>> we now know fixing st. pete's sewer mess will cost millions. we are now live from city hall. what is included in the plan? >> reporter: he says the plan will take time and it is estimated to cost more than $300 million but in the meantime he is telling residents to expect to see more spills. mayor rick kriseman is expecting to hit a homerun with his wastewater improvement plan. >> we all know the history with compromised wastewater systems leading to big discharges in spells. if the cubs can win the world series, fixing our infrastructure is totally doable. >> reporter: immediate improvements include lining pipes and fixing manhole covers. the mayor also discussed expanding capacity at the northwest and southwest water retention facilities and

treatment plan. these are not a quick fix. >> it's also going to take a significant investment of time to get everything done that we want to accomplish, everything. it will take about five years, ending in 2021. >> reporter: the estimated cost is $300 million. st. pete resident walter donnelly is on board he lives near eckerd college and his home has been -- his home has been flooded several times sie where i live. i could throw a stone and it to where it overflows. that's why we are involved here. in the plan that was presented today, that will prevent that from happening to me and my neighbors. there are 10,000 of us in the group that i represent who are absolutely concerned about this and this is the way out.>> reporter: the city only has about $161 million budgeted for

looking to go after state and federal money, bond money as well and of course possibly increase the rate on the project. >> thank you very much. from the tampa bay area to daytona beach, the i-4 corrider is a must win in a crucial swing state. as melissa marino shows us, polk county is right in the middle of the fight >> if my person doesn't win, i can only say u paul casts ballots early. they know just how important their votes are in this election. >> i think this is probably the most important election we have had in my lifetime. >> reporter: the entire i-4 corrider will play a vital role and polk county is in the middle of the political ring. >> and polk county, we are evenly divided. we have 37% democrats, 36% republicans and 27% of our

makes polk county a prime political target and a must watch. >> we are truly unpredictable on the i-4 corrider. >> reporter: florida southern college, political science professor bruce anderson says polk county voters will play a major role.>> we are out the vortex in the center of the i-4 corrider. the way polk county goes is the way that the i-4 will go is the way florida will go. it could not be more important for polk county to turn out. >> reporter: so far, they are doing that. >> we are approaching 60,000 early voting and another 65,000 or more. -- 65,000 or more by mail. >> reporter: the battle over -- the battle over solar amendments is heating up.

step in. they hope the supreme court blocks what they call a "deceptive amendment that many voters have already voted on." they filed a lawsuit after audio leaked in october showing amendment one been crafted to deceive voters. >> solar poles very well, to the degree that we can use a low bid of political issues and take what they are putting us on and use it to our benefit. >> we talked to voters who thought that they were supporting solar that voted yes early on and now have realized that they voted they didn't intend to. >> reporter: consumers for smart solar, the group pushing the amendment called it political grandstanding. the court determined the amendment was fair with a 4 -3 vote. a high school student tossed out of class and threatened with suspension for wearing a shirt that says hillary for prison 2016 shirt. the teacher told her to change or leave after it sparked a

student handbook, any clothing deemed potentially disruptive is not allowed. a teacher could be out of a job after a person says that person slapped an elementary school student over the face. an employee at the school alerted authorities last week. the substitute teacher is not working in any collier county school pending the investigation. the department of children an deputies participating in driving training in geneva got more than they bargained for. take a look. a small plane crash landed on the course. according to the pilot, the plane's engine began to sputter so he had to make an emergency landing. that did not go as planned and the plane ended up crashing into a fence but luckily everybody got away in time and the pilot walked away without a scratch. the wife of the famous american sniper is in the bay area to say thank you. she has worked to uphold her husband's legacy but admits she couldn't do it without the help

john rogers joins us from southeast guide dogs to explain. >> reporter: taya kyle admits she is still struggling to cope after her husband's death but she is working to recover with the help of these dogs. you are immediately impressed by her strength and confidence but for a while, it was a fagade. her husband, chris, the most was tragically murdered while trying to help others and she has struggled with loneliness and anxiety. >> i would panic because i would know i'm on my own again. sorry, i am crying. obviously, it was kind of painful and scary and freaks me out because i'm independent. >> reporter: her family shares her grief. >> my daughter has a hard time sleeping. >> reporter: so kyle received norman from southeastern guide dogs to provide emotional

thanks and sharing the message. >> there are so many wives out there who said i never knew anybody else understood my story because they suffer quietly. >> reporter: she has committed her life to military causes, supporting veterans issues and being an advocate for those who have lost loved ones. as her dog proves, you should never be afraid to ask for help. >> my faith has shown me that while evil exists, god has promised he will bring beauty through as >> reporter: a very inspirational woman. she has pointed out the movie american sniper encouraged servicemembers to open up with their spouses about their difficulties and kyle emphasizes there are many programs to help including southeastern guide dogs. >> she is such an inspiration. john rogers live for us tonight. football fans, get excited. the tampa bay bucs are taking on the atlanta falcons at

lucas joins us now. a quick turnaround but we're back to baseball -- football tonight. >> reporter: we are. a few players have already made their way out to test the field. nobody is after warming up. the kickoff is at 8:25 pm. one of the challenges in these thursday night games is getting players healthy enough to even play in this game. as you know, the bucs are hurting at running back. no doug martin tonight, no jacquizz rodgers. that's going b this falcons team. atlanta is not exactly coming in here healthy either. they have a couple of names missing in this game including running back kevin coleman who had a big receiving day against the bucs. jacob tammy, who also has enjoyed success against the bucs, hurt his shoulder on sunday. and defensive end mac dwight freeney is not -- defensive end dwight freeney is not going to play. he had two quarterback sacks

tonight, keep your eyes on number 11, julio jones of the falcons. he has been limping around on a lienee but he went full go at practice yesterday. he is going to play tonight but i wonder how much we are going to see of him and how good he can be because he is the go to guy for matt ryan and the bucs defense. the way they got picked apart by derek carr, they could use a less than 100% julio jones. of people will be watching. dan lucas in tampa. be sure to tune into news channel 8 at 7:00 before the game. steve jerve he and jen leigh will be live before the game. not a football fan? catcher favorite shows on great 38 for chicago made at 9:00, blacklist at 10:00, superstore

still ahead, a brave little boy born with a rare heart defect is beating the odds. >> and he's not only surviving but thriving thanks in large part to the generosity of others here his remarkable story coming up. it took an overtime to win their first district championship and 30 seasons. i will introduce you to the team of the week. one temperatures again. a few clouds around the region. a cold front about the effects for the

i'm hillary clinton and i approve this message. donald trump: i could stand in the middle of 5th avenue and shoot somebody and i wouldn't lose any voters, okay? and you can tell them to go f--- themselves! you know, you could see there was blood coming out of her eyes, blood coming out of her wherever... h, i don't know what i said, ahh. "i don't remember."

carson and i have seen some terrible ads attacking our mom dana young. for things she never did. it hurts because mom is cool. she is caring, she works hard. whenever something is not right mom is on it. trust us we know from experience.

i'm proud of you mom, we both are. dana young for the florida senate. welcome back. a little boy born with a one in 1 million heart condition, his parents scared to death. you will not forget his story. as stacie schaible shows us, it's a perfect example of how matt -- of how money donated to the american heart association

>> reporter: sammy is a very typical for-year-old with tons of energy. >> he is very busy all the time. he is not a quiet child. he is very much a four-year- old. he's got a personality on him. he is hysterical and so loving. >> reporter: but he has come a long way. they learned early on sammy would be born with a heart defect. >> i was terrified. i cried. i didn't know what to think. >> reporter: they learned his heart had many problems. it was backwards with crisscrossed ventricles and only one functional pump. our hearts have two. his first heart surgery came at just seven days old. at eight weeks, sammy took a turn for the worst. his shunt was closing and his stint clotting. he coded for 25 minutes and was put on life support. he had emergency open-heart

doctor jeff jacob, the chief of cardiac surgery at johns hopkins all children's hospital. >> he had a very complex anatomy within his heart that made the reconstruction very difficult. >> the heart team was very amazing. he came back surviving and thriving. >> reporter: sammy knows doctor jacobs is the one who fixed his heart. rosie knows how close they came to a different om child. it's without a doubt the worst experience. i thought he was dead for 10 hours. >> reporter: stacie schaible for 8 on your side a cool little kid there. the heart walk is nine days away and news channel 8 is committed to raising $100,000 but we still need your help. just had to www.wfla.com/heart walk for details. it took them five quarters

district title in 27 years. anthony allred shows us the insane come back. the northside christian mustangs became the clear choice for our team of the week. >> to win their first district title in almost 30 years, the northside christian mustangs had to stay the course and battle back after being down 14- 0 in the first half. >> we started off real slow. a couple turnovers real early. we knew we could and eventually, we would get going. >> reporter: in the second half, the mustangs dynamic duo marcus hooks and griffin ousted put the team on their backs -- allstate put the team on their backs. >> we didn't get down on each other because everybody has been through it before with passing game the previous season. we just stayed together. >> reporter: and then the defense facing 4th end goal, added down a pass to win the game. >> we haven't been to the

we came really close last year so we had to get it this year. >> reporter: mustangs, holler at me. after five quarters, the mustangs won their first district championship in 27 seasons. with even more special that you did it after being down 14-0 in the first half. that took a total team effort and that's why you're -- you are the news channel 8 team of the week. congratulations to e >> we got a long road ahead and this definitely helps us, gives us a lot of momentum. >> reporter: anthony allred, news channel 8 sports. i have been watching the boats coming in and out of who obey. 81 degrees with an east wind at 6 miles per hour. we have a few high, mid-level

the afternoon. the bucs game, comfy temperatures and mostly dry conditions. the humidity is back at little bit but we are not anticipating precipitation. 76 degrees, and our temperature has been warm at the stadium as reported by our news channel 8 staff but temperatures should be very comfortable as well as weather conditions as we head into the evening hours. here is our temperatures across the southeast. 85 degrees in tampa, 86 in jacksonvilal the north you see cooler numbers. 40 degrees in winnipeg, 55 degrees in toronto, 57 degrees in chicago where they are still celebrating. high pressure built-in behind a cold front across the central part of the country. you see this cold front to the north. we have been talking about this front since the beginning of the weekend we thought it would have a bigger impact in terms of real cool and real drive.

the cooler conditions are behind it. for friday, the temps will stay warm ahead of the south with only a few showers and a passage of the front in the early part of saturday. back to normal for the weekend with highs near 80 degrees and breezy conditions. the cooler, dryer air staying mostly to the north. a nice shot from tony this morning at lake parker. a beautiful sunrise as always on the lakes in polk county. at 7 am, 60 degrees, mostly sunny skies and 82 degrees at 4 pm. likely. again, that front moves in later in the day. 85 degrees the current temp at tampa international. the air temperature, 82 degrees but really the last couple of weeks, persistent north to northeast easterly winds into the downtown area. a few public clouds across the state today but generally drier conditions aloft. a lot of these clouds were developing and should go away. it's true across the southeast

few showers. that's why we saw cooler numbers and jacksonville as a result of occasional light showers and persistent clouds throughout the day. a lot of these clouds should just kind of dry out. it's still hurricane season, believe it or not. we talked about a nontropical hurricane season. only a 10% chance of development. hurricane hermine ball off the coast come a guest on and nicole -- hurricane gaston on and nicole as well. area where that disturbance is located. more and more, we are seeing cooling conditions across the gulf and the caribbean which helps limit tropical development. 73 degrees at 11:00. the skies look pretty much like we expected. 69 degrees as we get to 68 degrees at 7:30 am at sunrise. as the day goes along, a few

will see that front pass- through early on friday into the early part of saturday. we will keep a 10% chance of showers friday and saturday. into the weekend and don't forget the time change this weekend, the rain chances will drop and feeling a little cooler for sunday. refreshing is a way to put it as the humidity comes down a really nice stretch for the next week. this is a really nice time of year for us.>> we're looking forward to it. a headache on top of a heart he >> a man kills her therapy dog. now she's hauling him to court. find out why. amendment 1 protects consumers from scams, and unsafe solar installations. safe solar for the sunshine state. vote yes on amendment 1.

why are out-of-state billionaires attacking amendment 1? because amendment 1... stops. their. subsidies. with amendment 1, you don't pay to stop unfair subsidies, vote yes on amendment 1. this is mike's office. if he doesn'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, we've got to start solving problems instead of pointing fingers. i am patrick murphy and i approve this message because i'll never stop working for you. z25egz z16fz

now to what's making headlines across america. penn state university has been hit with an historic fine for failing to cope -- failing to report crimes related to the jerry sandusky sexual assault case. this comes after a five-year federal investigation wherein they were found in violation of a policy to warn people if their safety is threatened. a contest -- a kentucky

$1000 for the damage. the accident happened in 2015 when the dog ran into the street while chasing a deer. nine weeks after the accident, she sent a letter asking him to repair her car. he refused to pay so she is taking him to court. news channel 8 at 6:00 is coming up next. >> stacy and keith with what we are working on. >> reporter: we are working to find out more about breaking news, an arrest made in a deadly hit and run. >> detectives believe they have found the driver who killed a mother and injured a deputy. more on the arrest coming up. neighbors are still worried about a sinkhole next-door. what an environmental group wants from the company, mosaic. claims someone here told a man that it's not his job to follow voter registration.

about the rays coming up in a minute. >> that and what coming up. you are watching news channel 8, the station that is always on your side. storm team 8 bridge weather is sponsored by morgan at

right now on news channel 8 at 6:00: >> it hold county -- polk county family. in the killed and a deputy seriously hurt. now, an arrest.>> a target 8 investigation, why are dead tampa bay voters still getting ballots? >> and a historic win that stunned the rays fans. how the victory has many people wondering what could have been. >> thank you for joining us. we do have breaking news right now. any moment, we are expecting an

arrest in a deadly hit and run from lake wales over the weekend. one woman died, and -- jessica enchautegui-otero and officer pennell. we are getting a crew looking at the suspect's vehicle. the sierra club once knew phosphate mining to be stopped until the sinkhole at that mosaic -- is a plant the large sinkhole opened in august. more than 200,000,000 gallons of contaminated water drained into the aquifer. some residents in the area are concerned that their drinking supply is still contaminated. >> one weekend my water stinks and it's brown. i wash my hair and bottled water. i wash my kids and bottled water.>> the sierra club is