right now on nate at 530 -- news channel 8 at 5:30. good evening i'm jennifer leigh. >> i'm josh benson. thanks for being with us. a string of fights at a hillsborough county high school has parents, student, and administrators on high alerts. >> >. there have been a lot of fist fights at alonzo high school the past couple of week, and one even september one student -- sent one student to the hospital, and another sent a student to jail. >> reporter: stepped up patrols by sheriffs deputies will hopefully stop the violence. a viewer sent in these picture,

had to be keeled away on a -- wheel away on a stretcher and zone intensive care unit of a local hospital. the sheriffs hope their presence deters recent violence. students say the fights feel like that i have been one after another -- they've been one after another. >> like four fights last week, they're usually when i'm walking to the calf fear i can't. >> reporter: but a school district -- calf fear i can't. >> reporter: but the school district said the principal reported just one fight last beaten. the sheriffs office tells us walker was arrested and charged with felony battery and interruption of a school function. rumors swirled there would be pay back today, hence the beefed up patrols. though. >> everyone gathers by the flag

>> reporter: so it's like a spectacle? >> yeah. >> reporter: the school district says the student that beat up the student last week won't been in school this week. count on us to continue to monitor the situation and bring you the latest developments as we get them. ryan hughes, news channel 8. >> and students tell us they're told they can no longer mingle until hallways between class, report to the next class immediately. a woman orlando police say killed a delivery driver while running from the law is held without bail. they say she fled, ran a red light and crashed into the delivery man's car. he was a 23-year-old single dad, and he was killed. the woman is charged with vehicle homicide and driving

carnival cruise ship picked up several migrants, and took them to the next port of call and handed over the immigration officials. and it seems the royal caribbean cruise ship anthem of the seas can't catch a break. it's been forced to turn back to port again, this time because of a neurovirus outbreak. the same ship sailed through a storm earlier this month, and passengers had to wait for ten hours as the ship was battered by passive waves and hurricane- forced winds. a navy seal was honored with america's highest military honor today. edward byers was awarded the medal of honor today. in 2012 he helped rescue an american doctor held captive by the taliban. he used his own body to shield the hostage.

veterans from us special forces are training to chase down people that abuse children. thousands of us service personnel came back from the battlefield with career ending wounds, but still have a sense of service. the hero core trains them to rescue children in danger and capture the people that hurt them. >> so the hero core, being just the completely unique program that it is, it gives a veteran the opportunity to not only take on a mission, but really, really go out and make efforts to rescue children. >> the veterans must pleat a year-long -- complete a year- long training program. now let's take a look at an 8 on your side investigation we're working on for 11:00. shannon behnken is with us now. ing health insurance coverage can be mri kateed, and some people are having -- complicated, and some people have having trouble getting in to see their own doctors.

dealing with an insurance nightmare, i told you about it last week, the phone has been then. there's a woman who's having trouble, and her situation is scary. she had this florida blue plan for 2015, but last week started receiving strange phone calls from her doctors, telling her florida blue called them and said she doesn't have coverage at all any, and she didn't have it at all for 2015, and that means they want all the money they paid for every single thing she had in 2015 returned to them. >> my goodness. and you're getting to the bottom of it? >> we are, and we discovered some things that will have all of us checking our plans to make sure this doesn't happen to us, because it can happen to anyone. she didn't do anything wrong. >> and if phone calls since friday are proof of that. thank you. and be sure to watch tonight for the latest on shannon's investigation, coverage confusion.

are the big winners in the tax tallahassee. property taxes go down, not up as proposed by the governor, and the state won't spend any money on economic development. mike has more from tallahassee. >> reporter: rick scott put tax cuts up in february, and the governor's let's get to work committee spent just over a million dollars since the first of the year on tv with this message. >> attract businesses to move to florida. >> reporter: the lawmakers are saying no, scott is getting none of the 250 million businesses to the state, and less than half the tax cuts he's been seeking. >> we stand on the house position of vie row dollar -- zero dollars for the fund. >> reporter: enterprise florida is already saying 55,000 jobs won't be created because of the decision.

lawmakers are also pushing back by refusing the governor's request to use local property taxes to increase school funding. >> there are over 11 million property taxpayers i'm told in the state of florida, so when we can give tax relief to 11 million people, it's better than giving it to big corporations. >> reporter: right now the local effort costs property $400 of taxable value. >> there's a decrease in the about 4.6 mills. >> reporter: at the capitol monday morning, the governor's office declined an afternoon when he returned midday. a bill allowing terminally ill patient toss use medical marijuana hit a big speed bump.

people can dispense medical marijuana. they hope the constitutional amendment will pass in november. baseball fans, rejoice, spring training is finally here. >> what great weather we're having, and that means big bucks as well for local businesses. the impact it's already having. and the voice is back too. the judges are kicking things up a notch this year. what you can expect to see as tonight. and perfect weather, 70s, and a couple of clouds, but it's coming up. that and more coming up. you're watching news channel 8,

the voice is back tonight, the new season beguns with the -- begins with the blind auditions. >> and christina aguleira is looking to take blake shelton down this time. >> reporter: the blind auditions almost always bring surprises. jordan smith may have been the voice's biggest surprise ever. >> you don't look like your voice, fyi [ singing ] >> reporter: his falsetto got him the nickname unicorn. >> >. you don't come across one very often. >> reporter: adam levine's guy won the season, and broke their record of song downloads. tonight they'll hear a new

>> the -- auditions. >> the people i turn around for are people that sound different. >> reporter: but putting a finger on just what what is is tough. >> it's impossible to say why. >> somebody not as good just has a thing but you're like okay i need to turn around and see who that is. >> reporter: and when more than one coach turns around, the fun begins. >> right when i think okay i have this person on my team, i have no competition, i'm good, boom, there comes blake. >> reporter: but she's more than ready to take on the boys. >> >. we developed a new level ] >> i don't know why, but she copied me. >> reporter: and also try to copy shelton's success on the new season of the voice. >> and the new season begins tonight at 8:00 p.m. the mid-season premier of mind spot at 10:00, then stick around for news channel 8 at

and as expected chris rock took the oscars so white controversy head on in the opening monologue last night. he called the show quite the white peoples choice awards. arguably the most emotion moment was lady gaga's performance of until it happens to you. and vice president biden got a standing ovation for telling people to take a stand against sexual assault. meanwhile a mix up on the red carpet, true beauty tweeted oprah was at that timed and we love it -- tatted, and we love with whoopi. they tweeted an apology. it's a sure sign of spring, major league baseball teams have arrived in the tampa bay

fact two team, the boston red sox and detroit tigers opened the season by taking on local college teams. the fans look forward to it every year, and josh thomas explains so did the communities where the teams train. >> reporter: major league baseball teams have been coming to florida for spring training for decade, and while fans look forward to it every year, so did the communities where the teams train. the sweet sound of baseball returned to lakeland today where the detroit tigers played their first game of spring training. >> >. just enjoy it, just love the atmosphere, the people are great, love watching the tigers. >> reporter: joan norman and her husband having coming to lakeland from canada for many years for this past time. they help bring in $45 million for the local economy along with other fans.

they're paying our sales tax, fuel taxes, and more. many of them come and stay two or three months. >> reporter: that includes visitors like glenn from michigan. >> we come for the entire month of february in our rv, it's stretched out to about six weeks, if the wife had it her way it would be eight or nine. >> reporter: darryl and mary ann made the trip in michigan. >> we spend a lot of money down here, eating at the great establishments her. >> reporter: and the tigers called lakeland their spring training home for 80 years. is lakeland well known up in michigan? >> >. oh, yeah, they know that lakeland, you say lakeland, it's spring training, you know, oh, yeah. >> reporter: by the way, the tieingest won today -- tigers won today's game. several other teams will play tomorrow, and the rays ever will their first spring training game on wednesday in port charlotte.

say, the tigers won today, and will join other teams playing tomorrow, and the rays play wednesday in port charlotte. came up with a high of 74 today, turned out to be a beautiful day, the forecast high. 72. bito of a breeze, but not -- bit of a breeze, but not much. winds light and variable, northwest breeze right now at this location. want to check out after about 9:00 p.m. after sunset, well after sunset, jupiter there in the eastern sky, so check out that. spring training games going on. tuesday the blue jays and philadelphia, tigers, and pie ats out in -- pirates out in lakeland. the average temperature for march, 76 and 58, the average rain fall three inches, typically for the month.

month and -- wetter month and average temperatures. we'll see how that plays out. 76 for the evening -- 67 for the evening, low of 58. mostly sunny skies, 77, picking up a few clouds into wednesday with a cold front, causing a wind shift. slightly cooler temperatures in the seven-day. 73 right now. pretty nice looking current map there. 75, brandon and 75 lakeland. around the rest of the southeast not bad, up to kansas city 70. 76 in houston, and gorgeous weather over to charlotte, north carolina. cold front to the new york of us, got another -- north of us, got another front upstream moving through wednesday, causing a slight chance of rain, add the possibility of a sprinkle into the forecast and a few extra clouds, and few clouds popped up this afternoon, visible on satellite, losing that based on

a few pop up clouds, wanted to show you that. those are evaporating here with our dry air high above in the atmosphere. this evening, clear sky, temperatures still saying very come if i. just a great -- comfortable. just a great night to get out and take a stroll. tonight blue skies, temperatures in the 50s in the afternoon, a few clouds where a rapid warm up, the -- with a rapid warm up. not expecting severe weather along or near the boundary, just cooler air once the front moves through. keeping it night through the rest of the week. thursday mostly sunny sky, typical march temperatures near 73. so the next three day, a warmer day tomorrow, 73, same number or wednesday, at a few clouds, slight chance of rain for wednesday into the thursday, 73, beautiful day there. another rain chance for friday, temperatures stay pretty close to average through the weekend, so sweet looking weekend. really getting some good timing

those lucky enough to have the weekend off. this past went cool, sunny, and fantastic, and this one looking like the same, and for baseball fawns, if -- fan, you got a great week. >> definitely. you're on a role. thanks. >> thank you. all right, thanks. well the self-proclaimed planned parenthood gunman calls it a righteous crew side. >> what he says drove him to

now to what's making headlines across america, casualties of war, that's how the planned parenthood shooter described his victims. he proclaimed his guilt in loud outbursts in preliminary hearings in december. this week he explained what drove him to kill. >> there's a war, these are casualties, and are you going to name the hundred million babies who were killed that nobody talks about? nobody represents them. they have no voice, yet our constitution says we have the

pursuit of happiness. >> he's currently undergoing a mental competency evaluation. michigan governor's aids new something was wrong with flint's water in october of 2014. newly released e-mails show they discuss switching the water supply, it's dated six months after flint started using its own rivers for drinking water. a three-year-old louisiana boy is back home safe and sound thanks to an unlikely hero. little eli wan doored away from home. -- wandered away from home in the middle of the night. a neighbor sprang into action with his hunting dog. the dog tracked him down an hour into the search. and shocking dash cam video, a dump truck barrels through an intersection taking out three cars.

of the screen. the truck slammed into the silver car. four people were taken to the hospital, can be guess what, they're all expected to be okay. the driver says he doesn't know how he lost control. and a boat storage facility went up in flames in portland. it's not clear how many boats were damaged, but hundreds are dry locked in and outside of it. news channel 8 at 6:00 is coming up next. here's what we're working on. following breaking news out of nashville, tennessee, where erin andrews is on the stand. >> she's suing her stalker and the marriott hotel she stayed in when she was filmed through a peephole. her emotional system coming up. and fights at a district high school, why is the district down playing it?

>> reporter: how would you respond to a plea for help from someone who claims to be deaf and in the hospital? these construction workers didn't buy it, and neither should you. >> that's coming up on news channel 8, the station that's

right now on news channel 8 at 6:00. >> i feel so ashamed. i'm so embarrassed. tearful testimony, erin andrews takes the stand over the lawsuit and the video that takes her life forever. and all out brawls at a bay area high school. the fight that landed a student in the hospital. a different kind of scam, this time contractors are the target. i'm stacie schaible.

for joining us tonight. we begin with breaking news. erin an brews testify -- andrews testifying right now in a nashville courtroom. she's suing her stalker that took pictures and videos of her through a peephole, as well as the marriott hotel where it happened. she's talking agent the difficulty of working -- about the difficulty of working on dancing with the star windshield all of this going on -- star windshield all of this going on. let's listen in to some of the system. well there you go. looks like this is wrapping up. this system at times but the wrenching. andrews breaking down talking about the imact of the video on the her life and career. >> earlier today her stalker testified by video.