>> and he is the unknown star in tampa bay who recorded a classic. >> i got a call from my manager saying we got you on the grand ole opry with hank williams in nashville, tennessee. >> now in his 90s they reach out to keith with a very humble request. >> i'm jenn holloway. >> i'm keith cate. thank you for joining us. we begin with a crime alert, thieves stealing cars right out paul mueller is joining us with the story. kids call it carhopping. cops call it a crime. after four dozen thefts in hillsborough county they've about had enough. >> reporter: the youngest person arrested just 13 years old. they call it a crime of opportunity because in nearly every case the car was unlocked and once the thieves got inside they found what they wanted, the keys. 14 people arrested for stealing

years old. >> a majority of these thieves are teens. does that surprise you? >> not at all. >> reporter: why not? >> teen-agers, they tend to like to do things they're not supposed to do. they get a thrill out of it. >> reporter: this man's hyundai was stolen from his driveway and tended up nearly an hour away in clearwater. -- and it ended up nearly an hour underage crime in hillsborough county is on the rise. remember this from may? caught on camera, another case of kids rummaging through nearly two dozen cars in riverview and apollo beach. these thieves go from driveway to driveway picking cars at random. then jackpot, they find a car unlocked, then take everything inside and the car, too. investigators say don't just blame the kids. >> it just goes to show people do not think it's going to happen to them or i've done it for years.

>> reporter: as for alex, his car is a total loss. he hopes it serves as a warning. >> let mine be an example. this is something that can happen. there's nothing wrong with being prepared and just being smart. >> reporter: and this may sound like a broken record, but deputies here at hillsborough county sheriff's office want to remind you take your keys, lock your car even if you park in your front yard. >> 13 years old? that's the age of the thief here. what's being done to prevent these kidtheirs from becoming repeat offenders -- these kids from becoming repeat offenders? >> reporter: one of the 16- year-olds has been arrested 11 times before that. so apparently there's a lot of work that still needs to being done with these kids. >> to say the least, thank you, paul mueller live in tampa. breaking news in michigan, an officer from detroit university is in critical condition after being shot in the head. police say the wayne state university officer was shot while stopping a man on a

that shooter. and the driver of a school bus that crashed in chattanooga killing five children is facing charges. police now think speed played a role in this crash. it happened yesterday. in addition to the five killed, six children remain in critical condition. tonight the mother of a 6-year- old victim relives the moment that she realized her son may not come home. >> when they told me that the front of the bus kids hadn't been removed an mother instinct that my baby was up there because i had been sitting out there as they were pulling the kids out one by one and i hadn't seen my son yet. >> the driver, 24-year-old jonathany walker, is charged with five counts of vehicular homicide, reckless endangerment and reckless driving. federal investigators continue investigating what happened. meanwhile earlier tonight families and friends mourn the loss together at a vigil. they gathered at a chattanooga church to pray for the dead and

new tonight fireball in the sky, did you see this? this unusual light display showed up around the same time last night. this is dashcam video from a north port police car. it shows what appears to be a giant meteor. here's another look at it from a security camera in largo. christopher scrubby sent us this video. pretty remarkable, clearly some sort of fireball in the sky and one more video to show you ur the city posted the close encounter on its facebook page. storm team 8 meteorologist steve jerve is our station expert on these sort of things. what were they looking at? was this a leftover meteor shower? >> could be some left over, but there's a lot of junk flying around in face and it's made of rocks, sometime iron and -- space and it's made of rocks, sometimes iron and also ice. there were 143 reports from

unexpectedly and it's hard to see these things travel throughout space. believe it or not around the world several thousand a day actually occur for us. they are masked by day and distance. a lot of these occur in uninhabited areas. remote areas are out over the water as well. when you see these things, it's a rare treat in the atmosphere. there's something balled a boli that's much -- called a boli that's much larger. they tend to as they enter earth's atmosphere. sometimes there's a hissing sound from. this it happens literally thousands of times -- this -- from it. this happens literally thousands of times a day around the earth. a mold problem around pinellas county firehouse, so bad at the east lake facility the entire crew is moving out so the mold can be removed. now comes the question who pays to clean up the process?

dollars. peter bernard is live in the night beat tonight in palm harbor. why is this mold in this fire station in the first place? >> reporter: somebody goofed up big time on this one. the design of this building which is less than 10 years old has a design flaw that allows humid air to get into the attic. the result is ugly mold that could pose a health hazard. east lake fire station 57 could be the envy of other departments except for one and lurking above the crew's bedrooms in the attic mold is growing on ductwork. >> all this foil wrapped stuff has to be stripped out of here. >> reporter: spots of mold were pointed out festering in several places. first noticed two years ago the fire district tried to work out a solution with hoffman architects and the contractor at the time peter r. brown. >> we're to the point now where the station need to be closed

repair can take place. >> reporter: temporary quarters for firefighters and offices for fire administration are planned to be brought into the front and back parking lots. total cost could run as lie as $350,000. -- high as $350,000. >> now we're hoping through a mediation process we'll be able to reach some settlement so the taxpayers won't wind up footing all the bill. >> reporter: 8 on your side discovered the original contractor sold out to another firm. their old office is cleaned out. atfm the receptionist told me the owner is not available. so east lake fire is not to fight it out in court. >> it's frustrating, especially in i building that is the -- in a building that is the newest of our three fire stations. i've cometon more about moisture and mold than i care to. >> reporter: oh, boy. east lake will still fond to calls from this location is the -- respond to calls from this location is the good news and no firefighters have suffered ill effects from the mold and

>> peter, any word when the temporary buildings will be ready? >> reporter: they'll be trailers and the fire chief hopes they're here by the end of the year. perhaps that means they can get all this work done by maybe march or april, but that might be optimistic. >> thank you. a serial robber is on the run in pinellas county. tonight authorities need your help before he strikes again. here's the man at work inside the rs mini market in clearwater. the same cashier is suspected of hitting three other nearby convenience stores within 24 hours. we checked with authorities and for now anyway the robberies have stopped. if the first big storm of the search is any indication, it's going to be a long cold weren't for people in upstate new york. lore -- winter for people in upstate new york. lorraine was buried in 30 inches of snow in some areas. the snow reached the rooftops blanketing houses and cars. this lake effect snow machine

impossible to see. it's not as bad as the north east, but winter weather has also arrived in west denver. some places got a trace of snow, others 2 to 5 inches. milder weather is expected tomorrow with gusty wind returning thanksgiving day making holiday travel a bit dicey. new information tonight, a texas judge blocked the obama administration's new overtime rule from taking effect. that rule would have raised the amount salaried employees have to earn before they are tacks exempt for the rules. more than 4 million workers stood to benefit from the change to take effect december 1st. thanks giving is looking a lot brighter tonight thanks to some of the buccaneers. this is the team's 10th annual turkey time with the o line event. the offensive linemen handed owl full thanksgiving meals at one -- handed out full thanksgiving meals at 1 buc

thanksgiving meal all because of tonight's event. he's a singer, songwriter and has rubbed elbows with some of the biggest country singers. >> i bet you know this song by heart, but do you know his name or his connection to dolly parton? >> plus trouble in toyland, the

long before tv talent shows like the voice mervin shiner recorded a song the world learned by heart and never forgot. it was a huge hit overnight. he was singing with the biggest names in country music. when he retired, mervin moved to tampa. he called me the other day because an old friend is appearing in concert this weekend and mervin had a humble request and after hearing his story i wanted to help.

>> singer songwriter mervin shiner began making records in 1949. ? ? here comes peter cottontail hopping down the bunny trail ? ?. >> a producer at deca records had to convince him to sing his biggest hit. >> i said i don't sing this stuff. i'm a country singer. he said i don't care. you're going to record it next week. >> he only made $50 off that classic song, but an instant star. >> i got a call from my manager and he said we got you on the grand ole opry with hank williams in tennessee. >> mervin has performed 24 songs and performed with country music royalty. look at all these records. he even sang with a 20-year-old nashville newcomer named dolly. did you know who she was really? >> no, no. i didn't have any idea who she was. so i walked into the studio this day and here was this girl who introduced me to dolly parton.

this song. ? ? we had all the good things going baby ? ? >> reporter: merv became one of dolly's biggest fans. he bought tickets for her tampa concert weeks ago. >> i sure would like to see her. it would be nice just to say hello to her. >> reporter: i shared merv's humble request with dolly's picture and she invited merv to reunite backstage and signed a picture. >> to merv. what a i, my goodness. >> reporter: merv doesn't look or sound like a man about to turn 96 years old, but then again why should he? like peter cottontail he's been living life to the fullest with a bunnylike spring in his step. ? ? hippety hopping happy easter day ? ? ? ?. >> what a great time i had there with mervin. thanks to dolly parton and her

mervin, too. i plan to be with them saturday when they reunite backstage. >> you said he is 96. he sings and plays so well. >> i couldn't believe it when he picked up the guitar and played and sang several songs. i had him sing four songs for us. you can watch those clips and see this story on the homepage of www.wfla.com. >> great story. tonight an 8 on your side warning so you don't wind up with a thanksgiving disaster, the consum commission demonstrated what can happen when you overfill your turkey fryer with oil or if you use a frozen bird. as you can see in this demonstration video how the oil can overflow, catch fire and burn down your entire porch, if not your home. if you're standing next to it, you'll wind up in bad shame as well. a recall is -- shape as well. a recall is in effect for

some of the jars are mislabeled as heinz pork gravy. this poses an allergen issue, so it doesn't say it contains milk and soy. be sure to check your jar for the best buy date of 12-28- 2017. an 8 on your side warning tonight for online shoppers, florida consumer groups have found dangerous toys, some under recall, still for sale online and in stores. this is the 31st year for the report listing everything from bicycles to hover boards children's tells us batteries and magnets on some toys can be a real danger. >> parents can use a paper roll that will show them if it goes through, basically the child can choke on it. >> parents can go to our website www.wfla.com to find out if a toy or other product is part of a recall. now max defender 8, the world's most powerful radar,

>> on a day like this you don't normally look for raindrops. sometimes meteors will occur. certainly it was a very dry day, hardly a cloud in the sky, dry air high above. max defender 8 continues to watch the atmosphere for any kind of precipitation. thanksgiving forecast 81 degrees, comfortable, a foggy start to the day. this is getting into thanksgiving. as we start to change the winds more east and northeasterly, that will bring back a little bit of low level moisture and partly cloudy cumulus clouds on a typical day. tony got a great shot from circle b bar reserve in lakeland earlier tonight, lot of color to the sky after sunset. this red shouldered along is what jackie calls it anyway. she spotted this earlier on tonight, great shot. 7 a.m. it's 58 degrees, not as cold. this morning got down to 32 degrees in brooksville, the day before 29.

average. 75 degrees at noon, 79 degrees at 3 p.m. right now 62 in bartow, 60 clearwater, st. pete 64, 52 in brandon, 54 inverness, 51 weeki wachee, 57 brooksville. around the rest of the country not really extreme weather given the time of year, of course, temps near freezing not that unusual in the northeast and great lakes. those are the current numbers, 51 degrees in oklahoma not much on the west coast, although there are some showers in the pacific northwest. dallas is a 45 minute delay, new york city a 30 minute delay. as we go throughout thursday, we'll see a bit of a warming trend with the jet stream lifting north, warmer temperatures return, close to average or slightly above. add to that a little humidity. saturday another front at the surface coming through at the upper levels. cool air to the north, warm air south. that will build in and allow

through. in terms of precip across the central part of the country is where the bulk of it's going on, but i did mention a few showers in northern california and the higher elevations. this is good news because they need snow up in the sierra and cascade for the water supply. snow is shifting into wisconsin, the u.p., michigan, delays in minneapolis earlier and rain around dallas, probably causing the delay. no delays here, great weather. high pressure continues to dominate. we'll have another beautiful day tomorrow. today atlantic basin. that's kind of amazing to say this time of year almost at thanksgiving, not impossible. the sea surface temperatures are warm enough. this is the latest forming hurricane in this part of the caribbean in left. it's a category 1, no effect on the -- history. it's a category 1, no effect on the bay area or really the u.s., but panama is getting some very strong squalls that will likely continue. you can see the burst of convection near panama, some of

central america into the pacific. if there is no change in the advisories, it will continue to keep that name otto. 79 degrees for wednesday and getting into thursday 81 degrees, friday 81 as well. rain chances are low through this period including on thanksgiving day itself. there's a front coming through on saturday as i mentioned. [ gobbling ] >> he's not going to make it. he's running trying to create a diversion so he can get out the backdo this period. [ gobbling ] >> i'm glad the turkey is still going because i've got here comes peter cottontail in my head. >> that was a great story. people we have living in our area, it's amazing. >> we have so many people in the tampa bay area. if you're a big star and know someone, call us up. coming up next in sports tonight the road to tampa features a dramatic weekend for

suspended by the nfl for violating its banned substance policy. hey! is this enough? a little more... grandma! there you go... there's no more room.

re. how's it looking? 20 more minutes... 8, 9... we need 1 more yes... let's enjoy. we need more rolls there was a little girl, and she became friends with every animal she met. it's getting late, grandma should go. one more? happy thanksgiving from publix.

after the second straight season a bucs player is nabbed by the nfl's performance enhancement quarterback adjei-barimah will serve a four game suspension without pay and without football. he will not appeal the ruling, so he sits immediately and can return after the bucs play the cowboys december 18th. quarterback jayveon allen moves to the active status. the bucs also placed backup

ttschald injuring his left knee. as college football's regular season enters its final week, the college football playoff rankings set up a dramatic couple weeks ahead with conference title games playing a big role in deciding when gets a slot at playing at raymond james stadium in january. unlike last week tonight's sets up a winner take all ohio state/michigan game this saturday or does it? both teams remain in the top four and there is a strong possibility that both stay there next week regardless of what happens. so here are your top four teams. the clemson tigers, zero room for error with washington breathing down their necks at no. 5. the huskies must beat washington state on friday to

rivalry week hits raymond james stadium noon at saturday. they finally officially named this thing the war on i-4 and after a winless season last year knights coach captured willy taggert's full attention. >> coach frost has done a good job with this team considering what they went through last year. you look at some of the games they could have easily won. this team could easily be sitting in and the las vegas nhl franchise unveiled its name and logo tonight, the las vegas golden knights will debut as the league's 36th team next season. teams such as the lightning now preparing for the expansion draft which happens next year. that lightning will have to make players available for the golden knights to pick. >> cool colors. >> you like it? they're selling gear now.

thanks, dan. >> we'll be right back with your lottery numbers. whoa, this is awful, try it. oh no, that looks gross what is that? you gotta try it, it's terrible. i don't wanna try it if it's terrible.

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we got off to a chilly start this morning. what about tomorrow, steve? >> it will be about what we expect this time of year. i had a graphic with 58 on it. >> but we have tides. >> yes, we do. 58 and clear and there's your tides, too. >> hey, steve, i know you like the >> they are slow, but thousands of them do move quickly when they send them towards the sea. marine turtles making the beaches of costa rica their home to lay some eggs. more than 1 million turtles make this annual swim to the beach. again as steve says, they're slow, but they get there. >> they get faster in the water. >> the phenomenon attracts scores of locals to harvest the eggs as part of a controlled conservation and community program. each turtle can lay about 100 eggs.

>> absolutely. >> they're like the size of a silver dollar, adorable. thank you for joining us. jimmy fallon is next. >> our next newscast at 4:30 a.m. have a great night! we'll see you back here tomorrow. don't miss our black friday specials, at havertys furniture. big savings in store only. this friday, eight am to eleven am. plus, win up to $250 off your total purchase. and get thirty-six month, no-interest financing. black friday specials, while supplies last.

even when life isn't. don't miss our black friday specials at havertys. life looks good. [ cheers and applause ] ? >> steve: from studio 6b in rockefeller center in the heart of new york city, it's "the tonight show starring jimmy fallon."