, 47, 62, 63, and the power ball is 17. good luck. >> and a reminder, we will have

there will be a 2:00 press conference. we are going to have that live right here on newschannel8. you will be able to watch dan. get some questions in there too. it is on wfla.com as well. lot to see and hear. >> we will be all over it. we are your official bucks station. thanks for joining us. jimmy fallon is next. we hope you have a great night. >> see you tomorrow. gone.