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The Daystarter: Three kids, seven foster kids and plenty of love; fatal crash ties up St. Petersburg traffic; beware of ransomware; Bilirakis defends health care vote

 
Supporters of the Affordable Care Act hold up letters during a meeting in February held by Rep. Gus Bilirakis in Palm Harbor. More than 200 people turned out for the meeting after Bilirakis issued the call to residents of his conservative district on Facebook to share their thoughts on the future of health care. Despite that February meeting, Bilirakis cast his vote recently for the House health care bill to replace Obamacare. [KATHLEEN MCGRORY   |   Times]
Supporters of the Affordable Care Act hold up letters during a meeting in February held by Rep. Gus Bilirakis in Palm Harbor. More than 200 people turned out for the meeting after Bilirakis issued the call to residents of his conservative district on Facebook to share their thoughts on the future of health care. Despite that February meeting, Bilirakis cast his vote recently for the House health care bill to replace Obamacare. [KATHLEEN MCGRORY | Times]
Published May 15, 2017

Catching you up on overnight happenings, and what you need to know today.

• Our day will heat up to the low to mid-90s this afternoon thanks to lots of sunshine. That will be the pattern through the work week with minimal rain chances. While a stray sprinkle will be possible over the next few days, the better chances for any shower activity arrives next weekend, according to 10Weather WTSP

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The latest 7-day forecast

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The latest 7-day forecast

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Feels-like temperatures around the Tampa Bay area

10News WTSP

Feels-like temperatures around the Tampa Bay area

• As you head out for your morning commute, check out our live blog for the latest traffic updates and road conditions across Tampa Bay.

• Plan your week! Here are the top things to do this week in Tampa Bay including Muse and Thirty Seconds to Mars touring together, the Florida Orchestra ending its season with Beethoven and a new mid-week food truck rally for office workers.

• One man was killed Sunday night and several others injured in a multi-car crash in the Crescent Lake area of St. Petersburg. The crash will likely keep Fourth Street N, between 15th and 18th Avenue N, closed until 8 a.m., police said.

• Since Kathryn Melendez began fostering in Florida in 2004, more than 200 children have arrived on Melendez's doorstep, most of them scared, withdrawn, traumatized. One or two run away but most stay for at least a year, some until they age out of foster care. Mother's Day this year was celebrated at her five-bedroom Gibsonton home with her husband, three children and seven foster kids. In a home chock full of children, dogs and noise, her laugh is the deepest, her hug the most sought after. Read Christopher O'Donnell's inspiring story.

• As a new work week begins, experts warn that the unprecedented "ransomware" cyberattack that has already hit tens of thousands of victims in 150 countries could wreak even more havoc as people return to their desks and power up their computers today. Here are five tips to help protect you and your computers.

• Like so many of the hundreds of constituents who showed up at U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis' February town hall meetings on health care reform, Mona Bedard came away impressed. The Republican congressman seemed so genuine, so empathetic and determined to protect his constituents' access to health care, said Bedard, a Democrat who credited the Affordable Care Act with saving her 24-year-old daughter's life after needing a tumor removed. "It's so frustrating because that night in Wesley Chapel he listened to us, he gave us the time, he seemed very sincere," said Bedard, 56. "Then he goes and votes for this bill that was so rushed through they didn't even wait for the (budgetary analysis) to come out. It almost feels like being stabbed in the back." But is Bilirakis in trouble? Don't bet on it, writes Times political editor Adam C. Smith.

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• The health care messaging wars are off and running, and several Republicans are under fire for their votes on the House health bill (including two from Florida). PolitiFact Florida examines an attack ad that says the lawmakers voted for a plan that will allow insurers to "charge five times more for people over 50."

• More than 10,000 people, and 400 companies, will flock to the Tampa this week for the annual Special Operations Forces Industry Conference. Companies will hawk their latest wares to U.S. Special Operations Command, headquartered at MacDill Air Force Base, and top commando leaders will talk about what they need from industry to continue fighting after more than 15 years of war. Howard Altman has the details.

• An online extortion attack that authorities say swept 150 countries this weekend is part of a growing problem of "ransomware" scams, in which people find themselves locked out of their files and presented with a demand to pay hackers to restore their access. Here are 5 ways to protect your computers.

• Children who live near Potter Elementary School will have a new option in August. An early learning center is opening just steps away, serving kindergarten and first grade, with plans to expand later. It's one of several projects under way to assist Potter, a four-time F school whose troubles have attracted widespread attention in recent months.

• A liberal group wants the Office of Congressional Ethics to investigate whether Rep. Tom Rooney violated House rules by issuing a sharply-worded news release about Sen. Bill Nelson that declared, "I hope Florida voters replace him next year." Read more from Alex Leary in the Buzz.

• Three investigations into a Largo Fire Department training exercise gone wrong determined that human error caused a firefighter's injury, resulting in suspensions for three employees, Kathryn Varn writes.

• The start of hurricane season is just two weeks away. The Tampa Bay Times 2017 Hurricane Guide can show you how to get your family, property and pets ready for a storm. The severity of this year's Atlantic storm season depends on what El Niño does in the Pacific this year. New, up-to-date storm surge models have also left Tampa Bay emergency officials scrambling to update evacuation maps, but they're not ready yet.

• Derek Jeter held a microphone and spoke without notes to the crowd that filled sold-out Yankee Stadium on Sunday night. His No. 2, the last of the single digit pinstripes, had been retired and a plaque in his honor dedicated that will be placed in Monument Park alongside tributes to Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio, Mantle, Berra and the rest of the team's greats.

• What exactly are bitters, and how to use them in cocktails and more? Food editor Michelle Stark breaks down some basics.