we are talking about lakeland police department on this road. marcus grayson shows you how this project is meant to draw more people to the downtown area. >>> recent on bar is the manager of this hotel. he can't have too much parking for his customers. student the merchants and the people that come down here survived based on walk-in traffic. connect this hotel has a parking lot right next door to the business and they lease the street design will bring 10 more parking spaces. the hotel can use. >> it makes it easier to access the hotel for our guests and that would make for more activity. swimming massachusetts avenue has for lanes running north and south the city of lakeland is making it narrow. >> resurface the roadway and three market for travel lanes and spoke about 10,000 vehicles . let's make this street. the perfect candidate for less.>>when they began to grow and prosper. instead of going with medians we go is on street parking. >> they welcome the redesign of the avenue saying it will be good for business but also it's a safety issue.>

lakeland and winter haven areas saw a 24.1% increase in job creation. polk county news room reporter finds out if business leaders believe this growth will continue for months to come. >> reporter: bennett is here at career source polk to enhance his small business. he says he has had to start one as a result of the economic crash of a few years ago. >> i'm young so i went on my own. because i worked for different people. changed. december job growth numbers show the lakeland winter haven area leading the state. local business leaders say the restaurants and amazon's new warehouse. >> encouraged by the numbers. >> reporter: corey is with the lakeland chamber of commerce. he says it job growth is due to many factors. >> there is so many new businesses coming into the community. the location of lakeland being between the greater metro area of orlando and tampa. >> reporter: new construction projects like this is one of the reasons the lakeland winter haven areas are enjoying such job growth. lakeland chamber of commerce says the job growth is not a blip b

reporting in lakeland, news channel 8. >> thank you. >>> well also in lakeland, mystery surrounding human bones found in the woods. the bones were discovered off u.s. highway 98 near the walmart. a homeless camp is also nearby. attempt to identify the victim and the cause of death. >>> a sarasota couple accused of child abuse is out of jail. we learned they bonded out overnight. investigators claim they locked their 12-year-old adopted daughter in a play house for hours. investigators arrested the couple, they accused the couple of using zip ties on their daughter. the couple is defending their actions explaining that the girl was prone to violent outbusts and needed to be restrained to protect her and other children at the home. >>> a suspected bank robber is behind bars. deputies arrested this man, a 36-year-old. they accuse him robbing the bank of america. deputies found him walking down the street counting money. well, that amount of money inhand matched the amount stolen from the bank. >>> and this morning, police are hoping you can help identify these two robbers caught on camera. t

. >>> the city of lakeland has considered putting the red light on red light cameras. jeff patterson joining us live from lakeland with what could >> reporter: here at harden boulevard and beacon road the number of accidents has actually gone up since 2012. that's not the impact the red light camera you see over there was expected to make. signs warn motorists of red light cameras. some apps even give you warnings. but still many are getting caught. jane got a ticket then found out where her fine was going. >> i thought when you paid your fine that this money all went to the city of lakeland. then i found out it didn't. so i felt a little worse about paying that fine. >> reporter: red light fines going to a state fund. the red light camera company gets a cut. and the city arts program gets a little. >> we don't get a penny. >> the lakeland police department doesn't get any of the red light camera fine money but they still like the cameras. >> so are the red light cameras working? >> reporter: in april, city officials presented a glowing red light camera report to the s

and lakeland, if you live in lakeland or traveling out of lakeland into tampa, if you work in tampa, you have a fast commute on i-4 in between each entrance of the polk parkway, a quick 11 minute commute. and an accident in oldsmar. more on that coming up in the next report. that's a look at weather and traffic. back to gene and gayle. >> okay, leslee. >>> happening today, cruise travelers will get back out to sea after the vacation plans came to a screeching halt all the carnival cruiseship that was supposed to leave yesterday won't pull out of port until later today. our ryan hughs is live at the port this morning. good morning to you. okay with them, right? >> reporter: gene, good morning to you as well. who would complain about so at sea? the ship behind me had trouble pulling into port yesterday morning so those onboard got to paradise. >> we were fogged in. so we couldn't go anywhere so we parked and just waited. and we thought it was going to break but it didn't. so they started feeding us again and selling us our drinks . so we had a good time. >> reporter: allen and faye of

coming up. >> and we start with a news alert out of lakeland. lakeland fire is working a structure fire at an independent living facility on east bella vista street. it is bella manor villas, that is actually an assisted living and retirement facility. lakeland fire tell us us one person is dead. two other people have been rush to the hospital. the fire was contained to one room. there is no damage to the outside of that building. been evacuated and lakeland fire is still trying to figure out exactly how this start. of course we'll bring you updates just as soon as we get them. >> digging their way out. lots of shoveling and clearing of sidewalks and driveways. new york mayor is still asking people to avoid driving so that the snow plows can clear the roadways and that powerful winter storm expand from georgia to cape cod, massachusetts, brought more than 2 feet of snow to some areas. as joel waldman tells u the storm crippled cities in the northeast. >> the blizzard is living up to its hype in washington but new york city was caught off guard w

snow birds as they're called gathererred at the snow bird extravaganza in lakeland. as ryan raiche found out, it's a chance to mingle with other retirees and share stories about how much snow they left behind. >> reporter: for the northerners who refuse to dig out from another winter wallop what better way to dodge mother nature than avoid it altogether. >> you don't have to shovel the rain. >> reporter: today the lakeland center was chalked full of snow birds. thousands of retirees, many canadians, getting away from the freezing temperatures and harnessing their inner child. the 22nd annual snow bird and perhaps just as fun brag to others about what you're missing back home. >> when we were home a couple weeks ago, we got two feet. >> two feet of snow. >> yeah. >> that is exactly what people enjoy about being a snow bird. that's why they do it. >> reporter: central florida and specifically lakeland is arguably the hottest snow bird destination. 45 minutes from tampa, orlando and all of the hot attractions in between. >> i'm never going back to that snow. >> reporter

. >> you can completely lose site look in to lakeland, a little bit later for you, an hour or two later that it arrived, southern florida, and again, heavy rain for a good hour or wind gusts on our sky 10 weather stations, popping up 46 miles an hour, hearing reports that could be of seeing some estimates around 50 miles an hour, i would believe that verifies, 40 at st. john's, in downtown tampa. and rain totals landed what we thought, between .10 and half an inch, of course, tracking more on that system, that is tearing up the mid atlantic then the windy weather, tracking another system for the weekend ahead, that has a severe weather threat in it as well. >>> well, remember this scene, flood waters swallowing western pasco last summer. might be destroyed again. 10 news pasco county newsroom casey cumley is asking county leaders what they're doing to protect they are neighborhood. >> reporter: when torrential downpours hit, they think of one thing. >> flooding, that we're going to get hit again. >> reporter: trinity oaks neighbors hit hard last summer, and tropical storm debbie. trying

and lakeland downtown looks wonderful and so does the polk parkway. and on i-4, just an 11 minute commute. and a live look at where we did have overnight construction. looks like they have moved the camera here but i don't see any out there so it might have just cleared up here. have cones in the roadway here at 275 and 54th avenue south. that southern end of us in county but looks great -- end of of pinellas -- end of pinellas county. >>> oscar nominations are coming up. some of the movies favored for >>> man, there's not a whole lot of excite. in munford, tennessee. wake up, folks because somebody in your town bought one of the winning powerball tickets. >> you are taking a look at a live picture where one of the tickets were sold in tennessee. three jackpot winners won in california. one in tennessee. and yes, one right here in florida. who's the winner? is it you? grab the ticket and check. 4. 8. 19. 27. 34. and the powerball is 10. good luck. >> man, i feel like the crickets are having a good time but everybody else is sleeping. >>> the time has

friend from the lakeland barbecue company. take a look at this beautiful food they made. >> this one is for ashley and this one is for deiah, the poor pork language. take a look at these beautiful tobaccos for shay. >> yummy, yummy. >> joel and bobby king are both here. how early doyou start cooking for this event? >> good morning. we took on three trucks. we had our food truck dlrl ris and deliveries. >> 4 a.m. is what is time we got there this morning. when i make pork, my stuff is not pretty but your stuff is gorgeous. >> take focus and put it together where it is presentable for folks to eat. >> reporter: we got #8d 0 professionals of what i 80 professionals. we'll becoming back with you. now, we'll send it back toyou because we have to eat. >> all right, let's take a look at what' going onwith our weather today. it is gorgeous out there,is it? >> this is south tampa that you are looking at. youcan see the sunshine is glistening off the guilding there now and off the water. what a beautiful startto our friday after such na

lakeland city officials say they've been considering the ban since that incident. and as their own parade has grown bigger... they say now is the time to ensure safety: 3 3 critics of the ban say it will spoil the fun. they also point out that lakeland hasn't had a safety problem at it's parades in the past 34 years. the parade will go on... *without the treats, tomorrow morning starting at 11. 3 and speaking of mlk day events... a big one continues bay black heritage festival. the highlight is the *music fest, which kicks off tomorrow morning at curtis hixon park. there will also be health and wellness seminars, cultural activities... it all begins at ten a-m. the festival runs through january 23th a week from saturday. best of all... it's free! but you can purchase *prefered seating for the concerts. and fox 13 *is a sponsor. 3 (jend/ and the city of tampa is getting ready for *another celebration as well. the bleachers are going up along bayshore boulevard... for the gasparilla parades! it all starts with the it all starts with the children's parade on january 2

psome lakeland business owners psay it is turning away people. pthe real estate company built pthe land from north a street on peast kentucky avenue. pthey will have residential pdining a real talent shop just psouth of lakeland.

lakeland fire chief describes the daring rescue. >> with the help of lakeland fire department and the lakeland police department they were literally handing people into the stand well and the police officers were carrying them down to safety and we evacuated the entire building in a few moments. >> reporter: after the flames were put out firefighters discovered the body of one person during their search. the building does not have springers that infuriated one more. >> does that make you angry there is sprinklers. he is able to move but they should have the facilities in working process. >> reporter: the building does have working fire alarms which automatically alerted authorities of the fire. all of the residents are still evacuated from the building as the fire marshal and police continue to investigate what caused this fire. it is actually a crime scene because there was a fatality and we don't know yet the name and identity of the victim who was killed this morning but we do expect to learn that information a little bit later today and when we do, we will line, candice. thank you

lakeland, 69. that is a nice warmup. but rain chances do enter the forecast. not today or tomorrow, but a 70% chance on wednesday, that lingers to a 40% chance on thursday. traffic on the 8s, once you scrape the wind shield off, you have a problem on the roadway. the courtney campbell causeway is blocked westbound. but there is positive news for you. there is a hit-and-run with injuries. instead of taking the howard franklin bridge, they are routing you to the frontage road, that will take you across to the main portion. and a live look again, you can see where we have issues going on. the news channel 8 truck on scene for you. this is frontage road. this is the road next to the courtney cambell causeway and you can use to get by. traffic is very light. as we move over, you can see the westbound main portion is completely blocked due to the investigation. back to you. >> thank you. >>> this morning 8 on your side safety alert. investigating four different robberies connected to data >>> well, listen up, an important 8 on your side alert. the police department

not too likely but those areas city and right around lakeland. winterhaven around 12:24 and haven city rental 29:00. severe thunderstorm watch has been trimmed out for nellis in citrus county but remains for his builder -- hillsboro and polk until 5:00 p.m. that's what we have going on now in the same system winding up into a major winter storm. bobby deskins has the latest on this. folks especially in the mid- atlantic. here is what trent -- jim has been tracking for you. that is the parent of the storm and this will transfer energy to the coast over the next 12- 24 hours. we will get more of a coastal storm developing. it's been a mess. pictures getting ready for the football in snow is now changing to ice. i 94 quarters leading up to raleigh changing to sleet and ice what it's all snow north of their especially into virginia. this is a big travel problem. we've been covering flights out of charlotte. but this is the area that gets the most snow. west virginia, virginia, maryland, southeastern pennsylvania. this is the gsf model. this was showi

a heartbreaking discovery in lakeland. a person found dead after fire rips through an independent living center. and the kids had their turn -- now its time for the adults! we'll show you how crews are getting ready for next week's big gasparilla pirate invasion! good morning and welcome to 10 news "early morning." i'm ian reitz.. right away, lets get a look at #10weather with meteorologist ashley batey. county. police were on the scene of a possible homicide in plant city. police tell us family members found 36 year old 'reginald brown' dead inside his home on east ohio street. they said it appeared he'd been shot. police are now trying to figure out what led to brown's death. an apartment complex in lakeland that caters to the elderly and disabled went up in flames, and left one person dead. 10 news reporter garin flowers shows you the one thing firefighters say could have made a difference. pkg: the exterior of bella vista manor is a reminder of what sot it's just a sad thing. the fire alarm for the 5 story independent

coming up next on newschannel 8 at 6:00, a fire breaks out at an independent living facility in lakeland. why there were no working sprinklers in the building. >> plus, a push to change the bathroom policies for transgender students in a bay area school district. >> and another cold night ahead. how far temperatures will drop. newschannel 8 at 6:00 on sunday is next. to do that, we first had to find the best orange growers. we logged the miles, put in the hours, tasted a lot of fruit, and but we did it for a reason. so that here you'll find the best oranges we've ever had. they're even backed by our 100 percent freshness guarantee. try them for yourself today at . i'm melanie michael. tonight. lakeland. seniors trapped inside a five- story burning building. a massive rescue operation took place. sadly, one person did not make it out alive. chip osowski joins us from the happened. i understand this building does not have a working sprinkler system, is that correct? >> reporter: you're absolutely the battalion chief at the scene tells us this building was constructed in the early 1970s bef

that's in lakeland. that's off to the shoulder. also, some construction here as i mentioned westbound university. also, the entrance ramp affected. you can get by, but some lanes are blocked. back to gene and gayle. >>> police in temple terracey looking for a motorcyclist who shot at a driver in what could be a road rage incident. ryan hughes is live at that scene. ryan, what's the latest out there? >> reporter: the investigation is in full swing. this is one of the vehicles involved. you can see a couple of police officers here processing this scene. the driver side window that was either shot in the incident, or punched by a man on a motorcycle. then, roughly a block and a half or so down east fowler avenue, you can see that this scene stretches down there. a few blocks beyond that, where the roadway is closed at the intersection of east fowler and i-75. we have some video that we can show you right now. we're told by temple terrace police this incident happened between 1:30 and 2:00 this morning. we're told a motorcycle shot int

. >> breaking news out of lakeland. one person has died atthe fire at bella vista in lakeland. when firefightersarrived they saw smoke and flames coming from the fourth floor. that's where they found one person dead. >> 41 people were living on that floor of the time of the fire. we'll have you new updates as soon as we can. >>> millions of americans will dig out from this weekend's historic deadly blizzard crawling in the east coast on saturday dumping more than two feet of snow in some parts. >> some of the worse damage were on the jersey shore right now. take a look at this video, there is major flooding. the records are expected to be breaking. if you aretraveling and make sure you triple check your flight status on abcactio nnews.com >> we have 60 cancellations at tampa bay. nationwide are cancelled for st. pete and clear water also have delaysand cancellations. >>> i will tell you folks, for it is been some headaches. yeah, folks are concerned with the windchills. we have the windchilladvisory which is in effect and it is turning everything blue in our map and a lot of pe

lakeland, saint pete. a lot t of rain for a a day in late jajanuary. let's take a look at what is going g on. certainly the severe weather threat tonight isis muchch lolower but still a small chance. don't want toto rule this out, we hahave talked all winter long about the el nioo threatat. later onon tomorrow afternoooon, the showowers, storms willll come to an end. ththe severe weather threat is higher further to the soututh and d marginal risk. a general thunderstorm risk elsewhere e and you can see how the last 12 hours or so south to north giving us very good coverage. two tornado i touchdowns, coconut creek. a waterspout around the area as well. . you can see areas like sebring, sarasota, areas to the north not as much. virtually alall of polk county. we will talk about that potetential for a severere small weather threat and a a much cooler weekend comiming up. >> thank you ststeve. and a reminder you can trtrack the rain on your smartphonene anywhere you are useingng the radar storm mate weatheher max app. it is free to downloaoad at the app st

live for us tonight in lakeland. thank you josh. >>> tonight president obama will deliver what is expected to be his last state of the union address. he's making it clear this will not be a traditional speech rather than put forth some specific legislative proposals the president is expected to take a broader look at where we are as a nation. he will ease to look at concerns about security and terrorism. you can watch the state of the union address. it starts at 9:00 our time. and our digital team will be live tweeting. >>> a breast cancer survivor has a warning about mammograms. coming up next with new guidelines creating some confusion. one woman share what is she learned in her battle against cancer. >> also ahead, it's the largest history. newschannel8 wants to make it when i lay in my tempur pedic contour- p the next thing i know it's morning. with tempur-flex you've got ther spring and bounce of a traditional mattress then itralso adjusts to my body. my cloud feels like somebody's hugging you. how can a bed to

and we're starting off in lakeland. from u.s. 98 to i-75, so headed into tampa, it will take about 23 minutes. a great drive there. and 10 minutes wesley chapel from state road 52 to the 275 on i-75. now we have a collision out in the land o'lakes area. heads up, it's on state road 54 at sun lake boulevard. it's off to the shoulder and no injuries are involved. that's a look at weather and traffic. now back to gene and gayle. >> thanks, leslee. >>> happening today, the bucs are expected to name a new head coach. news channel 8 will be there in a few hours when the bucs officially name offensive coordinator dirk koetter as lovie smith's replacement. >> a lot of people talking about this online this morning. and news channel 8's adrienne pedersen is tracking the reaction. what's the verdict? are they happy about the choice? >> reporter: good morning gene and gayle. well the mood seems to be cautiously optimistic. let's check in with the fans first. good shot. i wish he could have had one more year just to see because it w

and a live look here of lakeland. and here it is, i-4 at cathleen road, if you live in lakeland and traveling to tampa this morning, right now interstate 4 looks fantastic as well as the polk parkway. no delays as well. that's weather and traffic on the 8s. back to gene and gayle. >> all right. >>> trending this morning, sarah palin. >> yes, but the attention she's getting isn't just because she endorsed donald trump. news channel 8's lindsey mastis has the morning alert. a lot of people are raising questions about the timing of her endorsement. less than 24 hours before she took the stage with trump, her son track palin was arrested on domestic violence charges and it has some asking whether she planned the endorsement to pull attention away if her son. >> i am in it to win it because we believe in america. >> reporter: sarah palin is trending on social media. and trump believes she can give him a big boost among conservatives. and a lot of people are reacting to the news and now it's being overshadowed by the arrest

in lakeland this morning -- 5:05, in lakeland this morning, mystery surrounding human bones found off u.s. 98 near the walmart. a homeless camp is also nearby. the medical examiner will attempt to identify the victim and the cause of death. >>> a couple accused of child abuse is out of jail. they bonded out overnight. investigators claim they locked their 12-year-old adopted daughter in a play house for hours. investigators arrested the couple. they are accused of repeatedly using zip ties on their daughter. the couple is defending their actions explaining the the girl was prone to violent outbursts and needed to be restrained to at the home. suspected bank robber is behind bars. this is him right here. deputies arrested the 36-year- old. they accuse him of robbing the bank of america. deputies found him walking down the street. listen to this, counting the money. that amount of money he had inhand matched exactly the amount of money stolen from the bank. >>> this morning, police are hoping that you can help identify two robbers caught on camera. this video shows one robber holding a

@and we have the fog in @lakeland. @as opaque as this view looks, @because the cloud deck is @lifting and that's what we @want to see 59 degrees in @lakeland. @am maintain east of i-75 and @along i-4 which is too bad if @you are travelling in polk @county. @quarter-mile visibility in @winter haven. @a pocket of dense fog over @part of the bay. starting in downtown sarasota. @we have got three quartrters of @a mile. @so gradually over the next @hour, this will scour out and @we will just be looking for @rain to our west. @it is well to our west. @starting to see signs of the @radar reaching those returns. @the biggest chunk of that @energy know past east of new @orleans. @it is what is over the gulf @water. @showers and embedded storms. @at least 300 miles to the west @at least 300 miles to the @west. @probably won't arrive until @3:00 this afternoon. @these storms 3 deputies in citrus county found plenty evidence of a meth lab yesterday.. these are pictures from the home on north arkansas terrace. deputies say ....they

allen and faye of lakeland got off the ship last night. others spent the night onboard and will leave this morning. cruise line will give the passengers delayed today 50% off this cruise and half off a future cruise. and gayle, of course those onboard an extra half day probably won't complain or didn't complain too much because they could enjoy more food, drinks and entertainment. back to you. >> yeah, if they like to cruise, that sounds like a great deal. thanks, ryan. >>> this morning we are getting a look at the moment a tornado hit delray beach. take a look at the video from the surveillance video of a church. the national weather service report the twitter packed winds up to 85 miles per hour. and the storm uprooted trees, knocked down power lines and tore up some roofs. no one was hurt though. >>> right now the search is on for an attemped rapist in tampa. take a look at the sketch of what police believe the act tear looks like. investigators report the woman was on her porch when a man grabbed her. the woman screamed, a motion >>> a

looks wonderful, i-4, right in the heart of lakeland. and a quick look now of video earlier that i had this morning. now this is from a fatal accident where a pedestrian was killed. it happened just before midnight. and lanes were closed here southbound 301 just north of i- 4 for several hours. and now they have re-opened the lanes. traffic is now moving very good on 301 but sad news just overnight. that's a look at weather and traffic. back to gene and gayle. >>> leslee, air traffic not looking too great. right now, dangerous winter weather is causing stress at airports. >> according to the flight aware website, nearly 2300 flights are canceled in the u.s. just for today. and that's changing by the news channel 8's adrienne pedersen is live at tampa international airport tracking travel today. how are the boards looking this morning? >> reporter: good morning, gayle. well, first i have the flight aware website open right now on my computer and it looks like we're sitting at about more than 2,000 total delays today. and that's not even c

lakeland at 34. overnight, skies remain partly cloudy, not nearly as cold, but we have serious rainfall ready to roll on in. we'll time it out for you minutes. >> >> covering polk county, a lakewood family is begging for information to help find their stolen puppy. deputies believe three young men snatched this dog during a >> reporter: this one-year-old puppy is probably missing his warm cozy home. his big brother distraught like his loving owners. rick edwards is talking about the events that transpired friday while he and his family were away from home, they got a call from their neighbors saying that the front door was wide open. they returned to find thousands of dollars in electronics, missing along with this priceless possession. toby, the family pup. surveillance cameras appear to show three young men driving a nissan. >> i believe the dog was stolen >> reporter: taking it pretty hard, but his three kids taking it harder. deputies were able to track down some of the electronics, meantime, the

lakeland fire department said one person died on the 4th floor. three others went for smoke inhalation. nearly 40 residents were evacuated. getting out. >> firefighters were handing victims from the hallway to the stairwell and the police department was carrying people down. >> reporter: another challenge, the winding doesn't have fire sprinklers. >> this is a very, very old building, to my understanding unless there is major rehab or construction, that won't come into code. about it until he came to pick up his friend bill for church. >> he's fine. >> >> reporter: by looking at the five story building, you get an idea where the fire started now, lakeland police and fire will work to figure out what caused it. >>> officials say they won't release the name of the victim until her family has been identified. >> >> seminole county deputies looking for the person responsible for a deadly overnight shooting at the colibris bar. a small memorial for the 36- year-old. detectives say a fight broke out during a private party that lead to the shooting. the

here's a look at your current conditions. 63 in bradenton and color for lakeland. -- court for lakeland at 55. -- cooler for lakeland at 55. the breezes are coming in and that means we will see what is up here heading down into our state. we have some cold temperatures across the southeast and middle of the country. birmingham at 36. 38 in atlanta. that front has now pushed on through and we have seen the rains dissipate. but that colder air and acting -- that colder air is moving in. once those guys clear out completely, -- those skies clear act completely, we will see that cooling. we will be tomorrow morning. 47. brooksville. the 50s down to arcadia, lake placid and business. here's a look at florida's most accurate eating planner. as we go through, again, beverages dropping to the 50s and first thing in the morning, 47 degrees. golf water temperatures -- golf water temperatures -- golf gulf water temperatures are dropping. not the best boating day. high tide at 1:34 in the morning. low tide at a quarter after nine and the sun will be up at 7:23. here's a look at florida's most accur

it happened near the tracks and u.s. 92 in lakeland. how he is doing and when is the latest on snm. >> him? >> he is in critical but stable condition. he had earbuds in and perhaps was not paying as much attention as he should have been when he was hit. >> you don't know where your life is going. >> jason says he and sheldon spent several years homeless living on the streets together, and they bonded over the struggle. >> we bonded, he was more than a friend. >> both have turned their lives around and now live just doors apart. >> one minute i'm talking to him and he is happy and the next i'm hearing that my best friend just got hit by a train. >> he was walking back from the store when deputies say he was hit near u.s. 92 in lakeland. he was known to walk with his earbuds in and witnesses said he >> not only was he wearing earbuds but he also ignored the warning gates which were down at the time. >> the train was only going 8 miles per hour but the came caboose has extensions on either side that may have hit the pedestrian. when you're

police and fire had to work together to get the people out. >> lakeland fire department, lakeland police were working together, carrying people up and down the stairs. >> >> reporter: independent living facility, firefighters had to get them out. one person died on the fourth three others were taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation. >> this building was built when different. >> reporter: the lady that lives across the street called 9-1-1. >> i saw flames. >>> here's another look at the damage on that building as for the victim's name, they have not been identified until family is notified. >>> we have new details about a fatal crash in coco. state troopers told the driver of this overturned vehicle failed to pull over for a traffic stopnd then ran a red light and collided with the the driver crashed into a traffic control box and concrete wall. one woman heard the sound. >> it was so sudden. boom. >>> if you are brave enough to head outside, you can catch new service -- stops added in the creative village aerial the stops to its route. stops at magnolia avenue. >> >> right frow, citr

coming from lakeland, into tampa, a wanderful drive. and i-75 at fowler, looks fantastic as well. back to gene and gayle. >> thank you. >>> a medical device, tiny device. it could be a game changer. how it's helping researchers better understand brain injuries. >>> plus, a new football helmet. you're watching news channel 8 find you the best oranges. the best orange growers. we logged the miles, put in the hours, shook a lot of hands. but we did it for a reason. so that here you'll find the best oranges we've ever had. they're even backed by our 100 percent freshness guarantee. try them for yourself today at >>> a break through design in preventing concussions for football players. designers are calling the new helmet the safest in football. a start-up company created this helmet using a grant from the nfl. now it has several layers. there's the shell on the outside that absorbs the impact. and another layer prevents skull fractures. and finally a third layer improves the hit for athletes. one neurosurgeon explains why it's important th

lakeland you are looking good. i-4 drivers from polk parkway over to i-75 in tampa you are looking at a 15 minute drive time. >>> a live look in st. pete this morning. if you are headed out on an early morning run or walk, snap a picture of the sunrise. we love seeing what it looks like. send it to us on facebook, wow. the internet is crazy fast here. i know, right? it's so nice to have everyone over. hi hey. mmm. i just laid an egg. does anybody want it? joey, you want some gasoline? mom, guess what? i married a clown and we're having tiny little clown babies. mhm. i just bought a hammer. with internet fast enough for everyone, your guests might get a bit carried away. get out of the past. >>> a terror attack in indiana leaves seven people dead. islamic state is claiming people say three suicide bombers walked into a starbucks and set off explosives. at the same time, gunmen stormed a police post nearby. we learned the country got several warnings in recent weeks that islamic militants were planning something. >>>

. >> reporter: allen and faye of lakeland got off the ship last night. others spent the night onboard morning. we're told around 7:00. and now as a nice gesture, carnival cruise line will give the passengers delayed 50% off this cruise and also 50% off a cruise in the future. so perhaps a good deal for some of the people. >> thanks, ryan. >>> this morning, we are getting a look at the moment a tornado hit delray beach. what you're looking at here is church. you can see if you follow this back corner over here, that's patio furniture being pushed around there by the wind. the national weather service reports this twister packed winds up to 85 miles per hour. the storm uprooted tree, knocked down power poles and even tore up some roofs. >>> right now, the search is on for an attemped rapist in tampa. take a look at a sketch of what police believe the attacker looks like. investigators report the woman was on her porch when a man grabbed her. the woman screamed, a motion light and barking dogs scared the man away. >>> today we will learn more about a family

lakeland 45. inverness at 41. even though we started in the 30s in citrus county we're in the low 30s to mid-40s now. it's a chilly start to the day. we could be colder though and we will be overnight tonight. once we get rid of the extra clouds that you're seeing rolling across central florida and on through south florida they clear out later today. that gives us plenty of sunshine but that cool air coming in from the north that area of high pressure is what keeps our temperatures below average for today. then we lose the blanket into the 30s. tomorrow afternoon we start the warm-up but our temperatures are still well below average for this time of year. people get to average on thursday, we stay there for friday but on friday our next cold front rolls through bringing us a round of rain and we're still looking at the rain and the intensity of the storms. we'll continue to keep you posted as we get closer. on saturday we may see a stray shower in the morning but probably not, it's just the colder air that is goin

lakeland fire says a fire started in the kitchen and spread through the duplex. firefighters managed to save two adult chihuhua dogs and three small puppies who were trapped in their pet crates. a teenage boy and his younger sibling were also inside... but they managed to get out on their own. the house did *not have working smoke detectors. the red cross and all the dogs will be okay. 3 3 new this morning: a scary night... for one father took off... with his seven happened around seven last night at the marion street he was taking his son to miami, but went to use the bathroom before the trip. when the father got out of the driving away. he tried to run it down... but the driver didn't see him. the father they got the driver to turn around , about an *hour later. father and son are now reunited, and no charges are expected. 3 3 ( a developing story in hernando county. neighbors in a spring hill neighborhood are keeping a close eye on a *depression. officials are not calling it a "sink hole" just yet. it opened up in a yard near kenway street. at last check, it's

acold drive, folks after a quick look in lakeland. it is a wonderful drive if you live in polk county. and heading into tampa no issues on i-4. now, the cortney here. is eastbound. and westbound, you can see the red vehicle up against the side and a couple of officers out here, they are conducting their investigation. all of the westbound lanes blocked. to the right, we have frontage road. as we pan over, you can see cars kind of creeping by here using that one lane. and then further on down they will jump back on the courtney campbell. that's a look at weather and traffic. back to you. >> thank you. >>> right now construction continues on i-275. and officials with the department of transportation except major delays to go on for another four weeks. drivers who use that stretch of roadway from the howard franklin bridge to downtown tampa, you know what we're talking about. our ryan hughes is live this >> reporter: good morning to you. really not too bad right now. take a live look. you can see this is part of i- 275 heading into downt

> reporter: she stood by as investigators investigated the vicious triple murder along the -- in lakeland. the three in the home shot to death. a fourth man felix campos was found alive. he had been shot in the face. the local sheriff described it as a slaughter. family and friends of the victims in disbelief. >> i need to call her. i didn't call her. >> reporter: we were told that one of the young women was a mother of two. >> to kill another human being for nothing. it's sad. it's always sad. that was senseless. you kill a mother with two kids. >> reporter: washington also tells us she was at the home last night, just hours before this apparently happened. shaken by the thought of what could have happened to her or her children. >> i can't believe it. >> my kids could have been hurt. my kids come here all the time. i just -- i don't know what to say. >> reporter: and now the investigation goes on to the hunt for the killer or possibly killers in this case. investigators tell us that they will be eventually speaking with that fourth person shot inside of this home once he recovers. and a

luzon is leading the push to get it up to lakeland's level. he went in armed with a petition signed by bar and store owners. new today the county is responding to this plea. on starting a discussion on this issue tomorrow morning during an agenda study session studies. luzon says his sales on sunday are down more than 15% ever since lakeland changed its rules and he promises he's not the only one. >> that ought to tell the commissioners there is overwhelming support for the change. >> reporter: ryan raiche abc action news. >>> breaking developments in a story we have been following all day long, proving it's important to look at the amber alerts on your phones. madison county deputies say it helped two out of state utility workers to spot the missing children from st. pete. they were found with their mom. they are now safe. >>> now, the most accurate weather team in florida. abc action weather. >> so much rain out there today. just really miserable out there. a couple more hours. >> imagine if you were here for vacation. >> florida, sunshine s

it brings the total number of unsolved cases in the city of lakeland down to 30. reporting in lakeland, ryan raiche, abc action news. >> manatee county investigators are trying to piece together murder victims. they knew each other and they're trying to find out if the relationship led to their deaths. 40 minutes later the body of 23- year-old jordan finland was discovered dumped on the side of a road near palmetto. investigators are not releasing the cause of finland's death but believe it could be an important clue in the case. >>> hillsborough county deputies are on the hunt for the men caught on video breaking into unlocked cars. get away with a loaded gun inside one of them. the thieves hit several cars in river view back on january 7th. if you know who these men are, call the hillsborough county sheriff's office. for a better look at the video, just go to our website, abcactionnews.com. >>> you're saving on gas but it's causing all of our retirement accounts to go in the tank. stocks plunging again today thanks to a drop in oil prices. the dow losing 249 poi

two men from miami are now in in lakeland. those men, andrew joseph and jonathan el sigeri, after three people were found dead last weekend inside a home in lakeland, another wounded with a gunshot wound to the face. investigators say drugs and money were taken from that home. we're told the lone survivor is

live in lakeland, back to you. >>> right now, a live look at the nation's capital. residents are waking up to about 2 feet of snow. the snow storm paralyzed much of the northeast and is being blamed for at least 18 deaths. live pictures from times square, as the sun comes up. not a lot of activity in what is known to be one of new york city's busiest places. thousands of travelers have been affected by the storm. >>> millions of people along digging out. several were dead and thousands stranded. jennifer johnson's report is next. >>reporter: the first blizzard of 2016 has slowly died down after burying major east coast cities inasmuch is 3 feet of snow. the storm shut down air, rail and highway travel. now, the recovery part is getting roads passable again. that is keep howard's job. >> anybody stuck or trying to get out, i tell people to have patients. some people don't have patience. when you go through a neighborhood and see somebody outside, i go. >>reporter: it was enjoyable for pandas and children's who sled -- and children who sled on the capitol lawn and the

and lakeland looks fantastic as well as on the interstate. that's a look at weather and traffic on the 8s. >> thank you. >>> the pope will be back in north america next month. how mexico is preparing for a papal visit. >>> and now that one of the wormed's most notorious drug -- the world's most notorious drug dealers, a look at extra security around el chapo. >>> plus a different and dangerous way to commemorate dr. martin luther king jr. the message the motorcycle rider are trying to send. >>> this tuesday morning, an outpouring of love for one of >> yeah, glenn frey died at the age of 67. news channel 8's lindsey mastis has the morn ago all right. this is a man that helped create an iconic band. >> reporter: yeah, seems everyone has a story about how the eagles influenced their own lives so it's no surprise that thousands of viewers are sharing the story on facebook and we are getting hundreds of comments as well. rolling down the road trying to loosen my load >> reporter: glenn frey formed the formed the eagles back in 197 1 . he also co-w

. >> reporter: the lakeland police department does not get any of the money but they still like the cameras. are the red light cameras working? >> in our opinion yes. >> reporter: in april, city officials presented a glowing red light camera report to the legislature. showing the number of accidents down by 33%. >> when we got the report it was, it was outstanding. >> reporter: but now lakeland's mayor has discovered a new the number of accidents at some intersections actually went up and he wants to reconsider the program. >> we want to look at the the cameras to find out that the thought it was. >> reporter: the lakeland city council was expected to address the red light issue at their -- their council meeting. >>> and because of the fog, the carnival paradise could not leave on their cruise. now their four day trip to cozumel will be a three day cruise to nowhere. they will receive a refund. it's safety first but if you paid for a cruise. >> yeah, no fun. come another time. >>> we're going to see some improvement. you just blew right past that. >> you kind of went, uh-uh. i was looking f

for those who live in lakeland and you're heading through plant city or say if you work in the tampa bay area, you've got a wonderful drive, i-4 to the polk parkway, a fast 11 minutes continue to be a swift tampa. that's a look at weather and traffic on the 8s. >> thank you. >>> all right it's your chance to win lion king tickets. we are giving away a family four-pack of lion's king tickets. watch from 6:00 to 7:00 a.m. once you see the announcement, be the eighth caller to win tickets to the broadway show disney's the lion king. good luck. >>> thousands of baby strollers are under recall. >>> and bill cosby wins in court. coming up, the decision a judge made in connection to accusations the comedian drugged and assaulted women. >>> and then love bugs are back. >>> new this friday morning, a victory for troubled comedian bill cosby. a federal judge in pennsylvania is disthe missing a lawsuit filed by renita hill. she is one of more than 50 sexual assault. her. >>> developing this morning, a former oklahoma city police officer will spend the rest of his life behind bars. a judge sente

one person is dead at the retirement home fire in lakeland. >> so sad. >> yeah. >> this time of the year space heaters are more common. don't know if that's the case there, but be careful. you see the 20s to the north, and certainly making up for the warm december we had, and we temperatures here. 38 outside, and later today, the high topping out at 57. >> thank you for joining us this morning.

. >>> plus this -- >> reporter: growing pains in lakeland. the first major development in more than a decade bringing excitement and unintended consequences. >> i hate it. >> reporter: coming up, the tablet. search for it in your favorite >> covering polk county tonight. a major construction project in downtown lakeland promises to bring new business to town. >> it may lose some in the process. fighting to stay afloat with construction at their doorstep. >> reporter: four months in and the first downtown development in a decade is finally taking shape in lakeland. but with any progress comes growing pains. >> the lack of visibility has totally shut down business. >> reporter: martie johnson owns home essentials just feet away from construction. so close to the 2 by 4s she has a giant sign alerting customers she is still opening. promoting a we're still open sale to get people in the door. >> the city permitted us to do this 15 years ago and said, yes, put your building here, put your entrances here. come on down. pay taxes. make this work. >>

it is cool now, 48 lakeland. 42 brooksville. 52 north port. big monkey in crystal beach says 50 degrees. it is cool. let me show you the long range forecast because there will be a lot of changes. clouds around throughout the day today. humidity will be a touch higher as well. and winds come out of the southeast and that's the only reason why it's going to be warmer because we're not going to see a lot of sunshine today. starting tonight, after midnight, area of low pressure from the gulf of mexico comes in, rain chances go up, the chance for thunderstorms, even thunderstorms that produce gusty strong winds and the possibility, a small chance, but a possibility of tornadoes when you have this area of low pressure off the gulf of mexico. tomorrow morning will be rainy, in fact rainy through about lunchtime before drying out in the evening. saturday will be dry. but again, a long range forecast and we have this quick moving system out of the gulf of mexico again that could bring rain on sunday. and this system is going to be the one that ushers

we have a crash reported on i-4 in the lakeland area, in the westbound lanes just before -- just east of exit 33, also commonwealth avenue. no roadblock here but we do see flashing lights so if you're heading out the door in lakeland heading to tampa just be careful. we're seeing about a 30-minute drive from lakeland into the have a ton of crashes that could slow you down. >>> time now 6:49. a house explosion kills an ohio homeowner. it happened in newcomerstown 100 miles of cleveland, leveled the house sending debris all over the neighborhood including a nearby school. to be safe officials closed that school today. local gas crews responding to the scene now, the cause of the explosion hasn't been determined. >>> donald trump is shaking up the republican presidential race again. >> the billionaire says he will boycott tomorrow's gop debate due to his feud with fox newschannel. trump says moderator megyn kelly targeted him unfairly on the previous debate last fall. he blasted fox news for "playing games" instead will hold a rally in iowa for wound vets. kelly shot back at trump saying