we are going to begin tonight with a look at the tropics. hurricane matthew is growing stronger throughout the day right now. it is up to a category 4 storm. and, meteorologist julie phillips joins us from the forecast center where the very latest track. hi julie. >> thank you stacie. this storm is rapidly intensifying. the advisory came down and it was already up to a category it is very powerful. it is also slowing down a bit which has allowed it to intensify. moving toward the west, southwest at 9 miles an hour. hurricane hunters were out investigating the storm today, found the pressure had also dropped to 949 millibars so this is a very powerful storm at this point. still moving toward the west. as we head into the weekend, you will notice the turn to the north. hurricane watches are posted for jamaica.

headed its way. from there, it continues to track north as it heads toward the bahamas by the middle of nec week. the forecast tracks do change a bit. that is why we have the cone of uncertainty. our eyes are drawn to the center but look to the west and east, because they are all potential paths the storm can take. the further east, the better for florida. we will watch this very closely as we head into the weekend and early next week for the potential impacts midweek for florida. as far as our models are generally in consensus just wobbling a little bit to the west and east, how close to the coast of florida this is going to move. so, we will have more on matthew. and of course, have your full weekend forecast coming up in a few minutes. guys? >> thanks julie. and you can track the tropics on your smartphone with our storm team 8 weather max app. it is free to download at the app store. it may be part of a national trend. creepy clown sightings in the

causing problems. this morning police responded to a middle school in largo. jeff patterson joins us live right now in pasco where they are now investigating other clown reports. this is no joking matter. >> reporter: good evening keith. this is not funny. it's not a joke. police an parents are concerned because of creepy clown sightings in woods like this. police are concerned because they want to put a stop to this because someone gets hurt. >> i seen a clown over there by the track. and we were coming ou class. and, like, all the kids were crying. they were screaming. >> reporter: kayanna foster was at largo middle school when she walked outside with other students and saw a clown. >> it had red wings, and it had like this white mask and it had a blue nose. >> reporter: she report it, then called her mother. asha foster is angry because she believes school officials should have placed largo middle on lockdown. >> i was terrified. i don't know what was going on. i called the school.

rumor, it's okay. no, it's not okay. >> reporter: a spokesperson from pinellas county schools say officers responded but didn't find any clowns. now, in pasco county, they have multiple clown sightings. one parent reported her child received a private facebook message from a clown that goes by mr. wrinkles. his facebook page is complete with the creepiest of clown photos. one teacher received a threatening e-mail about clowns. >> the post said a high school this friday. i will kidnap students or kill teachers. >> reporter: the sheriff asks people to report suspicious activity immediately. >> if something is going on out there and you see something where there are people dressed up like clowns, if you are fearful, notify us immediately. we will go out there. >> reporter: yeah, sheriff added that while they are taking these reports very seriously, if anyone makes a

person making the false report can be arrested. keith? >> well, those threats are pretty creepy too. we heard the sheriff talking about. and there seems to be a lot of this copy cat clown business going on. are these related in any way? have we figured that out, jeff? >> reporter: well, they are related in that this started several months ago. apparently, in south carolina. and it is kind of spreading across the country. not just a problem here, but now, all of the reports are popping up around here. which is why the sheriff wanted to point out if a false report, you can be arrested. >> all right. jeff patterson reporting live in mistico county tonight. thank you jeff. soar zoiatria county deputies are investigating after two bodies were found inside a home in venice. when deputies arrived tat home, they found a man and a woman dead inside. we learned their names are kevin gregory and lisa frederickson. according to authorities, it appears to be a domestic incident. a woman is caught on camera putting a skimmer on an atm

7/11 on fourth street north. you can see her look around before she attached the device. a clerk discovered the skimmer sand called the police. a criminal in pasco county left behind evidence that led deputies to his front door. david biddle took expensive lawn equipment from senator will simpson's barn in dade city, wallet with his license inside. so what kind of a person would steal a jose fernandez jersey from a vigil honoring his memory? >> detectives are trying to figure that out. someone returned the jersey to the school. but this case is open. chip osowski joins us live from alonzo high school. just wondering here chip, what kind of trouble could this thief still be in even after returning the jersey? >> reporter: still quite a bit of trouble keith.

dealership, stole a car, and returned it the next day. no harm no foul, they have their car back right? no. a crime has still been committed. when the alonzo coach discovered the jersey missing after wednesday night's vigil, he was just plain angry. >> disgust. disgust. i just couldn't believe it. i was like all right, maybe somebody moved it. but why would they leave the hanger and just take the shirt? so we asked around really quick. and nobody had seen anything. >> reporter: the school's booster club started posting on social media, facebook, and twitter. trying to get the crook to cough up the jersey. >> this was a media story. it was a social media story. it captured the attention of a lot of people. >> reporter: kelly burns is a social media expert with usf. she believes social shaming was strong in this case. >> a story like this is something that angers a lot of people. and stories that anger people can be shared. they go viral. so quickly on social media.

retweet, a share, some comments, and, everybody is talking about the story. >> reporter: a statement from the school district simply states "the entire alonzo high school family is grateful to have the jersey back." but the sheriff's office is telling us not so fast. detectives are not in the business of forgiving an forgetting. >> you know, this is still a crime. it will still be investigated as a crime until such time we are told that they don't want to prosecute. it is at that point we can terminate the investigation. >> reporter: and the school district tells us a family found an envelope with the name jose jersey with the words jose jersey written on it in front of the ticket booth in front of the football field here at alonzo. took it home last night, an returned it to the school early this morning. stacie and keith? >> so they have this envelope, could it be evidence, chip? >> reporter: absolutely keith. this investigation is still

detectives could analyze it for fingerprints and see who else has touched it other than the family that returned it. >> thank you. there is more than a billion dollars in federal funding available to help fight the zika virus. congressman david jolly wants to make most of it comes to florida. congressman jolly sent a let tore the centers for disease control and prevention. he pointed out as of september 21, every locally acquired case of zika within the continental u. question. did governor rick scott fail to inform the public about contamination caused by the mosaic sink hole? >> or did his own state agency keep him in the dark? either way, one state congresswoman says that is not okay. an 8 on your side look at what she is doing to uncover this contaminated secret. >> and, ahead in sports, we are live at country side high school for our friday night blitz game of the week. i will tell you why this matchup could decide the

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y251cy yi0y >> if you are looking for job, head to tampa international airport. tia has some jobs up for grabs. police officers, traffic specialists and dispatchers. hiring managers say they are looking for people who are flexible. >> they are looking for people

we are a 24/7 operation. some of our busiest times are weekends and holidays so we are looking for people with a lot of availability and flexible. >> a career fair is going on in the hillsborough aviation boardroom tonight until 8:00 p.m. and 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. tomorrow. you can find more information on our website, wfla.com. working at the airport, that not your thing? how about becoming a fire tightener the lake land fire departnt the department is accepting applications now the fill at least ten vacant positions. for more information about this or to apply, head to wfla.com. well, do you love the environment? if so, the rays do as well. today, 30 people from the tampa bay rays outreach team spent the morning building a new oyster shell reef along the shoreline in mckay bay in tampa. it will help with erosion and attract new marine life to the area. and, the 2016 heart walk is

and, we need your help. we are working to raise $100,000 again this year. and, fuccillo kia is matching the first 50,000 that we raise. this is a cause near and deer to my heart because my dad and sister are both heart attack and heart bypass survivors. the walk is november 12 at ray jay. just go to wfla.com/heartwalk to join our team. and donate. and still ahead tonight, digging diaper a contaminated secret. >> we are checking water ways around the mosaic sink hole. an 8 on your side look of what they found coming up so far. in florida was not doing enough to give their families the help they desperately needed. dana young understood. that was wrong, so we changed that law. to ensure these families get the benefits they are entitled to and the honor they deserve.

a return to common sense. when i was one year old, i was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer on my spinal chord. but i spent my whole life fighting back. so you can imagine what i thought when i saw donald trump say... "i don't know what i said, ah, i don't remember!" "that reporter he is talking about suffers from a chronic condition that impairs movement of his arms." i don't want a president who makes fun of me.

>> what's worse? the government failing to inform the public about the sink hole or the state agency keeping him in the dark about nit according congresswoman, either way is inexcusable. >> citing an 8 on your side report, congresswoman gwynn graham argues florida citizens deserve better from their government. and senior investigative reporter steve andrews tells us she wants to know who knew what and here is the key. when they knew it. >> reporter: exactly. i told you on wednesday that the governor's office claims it, too, was kept in the dark about this contaminated sink

and his disciples. after touring the site by helicopterrerrier this week, the governor fumbled answering one simple question. >> reporter: governor, when did you find out about this incident? >> jerry can get you the time line. >> reporter: his office later claimed like everyone else, governor scott was not informed of this potential environmental disaster until after side broke the story. his own department of environmental protection knew something was happening for 19 days and kept the governor in the dark. congresswoman gwynn graham is closely monitoring our reports. whether the governor knew of the sink hole and kept it hush hush or dep hid it from him, both scenarios are appalling. following our reports, the 215 million gallons of radioactive

began testing the wells of nearby homes. an attorney represents thereof the neighbors who are suing mosaic. >> inexcusable is the proper word here. the fact that the government knew and failed to take care of informing the public? what excuse do they have? they have none. >> reporter: dep can no longer be trusted according to him. hillsborough county is not taking any chances. it is monitoring creeks and streams closest to the sink >> in an abundance of caution, we would rather be out here sampling and making sure and protecting our citizens than waiting to hear from someone else that something is going on. >> reporter: now, according to hillsborough's environmental protection commission, it has tested the tributaries each week after they learned about the sink hole after we reported it. so far, no indication of contamination. >> what about the neighbors?

>> reporter: mosaic informed me that testing will continue in the future. the focus right now, remains on meeting the initial request for testing and so far they have scheduled 741 wells to test. >> wow. >> they will be a little busy a few weeks. >> yeah, glad we got this out. if you have a problem you think need to be investigated call 1-800-338-0808. that's our help line. and, the rain started up pretty early again this isolated storms around. you can see from new port richey, towering cumulus cloud us. 83 degrees at this location. three one-hundredths of an inch of rain, so far this afternoon. and out at the loews don cesar, beautiful, 84 degrees. they picked up a little bit of rain this morning. don't think we will see as many showers this weekend. out at the lake club, you can see in sun city center, 84 degrees with winds out of the

hour. so, as we head into this weekend, expect it to be another hot one. each afternoon, we are reaching back into the upper 80s . saturday, just slightly drier. about a 30% chance of rain with a few more storms expected as we head into sunday afternoon. of course, football as well. usf out of town this weekend, but great weather. 65 degrees. a few showers in cincinnati. partly cloudy for the gators game in nashville. fsu taking on north carolina at home. mostly sunny. 87. atlanta, 75. sunshine for that game. no weather worries. ucf has a slight chance of rain during their game. 20% rain chance. the rattlers, nice weather in tallahassee. a few clouds, mid 80s for that. not quite football weather but we are getting there slowly. at this point, a few isolated showers still on the map. but, they are beginning to wind down in a few places. you can see the rain we are seeing earlier around tampa, that is pretty much out of existence right now.

north of downtown. heavier rain still possible in high lands county. a lot of lightning just to the north and west of lake placid. south of sebring. also spotty showers around the wauchula area. so, there is that stalled boundary just off to the north. and we have plenty of moisture across tampa bay areas. we will see a few lingering showers as we head into the late evening hours. tomorrow morning, mostly dry. a stray coastal shower chance. the showers and storms will develop as we head into the afternoon hours. about a % sunday, morning will be dry. but, there's a better chance of afternoon rain. we will bring up the rain chances to 40% for sunday afternoon. now, our visible satellite imagery losing a little daylight. but it is great to look at the eye. you can see a well-defined hurricane spining in the caribbean. a category 4 storm. 140 miles an hour. it has rapidly intensified. the track, what we are seeing is the turn to the north this

jamaica. unfortunately. then over toward the bahamas. still has a strong hurricane. as we head into the middle of next week, we have to see if it is on the western or the eastern to know what the florida impacts will be. especially folk ins south florida paying close attention to this storm. for us, no impact on the weekend. just your afternoon scattered showers and storms. a few nice mornings, but, you will see the rain popping up as we head into the afternoon hours. then, you can see next week, the storm may actually bring some drier air. >> we have a little rain around here today. >> sure did. >> popped up. then it was gone. thankee julie. >> coming up in sports, we are live in clearwater with a preview of the friday night blitz game of the week.

i'm hillary clinton and i approve this message. i'd look her right in that fat ugly face of hers. she ate like a pig. a person who's flat chested is very hard to be a 10. does she have a good body? no. does she have a fat [expletive]? absolutely. do you treat women with respect?

>> well, the bucs offense will dodge one obstacle this sunday. when broncos linebacker demarcus ware sits out. there are other reasons of worry. including where is pal? how about chris harris and talib. beware, talib is back and playing very well. he considers himself to be more he is closing in on the nfl record for interceptions returned for a touchdown. but, it is the mouth of talib that will fill the ears of bucs wide receiver mike yevins on sunday. whether it is evans or talib, he says he is ready. >> they are both real physical at the line of scrimmage. i have to be as physical as those guys. and, like you said, they are two pro bowl guys. i like the challenge. >> i will try to be the most physical receiver in the league. and you know, i have to prove

the physical gs. >> you know, he likes to talk. we will see. i like to trash talk myself. >> all right, the friday night blitz has key district matchups tonight. playoff races will take shape when lakeland host bartow. cambridge christian hosts sefner christian and ridgewood. we have a biggie in tonight. pinellas park at country side. >> reporter: it's a huge one, it is homecoming at country side. a couple of kings are getting ready to dance. this would be could decide district 10 in class 7a. country side won the division. they had to beat pinellas park. pinellas park tries to flip the script a little bit this week. both of these teams play east week a little later in october. those are two crucial games. we are going to look at this one and say this game may or

district. they face their toughest test of the season tonight. we will have highlights an reaction for you coming up tonight on the friday night blitz. for now, we will send it back to you. >> good game coming up tonight there. country side. country side beat east lake last year to win the district title. east lake considered the giant the big team in that district this year. so whoever win this game has a leg up on at least getting into the playoffs. >> hence the game of the week. >> yes it is. >> we are in heart of it now. this is when it is fun. nightly news is up next followed by newschannel8 at 7:00. >> you can join josh benson and jenn holloway at 8:00 on great 38 with julie phillips and steve and jenn and keith will be back. >> actually, julie ... >> yeah, she is going to be back at 11:00 and jenn holloway will be back. and dan lucas will be here. >> somewhere. >> so check your rosters. we'll all be back. have a great night. >> might be late. you never know. >> captions by:caption colorado, llc 800-775-7838

tonight, trump's tirade. donald trump lashes out in a middle of the night rant, attacking a former beauty queen again with sex tape allegations. now she and hillary clinton are firing back. crash cause. the ntsb begins questioning crew member aftermath of that train disaster, as the black box is pulled from the twisted wreckage. caught on camera. police release video showing a fatal officer encounter with an unarmed man. sex abuse scandal. dozens of disturbing allegations against the doctor who treated top olympic athletes. and hurricane threat. matthew strengthens to a powerful category 4