the news starts in one 8 at 7:00 begins now. good evening, fists flying between class, reports of violence have parents and students on islet. they tell -- high alert. they tell us there's been a rash of fights at alonso high school. mary mcguire joins us live, and

to all of this mary? >> ever. >> reporter: out sides of alonso high school, one parent tells me the fights between students have gotten so bad she wants to pull her daughter out and start home schooling her. >> to bring your child to school and see cop after cop, my daughter is fear walking in and out of her class rooms. >> reporter: in an attempt to quell those fear, multiple hillsborough county sheriffs deputies showed up with the school buses this morning. >> i think there's been like four fights this week. >> reporter: one fight friday sent one student to the intensative care unit at a tampa bay hospital. a -- intensive care unit at a tampa bay hospital. a viewer sent in a photo of the student being wheeled into an ambulance, and another student

different story. >> there was the fight on friday between two students, but in talking with the principal they said it's actually been very quiet at alonso this year. >> reporter: now alonso high school students tell me they're no longer allowed to hang out in the hallways between class period, and must directly report to class rooms. mary mcguire, news channel 8. welshing you can chalk this one up -- well, you can chalk this up to stupid criminals. over the weekend police heard of a package arriving at a toy store, inside were credit cards, and the police busted a card ring. >> the people who's cards were used in this case were not aware their data was

reported their cards either lost or stolen. >> police think the people they arrested are part of a larger theft ring involving stolen credit cart data, gift card, and electronic purchases. a few weeks ago we told you about a mom that wanted a stricter punishment for her son for stealing a car. the department of juveniles didn't seem to care until we got involved. >> reporter: tara miller say things haven't gotten better since we spoke to her about her son matthew miller three weeks ago. she recently learned from school resource officers he has a weapon. >> if they see and recognize him they can pick him up, but they're not going to go out actively chasing after him based on a picture on facebook of him with a gun. >> reporter: she feels the did

department of juvenile justice continues to turn a blind eye, answer. >> we need to have schools and after care and a juvenile justice system who are trauma informed to provide appropriate service. >> reporter: advocates say if you're dealing with a trouble teen, try dialing 211, and they'll have a list of services in the area that best fits your family. in pinellas county, jamel lanee'. erin andrews took the stand this evening in her $75 million lawsuit against the man that filmed a nude video of her and the hotel where it happened. she told the court about how she first heard about the video and called her father in tears, telling hem what happened. she said -- him what happened. she said it took weeks to figure out where the video came from, and she wished the hotel alerted her about the man that requested to be in the hotel room next to her.

this could have been stopped, the nashville marriott could have just called me and said we're putting this man that requested to be next to you, is this okay, and i would have called the cop, and we would have gotten him. we could have stopped this, and i'm so angry. i'm so mad. >> michael barrett, the man who spent 30 months behind bars for filming that video of andrews testified today by video about how he was able to call the hotel and find out where andrews room was. the hotel maintains it did nothing wrong. pinellas county efficients want to make sure beach -- efficients want to make sure beach visitors know the dangers of rip currents with new sign, explaining how to break free from one if you get caught up with one. they believe storms fueled bid el nino could increase the risk of rip current this is year. people in venice are furious over the closure of

the discovery of mold forced the building to shut down, but as john rogers shows us, many feel the decision was rushed. >> reporter: the venice public library closed a month ago. the plan is demollic it and build a new -- demolish it and build a any one, but -- a new one, but it's not a popular decision. people feel it's easier to clean the mold than demolish the library. the nearest vail facility -- available facility is miles away. the books inside here will be removed and they'll determine soon where to build a new building, but it could take the county will hold a had you been meeting on this closure -- hold a public meeting on this

and there's a new roller coaster coming together quickly. the 80-foot 15-ton cobra was put together, and they constructed the vertical lift. wow. the grand opening is scheduled for this summer. >> they never call at this time soft bunny or something, it's like cobra or something. >> so i wonder will you ride through the mouth of the cobra? or you are the cobra? >> be the cobra. yes, i have a lot of questions. hey, the weather, well-played sir. >> yeah, this weekend was awesome. >> it was really good. and 74 right now, our reported high temperature, the afternoon high for this time of year. a few clouds on the photographic, but most of the

mostly clear this evening, as for the morning hour, 57, pretty close to the normal low this time to have year, mostly sunny -- time of year, mostly sunny start, and in the afternoon tomorrow, sunshine, a few clouds, very nice, 77, could be a bit warm feeling for this time of year, but we have a cold front slated for wednesday bringing a slight rain chance for us. as i mentioned temperatures pretty nice around the bay area at this hour, mostly clear. 70 lakeland, 70 winter haven, 61 in crystal river. >> a cold front headed our way, the impact on temperatures coming up, and the rain chances associated with the front coming up. still ahead on 8 at 7:00. >> the detroit tigers played their first spring training game today, but the economic impact in lakeland will last well beyond today's game. >> reporter: the owners of this roofing company are the would be victims other of a scam that -- of a scam that could be

that and more coming up. you're watching news channel 8,

it's that time of year again, baseball teams are ready to start spring training here in florida, and 'report there's a -- josh thomas report there's a good reason to look forward to the return of baseball every year. >> reporter: the sweet sounds of baseball returned to lakeland today as 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 have been coming to lakeland from canada for years for spring training. they and other visitors help bring in $45 million for the local economy.

recirculated money, they're paying our sales tax, local option taxes and fuel taxes. >> reporter: david and mary ann made the trip from michigan. >> we spend a lot of money down here because we eat at all your great establishments. have called lakeland their years. in lakeland, josh thomas, news channel 8. today's game. they and several other teams will play tomorrow, and the rays open their spring training season on wednesday in port charlotte. well heads up there's a security beach at snap chat. coming up we'll tell you what the bad guys managed to access, plus apple has a few new products to show off, and we have a good idea when to expect the big announcement. avorite. visit freshfromflorida.com for great recipes. delicious is always served

today it's florida flatbread with fresh tomatoes it's easy to turn local produce look for the fresh from florida label when you shop. remember, delicious is always served fresh from florida. from now on when you order a foot lodge at subway you'll get a -- long at subway you'll get a sandwich that's actually foot long. subway is putting new practices

loaf of bread measure's full foot. some employees at snap chat are the victim of a phishing scam. it admitted over the weekend scammers managed to access the personal data of some of their employees, including salary amounts. the users were not affected, and data on servers was sot compromised. looks like the next big announcements from apple just just a few weeks away. they expect the next product launch to come on march 22nd. tech experts are expecting a new four-inch iphone nearly identical to the 5, but with significant heart ware updates -- hardware update, also an update to the ipad and new versions of apple watch. another futuristic device becoming available next month.

shipping the hollow lens to developers on the 30th. it blends virtual reality with what's really there, allowing projected images to interact with the physical world. have you ever been hit with hidden resort fees when it's time to check out of a hotel? >> >. the his my -- hotel? a missouri senator wants to stop it. some hotels charge extra for the swimming pool, gym access, even a newspaper. the proposal would require hotels to disclose all fees front. millennials are finally showing an interest in homeownership. existing home sales were up slightly in january, and some buyers were younger adults. many 20 and 30-somethings were scared away in the housing crash a few years ago, and even

low right now, getting approved can be difficult. >> i think we knew it would be a little difficult, i had no idea how intense the underwriting process is and how much they really dig into everything in your life. >> everyone is faced with the same hurdle, specifically the millennial, establishing credit is a lot of it. >> >. a new report by scott trade found obtaining a mortgage is the none one financial priority of millennials higher than retirement and health care. the owners of a valrico roofing company say they've been targeted by swindlers that may be half a world away. mark douglas shows how it washinged worked. >> the first -- how it worked. >> the first thought is oh this is great. >> reporter: it didn't take long for wilson, president of cardinal roofing to figure out something was amiss for a

>> the person claimed she was deaf and then said she was also in the hospital, and needed our help, can we help get things done quickly to get a reroof done. >> reporter: the blessings were touch, but the writing was terrible, and wilson picked right up on that. >> the grammar was off, the spelling was off on a couple of things. >> reporter: and you're a teacher. >> has been, yes. >> reporter: and there was a suspicious twist. the writer wanted to give cardinal a credit card payment for the roof job, then have cardinal wire most of that money in cash to an unnamed plumber who supposedly didn't take credit cards. that was the aha moment? >> yes, as soon as we heard the words wire transfer. >> reporter: but what really grates wilson is how they posed as a disabled person. >> it chapped by hide to say the least, that someone would use a disability to try and get sympathy.

this company say the scammers didn't get any of their money, but are afraid some in the industry might fall prey. mark douglas, news channel 8. >> and fraud experts tell us this is known as an advanced fee scamment consumers are almost always the target, but this time it was a business. this is the last day of february, looking back at the month, two and a half inches of rape, little below -- rain, little below normal. cooler than average. we anticipated a cooler and potentially wetter winter. the rain fall about average though. looking ahead to march, the average a 76. that's the forecast from the climate prediction center. three inches of rain is the average, forecasting a little more than that. 64 the forecast at 9:00 p.m., temperatures in the 60s this evening. a nice comfortable night to go

mostly clear skies tomorrow. loads of sunshine to start the day, a few clouds here and there, but overall you'll enjoy it. 68, current temperature, dewpoint 50 at tampa international. northwest wind at 7 miles per hour. quite a few clouds to the north of us, but not so much here. some clouds eroding in the evening hours as the dry air aloft is there, and we could see a few fair weather clouds combined with high clouds from the west, but overall mostly clear, even to start the day tomorrow. the afternoon looking good. here's the approach of the cold front. that's headed our way wednesday morning. the front will actually shift the winds in the afternoon hour, early afternoon hours from the north, and for a brief period of time draw in slightly cooler air, but clearing out the skies too, and setting up a nice day into the end of the week. 50 inverness, and crystal river

so warm tomorrow, temperatures above normal, we could see 80- degree readings in some inland area, but upper 70s compared to the 74 today. 74 for wednesday as well, there's that slight rain chance with the front you saw on the map. next front, 20 percent rain chance into friday, but overall the temperature profile not changing much. a lot overshine, and occasional clouds. good weather for the out of towns fans here to watch baseball. >> so any team of any note. >> yes, pirates, red sox, tigers. >> i got all the time in the world. >> dodgers play out west. >> oh, okay. we'll be right back. >> reporter: students learning while they're earnings, i'll tell you about a program right here in tampa bay that gets students jobs.

looks like a friendship is on the mend in moscow. you might remember the goat that was supposed to be lunch with a tiger, well instead they became friends until the tiger got tired of the arrangement, and took a bite out of the goat, but that didn't ruin the friendship. they're still hanging out, just with bars in between to prevent future biting. and this dog, wesley just received braces, not for

teeth so crooked he couldn't close his mouth. the vet expects his teeth will be straightened out in just about a month then the braces can come off. and look at this guy, it's tough enough to be an overweight hedgehog and his name is jabba. he's triple the weight of a normal hog, and he's now going on a diet. the problem with his weight is he can't fully roll up into his protective posture. >> yeah, that's a problem. >> so yeah, he's rotund. you can never call a female that though. >> >. oh, yeah, a lawsuit or

>> oh, there would be and i'd be a witness in the trial. thanks for joining us, get your news any time from our app. ideo chris rock and his girlfriend moments after he skewered hollywood. kate on her reunion with leo. gaga and taylor and the stars partying inside "vanity fair." >> it's the oscars. on extra. >> right now. chris rock, rips into hollywood. >> you damn right hollywood's racist. >> taking a jab at jada taking on the white elephant in the room. >> i'm a danish girl. >> we got the celebrity score cord on rock today. >> we regret not going to the oscars? >> leo's long awaited oscar victory. >> very nervous but it's all over now. >> his kiss with kate you didn't see. plus, crazy video of the stars

and our back stage oscar victory party. >> the scars come straight to extra that's how we do it here. >> gwen and blake's first official red carpet as a couple. >> the biggest party only extra can take you inside the "vanity fair" bash. >> from the couples to the star collisions to the wild candid candidsism j-law's ripped from the runway gown. it all starts right now. >> look there's your name right there. >> yeah. they spelled it properly. >> on extra. >> i'm at the oscars here with extra. >> i'm at the oscars with mario. >> hey, everyone welcome to extra at the oscars. i'm mario lopez. >> you are looking oh, so handsome. it doesn't get anymore a list. >> leo, matt and gaga, all your

here's jerry. pressure. >> people are like, chris you should boycott. >> more scrutiny, more controversy than chris rock. awards. the white people's choice awards. >> and he absolutely faced it all head on. blistering hollywood with a ten minute 22 second scorchingly funny roast that nearly broke the internet with praise. ellen tweeting that was really incredible. but a few like, this daily news cover, declaring he went too far with lines like this. >> in the 60s black people did not protest because we had real things to protest at the time. when the grandmother is swinging from a tree. it's really hard to care about best documentary foreign short. >> let him be who he is and do what he does. >> oscar winner and former host whoopi goldberg, one of many stars saying he crushed it.