>> right now on newschannel8 at 5:30. >> good evening. i'm jennifer leigh. >> i'm josh benson. thank you very much for being with us tonight. >> much of the southeast is on alert for severe storms and a chance of tornadoes today and this evening. storm team 8 meteorologist steve jerve joins us now. >> no watches in place for us. but the potential for severe weather is there tomorrow. any time between 7:00 a.m. to noon across the bay area from west to east. so let's take a look at the radar. you can see a lot of this activity is far to our west. an intense area of low pressure, a jest stream we have been talking on tends to move the storm tracks a little further south. we have had records of tornadoes west of new orleans. a little bright mark there

also one around hattiesburg, mississippi. around sections of southern mississippi too. just an indication of how strong these thunderstorms are and the tornado watch itself that goes well into alabama. at the southern end, a cold front will move through the bay area tomorrow and ahead of the line of thunderstorms we could see some high winds and a small possibility of seeing tornadoes. you can see the line of showers and storms ahead of the cold front itself racing along to the east. you can see how it moves out of the area. it is replaced by an area of high pressure building in that will provide a cooler sunnier week ahead with highs in the 60s . but, it will remain weather aware here in the overnight. but especially around the commute time for the arrival of the line of thunderstorms that could be possibly severe. we keep you posted on any advisories that may come our way. guys? >> could be a busy night for you in the storm team.

you can track the weather any time at home using our storm team 8 weather max app. it is free to download in your app store. we know the cause of a sulfur springing house fire that left a family homeless. they are blaming a lit cigarette. lindsey mastis reports it was a miracle the family got out. >> reporter: it didn't take long for flame to overtake the home. a neighbor called 911 and ran to help. >> i'm treeing to see who else is in there. >> reporter: she saw a man she knows. the family who lives here says his name is samuel callisto and he tried everything he could to save his home. a move that landed him in the hospital. >> it was scary. you see him in the door way with a water hose, you know, the water hose only gives you so much water. >> reporter: everyone got out

even the two dogs benji and tucci. carmen lives near the front of the home where the fire started. she lost medical items. she revealed she is fighting colon cancer. >> i don't want to go through it again. >> reporter: her sons admit most of their belongings are in storage. they only moved here about a month ago. but she believes sammy lost everything. >> everything. everything is gone. >> she's alive. he's alive. sammy is alive. thankful for that. >> reporter: the family plans to stay in a hotel until they can find a new place to live. lindsey mastis, newschannel8. >> and at last check, the man taken to the hospital is expect today be okay. a firefighter was also hurt but is expected to recover. polk county teachers held a rally outside the school board headquarters ahead of the meeting where members are

the interim school superintendent. newschannel8's josh thomas joins us live at the school board offices in bartow where the meeting is scheduled to begin in a short time. >> reporter: good evening jenn. tonight's meeting follows a work session with the topic of discussion of finding a new superintendent. >> once you have interviewed the candidates ... >> reporter: polk county school board members met for the first time with the interim superintendent for the first time since katherine leroy stepped down. >> i would want anyone to feel comfortable to apply. >> reporter: the superintendent jacqueline bird will now serve as the interim superintendent. it follows the resignation of a superintendent accused by a subordinate of sexual harassment. >> are they ready the move forward? >> definitely.

but we need to get rid of the drama and go back to focusing children. >> reporter: even the associate suspect who lost the complaint told me he is ready to move on. >> i think mrs. bird is going to do a good job. >> reporter: the head of the teacher's union want to have a with the new suspect. >> we are hoping they will find a superintendent that first of all understands collective bargaining and understands the fact that employees have rights and understands that to move a district forward, you need many elements to work together. >> reporter: and it is expected that the school board will approve a contract for the interim superintendent later tonight. it would last until a permanent replacement is named. name a replacement? >> reporter: well, the replacement, the firm that has been hired to try to find the replacement told the school board earlier today that search

eight months. >> in it for the long haul. josh thomas reporting live, thank you josh. for the third time since he dropped his daughter from a tampa bridge, john upshaw has beenically dared competent to stand trial. he is improving. he will be tested in three to four weeks. he is charged with murdering his daughter phoebe last january. a grieving community is still reeling from the deadly shooting of a six-year-old boy in miami. he was shot while playing with his friend in a park on sunday. his family and friends gathered there today to rally against violent crimes. they are also begging people to break the anti-snitch code and help them get justice. the u.s. coast guard's plan to put the el faro on a list of at risk vessels. it is a designation that would have triggered more safety inspections. the ship sank before they could

they argue there were no big structural or mechanical weaknesses on the ship. the florida senate could change the way child custody disputes are settled. judges would be required to split time equally between the divorcing parents. according to the bill's rights for parents. president obama moves a step close tore keeping his promise of closing a detention facility at guantanamo bay. >> 8 on your side has a look at the prison in cuba. >> also ahead, off duty deputies perform a life saving rescue off the coast of jacksonville. >> we'll have that and more coming um. you're watching newschannel8.

>> president obama just announced a plan to close the prison at guantanamo bay. we want to revisit a series of 8 on your side stories from 2006 when keith keith cate went to the prison for a nearby look. >> gitmo guards hear the allegations. how they physically and mentally abuse inmates. >> i think it is unfair. >> i believe so. >> reporter: so is the commander in charge. if anyone is mistreated, guards believe it is them. >> detainees are always throwing feces on us. trying to hit us. harm us when we are trying to

it is a constant shower. >> some detainees will hit a door. no matter what you do, they will try to strike a door. head butt, kick. >> reporter: the only punishment, 30 days without comfort items like prayer beads, rugs, and mattresses. well behaved detainees are rewarded with communal living and outdoor recreation. but don't confuse compliance with commitment. >> they sometimes riot. had a couple of them who actually had it made up to lose so when the guards went to get him and secure him, they attempted to strike the guards with fan blades, broken cameras. >> reporter: that was in may. in june, three detainees hanged themselves before guards could act. >> are you concerned with the

of the position you are in? >> yes. >> reporter: this sergeant requested that we not use his name. he was threatened with death. >> it is not easy. i wish i was at home. >> reporter: ridicule, taunts and intimidation take their toll. >> you sound a little emotional. >> a little bit. we hear it all the time. sometimes you have to block it out. you have to block it out. >> reporter: the job typically lasts for one year. too long according to a navy veteran. >> i think a year is a little too much. >> so this will open again. >> yes. >> reporter: matt keene is the rare exception. he volunteered to serve in camp delta one more year. >> does anyone ask about when

is there a curiosity factor on when that day will come? >> i mean, as far as detainees? oh yeah. all the time. >> reporter: how do you respond to that? >> we are here just for the safety and security of them. we don't give them an answer. we tell them we don't know. >> reporter: a new military system won't begin until spring at the earliest. leaving gitmo guards on the brink. protecting enemy combatants while defending themselves behind the wire and around the world. >> it is so shocking, an affront to the principles of democracy. >> we are here to make sure they don't harm themselves. we are not here to hurt them. i don't think the general public sees that. >> reporter: keith cate, newschannel8. >> and this story is just one in a series.

now to a preview of an 8 on your side investigation we are woking for 11:00. our investigation into poor construction in a bradenton condo led to an attorney general settlement with one of the nation's largest builders but what about the county inspectors who didn't catch those violations? shannon behnken is looking for answers. >> reporter: we are toad they were working on a memo. then this week, they said no memo. we want to know why inspectors didn't catch major problems that were going on here. it is a question that anyone buying a new home wants to know because we found shaky balconies and mold and these houses were literally falling apart at first, no one wanted to speak to us today. but we kept trying and were finally able to score a pretty good interview. >> so you got some answers. is the county making some changes? >> we got some answers and they are working on it. they are still trying to figure

and how they are going to make the changes but this was the first time we were able to get a pretty candid response from the man in charge about his building inspectors and everything that they missed. >> we are looking forward to hearing from him at 11:00. thank you shannon behnken. well, you can see the results of shannon's story tonight at 11:00 right here on newschannel8. clear skies, warm south wind at 14 miles an hour. a nice breeze coming in from that southerly direction. and, that is just helping to raise our temperatures as well as the amount of moisture in the atmosphere. it is a bit more humid feeling. but that is all going to change front. but a line of thunderstorms, some potentially strong or severe, will move through the bay area any time from the a.m. to 3:00 p.m. strong to severe thunderstorms. yeah, that is possible. then back to the 60s for highs below average temperatures

so, now is a good time to download the storm team 8 weather max app for any watches or warnings. and of course checking tout radar. 72 degrees. partly cloudy skies. 69 degrees as the front arrive thunderstorms. by 3:00 p.m., most of the activity should be inland. high lands county could be dealing with rain. some of it should be cleared of the area by then. then the changes start with the cold front moving through. 75 degrees in tampa international. dew point 67 degrees with a southwesterly wind. same 67-degree dew point reading there. temperatures mid to upper 70s so a nice warm day downtown saint petersburg. low pressure continue to ramp up around the south. a tornado watch has been placed. you can see the storms developing across sections of the south and severe thunderstorm warnings and tornado warnings around the new

most of the rain has been inland. looks relatively quiet on the radar in polk county. 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. northern spots, possibly pinellas county. the greatest potential for severe weather looks to be along coastal areas coming off the gulf of mexico. 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., largely inland areas. then 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. you can see high lands county. a lot of this will shift to the east as the day goes along on ahead of the cold front itself. here is a look at the rpm forecast model. this evening. still possible. quieter in the overnight. but as we start to head toward sunrise, the front will arrive after 7:00 a.m. that is the timing on the rpm forecast around 8:35 in the morning. cold front, sweeping in from the west around 11:45. you can see the timing right over the bay itself. then pushing off through the east wednesday at 2:45 with clearing conditions taking

the sun coming back, a nice sunset for tomorrow night. but then the windier conditions, cooler conditions will build in. breezy too, thursday morning with a few clouds. but that starts the clearer trend, the cooler trend. some might call it cold for this time of year with highs in the 60s the rest of the week. as we get into friday morning. jackets. temps in the mid 40s . the lightning rain. a small possibility of tornadoes. and of course, wind gusts too. 73 degrees for the evening. partly cloudy skies. warm like it is now. rain shouldn't be too much of a problem, but you can't rule out an isolated shower. the weather throughout the period, the possible of thunderstorms developing earlier in the day. potentially some severe. wednesday, thursday, friday, there you go. you see the cool down there. temps low 60s by friday. 64 for saturday. 69 degrees on sunday.

the mid 40s on saturday and sunday morning. so, a cool start to the day. but with sunshine, nice florida sunshine this time of the year. should warm us up nicely. but still below normal in the temperature category. of course, any advisories, warnings, things like that, we will be here to talk about it live or on facebook live as well. back to you guys. >> thank you very much steve. well, two bald eaglets had to be rescued from a cell phone tower. a veterinarian is now caring for both of them. hopes to renest them once they have recovered. watch as a pair of off duty deputies rescue a sea turtle off the coast of jacksonville. a crab trap was tightening around its neck. one of the deputies was able to untangle the trap and keep the turtle in the water saving its life.

international space station have found a unique way to tackle cabin fever. they dress up as gorillas and chase each other around. scott kelly posted this on twitter. he didn't give any information. just the caption i thought you had things under control up there. he is coming home next week. [ laughter ] he is totally ready. armed on the clock. >> coming up next, really interesting story. why a georgia businessman is requiring people to pack heat

>> now to what's making headlines across america. authorities searching for a missing child have pulled a body from the syracuse inner harbor. they have not revealed if it is the body of 21 month old maddox lawrence who was taken from her father ryan lawrence on the on sunday. lawrence has been taken into custody. two twin doe washers in midtown, new york got stuck

a georgia business owner is now requiring that all his employees get a concealed carry handgun permit and be armed. the company, lance toland and associates provides assistance to aircraft insurers. he says recent reports about crime have concerned him so he decided to require all of his employees to carry a weapon. once they get their licenses, he gives them a pistol. well, newschannel8 at 6:00 is coming up next. >> stacie schaible and keith cate are here with what we are working on. >> it is a wild ride you will only see on newschannel8. >> a fedex driver swerving all over the road. >> we will talk to another driver who caught this thing on camera. >> an iconic burger joint making a comeback. how goody good by brought back something old and something new. >> an update to an 8 on your side investigation turns until in this doctor's office. this is one you don't want to miss. >> this dog has been at the

and now, he needs your help finding a home. >> those stories plus your storm team 8 forecast and sports with dan lucas coming up on newschannel8.

>> right now on newschannel8 at 6:00. >> the veering all over the road. hitting a median. a fedex driver's wreckless ride caught on camera. >> fired up over a fax flub. a walking clinic that faxes errors goes on the offensive. >> and a desperate search for this lab's owner. i'm keith cate. >> i'm stacie schaible. thank you very much for joining us tonight.

strong storms in the forecast. meteorologist steve jerve joins us from the weather center. >> the morning commute is the timing of it. there are no watches in place, but are severe thunderstorms occurring across parts of the lower south. mississippi, louisiana, alabama. but for now, we are enjoying very nice warm weather. it is tomorrow morning for the commute time when we are really watching for the approach of a line of thunderstorms associated with a cold front. new orleans has reports west around the kenner area of tornado touches. we are seeing on social media. pictures coming in of what appear to be a tornado damage. right now, these are the warnings in place. several tornado warnings east of laurel, mississippi. north of mcclain, mississippi. then north of slidel. this is all moving off to the northeast. this is part of a larger complex that will eventually drag the cold front through here tomorrow morning. things are quiet.