>> right now on newschannel8 at 5:30. >> the gloves are officially off for the final presidential debate. newschannel8 is live in vegas for your election coverage. good evening, i'm jenn ow we are following breaking news tonight as well. an inmate takes a correctional officer hostage in a stolen truck. 42-year-old david ross was working with a corrections crew in bartow when he threatened jeffrey rexroad with a small knife. rexroad was not armed at the time he was forced into a utility truck. ross was tracked down in saint petersburg. they found the officer inside of a gas station after he

it is just awfully good that someone with the temperament of donald trump is not in charge of the law in our country. >> because you would be in jail. >> from wikileaks to accusations of sexual assault, the presidential nominees are laying it all on the line tonight. there was no handshake last debate. but will tonight's debate get uglier? we will find out soon. the nominees will face off at 9:00 tonight at the university of las vegas. >> that is joins us live in vegas. keith, vegas generally puts on a good show. so what are you hearing from tonight's debate? >> reporter: this debate promises to be something extra special. usually, third debates are kind of boring but you will probably see the zingers, probably a little more concise because

what is going on at the parking lot. you can see all of the media here. i was in the spin room and you saw a lot of media in there. about 3,000 members of the press are here to cover this debate. what are we, like three hours away from the debate and three weeks away from the election. this is so important for both candidates to do well tonight. i had a chance to speak with bryan fallon. he is the senior adviser to the main spokesperson. he was in the spin room a moment ago. i asked him what she need to do tonight. >> what is it that hillary clinton has to do tonight to swing florida voters in particular? >> stay positive. donald trump is going to come in and really try to implement a scorch strategy. we are going to see the same donald trump as he did in the second debate. tried to get under her skin.

voters cross the country what she wants to do for the economy. we have a divided economy. but we could make a statement and reaffirm some of our core values as americans. that will be important at the polls and post election. we will need to bridge these divides that donald trump is right now trying to stoke. >> reporter: and we shall see if that game tragedy plan works out at the thomas and mack center. this is the arena. about 59 people will be watching this debate. 59million people will be watching this debate. it is a big one not to be missed. back to you. >> keith, would you say there is a certain strategy on any final debate night or do you feel the two candidates need to avoid any major gaffes that could send their campaign into a tail spin this close to the election?

she need to play it safe. run out the clock. and try to look presidential while doing it. donald trump on the other hand? my opinion, really has to come out and make a statement. he has to be strong, he has to be concise and talk about the issues. the things that got him to this point in the campaign. he is here for a reason. donald trump is not here by mistake. don't underestimate what he could bring to the table tonight but it all takes place at 9:00. you with watch it right he wfla.com at 11:00. >> we are looking forward to it. keith cate, thank you very much. we will have live team coverage with keith cate in las vegas throughout the evening and he will have a live recap tonight at 11 lost. for some, this election season is becoming a downright headache and excedrin is not using that to its advantage.

don't use ordinary pain relief. tonight, mosquito madness after a stormy summer. floridians are dealing with a problem pest especially in pasco county. our melanie michael is live in new port richey where neighbors called 8 on your side for help. >> reporter: good evening jenn. we have been using the bug stray spray today. we are getting results now though. donna johnson is it is awful. it is getting to the point you can't even stand living here anymore. >> reporter: for this new port richey neighborhood, the massive mosquito mess is a nightmare. >> who is going to fix the problem? nobody has the answer. >> reporter: behind donna's home is a large ditch filled with water and creepy crawly creaturers including, she claims, mosquitoes. in fact, she has photos. the neighbors say it all

newschannel8 was here. >> reporter: she has called the county, the state, even fema to fix this feeding frenzy. that is when she contacted 8 on your side for help. >> it has been awful for me and my neighbors. >> reporter: literally within minutes, 8 on your side got results. pasco county showed up to help out sending someone to test the water. >> the mosquito larva is easy rodney gannon took water samples. he knows how bad the mosquitoes have been. >> you understand why the residents are concerned. >> oh yeah. yeah. it makes sense. >> thank you very much. i appreciate it. we need it here. >> reporter: i can tell you, they do need it here. we have been bitten all

donna's home. so that is the good news. >> that is good news. melanie, great job. sounds like the county really got right on top of the situation. what are the plans for the future? >> reporter: well, they are going to continue monitoring this situation. as i mentioned there are mosquitoes nearby. just no larva present in the ditch. but they is a if it comes up, the population increases, they will spray the area for sure and you can bet 8 on your side will be in on it winter haven police are searching for a cross bow thief. officials say this man walked into the wal-mart on cypress garden boulevard and took off with the bow. he gave a receipt from publix and left the store. police want you the to look out for a black ford explorer and anybody with everybody is asked to call winter haven police. investigators tell us an early morning fire at a hillsborough county mobile home

home. charges against the alleged arsonist are pending at this point. manatee county is embroiled in a deadly heroin epidemic and officials are scrambling to try to contain it. there is no other county in florida with as many deaths as manatee county. john rogers joins us live from bradenton to explain the scope of this massive problem john. >> reporter: consider this. in 2010, there are only two recorded deaths tied to heroin and an than 200. the question is, why here? katie allbritten and her friend roseau dylan are lucky the be here. >> i overdosed three times in three weeks. by the grace of god i'm io live. >> you don't want to stop getting high because you are numb to it and else matters but the next fix. >> reporter: they are now drug free, but across manatee county, many are not as lucky.

related deaths. this number has skyrocketed as dealers mix fentanyl with heroin. >> no doubt about it, it is a big problem. >> reporter: so far this year, there are 900 reported overdoses and 60 deaths. of all places, why manatee county? officials don't have an answer, but there are some clues. there is is a history of prescription drug abusers here and florida laws need to be stronger to fight this emerging crisis. >> right now, we don't have for trafficking in fentanyl. >> reporter: florida lawmakers are trying to craft new legislation to give dealers harsher sentences because it is ever easy to order fentanyl online. manatee county deputies are doing everything they have can. in the past few months they have arrested 79 people for drug crimes. despite the problem these women prove there is hope.

because it does. >> reporter: just for a matter of perspective, fentanyl is given to folks with chronic pain or advanced cancer. carfentanyl is used to knock out elephants so it is easy to see why it is deadly and easy to see why officials are scrambling to solve the problem. >> scary sight. all right, john rogers thank you very much. >> lauderdale executive airport today and now officials want to know what went wrong. the two engine aircraft burst into flames after the landing gear collapsed. when it touched down. firefighters used foam to put out the fire. two people on board, they are okay. they are going to be just fine. and the obama administration is trying to get more than 13 million americans to sign up for healthcare, but there is an issue and it is not technology this time.

its computer system didn't work. now premiums are going up in many parts of the country. major ensurers are bailing. open enrollment starts november 1 and starts january 31. he lost both of his leg escaped. now, he is training for a triathlon. >> we will tell you the story of a local man who is beating the odds after a terrible accident. plus, an emergency call, one firefighter will never forget. just ahead. the relationship that he had with the victim making the rescue remarkable. still pretty warm. although the mornings and evenings are pleasant. but a real cold front head our way. we will talk about the cooler

i spent many years as a nuclear missile launch officer. if the president gave the order we had to launch the missiles, that would be it. i prayed that call would never come. [ radio chatter ] self control may be all that keeps these missiles from firing. [ sirens blearing ] i would bomb the [ beep] out of them. i want to be unpredictable. i love war. the thought of donald trump with nuclear weapons scares me to death.

14 were enjoying a day on the water when their vessel exploded. six people were seriously injured but all members survived. mike atherton lost both legs and his arms arm in that accident. jana jones has the story. >> reporter: tonight, he was fitted for new running legs and will run for the first time in seven years at weekend. runs legs are a big deal, especially when there was a point that mike atherton thought he would never walk again after the boat explosion. >> at first, definitely went through a period of depression. felt like, you know, why did this happen to me? i'm out here trying to live a good life. >> reporter: that mind set didn't last long. >> can't just stop. you have to keep going on. push through the challenges. push through the struggles. >> reporter: mike has been pushing through for seven

again. within 18 months of the explosion, mike was back on the water. >> what was it like the first time you were able to get up on the skis? >> oh, it was crazy but it felt great. you know. afterwards, it is a lot of mind over matter. >> reporter: now it is mind over matter again as he prepares for his triathlon. >> i don't know how from not running to ten miles of running. i will see what i can do. >> reporter: and doing it all with a smile and inspiring others along the way. >> always come in with a smile and ready to work hard. it always amazes me, his attitude. >> reporter: before mike even crosses the finish line of our first race, he is already looking ahead. >> what can i do next? what can i do next? and just keep pushing myself.

says he is definitely going o attempt the running portion of the event but he doesn't know if he is up for the swimming and biking just yet. reporting in tampa, jana jones, newschannel8. a firefighter in arizona is suiting up for a serious call. one where the victim did not have a heartbeat. and suddenly, he recognized the home address. derek dees's father was the victim. his wife had call 911 when he started gasping for air. once he got to the hope, he star dad's life. >> when you see your dad lying on the ground and his face is blue, you are saying come on dad. >> thankfully, derek's father survived the heart attack. he says his bond with his dad is now stronger. now, max defender 8. the world's most powerful radar and your storm team 8 forecast with chief meteorologist steve jerve. well, showers are hard to find on max defender 8 because

a few are further south. light sprinkles moving along east to west. you can see most of that activity well south of the area. nice view from hula bay. 85 degrees. we have a northeast wind at 8 miles an hour. look how clear the skies are here. we have seen very dry air high above in the atmosphere. nice view from ennis brook as well. palm harbor. mostly sunny skies. been the story at most locations today. we have a southeasterly wind. in tampa, 83 degrees with the east wind at 11 miles an hour. cold front, that arrives friday without much in the way of shower activity. it is what is behind the front that we are interested in. high pressure builds in and holds on all the way through the weekend with temperatures actually below our average. and certainly some cooler starts to the day saturday and sunday. today's high, 88 degrees. record set in 2007.

temperatures as the average highs slowly come down each day as we run throughout this period. rain chances obviously are very, very low. thursday, friday, all the way through the weekend. and, the dew points still the nice drop off. you can see the big thumbs up for saturday and sunday. monday, we just stay in that very comfortable category with that drier air arriving. this is a cold front that is going to stick. at 7:00 a.m., 69 degrees. a slim rain chance for us. 87 degrees the temperature. low 60s dew point. 68 degrees in saint pete. that is naturally across the bay going to have a little bit more moisture. a little higher humidity. red tide, still have to report this concentrations from venice beach all the way up into pinellas county. and, if you are sensitive to this, you can definitely feel that, but venice beach as i mentioned for that today. water vapor, very dry. red color means dry air high above in the atmosphere.

viewing especially with the orionid meteor shower. though the moon is fairly bright. we see a few light showers cruising along. it is so dry, hard to support much in the way of shower activity for us. we will continue to watch this area and the tropics off the east coast of florida. an 80% chance the next storm is otto. we could see possible development over the next five days. that is what most of the computer models are suggesting. should stay well east of florida even if it does number of storms so far, 14. six hurricanes for us. so, it has been a fairly active season with the major hurricanes. now, the forecast for thursday, 85 degrees. similar day looks like. but friday, the clangs with the cold front headed our way. saturday, sunday, highs upper 70s to near 80 degrees. note the overnight lows. we break the barrier of 60 and dropped lows into the 50s for sunday and monday.

degrees. that is downright cool guys. >> you bet it is. a wife accused of formlating a plan to murder her husband. >> we will tell you why she wanted to kill him and on what holiday. >> and remember, you can join jenn, julie, and me on newschannel8 at 8:00 on great 38. and don't forget, this year's heart walk is coming up in november. but now is the time to join stac fuccillo kia is generously matching the first $50,000 we raise. just head to wfla.com

this is mike's office. if he doesn't show up, he doesn't get paid. too often marco rubio didn't show up and failed us when he did. i am patrick murphy. to get things done, you've got to show up. you've got to work together. whether it's protecting social security and women's health care or growing the economy, instead of pointing fingers. i am patrick murphy and i approve this message

>> now to what's making headlines across america. a t man accused of setting off bombs in new jersey and new york is in prison. ahmad khan rahami has been in the hospital since september after a shoot-out police say that rahami detonated a pipe bomb before a charity race in new jersey and a pressure cooker bomb in new york city. scary moments for elementary students in south carolina when their bus suddenly went up in flames. a school official says the students smelled smoke as the bus pulled up to the school in columbia. you can see the flames pouring out of the bus. thankfully, everybody got out okay. but, the cause of that fire is

woman is behind bars for, get this, planning to have her husband murdered on halloween. investigators say marty soterberg told an old friend she wanted her husband gone so she could collect his life insurance policy. she had plans to have him shot and killed while he was trick or treating with their children. all right, newschannel8 at 6:00 is coming up next. >> rod is here with what we are working on. >> she was convicted now, a former teacher is out of prison. we will tell you where stephanie ragusa is going the live and what neighbors think about her moving in. plus, sneaking in while they were asleep. how the victims of these burglars made it easy for them to get inside their home. >> are people from puerto rico illegally voting in u.s. election ins a bay area man claims they are and they are members of his family. >> those stories plus your storm team 8 forecast and sports with paul ryan.

station that is always on your side.

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>> right now, on newschannel8 at 6:00. >> a corrections officer taken for a terrifying ride by an inmate. we are going to show you how the kidnapping came to an the final presidential debate tonight. we are live in las vegas for all of the fireworks. >> and, on this debate night, 8 on your side is investigating new allegations of voter fraud here in the bay area. >> and good evening, i'm stacie schaible. >> i'm rod carter. so glad you could join us tonight. we are beginning with a last ditch effort for the presidential candidates to get your vote. for the last time, before the november election, donald trump will debate hillary clinton on stage. this time, it will happen in

this final debate. newschannel8's keith cate is joining us now live from the university of nevada in las vegas. keith, i have been where you are a cull of times before. just hours before the debate. the last two have been quite a story. what are we expecting tonight? >> reporter: who knows what is coming. there's a lot of hype. you go around, so many opinions on what need to be done here. but you can see already, just surrounded by members of the press, the media, for talking at 5:30, i showed you the number of people outside. everybody watching this debate that will take place tonight. we are still three weeks away from the election. but this is pivotal for donald trump. hillary clinton could go into prevent defense. she could play it safe. she could run out the clock. she could try to look presidential doing it. i spoke to bryan fallon.