Good evening, Tampa Bay. We're wrapping up the day for you with the most important stories you need to know and your weather outlook.

Your Weather Planner

Our warm and humid pattern will continue for a little while longer. Wednesday will start quite warm with temperatures in the mid to upper 60s. Temperatures will approach the mid 80s during the afternoon. 

Scattered showers will develop during the afternoon with increased rain chances north of Tampa. 

We will continue to have a rain chance each day this week before a strong cold front moves across the area Saturday.

Be sure to check in with Klystron 9 before you head out. 

 

 

Highs: Mid-80s

Lows: 60s

Rain Coverage: 30%      

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Weekend Plans?

A significant cooldown heads to Tampa Bay this weekend, and hazardous weather will accompany it.

We encourage anyone with plans this weekend to monitor the latest forecast for updates on the timing of storms for Saturday.

Today's Big Stories

1. 'Parental Rights in Education' bill passes Florida Senate
The “Parental Rights in Education Bill” has been dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill by opponents, because of language originally prohibiting any discussion about sexual orientation and gender identity in younger grades and in a manner that is not, quote, “age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students.”

2. Biden: 'We're banning all imports of Russian oil and gas and energy'
The move follows pleas by Ukrainian President Volodmyr Zelenskyy to U.S. and Western officials to cut off the imports, which had been a glaring omission in the massive sanctions put in place on Russia. 

3. Florida's gas prices break record-high at $4.15 per gallon
The previous all-time high was $4.08 per gallon on July 16, 2008. Gas prices have surged over the past week to the highest levels in over a decade.

4. Texas man found guilty in 1st Jan. 6 case to go to trial
A Texas man was convicted of storming the U.S. Capitol with a holstered handgun, a milestone victory for federal prosecutors in the first trial among hundreds of cases arising from last year’s riot.

5. Some residents allowed to return home as Florida wildfires grow
Hundreds of residents forced to evacuate as blazes in the Florida Panhandle threatened their homes have been allowed to return to their homes, even as three wildfires in the region have grown to more than 29,000 acres.

6. Pinellas schools taking closer look at age-appropriate books
Books on sex education and gender identity are just some of the many topics some parents say should be filtered out for younger kids.

7. Florida Politics: Lawmakers approve path to end net metering for solar energy
The measure (HB 741) aims to end subsidies its sponsors said would overburden nonsolar customers through a process known as net metering. Under net metering, Florida's electric utilities are mandated to buy back at the retail rate "banked" energy stored by homes that gather more energy than they produce. That energy is added to the utility's grid and can be redistributed to nonsolar customers.

8. Biden honors International Women’s Day, asks Congress for $2.6B to promote gender equity worldwide
As part of his statement celebrating International Women’s Day, President Joe Biden asked Congress for $2.6 billion to promote gender equity worldwide — more than doubling the amount requested the year prior.

9. Congress passes Emmett Till bill to make lynching hate crime
It is named for the Black teenager whose brutal killing in Mississippi in 1955 — and his mother's insistence on a open funeral casket to show the world what had been done to her child — became a pivotal moment in the Civil Rights era.

 

Your Notes for Tonight and Tomorrow

In Case You Missed It

Florida to become first state to recommend against COVID vaccines for healthy kids

In a move that goes against current recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatrics, Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo said during a COVID-19 roundtable discussion that healthy children who haven't yet been vaccinated against COVID-19 don't need to get the shots.