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

More clouds and a slow increase in humidity will bring a few showers.

Winds will be from the east-northeast wind around 10 mph.

Near normal temperatures with high temperatures will be in the upper 70s to 80 degrees.

The next front brings us cooler weather late in the weekend. 

 

 Highs: Near 80
Lows: 60s
Rain Coverage: 30%

 

Today's Big Stories

1. Biden to sign infrastructure bill Monday in bipartisan ceremony
President Joe Biden will sign the bipartisan infrastructure bill on Monday, the White House announced, in a ceremony that will feature both Democratic and Republican lawmakers, mayors, governors, labor union and business leaders.

2. Gov. DeSantis targets additional $9 million for Hernando County wastewater projects
Gov. Ron DeSantis made the announcement Wednesday morning that the county would get $9 million as part of three different Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) grant programs for wastewater and springs projects.

3. Labor shortage causes crunch at Bay area family-owned shops
While larger retailers and restaurants are struggling to keep employees and attract new staff members, smaller family-owned businesses are facing their own set of struggles from the labor shortage. 

4. U.S. jobless claims drop to pandemic low of 267,000
Jobless claims fell by 4,000 last week, the Labor Department reported Wednesday. The four-week average of claims, which smooths out weekly ups and downs, dropped by nearly 7,300 to 278,000, also a pandemic low.

5. Biden says reversing inflation 'is a top priority' as U.S. consumer prices soared 6.2% in past year
Inflation is eroding the strong gains in wages and salaries that have flowed to America's workers in recent months, creating political headaches for the Biden administration and congressional Democrats and intensifying pressure on the Federal Reserve as it considers how fast to withdraw its efforts to boost the economy. 

6. Number of kids 5-11 who've received first COVID shot nears 1 million
Federal health officials announced that more than 900,000 children who became eligible for Pfizer’s two-dose vaccine last week have been inoculated or will be in the coming hours. Another 700,000 have scheduled their vaccination appointments through local pharmacies.

7. SpaceX Crew-3 set for launch Wednesday after multiple delays
Commander Raja Chari — the first rookie to command a spaceflight since 1973 — , pilot Thomas Marshburn and mission specialists Kayla Barron and Matthias Maurer — who is the only Crew-3 member to have ever been to space before — will be on board the Crew Dragon capsule Endurance for a 9:03 p.m. ET liftoff from Launch Complex-39A at the Kennedy Space Center.

8. Snowcat Ridge, Florida’s first snow park, is ready for another run
Snowcat Ridge in Dade City has reopened for its second winter season. The park, with a 400-foot-long snow tubing hill and a 10,000-square foot indoor snow play area, got off to a bumpy start when it debuted last year.

 

 

 

Your Notes for Tonight and Tomorrow

In Case You Missed It

Poll: 76% of U.S. adults say Facebook makes society worse

Seventy-six percent of those surveyed said they believe the social media platform makes society worse. Just 11% said Facebook improves society, while 13% said it has no effect either way. The negative view of the social media giant was shared across gender, age and racial lines.