we do begin this 9:00 newscast with breaking news. a frightening morning for a pasco county family when their house catches fire. >> it happened in newport richie. abc action news cory is there. we found out that two dogs were pull from that home. any idea what started this fire? >>reporter: good morning, diah. -- deiah. there's not a lot of damage to the outside of this home. you can see smoke from the outside.

coming from inside the kitchen area. let's get you video from when we arrived on scene. pasco fire getting this call a little after 7:00 a.m. and crews reported heavy smoke from the front door. they started their fire attack and they tell us there was food on the stove and the kitchen received most of the damage with some fire sneaking into the attic. duke energy and red cross has been called to the scene. we'll bring updates as soon as we get them on-air and online. cory dierdorff. a teenager appeared before a judge. 18-year-old sims charged after loading a gun he brought onto a school bus headed to brandon alternative school.

about his criminal background. rodney dunigan is live outside of the courthouse. good morning. >>reporter: that court case wrapped up. we got word that that 18-year-old raise bond was set at $12,500 and we found out interesting information. this juvenile has three open cased in juvenile court. the judge told him if he made bond, he shouldn't be in possession of a hand gun. the investigation continues into how exactly this teen was able to get that weapon. we're told that by investigators that the gun was actually stolen in a robbery in temple terrace. police in that area of town are trying to determine if he could have been involved in that crime as well. 18-year-old demarcus sims is facing big trouble and serious charges with two counts of firearm possession on school property. it was on the school bus headed to brandon alternative school that another student noticed sims with that

text messages to a relative who called police and police found a magazine loaded with 12 rounds and a ski mask on the bus. deputies say they don't know how it would have turned out if the student hadn't spoke up. >> we try to drill that point across to the community. if you see something, say something. i mentioned the three open juvenile cases and he has been in the past for theft and burglary and drug possession and that investigation to determine how he got that gun. and remember, he had already been in a number of troublesome situations in his prior school, that's why he was at brandon alternative school. we'll have more on action news at 5:00 and 6:00. rodney dunigan. a family is pleading to be

it's not expensive, but one woman is willing to give anything to get it back. a criminal smashed a window on tuesday, broke in and snatched games, cash and that antique puzzle box. inside that box is ashley's father's ashes. >> i hate you. you have violated my family and my house. i still have faith in human beings. i would like to meet that person. i hope that person lots in hell because what they took from me, i can't get back. >> she says the thieves can have everything else they stole. she wants her father's ashes back. pasco county sheriff's detectives investigating this case, but if you have information that might help, call the pasco county sheriff's office.

we leaf may not be in sight for pasco neighborhood prone to these flooding conditions on fixing potholes. residents decided to bring up flooding. one neighborhood constantly flood during heavy rains, but people who live there says the county wants to fix the roads first and talk about the flooding. many think it should be the other way around. >> they're going to pave new roads and we're going to be looking at them under water. >> the price tag to fix the drainage road near driver's street is an estimated $2 million. families will already have to pay more than $270 next year for the road fixes. the city don't have the money to cover the flooding problems. this is one of hundreds of neighborhoods facing the issues. we're going to have scenes like this with the wet season coming back, but right now it's not the water or the rain, it's the cold. chilly and temperatures in the upper 40s to lower 50s.

warmup by later this afternoon as temperatures recover. we had been for a few hours in the low 30s. 46 crystal river. 48, brooksville. sitting at 32 for quite a while. lunch time, look at this, 61 degrees and a mile commute heading into the afternoon. temperatures in the mid-60s and we're going to get warmer as we head through tomorrow. i'll detail that tomorrow. but one last walk over here to the traffic center to check with jenel. >>reporter: we had a railroad crossing arm that was fixed. that's fixed. i-4 open in the zefner area. nothing to slow you down the eastbound lanes closest to me and they are

we have a crash in the palm harbor area in pinellas area. we have roads blocked -- take a look at bellshir. checking your drive times on the veteran's, slowly getting back to normal. 27 minutes from 54 to 275. still in the red. 20 minutes from van dike to 275. dan. >> 9:07. we're following breaking news over night. the standoff of a wild life refuge will end today. the protestors are expected to turn themselves in. one says the guns in their car and walk to a check point while carrying an american flag. bundy flag demanded the government hand the land to local ranchers, but the police arrested bundy. there was --

later today in the cara o' connell murder while. on connell is charged with abusing -- connell is charged with abusing her boyfriend's son. he walked o' connell choke his 3-year-old son. the boy dies. she has pleaded guilty. a saint t. peters's woman is she sole hundreds of thousands of dollars from a 96-year-old. this woman was arrested and deputies began that investigation back in august when it was reported that unauthorized money was taken money was taken. she used forged and -- she put it into her own account. the thefts occurred between may and august and reported in $460,000 stolen

democracy -- 6 candidates remain in the presidential race after christi and carly fioriana suspended their campaign. >> rubio took the campaign in -- he said he'll do better there because it's a more conservative state. >> i'm the conservative that can win and reunite the republican party and grow the conservative movement and that's why clinton doesn't want to -- we're excited about south carolina. >> a former florida governor bush is continuing his surge up after finishing fourth. south carolina senator lindsay gram who withdrew in december is trying to help bush in his home state by joining him on the campaign stage. on the democratic side, clinton and sanders will be back on stage tonight for their debate in

after her loss to sanders in new hampshire, clinton, we're hearing is planning to be more aggressive with issuing effecting minority. she'll campaign with the mother of blaine. blaine is the black woman found being hanged in her jail cell after being stopped in houston. >> sanders is trying to over -- yesterday, he met with civil rights activist al sharpton. one poll shows sanders trails behind clinton by 57 points among black voters. be prepared to cough up more dough the next time you head to universal studios in orlando. >> a single day ticket with cost you $105. >> to park pass went up $255. you need that to visit both universal studios and island of adventures. the cost of a

coming up this morning, with the zika virus spreading across the world, fewer people are planning vacations in fear of catching it. we'll tell you how that's impacting travel prices coming up next. many parents will reach for their child's heavier coats, but those puffy coats can be deadly if your child uses a car seat. we'll explain why and what one monday created to solve the problem all together. temperatures in the mid-60s. it's going to be fantastic. valentine's weekend is coming up. i'll have the forecast for that, and i'll tell you when our next rain chance is headed our way.

9:14. i want you to look at this map which shows how far and wide across the u.s. the zika virus spread. alabama reported

toe ill born bourne -- the city of tampa will -- we're told that city leaders can ramp up spraying and mayor scott is going to host an online seminar with the cdc to help florida hospitals to prepare for the spread of the virus. >> the zika virus have lots of those holding off on taking vacation, which means the cost of going on vacation may cost cheaper. people are pushing their dates back to later the year. take a look at what that could mean -- aaa say you can get $500 in air credit and discounts in europe. $1,000 off vacations to asia, asia and new zealand and $800 or central and south america. >> a lot of you are concerned with catching this virus especially since it's lived to birth defects whose mom is become infected.

there's no drug or vaccine to treat the virus, officials say the best way to avoid the virus is use mosquito repellent. >> in our -- >> scientist recommend three repellents. and natural pell 8 hour. they both contain 20% paracatin and they offer off deeps rate. that contains 25%. women pregnant or breast feeding can use these repellents if they're applied correctly. new york city police are expected to release video of a man who appeared to be waiving a gun during a live broadcast. take a look at that guy smishging and waiving what looks like a silver handgun. this

the reporter was giving an update on the trial. the suspect could be charged with menacing if he's charged. a homeless man could get an enormous pay date. matt deserves up to $100,000 in reward moony for letting the officers knowing he -- the pair were apart of a group of three that broke out of a jail. they spent a week on the run. police in northern california are stepping up patrols to try and catch whoever spread thousands of thumbtacks across a dog park. officials say over the past two weeks, dog owners picked up 25,000 tacts. herbingcules post alerting people to be cautious and asking anyone with information to call them.

zoo are mourning the loss of a 15-year-old tiger. the zoo says the tiger's name baja was killed when the zoo was tried to breed her. staff members say they thought the two tigers would be a good match to mate. >> we do what we can on paper to match the animals, and in this case, these two were a good match, but you just never know how they're going to react once you get them in the same space. >> we lost a member of our family today. >> the zoo says they're going to reexamine their protocols and processes when it comes to match making. keeping you and your family safe this morning with below average temperatures today. you'll likely reach for the heavier coats before taking your kids outside, but consumer

dressing those kids in the heavy coats before buckling them into their car seats. >> if there's an accident, that extra slack can be dangerous. a michigan mom wanted to fix that risk, so she decided something called the "warn me." it's a fleece pancho that opens up in front. >> when you put your child in the car seat, you flip the back of the warm me and open the front to secure the straps and close the poncho. it hasn't hit stores, so consumer reports suggest covering babies with blankets instead of a snow coat and for those older kids, put their heavier jacket on after they're in the car seat. >> it's heating up. >> that's the difference between florida and the northeast: we were in the 30s and now we recovered nicely which is something they don't do. if you're hanging out with us for the winter, temperatures great. 60s. upper 40s and low 50s. we've gotten rid of the 30s which were

morning. we had temperatures in the low 30s across the inter coast which is where we -- no rain. in fact for a few days, i think we're in good shape. as we wide the shop, you can see clouds and areas of high pressure on top of us which promotes clear skies and calm winds. the high moves to the east, and by tonight, we get on a southeasterly wind. that will prevent temperatures from falling and we'll have a wind out there. temperatures are still going to be cool, but nowhere what we had yesterday. a dry cold front moving through, and that will set us up for the weekend. look at the temps. upper 60s can't be ruled out. and mid-and upper 40. you're still going to need no bundle cold. by the way, the boaters, much better. northeast winds,

2 to 4 feet seas. i think we have a good boating week coming up. let's forecast 70 degrees because we can on friday. i think we'll reach there and upper 60s on saturday. we'll do that with full shine. saturday morning, not as cool, 50s. it's going to be a fantastic valentine's day as well unless you didn't get a gift for your sweetie, and it's not going to be so good. and a few showers next week. >> and you have to spray for cold weather. i got you. still ahead, the tracks -- now, one couple is claiming their fit bit told them they were expecting a baby. we'll tell you how it knew before they did. plus a nationwide movement to help parents with special special -- good morning, everybody. i'm lisa with your tampa bay --

champion brings together thousands of volunteers and helps to raise money for local charities. a preview is coming

9:24. there's a lot of ways that couples can find out their receiving a new edition to the family.

wife was wearing a fit bit. her husband david got on reddick and asked users how to calibrate the device, and another user suggested that yvonne might be pregnant. they bought several pregnancy kits and it was positive. >> they posted a picture of their fit bits and they went to a doctor on tuesday that they're five weeks along. a pregnant woman's heart works harder because she has to supply blood to the fetus. the baby due in october. >> that's cool. target will be the largest train to offer shopping carts for those with special needs. >> it's called caroline's cart. it has a safety seat that can accommodate a person up to 250 pounds. an alabama mom designed it after controlling a shopping cart and her daughter's wheelchair. the carolina's cart is used in other stores and countries, but target is the one

one caroline's cart is available in each of the target stores in the u.s. coming up at 9:30, tired of spending your free time doing chores around the house, plenty of you are. the top chores you're likely to pass to the pros. our freeze and frost warnings has expired. i'll let you know how warm we get and detail the weekend when i see

dozens of 60 turtles rescued from bay area beaches and them. i'm lindsay low on how you can help with details at 9:00. what do you want to talk about?

back home after a nightmare adventure in sea. what investigators are looking to now that that ship is finally back at port. then a shop lifting suspect dies at a lakeland walmart. why deputies are investigating it as a possible homicide. good thursday morning. thanks for join for joining us on abc action news at 9:30. thank you for joining us. it's chilly. >> we have the frost advisory and freeze warnings, they have expired. >> the warm -- we're going to warmup nicely, dan. look at the winners and losers depending on your perspective. we had a few years that dropped below 32. 32 in bartow. and temperatures right at 32 at crystal river as well. these are the official low temperatures. tampa, 42. st. petersburg at 47 degrees. current read ings much milder than this morning. temperatures in the upper 40s to lower 50s.

and late they are afternoon, of 3, big changes from yesterday. the wind has subsided and we have calm winds which allowed the temperatures to fall back this morning. whatsubsided and we have calm winds which allowed the temperatures to fall back this morning. what that means for you and me, by 4:00 p.m., 64 will feel like 64. what about tonight? what are going to get cold again and what about our rain chances. i'll answer that when i see you in a few minutes. the weather is impacting the marine life. the turtle team has taken in dozens of sick turtles and they expect to take in more. >> lindsay logue is live at the aquarium. they're in need of help this morning. >>reporter: dan and deiah, they sure are. the team is stretched then. biologist are working around the clock to save the turtles. they broke in their 70th live sea turtle just this morning. many of them have been stunned by the cold and they're

but many are battling a virus. a benign tumor that requires critical car and a year of rehab before they can be released to the wild. if you have been to the clearwater aquarium, you know it's not a big facility, and so they don't have space for all of these turtles that they're taking in. so they're calling other facilities throughout the state asking them to take in some of these turtles. i want to bring in joe applefield. she's the senior volunteer on the turtle team helping to rescue these sick and stranded turtles on the bay area beaches. we get a cold snap every january and february, is this different? >> this is not different. when we get the cold snaps, these are reptiles who do not tolerate cold weather that well, and when we get the winds off the gulf, it just washes them on the beach, hence the name cold stunning. they're just effected. they're disoriented. they don't move around much. >> joe

doing in here? we see a green turtle on the table? >> right now we finished doing triage on this turtle and we're giving it iv fluids because we found a lot of turtles are malnourished and dehydrated. >> joe, you guys are asking for help. what can the public do? what do you need? >> please, you can go to our website which is cwinter.com/coldstun and just follow the orders on the website as to what you can do to help us. >> they're in need of donations so they can buy the towels that the turtles are lying on and keeping the turtles warm. important information, if you see a turtle, don't touch it. you can call the -- call the number on your screen. you can call them. they'll come get the turtle immediately.

clearwater, lindsay log, abc action news. free at last. free at last. >> i can't describe it. >> they call 12 hours of torture are over and 4500 passengers upon a battered cruise ship are back on land. the anthem of the seas, royal of the caribbean returned to its port. the ship ran into rough ships and winds one day into their trip. >> 13 hours. it was like on a roller coaster. >> it was just like the movie, but the captain -- it worked out in the end. >> four people suffered minor injuries. royal caribbean will give passengers a refund and a half off on future crews. they're going to launch their investigation into why the captain sailed into the storm despite weather warnings issued days in advance.

down a deputy is behind bars. williams was found in winter springs after he spent four days on the run. we're going to show you his mug shot from the seminoles county jail. we're hoping to get it. there's the mug shop. williams reversed his car and accelerated towards a deputy. luckily the deputy is okay. right now, a citrus county teacher is sitting at home on unpaid leave. the school district is investigating that josephine through a party for students. >> they accuse the teacher offering the children drugs and sex tips. 40 other citrus high school students were reportedly there. >> she actually talked about having a party in class. >> she talked about having an ugly sweater party, but i kind school party. i mean, it's hard to say that there's not going to there.

us they forwarded the case to the state attorney's office. we tried to reach bavario, but no one answered when we -- a shop lifting suspect died. >> police are investigating this as a possible homicide. officers say 64-year-old kenneth left a walmart on us 98 with almost $400 worth of dvd's he didn't pay for. walmart suspended the employees who detained him and an autopsy will be done to determine how he died. here's a live look at the dow. down 219 points to 15,000. marcus is down globally. the dow closed down 100 points wednesday. there's bad news for twitter. the social media company is losing customers and its stock is falling. twitter reported wednesday that it lost 2 million users in the last

trading. 9:36. we're taking action for you. competitive -- full family schedules. that's music to the ears of companies that focus on housework and handy man services. new data shows a lot of us are putting our free time first and hiring out simple chores. >> with a home improvement store on each corner, many of us are trying our hands on projects around the house. how much is your time worth? >> with people as busy they are with their kids in lots of activities, a lot of time they're hiring out more chores than we used to whether it's cleaning the house, mowing the lawn, cleaning the gutters. >> a recent survey of 2400 finds leaving yardwork to the pros topped and is expected in 2016. one out of every five owners will hand their chore list to a pro to increase their free time.

with the kids, whatever it might be with the job, they come home and now they have to cock windows. so they want someone else to solve their problems for them. >> the jobs don't require a lot of expertise or license, but require time and tools. sometimes that's what you're paying for. >> all of the technician were able to complete the -- and with speed. it doesn't mean as a home -- understand that when they're doing task, they have a knowledge of your house. >> remember, you need to completely trust any service provider coming to your house. do a thorough background check and get three references before hiring. you'll find more information on our website at abcactionnews.com. north carolina is revealing

test for those applying for welfare. we have it, coming up next. saved in the nick of time. what caused this crash that almost caused a deputy and a

of a round of drug tests given to people applying for welfare benefits in north carolina. there are 7600 applicants in the state's welfare program. social workers say 89 people were drug tested from august until december. 21 of them tested positive for illegal drugs. if an applicant test positive, their benefits are cut off. but we learned 12 of the 21 who tested positive only received reduced payments because children were involved. lawmakers enacted that law in 2013. a video capturing a trooper recording a woman out of a car. the officer races to the scene. he gets down, and flings open the car's door and then pulls that woman out. take a closer look. a good samaritan was able to help that deputy with moments to despair before the car burst into flames. a driver who ran the red light caused the crash.

the woman suffered serious injuries, but they tell us she'll be okay. take a look at this. three major crashes spread metal across california highways. the crash involving semis. it other. the first happened on i-10. one hour later, three semis collided on the interstate killing one person and just before 9:00, 25 firefighters worked for hours to free two people pinned inside of a cab of another big rig. the cause of these accidents remains under investigation. two people did die in all those wrecks. burger king is expanding its burger empire passed hamburger and chicken. >> you might want to call it the hot dog king. the fast food chain plans to put hot dogs on its menu for the first time. burger king is serve all beef grilled hot dogs later this month.

the biggest launch since the 1970s when the company introduced its first chicken sandwich. >> burger king serve a classic dog and chili cheese dog. they decided to take the menu items nationwide. >> that's pretty good, actually. >> i know. sweets is more you're in style. >> it's called the single's blizzard and the company say it's a great alternative to the tubs of ice cream. it's a treat stuffed with salted caramel and reese peanut butter cups. they say they're not -- they describe themselves as proudly single and 72% of singles enjoy valentine's day. the blizzard will hit restaurants on sunday and you don't have to be single to enjoy it.

>> i love that. i've had that salted caramel truffle blizzard. >> and you brought us some. >> i ate it before i got home. if you're not proudly single, you can have the hot dogs and ice cream and a nice bottle of wine for yourselves. i've got your plan for the weekend. let's take a look at the temperatures now. let's talk about snuggle weather. 40s. we'll wake up to saturday morning, not frigid like yesterday morning. 30 in crystal river. and 30 in brooksville. the freeze advisory has expired. temperatures warming up in the 40s and 50s. our latitude, everything combining to give us a nice afternoon with 60s. tonight, the winds will shift to the south and east, and they'll be enough wind we will not cool off as dramatically as we did last night. so i think we're in pretty good shape. wow. what was that. it was a front that's going to roll through. that's going to happen on saturday.

not expecting much in the way of rainfall with it. it's going to cool us off a little bit more. before that happens, we're on the way up. 64 for today. and then not as chilly tonight as temperatures fall back into the 40s, but look at this, mid-and upper 60s. we'll enjoy that with a full sunshine. still cool, so you have to bundle up, but layers will be peeled off more rapidly than today. two to four feet seas and a light chop for the coastal water waves. the weekend, again, before we cool off again, focus on that 70-degree weather which we haven't had in quite some time. 68 on saturday with plenty of sunshine. and there it is for singles and lovers, upper 60s. looks great for valentine's day and our next wet weather comes next week. it will hangout with us for a couple of days. nothing severe and heavy, but showers heading into monday and

cooling back up. still ahead, the tampa bay area is home to the top golf courses on the pga tour. >> coming up on positive tampa bay, see how the championship next month is about so much more

good morning, everybody. you don't have to be a golfing fanatic to like what's happening at the golf club march the 7th through the 13th. the championship operated by the non profit copper head charity raised more than $34 million for charities and it brings together thousands of volunteers during that tournament week. last year alone, it generated close to $1.8 million for charities. working behind the scenes to make sure all this runs smoothly as we said are the copper heads. these are community and business leaders and joining us with more is their general chair mr. les muma and tracy west who is in

welcome and thank you for coming in. >> thank you. >> a lot of folks knows it's gorgeous out there, but they don't have an idea of just how much is going on for charities. can you explain that to us? >> yeah, absolutely. the tournament benefits over 100 local charities which we're so proud to be able to do and support. it's a community effort, and it's not only the charities that we support, but we do a lot of additional things for the community passed that. for example, the military. we give over 4,000 free tickets to our active duty and retired military members in the community. we're proud to be able to do that. we also do free tickets for kids 15 and under. it's a really family-friendly event too. we try and do a lot and bring as many community members out to watch the tournament as possible. >> we have many viewers apart of the military and we thank you for your service. how many tickets do they get? >> they get two tickets for each

get to come to the 16 green. we build a hospitality unit for them and we feed them and give them beverages all day long. >> give them the vip treatment. >> we do. >> mr. muna, how do you decide which charities benefit from the event? >> we look to the community for the ones we think best fit for what we're trying to do, and our main charity is the habitat for humanity which coincidentally is the val spar company and we're large sponsors for first tea. >> they have a wonderful after school program that helps the kids learn life lessons through the game of golf. it's a program that a lot of folks talk about. but also the economic impact is impressive. tell our viewers about that? >> we had a study done by the north florida business school

economic -- it's a tampa bay area tournament. and we have sponsors from all over the area that come forward. congratulations. we look forward to the festivities next month and if you would like to learn more about the championship, purchase tickets to the event, this happens march the 7th through the 13th. a beautiful resort and golf club. go to the website for all the detailed information and for tickets, it's balsportschampionship.co

so, we are into the clear. temperatures. mid-60s. that's going to feel like a heat-wave compared to -- it's a 30-degree jump. over the next few days,

upper 60s to 70 degrees. >> are you feeling hungry right now? i am. this manatee can understand. he feels the same way. >> he's reaching into the water to chow down to spanish moss. >> this is a 3-river springs in citrus county. we have this video posted to our facebook page right now. >> that's cool. that's really good. >> i love that. >> we've got continuing coverage and today's top stories at abcactionnews.com. fab life is next. have a great rest of your