right now at 5:30, an nfl player and miami native fighting for his life at a local hospital. at least 20 people injured after something goes terribly wrong at a high school pep rally. the ultra music festival taking over downtown miami. find out what police are doing to make sure things stay in control. good morning erybody. your time is 5:32. i'm eric harryman. >> i'm sheli muniz. thanks for starting your day with us, your friday to be exact. it is friday. for a lot of kids in south florida today, today is the first day of spring break. no school today. probably a lot of kids and paren hoping that maybe over the next couple days will be a nice beachday to get the kids out and about. >> i think today ends up being the better beach day.

start to see increasing shower chances. good friday morning to you. we are at least detecting a few isolated showers inland on first alert doppler. in the m mtro area, all has been a quiet and dry night with a few clouds up above. here is the picture across the area. a mix of sun and clouds in the morning hours. not seeing much in the way of shower activity start to materialize to start off our friday. we could see stray shower this afternoon. today is not the wet day of the next several. 72 now in pompano beach. 72 in oakland park. a mild start to our morning. still cooler in the southwest miami-dade, but the good news is not contendidi with the fog this morning. visibility just fine. the inland showers should not add up to all that much. i'll leave it partly cloudy on the drive in. by 8:00 a.m., sun supp, partly cloudy, 72. up to 83 by 11:00 a.m. today's high 86, a stray shower this afternoon. it's saturday and sundada we'll

right now a collect on your morning drive with joe brennan. busy already this morning. >> unusually busy. again, with a day off it should be much lighter. we've already got big trouble. a distant view of the crash on i-75. this is on the northbound side before you get to royal palm boulevard. three left lanes are blocked. that is starting to back up substantially through the area. get ready for that. also had trouble indade county on the palmetto expressway, a crash northbound just past the tamiami trail. that's going to slow you down a little bit here on the palmetto and hialeah, not bad. right before mime gardens drive, another right lane blocked there, too. back to you. >> breaking overnight. baltimore ravens corner back and miami natate tray walker is in critical condition after a motorcycle crash in northwest miami-dade. let's head over to nbc 6 reporter michael spears. you've been live at jackson

michael, do we know exactly how he is doing this morninin >> reporter: sheli, he's still listed in critical condition. undoubtedly a long night for loved ones, frrnds and of course ravens friends. miami-dade polili say he was involved in a dirt bike crash before 8:00 p.m. it happened on northwest 21st avenue and 75th street. we learned from police that walker's bike apparently had no lights. they say he was wearing dark colored clothing at the time of the crash. right now working to find out more information about the other driver involvedolice have not yet named. we don't know from policic who is at fault in this crash. >> the otherriver who was driving a ford escape, she was traveling south on northwest 21st avenue when the impact occurred. she's still on scene and cooperating with investigators. >> reporter: walker is a miami native, attended miami

ball in texas. we've been watching social media feeds. a lot of reaction this morning. outpouring of support, prayers from other teammates and players. live outside jackson memorial hospital, michael spears, nbc 6 news. >> we'll check in with you in about 30 minutes. right now police in opa-locka are concerned about three men involved in a shooting possibly with high-powered apons. cops say they targeted a man inside his car, opening fire in what was described as a possible hit. it happened near northwest 135th street and 22nd avenue in opa-locka about 24 hours ago. police nabbed one man but are still searching for three others who may be armed with high powered weapons. this morning students head back to school after this pep rally per 230r78 ans went u u in flames. we mean that literally. more than a dozen were hurt during what they described as a fire breathing asco. late they are morning we'll get

condition at a press conference. it's going to happen in delray beach at the medical center there. that's where we fii nbc reporter erika glover with more. good morning, erika. >> reporter: good morning, eric. theperformer's name is ricky charles, about 35 years ofof flaechl throwing experience. this morning he has burns across his f fce and is recovering here at the hospital. watch this video at the school pep rally which takes a dangerous turn inside the atlantic community high school gym. inflatable basketball court lights up in flames after another performer attempts to jump over him.. we've made a decision not to show the disturbing video. district officials released a statement saying what happened at atlantic community high school is inexcusable. it's a district violation of district policy. the rules are clear that fire and pyrotechnics are forbidden inside our buildings. we spoke with school officials and the stunt performer by phone

sparked the flames. >> the principal signs off. we're looking at what the proval process was with this one. >> i changed the oil i've been using. i've been using a different oil and today i tried a new oil,, and the oil is actually what got me in trouble. >> now seven students were rushed to the hospital for smoke inhalation. another 12 were tweeted. about 2,00000 students were packed inside that gymnmnium. many say they thought the fire was part of the pep rally. it certainly wasn't. we'll give you updates on the performer's condition. live in delray beach, erika glover, nbc 6 news. >> we'll talk to you again at the top of the hour. take a aook here. a serial robber strikes again. this time with an accomplice. surveillance video showing this pair hitting three new 7 eleven convenience stores in sunrise

they say he targets 7-elevens but switches up his m.o. every time. broward crimestoppers will pay up to $3,000 for a tip leading to an arrest. grou know anything, you're asked to call the broward county crimestoppers line, 954-493-tips. an animal lover is offering up an extreme amount of cash to get his lostcats back home. that reward totals $20,000. since last year, seven of his cats have been snatched up. the retired dentist and businessman takes care ofbout 3030rescue cats, a parrot and a rooster saying his furry friends mean the world to him. >> they're like my children. imagine on of your children disappears and a month or two later another one disappears. >> the cats areicrochiped and have radio collars but nothing has turned up. he's hoping that someone will notice the unusually high reward and held your time is 5:39 on your friday morning.

next half hour including this man, an american who qui isis is giving insight into that terrorist group. what he says he witnessed there. plus t ultra music festival returns. listen up, ryan. we'll see what officials are preparing to deal with the crowds. >> they rage at night and also rage during the day. with a lot wf sunshine today at the pool as winter music -- something like that -- may see a stray shower in place. i think most of today very warm. spring break kicks off for our elementary school kids. not a bad beach forecast. i'm looking for highs today of 86.

corner into the weeken welcome back. a public shami in washington, d.c. two top officials sat in the hot seat to answer questions about flint michigan's water crisis. >> if you want to do the courageous thing, then you two should resign. >> michigan governor rick snyder andepa head gina mccarthy hammered on the hill in what made for very uncomfortable moments, se lawmakers calling for the officials to resign, and the pair was grilled toefr failure that potentially poisoned the water. flint's water source was switched to the flint river in 2014 to save money. the water pulled lead from the pipes. the town and government are demanding answers. >> people who put dollars over the fundamental safety of the people do not belong in government. i wish we had yelled from the tree tops. but there is no way my agency created this problem. >> more than 150 homeowners you

bus for this hearing. they still can't drink tap water at home. 5:44. kurdish television aired an interview with the man saido be the first american fighter to join isis and quit on the battlefield. >> i didn't really support their iology ideoloy. ats that point that's when i decided i needed to escape. >> the man is 26-year-old khweis. he surrendered earlier this week. you can watch that full report and interview coming up this morning on the "today" show. you can now send mail directct to cuba. the u.s. postal service announced direct mail service to and from cuba will resume after more than 50 years. the process had always been very regulated with people even going through other countries to send mail.

first class post cards, letter-sized envelopes, packages to cuba along with priority mail flat rate envelopes and boxes. right now a letter from the president is making its way to a 76-year-old woman in cuba. this comes as president obama prepares for thehe historic trip. on sunday the first family are tour sites in old havana. on monday the president will meet with raul castro and attend a state dinner. on tuesday he'll deliver a speech to the cuban people and meet with members of the cuban civil ciety. after that meeting obama will attend a baseball game between the tampa bay rays and the cuban national team. while the president is there, so are we. nbc 6 will be live from cuba during and after the president's trip. our teams headed up by anchors jackieespral and juwan strader begin coverage live from cuba starting at 11:00 p.m. tonight. weather on nbc 6 is

embolden your morning with mcdonald's mccafe cough fae. mcdonald's. i'm lovin' it. >> now first alert weather with meteorologist ryan phillips, south florida's most accurate forecast. at 5:46, live first alert doppler detecting a few isolated showers. the good news s these are well outside the metro area, one lone shower moving across sawgrass. i want to emphasize, we have a dry, quiet morning in place. the changes coming into your weekend. i want you to check out the forecast. it will have an impact on your weekend plans. let's take you to live first alert doppler, the only live radar in south florida. way up into northwestern broward county, flirting with the sawgrass. one lonenehower towards sample road. that's about it. you go down sawgrass at 75, all is quiet. scattered showers have popped up along i-75 deep across broward county. no impact there on the morning commute.

up and dissipate. we do have extra clouds, but i think our morning drive looks dry. temperatures around 70. sunrise at 7:27. for the early drivers at least, you're still in the dark with only a few clouds around. temperatures at 70, up to 84 for the drive home. i think by then our shower chances which fall in the middle of the day will be quick to dissolve here. temperatures in miami, 72, not bad. a little bit on the warm side. will keep the clouds moving on through. you can see this b btch of clouds strolling on by. this has helped prevt any fog development this morning. all the wet weather right now tucked away the northern gulf coast waters moving into the big bend. we're just setting up what will become a wet weekend in south florida. will we see it rain at all hours? no. we'll see changes. wind is not an issue with temperatures into the mid 60s in west kendall.

mid 70s through the florida keys. a stray shower inland, no big concerns. a few clouds and 70. up to 84 midday. your stray shower chances will coco mid afternoon, but they'll be very brief in nature and favor the western areas. we get into the evening hours, temperatures into the l lwer 80s. no problems on the beaches today with the exception of a stray shower blowing on through at least towards midday. it's saturday d sunday. we start to bring in the shower chances. maybe even thunderstorms. after lunch on saturday, and throughout the day on sunda is when we stand to see the best chance for wet weather. the good news is we clear out and cool off back to march-like weather with lows near 60 monday and tuesday with highs in the 70s. here is jobrennan now with traffic. >> pretty good ride this morning. northbound i-75 an accide right there by royal palm boulevard. look for heavy delays from this. three left lanes are blocked

just before the exit there at royal palm. you've also got heavy delays ststcked up from griffin road. very, very slow through the area.. maybe take flamingo instead as your alternana route. the trouble this dade county, thexit ramp off 95, north and southbound to the dolphin westbound are closed from an early morning crash. back to you. if you hear the bass booming from are downtown miami it can only mean one thing. ultra music festivals here. >> festival fans, the party, the rest of miami are going to be@ facing big changes if you do plan on going out there at any point over the next couple days to enjoy the booming music. tens of thousands expected in downtown with some even traveling overseas. with the music concert of course will come a lot of traffic on top of the bad traffic we already have. officials are blocking off parts of biscayne and recommending the use of public transportation if

and don't have to worry about parking. if you plan on paaying with some of the top deejays in the nation and sme of the big music leaders from across the world, officials are warning you to be smart about it. officials are heightening security measures. >> weare a zero tolerance drug event. be smart about what you're doing. look out for each other. >> officials say good choices for your health. miami fire rescue has several units in place and first aid workers stationed at bayfront park as well to help anybody that might need it. while city police including undercover officers will be working with private security to control the crowds in downtown, remember you will be watcheddor a good portion of the time that you are there. a little courtroom musicc from a convicted felonho may or may not -- you decide -- may

before beingput away to prison. i'm sorry for the things i've done and i try and be stronger >> he sounds good. i think the answer is yes, he did channel adele here. you're hearing a little bit of this. this was a minute-long performance from this guy in court. he apologized to the mother of his victim and acknowledged it was a life he chose. although the judge recognized he's got talent, his musical apology didn't do him any good. he'll be spending 17 years in prison. if you visit puto rico you probably fly or take a boat there. one man had no choice. he swam there. the man was in his sailboat in saint martin heading to south florida when a wave knocked him off his boat. he couldn't get back to it. david thompson found himself about four miles from the coast

thompson says he spent the next seven hours alternating between swimming and floating until he made it to shore. thompson will spend the next few days in the hospital but he's ing to be just fine. he said he thought he was going to die. he said he has a nice wife and a nice life and wanted to get home. >> the boat looked like it was at least 40 feet it must have been one heck of a wave to turn that tng over. >> eight minutes to the top of the hour on your friday mornjng. still ahead, change is coming the a historic south florida neighborhood.

rooster venn know investigation. the e-class has 11 intelligent driver-assist systems. it recognizes pedestrians and alerts you. warns you about incoming cross-traffic. cameras and radar detect dangers you don't. and it can even stop by itself. so in this crash test, one thing's missing: a crash. the 2016 e-class. now receive up to a $3,000 spring bonus

the heart of cuba's culture is about to get a facelift. over the years little havana has become a hot spot for tourists. at a news conference, miami's mayor says new planters and trees will line a stretch of southwest 8th street from 4th to 27th. sidewalks will be widened there, even trash cans getting vibrant

as a cuban flare. >> southwest 15th avenue will also be transformed into a pedestrian friendly plaza, making it the biggest and most expensive part of that upgrade. you hope they maintain the authenticity of it. >> let's hope so. >> checking the time on this friday morning. working on a whole lot more including an overnight motorcycle crash that put an nfl player in critical condition. miami native tray walker being treated at jmh right now. michael spears is giving us new information on his condition. we'll see him in a few minutes. a high school pep rally takes a sudden turn after a fire stunt going very much in the wrong direction. all right, guys. just before 6:00. a few showers trying to develop across northwestern broward county.

the way of early morning sunrise at 7:27. our temperatures have not yet cooled off. into the lower 70s now, actually 69 in ft. lauderdale, 71 in miami. warm day, but shower chances widespread through the weekend. we'll talk about it in the next hour. you're watching nbc 6 "south florida today."

weather and traffic on nbc 6 is tracking breaking news involving nfl player and miami native tray walker. he's in jackson memorial hospital after a violent motorcycle crash. thanks for joining us. i'm sheli muniz. >> i'm eric harryman. your time is 6:00 onthis friday, march 18th. >> michael spears has been there all morning working on this story and we'll hear from him in a few minutes. first, let's get you over for your friday forecast. >> there's a lot of mom andnd dads out there, their spring break for their kids startedtoday. looking to get out and about and get energy out fofo sure on this friday. >> kind of the sampling yesterday with the early release. now we move into the heart of spring break. we're winding down the workweek for most. still going to be warm.

if you're watching just 15, 20 minutes ago, the pop-up showers into sawgrass and coral springs area, those are quick to dissolve. this is the exception, not the rule across south florida. i think today is a mainly dry da the changes come this weekend. here is a big picture, mix of sun and clouds this morning. this batch sliding offshore once we get close to sunrise. the wet weather not too far away. upper 60s, lower 70s, no fog to contend with. that's good news on your friday morning drive in. i think it's early afternoon a stray shower is possible. otherwise a aery warm day. your friday first alert forecast high 86 degrees. kelly blanco is off today. joe brennan in in with traffic. >> i've been telling you about a major mess on i-75 in western broward county, northbound side before you get to royal palm boulevard.