Metro Jacksonville

The heat and humidity will stick around through the weekend and into next week.  Each afternoon will be in the mid-90's with the real feel temps above 100.  And we could see thunderstorms fire up each afternoon.

Today's interview lineup:

At 7:40 we heard Fox's Jared Halpern explain what one number could have people rethinking their election decision.

At 8:23 we heard Scott MacFarlane explain how the Obama team is planning to argue the economy is improving despite no change in unemployment.

Our Top Local Story:  Three for three. The problem of meth labs in local motel rooms seems to be growing, but there is a renewed focus on stopping the spread.  Fred Pozin, General Manager of the Ramada in Mandarin, tells WOKV they work directly with the Sheriff's Office to try and seek out the users. And the end of the month he says police will have a training program to educate hotels on how to identify potential meth dealers looking for a temporary base to cook. In the last three months there have been three drug lab busts in two Motel 6 locations in Jacksonville.

We're getting a closer look at the damage in Nassau County from Tropical Storm Debby.  FEMA officials are there today surveying the damage.   Nassau Emergency Operations Center Director Danny Hinson says estimates are already upwards of $3.4 million and will likely go up even more as they start surveying areas they can't currently get to along the St. Mary's River.  See new photos of the flooding in our gallery here.

Another step in moving towards closing out the new courthouse contract.  General Counsel Cindy Lacquidera has sent a letter to an outside law firm saying their services may be needed.  She says this is standard procedure in case they decide to take legal action against the contractor Turner Construction.  No decision about any legal action has been made at this time.  Earlier this week on Jacksonville's Morning News, Mayor Brown told us he plans to hold Turner responsible for cost overruns.

More than a half million computers could be blacked-out from the Internet on Monday, because of malicious malware installed by hackers last year.  The FBI says Internet service providers have been working on plans to make sure users aren't knocked offline.  Click here to check if your computer has the virus.

Four candidates are currently being reviewed to take over as Duval's next superintendent.  Ed Pratt-Dannals, the man who currently holds the position, will step down at the end of the year. The candidate range from local and out-of-state experience.  The application deadline to be the district's next leader is July 23rd.

Bond is $1 million for George Zimmerman, who killed Trayvon Martin in what he calls an act of self-defense.  The judge Thursday questioned Zimmerman's honesty and suggested that he had plotted to leave the country when he had been released on bond before.

Prepare for big delays on the East Beltway next week.  Construction of the new overpass to State Road 9B will force the closure of northbound 295 between Phillips and Baymeadows Monday night through 5am Tuesday.   Southbound traffic will NOT be affected.

The Gator Bowl gets top billing.  The start time has been moved ahead an hour, to Noon on New Year's Day.  It'll be the first of several games to kick off the busy holiday.  The 68th annual Gator Bowl features teams from the SEC and Big Ten.

Our Top National Story:  A key measuring stick in You Decide 2012 is out this morning, the June unemployment numbers.  The last two months were not good ones for the president, as he saw the unemployment rate increase to 8.2%.  The payroll provider ADP forecasts businesses adding 176,000 jobs last month -- and that would be enough to lower the unemployment rate.

It's an Obama love fest in Washington at the National Education Association's annual convention.  Inside the convention center is a wall-size banner with encouraging messages to the President, and videos celebrating the health care law.  About a dozen Republican teachers tell say they felt pressure from union leaders and others to support Obama's re-election, and they felt marginalized when they refused.

The search for survivors continued through the night in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park--after violent storms in East Tennessee.  Park rangers say there are unconfirmed fatalities and people in medical distress.  Some people are believed to be trapped in their vehicles by downed trees.

The owner of a yacht that capsized with 27 friends and family members aboard for an Independence Day fireworks outing was on it when it tipped over off New York's Long Island.  Three children died when they became trapped underwater.  Safety experts say the yacht was overcrowded.

Police believe an Oregon man killed his wife and their two children on the Fourth of July and then took his own life because she had filed  for divorce in May.  All four people were found shot to death after a caller told police about an alarming post on a social network.

What's Happening on Monday:
http://www.wokv.com/videos/online/advertising/morning-news-video-blog/ldQ/ (http://www.wokv.com/videos/online/advertising/morning-news-video-blog/ldQ/)

Jacksonville might sue Turner Construction (courthouse construction) for delays.

Turner was barred from doing work in a couple of Florida cities. A month ago at a council hearing Crescimbeni asked a vice president at Turner if they were barred from palm beach county. The vice president, who has been with Turner for over 30 years said he does not know.

Watch the video on the link for an overview.

http://www.actionnewsjax.com/content/topstories/story/Turner-Construction-dodges-questions-about-past/uaXkfvXvEUOIvxft8TT3Mw.cspx