take that howard franklin bridge. howard franklin bridge is a great drive. how long will it take you to cross it? six minute, better than the 20 eastbound on the courtney campbell causeway. so the howard franklin bridge or even through oldsmar, hillsborough avenue, much better drive. >> a tough morning for sure. >> yes, it has. >> please be careful. >>> and we have light sprinkles right now but unfortunately as the commute gets going even more into the 7:00, 8:00 hour, i'm expecting more rain. notice the rain is out in the gulf of mexico now. and i bring that onshore between 58 and 9:00 this morning, seeing heavier downpours and i continue the rain until about lunchtime before i taper it out of the forecast. during the afternoon, warm and breezy around 3:00, 4:00. scattered rain but mostly this morning. and warm all week with highs near 80. and next weekend, rain chances already going back up. until then, 80 today. 81 tomorrow. and 80 wednesday, thursday and friday. and that's above the average of 76. gayle -- >> all right. thank you so much, leigh. >>> well

and northbound off the howard franklin bridge, looks great. we don't have any delay oscarsen the howard franklin bridge. and accident out here, 73rd north of central avenue, in the pasadena area. just a reminder, this isis highlands county but we have a fatal crash and all lanes blocked at the intersection of so headed out there, you definitely want to keep that in mimind. and fog i-4 at kathleen road anand lakeland. a little bit here at the polk parkway. meliek on the street is by the sunshine skyway bridge. that looks like something out of a cool horror movie. this is the tip of the sunshine skyway bridge and you can see it's foggy. that's a look at weather and traffic on the 8s. >> all right. thank you. >>> well the smithsonian's national museum of natural history has med a a huge revelation, a knewly discovered dinosaur species. >> i have been projecting a clintoning it all morning. -- been practicing it all morning. it lived 90 million years ago and was about the size of a horse. not an ancestor of the t-rex. the fossils were found in thes

>> not only the fog but we have overnight construction and now we have an accident on the howard franklin bridge. let's take a look at this crash. this is the howard franklin bridge, folks. and you can see only the left lane is getting by. and now i'm actually starting to see a little bit of a slow down as people squeeze to the left. and at this point, you don't need to take the courtney campbell or an alternate, you're going to be just fine. but it could cause delays. also, this is where it's located on the map, and a little bit of constrtruction on the kennedy side but nole that impede will the commute. construction at the veterans expresswsway closed from vavan dyke to dale mabry. great news, that has been cleared up. fhp removed it and all lanes should be open at this point. sarasota, construction on university parkway blocked ununder i-75. so take state road 70 or fruitville road instead. meanwhile, foggy on the sunshine skyway bridge but it's open. that's a look at weather and traffic. back to adrienne and gene. >> thank you. >>> inin your vote, a big night for the two front-runners in the

the howard franklin bridge instead. and you can go through oldsmar but the howard franklin looks fantastic right now. usually the traffic is busy coming into tampa. we are seeing eastbound delays as people look to the side. that's why you have the eastbound delays. gulf boulevard at 92nd avenue at sunset beach, a collision with injuries. keep that in mind. and construction, just a reminder, u.s. 41 blocked at crenshaw lake road. it's also known as witaker: >> thank you. second week of hulk hogan's $100 million sex tape trial. this morning, the website gawker will begin presenting witnesses. the judge will hold a hearing with attorneys to decide whether radio personalty bubba the love sponge must appear in court. he has said that he plans to the plead the fifth. >>> more trouble for former spring break hot spot panama city beach. a spring breaker from indiana is dead after falling from a parking garage. police discovered the body of the 20-year-old. his friends claim he drank all day and was seen drunk about two hours be

howard franklin bridge, an eight or nine minute commute northbound. why? we have a big accident out there and only the left lane is getting by. it does not extend back to tampa. just right before the camera. normally takes about six minutes without issues. and you are looking at about nine minutes to cross it. at this point, you don't need to take the courtney campbell early. point. but as we move closer to rush hour, of course, it's going to get busier and busier. bridge. he is by the sunshine skyway bridge. look at the fog. you cacan barely see the rest area stop to the right area of the screen. low visibility, use caution.n. the sign says it all. now the sunshine skyway bridge remains open unlike yesterday when it was closed. it is open for traffic but again use caution because it's's very foggy. that's a look at weather and traffic on the e 8s. back to adrienne and gene. >> thank you, leslee. >>> picking up behind toddlers is not easy. >> we will show you the invention that could help clean kids up after a meal. >>> the reason the entire metro that's r

good drive on the howard franklin bridge. construction still has university parkway blocked right at i-75. so take fruitville road to the south or to the north state road 70 to get by there. and now we want to talk about u.s. 41. a heads up this morning about a major road project that gets underway today. lutz. crews will close the highway near crenshaw lake road. some worried that the delays and detours will double the commute time. and residents are afraid the traffic delays will become a safety issue. >> that impact with that traffic on those road, there's kids, vehicles, safety, police, all those, the delay lay in time is going to hurt someone. >> u.s. 41 is expected to be closed for about two weeks. that's a look at weather and traffic on the 8s. back to gene and gayle. >> all right. thank you, leslee. >>> a sports spoiler. someone leaked the ncaa tournament bracket online ahead of the official release. ahead, what the ncaa is doing to get to the bottom of the fiasco. >>> and a bay area coffee shop that offers more than

and howard franklin -- drive, no delays. and howard franklin bridge, six minutes to cross. >>> a port richey neighborhood is waking up to a boil water alert. a water main broke overnight. crews repaired the line but homeowners are being told to boil their water before using it. crews will test the water sometime today to figure out if the water is safe to use. >>> and an 8 on your side warning this morning. pay area streets. >> yeah, in a matter of week, nine people have died. this superpill is a lethal fix. >> reporter: hey there, good this superpill looks real, just like an actual xanax. deadly and deceive, this super pill holds a super secret. >> you don't have to take it. just take one and you're dead. >> reporter: it's lethal contents are packaged. it looks just like a xanax. but this pill is mixed with a powerful pain medication. the combination so potent that it's killing people within minutes. >> you better stop buying the xanax on the street because nine people are d. there's no dead. there's no other way to put it. >> reporter: recently, the

only seven minutes to cross the howard franklin bridge. that's a look at weather and >>> an 8 on your side alert about what could happen if your >>> an 8 on your side alert gum to our pets. it contains a sweetener that is toxic to dogs. their dog dancer got into a gym bag and ate the sugar-free gum. and an hour later, dancer was really sick. >> he started to have a really bad seizer. >> how scary. vets explain that the chemical in the gum caused dancer's blood sugar to drop dangerously low. and there's the risk of liver failure. he spent several face intensive care. her owners want everyone to know the danger and to keep sugar-free gum away from your dog. >>> well, some popular mugs from target are feeling the heat this morning. they are now being recalled. turns out, they are not microwave safe which poses a serious fire hazard. you can return the love today mugs to any target store for a full refund. oversea, an airman from texas is back home and he is giving his children the surprise of a lifetime. it's going to make you tear up. >> abs

>>> well, a good drive on the off the howard franklin bridge into tampa looks great. but southbound 275 really starting to get sticky. bearss avenue to i-4, up to about 20 minutes. and here's the howard franklin bridge, good drive, about seven minute, that's it. and here is some of the congestion south 275. just showing you the travel times. we start to bog down before you get to fowler and that continues all the way in to downtown tampa. all right, let's move over and talk about pinellas park. an update for you. the situation, we have a tow truck onscene here. serious injury accident. and the southbound 49th street ramp to northbound u.s. 19 is blocked. the tow truck is onscene. trying to get the car out and hopefully it will be gone soon and things start wrapping up there. you can take 66th if you want to avoid it complete it. that's a look at weather and traffic on the 8s. back to the candace and gayle. >> thank you. >>> it's 6:50. a little boy at a spring with a bat that came flying straight at his face. >> luckily for him, his dad reached out and saved the day. yo

and a great drive off the howard franklin bridge. and slower through ybor too on westbound i-4 to 275, 12 minutes. and 16 minutes on the veterans expressway between ehrlich and 275. let's take a live look at some of the traffic out there. and there it starts to slow down, again 275 southbound. actually around fowler avenue. and then in pockets through downtown. but the bay area bridges look good. nice drive across the water. >> all right. >> thank you. >>> and thank you for joining us this morning. >> we're going to stay on top of the stories throughout the day. stick around for updates during the "today" show. ba da ba ba ba a phony, a fraud. just out what amitt romney is claiming to say about donald trump today as republican leaders openly consider finding a third party candidate to take on trump. with another big debate tonight donald trump will join us live to respond. >>> welcome home. scott kelly arrived from texas overnight and reunites with his family. >> it is a great feeling to be

and six minutes across the howard franklin bridge. most of traffic heads into the south tampa area on the gandy bridge, only roughly four minutes on the commute. and a live look here, 275 at >>> good monday morning and welcome to news channel 8 today. i'm candace mccowan in for gene ramirez. >> and i'm gayle guyardo. >>> our top story this morning, we are just eight days away primary. in the coming day, expect candidates to step up their campaigns here in the bay area. today senator marco rubio will be in tampa for a campaign rally at the tampa convention center. doors open at 4:00 p.m. >>> tensions continue to rise at 9 this hour as north korea threatens nuclear strikes on korea. this is in reaction to u

this is off the howard franklin bridge. that's not going to be wrap up until about an hour from now as well. that's a look at weather and traffic on the 8s. back to candace and gayle. >> thank you. >>> a new part of the world trade center is finally open. >> the transportation hub designed to honor the victims killed in the september 11th terrorist attacks. and you can connect with me with story ideas. contact me with on my facebook page. if you missed the video of the gator in the lakeland pool, no >>> it took a decade to finish and cost $4 billion to build. >> in two day, part of the facility will open. the transportation hub and shopping center was designed to honor those killed in the september 11th attacks. it will house 75,000 square feet of food and retail. the project manager claims it's like nothing else. all the different subway lines in lower manhattan, the ferry central station. reviews. >>> sport authority is filing for bankruptcy and is set to close 140 stores nationwide. a dozen of the stores are in the bay a

howard franklin bridge looks great. only six minutes to cross it. four on the gandy. and maybe about seven on the >>> it's 4:30 on this friday morning. welcome to news channel 8 today. i'm gene ramirez. >> and i'm adrienne pedersen in for gayle this morning. >>> our top story, honoring a hillsborough county deputy who gave his life in the line of duty. a wrong-way driver hit and killed deputy john kotfila. in a few minute, we will show you his family and friends plan to say good-bye. >>> right now, polk county deputies are searching for a man they say ststole a car from a mulberry pharmamacy with a toddler inside. this happened while the e child's care taker was inside the

six minutes to span the howard franklin bridge across the water. here are our little trouble spots here. they're off-ramps, southbound on 275, the 54th avenue south ramp is blocked right now for overnight construction. should wrap in about 45 minutes. and one in hillsborough county at kennedy. more on that coming up in the next report. but now back to gayle and candace. >> thank you. >>> new this morning, astronaut scott kelly is back home in houston. take a look. his plane landed around 2:00 this morning and he was greeted with hugs from family and friends. it comes nearly a year after living in space. scientists will monitor kelly. already they know that kelly is 2 inches taller than he was when he went to the international space station. experts explain that astronauts get taller in space as the spine elongates. they expect him to return back to his normal time after a short time on earth. >>> this morning, a couple is keeping a closer eye on their swimming pool after they found a gator taking a dip. they discovered the gator after seeing bubble

bridges. and good morning -- howard franklin or the gandy bridges. riright now, the i-75 apexex is up to speed. b downs. another update in a couple gayle and gene, back to you. >> thank you. >>> living in a well--lit area sounds like a good idea. it's sasafer that way. it may not be that great t for your health. >> we will explain why coming up. >>> also -- >> i had never seen the sky swirl so pretty. >> the amazing story of a louisiana woman who survived last week's tornadoes. >>> but first, welcome home earthling. that's right, astronaut scott kelly is back on that's -- back on earth this morning. and what is next for the american astronaut after nearly >>> this is exciting. astronaut scott kelly is back on solid ground. he is headed to houston today. he lalanded safely overnight along with two fellllow astronauts. >> kelly spent nearly a year at the internrnational space station to find ouout how prolonged time in space affects people's bodies. news channel 8's lindsey mastis has the morning alert. kelly has a long day ahead of him. >> reporter: t

howard franklin bridge, only six minutes to cross. court courtney campbell causeway, roughly a 10 minute commute. and across the gandy, eight minutes. the only reason you see it yellow is because it carries you from pinellas county to manhattan so you have a couple red lights but a great drive. sarasota looks good. no slow downs on i-75 but we have overnight construction. keep that in mind right here at i-75 and university parkway. some lanes taken away. the exits are blocked so take fruitville. and then university parkway underneath i-75 is blocked. fruitville or state road 70 is the alternate. back to gene and gayle. >> thank you, leslee. >>> new detail the deadly shooting rampage in kalamazoo, michigan. what a 13-year-old did in the hospital that is giving her parents hope. the new devices you may soon (phone ringing) you can't deal with something, by ignoring it. but that's how some presidential candidates seem to be dealing with social security. americans work hard, and pay into it. so our next president needs a real plan to keep

and this is coming off the howard franklin bridge in hillsborough county, and this it is blocked. so still looking at about an hour before it's cleared up. you can head down here and go further, exit dale mabry highway. but you can't exit at kennedy at this point. that's a look at weather and traffic on the 8s. back to candace and gayle. >> all right, thank you so much, leslee. >>> well a danger to your pets. >> still ahead, an 8 on your side alert about what could happen if your dog eats sugar- free gum. >>> an 8 on your side alert about the dangers of sugar-free gum and our pets. the gum contains a sweetener that is toxic to dogs. their dog dancer got into a gym bag and ate 25 to 30 pieces of sugar-free gum. and an hour later, he was really sick. >> dancer started to have a really bad seizer. and this was on my girls' laps while they were holding her. >> vets explain the chemical in the gum caused dancer's blood sugar to drop dangerously low. and there's the risk of liver failure. he spent several days in intensive care. her owners want everyone to know the danger and to keep su

a great drive off of the howard franklin bridge. and here's the big problem, it's all due to overnight construction that's lingering out there on the roadway. you are now backed up to state road 64 on i-75. this is through bradenton, manatee county, when we reach sarasota at university parkway. it's got you backed up the to state road 64. take 301 instead. that's a look at weather and traffic on the 8s. back the to candace and gayle. >> thank you so much, leslee. >>> look at this, a new species of octopus discovered at the bottom of the ocean in hawaii. and it already has a nickname, casper. it has a ghost-like appearance there. and instead of two rows of suckers on the arms like most, it just has one. experts found them 14,000 feet below the surface. no one has ever seen this octopus before. >> so cute. >>> what you need to know before you walk out the door. >> including the presidential race that comes to tampa this week. who will be here today and thursday. involving hulk hogan gets underway today. up next, the reason we won't be

off the howard franklin bridge, it's also a good drive. in fact, all of the bay area point. and off the howard franklin bridge as you move towards ashley, a four minute commute. and look at this, bearss avenue to i-4, only nine minutes on the travel times. good drive there. and that's a look at weather and traffic on the 8s. back to adrienne and gene. >> all right. thank you. >>> well hosting this special olympic special games for 16 year, usf is handing over the honors to another venue. >> and the new venue couldn't be happier. >> find out who is gettining involved and where the special olympics will be. >>> but first, killed his s second day on the job. the tragic accident that took the life of a construction worker and why the l.a.p.d. is now investigating. it's 6:10. >>> new this morning, a los angeles construction worker is dead after falling 53 stories. you can see from here. it was just his second day on the job. how terrible. the man fell on a car passing by, if yoyou can believe that. and now the woman driving that car is in stable condition. we're still not sure if

bridges' times. six minutes across the howard franklin. the courtney campbell causeway, 10 minutes, that's from pinellas county over to memorial highway. and eastbound on the gandy bridge and westbound, just seven miles per hours from pinellas to manhattan. that's a look at weather and traffic. back to gene and gayle. >> all right. thank you so much. >>> we have more breaking news right now. a gas pump in hillsborough county burst into flames. this happened while you were sleeping at the station near the intersection of bearss and nebraska. it happened when the driver of a car slammed into the pump, causing the fire. no one was hurt. and investigators believe the driver was under the influence. he is now under arrest and we are working to find out who the driver is and what charges he will face. >>> and also breaking this tuesday morning, a port richey neighborhood is waking up to a a water main broke in the brown acres neighborhood overnight. crews repaired the line but homeowners are being told to boil the water before using it. it will b

no delays in the palm harbor area s and -- area, and this is the howard franklin bridge. looking fantastic. 54 all the way through downtown, also looking great on i-75. delay free. 13 minutes 54 to i-4. >>> we have an update to breaking news out of spring hill. the medical examiner just arrive at the bamboo's bar and eatery. that's where a deadly shooting happened 4 hours ago. we know one person is dead and another victim is in the hospital. deputies say the shooter also injured is now in surgery. lindsey mastis is at the bar right now, and a busy shopping area, and she's digging for more information for us. we will have a live report in the next half an hour. stick around for that. really grow up, they are probably right. >> who can resist legos? when we get back, we will look at what the museum of science and industry in chicago is doing for the big kid in all of us. it's 5:50, and you're watching >>> get a load of, hundreds of thousands of legos in chicago. the new exhibit was designed to show how architects and engineers create and design, but let's be honest, amazing

maybe you're headed that way across the howard franklin bridge, and this is the st. pete side, and it looks fantastic. great. 17 minutes for 54 all the way in through the i-4 interchange. at 75 if you're headed northbound, currently 14 minutes for 301 up to i-4. minutes. back to you. >>> a box of puppies dumped on the tampa road are getting up. next, -- up next, what's next for the puppies. >>> how much money one drugstore plans to spend on their new campaign and who they are targeting. you're watching channel 8 news >>> we are back, and it's 4:23. more than a year after they stopped selling cigarettes, cvs is making moves to get people to stop smoking, and they will be investing $50 million on the antismoking campaign over the next 5 years. their audience is the youth. #bethefirst campaign will push for the first tobacco-free generation in perk. >>> these pups are now 2 months old, and they were just 6 weeks old when we told you about their rescue. their mange was so severe, they had no fur. the story broke our hearts and now the dogs are in good health and ready to

pthis is just before the hump of pthe howard franklin bridge. pso of course as you can imagine ptraffic is backed up all the way pinto pinellas county. pcourtney campbell causeway and pgandy bridge much better pwe will keep you up to date on pthe progress of this. p>> the 2016 florida legislature pbegins it's final week today pwith a few big issues. pincluding medical marijuana. pflorida senate will debate a new pmedical marijuana bill this pmorning. pthe new bill would expand pguidelines for regulating drug pin florida. pflorida house is set to hear pbill today that would end red plight cameras across the state. psupporter say traffic crashes pactually increased after cameras pwere installed. pmany cities and counties across pthe state he pose this bill. pthey think any ban should be pdone at the local level. pand the other big issue still pbeing discussed the state pbudget. pon sunday house and senate pagreed to spend $700 million on rojects. pthis includes more money for usf ptampa. p22 and a half million dollars. pa part of huge nifsh initiat

best viewing it will be a nice trip for you. directions, 17 minutes for the skyway up to the howard franklin bridge, and the bridges are in the green. gayle and gene? over to you. >>> the expenses can really add up. what the white house is doing to make having a baby more affordable. >>> see surveillance video of a high speed crash that sent a car airborne and why neighbors in the area say they would have never seen it coming. >>> trump campaign is facing accusations of promoting violence. find out why after the break. rooms come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. there are big rooms, tiny rooms, rooms that are - whoa. with eight times more fragrance control, the new air wick scented oil warmer massive minimalist rooms. small secret rooms. and tall rooms you climb to. a treehouse is totally a room. you get the perfect no matter the size of the home. air wick . home is in the air >>> talk about a sucker punch. a trump shorter punched protester in the face, and now that attacker is facing charges, and this cell phone video still shocks us it shows the trump supporter sucker punching the protester. it

groom per week and gives 10% off for all rescued dogs. evening commute on both sides of the howard franklin bridge. >> and taking a live look at storm tracker 10, we'll tell you when you need to be ready so you can plan where are week. the news 10 app will bring you weather and traffic alerts any time of day. >>> the tampa bay rays are on the way to cuba. what it takes to pull off the historic game in havana. >>> time for stories making headlines across state with nation, and around the world. the president of france says high in both belgium and france tonight after europe's most wanted pan was captured in brussels in connection to the paris attacks. salah abdel salam is wounded by but alive. >>> migrants are meeting in brussels to broke aerosolution. >>> louisiana is helping those impact bid the flooding to get aid and groceries. and police near gulf sores, alabama, have arrested merely 600 spring breakers this month mostly for underage drinking, neighboring dosal communities are also curbing the come problem. >>> our tampa bay rays are days away from leaving for havana for a whirledwind 48 hour

no delays on the howard franklin bridge. that's a look at weather and traffic on the 8s. back to gene and gayle. >> thank you so much. >>> well, thrill seeker, you will want to stick around to hear about this. busch gardens is moving to the next phase of one of their newest rides. >> yeah, when the ride is set to open and what you can expect. >>> but fist, the exclusive event walt disney world is hosting for a limited number of guests. how much you can pay to take >>> on select dates, the park will stay open for three additional hours for those who purchase the after-hours option. among the rides that stay open, space mountain and peter pan's flight. disney is not revealing how many after-hours tickets will be sold. >>> and a new roller coaster will soon start thrilling busch gardens visitors. >> the final part has been testing phase. it will spin rider forward and then backwards and then freely bringing them just inches from four-foot long cobra fangs. and now are you a thrill seeker? doing this with me? >> yeah, but i don't like snakes. >> it's not real. >> it's a fake

. >>> howard franklin bridge, looks quiet. no problems here. plenty of room to step on the gas. you're not going to find any delays right now. we are seeing an increase in traffic through downtown tampa. usual spots southbound 275 as you merge through the junction. ongoing construction dale mabry, northbound 275 on-ramp, road work there but no impact to the interstate itself. veterans expressway all quiet overnight. road work has wrapped up. and you're in the green with speeds at or above the speed limit. gayle, gene -- >> all right. thank you. >>> it's 5:32. your vote, florida takes center stage in the race for the white house. candidates rallying across the state. florida has been a decisive state in every election. in this primary, it could be a turning point for the candidates. senator bernie sanders debated wednesday night in miami. focusing on immigration and the all-important latino vote. and later today, clinton and sanders will be making stops here in the bay area as they campaigns. news channel 8's josh thomas joins us now to fill us in on where they'll be today. good

allison huffman is accused of hitting roger perez perado on the howard franklin bridge and leaving the scene. fellow tow truck drivers were there as a show of support. >>> a day care has some damage to repair tonight. eagle 8 flew over the little people christian day care earlier. no one was injured. >>> should a little weed be a big deal? it won't be soon in tampa. under the proposed new rules anyone arrested with 20 grams or less would receive a ticket instead of a misdemeanor charge. a first offense is a $75 fine. the council will hold another hearing on this proposal march 17. >>> tonight, unsolved cases are getting new attention on billboards across pinellas county. several billboards will be on display near the crime scene. this case involves 15-year-old malasia gamble found dead in 2009. >> i waited several years to be able to get in front of this what my daughter meant to me. my daughter was a good person. >> clear channel outdoor is donating the billboard space and they will be appearing over the next two months. if one of the signs jogs your memory, call in with a tip because

how long will it take to cross the howard franklin bridge? six minute, great drive across that's a look at weather and traffic on the 8s. now back to gene and gayle. >> thank you. >>> a bay area college with a plan to get and keep minority students in school. >> what the college is doing to make dreams happen. >>> and he is the youngest in the history of the venice theater. meet the team who is beginning his path to broadway from right -- his path to broadway from right here in florida. >>> and the rocket launch with gear almost as complex as the ship they're in. >>> new this morning, an atlas 5 rock set headed to the international space station after blasting off from florida. >> three, two, one, ignition and lift-off. >> the capsule is carrying nearly 8,000-pounds of food, equipment and scientific research for nasa. some of the gear includes a 3d printer, an experimental robotic grippers and it's expected to arrive at the international space station saturday. >>> the florida mother shot by her own 4-year-old son could face criminal charges.

she is charged with killing perado and leaving him on the howard franklin bridge. >> all we are asking the public to do is move over. give us the room to work. we are mercy vehicles. people to watch out for. >> move over is not just a suggestion. it is actually the law. drivers are required in florida to move over a lane when they see an emergency vehicle on the side of the road. >>> tampa city council has decided to decriminalize small amounts of marijuana. they voted 6-1 to approve a new ordinance. people busted with 20 grams of pot or less will get a ticket instead of a misdemeanor. they think it will prevent people from getting a lifelong criminal record for what they call one small mistake. >> this is talking about giving people a second chance. >> the fine for the first offense is $75. and then, it goes up for repeat offenses. mayor bob buckhorn has showed support for this idea and is expected to sign that into law. >>> the best of the best at picking a suspect out of a crowd. >> they are called super recognizers and a bay area police department has a bunch how they were able to

the howard franklin bridge, a wonderful drive here. and let's move over and take a look at the sunshine skyway bridge. it's open without any fog. how long to move across the hohoward franklin? six minutes. 10 on the courtneyey campbell causeway. seven on the gandy. and 10 on the sunshine skyway >>> good friday morning to you. and welclcome to news channel 8 today. i'm adrienne pedersen in for gayle. >> and i'm gene ramirez. >>> flags s in hillsborough cocounty are at half-staff as family and friends of deputy john kotfila come together to say their final good-bye. the funeral service is happening in lutz. deputy john kotfila was killed by a wrong-way driver last saturday. >>> eight people are getting help from the red cross this morning after a fire at an apartment building in tampa. someone living there was doing some sort of electrical wiring.

howard franklin bridge here, looks great. nice time to hit the roadway here. you're talking about six, seven minutes to cross the bridge inbound to tampa. bay side bridge, you're looking great. ongoing road construction here on 60 as you approach the bay side bridge. and then continuing on 60 to the courtney campbell. look out for the ongoing construction no. big surprises with that. sunshine -- construction. no big surprises with that. sunshine skyway, 10 minutes between toll plazas. again, very, very quiet. and then sarasota county and manatee county, fruitville road, lookout for construction in the northbound direction. for the next 30 minutes or so for ongoing road work there. and now back to gayle and gene. >> thank you. >>> well star wars fans shooting for the next fill system already in place as we speak. >> really? when we get back, find out which overseas town is shutting down entire streets for the shoot and seeing an economic boost worth millions. it's 4:51. you're watching news channel 8 today. today it's florida flatbread and bell peppers. let's st

and on the parkway itself, not let's move over now and take a look at the howard franklin bridge. this is only going to take six minutes to cross. a great drive into tampa. that's where most of the traffic heads this morning but it's very light at this point. and now we have overnight construction on university parkway at i-75. the eastbound lanes are blocked and one westbound lane gets by here. so keep that in mind. take fruitville instead to avoid that construction. and it's usually wrapped up in about an hour from now. that's a look at weather and traffic on the 8s. >> thank you. >>> still ahead this morning, the artwork that's now turning heads. and you won't believe who the artist is. >>> plus, we will tell you about the new tesla and what you can do to reserve one for yourself before anyone else. you're watching news channel 8 >>> all it takes is $1,000 you can reserve yourself a new version of the tesla vehicle. starting on the 31st, tesla will unvail the new model 3. drivers can walk into the same store and get in line ahead of those who placed orders that night. deliverie

good drive through downtown tampa, and also out to the howard franklin bridge, only roughly six minutes to cross the bridge. overnight construction is affecting lanes here and the ramps off and on to university parkway from southbound i-75. so take fruitville instead. and meanwhile, under neither the interstate westbound on university, a couple lanes taken away due to overnight construction. should clear up in an hour. now back to gayle and candace. >> all right. thank you so much. >>> well a 9-year-old boy is selling his baseball cards for a very good cause. we will explain what has him inspired just ahead. >>> first, video of the future king of england never seen before. his first steps and more of the cute video of prince charles after the break. rooms come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. there are big rooms, tiny rooms, rooms that are - whoa. with eight times more fragrance control, the new air wick scented oil warmer lets you dial up or down to fill massive minimalist rooms. small secret rooms. and tall rooms you climb to. a treehouse is totally a room. you get the perfect amount

the howard franklin bridge, only six minutes to cross it. that's a look at weather and traffic on the 8s. now back to the second and third place bracket teams, gayle and gene. >> what are you talking? first and second, what bracket is she looking at? >> she can't count. >>> this morning, the artwork that's turning heads and you will not believe who the artist is. what you can do to reserve one for yourself before anyone else. you're watching news channel 8 >>> all you need is $1,000 you can reserve yourself tesla's new model 3. on the 31st, tesla driver cans walk in, get in line ahead of those who placed orders that night. delivery of the $35,000 vehicle begin in 2017. and $35,000 is less than what the other tesla models cost. >> absolutely. and you can see them at international playerss. they're opening a store front. >> yep. >>> lovers and dog lovers a -- well, art lovers and dog lovers are calling one new york dog dog-vinhhe. he is quite the artist. he was supposed to be a service dog but he is afraid of stairs and was disqualified. but h

and this is near i-75, looks good near 75 and on the howard franklin bridge. it's only going to take you about six minutes across the bridge. >>> leigh, how is the weather we do have rain but especially for driver, it's going to be darker way late they are morning. sunrise and sunset time, we're not going to see the sunrise until 7:40 this morning. keep that in mind, it will still be dark but lighter when you come home from work today. about 7:38 is the sunset time. showers, more overnight and more to come in next few hours. let me show you this here. at 6:00 a.m., just spotty showers. at 7:00 a.m., showers coming off the gulf of mexico. when you get under one of these showers, they won't last long but notice i'm keeping them in the forecast, 8:00, 9:00, 10:00 this morning pushing into polk county and after noon, i taper the chances down. 70s. it's a warm start to the day. and in weather and traffic on by-hour through the forecast. >> thank you. >>> the tragic death of a hillsborough county deputy in the line of duty. today we are expecting to hear from collea

here's 275, nice black and white shot for you out to the howard franklin bridge. it looks great. only six minutes to cross the >>> good morning and thank you for watching news channel 8 today. i'm gayle guyardo. >> and i'm candace mccowan in for gene ramirez. >>> our top stories this morning, the search is on for the gunman or gunmen who opened fire in a south tampa neighborhood. one person is dead. and another is now in the hospital. and the neighbors at the south bay apartments on south lois avenue are on edge. you can see. we are checking with police for updates right now. they have no suspect descriptions but they tell us that the victims were inside a car when another car pulled up and shots rang out.

. >>> howard franklin bridge, six minutes to cross. courtney campbell causeway, 11, that makes you to memorial highway, 11 minutes. gandy bridgege, we have a seven minute commute. university parkway underneath i- 75, both directions blocked due to overnight construction. and also the exit ramps blocked from north and southboundnd on i- 75. over in hillsborough county, heads up, northbound on the veterans expressway, you're not going anywhere between ehrlich and hutchison. we have overnight construction tying up the northbound lanes and the alternate is dale mabry highway or gunn highway which is also sheldon. that's a look at weather and traffic on -- look at weather and traffic. >>> right t now, several law enforcement agencies are questioning five people accused of purse snatchings. josh, did these people actually get away with the robberies? sounds scary. >> reporter: well, they did. they were able to snatch the purses and quite frankly, investigators are now trying to figure this all out and all night they have been questioning the

this is a look at the howard franklin bridge inbound to tampa. looks fine here on the tampa end of the bridge. give it two hours or so, that will change. and you're looking fine on 275 as well. in pinellas county. look out for the road construction southbound 275 near 54th. that is 54th south i should clear. a little slow through the area but otherwise, looking good for no problems reported on u.s. 19. gayle, candace, back to you. >> thank you. >>> our height and weight numbers are usually associated with our health but researchers believe they can tell more about a person. >> what researchers believe they really reveal about our personal live. >>> and what a police officer saw he jumped into a river to save a man. >>> a new study says more and more young people are moving into the downtown area of cities all over the country. i'll show you what's causing >>> a new study shows the young adult population is growing in downtown tampa and other metropolitan areas all over the country. so 8 on your side's ryan hughes went to tampa leaders. >> reporte

and the howard franklin bridge is stacked and packed. and it was raining on it earlierment look at this, both into pinellas and tampa, all because of a huge crash on the courtney campbell causeway. courtney campbell causeway eastbound into tampa, almost 40 minutes. 22 minutes across the howard franklin bridge. so what is going on there? a big crash. all the westbound lanes are blocked. your alternate, westbound would be to take the howard franklin or up through hillsborough avenue. and into oldsmar. eastbound also affected. back to you. >> at that thank you. >>> well it's week two of hulk hogan's $100 million sex tape trial. and this morning, gawker will begin presenting its witnesses. the judge will hold a hearing to decide whether the radio personalty must appear in court. >>> 7:30 now, monday morning, march 14th, 2016. only one way to cure the mondays. it's a live concert from coldplay. we're so excited. fans have been lining up. yes, it rained a little bit, but they're here and will take our stage coming up. >> al guaranteed no rain

to i-4, and pretty typical morning volume, but certainly starting to get slow there, and howard franklin bridge getting busier now approaching the tampa side of the bridge. all bridges checking in accident free. 275 getting busy out of north tampa, and delays starting just south of fletcher in through hillsborough avenue, and there's one accident in the odesa area to look out for on gun highway, north of van dyk. injuries here, and you will see ems on the scene. now back to the desk. >>> the idea of great white sharks is enough to scare some people out of the water. >> was that your shark warning? >> it was. sorry about that. we will explain why scientists are studying the creatures. [ laughter ] i don't know what you have going on there. [ laughter ] >>> the trump campaign and security facing serious accusations. find out why. we will show you after the break. we will go handle gayle now. is the economy rigged? well, the 15 richest americans acquired more wealth in two years than the bottom 100 million people combined. i'm bernie sanders, and i approve this message. my plan -- make wall street

the howard franklin bridge is backed up with a 14-car pileup, coming into tampa. no fatalities are reported at to avoid the area. you can see the cars are just inching by there, and there's a makeshift lane to get folks through there. we will update you throughout the morning. >> it's all the way into pinellas county this morning. nice and sunny though. sit in your car for awhile and gaze out at the gorgeous weather. 64 in tampa. 61 in bradenton, and 63 for st. pete, and we will be mostly dry through friday. a lot of sunshine, and a warm week. warmer each day, and then the humidity will slowly creep up, but not to uncomfortable levels. upper 70s to low 80s, not too bad. leigh and i will be back. you follow the breaking traffic news on wflcom. >>> this morning on "today's take," steve harvey joins us for the full hour as our special guest co-host. then the assignment that had al, dylan and tamron making a cold splash. >>> then from "blindspot," sullivan stapleton stops by. all that and more now. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today's take" with al roker, nat

p>> mike we are dealing with slow pdown on howard franklin bridge. pnot great spot for rush hour pdrive for trouble to happen. pthat's case this morning pnorthbound along 275. pall it is disabled vehicle, one pvehicle off to side roadway a proad ranger on scene to help pthat driver out. pso the lanes currently blocked poff northbound along 275 just ast mid span portion heading pinto tampa tampa we're going to psee slow down from that spot pback twarldz pinellas count pbumping up travel time toward pkennedy boulevard to solid 15 pminute drive across the water. pskyfox checked on that reported pcrash. pand in dunedin. pscanned entire area didn't find panything there. pso we're clearing that incident. pwe're clearing all the crashes pso we are up up to speed also on pu.s. 19 as well alternate 19. pthis is u.s. 19 in the area of phighway 580. ptraffic moving along in both pdirections. pwe're not seeing any significant pdelays. pfrom dunedin all way down pthrough st. petersburg and inellas park. pslow spot veterans expressway ptypical for this time of mor

howard franklin bridge, getting busy approaching the exit there to the airport. so nothing surprising there. we are accident-free in that area. so that's good news. southbound 275, slows from bearss in through hillsborough avenue. westbound i-4, sluggish, mlk through downtown, southbound, 75, you're going to be slow from fletcher through i-4. there's a crash morris bridge at 75 to be on the lookout for but otherwise, 75 is quiet. >> we will leigh that for the pros. >> yeah, they'll be going more than 75 miles per hour. >> thank you. thank you for joining us on this thursday morning. our next newscast is first at 4:00. >> catch our updates during the "today" show. >>> good morning. breaking news. gun men open fire in an ambush style attack in a backyard party in pittsburgh. >>> right to the point. hillary clinton faces a tough questions about her-mail controversy during last night's heated presidential debate. >> if you had been indicted. >> i'm not answering that question. >>> on the republican side donald trump says he is going

pwe still have heavy congestion pover howard franklin bridge. pnever really recovered after pdirection. pabout 19 minutes, to kennedy pboulevard also some lingering pdelays north here or westbound i pshould say along ooishgs-4 mment plk and 75. pkeep in mind here we're still pnorth. pyeah russell just about to pmention dave pointed out some pshowers moving in through psouthern pinellas county i blee phe had se looks like we're pseeing active rain here slow it pdown be safe out there folks. p>> because something like this pmight happen, vanessa. pnorth carolina highway patrol psays that more than 100 pvehicles, cars and trucks, psemis, were involved in sefrm pdifferent crashes along one pstretch of highway 40. pthis happened east of pgreensboro. pauthorities say wet roads robably caused the initial paccident and then rubber necking pcaused the others. pthe highway is back open after pbeing shut down for hours last pnight. p20 people were hurt. pno fatalities though. pand to kansas where there amtrak ptrain that derailed, happened pjust after midn

howard franklin bridge, northbound 275 starting to see those typical delays as you approach the tampa side. hit-and-run, southbound on the veterans expressway, just past dale mabry no. lanes blocked. typically slow traffic there on the veterans expressway. you have an accident on 19 near 56th avenue north. minor delays in both directions. candace, gayle, over to you. >>> all right. take a look at this. it's a site in south africa. it shows an ostrich chasing down two cyclist. the weekend. it lasts for several minutes before the ostrich lost road. but the cyclist claim they were going about 30 miles per hour and they said he had no problems keeping up. it was a race they were on. maybe the ostrich wanted to join in. >> get in and have some fun. something to do. >> right. >>> what you need to know before you walk out the doorer is next. >> including an 8 on your side alert for parents. what deputies sent a little girl running. >>> and hillsborough deputies encounter a man waiving a gun and screaming. what happened next that has >>> breaking overnight. a man welding a gun is shot and kil

great drive on the bay area bridge, six minutes to cross the howard franklin. sunshine skyway bridge and the bay side bridge look good too. back to gene and gayle. >> thank you. >>> batman or superman? we have our favorite and that dispute will take over the big screen soon. a preview of the much anticipated film coming up. >>> but first, it's national puppy day. kiss your pooch right now. what every dog owner should know to help their puppies live a healthier life. >>> today is national puppy day. it's a day dedicated to celebrating the most delightful stages of our dogs' lives. how long do puppies stay puppies? the transition happens between 10 and 24 months and it's gauged basedded on the size and breed, not behavior, and teeth. >> maybe not scientifically but emotionally speaking, some are puppies their whole lives. >> and you love them. beautiful. >>> well, movie and comic book fans are calling it epic. their anticipation for the new batman verses superman film set to release this friday. it's almost too much the to bear. >> that's right. a classic show dow

pthe woman accused of a hitting pand killing a tow truck driver pon the howard franklin bridge pwas back in court today. etty theft charge but along pwith facing a judge she also pfaced some other tow truck pdrivers at today's hearing. pthey protested outside the pcourthouse. pthey say her checkered driving precord before that accident that pkilled roger perez makes her a pdanger to the public. pthey also wanted to bring pattention to the move over law. p>> it's extraordinarily pall of us run same risk that proger ran that night if the erson had just if individual phad just simply moved over one plane we would not be having this pconversation now. phuff was already out on bond pwhen that accident took place. punder staffing at the tampa irs poffice could soon be fixed lines pare still long but don't stretch pyesterday. pmany people coming here in line pbecause someone filed taxes in ptheir names to get the returns. pnoed for them to file pthemselves, they now have to pverify their identities in erson they can't did online or pover the phone agency officials pblame extended wait times on

bay area bridge, no problems with the courtney campbell, howard franklin organdie early this morning. and we have road construction. nothing -- howard franklin or gandy this morning. and we have road construction. more on the accident in a couple minutes. gayle, back to you. >> all right. thank you. >>> right now, fire crews are flames broke out at a ditchen design and remodeling company around -- at a kitchen design and remodeling company around 11:00 last night. we are making calls to determine how much damage the fire caused and what started it. >>> new this morning, an accused wrong-way driver is under arrest after he crashed into a hillsborough county deputy cruiser. eagle 8 hd flew over the scene just south of gibsonton drive during the 11:00 newscast. that is where deputies finally stopped 20-year-old derrick hyde. witnesses report seeing a pickup truck going the wrong way. deputies used stop sticks. eventually deputies were able to corner the driver but not before they claim he rammed a cruiser to escape. no one was hurt. three cruisers were damaged but hyde is now facing seve

meredith -- >>> usual delays on the howard franklin bridge inbound to tampa. you can see the slow traffic from the hump all the way through the airport. courtney campbell is heavy for you as well. southbound along the veterans expressway, no surprises here, from south of dale mabry in through hillsborough avenue, your going to find that slow traffic. 275/75, all slow approaching i- 4. heavy traffic northbound 75 westbound i-4 at branch forbes, look for delays there. gene -- >> thank you. >>> well the presidential candidates are zeroing in on the sunshine state's primary next tuesday. that means we can expect to see a whole lot of these candidates from both parties in the next few days including hillary rodham clinton. she's at the the ybor ritz today. doors open for that event at 10:00 a.m. it's a vote rally there. democratic challenger senator bernie sanders is campaigning in the bay area today as well. he will attend a rally at the florida state fairgrounds expo hall. doors expected to open this (donkey sound) (elephant sound) there's a big difference betwee