a bay area rec center goes up in flames. i'm gayle guyardo. >> i'm again ramirez, the flames shot 30 feet in the air. the fire so bad crews couldn't a center off palm river road. right now they are letting it burn to the ground. mary joins us live from the scene. what can you tell us? >> reporter: firefighters have been fighting this blaze close to three hours now and in the past couple of minutes the ladder truck has been brought back up we saw it come down for a little bit but it's back up trying to put out the hotspots at the rec center. the building is a total loss. when we arrived on scene flames were shooting 30 feet in the air and two aerial ladder

the fire. this is a building that has been in the news lately. in march the vinick family foundation announced they were donating $2.5 million to renovate this rec center. the largest individual gift in the 90-year history of the boys and girls club in tampa bay. and it were set to be renamed the jeff and penny vinick family winston park boys and girls club. this will be a blow to the people in the area that depend on rec centers like this for after school care. it was set to community. >> i grew up here. everybody here grew up here and just -- it just meant a lot to see something happening in the neighborhood for the kids. >> reporter: this building was closed while it was under construction but set to reopen sometime over the next few months. the fire marshal is currently on scene trying to figure out what caused this fire. if there is any good news no one was inside of the building when this fire did break out

huge fire. we're told that close to 35 firefighters came on scene, again two ladder trucks, this was a very intense fire but this is a big blow to the community here in hillsborough county. so many people depended on this rec center. back to you. >> devastating for so many there. thank you. download our breaking news app. it's a free download. let's go to ed bloodsworth in lee spann. it's warm and muggy outside. >> very muggy. here's max defender 8, a few showers over hardee county and now extreme northwestern portions of highlands county between avon park and sebring. a little rain. also a line of showers out over the gulf. that is slowly but surely working its way towards the coast. as you mentioned so warm this morning with 70 in clearwater. 68 zephyrhills. 71 tampa.

especially in the interior locations. 75 is the high but we make it to 79, it's going to feel extremely humid as we go through today. also have spotty showers. in fact i'll break down the rain chances in greater detail in a few. first let's check the roads. looking pretty good. a nice drive. it's starting to get busier but overall a good drive. 275 near hillsborough avenue. you can see more vehicles on the roadway there. of course we're heading southbound. let's go ahead and look now at some travel times. still looking pretty good as well as u.s. 19 out in the palm harbor area. hold on to a good drive there. here's a look at i-4 around the polk parkway, still a little fog but it's a little bit deceiving, actually looking a lot better, it's foggier up above the cars than it is on the roadway. that's a look at weather and traffic. back to you. developing this morning -- a man convicted of killing his neighbor on a valrico basketball court six years ago could walk out of jail any

while he awaits the results of an appeal. newschannel 8's ryan hughes live at the orient road jail in hillsborough county. ryan, the victim's family is not happy about this. >> reporter: exactly. good morning. once again the family of david james doesn't think trevor dooley should be set free while awaiting a decision. this is what the widow had to say. >> i mean you try to pair yourself -- prepare yourself but when it comes down and it -- it's still -- it's so difficult. very difficult to know that he gets so much time with his family, that we never -- we never got. >> reporter: trevor dooley shot and killed david james six years ago after an argument about skateboarding on a neighborhood basketball court. the victim's 8-year-old daughter witnessed the killing.

manslaughter. his attorney recently requested he be released, yesterday a judge agreed. the judge told the 75-year-old dooley he cannot leave hernando county where he lives unless he's dealing with court related matters. he can't have any weapons and must also stay away from the victim's family. he's set to be released here sometime today. we will keep you posted. >> wow. some powerful words though from the victim's widow. thank new information about a fire at a mobile home in odessa. the survivor told investigators she fell asleep with the candles still lit. her husband died in that fire. she also said there were smoke alarms in the home but they didn't go off. family and friends of a popular band member are trying to prevent another tragedy. rob cartwright was killed along a dangerous intersection on u.s. 19 in hudson. his friend kelly quinnell started a petition for a

constant illegalu turns there. >> it's ludicrous, i don't get it. i could see if there's just one sign an one car doesn't see it but there's literally three no u turn signs before they even get there to warn you. don't do it. >> after several studies the florida department of transportation concluded beach boulevard does not warrant a light. officials say there just isn't enough traffic volume there. there is a search on for a wo staying with family in volusia county and disappeared while she was jogging. rachel madison was staying with relatives in oroned by the sea after leaving her husband. her family now believes he had something to do with her disappearance. and had been making threatening phone calls since she left. 34 >> what he said every time. i won't give up. i will get her.

>> authorities in multiple states are now searching for the estranged husband, jarvis madison and any sign of rachel. a struggling military museum in largo plans to close its doors for good. the armed forces history museum announced they will shut down permanently january 29th. organizers tell us the museum may be taken over by the government or perhaps another organization. museum leaders are still discussing what will happen to all the memorabilia there. the st. pete police department is ramping up special enforcement for bicycle and pedestrian city's top 10 most needed locations. today is the start of the multiweek campaign which is designed to target unsafe behaviors on the road. from 10 acc tom to 2:00 this afternoon today officers will be giving out educational materials to ensure everyone is aware of road laws. they will be stationed in the area of 3rd avenue south and 3rd street south in st. pete. we're just seconds away

it's so warm. warm and very muggy. warmer and more humid than typical for december. later today, as that cold front approaches it will at times feel a little more uncomfortable than it normally is but the temperature will also stay above average. we should normal normally hit 75. we're going to jump all the way to 79 today. this is all thanks to a cold front. there it is in the rapid repress model as it -- rapid refresh model as it es the day, already some developing this morning. but the rain chances overall pretty slim. only 20 percent. beyond that we dry out again. for friday, saturday and sunday, but the next week pattern starts to get a little more active. you could see several days with decent rain chance here. still the timing a little up in the air. plenty of time to watch it. but the good thing is we get rid of the rain chance in time for another beautiful weekend. that fog is starting to

picture now. i-4, polk parkway. foggier 30 minutes ago. looks better out here now. 275 getting a little slower, 275 southbound at hillsborough avenue. so keep that in mind. starting to build but we're still at speeds of about 45 miles per hour. i-75 through manatee county looks great also. i-75 through sarasota a good drive too. that's weather and traffic on the 8s. back to you. newschannel 8 gearing up for kindness day december 9th. annual tradition in our studios. just drive through, roll down the window and hand over some teddy bears for the rough riders. also toys for tots, food for feeding tamp bay and even -- tampa bay and even blood for one blood. we hope to see you there. to donate the blood though you have to get out of the car >> everything else you drive through.

>> for a great cause. with a few clicks you can get almost anything you want to your door stop. >> but there are concerns. crooks are stealing packages off our door steps. easy and free ways to prevent the thefts coming up. >> track footage from the carolinas. the drought-stricken states needed water but these storms

6:13. with modern technology you can buy just about anything and have it delivered to our doorstep. >> it's convenient but not just for us as shoppers. also convenient for the people who want to rip us off. our mere >> having someone take your packages off your door step is frustrating and unnerving. fortunately there are ways to be in control of deliveries at all times, some don't cost you a penny. fedex ships to their locations or fedex express stations for free. a free u.p.s. my choice membership gives you the option to leave packages with a neighbor or for $5 have

address. >> you can decide when they are delivered and actually where they are delivered. >> reporter: amazon's free amazon locker service is a one- time use p.o. box, you choose a delivery location and use an unlock code to retrieve the delivery. >> it's a waiting game to see which locker is the one that is going to open up. >> reporter: there are amazon lockers in pinellas and hillsborough counties and handful in manatee, pasco and hernando counties. the $50 package guard is a car alarm for your delivery arrives and must be disarmed before the package is moved. cameras can catch criminals if the picture is clear enough. live streaming cameras such as the $99 blink or $200 nest cam notify you more quickly that a crime has been committed. for $229 the august smart lock device remotely locks and unlocks doors. >> package gets delivered, can

drop off the package, shut the door and lock it behind them. >> reporter: for a big investment the landport lock box is a $500 steel contain they're bolts to any surface and is opened with a code you share with your delivery service. the three major delivery services, u.s. postal service, u.p.s. and fedex expect to deliver 1.8 billion packages this holiday season. i think half a billion of those have already showed up on our where we have to drill some giant red box to our front porch just to -- >> there are multiple colors if you're willing to spend $500 for it. >> to match the color scheme of your home. >> other people can have it sent to where they work. >> always an option and that is not going to cost you money. we like that part. looking across america -- severe weather rolled across

wind doused drought-stricken anderson, south carolina. that rain was needed but the storm system possibly spawned tornadoes. definitely not needed. there were reports of trees and power lines down and damage to home. no injuries reported though. so far the fbi hasn't established a connection between isis or other terror groups and the attack at ohio state. agents are scouring through abdul artan's laptop and other devices but so far they do not family knew of his plan to attack innocent people on the osu campus. the attack is also sparking action, the ohio state senate is now considering a bill that would allow state universities and colleges to decide for themselves that they want to allow concealed weapons permits on campus. new york city police are searching for this guy. caught on camera, taking about 1.6 million dollars in gold.

september, you can see the man loiter around a truck, then walk off with a bucket filled with gold flakes. police now believe the man and his bucket of gold are somewhere in the sunshine state, maybe near a rainbow. prince harry is hanging out with rihanna. interesting couple. the two are in barbados now. they kicked off a concert last night celebrating the 50th independence anniversary of the country. prince harry representing his grandmother, queen of england. rihanna was born in barbados, that is why she put on the concert. >> he looks like a fun guy. if you watch dolly parton's movie "christmas of many colors" you may have learned a thing or two about her life. >> here's something you may not know. we helped an old friend reunite with her. 96-year-old singer/songwriter mervin shiner retired to tampa but wanted to see the country music legend dolly parton one last time.

for her. our own keith cate reunited the pair after her recent concert at amalie arena. >> you're still a young man. i remember that song you wrote as we had all the good things going baby. one of my favorite songs. ? put it off until tomorrow? ? you hurt me enough today photo? >> i saw my uncle bill. >> that is so cute. the stroll down memory lane was brief but even of course you can see the story and previous stories about mervin again, share it from keith's facebook page, we also posted it on the home page of wfla.com. i watched the whole thing, brought tears to my eyeses because you could just see how excited he was to see dolly. >> you think of all the people she's worked with in the past. >> she remembered. >> she remembered him. that song and everything >> so cool. 6:18. let's check with ed bloodsworth. >> we're getting 40 minutes

sun for today. there's the view from veterans ford in tampa. it's very warm. it's very humid out there this morning. you'll notice that, it doesn't feel like december 1st. 69 degrees. max defender 8 is looking at just a few showers. we've been tracking them throughout the morning over portions of hardee, desotoo and highlands county. fizzling out now. but there's more rain on the way. we have a thin line of showers stretching out over the gulf, only a few minutes away now county. we're watching that. overall rain chances fairly slim. 20% today. but there will be extra cloud cover. 76 at noon. 79 for this afternoon. 64 apollo beach. 68 zephyrhills and again 71 tampa. very humid ahead of this front as it slides through, less humid air comes our way friday at 76. wake-up temperatures cooling, highs 70s and 80s for the weekend.

downtown taliban, seeing more vehicles on the road, southbound 275 as you come through downtown starting to get a little bit slower. beyond that here, where the buildings are, let's talk about what is going on in downtown. franklin street is blocked northbound between tyler and cass and won't be reopened until tomorrow afternoon. due to construction. take florida northbound instead. facebook is adding a >> still ahead -- how the social media wants you to spend more time on their app.

6:23.

convenient. netflix worldwidal rouses to you download -- allows to you download certain shows and you can watch them offline anywhere. you still need a data plan to down load but they will now be available to watch any time, anywhere. facebook bringing classic video games to its users for free. the feature is called instant games. users can play the video games either solo, on your facebook news feed or challenge friends app. >> did somebody say pac man? miss pac man would be even better. santa claus banned. >> new in the next half-hour, why the jolly old elf won't be seen in some classrooms out west. >> thousands are running from wildfires in tennessee. people missing in the flames that are destroying homes, businesses and lives. >> let's head outside live to beautiful downtown tampa. some cars headed over the bridge this morning, it is

kindness day a week from tomorrow. the teddy bear roundup goes throug teddy bear. rain chances today, 20%, very low, dry air coming our way through friday and the weekend. perhaps better rain chances into next week. how are the roads? >> a couple of issues now. an accident here tying up lanes on the tamiami trail. this is just outside of the sarasota area, just a bit in manatee county here at somerset avenue. keep it in mind. also in st. pete we have a collision as well, this one is

avenue north. 49th street at 54th avenue north. 275 looks great in pinellas county. hillsborough slow from hillsborough avenue to downtown

breaking news, a massive fire at a hillsborough county rec center. we're live with a look at the damage and what this means for the families that use this popular after-school site. >> he shot and killed skateboarder but this morning trevor dooley is about to walk free from jail. we'll tell you why dooley is being released. >> wildfire devastation in tennessee. seven people are dead and officials fear that number could go up. this as rescue crews searched the ruins for those who are still missing. good morning, welcome to newschannel 8 today. i'll gayle guyardo. >> i'm gene ramirez, thank you

ed bloodsworth is in. >> we're starting off very warm and extremely muggy. we had south winds of the last couple of days. it's been upping the humidity values. max defender 8, a few isolated showers pop up over hardee, desoto county, also a thin line of showers out over the gulf of mexico. that is slowly working towards our area in advance of our next cold front. it's a cloudy start over polk county. 68 degrees and a -- we're looking at the warm temperatures that are closer to where your normal high should be and the fog issue getting a little better today but there will still be areas of patchy fog especially east of 75 this morning. 79 is where we are later today with the spotty showers. bring an umbrella before you head out. let's look at traffic. it's getting busier, 275 southbound heading towards downtown tampa. this is right by hillsborough avenue. we're definitely seeing more

here's a look at downtown tampa. you can see sun starting to come up. a pretty drive but more vehicles again out there to be on the lookout for. tamiami trail known as 41 in the suncoast area at somerset avenue, this accident is tying up some lanes. that's weather and traffic. back to you. we continue to follow breaking news out of hillsborough county. a popular rec center is a total loss after a fire broke out there early this morning. >> the fi blow to the families who use the center for child care and other activities. newschannel 8's mary mcguire joins us live from the scene at winston park rec center just off palm river road in the clair mel area. anyone inside when the fire broke out? >> reporter: thankfully no one was in the rec center but the building is a total loss. as the sun comes up we're getting a better look at the scene and right now crews are

structure and look for more hotspots, then take the ladder truck back in and use a thermal camera to make sure the fire is completely out. when we arrived on scene flames were shooting 30 feet in the air and two aerial ladder trucks were brought in to fight this fire. this is a building that has been in the news lately. in march the vinick family foundation announced they were donating $2.5 million to renovate the rec center. the largest individual gift in the 90-year history of was set to be renamed the jeff and penny vinnick family winston park boys and girls club. it was a challenge for firefighters. >> every fire has its own individual challenges. this one the size of the building and how involved it was when we got on scene. put us in that defensive mode. so it's just a case by case basis depending on what type of fire is, how big the structure

is on scene now trying to investigate what exactly sparked this fire. we know that 35 firefighters were on scene. again two ladder trucks brought in. the protests over the death of livonia riggins, you may remember in september, they happened very close to the area. i've been chatting with neighbors and they say that after that unrest and those protests this brand new rec center really was expected to bring a lot of hope to the area. it was going to be a place that kids could go to, they hockey and could stay off the streets. so that hope, that really pillar in the community is demolished this morning. it's a complete loss. back to you. >> rec centers sore convenient, open when school is closed, parents really rely on the affordable care and entertainment for the kids. so devastating. thank you. right now a manatee county man accused of sexually abusing three young girls for years.

a substitute teacher in the manatee county school district. this is 29-year-old brad bellinger of ellenson. he faces three molestation counts. the victims ages 10, 12 and 13. the man has been a substitute teacher since 2011. for most of the time he worked at ida stewart elementary school in bradenton. the valrico man who shot and killed his neighbor over a child skateboarding on their community basketball court could walk out of jail any moment. trevor dooley was granted bond, while appealing his conviction. newschannel 8's ryan hughes is live at the orient road jail in hillsborough county. dooley asked to be released and the judge said yes. >> reporter: exactly. trevor dooley was serving an 8- year sentence in state prison but recently asked for a new trial because he claims some of the instructions given to the jury during his trial were incorrect, a judge agreed. that judge will allow him to

appeal. dooley shot and killed david james six years ago after an argument about skateboarding on a basketball court. the victim's 8-year-old daughter witnessed the killing. dooley claims stand your ground but was convicted of manslaughter. his attorney recently requested that he be released and yesterday a judge agreed. we spoke to the victim's widow who certainty wasn't happy with the news. >> i hope that you enjoy the holidays. i know your birthday is co christmas, new year's, easter, all the rest. just remember we never -- had to continue any of that with dj because you took him from us. so, enjoy that time. >> reporter: i just got off the phone with a jail worker, she says wonder still hasn't -- bond still hasn't been posted. so it will likely be hours

widow, thank you. to the ashes of gatlinburg. search and rescue efforts will resume as soon as the sun is up over the great smoky mountains as the first victims from tennessee's worst wildfires in more than a century are now identified. >> meredyth joins us with more information overnight. >> the death toll in the rose to seven could rise today. overnights the son of this woman, alice haggler confirms his mother was one of three victims found dead in chalet village. a collection of rental cabins. many families pleading for information including michael reed who last talked to his wife on the phone monday night as flames spread closer to their home. >> for my wife constance. and my daughter lily who is 9 and my other daughter chloe who

family is not among the confirmed fatalities but still missing. confirmation from the family of john and janet summers that the couple is missing. they were vacationing with their sons but were forced to evacuate. the sons made it to safety. the couple has not been seen since. the latest update is that it could be tomorrow now before many homeowners will be able to assess the damage. time now for weather on the 8s, ed bloodsworth over the past 24 hours and that helped a little bit. >> yeah, it's not just them but other parts of the southeast undergoing a tremendous drought. again as that portion of tampa where they desperately needed the rain, they picked up 2 inches of rain in the last 24 hours, that is helping efforts there. that same cold front is now mashing south. you can see we've got showers across portions of florida, even at home a thin band of rain now about to come on shore near citrus county.

rain chances up to 20% for today. there's the cold front. it will start to slide to the south but again all the energy with this is really going to kind of fizzle out as it passes through. so the rain chances only 20% for today. even lower as you go off to the south. and then drier air rolls in for friday, less humid air as well. saturday looking great. picture perfect at 78. the humidity starts to climb again by sunday but still no rain for your upcoming weekend so if you don't have outdoor plans i would suggest ng >> nice weekend. too bad traffic isn't nice. starting to get busy. we had a nice morning with traffic. things change when you get closer to rush hour. here's st. pete. a collision, be on the lookout for this. 49th street at 54th avenue north. over in pinellas county. now heading over state road 60 in brandon at gorto lake road. possibly tying up lanes but not

gets congested on 60. but 301 at duncan road, outside -- south of it, delays on both directions of 301 just south of 75. back to you. santa banned from the classroom. >> still ahead -- why old st. nick is on the naughty list this year. >> protests in charlotte, people took to the streets angry over a decision in the case of black motorist keith scott. morning. as the island nation pays tribute to dictator fidel

a police officer shot and killed in washington state. now other officers are locked in a standoff with the

the officer was responding to a domestic violence call when he was shot. back upofficers quickly surrounded the house and believe the suspect is holed up inside. police have the entire neighborhood on lockdown this morning. we'll have more on the developing story as it happens. new information this morning on the possible cause of that deadly plane crash in colombia. recording of the plane's final minutes indicates the pilot told air traffic controllers they were out of fuel. 71 people died in the crash, some of them members brazilian soccer team. last night thousands of soccer fans filled stadiums in brazil and colombia to remember those team members. the brazilian team was headed to colombia for a soccer tournament. now 8 on your side's special coverage. cuba mourns fidel castro. fidel castro's ashes will make another stop in their journey across cuba today but the impact of his death is felt across the island. newschannel 8 is the only bay

>> reporter: this is plaza vieja in havana, restored quite a bit in the last five or 10 years. a lot of restoration as they rebuilt the exterior of many buildings, inside as well and it's become a showplace for touristses. we've still seen tour groups coming through but one thing we notice that is quite a bit different and you have to listen for just a second. to try to pick up that difference. you hear ch here is a group pub that is normally packed with tourists and they have live music going on outside. right now it's closed, no alcohol served, no live music. this is part of the official nine days of mourning for fidel castro. early wednesday morning his remains left havana bound for santiago de cuba, driving 900

cuba all week. keep it here on newschannel 8 for more as he continues his special reports. across america protester underway in charlotte after prosecutors decided not to charge the police officer who shot and killed black motorist keith scott. more than 100 demonstrators hit the streets chanting anti- police slogans and demanding justice for scott. the protests have been mostly peaceful despite several scuffles. three people have been arrested. new information on the while jogging only to be found three weeks later. the victim of an apparent kidnapping. sherri papin iowas found early thanksgiving morning on a highway outside sacramento. hands bound, body battered and bruised. she told deputies she was captive by two women who dropped her off in a spot more than 150 miles from where she disappeared. she says her captors kept her isolated and even branded her. investigators are still searching for the two women she

the presidential election recount in wisconsin begins today. this is the first candidate driven statewide recount of a presidential election in 16 years. the recount was requested by green party candidate jill stein. despite the effort almost no one expects recounts this year to result in a clinton victory. santa ended up on the naughty list for one oregon school district. >> that district banning old st. nick from the classroom this. ha teachers and staff not to include santa from their holiday decorations. some parents are upset but others understand, but believe the district is going too far. >> i'm from that generation where we believe in santa and my kids believe in santa. and we celebrate it. >> if you're going to put a giant cross on the window it's one thing. i think santa is more folklore and american history as opposed

ban is to make an evident to make sure no culture is excluded from holiday celebrations. i think they are taking the st. nick thick a little too literal. it's just santa! >> do you think they let the elf on the shelf in there. >> probably not. he's one of the helpers. >> he'll be off reading books. 6:48. did you have one of those as a kid? >> my only question, santa, but the reindeer. you have to have them as well. santa. you have to have him! outside now, cloudy skies this morning. 70 degrees, it's warm. it's a very muggy day as well. we've had fog issues throughout the morning. there's the view from max defender 8, i want to show you we have a few light sprinkles here and there but here's the line of showers i'm tracking now. it slowly but surely is getting closer to crystal river. this is going to be our main player for today in terms of rain chances. a lot of cloud cover today.

spotty rain throughout the middle of the day and into the afternoon. 68 for zephyrhills. 70 inverness and bradenton. 68 venice. our weather watcher, wendy in brooksville reporting 68 degrees. the cold front moving through on a weaker fashion. again only a few hit and miss showers with this as it slides through the area. we'll stay humid, then drier, much more comfortable air starts to roll in, starting tomorrow morning. and you'll certainly feel it by your friday afternoon. as temperatures get back to where they should be for this time of warming up through the weekend but will stay dry with better rain chances by next week. let's see how the roads are doing as we get close to rush hour. we're definitely getting busier, still a good drive on 275 here in pinellas county. not seeing any delays as we go ahead and zoom in, still an accident working 49th street at

some injuries involved. that is usually a hot spot. a lot of accidents there. tamiami trail, u.s. 41 seeing big delays southbound and this is right at somerset avenue where we have an accident. that is blocking some lanes so again some of the southbound delays at 41. state road 60 known as brandon boulevard at gornto lake, no delays despite a collision but look at the delays at u.s. 301 at duncan road, a crash, bu back to you. one baby goat was feeling really stressed out. >> it seems the owner found the perfect cure. >> forget the meds, polly the goat throws on her duck costume. apparently this goofy costume is just what the doctor ordered. to the only does it help her severe anxiety, it's quacking

costume. she also has a pig costume and fox costume. >> or has an identity crisis? >> or like to be cuddly. next, a mission to rescue manatees trapped in a pinellas county lake. what the wildlife crews are doing to save them. >> flames destroy a community rec center in hillsborough county. this morning we're live with what happened and who it is impacting. 6:51. ? i want a hippopotamus for christmas ? ? only a hippopotamus will do ? at the united states postal service, we deliver more online purchases to homes than anyone else in the country.

breaking news from hillsborough county. where a popular rec center for neighborhood kids has burned to the ground. >> the fire broke out early this morning in the winston park facility in clair mel city and that is where we find newschannel 8's mary mcguire. >> reporter: close to four hours after fire crews arrived on scene they are still battling the fire here at the

spots that might still be remaining in the building. the center is a total loss and what makes this even more heartbreaking is that it was supposed to reopen soon after a large scale renovation. it beaver creek out -- broke out 3:00 this morning. crews arrived and saw flames 30 feet in the air. it took 35 firefighters to get it under control. it's a building that has been in the news lately. the vinick family announced th to renovate the rec center. no injuries reported. reporting live in hillsborough county, mary mcguire, newschannel 8. a manatee county substitute teacher facing sex charges this morning and they involve children. 29-year-old brad bellinger of ellenton and i could of sexually abuse are -- accused of sexually abusing three young

and 13. he's worked in the manatee county school district since 2011 but the sheriff's office says the victims were not his students. trevor dooley is set to walk free today. dooley shot and killed his neighbor david james in 2010. the two men argued over a boy skateboarding on their basketball court. dooley claimed the stand your ground defense but the jury didn't buy it. dooley is free while appealing that manslaughter conviction. search and rescue efforts underway in eastern tennessee where flames scorched 17,000 acres. 14,000 people were evacuated and more than 700 homes and businesses damaged or destroyed. the death toll stands at seven this morning and that number could still rise. as a tennessee native herself entertainer dolly parton is making a generous donation to victims of the wildfires. she pledged to donate $1,000 for month for six months to each family in the county that lost their home. severe weather rolled

on wednesday. torrential downpours and high winds brought down trees, cut power lines and damaged homes. the storm system may have also spawned tornadoes. thankfully no injuries have been reported. today wildlife crews will search lake tarpon for manatees to rescue and move to warmer waters. the lake's water won't stay warm enough through the winter. the animals swam into the lake during this summer's tropical storm colin and have been stuck there ever since. not a bad place to be stuck we have a few light sprinkles starting to slide into our area, extreme northern citrus county. we're going to keep it pretty spotty with the rain today. temperatures warm, it's muggy. we'll hit 76 at noon. rain chance 20% through the afternoon and into the early evening. your high today 79 degrees. take a look at traffic now. slow and go, typical, from the

southbound on i-75. bruce b downs, new tampa to i- 4, 13 minutes, getting heavy there. heavier through ybor city. up to 17 minutes heading into downtown. bearss avenue heavy as well. you willton and roosevelt boulevard an accident. thank you for joining us onh morning long with breaking news, weather and traffic. updates during "the today show." >> another hour starting 11:00

good morning. nature's fury. the death toll rises to seven in the devastating tennessee wildfires, as new tornadoes rip through the south overgh days. breaking overnight. a police officer shot called to a home in washington state. the suspect barricade inside a home for hours. victory lap. president-elect trump, kicking off his thank you tour, in indiana and ohio. as his top cabinet picks get called out for bailouts and wall