CLEARWATER, Fla. — Good morning Tampa Bay! Happy almost Friday.
Let's get started with the stories you need to know about.
Fact-checking the vice presidential debate ✔️
Republican Mike Pence and Democrat Kamala Harris faced off in the first and only vice presidential debate in Salt Lake City.
The debate unfolded Wednesday night as President Donald Trump recovered at the White House. He tested positive for the coronavirus last week and spent several days in the hospital.
Our VERIFY researchers worked to fact-check the claims and statements both nominees made throughout the evening.
Tracking Hurricane Delta 🌀
Hurricane Delta is moving northwestward over the Gulf of Mexico at 15 mph.
The Category 2 hurricane has winds of 100 mph but is expected to restrengthen into a major, Category 3 storm tonight.
The National Hurricane Center says hurricane conditions and life-threatening storm surge are expected to start hitting the northern Gulf coast on Friday.
Delta made landfall along the coast of northeastern Mexico near Puerto Morelos around 5:45 a.m. CDT Wednesday with estimated maximum winds of 110 mph.
Heartwarming reunion 💞
It's been 27 years since a Tampa Bay woman gave her baby up for adoption.
The only contact Beth Cole had with her daughter Rebecca Hook was through a single school photo that arrived in a manilla envelope every year on Rebecca’s birthday.
In January 2020, Rebecca, now grown up with a child of her own, felt a tugging on her heart to seek out Cole. She started digging around online and got some help from someone who could try and track her mother through birth records. Rebecca, who lives in Muskegon, Mich. waited for answers.
Then, Beth and Rebecca made contact and the two started chatting through text messages. They worked their way up to face-to-face video chats on cell phones. Beth was overjoyed to “meet” her daughter and granddaughter, Addy. It was a moment she never expected would come.
Beth flew up to Michigan to meet her daughter in July. It was a weekend filled with hugs, giggles, and bonding. The family made plans for Rebecca, now 27, to come to Florida later this month.