right now on news channel 8 at 35a30:00 -- 5:30. >. good evening, thank for being with us. a high ranking school employee has cleared her name. there was a long investigation, and findings were released today. josh thomas is live with more. >> reporter: good evening, the superintendent's name has been cleared following investigation into actions against a fellow employee, but we had to rely on

media to get her side of the store. polk county school superintendent was part of an investigation sparked by a subordinate. rivers lampinged a complaint against her saying he felt he'd been sexually harassed by his boss. >> i've come to realize that what others describe as an outgoing personality can be misinterpreted by some. i regret that and have learned. >> reporter: he claims the evasion ship soured when he refused advances. >> we were exonerated and found innocent of any wrong doing. >> reporter: when i tried to speak to rivers about the allegation, he told me. >> i'm not allowed to comment on anything. >> reporter: rivers isn't speaking today, but polk county

reporters by phone. >> this has been a distraction, so i'm hoping and praying that we'll be able to put this behind us and go forward. >> reporter: the superintendent echoed those feelings in her video. >> thankfully this distraction is behind us, allowing us to focus on our mission, to provide a nationally recognized education to our students. >> reporter: now we tried several times to speak to superintendent today, but we're told that video would be the only statement she'd be releasing on this issue. >> okay, josh, so what's supposed to happen next? >> reporter: well, the school board will meet next week to decide what if any action to take against the superintendent, but the report did suggest all cabinet members receive additional sexual harassment training. >> all right, josh thomas live

the iowa caucuses are tonight, and people here in the bay area will be watching what happens closely. gene ramirez went out to see what voters think about the action in iowa. >> reporter: yeah, some bay area voters are keeping a close eye on iowa, others don't think it really matters, so we hit different coffee shops and diners in the area, to find out why the sunshine state is watching the hawk eye state or not. will you be watching or swayed by what happens in iowa? >> no, i have my mind made up i think. >> reporter: made up minds shouldn't look away just yet. it's less likely in the democratic field, but in the crowded republican group, a favorite candidate may not make it to the florida primary. >> some will probably drop out. >> reporter: politics is practically a side dish at patches place in tampa, and the opinions as strong as the coffee. >> it drives me nuts that iowa has so much power. that's just it, you come out of iowa with that winner logo and

>> reporter: even before the results are in, some like senator rubio are already picking up steam. >> >. once you see the bump in the states you start to see it percolate through the other state. >> reporter: it can make or break campaigns forcing voters to choose plan b. behind the scenes some already focusing on florida. >> for the rubio team already making phone calls and door knocking, a lot of volunteer support and a lot of ads. >> reporter: and a lot of ads will be seen in florida since march. gene ramirez, news channel 8. >> and we have complete coverage of the iowa caucuses. keith cate is in des moines tonight to bring us a live report in a few minutes on news channel 8 at 6:00 o'clock. a man is dead after a deadly deputy involved shooting in collier county. the man had a weapon and came

she opened fire shooting the man after warning him to put down the weapon, but he did not. the deputy is on routine administrative leave. disturbing video from lake county, a day care caught hitting, even slamming a child to the ground. according to police, a workers cell phone video shows the woman striking the child, and picking up the child and slamming him face down on a mat. reid is the director of the childrens palace day care center. she was arrested and charged with child abuse. you don't see this every day a miami woman pulled a police officer over for speeding. >> the reason i pulled you over today, and i'm asking you to come cover and have a conversation, i saw you since miller drive first jumping on, and you remember pushing 90 miles per hour. >> really? okay.

>> she lames a miami-dade -- claims a miami-dade police officer drove her so fast her car shook. she followed him with her cell phone recording. he didn't have lights on siren on. he pulled over eventually think she had an emergency. >> i wanted to know what's the emergency? >> i don't know how fast i was going, but i can tell you this i'm on the way to work right now. i don't believe i was speeding. >> well the officer actually apologized on the video that's since gone viral. the miami-dade police department has launched on investigation. it's not all fun and games when it comes to local and state park policy in florida's capital. some lawmakers want them tuberculosis more accessible at -- to be more accessible at a local level, and others won't to find out how to get them to make more money. >> reporter: giving veteran, their families and law enforcement and first

local park that is may charge a fee is gaining steam in the capitol. the bill would give them discounted rates. >> >. it's already law on the state side. the state parks already have it, this bill just mimics it at the city and county level. >> reporter: the department of veterans affair supports the plan. >> we have people that serve all over the globe, they come back to florida and become part of fabric of the community and it's a way to stay thanks. >> reporter: the department of environmental protection secretary is trying to make state parks self-sustaining. the secretary came under fire in the last year of proposing to open up state parks to grazing and timber harvesting to boost revenue. >> i want to say hey what can we do to make the parks the most beneficial to the citizens and visitors of the state, and the environment that we're serving. >> reporter: the local parks bill spontaneous son says the proposal wouldn't impact the controversial idea.

this is, you know, allowing our service folks that protect us every day to enjoy our city and county parks at a discount. >> reporter: environmentalist have heavily opposed the idea of opening up the parks in an effort to make more money. in tallahassee, news channel 8. >> the local parks bill already cleared two house committees unanimously. well, if you like to build things with lego, legoland is hiring people. they're accepting people from all backgrounds to send in applications to be master model builders. you'll work at their factory. about 50 have been hired so far. what a job. >> that would be amazing. i have a 6-year-old nephew that wants to apply. is that too young.

out for your next mani and pedi. >> and why getting into bed with a complete stranger can be therapeutic. a professional cuddler explains. well, temperatures warm today. upper 70s near 80. rain chances up the road, but a

>> >. welcome back, more stars are stepping up for flint, michigan. snoop dog met with the mayor to see how he can help people

>> i have a lot of information to take back to my celebrity friends, and we want to help, but mainly we'd like to governor to step up and do what's necessary to make sure flint is taken care of. >> he's one of many celebrity that is visited the city since news spread about dangerous levels of led in the water supply. a star of the hit show empire also toured flint this weekend. >> to see the people, and be with the people and hear their stories first hands it further enranged and appalled me, but also further inspired me. >> the mayor continues to push for more action against the government, but appreciates the help and attention from the celebrities she says. iconic model cindy crawford is retiring. she's celebrating here 50th birthday february 20th, and after years of modeling she

she was discovered and by 1995 she was the top paid model. she's married and the mother of two children. getting in bed to cuddle with a complete stranger may sound strange. it's not about romance, but a professional cuddler says it's about the healing power of touch therapy. >> the physical touch of cuddling helps slower the blood pressure. i do offer back scratches because who doesn't love that? >> well, all clients go through a strict screening process before signing up for services. amber rose visits their home and the typical session lasts an hour [ music ] oh, my.

deputy dancing in an elevator has gone viral. he's retiring after years of service, and decided to celebrate by breaking it down. nearly three decades of community service deserves an awkward dance party. >> impressive moves. well, a lot of us like to sit back, relax, and enjoy a nice mani/pedi, but you could be rethinking it. >> some chemicals can lead into the nails messing with hormones and leading to weight gain. all of that. can you believe it? gayle guyardo did digging and found suffer ways to spoil yourself. >> reporter: big grand names when it comes to nail polishes are hearing consumer demands, making safer product for you to use. customers are becoming more savvy, and don't want to be

>> >. i hate going into the salons where i can see and smell the chemicals. >> reporter: new research shows the same chemicals can seep into your bloodstream, so more salons are offering brands without the try owe, and now a new warning, look for brands free of tphc that can mess with hormones causing weight gain. there are even safer options for wee ones like pigger paint. >> it's water soluble. >> yes, it's void of the chemicals. >> reporter: more brands are answering to consumer demand for safer options, one woman at a salon urges consumers to do their homework. >> be more proactive. if there's a certain brand you like, look it up and see what's in the polishes. >> reporter: gayle guyardo,

>> and there's a link to a data base tracking nail products to make it easier to find your brand on the list, it's an www.wfla.com. the biggest sled dog race in the lower 48 48 states is underway despite the warm weather. it's in minnesota on lake superior. temperatures nearing 40 degrees might be excellent for onlooker, but less than ideal for the racers because the warm weather wears down the dogs more quickly. skies clear today. always nice to be out on a nice clear night with warm air in florida, and it will be tonight. a pass of the international space station, underclear skies. -- under clear skies, about 6:20 p.m. in the southwest sky, passing to the northwest. usually there three or four minutes.

evening. also the impact of el nino as we look at it, tornadoes popping up in 2016, nine tornadoes, that's one of the signatures of an el nino year. a lot of attorneys, and stronger than normal tornado, and so far we've seen nine. this evening, 70 degree, temperatures really rebounding thanks to the wind shift, more of an east to southeast flow for us. 65 tomorrow morning. areas of fog and sea fog. mild temperatures for us. fog along coastal areas, boaters especially watch for this. 80 degrees for a high tomorrow. another nice one. sunshine mixed with clouds. temperatures well above normal. all over the place with temperatures this winter. 75 chair water, 79 in lakeland, 73 in venice. farther to the north, temperatures fairly mild. above freezing by a good bit here even in north dakota.

another story, and there's a winter storm shedded for that part of country. snow in the western parts of nebraska, south of rapids city south dakota. winter storm advisory, even blizzard possibilities here. southwest minnesota, northwest iowa. with the caucuses going on today that could cause problems. off florida's east coast, a milder flow for us. any time we can shift that area to the east, the temperatures change like that. we go from cool to dry to warm and even a little humid. the sea fog develops as areas of fog remain through wednesday morning, so heads up for boaters tomorrow, and inland fog as well, so dense in spots as we mentioned, especially with the sea fog in the forecast as we head into the overnight period and into the coastal fog possibility just areas. stray rain chance for us and a

wednesday, approaching cold front. next rain chance for us into thursday. possible storms too. sea fog hanging around. this time of year, january and february especially. and for thursday the front arrives with showers, and a possible thunderstorm passing through the area. forecast lows mild, few days ago these were the high temperatures. upper 50s for lows, temperatures in the 80s for tomorrow places like winter haven near 82. 79, still warm wednesday. rain chance up to 20 percent mostly later in the day, thursday the rain chance is 60 percent with a high of 72 degree, and predict blue cooler. back into the upper 60s for highs and closer to where we expect to be with that cold front. another rain chance sunday too. thunderstorms passing through sunday. guys back to you.

a police chase turns tragic. >> coming up next how the pursuit ended up with a grandmother and her two grand

now what what's making headlines across america. a man hunt is underway in georgia for the driver who smashed into a car during a police chase, killing a woman and her two grand children. the victims were on their way to church when a stolen suv t- boned them. one witness saw the driver run from the scene. officers believe he is -- officers believe he is injured. >> i was just screaming man, look get that guy, get that guy. >> a neighborhood like that he shouldn't have been driving that fast. >> the district attorney's office and police department will investigate if the officers followed the department's chase policy. a massive fire lit up the early morning sky in los angeles, more than 145 firefighters battled the fire at an industrial building. propone cylinders and -- propane cylinders fueled the flames. no one was injured. three convicts who broke out of a california prison are back in custody, and for the

911 call one of the convicts asked an auto store work tore make. >> he's ready to turn himself in. he just came in and said he's scared to turn himself in, and he wanted me to call. >> he's not armed or anything. >> >. that's okay, tell him we appreciate he turned hymn, i need him to understand i have a lot of police officers on the way. >> he was taken into custody there friday. the other two captured saturday morning after a man spotted the stolen van they were in. news channel 8 at 6:00 o'clock is coming up next. here's what we're working on. pipe bomb, gun, am crew nation, all taken from a tampa home, and the man living there under arrest. what led federal agents to the house. plus, complete coverage of the iowa caucuses. keith cate caught up with jeb bush as he pushed for last minute votes. he'll bring you that live

our 8 on your side investigation exposed dangerous sink hole activity under this tampa apartment complex, and how authorities are taking action. a colorado man wires money to a gulf port bank in what

right now on news channel 8 at 6:00. >. just hours away from a defining moment for the presidential candidates. keith cate is live at the iowa caucuses. bombs, guns, and ammunition. why federal agents raided a tampa man's home. >> reporter: plus a bay area man under arrest for preying on an elderly couple. thank you the record joining us.