right now on news channel 8 at 5:30 pm: >> new numbers show which day of the thanksgiving weekend was the most dangerous for drivers. good evening. i am jennifer leigh and i'm josh benson. we have heard the wednesday before thanksgivingis but this year it seems the saturday after thanksgiving was when they behaved badly, breaking the law on bay area roads. this story live from tampa. >> reporter: good evening. there is no doubt that people love to party on that wednesday night but as you mentioned, saturday night is becoming more popular than ever and more dangerous. talk about a busy thanksgiving holiday.

necessarily the night you are thinking of. the wednesday night with the notorious name drunksgiving may have some competition. that's because saturday night proved to be busier than ever. >> some people i think maybe take the celebration a little too far. >> reporter: for nearly 3 decades, lieutenant darren barlow has seen just about everything on our roads and this weekend, he heard just about every excuse. >> was that i'm the most sober person in the car which is er. that doesn't make you safe to drive. >> reporter: dui teams decided to crunch the numbers on the busiest and most dangerous time periods for driving during thanksgiving and it turns out saturday night was some of the most dangerous at all. >> historically, the weekend after thanksgiving really up until the new year holiday is there is a marked increase in dui accidents.

they know it, patrols had 16 people arrested, busted for dui in hillsborough county. as a matter of fact, deputies ran out the door the second they got into work. >> before the briefing was even over, i had deputies going out to work intoxicated drivers at 8 pm in the evening. it started busy and stayed busy all evening. >> reporter: that our bay area roads are more dangerous than ever right now, you are not imagining things. even veteran deputies admit things are getting worse out there every single day. >> what seems to be causing all of this? any idea? >> reporter: three things really, the drinking and driving we just talked about +2 things we haven't talked about a whole lot, road rage and people texting behind the wheel on social media. those three things are making things more and more dangerous. you are not imagining it.

>> we are all sharing the roads. melanie michael live in tampa. a woman in michigan disappeared while she was out jogging while in volusia county. rachel medicine, a mother of two boys had been staying with family after leaving her husband. her family now believes he had something to do with her disappearance. they claim jarvis medicine has been making threatening phone calls since she left. >> what he said every time was i will get her. you can't stop me. >> authorities in multiple states are now searching for jarvis madison and any sign of rachel. investigators are looking for a silver 2011 honda pilot with indiana plates. the florida department of transportation is ramping up efforts to make roads safer for pedestrians and cyclists as we head into the holiday season. this new push puts emphasis on making sure people on the roads

tonight a live tomorrow campaign. the tagline is can you see me now? >> the goal is to remind voters to pay attention, to look for pedestrians and bicyclists. you can't see what you're not looking for. and to remind pedestrians and cyclists to make themselves more visible when walking and biking at night. because safety doesn't happen by accident. >> nine times safety tips include wearing bright reflective clothing and lights. also try to stick to well lit areas. the searches on for a driver of the truck that's both gravel over the crosstown connector. the gravel caused the driver of three vehicles of -- to lose control and slam into a concrete barrier wall. one driver got out to check his car and was hit. >> reporter: this is part of the crosstown connector where the crashes happen. the driver was inspecting his

car hit him, tossing him over the wall where he landed 33 feet below. it's a dangerous stretch of road. cars, trucks, and big rigs pick up speed as they approach eastbound i-4 from tampa. it was made more dangerous tuesday morning when a truck spilled gravel all over the roadway. the drivers who followed the truck ran into the gravel. >> that loss of a load left a massive amount of gravel over 700 feet lost control traveling over that loose gravel rock. >> reporter: these our pictures given to 8 on your side -- news channel 8 by the highway patrol. they show some of the wrecked cars. the 21-year-old driver in one got out to look at his car and was hit and tossed over the barrier wall. >> a fall like that can be deadly. >> reporter: a day later and

driving the truck and if that person even realizes some of the load spilled onto the highway. >> what we would like is for that driver that lost his load on the highway to come forward, do the right thing. >> reporter: they think there was a mechanical issue. the man fell off the highway remains in serious condition. ryan hughes, news channel 8. rescue crews in jacksonville worked all day and tore up part of a street to free a manatee trapped in a storm drain. storm workers spotted the manatee this morning. the only way out was to dig it out and they were able to get aisling around the manatee and lifted free. crews loaded the manatee into a truck to get some much-needed care. fidel castro was a controversial leader to say the least and his death has been marked by celebration in much of south florida. now, an ice cream shop in little havana has created a better tribute to him. this might offend some of you with delicate sensibilities. it's his own flavor called burn

it's pretty spicy. the flavor is chocolate with loads of cayenne pepper. it has been pretty popular, nearly selling out every day. you can shop for just about anything online these days. >> but this might be the last thing on your mind, cremation. coming up, how a bay area funeral busines button. checking in with chris crinkle. how technology can keep your kids off the naughty list this holiday season. a few showers" today helped hold down temperatures but still warm and relatively humid. we will see of the showers will continue and look ahead to tomorrow's cold front coming up. >> that and more coming up on news channel 8, the station

eagle 8 hd is brought to you by your local suncoast hyundai dealers. visit your local hyundai dealer today or visit www.buyahyundai.com. >> welcome back. in this digital age it seems like you can do just about anything on your computer. a new funeral business in the bay area is giving customers the option of making and paying for cremations online. mary mcguire shows us how this convenient new option works. >> reporter: from grabbing food to ordering a ride, anything with a swipe. these services are typically aimed at people above ground but now things are taking a turn 6 feet under. >> they are able to do all the arrangements online from selecting the earn or the keepsake items that your family may want to paying and filing all the necessary documents. >> reporter: bay area families can now make and pay for cremation arrangements for themselves or a loved one

>> you go to www.rightchoicecommission.com and you can start planning. >> reporter: taking the old- school business into the digital age. two thirds of adults shop online every month and one third do so each week. it would certainly appear that the time has come for this concept. >> everyone is more tech savvy now. >> reporter: the idea of preplanning your cremation may sound morbid but those in the business believe it can be a gift to your self. >> rearranging your funeral something that is a gift to your family in the future so they don't have to worry about it. it's already taken care of. >> reporter: and hillsborough county, mary mcguire news channel 8. >> families can also visit the facility if they prefer to make arrangements in person. the upcoming star wars movie rogue one has or can a box office record and it isn't even in theaters yet. wrote one a star wars story boasts the biggest number of ticket presales for 2016 from

www.movietickets.com. the first standalone star wars adventure is tracking to open above the $130 million mark when it hits theaters on december 16. if you missed the voice, we have a treat for you. a legendary country icon and modern pop star came together for a one-of-a-kind performance.>> ? >> dolly parton and mi jolene accompanied deed by the pentatonic's -- accompanied by the pentatonic group. that song is featured in dolly's new nbc movie christmas of many colors. right before that is christmas at rockefeller center. the lighting of the rockefeller center tree at 8 pm.

with thanksgiving gone, families have turned their thoughts to christmas and children specifically are thinking about santa claus and what he will bring them. with the write up, they can connect directly with the big man and parents find it helpful as well. >> reporter: a call from santa is exciting for kids and useful for parents. tell santa a few details about your child and the big man calls back with a personalized message. it can behavior issues but there is also a way for children to call and leave a voicemail with santa containing their wish lists. the app is free for ios and android. video calls with santa provides three prerecorded interactive calls to reward nice children, discipline naughty children, or to allow children to record a wish list that parents can

with santa by using video messages that adults control by tapping on screen when certain questions are asked. it's $2.99 for ios and android. santa tracker delivers personalized phone calls and allows for thousands of possible calls that can be fully customized with all sorts of information. kids can record wish list for later access, and it features a christmas countdown and allows for tracking of stamkos christmas eve travels. the app is free for ios. >> if you want more information about any of these apps, and i know you do, we have put all the links up on www.wfla.com. a world war ii pilots gold ring is back with his family 73 years after he lost it in service to our country. second lieutenant jules schimel of louisiana crashed his fighter jet in northern italy in 1943. two italian brothers tried to keep his identity secret but he ends up being taken prisoner by

onto the ring all these years. they returned it to his children just yesterday. >> i just no dad is looking down from heaven smiling. the only thing that could make it better was if he was here. >> he passed away on veterans day in 1990. he earned the 10 karat gold ring after graduating from flight training in alaska. historians say it's remarkable that the brothers didn't sell it for food during the war. now, max de your storm team 8 forecast with chief meteorologist steve jerve. >> a few light showers and some rain around the bay area. everything racing from south to north essentially. a few showers continue to occur off some of the m1 spots. you can see that familiar motion off to the northeast. today is the final day of hurricane season and noaa says the atlantic experienced its

the atlantic saw 15 named storms including seven hurricanes, three of which were considered major. hurricane matthew was the longest lived and strongest of the season, a major hurricane for eight days. this is the final day of the hurricane season. that doesn't mean we can't see a tropical system. it's a very rare but it does mean the official end of the season. it starts again on june 1. 15 named storms, seven hurricanes. this is the final day but next year. this is part of living in the bay area. our rainfall since january 1 enhanced by some tropical weather with over 52 inches of rain. that is 8.3 above our normal level. and land o lakes, 75 degrees at connerton with southwest wind at 6 miles per hour. mostly overcast after sunset here. 75 degrees with our southwest wind. at the lake club in lakewood

reasonable. 83 degrees today. it has been a fairly warm day. at the plantation crystal river, 79 degrees. a little rain there. lucerne park, a beautiful shot earlier in the day today with was a cloudy skies and we mentioned a few showers that did pass across the area with some measurable rainfall. 70 degrees at 7 am. that's very warm this time of year. a few clouds and high humidity given the time of year, lots of mois c levels. 79 degrees at 4 pm, 76 degrees at tampa international, the dew point 69 degrees, almost 70 degrees. that is a very, very humid for almost december. 78 degrees in st. petersburg, a very high dew point there. showers and thunderstorms occurring to our north ahead of a cold front moving our way. this front will pass through the area tomorrow but we're not expecting strong showers and thunderstorms. there is severe weather around sections of the carolinas and

a few showers lifting to the northeast this afternoon. some clouds and clear patches. we have seen a good mix of that. this is a high-rise computer model picking up on a few clouds the continue to drift to the north and northeast. there is a cold front around 10:30 pm moving into the northern portion of the state. as we run the rpm forecast computer model, you can see this front moves into the area for the afternoon hours. about a 20% chance of the area and we will see a few extra clouds as it moves into the region. behind the front we're looking for cooler and drier air. a bit breezy, cooler temperatures near 60 degrees to start the day. by friday afternoon, nice, sunshine and clouds perhaps, breezy conditions. that pressure changes when we start to see this temperatures change. 72 degrees is our evening forecast. temperatures already in the low

rain chances very low friday, saturday and sunday. high temperatures upper 70s for saturday but with a warm front passing from south to north. we are getting into the warm sector again with a little more atmospheric moisture and warmer temperatures. 81 degrees for a high on sunday. look forward to a cold front. a slight temperature and dew point adjustment. a little more humid. another quick reminder, help news channel 8 support a number of worthy causes. please bring your teddy bears to the teddy bear around up and bring donations for toys for tots and oneblood. kindness day is december 9 at our news 10 late studios on south parker street in tampa. all right, well a destructive hazard is wreaking havoc on utah drivers. >> up next, what happened when hundreds of nails ended up on the road. how the person responsible

holloway, suzy phillips and me for news channel 8 on great 38 from 8 pm to 9 pm. if recording captures a final harrowing minutes aboard the doomed plane that carried a brazilian soccer team. donald trump makes good on his pledge to save jobs from going to mexico. what was the trade-off? and where every day is take your

now to headlines. prosecutors will not fit -- will not charge the police officer who fatally shot a man, working days of protests and arrests. brently vinson shot walter scott three times in august. prosecutors concluded scott had a gun and ignored orders to drop it. >> this city had a reaction that now when you look at the evidence and if we were to have provided an opportunity for an investigation, i think it would have been a different scenario. >> attorneys for scott's family say they will be conducting their own investigation and they urge people to keep their protests peaceful. police in new york city are searching for a man who stole

video of the theft back in september. the guy there is loitering around and armored truck and when the guard leaves, he grabs an 86 pound bucket of gold flakes and then runs off. it wasn't snow causing trouble for utah drivers, it was nails, hundreds of them all over the road. at least a dozen vehicles were damaged. at least one junior high school student was hurt when he stepped on a nail. police say if this was a deliberate act, it could result in felony charges. news channel 8 at 6:00 is coming up next. a deadly stretch of road that some believe is too dangerous. >> now they are pushing for change. what friends and family of this crash victim went transportation officials to do to make it safer. it appears to be the end of the line for a museum that has been struggling for years. why they may end up closing for good. i'm jeff patterson in

the official funeral procession has begun for fidel castro across the country. we will tell you how the country and cubans are reacting to his death. i am standing at the lakeland linder airport and you are taking a look at the home of the new noaa hurricane program. what it means for your part and beyond. >> those stories and your storm team 8 forecast and sports with o-line coming up on news channel 8, the station that's always on your side. i've been thinking... this might be the one thing in the world

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right now on news channel 8 at 6:00: >> a musician killed in a terrible accident. how his friends are pushing to make changes along this busy road. >> plus jeff patterson on the

cuba learned the news. and a new home for the hurricane hunters. why they won't be moving very far. i'm stacie schaible. >> and i thank you for joining us. trying to prevent another tragedy, robert cartwright was a possible -- popular newport ricci musician. loved ones believe the car crash that killed him could have been avoided. we are live at the accident scene tonight and the family hopes their actions can help others. >> reporter: you can see right here behind me, that there is a growing memorial for robert cartwright who was killed at this intersection but since we have been here, i want to take a look over here. this is the illegal u-turn that as part of this roadway. we have seen so many illegal u- turn's done here and this is why residents want a light.