. >> josh benson joins us now live in the tampa news center. after days of testimony, this case will soon be in the hands of the jury right? >> reporter: that's right. it has been an emotional time for erin andrews. she is the daughter of 8 on your side investigator steve andrews. he testified in the trial which is now winding down. the judge issued instructions to the jury. they took a short break for lunch. then they returned to the nashville courtroom to hear closing arguments. andrews claims the hotel's management was negligent and says that the stalker requested a room next to hers. attorneys on the hotel blame it all on barrett. andrews' attorneys pushed back >> barrett couldn't have done it without the negligence of the nashville marriott. their repeated violations one after another of the standards that are there to protect us all and our families. our children. >> andrews is asking for $75 million and the jury will decide what percentage barrett should pay and what percentage the hotel should pay. the jury is not sequestered. they migh

. >> and i'm josh benson. the hogan sex tape is in the fugitive phase. the judge awarded hogan $115 million against gawker. that amount could go higher. jeff paterson joins us live from the courthouse in st. pete. friday, jeff, he got more than what he was asking for and they're going back for more. >>reporter: yeah, good evening, josh. on friday, this jury hit gawker media like a pro wrestler coming off the top turn buckle but you're right. the jury could award hogan even more. when the jury read their verdict on friday, he hugged his legal team and shed a team. gawker nick brushed their verdict as unjust. >> given the key evidence and the most important witness in this case, with help from the jury, we all knew that this -- the appeals court would need to resolve this case. >> mr. blend is happy. this is not only his victory today, but also anyone else victimized by journalism. >> jurors were asked to consider punishing gawker even more with financial damages. >> to deter gawker and other similarly situated now being asked to punish my clients further,

. >> josh benson is here with what we are working on at 5:30. >> a bay area church is recovering from tragedy and turmoil. we will have a look at the renovations there. >> and rebuilding the beach. how one county is fighting back against erosion for an area >> right now on newschannel8 at 5:30. >> good evening, i'm jennifer leigh. >> i'm josh benson. thanks for being with us tonight. >> a bay area church is ready to reveal much awaited improvements. saint joseph has overcome so much. the church is rebuilding physically and spiritually. >> reporter: say joseph has a difficult history, but the church continue to rebuild and now they are putting on their finishing touches. after more than 20 years, parishioner aldo suarez says his prayers were answered.

. >> i'm josh benson. first, new video of a plane crash on davis island. peter mesa shot this video at peter o' knight airport. the smoke could be seen for miles. it left two people dead. fire crews were on the scene within minutes but there was little they could do so let's geget right out to chip osowswski live on the scene. a witness said another aircraft may have been involved on this right? >> reporter: that's right. a witness saw one plane taking off. another one at the airport in flames. she couldn't confirm or deny scene minutes after the crash, the twin engine was engulfed in flames. >> it started to affect firefighter procedures and it was not a very large fire at the time. it was easy to geget under control. when we proceeded with a search for any victims in the surrounding areas. it is confirmed we had two people deceased within the wreckage of the aircraft. >> reporter: the ntsb confirmed the planane wawas a cessna 340. an aircraft capable of hoholding a pilot and five passengers. it happened shortly after 11:30 at peter o. . knight airport. o

. >>> i'm josh benson. >> and i'm jenn holloway. thank you for joining us. >>> for the first time, since the 1920s, an american president is visiting cuba. president obama sat down with cuban president raul castro. keith cate is in havana right now. we sent keith to find out how the improved relationships with cuba is impacting the bay area and the cuban people. we'll have keith's report in a few minutes, but first let's go to jenn holloway >>reporter: after six decades of hostility, a sit down with -- the communist dictator. the brother of the leader of the revolutionary of 1961 took to the stage. they're side by side at a press conference. the audience was filled with a huge reputation from washington. 40 members of congress, both democrats and republicans making it the largest such delegation of obama's presidency. during his speech, the president stated the embargo is going to end although he says it will take time and not sure how fast change will come. >> i have said consistent after five decades, the relationship between our

. >> josh benson, thank you. >>> the u.s. supreme court heard a challenge to a case abortion rights in america. under the 2013 texas law the procedure must be done in am ba latory surgical center and requires that an abortion doctor have the ability to admit patients in the hospital within 30 miles of the clinic. to save guard the health of women. critics claim it is aimed at procedure. just justice kennedy said it might be a good case to go back look. >>> still ahead. the tax deadline approaching, we are seeing long lines at local irs offices. >>> the number one reason so many people are in need of help. >>> also ahead. the rays kick off the first game of spring training. fans are excited for the new season. >>> closed captioning brought to you by culpepper curlin. aggressive and tenacious. >>> coverage is brought to you by sun coast hyundai dealers. >> if you have to go to the irs office in tampa, bring a long chair. there has been abnormally long a great majority of the folks we talked to were all there for the same reason

. >>> josh benson, what's coming up? >> a lot coming up. an overnight fire destroys a business, several businesses. how owners and employees are trying to move forward from that. >>> a baseball dugout, check it out, covered in bees. yes. not good. what happened when a massive >>> right now on news channel 8 at 5:30. >> good evening. i am jennifer leigh. >> i am josh benson. >> another revealing day of testimony in the hulk hogan sex tape trial. a former editor testified the newsworthy. elements of the tape were court. news channel 8's jeff patterson joins us live. people seem fascinated with this trial based on the social media response, jeff. >> reporter: yes, yes, they do, jen. today's testimony can best be tmi.

online only. >> right now on newschannel8 at 5:30. >> i'm jenn holloway. >> i'm josh benson. across the bay y area, primary watch parties are beginning to start ready to watch the election returns come in. one of the parties is for donald trump and it is at milone's irish pub. peter bernard is there. how is the turnout? >> reporter: right now. it is rather slim. the watch party is just beginning. they have their sign out front. they have a little buffet. $5. they are expecting hundreds to

. >> i'm josh benson. thanks for being with us tonight. a deadly blow to the heart of alliance. >> at least 31 people are dead and more than 230 injured after capital today. >> the majority of them were station. the rest at this blast at the brussels airport. this shows the moments of chaos just seconds after the explosion. one american who was in the airport spoke to the today show. here is how he described the bombs going off. just about 30 feet from where he was standing. >> so, the first explosion hit and i felt the shock wave kind of hit me. and basically, you kind of turn. and, the lot of degree comes i saw a large number of casualties on the ground. 30, or 40 feet away, but it didn't look like we would be looking for survivors in that immediate vicinity. >> the terror group isis is now claiming responsibility for the attacks on belgium's capital. president obama speaking from cuba called for nations around the world to unite to defeat terrorism. he pledged to do whatever is necessary to help belgian authorities seek justice. >> the

(elephant noise) hey candidates, >> good evening, i'm jennifer leigh. >> i'm josh benson. thanks for being with us tonight. >> a major marijuana trafficking bust in hillsborough county to tell you about tonight. detectives concluded a yearlong investigation called operation hydro hustlers. chip osowski says there were nearly a dozen grow houses in hillsborough and surrounding county being shut down. >> reporter: good evening to you jenn, this investigation began in march of 2015. even seasoned investigators

. >>> okay josh benson, what's coming up? >> they are marketed as the healthy option on the menu, but what we found on the nutrition we will tell you about junk food in disguise and we will tell you about where the bay area students can study on a >> i'm jennifer leigh. >> i'm josh benson. thanks for being with us tonight. >>> 8 on your side say found out some important sculptures are in storage. they are to help identify victims. lindsey mastis has the story. >> reporter: i'm at the courthouse. i want to show you where these sculptures used to identify unknown victims are being kept. follow me. they are deep.

jennifer leigh and josh benson. if you're out and about and think you know what i need to be doing is soaking in beer. >> smell like beer. what do you smoke like after that. no, officer, i promise, i've just been at the spa. >> but don't you look marvelous. >> what's coming up at 5:30. >>> well, the clear water crowd that starts to run, that's what happens when a balcony shifted under their feet. 8 on your side gets some answers from engineers, and the bill outlining rules for police body cameras is headed to the governor's desk. what this could mean for police departments all across the if you're going to say "better ingredients. better pizza." you better deliver. which is why i'm introducing our new papa's quality guarantee: love your pizza, or get another one, absolutely free. pget any large pizza up to 5-toppings pfor just $9.99. online only. >>> right now on news channel 8 at 5:30. >> good evening, i'm jennifer leigh. >> and i'm josh benson. thanks for being with us. >>> we have breaking news, the jury has reac

coming up, the highlights from air fest >>> good afternoon, i'm josh benson. >> and i'm stacie schaible. this is first at 4:00. cooler temperatures are getting a lot of people's attention. we went back into the winter section of the closet. it's true. here's storm 8 meteorologist jewel ulie phillips. >> good afternoon, guys. we're dealing with cooler weather now. the winter clothes in the back of your closet getting use out of. 63 degrees in the auto mall. you can see beautiful blue skies. it feels cooler is the breeze. in the east winds at this location coming in at 18 miles-an-hour. temperatures in the low to mid-60s. 61 in st. pete. 66 in zephryhills. 6 in weeky washy. they need a light jacket. here's the winds at 10 miles-per-hour. we're seeing gust over 20 miles-per-hour at time. does feel chilly outside. high pressure in place, so besides the stronger winds, we actually have quiet conditions across much of the eastern half of the it's looking dry. as we look closer at the tampa bay area, a few high dealing with plenty of sunshine. for the rest of this evening, temperatures staying

i'm josh benson. this is first at 4. >> an air plane crash off davis islands. news channel 11 chip osowski joins us live. >>reporter: we saw two vans pull up. we assume they're medical examiner's vans. one witness heard several booms and saw -- authorities have not confirmed if there was a second airplane involved. when fire crews first responded, the plane was engulfed in flames. authorities tried to pieiece together what happened regarding the charred wreckage. the plane that crashed was a twin engngine sesna with two souls onboard. it was an sesna 300 like the one here the plane was taken off from peter owe night. >>> there was little they could do. >> we made access onto the property and it started to effect firefighters procedures and it was not a very large fire at the time. it was very easy to get under control. we proceeded with a search for victims in the surrounding areas. it was confirmed we had two people deceasese within the wreckage of the air crash. >> the faa and ntsb are out here investigating. authorities have not released the identities of th

i'm josh benson. >> and i'm stacy. this is first at 4:00. now the latest from the cowardly terrorist attacks in brussels. three men police believe could be involved in the deadly attacks. >> this is a picture caught on an airport surveillance camera. the two men wearing dark shirts are believed to have blown themselves up in the attack. the man next to them is believed to be on the run and is being mustn'ted by belgian authorities. >> here is mark to tell us who is claiming responsibility for the attacks. >> reporter: brussels went into lock down this morning after a series of explosions rocked the city's airport and subway in what appeared to be a coordinated attack. >> when we felt a small blast of air, and we heard some thudding in the distance, the lights turned off, the engine turned off, and a message came saying there had been a disturbance on the line. >> officials shut down all public transport in the belgian capitol and advised locals to stay indoors after the blast. a federal prosecutor said one of the two explosions at the airpor

. >>>>> here's josh benson wiwith a look as what's's coming up. >>> testimony in the hulk hogan sex tape. there's intimate details of her married life. >>> and young students get gun education in the classroom. why instructors think it's >>> good evenining. i'm jenn holloway. >> and i'm -- the -- she gave many details about her open sex life with the well known radio personality. news channel 8 jeff paterson joins us live from the st. pete courthouse. jeff, it sounds like the jury found out a lot today. >>reporter: maybe a lot more than they wanted to find out, josh. this is crazy stuff. heather admitted in court she had an open relation with bubba. he knew she was having sex witith other men and he approved itt and video

. >> i'm josh benson. across the bay y area, primary watch parties are beginning to start ready to watch the election returns come in. one of the parties is for donald trump and it is at milone's irish pub. peter bernard is there. how is the turnout? >> reporter: right now. it is rather slim. the watch party is just beginning. they have their sign out front. they have a little buffet. $5. they are expecting hundreds to trump supporters, here at the hide away, it is serving as party central. according to the polls, they celebrate. more than 300 people are supposed to be here. many of those must still be at work or are waiting for the polls to close at 7:00. i spoke to a couple of early birds who tell me donald trump is the man they want to see in the white house. >> tell me why you like donald trump. >> i like him because i think at this point in our country where we are right now, he is the only guy that can fix it. >> trumpmp is the only candidate that will actually rebuild this country and do something f

. >> josh benson joins us with what's coming up. >> coming up at 5:30, governor rick scott stops in -- find out about that awkward interview on msnbc. >>> a new spin on a clothing store that's getting attention. we're going to talk to the owner >>> right now on news channel 8 at 5:30. >>> good evening, i'm jenn holloway. >> i'm john. >> scott is good at dodging questions. his interview went viral and scott ask wrapping up

. >> i'm josh benson. thanks for being with us tonight. >>> 8 on your side say found out some important sculptures are in storage. they are to help identify victims. lindsey mastis has the story. >> reporter: i'm at the courthouse. i want to show you where these sculptures used to identify unknown victims are being kept. follow me. they are deep. in the state attorney's office. behind lock and key. here they are. stored in a vacant office. there is very little chance that friends and family would be able to see these. and recognize them. these sculptures could help solve nine cases. artists modeled each one from remains discovered in tampa bay. >> you could have a million people see it. if it is not the right person, it will not make a difference. >> reporter: kathlene knows what the families of these unknowns are going through. her dad george went missing in citrus county florida 11 years ago. >> he was just a good guy. he would help anybody. he would do anything for anybody. >> she just found out phones

i'm josh benson. >> and i'm jennifer lee. thank you for joining us. history in cuba and a tampa man and his father will be there. the president and the rays and the rolling stones will be in havana. a tampa man had planned to be there with his father bringing him back to cuba for the first time in decades. jeff patterson is telling us how it will happen. good timing. >> reporter: incredible timing. mario nunez's father was last in cuba 1945. this month mario and his 87- >> my dad is 87 years young. i like to say he's strong like bull. >> reporter: mario nunez is a tampa native and has a facebook page call tampa native and his father was born in ebor city. >> we are descendents that came from havana and through key west and now in ebor city and helped to develop the cigar industry. >> mario's father was in cuba when he was 17 and mario decided it was time for his father to return. >> it is going to be emotional trip. >> reporter: they will be there to witness history. >> the fact that we are going to be in the stadium partaking in the baseball game tha

are stacie schaible and josh benson. >> good evening. isis has claimed responsibility for the bombings in brussels. >> more than 30 people are dead. at this hour, the number of injured stands at more than 200. the attacks happened in the belgian capital. two blasts went off at the brussels airport. then, less than an hour later, an explosion at a metro station about ten miles away. we begin our team coverage tonight with jenn holloway who is live in the tampa news center. >> reporter: belgian police not wasting any time finding those responsible for today's terror. we have learned as the search for suspects continues, belgian police have seized a bomb, chemicals, and isis flag in raids taking place hours ago. all of this because of this morning's cowardly terrorist attacks. in belgium, worst fears reallyized. >> we were fearing terrorist attacks and that has now happened. >> reporter: morning attacks on a subway station and the it all started with two explosions in the hall of the airport. just outside of airport security check points ar

. >> i'm josh benson. thanks for being with us tonight. >> a major marijuana trafficking bust in hillsborough county to tell you about tonight. detectives concluded a yearlong investigation called operation hydro hustlers. chip osowski says there were nearly a dozen grow houses in hillsborough and surrounding county being shut down. >> reporter: good evening to you jenn, this investigation began in march of 2015. even seasoned investigators big this drug ring was when the investigation initially began with grow houses like this one scattered all over hillsborough county. and elsewhere. including citrus, fernando, pasco, polk, and swanee counties. the sheriff explained how sophisticated the operation was run by one julio alvarez. >> he is from miami. he has been operating out of a house in the carolwood area right next to a school and a church. >> reporter: coordinating county wide grow operations like the one you see here. this is video provided by the sheriff's office. you can see the extensive wiring for

how police officers were able >> and i'm josh benson. no more misdemeanors for peopople caught with 20 grams or less of marijuana. tatampa voted to decriminalizize pot. now getting caught with it is like getting a traffic tickcket. jamel lanee joins us live from downtown tampa. so, leaders say this is a move in the right direction. >> reporter: that's right, josh. you know what? the tampa city council leaders say this is not about legalizing marijuana. what they say is people who violate this ordinance will basically just have a lesser punishment. this is pretty much to help young people so they are not criminalized in the future an again, the people who oppose this ordinance, well, they disagree. >>>> we have an opportunity to o what is right. what's good. >> reporter: with the 5-1 vote, tampa city council members decriminalized marijuana. the intent of the ordinance is to help young people who make

. >> i'm josh benson. thanks for being with us tonight. a deadly blow to the heart of alliance. >> at least 31 people are dead and more than 230 injured after capital today. >> the majority of them were station. the rest at this blast at the brussels airport. this shows the moments of chaos just seconds after the explosion. one american who was in the airport spoke to the today show. here is how he described the bombs going off. just about 30 feet from where he was standing. >> so, the first explosion hit and i felt the shock wave kind of hit me. and basically, you kind of turn. and, the lot of degree comes

. >>>> i'm josh benson. thanks for being with us. a stunning announcement from sea world. their killer whale shows will be coming to an end anand so will the e whale breeding programs. the e news follows increasing controversy of keeping the whales in captivity. candace mccowan joins us with the latest. >> reporter: lawmakers are praising this move this afternoon. it is no secret their earnings have suffered. the ceo is now ending the practice of keeping the whales in the parks and joining forces with an organization that has been their critic. they are t the hallmark of sea world, but in 2019, the killer whale shows of sea world orlando will come to a close. the massive shift in direction comes after years of targeting from animal rights activists. the debate peaked after the the documentary blackfish about the whale tilicum who killed his trainer. he is ill and expected to die soon. >> society's attitude toward these very, very large, very majestic animals being under human care has shifted. and a variety of reasons. whether it is the film, legislation, people's comments

. >> i'i'm josh benson. >> there has been delay after delay, but it appears the case of a bus aid slapping a child with autism will go to trial. the court system is not moving fast enough for the child's mother who as josh thomas reports justst wants justice for her son. >> reporter: james lambert appeared in a pasco county courtroom with his attorney by his side for a pretrial hearing. caught on surveillance video repeatedly slapping a ten-year- old autistic child on a school bus. he is facing child abuse charges. the incident happened two years ago, but lambert has yet to go to trial much to the dis appointmtment of the child's mother who also came to court today following several court delays taking a plplea deal may bring an end to this case. >> i really didn't know what to expect. because, so o much has happened in almost two years coming back. >> reporter: the judge did agree to hear the case that will now take place in june. neither he nor his attorney wanted to talk about the case, but the e child's mother did. >> with all the evidence and the documents and the video shows whwhat h

>> and i'm josh benson. no more misdemeanors for peopople caught with 20 grams or less of marijuana. tatampa voted to decriminalizize pot. now getting caught with it is like getting a traffic tickcket. jamel lanee joins us live from downtown tampa. so, leaders say this is a move in the right direction. >> reporter: that's right, josh. you know what? the tampa city council leaders say this is not about legalizing marijuana. what they say is people who violate this ordinance will basically just have a lesser punishment. this is pretty much to help young people so they are not criminalized in the future an again, the people who oppose this ordinance, well, they disagree. >>>> we have an opportunity to o what is right. what's good. >> reporter: with the 5-1 vote, tampa city council members decriminalized marijuana. the intent of the ordinance is to help young people who make >> what we are attempting to do is put a stop to that pipeline to prison that affects so many of our young people, especially young people

now here's josh benson and jennifer leigh. >>> good evening everybody. >> thank you for joining us this evening. the overall tone of tonight's debate seemed to be play nice. >> big noticeable difference for sure. the candidates didn't throw out low blows like in past debate, and keith cate is live at the university of miami where the debit just wrapped up, ask -- debate just wrapped up, and boy what a change. >> reporter: yes, the closing statements are going on in the back room. behind me, but really it's a different debate, and there's always memorable moments in a debate, the highlights we'll talk about tomorrow, well these highlights came early, in fact in the first 15 minutes. while answering a question about education, donald trump did a name drop about a key endorsement coming tomorrow. >> i want everybody to get together around school and make education great, and it was very interesting, i was with dr. ben carson today who's endorsing me by the way tomorrow morning, and we were talking, we spoke for over an hour on education, and he has such a great handle on it. >> reporter: t

. >> i'm josh benson. thanks for being with us tonight. >> a bay area church is ready to reveal much awaited improvements. saint joseph has overcome so much. the church is rebuilding physically and spiritually. >> reporter: say joseph has a difficult history, but the church continue to rebuild and now they are putting on their finishing touches. after more than 20 years, parishioner aldo suarez says his prayers were answered. >> reporter: the painter has held exhibitions in havana and the u.s., but this may be his most important work yet. it is his contribution to a two year healing process. in 2014, newschannel8 told you this temple. the then pastor committed suicide after some $200,000 dis appears from the church. money intended for much needed impairs and improvements. >> people were hurt by that. >> deeply. they were deeply hurt by that. and, but you know what? we are in a healing phase. a renewal phase. good things are happening. >> reporter: good things like volunteers, landscaping, and painting the

. >> i'm josh benson. thanks for being with us. the los angeles police department is confirming they are examining a knife that may have been found at oj simpson's former mansion. jeff patterson joins us live with this astonishing story. the making. bring us up to speed. >> reporter: good evening josh. this sounds like a movie script. since it is la and oj simpson, the big question, was this knife used in the murder of nicole brown simpson and ronald goldman? who can forget the slow chase and the trial of the century? oj simpson accused of killing his beautiful wife nicole brown simpson and a friend. simpson was found not guilty. but wait, now a retired la police officer has come forward with an incredible story. saying a construction worker gave him a knife he claimed was simpson's estate. >> we need to vet that. >> reporter: lapd held a news conference confirming they are looking at the knife. >> the investigators will continue to look at this. that item has been recovered by robbery homicide investigators. it is being treated as

good evening, i am josh benson. >> and i i am stacie schaible. we begin with an investigation: schools in chaos. a showdown in st. petersburg, parents upset with managers who drove them to the brink of financial failure and then quit. the stories about education but also about money. a $1 million deficit. and huge loans that no one can explain. mark douglas s joins us live in st. petersburg and mark -- did the meeting get heated? >>you bet it did, stacy. parents are furious. because of the financial ought to be upset to go because there is a shadadowy $800,000 loan that even the board chairman cannot explain. shall concerned parents packed the area to hold people accountable that they blame for running their charter school in the groundnd. includes the board chairman. >> if you cannot be present and active as the chairman of the board i ask that you step down. >> reporter: the one -- the group operated by this woman ran up a $1 million deficit before suddenly quitting last week. >> repeporter: your website says transparency matters. wouldn't this

. >> i am josh benson. >> another revealing day of testimony in the hulk hogan sex tape trial. a former editor testified the newsworthy. elements of the tape were court. news channel 8's jeff patterson joins us live. people seem fascinated with this trial based on the social media response, jeff. >> reporter: yes, yes, they do, jen. today's testimony can best be tmi. and nsfw. not safe for work. >> in a recorded deposition, former gawker editor a.j. delorio told the court about getting an anonymous dvd showing hulk hogan having sex with an unknown woman. he told the court he found it amusing, but also newsworthy. >> i was thinking that if we can show some of the sex that was taking place, it would give a little more excitement to the stuff that was already in the public record. >> reporter: also on the stand today hulk hogan's attorney, who first talked about trying to find out who leaked the tape. >> if there was a sex tape out there, i felt i should try to find it and essentially put a bullet in it. >> reporter: but numerous websites were putting up still hogan with the ex-wi

. >> and i'm josh benson. >>> we begin with continuing coverage of breaking news in pinellas county. we are over the school bus crash, happening at east lake road at tarpon woods boulevard. the driver of the other vehicle was not injured as well. but we will bring you more becomes available. >>> now to a critical day for the presidential candidates. polls begin to close in an hour and a half in some of the super tuesday states and this fight could be over on both sides if donald trump or hillary clinton win big tonight. candace mccowan joins us now

belgium, and vows not to give into terror, for tonight's special coverage, here is jennifer leigh and josh benson. >> good evening. >> thank you for joining us, 34 people with confirmed dead after coordinated bombings at an airport and subway stations, hundreds injured, 2 suspected attackers are believed dead, photo. the man there on the light-- in the light colored jacket is unaccounted for. >> tributes to the victims are appearing all across the globe, and at one world trade center, new york city, you can see it is belgium flag. in a town square in brussels for a candle light vigil, with messages of love and support. >> the islamic state terror group is claiming credit for today's attacks. >> isis posted threatening more violence and promising dark days ahead. we have team coverage of the cowardly attacks, lets start with jen. >> homeland security jay johnson says there is no specific attack towards the united states, airports and train stations. law enforcement agencies around possible third suspect. >> these 3 men are now at the investigation at the brussels airport. >> at the airport we have

. >> and i'm josh benson. thanks for being with us. >>> we have breaking news, the jury has reached a decision in we understand the jury has awarded erin $55 million. that verdict just coming down right now, moments ago. the suit was against the company that owned and operated the nashville marriott at vanderbilt, also against michael barrett, the convicted stalker. andrews asked originally for $75 million. there was tearful testimony on the stand. we watched it all last week. earn is the daughter of steve andrews, of course, again, just recapping, a jury in nashville, tennessee, coming back with a $55 million verdict against that nashville marriott, and michael barrett, her accused stalker who took those naked videos of her inside the hotel. we'll bring a full wrap up of the trial later on news channel 8. >>> in other news, rusting steel columns with significant corrosion are being blamed for an incident at a clear water beach shopping plaza that sent people running. part of the balcony where they were standi

. >> reporter: josh benson, news channel 8. >> we reached out to her attorney but did not hear back. >>> one of tampa's signature breweries is changing ownership. cigar city brewing has been sold to oscar blue, a colorado- based brewery. the founder of the brewery is staying on with the new will help the brewery keep growing. >>> bad news at the pump, gas prices starting to creep up because the price of oil is on the rise. it was just $27 a barrel. now it's up to 37 a barrel. the national average, though, is still down about 52 cents a gallon from last march. drivers here in the sunshine state are filling up for about $1.91 per gallon on average. you can find the cheapest gas prices all across the bay area and in your area on www.wfla.com. >>> well, nbc's hit show the voice wrapped up the blind auditions portion tonight. that means the battlegrounds are officially underway. >> i'm hearing the nice best battle was from two on team christina, malik in the white jacket going toe to toe with brian bautista and sang it's a man's world. >> there were no losers, though. christina picked bri

. >> and i'm josh benson. >>> we begin with continuing coverage of breaking news in pinellas county. we are over the school bus crash, happening at east lake road at tarpon woods boulevard. the driver of the other vehicle was not injured as well. but we will bring you more becomes available. >>> now to a critical day for the presidential candidates. polls begin to close in an hour and a half in some of the super tuesday states and this fight could be over on both sides if donald trump or hillary clinton win big tonight. candace mccowan joins us now >> reporter: there were many who were hoping but realistically it's a long shot. outside of an early voting location in temple terrace, some voters know the candidate that they voted for could very well not be in the race two weeks from now. >> afraid that everybody is going to vote for trump. >> yeah. >> reporter: 12 states this super tuesday will have a huge impact on this primary. if polls prove correct, donald trump could win in most states taking a large portion of the delegates. >> i think we will see some surprises, certainly in tex

now here's josh benson and jennifer leigh. >> good evening, everyone. >> thank you for joining us this evening. for the last time before the florida primary democratic presidential candidates hillary clinton and bernie sanders went head to head in miami tonight. >> both are focused on taking down the gop frontrunner. we kick off our team coverage with 8 on your side's own keith cate. he joins us now live from miami- with the latest. hi, keith. >> reporter: josh and jen, as you can see behind me, the folks are pouring out of the auditorium, this debate is now over. as i said earlier, democratic debates are usually more issue oriented, more issue driven as compared to republican debates which are more personal in tone and nature. that was mostly true tonight. i think this debate had all of the element says, immigration reform, the -- elements, immigration reform, the auto bailout and there were some personal moments. i think one came to mind when hillary clinton was asked about all the e-mail incidents and rnc suing her. she said when asked she'd give the same answer and did this until p

i'm josh benson. >> i'm jennifer leigh. thank you for joining us. a brutal schoolyard brawl caught on camera, but how did a parent find himself caught in the middle? tonight only on 8 he's telling us why. that father said he was just trying to help, but another mother accused him of man handling her son. paul mueller is live tonight in hillsborough county and, paul, did he really have to get involved? >> reporter: the father told me tonight in his mind he really did have to get involved but the mother earlier this week telling me that he had no right to get involved in a fight full of kids and that she wants him criminally charged. tonight we've learned after the clear. call it kids behaving badly, a big time brawl on the east bay high school campus in gibsonton and it's not just the students in on the action. >> i'm trying to break up the fight. that's all i'm trying to do. >> reporter: that's omar cortez. he's the parent in the black shirt and his actions have now come under fire. >> my intentions was this is getting out of control. something need

i'm josh benson. >> and i'm jennifer leigh. thank you for joining us. >>> now 8 on your side special coverage of president obama's historic visit to cuba. >> it's something many americans and cubans never thought they would e see, the president of the u -- would ever see, the president of the united states sitting down to dinner with the cuban president. that's exactly what happened tonight. tonight cuban president raul castro hosted president obama and the first lady at a havana ball. president obama's first stop this morning was at revolutionary square for a wreath laying ceremony. memorial to cuba's independence hero jose marte. they be probably one of the most crucial moments of the trip, president obama's visit to the palace of the revolution where he met with the cuban president raul castro behind closed doors. the two discussed a wide range of topics including human rights, easing travel restrictions and the trade embargo that's been in place over 50 years. >> the embargo is going to end. the reason is logic. the reason

. >>>> i'm josh benson. thanks for being with us. a stunning announcement from sea world. their killer whale shows will be coming to an end anand so will the e whale breeding programs. the e news follows increasing controversy of keeping the whales in captivity. candace mccowan joins us with the latest. >> reporter: lawmakers are praising this move this afternoon. it is no secret their earnings have suffered. the ceo is now ending the practice of keeping the whales in the parks and joining forces with an organization that has been their critic. they are t the hallmark of sea world, but in 2019, the killer whale shows of sea world orlando will come to a close.

i'm josh benson. >> and i'm stacie schaible. we want to go to meteorologist julie phillips. >> we are kicking off on a beautiful note. winds out of the informant at 10 miles per hour. really a gorgeous afternoon. we had a cold front that rolled through earlier and brought us a few showers and a couple of storms but that is long gone. well to the south of us now. and you can see we are dealing with mostly sunny skies for this afternoon. a little bit of cloud cover for this evening but overall going to be quiet, friday night for us. behind the front, the winds coming in out of the northwest between 10 to 15 miles per hour. slightly breezy at times. shouldn't be too bad. still warm right now. 72 in temple terrace. inland spots have heated up. we are coming in 77 at lakeland. for the rest of the evening temperatures will fall back after sunset. a little bit on the cool side to start off saturday morning in the low 50s and talking about a really nice weekend forecast and we will have the details on that coming up in a few minutes. >>

i'll show you >>> i'm josh benson. >> and aim stacie schaible. this is first at 4:00. trump spent his time in florida. >> he wrapped up a town hall at the convention center and that's where our reporter candace mccowan is. it has been tense at the rally. any violence or problems here? >>reporter: yeah, josh, stacie, good afternoon, talking over the music at the donald trump rally. there was no violence, but the program stopped several times as the protestors interrupted trump and one of them dodging the stage. law enforcement was escorting those people out. take a look behind me as trump ramps up. many people trying to get closer so they can shake his hand. earlier today, there was a warning at the beginning of this rally telling people here people yelling dump trump. one man charged the stage during this event, but that's not out of the norm for a trump event. trump is taking questions from the crowd earlier today, but not before he said a few comments about rubio. >> so these guys, rubio, you know -- here's what you have to do, when you get elected senator from any p

how it dad afternoon, i'm josh benson. >> and i'm stacie schaible. this is first at 4:00. a state. >> voters began showing up early at polling places and expected to continue to come to the polls and close at 7:00 p.m. the fatate of one more one candidate hangs in the balance. we have --- melody michaels with the -- candace mccowan where rubio is hoping for a game-changer win. a polk county couple reached out after they were told they couldn't vote at their registered location. one on gene king bououlevard. they were told it was closed -- it was a closed republican voting location. it happened earlier this morning as the polls openeded. a handful of democratic voters were almost turned away. push with them to makake phone calls and they had silly excuses as to why it wasn't taken care of. >> workers eventually found democratic ballots in the closet area. believe it or not. so they had to make calls to get that sorted out. eventualally they did. if you have problems at the polls, call 813-221-5788. call us anytime. >>> it is due or die for rubio. without a win in florida to

good afternoon, i'm josh benson. >> and i'm stacie schaible. this is first at 4:00. thanks for joining us. >>> on the win in florida today, governor support for him. >> yes, the governor is calling on republicans to come together. scott facebook. he says it's now time for republicans to accept and respect the will of the voters and [indiscernible] behind trump. the front runner won every state except for miami dade. those were surprised ththey couldn't vote becacause they're not reregistered as a democraticic or republican. >> some are wondering if it's time for a change to the florida's policies. mike vasilinda explplains. >>reporter: florida has a closed primary. that means voters thatt don't belong too the democratic party can't vote in primary and it led to confusion tuesday. donald trump tweeted mid-day he was told his name wasn't on some florida ballot. the >> we looked into it and that was incorrect. >>>> the secretary of ststate took the unusual step of issuing a news releasee to explain the law. >> it may havee b been mpa,, not party affiliations and he may

i'm josh benson. >> i'm jenn holloway. this is first at 4:00. >> marco rubio has been traveling across florida rallying support. he will be speaking to voters at the dolphin aviation in sarasota. that is where we will find newschannel8's john rogers. >> reporter: good afternoon, officials here are putting the finishing touches on this rally set to begin at 5:00 at dolphin aviation in sarasota. for marco rubio, next tuesday is do or die. florida is a winner take all state. if he can snatch the 99 delegates it would turn the tide in this race. and things are really looking good for rubio. he is maining momentum on donald trump. trump by 8 percentage points. because of this, he is appealing to voters trying to turn some heads and change some minds so with this rally today, you can expect to hear him truly pleading his case and we hope to hear him react to the recent cnn report that say some of his staffers are recommending he bow out of the race. so we will be sure to bring you all the latest. in sarasota, john rogers, newsch

i'm josh benson. >> i'm jenn holloway. this is first at 4:00. >> right now, we have some a child has been hit in a drive by shooting. >> the three-year-old girl sitting on the front porch of a home with a 23-year-old man. we are going live to paul mueller. what have you found out? >> reporter: jenn and josh, a lot of breaking details. this is an intense scene right now. look at it all. in front of your very eyes. this is tenth avenue south and 12th street south, you can see police have blocked several area blocks off here now. i want you to take a look at the house. that is where this 23-year-old man identified as terrell hollinton and the three-year- old. they were another the porch when a car drive right on down the street and fired several gunshots into the porch. since that time police have been here in force. the mayor is here now. the assistant chief of police is here now. a lot of questions, motive, why would someone want to do this? was the person targeted? that is another question too. and you have the question ev

, i'll show you some of the 10- foot, 200 miles an hour speed >>> good afternoon, everyone, i'm josh benson,. >> and i'm jennifer holloway. this is first at four. >>> candidates for the presidential nomination are are crises crossing our state -- crisscrossing our state. candace mccowan is live at the convention center. doors open at 4:30, is that right, candace. >> reporter: absolutely, good evening, josh, jen. some people are starting to come into the room. there's quite a line outside. door, and they're expecting to open the doors a little bit earlier at 4:00. people will be coming in any second now. they are expected to fill up this room here where rubio will take the stage in about an hour. this is one of two appearances he's making today. the other one in seminole county, before he comes back to sarasota tomorrow. take a look at video where marco rubio had a great day. that put him winning 2 out of 20 primary states but that leaves him with more than 200 delegates behind front runner donald trump. now, florida is crucial for him, and new polling showing him narrowing donald trump's le

>>> good afternoon, everyone, i'm josh josh benson. >> and i'm stacie schaible. this is first at 4:00. >>> a pasco county deputy off the job fired for trying to steven la blanc was let go following an internal investigation. the sheriff tells us he planted drugs and a crack pipe in the suspect's bag. la blanc could face tampering with evidence charges. >>> and now a story that would make any parent panic. a car crashes into a day care with children inside. >> news channel 8's john rogers shows us how it happened. >> reporter: good afternoon, guys. come over here and take a look. you can see where the car plowed through this wall, while 15 children were inside. it's no wonder that no one was hurt. i want to show you some of the images from inside. you can tell the damage is alarming. troopers tell us at around 9:00 this morning, a woman was dropping off her grandchild here in van ness. while leaving she accidentally pulled forward and crashed through this wall. we are told three children suffered very minor injuries and a day care worker was transported to a hospi

josh hart among finals for national player of the year. bensont list reportedly to low gp atika shuberts. villanova closing out the season. coming up with a steal, noah pass for the jam. that's pretty nifty. villanova up 21. later in the half, booth, beats renlynol reynolds. jenkins, jams it at the buzzer. villanova won 81-74. finished the season 27-4. they'll play georgetown in new york next week. >>> mdialing up for three, of is 21 points. the win over the 1,000 mark for his career. hawks is down two just over a minute. hits the three, st. joe's falls 78-70. they lost two straight. drexel fa drexel in the quarter finals. rodney williams spins. finishes with a bucket and the bonus. 20 points, dragons down 13. green, drains the three. drexel falls 80-67. they finish the year with a six and 25 record. >>> outfielder day-to-day after injuring his wrist in yesterday's win over the braves. howard will be out a few days as he deals with the flu. phillies facing the blue jays today. even the mascots having a stretch. first batter, too low h. takes him