the reason he is now getting love from lakeland pd. i am stacie schaible. >> thank you for joining us today. the holiday shopping rush is on. grocery stores are packed with people picking up last-minute food items and tomorrow many bay area retailers will be open for business. je idea of what will be open and what will not be open. >> reporter: you are right about that. publics and other grocery stores were packed today. this parking lot is jammed right now. there was a waiting line to get into the parking lot but since the 1930s, publix has never been open on thanksgiving and they will not be open tomorrow to allow employees to stay with families. but a lot of stars are open on thanksgiving and some with big sam's club, home depot, staples, nordstrom, nordstrom rack will be closed but many stores will be open for business thursday evening. among the early opening businesses, target and premium outlets. >> i plan to be here tomorrow at 6:00 to get some of these deals. >> reporter: april is among the shoppers who plans to come to tap was

the late. this is from lakeland earlier. around the rest of the region, temperatures cooler as a result of the cloudy skies. jackie flying against the white skies which is the way it looks in most areas today. the eight day temperature outlook, temperatures average after the front rows through. warmer than normal temperatures, 81 degrees today, but for tomorrow the same. you can see along the boundary of the cold front maybe below that. the forecast at admiral, 64 degrees and left over clouds sunshine in a few clouds around. in the afternoon, 81 degrees. that is the temperature in the afternoon as the clouds push farther southward. that's based on the computer model. st. petersburg in venice, 68, 63 inverness, the dew points, the dry air comes with the cold front further to the north. dew points in the 60s. not at an puzzle levels, but a little cooler for this area and drier air. the 50s pensacol tallahassee. skies were clear from north to south. still plenty of clouds left which is why it we'll leave the possibility of cloud

. >> will the city of lakeland be the next to decriminalize small amounts of marijuana? >> and the weekend is around the we traveled the world and two, we got to each a bunch of really good cheese along the way. publix deli specialty cheese. over 36 varieties to fall in love with. publix. where shopping is a pleasure. >> a a news alert, there has ben protest in seattle. the police say several people were shot and at least two have life-threatening injures but police say that they believe the shooting is not related to the protest. and four states voted to legalize recreational use, and in florida medical marijuana was decriminalizing small amounts of marijuana but as josh cascio tells us considering it is about all they did. >> the city of lakeland will not be next. >> tonight the city held a special forum at the lakeland center to hear the pros and cons for reducing the penalty for lakeland is a different place from other municipalities and. sheriff grady judd among those in opposition to decriminalization. >> 411 cities, six have created civil citations. what this is,

will not be next. >> tonight the city held a special forum at the lakeland center to hear the pros and cons for reducing the penalty for small amounts of pot. lakeland is a different place from other municipalities and. sheriff grady judd among those in opposition to decriminalization. >> 411 cities, six have created civil citations. what this is, it's incrementalism to ultimately city, to ultimately legalize recreational use of marijuana. i believe this is the wrong -- >> our civil infraction policy is smart policy, smart for police resources and for our community and our society. the reason is number one this is a safe and effective substance and people's lives are being ruined. >> despite what most councilmembers decided to hold off saying they would rather let the state legislature handle it and i can tell you the decisions was not popular with the crowd in the room. >> a man's body was found inside a burning home in tampa and now they are trying to figure out how he died and what started the of 44-year-old rafael soto gonzales, and a number of agencies including atf are n

right now it is just hayes the brandon brooks fill area b time we get close to sunrise. tampa 62. cooler in lakeland. brooksville is the cool spot. fish hawk 61. most of us are warmer than yesterday. lakeland is about 7 degrees warmer than this time yesterday. tampa 4 degrees warmer. here's a breakdown of your thanksgiving. the turkey trot is just about to line up there. 63 degrees this morning. for the quick lunch you will have we're coming up i am tracking hurricane that may make landfall. we will talk about that coming up. >>> right now volunteers are preparing thanksgiving dinners for more than 6000 homeless families. it is an annual event that has become a hallmark tradition of the holidays here in tampa bay. meredith is at metropolitan ministries in tampa and things are already super busy. >> reporter: yes, the folks here arrived well before we did, and since 430. they had been preparing turkey, cakes, pies. it obviously takes a lot of work to serve thousands of homeless their meals for the holidays, but none to mention they are not just serving everyone here in tampa, 4000 meals will be deliv

have very recent history last year like tonight in the second rounds of the playoffs lakeland evented plant's season with 21- 11 win. we talked to the head coach he said he's not holding a grudge but has not forgotten the way last year end. i asked him what he needed to do to pick up a win tonight. to big games like this you look at all the xes and o's all the minutia all the details to it at the end of the deo it comes down to not turning the ball i don't have on offense making sure that we're tackling so we don't allow big plays and it comes down to winning every special teams play. and those three things are the things that will certainly assure the possibility for victory and that's only the possibility to victory. >>reporter: weiner says this lakeland team halls a ton of play in the in of. on sundays but that doesn't mean the panthers can't find a way to get a win tonight. dan, two teams 10 state championships in this game. that's not reason enough to tune into the blitz at 11:15 i don't know what is. >> good stuff. can't wait for that tonight. and two teams had blowout wins last

lakeland is 7 degrees warmer. we will break down the thanksgiving forecast. for the turkey trot as i know you are lacing up out there. 63 degrees kind of mile. quick lunch. we will already be at 77. during the evening right around 72 degrees. i am tracking hurricane auto which may make >>> right now volunteers are preparing thanksgiving dinner for more than 6000 homeless families. it is an annual event that has become a hallmark tradition of the holidays here in tampa bay. meredith is there this morning. how's it going out there quick it looks like --? . it looks like his are heating up. >> reporter: we're at metro ministries where turning. it is a lot of work to serve thousands of meals not to mention that the food here is going to serve not just the homeless here in tampa, but homeless communities throughout the bay area. 4000 meals will be delivered to partner sites across the tampa bay area. we have some video from last year for the metropolitan ministry kitchen staff, while they begin preparing much earlier in the turkey, 2 tons of stuffing, mashed potat

ethan chapman dropped off all the toys at the lakeland police department earlier today. they are going to the cops for kids toy drive. ethan told us he has plenty of toys at home and just wanted to help other kids in need. gave him special gifts of his own and his very own badge. >> this makes you an official police officer with the lakeland police officer. >> we do mission trips as well and he sees a lot of kids in poverty. he just really feels for that and wants to make their lives better. >> ethan admits it was difficult to give up some of those toys but if you would like to follow his example, and he is leading a good example, lakeland pd through december 15 as well as a lot of other police departments around the bay area. what a good kid.>>> we are at the holiday. can you believe it? >> we're both working. >> i'm actually off. i am much, much older than you. >> you've got more seniority. that's all right. >> take a look at the night sky. we are looking at fairly decent conditions. we might see a few clouds but that. sorry about that. this is our moon jupiter look. th

we bounce back with the cooler numbers on monday, near 80 >> did you see the end of that plant/lakeland game? >> woo-hoo! >> it was a nail biter coming up next in the friday night blitz. >> dan lucas and paul ryan join >>> we are the lakeland cheerleaders and you're watching the friday night blitz! [ cheering and applause ] >> playoffs are insane, insane in week two. welcome to the season finale of the friday night blitz, dan lucas, paul ryan. it is week two and the brackets have given us some tasty rematches from district play. >> we got three games tonight that are runbacks from the regular season including a budding rivalry between braydon river and venice, but first two tampa teams vie for a berth in the semi 3a finals, the buccaneers visiting the crusaders. it's always hard to top the same team twice. here's the evidence. and the drive, surface catch by jacob heinz and moments later either mr. gordon stetson. >> the hat, the hat. >> tip of the cap and gone, 50 five yards, bucs up 7--- 55 yards, bucs up 7-0. to the 2nd, stetson is tougher to bring down than my cable bill. mr. halt h

i will leave it to the guys at the lakeland fire department. they're stripping off their we give you the first look at the 2017 calendar. >> reporter: you are used to seeing them like this. but this year, you can see lakeland's firefighters in a whole new way. >> you can call me jay. >> not mr. march. >> jay is just fine. >> we do clothes off. >> reporter: jay and anthony share the march page. this is a little bit out of their comfort zone so to get ready they watched what they ate and hit the gym. >> i had about a month prep time to really get in there and put on as much muscle as i could. >> reporter: all the dogs in the calendar are rescues from spca florida in lakeland. all the money from the calendars will go to the shelter. >> sales thus for for the have been brisk. >> spca florida will use the money for operating costs. >> go over the snout of the animal, cat or dog. >> reporter: they'll also donate equipment like pet oxygen masks to the department. >> my dog is like my family to me. knowing we can do whatever we can to help them and retu

ross appeared at trump's election rally at the lakeland linder regional airport back in october. and ross isn't the only florida member of the transition team. attorney general "pam bondi" is on it as well. president-elect trump also announced three more additions to his cabinet tuesday. former goldman sachs executive "steven mnuchin" is expected to act as his treasury secretary. fierce "obamacare" critic -- representative "tom price" -- gets the nomination for "health and human services" secretary. and former labor secretary -- "elaine (cho)chao" will head the department of transportation. chao is also married to senate majority leader and as for secretary of state, it appears "mitt romney" could be closer to getting the job. romney and trump had dinner last night in new york, along with trump chief of staff "reince priebus." and witnesses say the dinner appeared to be ?very cordial. one of the biggest protests in the country... spread all the way to tampa on tuesday. the "fight for 15" was a push to raise the minimum wage... nationwide. of disruption"... and it lived up to the b

the facebook page for lakeland members. scott started the page to spread positivity. the idea of painting a rock, hiding it, and making a stranger's day is catching on. >> we are so humbled that the community has rallied behind us. >> reporter: with a group this big comes some problems. the city says people have disrupted a wedding party looking for rocks. rocks have gotten caught in their lawn mowers. vandal painted a rock drop off at a public park. >> even though it wasn't done maliciously, it's something we need to address. >> reporter: the city has cleaned up the paint and erkhart is making sure this doesn't happen again. >> we don't want them to do it. it's not part of the message our group is trying to spread. be respectful and mindful and treat other people like you would like to be treated and it's all good. >> reporter: they hope people can get everyone how much lakeland rocks. grady trimble, 10news wtsp. >> he has put ground rules on the facebook page and hopes everyone will now follow them. >>> go big or go home. there is a new christmas light show at walt

the knots win this 43-20. lakeland versus plant next week in the regional semifinal. >> class 6a clearwater and port charlotte have a combined record 17-1, tornadoes a perfect 9-0 but a fumble early. it's a port charlotte touchback instepped of a clearwater touchdown. pirates punt and here we go. jones outraces the coverage and takes a little breather, then for a 60-yard punt return. >> easy game, baby. >> 7-0 tornadoes. pirates looking to regroup go back on offense. paul barnes going deep and it's a mistake to byrd. >> what do you mean a bird? >> byrd is flying in the port charlotte territory and the tornadoes cash it in. austin day to brandon demeter for the touchdown, clearwater moving on wins 27-16. >> the playoffs look just as sweet from high above the field thanks to two huge match-ups, third ranked armwood beginning against auburndale and the st. petersburg greens hoping to continue their magical season by beating tech. let's get to our friday night blitz sky lights. >> reporter: flying in eagle 8 hd in a dark t

the high school guys. i'm going back to monday night in lakeland, three-way playoff for the title, lakeland taking on winter haven. the pass tipped right into the defender's hands. should have been an interception, but it helped them keep the game winning drive going. they win the district title thanks to the kiss. >> next week. >> lakeland now hosts wiregrass ranch. winter haven goes to tampa now to play plante. so that little play right there cost them a little trip to south tampa. >> two more weeks of the blitz. more high school football? >> playoffs start next week, can't wait. >> college football tomorrow, all sorts of action going on, i'm sure. games going on. it's like that every saturday. state. >> bucs off and got the bears next sunday. until then bye. under state attorney mark ober's watch, he declined to prosecute a man who forced a girl into sexual slavery, even blamed the victim. ober: she was with him voluntarily. our community deserves new leadership. andrew warren, an experienced prosecutor, will reallocate resources to target violent crime, including gun violence, rape, and domestic abuse.

toys will go to the children's home society of greater lakeland and the dream center of lakeland. the drive runs through december 15th. and you can hit the greens today for a good cause. march of dimes, golf for today. it's happening at hunter's green country club in tampa. our very own "chris cato" is emceeing the event. it all kicks off around 7:30 this morning with registration and shotgun start at 9 a-m. ((jen)) there's much more to come on good day.((walter)) let's turn it over to russell and laura - to find out what's ahead in our 6 o'clock hour. ((russell/2-shot)) a key figure in politics, for so many years, has died.. coming up at six - we'll take a look back at the life and legacy of janet reno.. ((laura)) and - there's been an earthquake in oklahoma.. right next to an could mean for gas prices.. (laura/take vo) and - trump visits tampa bay ?again! people are already lined up outside his event this morning in sarasota.. we'll have the details on his event - and a big democratic gathering later today in st. petersburg. (russell/take vo) and: what if this never happened..?

haze in the air atmosphere at the lakeland automall. feeding tampa bay is going to be around as well as toys for tots and for the rough riders to collect teddy bears friday, december 9 for kindness they. also you can give -- also, you can give bled. a one-stop shop. double rainbow. what a beautiful shot. rainbow. just a great shot. you can see a few high, cirrus clouds. there were clear patches but a lot of clouds throughout the day. 85 degrees our high. we've got a cold front coming through tomorrow. quite a few clouds. behind that front, a little cooler, 76 degrees for friday. as for the evening, clouds and clear patches. 72 degrees at 9 pm. in the overnight, 70 degrees. temperature a bit hazy to start. that is very warm this time of year. the humidity also very high for this time of year. 79 degrees in the afternoon. probably start to see clearing but we do have a 20% chance of seeing a shower. 73 degrees largo, palm harbor 76 degrees, 75 degrees temple terrace. 74 degrees st. petersburg and 74 degrees in and rest. a cold front to the

the lakeland police department is holding it's annual "cops for kids" program. at nine a-m, several officers and staff members toys for about two ?hundred needy kids. the toys will be handed our during a special christmas party with those families... on december 15th. and... it's beginning to look a lot like the holidays... in downtown tampa. construction is well underway, on the annual "ice rink" at curtis hixon park. the giant white tent is already up. and this year... there will be a lot more than just ice skating. the park will be transformed into a "winter village." here's a layout of the village. the ice rink is near the riverwalk. next to it... a winter village cafe, sponsored by the "mise en place" restaurant... with holiday treats. there will also be a row of pop-up shops... where you can buy locally-made gifts. and of course... there will be a giant holiday ?tree as well. it's all set to open, this ?who says a ?penny is worthless? after the break: how some pennies have caused ?thousands of dollars in damage... to one historic landmark. ((walter but fir

the lakeland fire department is kicking off it's annual holiday toy drive. you can drop off a new, unwrapped toy to any of lakeland's seven fire stations, the fire administration building, or over 7 ?thousand dollars in gifts. the drive ends on december 15th. and... the boyz are back! you can see the 90s r&b group "boyz 2 men" at the epcot inte wine festival tonight. they have three sets... starting at 5-30 tonight. and they also perform tomorrow night. its included with park admission. also tonight at disney world... the christmas lights come on! it's the first night of "mickeys very merry christmas party." yup.... disney is wasting no time. the party is going on select nights through christmas... at the magic kingdom park. it of cindrella's castle. and of course... santa will make an appearance. its 86 dollars a person... and it is ?not included with regular ?daytime park admission. ((//2shot)) toss to dave... coming up at five.. the death of janet reno.. we will take a look back at her long political history.. and: fox 13's shayla reaves is also ahead in

but we've got a great drive on i-4 and all the way down into lakeland and ybor city it's looking very good. that's a look at weather and traffic on the 8s. s >>> the 2016 heart walk is tomorrow. fuccillo kia is again generously matching the first $50,000 re raise so every dollar you donate really counts as 2. the walk is tomorrow. just got -- go to wfla.com for details. >>> time 5:10. from the river walk to bay shore boulevard. >> running in tampa can be beautiful but it doesn't coming up the risks that come with women and how to protect them. >> plus a tragic family drama playing out in polk county a mother shot, her son dead, how it all started with a simple . >>> we're back. a polk county man is dead after a deputy involved shooting. the sheriff tells us it all started when john patrick threatened to kill his mother after she asked him to move a car. deputies were called to the scene. they claim he then pointed a gun at one of them that's when another deputy shot and killed him. deputies she's recovering now at lakeland medical center. >>> and lakeland police are offering a $10,000

investigators don't believe that the clearwater robberies are connected to the lakeland robberies. traffic on the 8s. >> we do have slight changes in our forecast as a cold front comes through. it will not necessarily bring cooler air, but it will bring less humid air . watch what happens through the day. this morning we're at 64 degrees right around 7 am. >>> is st. petersburg crossing guard was hit and killed yesterday afternoon just steps away from home while putting cones in the street. we spoke with people who said david rountree was a kind man who love children. police say walton was driving erratically when he slammed into a truck. his wife is >> he was a good man. i had him for 23 years. >> friends and parents who trusted their children's life came to pay respects at a growing memorial. walton was charged with dui manslaughter. >>> a big development to tell you out -- tell you about over ridesharing services in hillsborough county, uber and lyft are legal for now. a temporary agreement was approved that will allow the background checks, vehicle inspection and insurance for d

four businesses in the lakeland area, in a little over a week. they say the spree started back on october 29th at the subway restaurant on socrum loop road. three days later, on november first... an exxon station on socrum loop was robbed. on november third, a marathon gas station on ?marcum road was hit. and last sunday, the x-y-z liquor store on highway 92 was robbed. detectives just released more than a dozen surveillance pictures of the robber in action. in every case, police believe a white or hispanic man wearing a baseball cap and a sweatshirt walked in, showed a gun, and demanded cash. he was spotted wearing both a braves hat ?and a tampa bay rays hat. he is also clean shaven. if you know him, or anything about the crimes, crimestoppers is offering a ten thousand dollar reward for info that leads to his arrest. an update on the death of a crossing guard in pinellas it happened tuesday afternoon, right outside mount vernon elementary in st. petersburg. "david roundrtree" was hit and killed by a car, just before school was letting out. polic

the water is 71 degrees. we still have 80s for inland locations. tampa at 77. 81 lakeland. sarasota 78. 79 holiday and hudson. and 82 in new tampa. it is warm out there. riverview still in the lo the winds, it has been breezy today. that has come down a little bit as well and winds around 5 to 10. low 20s earlier today. the forecast is quite. temperatures will fall to 70s and eventually only into the upper 60s. south and southeast winds there, a warm wind. and a muggy wind. let's jump ahead to wednesday. southeast wind, warm and muggy. partly cloudy skies and isolated showers for wednesday. wednesday into thursday, look at his -- look at this. getting up and going to work and school, a few showers possible north of i-4 and even through midday. this is 4:00 in the afternoon and this will fall apart and come through with a cold front thursday night. that will cool us but will bring a small chance of rain. we could have more rain the citrus county. we will wait and see. i have a 30% chance for rain. tomorrow, 10% tops, 82 degrees for a daytime high. boating with the wind is not

this is out at the lakeland automall. this looks like a postcard, 76 degrees. people still send postcards. north winds at 40 miles-per- hour. -- for miles-per-hour . 71 degrees at land o lakes. you can see with that north wind. we're seeing a little bit of influence with the passage of that front .in brandon, 75 degrees with the northeast wind at 2 miles-per-hour . believe it or not we did see some this qualifies as a little bit of rainfall. 73 degrees as our kickoff for our friday night blitz for tomorrow night. for the final play, 65 degrees with cooler temperatures and staying on the dry side. it may be a little bit cool depending on how you react chilly weather. nice shot from tammy et state park. this is a shot from this morning from tony cologne right along the do -- dooms. nice shot from our photographers . >> at 7 am 59 degrees. 79 at 4 pm. temperatures will continue to be warmer in the afternoon but not as warm as they has been -- have been. 79 degrees at the tampa international airport . 50 to temperature. 72 degrees in st. petersburg. it will be chil

this is a live look at the lakeland. voters if they show up will be waiting until the last hour to make their decisions. if you are in line by 7:00, you will still be able to vote, even if you don't get your ballot in your hands until after 7:00. >>> the candidates in this all important presidential race cast their ballots this morning. both hillary clinton and donald trump floated in new york and tonight, they are watching and waiting like the rest of us to see who our next president will be. >>> news channel 8 is covering all the races that matter most to you. we have coverage in tampa bay and all over the state. we begin with rod carter live, tampa waterside hotel. this is where bay area democrats will be watching and hoping to see hillary clinton declared the winner of this residential race. >> reporter: they are all going together here in the second- floor ballroom at the marriott waterside. you can see behind me the stage is already set.

the move. this time they are going to lakeland. the planes to collect the data the lakeland airport should be done by next hurricane season. >> lego land is expanding again. a resort is opening offering a retreat. it is a ding with 83 beach themed bumming allows. 166 rooms all with lego decor inside and out. and each will for tomorrow and cad to relax the kids explore in the play area. there will be a cool and shad wry area and b. and. >> we imagine these will be mini block parties. more than you sinned in a settle. yar as night. it is a part of the tampa bay area that has been abused. now money from the bp settlement will go to helping it. just east and as lloyd sowers tells us it received no respect for the decades. >> this from 1926 what is it is blocking the flow next to the port. the some that know that they take their trash there. but the bay is seen differently, we view this as an urban oasis, the program and other agencies will intend a 34eu8on dollars. bp spill. >> the efforts to restore this started in the 1980s. it is a l

thank you. >> for the second season in a row two high school powerhouses are meeting in the stat playoffs. >> lakeland versus plant friday night game of the week. (my hero zero by lemonheads) zero really can be a hero. get zero down, zero deposit, zero due at signing, volkswagen models. this black friday at the volkswagen friday night blitz. two perennial power howes meet in the state playoffs for a second straight season. >> lake loss lands versus plant two enter one advances to the next round. paul ryan joining from plant high school for friday night blitz game of the week. >>reporter: good evening keith and jen we're expecting to see some of the finest football. 10-0 plant panthers taking these are the most successful. 10 state championships between the two of them. although they don't play in the the same conference these two programs have some very recent history. namely, last season where they met just like they will tonight in the second round of the playoffs. lakeland won that game 21-11 effectively putting an end to plan plant's season we caught up with robert weiner earlier this week he said

this is in the lakeland area and traffic looks fantastic here on lakeland. i-75 over in bradenton looks good. also looks good down in sarasota. clark road to state road 70 an 11-minute commute. construction on i-75 right around university, but you can still get by and that's on the northbound side. that's a look at weather and traffic. back to gene and gayle. >> leslie, thanks. >>> we're following some breaking news this morning. the search continues for a dad who vanished while on an afternoon jet skiing trip with his little boy. they were on the alafia river when the dad just disappear disappeared. that boy was -- just disappeared. that boy was found on an island wondering what happened to his dad. news channel 8's is following this breaks story this morning from the banks of the alafia happened? >>reporter: at this point they don't. william george morris was on the river behind me, gene, when he vanished with his son. now, hillsborough deputies are trying to find out what happened to him and they're trying to find him. now, this is video taken right after

a mother sent these pictures to the lakeland police department. she had to take her 1-year-old son to the hospital because of a high fever. on the way home her boy was crying uncontrollably. martin crouse was walking by, noticed and came to the rescue. he gave the child a stuffed animal from his cruiser and a much needed hug. so sweet. the mom writes, this officer is an angel. may god bless you for all your work. >>russell: nice. very nice. >>laura: nice. >>jennifer: and a fireworks celebration for the record books. at first that little fireworks for it. >>laura: oh, wow. >>jennifer: boom. there it is. >>laura: beautiful. >>jennifer: you've witnessed the single biggest firework ever. weighed 573 pounds. you're like, okay. that's big. that's kind of nice. lights up the sky. light show took place in september as part of the feast of saint katherine. >>russell: very nice. >>jennifer: finay, authorities are grilling a man who used a drone to deliver a barbecue sausage to a friend. stay with me here. this happened in australia. you can see the man attac

the 70s almost all day. now we're low to mid-70s there. tampa checking in with 74. 73 in lakeland. largo and seminole about 72 to 74 degrees with a little bit of a north-northwest wind. there's not a lot out there. that was a shot from earlier today where we did get some sunshine, but not a whole lot. overnight and a couple of 50s on the maps. hernando and citrus county, a touch of the drier air for crystal river about 53 in the morning. we're going to bring the sunshine back for you tomorrow. well i'm not, but mother will and it will mean a lot of cooler and drier air. now, we've been in the low 80s, the upper 70s to the near 80s for both thursday and friday. in fact all the way through your weekend it's not a big difference guys, but it will be a little bit drier and that is what you'll notice more than anything else. dew points will drop a good 10 upper 70s to the 80s including friday, saturday, sunday. not only for the rib fest, but we've got the greek fest going on here as well. and there will be a lot going on this weekend and just beautiful weather including veterans day. en

a couple of these tiebreakers took place in the bay area tonight. lakeland waited to see winter haven defeat kathleen 7-0 before they took on the blue this is how you know it's your night. the quarterback get away with a tipped pass instead of an interception. it's right in the hands of his receiver, willy baker. hodgekiss seals the deal with a quarterback sneak. lakeland wins the district. another tiebreaker saw mitchell defeat spring stead. >>> tomorrow night the lightning in their six game road trim at the new york islanders -- trip at the new york islanders a not ending the way it began, three straight losses for a combined score 12-3. time to sound the alarms. >> every year the league is a little better and we've had success the last couple years and teams are looking at our model and trying to match that and they're ready for us when we come in their building especially. we got to get better. we haven't done what we want to do. we need to get a lot better. >> you see the teams one, two, >> had winter haven beaten lakeland, lakeland would play kathleen

normally the county skews republican. we're in lakeland at the a pre skit with an equal number of registered democrats and republicans, good morning. . >> reporter: yeah the past 2 elections polk county has favored the republican party. president obama was defeated here twice in 2012 by mitt romney. romney winning by 6% vote by 4%. as far as this election goes early voting numbers no indication of what might happen here. more than 168,000 polk county residents voted early or by mail, but there's a virtual split down the middle between republicans and democrats. both campaigns included lakeland in the barn the deciders in presidential politics. >> hillary clinton is an insider fights for herself. i'm an outsider, used to be an insider, to be honest with you, okay. i know the inside and i know the outside and that's why i'm the only one that can fix this mess, folks. >> so did those visits buy the presidential campaigns make any difference here in polk county. we will see like all of the tampa bay area, policy here in polk county will be ope

plants fool panthers take on the lakeland dreadnaughts in the semifinal. that's where we find anthony allred double a. i know the panthers in the match up last year you have breaking news for us? >>reporter: i surely did. i did digging into coach castle 's past it turns out the man has a rap sheet about a mile long. please somebody cue the breaking news music as i dig deeper into his past. i got to tell you it's been 40 years but the 40 years is the 40 years he's been the coach of the dreadnaughts and in that district titles. coach castle has been nailed coach of the year by local newspapers and he's been in the polk county sports hall of fame and hall of fame for florida as well. he's also florida high school athletic association's coach of the century that's a hundred years they are saying nobody has been better. so i talked to panthers head coach robert weiner about the thoughts on coach castle's >> have some great players over there. probably a couple players play on sunday. that doesn't mean as a team we can't overcome that and we can't take care of t

the city's says it loves the creativity of lakeland rocks... but if any rockers vandalize or trespass, remember, jail is only a stones throw away... the game has also popped up in winter haven, polk city, fort meade, and frostproof. metropolitan ministries' thanksgiving food distribution has officially started at its holiday tent. they're started giving out meals yesterday. anyone who needs food and has previously qualified for food assistance from metropolitan ministries can get help. this year... they expect to serve 18- the food will be given out until wednesday at 905 north governor street in tampa. then the group will get ready for a christmas give-a- way. if you need assistance... you can still sign up at several registration locations including the metropolitan ministries outreach center on a group of children gathered to watch some sea turtles hatch... but unfortnately they got just the opposite. how a band of thieves ruined their trip. you said you wanted to feel better about your cereal. general mills big g cereals hear you. that's why

i-4 looks fantastic through the lakeland area. >>> cubs fan anxiety must be through the roof and that is because they can win their first world series title since 1908. they ran up the score on the indians last night putting up 3 runs in the first inning and then adding for more with the grand slam by addison russell in the 3rd to bring home the title they will need a strong offense tonight when they face corey kluger down in game one and 4. now joe maddon agrees. >> have been outstanding pitching all year. all of a sudden our offense is having a resurgence which we need, i of course want to be the group that breaks strain when you're probably right, it is correct . it is an historic night no matter who wins. >> it is great for joe maddon. >>> law enforcement officials are scrambling to fill crucial vacancies. if they don't, your safety could be in jeopardy. coming up why the shp is facing a trooper shortage and how it can have crippling a flex -- effects throughout the community . looking for balance in your digestive system? try align probiotic. for a non-stop, sweet treat goodness,

we can see partially why here on the camera from the lakeland automall in polk county. you can see this great shot. just beautiful weather. it has been lovely under the clear skies on the region. our temperatures will continue to fall throughout the evening. north winds and very light wind conditions overall. a dry atmosphere and easterly breeze as well at veterans ford. expecting more sunshine tomorrow with a possibility of a few extra clouds. as well as the easterly flow moving into tomorrow. the evening will go along but not as cool as last night. it was quite chilly and chilly fast. 69 degrees and then the computer model has a few clouds. we have seen a bit but not much. this is downtown st. petersburg. 77 degrees at 5 pm, monday of sunshine for tomorrow and most inland spots and closer to the east coast. 75 degrees right now, fantastic at tampa international in st. pete. dew point 54 degrees and just very comfortable temperatures. if you're going to be out this evening, know that you will be very comfortable but also if you're going to be able to to that later, it m

the cooler air will try to spread south. we just dropped to 59 in lakeland. the south. sarasota you are at 58 and our weather watcher says 60 degrees. bradenton is 2 degrees warmer than yesterday . lake linden is 4 degrees cooler and brooksville is 11 degrees cooler . the cold front is making a difference. by the afternoon pleasant dry air and mild temperatures. you will notice it is a little cooler tomorrow. not many clouds still. as we head into saturday week cold front comes in here installs and hangs around. will lead into the 10 percent rain chance. most of the weekend is looking great. >>> taking a look out here at the roadways. here is what is going on south down try southbound 75, no delays. on i 75 we do have a couple of problems but it will not slow you down. we have collision and pasco. the west -- the wesley chapel area looks very good . northbound i 75 in manatee past the river we have an accident but that is off to the side. that is a look at weather and traffic on the 8s. >>> the pinellas county fair kicks off today. it runs from today through sunday. it

the lakeland net camera, 57 degrees. again, there are a few 60s sprinkles in there along the immediate coastline, even 40s in citrus county. very similar, though. i think what we're going to do is literally go back to 81 for a high temperature today. 78 tomorrow. much cooler for sunday after this front comes through tu will be felt monday morning and i'll talk about those temperatures in just a few minutes. okay? >>vanessa: looking forward to it. thanks, dave. it's 6:30. we want to take a look at our interstate drive times and we don't have anything major happening on the interstates, crashwise or constructionwise so it should be a smooth ride for you. take a look southbound 275. drivers, coming from the tampa side of the howard frankland heading all the way south to the will be the drive. it's eight minutes apiece northbound 75, selmon to fouler. we're learning the nature of a lane blockage at spring lake highway. we do have two lanes blocked. we've been watching some delays there. they're still minor in nature. most of

should be beautiful in the af high temperature in the afternoon, a beautiful dane but cool to start. 40 -- day but cool to start. 47 degrees now in lakeland, 41 degrees weeki wachee, inverness, 58 brooksville, 49 bartow, 54 sebring. across the country a lot of folks are hitting the road. temperatures are reasonable given the time of year, but the snow up around syracuse today. showers for minnesota, section section of the dakotas drifting northeast and still snow continues to fall. you saw the pictures we showed you from the western and northern parts of new york all coming in at the moment. a lot of that lake effect, the heavier amounts and a little bit up into new england, vermont and new hampshire. clear across florida. that leads to chilly conditions when the winds are light. high pressure dominates. dry air on our water vapor imagery at the mid-and high levels of the atmosphere. that tends to provide a cool evening and cool start to the day, but high pressure stays north of us as we go throughout the day, kind of a jacket morning to start. as the north easterly winds kick back in, milder feeling air. that means stop returning moistur

minutes down to 275, and i-4 is also looking good this morning if you're headed out the door in the lakeland area to get into downtown tampa. dan? >>> thank you, janelle. >>> 5:48. no official word on the competency of dillon roof from the charleston shootings. the two-day hearing ended yesterday, and the hearing was closed to the media over fears it could taint potential jurors' views. >>> we are learning two dozens protesters hospital after a tense standoff over the access pipeline in north dakota on saturday night. one of the most serious cases involves a 21-year-old woman. doctors may have to amputate her arm. law enforce. threw a -- law enforcement officials are said to have thrown pressure cocktails at her that exploded when it hit says they didn't use them and they are saying it may have been a molotov cocktail from the crowd. >> 3, 2, 1, and there you go! the vegas golden knights! >> there you go tampa bay lightning fans, now you know what the bolts' newest opponent will be called. they begin play it's the vegas golden knights. >> too cute! >>> a turkey will probably be the main cour

right now we're in the 50s across most of the lakeland. by tomorrow morning i believe we will start to slowly see a change to that wind going northeast and eventually east warming up our temperatures. just how much? i will let you know in a couple of minutes. >>> dozens of families are pleading with mayor bob alcorn as you have to designate the >> leaders in 300 other areas around the u.s. already say they will protect undocumented immigrants from deportation. donald trump now threatening to pull federal funding. in numbers tonight showing the spike in hate crimes falling the election. 700 hate-based incidents between november 9 and the 65% of the incidents happened in the first three days following the election. this graphic showing the day by day declined. they are now saying over 30 of those incidents happen right here in florida. >>> major construction projects are making it harder to get around st. petersburg with war lane closures on the way. tonight abc action news struggling with extra detours. >> reporter: with cooler weather begg

believes the woman in charge of managing bus routes changed information in the hours ll fox13's "shayla reaves" is live in lakeland this morning, where that student was killed. shayla, there's thanks, shayla. according to the f-b-i, hate crimes are on the rise... especially for one religious group. the data shows hate crimes increased about 6- point-7 percent last year. crimes against muslims are up 67-percent. the f-b-i says the surge in hate crimes could be due in part to better reporting by victims and law enforcement agencies. vandals in hillsborough political protest to a dangerous level. deputies say someone sprayed anti-trump graffiti on two mobile homes on byran road, near mango. one of the homes had the message "burn everything" on it...with an arrow pointing to the house next door. investigators say someone tried to light that house on fire. neighbor's say this isn't political, it's downright dangerous and someone could get killed. neighbors say they are not sure why the community is being targeted. they say no one even put political signs up during the campaign season. in the aftermath of this year's pr

. >>> the skies are fairweather clouds. 80 degrees at the lakeland automall in polk county. devries continues, same story in new port richey. 78 degrees with a nice view of the sky in the background. mostly clear skies at the moment. dry air high above so we are getting decent blue skies. 81 degrees in tampa. the truck on the platform along the veterans. traffic not moving to badly. at lakewood ranch, 81 degrees, partly cloudy skies and the meant that breezy at that location. the bucs game tonight, 76 degrees at game time. we are starting a little late at 8:30 pm right here on news channel 8 with mostly dry conditions. very comfortable. it is warm out there right now but it should comfortable -- settle into comfortable conditions. a warm stretch for september and october. the average temperature is 89 degrees and 84.3 degrees. for 2016, we have normal. 2.3 inches above normal for october. not quite that in november but still above normal. this morning, a few clouds and clear skies mixed in. as for the forecast, 74 degrees at 9 pm with a mix of similar looking skies. 67 degree

the 70s. and 76 wauchula and 75 in lakeland the air mass is dry and dew points right around 60 and the winds which see been a factor not that strong. light and variable along the coast. 76 the dew point 61. weak area. tonight mostly cloudy. east and behind it, we could come back and midday there is lots of sunshine after that we'll see many days in a row with sunshine and very pleasant temperatures. 49 in flint and chicago and little rock. 61 in kansas city. tonight we'll see the lows staying in the 60s. and highs tomorrow and right around average in the 70s low pressure by. we have high pressure drifting lots of sunshine. and very pleasant. that is continuing on thursday into friday as well. the weekend should be good. a couple of showers. uneventful it stays in the 50 to 60 range. early next week. the forecast is pretty simple. we'll go mostly clear and cloudy and sunshine develops tomorrow with the low humidity and back up near 80. on friday and lots of sunshine. >> they are northeast. high tide. 7 daze forecast is good. veteran's day. lots of sunshine. temperatures upper 70s. the highs near 80

if you're headed out the door i- 4 through lakeland looks great on way through plant city and down in ybor city we're still up to speed. no slowdowns. right at the wesley chapel area looks good. overall we have nice drive. to spike it -- despite it looking good we do have a crash that should be wrapping up soon. howard franklin bridges to looking good as well as the courtney campbell. it is up to speed. the gandy, skyway, bayside always a nice drive across i- 4.>>> investigation into brad pitt's behavior towards his kids now over. >>> still ahead, when investigators discovered pandemonium, how these tiny carrabba's new meatball magnifico. our gigantic meatball topped with parmesan cream sauce and stuffed with delicious melted mozzarella. ? dramatic italian aria ? ve ever eaten. for a limited time only. the la county department of family services cleared brad pit -- brad pitt from any abuse charges. angelina jolie now has custody of their kids. >>> look at these pandas. he tumbled off. it happens to the best of us. these bodies are having a real good time one slaps the other in the fac

the lows. tomorrow morning we wake up upper 60s to near 70 degrees. 69pa lakeland 66. but by friday morning the cool air starts to move in and we are in the upper 50s to low 60s. by saturday morning, plenty of 50s and a few 40s in hernando and citrus county's. cooler air in here and it looks like it will stay dry for the weekend. we will keep some wind tonight and tomorrow as the front comes through. 2 to 4 foot seas with a will have it in a half hour. today, hurricane season will wrap up. >>> a live look right now at the sky to network traffic camera, a little bit of a slowdown on i-75. the backups still happening, a parking lot of stalled cars. keep that on mind -- in mind on the howard frankland. our 10news app. search wtsp in your app store. >>> three straight wins for the bucks on sunday. this week buick come team huddle plus they won't catch the league sleeping on them. seattle put them back on the map and out west to take on a chargers team despite the record. tampa bay has a revitalized defense and they have to stop darrell rivers. in college football, fsu and u

. >>> 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 s cinnamon pull-aparts covered with cinnamon crumble and sweet cream cheese icing. try our new cinnamon pull-aparts for just 6 bucks. >>> 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 hel

traffic looks fantastic out in the lakeland area. here's a look at i-4. no complaints. here's a look at the howard franklin. it will take you 6 minutes to cross it. you are looking at 7 on the quick reminder we're down to one lane in hillsboro avenue. if you're headed eastbound which will last through tomorrow about 5:00 from 22nd to 30th street. >>> breaking news overnight, a usf student rob while walking through campus. -- robbed through campus. >>> donald trump makes a big request, top-secret clearance for his son-in-law. it has never happened before and why some say it is a bad move. >>> if you ever thought about working from home, good news, business is booming. how can you tell if the work at home cake is a real deal or a scam. >>> good morning and welcome to news channel 8 today. >> thanks for joining us on

he's set to appear at the public headquarters in lakeland. at 2 this afternoon he will be at the fruit farm in bradenton. senator rubio cast miami. he's hoping to retain his seat after running for president earlier this year. democrat patrick murphy cast his vote. murphy is running against rubio for senate. >>> a man is facing battery charges for throwing his glass eye at two people. the incident happened at the largo medical center. police say doctors were treating edward dorsey when he got upset, took out his eye and threw it at a doctor and nurse. >>> we have a warning about a it started when a family received a frightening phone call over the weekend. someone called him and claimed his son was in a car accident. they went on to say the man he collided with pulled out a q1 saying he was a wanted fugitive and took his son hostage. he demanded a thousand dollars for his safe return. raheem recorded some of the conversation and called 9-1-1. >> that's my older son. my wife >> it turns out this entire thing was a scam. his son taylor was just f

upper 70s now across the area, tampa, 81 sarasota, lakeland 82. in tampa, 76 degrees and partly cloudy skies, the dewpoint 69, southwest winds coming at 10 miles per hour kind of gusty today. we will see that again tomorrow morning and then winds shift out of the northwest ahead of the front tomorrow evening and they will be gusty, 83 the afternoon high last year that is where we were but that is 80 degrees above normal, we should sarasota looking good clear skies 77. southerly winds at 15 gusting up to 22 miles per hour, satellite today notice showers trying to pop up most of it not making it to the ground this can happen with that southerly flow in florida. if the air is coming from up north it is bound to be dry unless it is a front. increasing temperatures increasing humidity often the cloud cover as well. tomorrow morning here comes the front. this is the same front that created the weather in the deep south which was good news for the gatlinburg area. by the time the front comes to our neck of the woods there is not a lot left. a few stray sh

paramedics rushed the 32-year- old in his son to the lakeland regional hospital. deputies tell us they were writing atv when the front tires court broke and caused it to grow try rolled. although while you are i was wearing a helmet it is a soft >>> deputies are investigating an accident that seriously injured 2 divers. it happened 5 miles off of madeira beach. 37-year-old william and his wife lost consciousness on their boat. they were taken to the hospital for life-threatening injuries are deputies believe it was a diving accident because they found diving equipment on board. the investigation continues. >>> a doctor turned into a drug dealer. he is free on bond. ti offer trend doctor alfred chatman charging him with practicing medicine without a license. he says he will wrote prescriptions for more than 6000 tablets of oxycodone and other services. eat the >>> we knew he was a pain doctor something, but we didn't know anything else. >> detectives tell us 5 medicine to. >>> 2 people hurt after a fire. to jet skis and 24 foot boat -- -- a 24 but boat assistive. po