Crews will be working on improvements this weekend. This construction is going to impact the major artery to get from downtown clearwater over to to the beach. We will show you how long its going to last and give you some ideas on how to get around it in a live report in about 12 minutes. And travelers will see changes at Tampa International airport this morning. Two new Food Companies are opening up today. We are talking about bay coffee and tea company as well as auntie anns. Expansion project. Live. Going to be really. News isnt just all business and we want to show you. Many of us are using the social networks new live feature to show you what goes on behind the camera. You can see what happens as long as youre logged into facebook and be sure to like our pages. I always like leigh spanns facebook reports on the forecast. And Tuesday Morning about 2 00 a. M. To 3 30, steve jerve and i were live on facebook as some strong storms came through and people were without power so they were watching us live update the whole feature. It can be helpful for you. Right now, yeah, not a lot to talk about, its just gorgeous. 45 in inverness. 53 auburndale. I mean a little bit of a chill in the air but not that bad. And let me talk about the wind speeds, out of the north now at 5 to 10 Miles Per Hour. And i am moving this into the future. This is 7 00 a. M. , still a light breeze from the north. And gets a little stronger by about 12 30, coming in at 10 to 15 Miles Per Hour. And during the afternoon and evening though, thats when it gets stronger and a northeast breeze 15 the to 20 Miles Per Hour but still gorgeous, 73 and sunny, hard to beat it. In weather and traffic on the 8s at 5 38, i have an eight Day Temperature Trend to see how long it stays this nice. And leslee is going to tell us nicer as the morning goes along. Its a pretty good drive. No major congestion, especially along the bay area bridges. But we still have overnight construction. Again, it should be wrapping up soon. Northbound on the veterans expressway, still taken off at gunn highway and ehrlich road is blocked underneath the veterans expressway. And now you can access the ramps to get on the veterans expressway at ehrlich but you cant pass underneath it. So hopefully within the next 15 to 20 minute, that will be all clear. Kennedy to ashley on 275 off the Howard Franklin into downtown, just four minutes. And southbound, bearss avenue to i4 coming out of pasco county into downtown tampa, just a nine minute commute. And thats a look at weather and traffic. Back to gene. Thank you. Happening today, we are expecting to more information about president Barack Obamas Just Announced historic trip to cuba. This is a major step but its now dividing a lot of people. News channel 8s adrienne this morning from a cuban restaurant in west tampa. Good morning. What are they saying there . Reporter good morning, gene. Well, they just opened up a few minutes ago so its still relatively quiet. But one person tells me, this is going to be a big story today and people have a lot of different opinions. I mean, this is controversial considering this is the first sitting u. S. President visiting cuba in more than 80 years and no surprise here, president ial candidates are now trying to use the controversial zimmerman it is to their advantage. Controversial visit to their advantage. I think the president ought to instead be pushing for a free cuba. Not if its not a cuba. And the problem with the cuban government, its not just a dictatorship, its an anti american communist dictatorship. Reporter so you heard republican president ial candidates weighing in there. 8 on your side is tracking this story all day long and we are on the president s travel plans sometime today. Im still trying to figure out exactly when though. We do know the trip is happening next month. And this announcement is coming after the us and cuba just signed a the u. S. And cuba just signed a deal restoring commercial air travel to cuba on tuesday. News channel 8s Jeff Patterson is in havana right now and we will bring you more. We will do that onair as well as our news channel 8 app. Gene, you know this is a big deal. Yeah, i know the conversation is going to be as hot as the cuban coffee. I got a phone call from a viewer that has been following our viewers and she was telling me that the castros are responsible for the death of her parents so theres a lot of emotions tied into this and i know you will get reaction out there as we continue to make history between the u. S. And cuba. Thank you. Its 5 35. Right now, a huge debate pitting privacy against and its dominating social media. Yeah, we brought you this news during the morning news show yesterday but the battle is still raging strong this morning. Apples ceo tim cook promising to fight a federal judge is ruling forcing the company to hack the phone of one of the San Bernardino shooters. Yeah, and people are taking sides. We are getting a lot of comments on our wfla Facebook Page this morning. News channel 8s Lindsey Mastis has the morning alert. A lot of people are weighing in. Reporter thats right. Right now, apple trending on twitter overnight in tampa. Theres a huge discussion. And heres the bottom line, the feds believe the phone contains information that might stop a future terrorist attack but apple ceo worries about long term consequences that could make us all vulnerable if his Company Hacks the phone. Sometimes we get short sighted and we see this could help in this instance, lets not worry about down the road. Dangerous i think. Reporter people lined up in front of an apple store in San Francisco to show their support for the companys decision but others believe apple needs to do more in the name of national security. And we asked, yes or no, should apple create technology that can hack iphones . And we are getting a lot of feedback. Toby write, if apple doesnt help the fbi regarding a terrorist attack, then i wouldnt want apples products or service for anything. But becky write, no, no more government overreach. Good for apple for fighting for prief say rights. And we want to know what you think. You can join the discussion on our wfla Facebook Page. Gayle all right, thanks, lindsey. And if you want to follow the morning alerts on facebook and twitter, just search the 8alert. Today fire investigators will return to a polk County Church destroyed by fire. Theyre trying to figure out what sparked the flames at the about two Dozen Church Members were inside for bible study when the fire started. The building is a total loss. And a 29yearold is in big trouble this morning. Listen to this, he was involved in a road rage incident ended in gun rage incident that ended in gunfire. He is accused of shooting at another car on u. S. 41 in manatee county. Police say one car was angry at the other for cutting them off. Nobody was hurt but the car was hit at least three times. We know Hillsborough County is willing to shell out a lot of dollars to fight the zika virus. Commissioners approved a measure to spend more than 475,000 to kill, prevent and monitor mosquitoes. The money will come from county reserves. There are 22 reported cases of zika in florida. Three of those cases are in Hillsborough County. None of them were acquired locally. Well the time right now is 5 38 on this thursday morning. And its really nice outside, brisk. Is just a little cool. It is february it is. Just a little cool. It is february. I love the hourbyhour forecast that looks like this. 51 degrees at 8 00 a. M. Jump up to 95 at 10 00. So a fast warmup through the morning. By the lunch break, its 67. 73 around 3 00 p. M. And through the afternoon and evening hour, cool, plus a little breezy and of course we are looking forward to the gasparilla distance class thick weekend. Thousands of runners and walkers. Saturdays races, not too cool for the 15k, 55 degrees. 63 for the 5k. Sunday, another bunch of runners going for the half marathon, 56 degrees and a fast warmup to 65 by the time of the 8k. And a stretch of weather gets two thumbs up from emoji man through the weekend. And the cold front cools us down a bit toward the end of the forecast. It is a good drive there. No delays across the water. Good except for the veterans expressway. Still there. Its still there but it should be wrapping up soon, folks. Sometime between 5 00 and 6 00. And its still out there according to fhp. They are telling that traffic is diverted off the northbound side of the veterans expressway at gunn highway. Due to overnight construction. And you cant pass under the veterans expressways at ehrlich. You can get on and off of the veterans expressway at this exit, you just cant pass underneath it. In which case, you need to go down to gunn highway. Keep in mind, but again, wrapping up soon. And i want to take a quick live look and leave you with good news, the Howard Franklin bridge, only six minutes to cross it. Seven on the courtney campbell. And six across the water on the skyway bridge. Thats a look at weather and traffic on the 8s. Back to the gene and gayle. Thank you. The pope is back in vatican city this morning. His departing message to catholics in mexico. And a horrible crash in los angeles. Is being blamed for at least one death. But first reporter two Major Construction projects coming here to downtown clearwater over the next two weekends. Detours coming up. R i dont know what im doing. I cant find anything p just when i think its just not going to work. P this woman that works there comes over and asks can i help you . And he was so happy, to do it amazing right . R i never would have expected would have thought that anyone would find that do that. Make that go out of their way for me. Right then, right there i couldnt believe it he was so helpful i know its such a small thing little thing. Simple thing but it made me smile made me happy made my day r a Traffic Alert this morning that could impact you in the days ahead. A huge construction project is set to get underway this weekend in Clearwater Beach and it will cause headaches for drivers. The work will close the main artery to get to the beach starting tomorrow morning and through sunday night. News channel 8s ryan hughs is there live on court street. And ryan, timing is everything in life and this sure is happening during a busy travel time. Two busy beach weekends here in clearwater. Take a look behind me. You can see the area where csx will fix the railroad crossing, specifically the tracks that streets. Thats the way to and from downtown clearwater. And now construction is set this coming weekend and the weekend of february 26th. Traffic will be affected from friday right after the morning rush hour until sunday at 11 00 p. M. And court will be closed from south myrtle avenue to south Fort Harrison avenue this weekend. And next weekend, chestnut will be shut down from south Fort Harrison avenue to south myrtle avenue. And this is video of horrendous traffic during spring break a couple years ago. It shows what a mess it can be on the roads in this area this time of year. Some drivers fear the construction will make things worse. And another live look at the area in question. Police plan to be here to deal with the traffic mess and of course you can count on 8 on latest details as the construction project approach. Gayle, back to you for now. Yeah, we have a lot of popular beaches. That one being one of the top ranked and its going to be a mess. Thank you for the heads up. Yeah, trip adviser just named at this time number one beach. Pope francis is now back in vatican city. The pontiff traveled all over mexico and won over many fans when he held mass on the outskirts of mexico city. He held his last event and addressed about 30,000 people. The pope tried to reassure mexicans that there are lights of hope even in dark times. Pope francis is expected to be back in latin america later this year. One person is dead after a massive electrical transformer fell on top of a pickup truck in los angeles. This all happened when the truck hit a power pole holding the electrical units. The impact caused the transformers to crash to the ground. Two l. A. P. D. Officers are being called a disgrace. They are charged with sexually assaulting women while on duty. The two former narcotics officers are accused of repeatedly raping and assaulting four women and this supposedly went on for years. One victim settled with the city for 575,000 is now living wow. Well today in florida, state legislatures will discuss everything from computer coding to the Death Penalty. Matt galka has a look at whats on tap today at the state capitol. Reporter the Florida Senate is in session. Theyll discuss bills on the floor including a proposal making computer coding a Foreign Language class in high schools. And later in the day, the Senate Appropriations committee will hear more than 25 bill, including one setting statewide insurance policy guidelines for Companies Like uber. And the house is expected to vote on a bill requiring a minimum of nine jurors to recommend the Death Penalty before it can be carried out. Have a great day, everybody. Im matt galka. You have a great day too, matt. A new report just released looks at the reasons americans go to the emergency room. Each year, about one in five americans visits the emergency room. 77 reported they needed treatment for a serious medical condition. And 12 went because their Doctors Office was closed. And 7 explained they chose the emergency room because they didnt have a health provider. The symptoms migraine sufferers experience might be a sign of something worse. People with migraines with an aura may be at an increased risk of a stroke. Doctors explain its the flashing light, stars or patterns. Well this morning, we are getting a look at some of the shelves. I would love to be at this place. They are at display at the 2016 thats where more than 30,000 toy makers what a fun job, and vendors are showing off the new options for play time like this robotic dog. And look at her, this is barbie on a hoverboard. Remote controlled. Hope it doesnt blow up like the hoverboards have been doing. Oh, god we just report on that all the time. Some fantasy toys are expected to be big hits including star wars and superhero characters that are so popular. Sounds like you want to be tom hanks. I would love that. Jump on the big piano. And i saw toys from the walking dead. Forecast for today, not scary at all. In fact, a al gore jus morning. We will call it coolish, 51 degrees. But warms up nicely, 67. Great for the lunch break. And a breeze through the afternoon but a comfortable 37 afternoon off work. 43 in inverness. Like i said, it is cool. The cooler air is spreading south. 52 in lake land. And wimauma, 51. 55 in sarasota. And big monkey in crystal beach, comfortable at 5 4. What will happen through the day, its seasonably cool this morning. And should make for a really pretty sunrise. And i look forward to the pictures on facebook. Again, comfortable and might bring in clouds and then generally sunny and then mostly clear tomorrow. And another pleasant day tomorrow. We are getting spoiled and i like it. Mid70s this weekend. Next rain chance is next week, leslee. All right. A look at traffic right now. Weve got a good drive coming in and out of Hernando County down to Hillsborough County. In fact from highway 60 in brandon up to highway 50 in brooksville, roughly about a 44 minute commute on i75. And traffic looks good in downtown lakeland. And sarasota, we had earlier construction around i75 and university parkway, typical for your morning hours. And we have a great drive here between clark and university. Youre looking at roughly six minutes. And thats a look at weather and traffic on the 8s. Back to gene and gayle. Thank you so much, leslee. A boy scout is using technology to complete his mission. Ahead, what he is doing for kids who need prosthetics. Neat story. Plus, first, a sign of the times. The way one of americas favorite board games is changing to reflect the fact that very few of us carry cash anymore. Its 5 50. Youre watching news channel 8 well these kids are doing some great things. A Boy Scout Troop is providing help to those in need with a 3d printer. He came up with the cost efficient method of building prosthetic devices for kids who need them. The troop cant believe what the Community Project has turned into. Im just totally amazed. My point in life, this is really remarkable. And you look at what this may do for the world, its quite a project. All right, so the deal, a normal device cost about 40,000. And his device, its just 40. Wow. Yeah. The project is set to benefit an organization that make and give the prosthetic hands to incredible to watch the brilliant young minds at work like that. Yeah so who carries cash anymore . Unless youre buying something you dont want people to know. But monopoly, no more cash. They eliminated both paper cash and the banker Player Position which is the one i liked because i steal the money. I cheat sometimes. And instead the banking game allows players to scan special bank cards on a hand held banking unit. Im not playing until we can do it with bitcoins. Thats the next level of monopoly. I dont know how they are doing in the market anymore. They are. Oh, yeah. Its a new trend that facebook users and all of us here in the newsroom are loving. Were talking about facebook live. Coming up in the next half hour, we will explain how the feature works and how can get a look behind the scenes at news channel 8 today. But first, weather and traffic on the 8s, we have that time for weather and traffic on the 8s on this thursday morning. Its 5 58. Time to get up and get going. Feels great outside. You might need a light jacket, 43 in inverness right now but feeling good in polk county at 52. Tampa, 53. Warmer near the coast, 56 in bradenton. And specifically, my buddy betty in plant city checking in at 52 degrees right now. And going to be a gorgeous day, sunny, comfortable, a high of 73. A little bit of a northeast breeze through the afternoon and evening but a low tonight of 53. Ill let you know how long the nice stretch of weather lasts coming up. Leslee, how about traffic on the 8s . Right now, 275 off the Howard Franklin bridge into downtown, just four minute. To i of4 out of pasco county into downtown tampa. And still looks very good. All right, lets talk about the veterans expressway. Do have an update for you, right now ehrlich road is passable underneath the veterans expressway. It was closed off. And they have cleared up that construction but you are still routed off at gunn highway northbound. Hopefully thats going to clear well good morning and thank you for watching news channel 8 today. Im gayle guyardo. And im gene ramirez. Our top stories this thursday morning, cementing the new relationship between the United States and cuba. Today we will learn the details of president Barack Obamas travel plans to the island. And we know this visit is taking place in march and it will make president barack obama the first sitting u. S. President to visit cuba since 1928. That was Calvin Coolidge back then. And they are covering this big
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